Front & Centre
1.3.15 by Mike Haley

Okay, I guess I’ve been sleeping blindfolded under a rock or some shit, because I’ve been completely unaware of Centre. Ladies and gentlemen, I am awake now. My eyes are open. I’m… On top of rocks? What I’m trying to say is that Centre, an imprint operated by Sam Goldberg that apparently dropped (among a few others gems) a cassette version of the s/t Forma album four years ago, is now on my radar thanks to the release of new tapes by Radio People, Brett Naucke, and Colored Mushroom & The Medicine Rocks. Each release is pro-dubbed and limited to 100 copies.

For those even more ignorant than I, Radio People is the smooth-sailing synth project of Mr. Goldberg, now a duo with Adam Miller who (maybe?) ran (runs?) the absurdly crucial Cylindrical Habitat Modules. You may be wondering “If you don’t know that Miller ran that label for sure, why mention it at all”? Well, I got a hunch and always follow my hunches. That’s why. Brett Naucke (pronounced like the dumpling I am told) is the Catholic Tapes guru with an arsenal of unreal sounds at his disposal. And last, but not least, is the ex-Emerald named Elliott, along with cohorts Charles Szerzen and Sandra Serio, with a flash flood of skin-melting prog reverie.

Straight from the Centre’s mouth:

Centre 05 – Radio People “Fall on Mars” Cassette
“Fall on Mars” was completed by Samuel Goldberg and Adam Miller in the Fall of 2014 in Cleveland, Ohio at his home studio. The title-track serves well as a reintroduction to the project since last year’s “Night Club” on Treasure. It begins as a slow release of scattery synthesizer bop that builds to spill out echoes of fluorescent pads and minimal sequences. From there, the tape continues to loosen up and casts off into rich zones of rhythms and field recordings. Like many Radio People releases, present are the blankets of neon sound and emotive progressions of organ and synthesizer. “Fall on Mars” points outwardly to the planets while remaining in the real and present of a Midwest autumn. The Mars One team will be reaching their destination in 2025, enjoy a preview to what fall on Mars could feel like.

Centre 06 – Brett Naucke “Pitch Documents” Cassette
Brett Naucke is an electronic musician living in Chicago, Illinois. His past works, such as “The Visitor” on NIHILIST and “Seed” on Spectrum Spools introduced many listeners to his unique scope. He brings humanistic qualities and a keen sense of minimalism to a synthesizer system with infinite sounds. These tracks are documents of a constantly tinkering musician at his home studio; exploring music to share it with listeners, but more importantly to move forward in a deeply personal journey. Dig in to his beautifully arching modular synthesizers compositions and join him. These works stretch with elasticity and are somehow also tightly wound. The pieces are fluid and glued with rhythms and pulses that propel and take rests beautifully and naturally. His work here presents itself like a sea of galaxies loosely simplified and then neatly folded onto the head of a pin.

Centre 07 – Colored Mushroom & The Medicine Rocks – ” TheGold Manor Eclipse” Cassette
Colored Mushroom & The Medicine Rocks are an electronic music group which is currently producing music and living in Cleveland, Ohio. These works were created in Cleveland and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Listen closely and perhaps you can hear the two different atmospheres’ reflections in the sound. “The Gold Manor Eclipse” is a concise release made up of treasure-like progressions and clouds of breathtaking mellotron. Colored Mushroom present a unique take on synthesizer prog that glows with glossy hi-hat snaps and deep drum patterns. The locked in drum machines are balanced by synthesizers and electronics that never agree to go straight down the middle. Similar to (the ensemble’s maestro) John Elliott’s work as Outer Space and Imaginary Softwoods, the songs move forward but remain hardly predictable. The songs are packed with charging movements and space to breathe. Breathe to them, move to them, and let them move you.

Perhaps some of my facts are fuzzy, but who gives a shit. Just listen to these baller sound clips then grip up these joints for $8.50 a pop, $22.50 for the gang from Centre. Baby, baby!