Although currently focusing on the production of their 2nd long playing record, Vacuum Spasm Babies, as part of the Sharkbatter Records ‘family’, were asked to present a selection of recordings to a live audience in advance of a performance from label mate Kono Michi. The disks selected were played over three nights taking in a similar number of live music venues.

• Edinburgh – The Caves
• Melrose – The Corn Exchange
• Glasgow – Nice N Sleazy

As with previous outings, each participant in the project, mainly Malcolm Spasm and Charles S. Bravo, were able to identify in advance recordings that they considered to be a appropriate b) of a suitable genre c) no longer than 13 minutes in duration and d) able to offend in played without first delivering a health and safety talk. With the understanding that one record would be played after another, without pause, time for evaluation, a study on impact, or review against aims and objectives, it was agreed by the Technical Committee that two machines able to read data and interpret into an audio format would be utilised in tandem. The music workers responsible for ensuring continuous flow of audio throughout the auditorium would each control a ‘deck’ enabling them to start and stop a disk, and a ‘fader’ to control volume. Neither music worker is qualified to operate ‘pitch’ variation devices and were advised in strong terms not to undertake any experiments in this department, as this would go beyond agreed parameters. Various approaches were studied in advance, with a number of models presented to the Council of Continuous Audio Manipulation and in the end a new approach detailed in a recently published paper entitled ‘To Me, To You – A Study in Musical Fluidity’ was agreed as a way forward. This approach proved to be a success and a number of disks were successfully delivered, on target and within budget. A memo sent from Micko Michaelsson Jnr, CEO of Sharkbatter Records, to VSB HQ in advance of the signing of any contract, had stated that no actual cash budget would be available for the facilitation of this service, however in return for the supply of two music workers and the successful filling of the time leading up to the main performance with music, neither worker would be required to purchase a ticket to allow them actual entry to the event. The following list maps out in detail the tracks played over the three nights. Due to issues relating to loss of data, implements to enable the noting down of information, and mind episodes of idiotism, this list may not be complete, and is not presented in any chronological order, nor order of preference, or any order at all.

1. Come Taste My Mind – Earl Brutus

2. Oh! No! Here He Comes – Herbie Hancock

3. Diana – Comus

4. The Precious Mountain – Quickspace

5. Something Against You – Pixies

6. Crystal Clear – The Fiery Furnaces

7. Love Without Sound – White Noise

8. Jumpin Jack Flash - Ananda Shankar

9. Napoleon Does Dallas – The Stark Palace

10. Upside Down – The Jesus and Mary Chain

11. The Family – Mr Brooks

12. Susannah's Still Alive - The Kinks

13. Little Cleaver – The Stone Ghost Collective

14. Mhz – Vacuum Spasm Babies

15. Contact – Bridget Bardot

16. Legal Man – Belle and Sebastian

17. Shine On – The House of Love

18. Roadrunner – Jonathan Richman

19. How Does It Feel – The Creation

20. The Old Man’s Back Again – Scott Walker

21. Hey Hey – Gershon Kingsley

22. Spencer Davis Group - Waltz For Lumumba

23. Do The Strand – Roxy Music

24. Lady bird - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood

25. Animal Man – Kim Fowly

26. I Wanna Be Your Dog - The Stooges

27. Digging Bear – Dawn of the Replicants

28. The Mercy Seat – Nick Cave

29. The Pink Room – David Lynch

Variables taken into consideration in the planning stages of this project included takinginto consideration the number of additional artists engaged to add additional entertainment and value to any given programme, the general lateness of key personnel essential to the project at an operation level, and time for contingency plans put into action to actually secure and set up the apparatus needed to deliver and with that the time and input required to prompt locallysourced facilitators into action. To arrive at informed decisions regarding the actual number of disks needed was difficult, given the noted variables, therefore additional disks were set asideas a contingency, and accessible if areas of quite or unregulated noise were at risk of remaining unfilled. This contingency list follows, and it is worth noting for the record in this reportthat our initial estimates (the formula used here will be published at a later date) were very accurate and none of the additional disks were utilized.

1) I Can Take You To The Sun - The Misunderstood

2) German Studies- The Breeders

3) Flight From Ashiya – Kaleidoscope

4) Loose Threads – Pram

5) Here We Go Again – Ikara Colt

For your own research the authors can strongly recommend Sharkbatter Records andalso the Kono Michi site where you can find a free download of the ‘My Monster’EP. http://www.konomichimusic.com/fr_free.cfm