Made By Heath Killen

February 17th, 2010
Discography
Ghost Box—

Inspired by a mutual love of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, cosmic horror, library records, English surrealism, and arts & crafts psychedelia, boutique record label Ghost Box was founded in 2003 by designer Julian House and musician Jim Jupp.

To simply refer to it as a record label doesn’t quite do it justice. Ghost Box feels more like a collection of relics and artifacts from a parallel world. It’s built on fragments of forgotten culture and half-remembered fictions. It’s output contains mysterious allusions and arcane histories, and offers a glimpse into a past that never happened – something that House refers to as “a lost Britain”.

Ghost Box is a genuine attempt to immerse the audience in a fictional world. Our entry point is the small town of Belbury – a place where some type of occult “event” has occurred, disturbing the natural order of things, As a result Belbury has become a site where the past and the future collide, and the real and imaginary co-exist. The pastoral mythology of Belbury is both wondrous and haunting. Disturbing and beautiful. Eerie and amusing. It’s a place that stays with you, long after visiting.

The music of Ghost Box possesses a timeless quality, drawing on a range of influences as broad as radiophonic electronica, field recordings and musique concrète. There is the bright and mystical Belbury Poly (my favourite), the playful Advisory Circle and the nightmarish soundscapes of Eric Zann & Mount Vernon Arts Lab. New to the label is Roj, whose album is a hypnotic, psychedelic journey into space. While all the releases are unique and diverse, there’s an analogue warmth to each production. They’re oozing with atmosphere and ideas. You get the feeling that it’s all created by tape loop splicing, vintage synthesizers and electro-acoustic instruments. Combined with the inseparable element of the design and artwork, the Ghost Box music truly transports you to that “other-place”.

The label is currently home to 5 artists, and there are 12 releases to date. While the artists involved all share the collective Ghost Box vision, they also contribute their own personal aesthetic and ideologies, and this helps to give the label depth and texture. While the Ghost Box experience is all about the catalogue as a whole, each album is unique, and deserves the be thoroughly enjoyed on its own merits.

The visual elements of Ghost Box are the work of Julian House, who also makes records under the name The Focus Group. Often created in consultation with Jupp, there are numerous visual reference points that contribute to the overall aesthetic, including pulp novels, weird folk-art, modernist institutional textbooks, vintage science fiction and occult paraphernalia. The myriad of influences combine to create a through-the-looking-glass collection of album covers.

Most of the early Ghost Box releases bear a resemblance to the classic designs of vintage Penguin and Pelican paperbooks, however it’s so masterfully deconstructed and reassembled by House that it feels fresh and unique.

With each new release, the layout becomes looser, abandoning old design elements and introducing new ones, and yet somehow they continue to visually fit together. Illustrations usually feature some of House’s characteristic, abstract collage style, although the themes subjects also change and evolve with each release. It’s actually a great study in how to grow and experiment with a brand without slavishly adhering to a style guide.

Of course all the releases feature the unifying Ghost Box logo in the top left hand corner – which itself seems to visually fall somewhere between obscure 70′s community television identity and early 80′s personal computer company.

The visual world of Ghost Box (and Belbury) extends beyond the discography. House has created numerous flyers, videos, and artworks for the label. There’s even a strange, text-book like zine titled Folklore & Mathematics which features fake newspaper clippings, excerpts from supernatural texts and bizarre imagery from the ancient world. It’s this type of myth-making and attention to detail that makes Ghost Box so utterly compelling.

The label also hosts Belbury Youth Club Nights – evenings of multimedia entertainment, featuring music and videos created and presented by the Ghost Box extended family. One such upcoming BYCN (featured as part of the Flatpack Festival) is said to feature public information films, haunted old TV programmes, a new version of Julian House’s short film Winter Sun Wavelength and music by the Focus Group & Belbury Poly.

Also coming up for Ghost Box is their first vinyl release – a reissue of The Advisory Circle’s Mind How You Go, complete with new tracks and remixes. Vinyl is a natural fit for the label’s aesthetic and philosophy, and it’s going to be fantastic to see House’s stunning designs rendered at the larger size.
Order here.

Ghost Box appeals to me in a big way. There’s something in the design and the music that triggers many memories and emotions. The sensation of exploring an abandoned library and finding an encyclopedia of spells and magic. The feeling of seeing a ghostly figure appear in the flickering light of an old television set. From sun-soaked hippie folk to creeping cosmic terror, it really taps into that space of ancient knowledge and psychic wonder. In the age of the disposable and the digital, it’s truly inspiring to see such dedication to the physical product, and providing an honest and unforgetable experience to accompany it.