As The Caretaker, Leyland Kirby has offered memory reconstructed in spite of inevitable decay. As The Stranger, Leyland Kirby has considered location evacuated by history. And, simply as Leyland Kirby, he excavates sadness within his own narrative.
I worry that I haven’t truly captured the scope of Kirby’s various sonic identities, though perhaps this little news article isn’t the place for such reflection. Still, I’m trying for the sake of yet another one of Kirby’s projects. V/Vm.
Back in 2006, Kirby made approximately 200 songs under his V/Vm moniker for a project called The Death of Rave, inspired by disappointment and realizations of artistic demise felt after visiting a club in Berlin, as he explained to Resident Advisor. He deconstructed and distorted rave tracks and posted the recordings to his old label’s website, V/Vm Test, only to remove them in 2008. According to FACT, Kirby has unearthed those tracks and chosen eight to remaster for a reissue called The Death of Rave (A Partial Flashback), which will be available on May 29 on vinyl and CD as well as digitally via History Always Favours the Winners.
The Death of Rave (A Partial Flashback) tracklist:
01. Monroes Stockport
02. Moggy & Wearden
03. Machete’s at The Banshee
04. Acid Alan, Haggis & Scott
05. Marple Libradome ‘91
06. Smithy & Dave the Rave
07. Big Eddie’s van – Bowlers car park
08. XR2 mk1 Sale Waterpark
• Leyland Kirby: http://leylandkirby.bandcamp.com
• History Always Favours the Winners: http://brainwashed.com/vvm
More about: Leyland Kirby, V/Vm
