№ 109 - Noods Radio - Part I

Founded and born from Sunday morning music sessions, the station, which runs under the tagline “No playlists, no ads, just the people“,  has grown to become a home for local artists like Bruce and Avon Terror Corps, as well as local labels like Bokeh Version and Accidental Meetings. They also introduce host guests from around the globe like Valesuchi from Brazil, Australian producer Barking, or EDWIN Music Channel contributor DJ Fati. 

Stylistically, Noods incorporates a wide genre landscape – from dub, UK Garage, house, techno and trance to world, experimental electronics, classical, soundtrack, soul, funk, and all other sorts of odd, rare grooves. 

Part I of the Noods Radio Takeover comes from the station's long-standing host B. Rupp, whose show “Freaks & Healing” has explored experimental music since 2019. He has also already released two drone, dub, and industrial leaning tapes on the London-based label Stay Awake! as well as two albums on Opal Tapes, one under the moniker, Isserley and the other as B. Rupp titled 'Breeders'.

For the EMC, B. Rupp has produced an epic, two-and-a-half-hour experimental mix that unites drama chants from Nico with the music of Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Berlin industrial legends, Einstürzende Neubauten, American experimental rock band Swans, British ambient inventor Brian Eno, US metal band Slipknot, and he even manages to include some of his very own tracks.

As ever we spoke to our host about the history and soul of Noods Radio, its special local relevance, the community around the station, his favourite Noods Radio show, young talents from Bristol and his very own musical output. 

STAY TUNED FOR PART II ALONG WITH A LIMITED EDITION RELEASE...

Q. Hey B. Rupp, can you remember when you first got attracted to music and what kind of sound put you under a spell?

A. Initially I was obsessed with playing the guitar when I was maybe six or seven and that was pretty much all I wanted to do. I think at that time I was just listening to whatever my mum put on in the car, and some CDs I’d stolen from my brother but pretty soon after that I remember my brother sitting me down in front of the family computer and playing 'Spit It Out' by Slipknot, which fully entranced me, haha. I quickly became pretty obsessed with that first album and their album “Iowa“ amongst other nu-metal stuff. I think that definitely influenced my later tastes in industrial music.

My dad was always listening to jazz when I was a kid also, so that’s found its way into my taste in a pretty big way. Maybe after that, most formative music was stuff like Aphex Twin, Venetian Snares, Squarepusher etc in my teens. In my later teens, someone introduced me to Throbbing Gristle which sent me on a huge spiral through industrial stuff. I remember an ex’s big brother showing me techno like Woody Mcbride and stuff like that, that had quite a profound effect on me too.

Q. You work at Noods Radio. What is your position and what makes Noods special compared to other local radios all over the world?

A. We’re a super small team so over the years my job has sort of morphed in every direction, lol. We all do a bit of everything but over the last couple of years or so I’ve taken on managing the editorial and the label, helping out with programming, lots of copywriting and social media stuff then more recently writing pitches and managing our volunteers.

I think what makes Noods special is the community around it, it's such a nice environment to be a part of. Everyone in the city is doing bits and making stuff and all kind of come together through Noods. I’ve met most of the people I know now through the station and yeah it feels really homely if that’s not too sentimental. I guess as well there's so much freedom to just do what you want, no push or pull to play anything in particular just do your thing.

Q. How would you describe the Noods sound? Is there one? If so, is it linked to certain musical traditions from Bristol?

A. The Noods sound lol, I don't know really. I guess there's everything on there but maybe a bit more of a focus on the DIY side of music, experimental stuff, industrial, punky etc. There’s a really great scene for all of that stuff in the city so Noods has become a bit of a home for all the freaks making that stuff. But then again there’s everything so I wouldn’t really want to pin it down.

Q. Noods was founded in 2015. How long have you been affiliated with the station and how did it develop?

A. I’ve been involved in the station since around maybe 2017/18. My friends had a studio next door to the old Noods studio when it was above Crofters Rights and I just got involved like that. Started off volunteering as a producer in the studio but was pestered until Leon let me come work in the office, which at the time was up a ladder in a tiny mezzanine in this massive loft which had like nine or ten people living in it. The place had corrugated plastic roofing so in the summer it was a greenhouse and you’d melt and then in the winter it was just icy and freezing lol. But eventually, we moved to Hamilton House where we still are now. Around that time we got kicked out of our studio at Crofters so that they could build toilets (which still haven’t been built btw), ended up bouncing around 3 temporary studios before opening up our cafe/bar thing Mickey Zoggs, which is where our studio currently is.

Q. What’s your favourite Noods host show and what makes it special?

A. Milk No Sugar, Schwet, Concrete Folk, Plaque, OJOO GYAL, 999Hz, Rain World, The Grey Area. They all have their own flavours and really curate a sound that’s their own. Have found so many amazing artists through these shows.

Q. Since 2019 you’ve played a diverse range of sounds for you in your Freaks & Healing show, ranging from techno, avant-garde electronics, noise and hardcore to punk, industrial and dark leaning ambient. How would you describe your sound as a DJ and what do you aim for with your show?

A. I don’t know really, I basically wanted a show where I could just play whatever I wanted, so that’s kind of what I do. I guess broadly I play experimental stuff but that encompasses so much it means I can basically play whatever lol. I think I just aim to make the mix as cohesive as possible while playing a bunch of different things. I like to play all sorts from ambient to jazz to noise so finding a connection between those disparate sounds can be very satisfying.

Q. What do you do besides working at Noods? Are you a DJ, or producer?

A. I make music under the name B. Rupp, which is like electronic industrial-type stuff. I also make music as Isserley which is more fun hardcore.

Q. What’s the story behind your mix for the EDWIN Music channel?

A. I don’t like to play the same song twice on my radio show so with this mix I took a bunch of my favourite tracks over the years from my Noods shows and saw this as an opportunity to play a bunch of them again. There’s a bunch of other stuff I haven’t had the chance to play yet as well as tracks which fit the crevices in there too.

I guess it’s going through a lot of the different types of stuff I'm into, from metal to noise, to medieval nonsense, to weird techno stuff, industrial bits and on and on. I actually ended up making this mix in Ableton because I wanted to be able to play three or four tracks at the same time and don't have access to that many CDJ’s lol, so it’s more of a collage really.

Q. Can you name a track/EP/album that's been unfairly slept on in the past month and explain why it is special to you?

A. The Sissy Fuss album on Stay Awake! was fucking great, really weird and a bit tongue in cheek which I think is hard to do right. So bizarre and really deserves more attention. Has all these odd vocal bits throughout it, strange beats and pretty blissed-out ambient parts - so so good.

Last year, Saint Abdullah’s ‘To Live A La West’ comes to mind also. It’s an insane album which doesn’t seem to have had much attention. Crazy wild industrial electronics with saxophones and other mental stuff all over it. Can’t recommend it enough, kind of makes me think of Muslimgauze at times which is never ever a bad thing.

Q. Who are you listening to these days?

A. Most recently, after seeing the new Batman I have actually got back into Nirvana a lot haha. Lots of Swans, Godflesh, Jesu etc. My girlfriend just showed me Model Home so have been listening to loads of them. The Soft Moon, Eli Keszler, Shapednoise, loads of soundtracks, EBM, industrial stuff, post-punk. I have things that I just inevitably come back to like The Beatles, Aphex Twin, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Tim Hecker, Brian Eno, Kate Bush etc. I guess there’s a bunch, I tend to jump around a lot.

Q. What are some promising Bristol-based musicians or producers, that you enjoy lately?

A. There are so many, Yokel who runs Plaque is insane, everything he makes is just gold-churning rhythmic stuff. Max Kelan’s newest album on Bristol Normcore is crazy something like Whitehouse with huge beats. Kinlaw & Franco Franco just put out a new album late last year which is even better than the first. Jabu and O$VMV$M are really great, always listening to their albums. There’s this band Quade which are really interesting, post-rock-type stuff really keen to see what they do. Tara Clerkin trio are amazing, can't wait to see what they put out next also. There are probably loads I'm forgetting but those come to mind.

Q. What’s your favourite place to hang out in Bristol and why?

A. Mickey Zoggs, forever and always.

TRACKLIST

The Witch - Excerpt
Fly Pan Am - Jeunesse Sonique, Tu Dors (En Cage)
Cylob - Durftal
Mark Korven - What Went He
Bretwalda -A Shewing In Norwich
B. Rupp - 1osc Symphony
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Providence (Excerpt)
Converter - Drone (Ritual)
Set Fire To Flames - Jesus, Pop
Glass - Fragmented Memories
Nico - My Only Child
Mercedes Cambridge - Lair
Maja Ratkje - Intro
Inhalants - Whip Incantation
Dopplereffekt - Pascal's Recursion
Bordreuil / Rowden - No Name III
Nicola Kazimir - The Witches You Weren't Able To Burn
East End Butchers - Assassins
Test Dept. - Inheritance
The Tapes - Otto
Einstürzende Neubauten - Thirsty Animal
Flora Yin-Wong - Sunyata
Drew McDowall - Convulse
Flores Feias - E A Faca
Asche - Testing Show (For A Green Fuzz)
The Radiophonic Workshop - The Barracks
Black Rain - Dark Pool
Schlaflose Nächte - In A Hurry
Sprung Aus Den Wolken - Meine Stimme
Gavin Bryars & John White  - Drinking & Hooting Machine
Dome - Madmen
Box - Untitled 11
Muslimgauze - Lazzaream UI Lepar
Slipknot - 742617000027
Swans - Half-Life
Godflesh - Avalanche Master Song
Lukas Koenig - Sehat Phone
S. English - Negativ
DJ Eminflex - Orientali
CP / BW - Vertical Probation
HLM38  - Fold-in
Cardinal & Nun - Disintegration
Bossa Luce - Hardship
Laughing Hands - Seven
The Cop Killers - Bel Fra Gore
IMP Electronics For Defense - Old Bridge
Black Deer - No One To Come Home To
B. Rupp - Have Fun Dancing
Nina Harker - Gardo
B. Rupp - Boring Films
Saint Abdullah - In God's Image (Feat. Jordan Reyes)
Maoupa Mazzocchetti - Wallon Smokers
Arca - Tongue
DJ HVAD - Liderlig Livstræt Perk
B. Rupp - Noise2
Model Home - Tuu Right
Death Grips - Come Up And Get Me
Shapednoise - Unflinching
Wetware - Act On My Behalf
Colin Stetson - Reborn
Earl Sweatshirt - Peanut
B. Rupp - Bell Decay
Imminent Starvation - Oise
B. Rupp - Seesaw Childhood
Jonquera - Darkos
P·A·L - P-Head
Brian Eno - 2/1
A/N - Déviation
Woody McBride - Outro: Fucking Cops
DJ HVAD - Børnene Sædspules Sommersøndag i Dyrehaven
The Soft Moon - We Are We
Alec Empire - Lash The 90ties