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He isn’t exactly what you would call a renown frontman since he is more likely to stir things up behind the scenes. This is the main reason I avoid referring to, the 53 year old, Andrew Weatherall when engaging conversations with people that are not so into the Manchester scene. The next moment I find myself trying to number some of his many projects just to persuade the “interlocutor” of the impact this figure has made on the alternative music universe. Boys Own, Sabres Of Paradise, Two Lone Swordsmen, a couple of record labels and productions that set the starting point for leading artists, are only some of his achievements. His remixes are not just adding effects and relocating parts, they are statements that can completely alter your view over the original track (‘Loaded‘- Primal Scream).

Although this eccentric dude imbued the art of remixing with a whole different meaning, his solo albums are highly anticipated. This is exactly the case with his latest double LP ‘Convenanza‘. Released under his own Rotters Golf Club label, this album gives a hard time to every listener that wants to put artists down under a specific music genre. From Madchester mementos ( ‘The Confidence Man‘, ‘We Count The Stars‘) to spoken word electro (‘Kicking The River‘, ‘Disappear‘) Andy never forgets to pay his respects to post punk forerunners while staying loyal to his electronic origins. As for the audience, you will find yourself swaying in a virtual underground club and the next thing you remember you’ll be laying nostalgically on your couch when the smoke from your cigarettes reaching the ceiling finally makes sense. The transition between “moods” takes part smoothly revealing the captain’s years of experience. As the music genre crossover continues, the instrumental tracks are absolutely necessary to complete the experience, so don’t miss out on the quality electro dub ‘Frankfurt Advice‘ and the dark bassy groove of ‘All That’s Left‘, “tiny reminders” of the Two Lone Swordsmen era. I can’t resist mentioning my personal favourite track, ‘The Confidence Man‘, where the penetrating voice transfers biblical-like lyrics directly into your soul like a deep gaze via an old school electro dub vessel.

Overall, it is an album with substance and character that meets the high standards he has set for himself, on the other hand one could expect a few more shards of his experimental and techno efforts .One thing is for sure, Andrew Weatherall’s past is constantly reflecting through ‘Convenanza‘ thus providing a motive for the youngsters who want to find out more about his earlier career, while more familiarized listeners will struggle to get rid of tunes and phrases stuck in their mind. Phrases so sincere when they hail from the mouth of this classy old folk.

-Please forgive this letter from a shipwreck soul..-

Thomas Gounaropoulos