July / August 2008 Work continues at pace as the new album slowly starts to take some sort of shape, though it is just the start of another long journey. Meanwhile, the exposure and response to the circuit bent work has been very positive indeed and although we do not have the funds for any CD release, more tracks are being mastered. In keeping with modern trends, we are exploring the idea of releasing an EP of this work directly through iTunes and other download sites, as our first fully digital release. All developments will of course be posted here and on the beloved MySpam. May / June 2008 Yes, we are very pleased that downloads are finally available - catching up with the 21st century at last - and each download genuinely does assist Dave in his continuation of this work. Now is all about composing, recording, arranging and mixing material for the second complete album. The results so far have been very encouraging but we know there is a long, long road ahead. The circuit bent material remains very much a side project but the feedback has been very encouraging, with 'Battery Dance' and 'Got A Little Give' both featuring on The Sound Lab recently, so a big thank you to Fenella and the team at ABC. It looks like another long summer ahead but we can take nothing for granted, so every radio play, CD sale and download is a fillip on the journey towards completing the second album. March / April 2008 An incredible amount of circuit bent material has accumulated over the past twelve months and we mastered a few tracks, really just as a demo. The track "Battery Dance" is now posted on MySpace - it is very 'straight' for a circuit bent track but at least people can check it out for themselves and see what they think. These are all "live", improvised recordings without any fancy editing or overdubs but we think it's rather interesting stuff. Anyway, maybe this is one way of drawing a line under this work, because Dave is busy, busy, busy writing, recording and mixing material for the proposed second album. In total, four circuit bent tracks have been mastered (the others are: 'Rock God', 'Painting With Cyrillic' and 'Got A Little Give') but these recordings really are an experiment so, in typical Dave fashion, it remains to be seen whether they will ever actually see the light of day. The new album tracks remain the priority and the writing/recording continues at a furious rate. Also, for all you hi-tech listeners, we are very pleased to announce that we have finally negotiated to have Dave's work made available on iTunes and other download sites. As with each CD sale, every single download will help Dave to continue his work, so we thank everyone in advance for their support. Downloads are NOW available! January / February 2008 So 2007 was a good year for exposure rather than creativity, but the end of the year was far more productive and there is much encouragement for the year ahead. Dave is working on a lot of material for the proposed second album and also doing a lot of "circuit bent" recording which might well develop into a separate project of its own, but only time will tell. As ever, an open mind must be kept regarding any / all of this work, so we shall just have to see what will emerge during the months ahead. The response to, and continued exposure of, 'While You Were At Church' has been very positive, even if it was a rather rushed affair in the end.It must be said that, although the reviews have been positive, so much of what has been written online regarding this work is wholly inaccurate. People are so used to everything being done by computer that they don't realise there are some people out there still creating genuine sounds - for example, there is no "looping" on 'Second Breakfast', Dave painstakingly multi tracked all the guitar phrases over a period of months, but people just assume it is computer trickery. Oh well, in an age when journalists feel that googling is a fair substitute for research then you have to expect such things. Take the internet with a pinch of salt - just like the whole MySpace thing, it would be churlish to decline Alison Moyet's friend request, we never knew she was such a fan! Anyway, at least it gives us a platform to post the music and let people judge for themselves. The circuit bent recordings would make a fascinating release, we simply do not have the funds to do so, but at least we hope to master a few of these tracks and put up one or two in the next month or so. The opinion of you the listener is the most important thing, so we can gauge the response to this rather "unusual" work and then consider how best to progress. November / December 2007 So, at last the new mini album is released and though cramming months of work into the space of a few weeks is far from ideal, there is a certain sense of achievement as well as relief. We are very thankful for the positive exposure of this work so far from The Garden Of Earthly Delights, On The Wire, Rockomondo and ABC's The Sound Lab. There is no advertising budget for this collection but we just hope people will continue to spread the word. Of course, this mini album is more concerned with quality rather than quantity but, as Dave works on his proposed next album, we hope listeners will find this companion volume of interest. A big thank you to all that helped us to finally realise this project and to all listeners who continue to support this work - we could not do this without you. It has been a very difficult and testing year but hopefully Dave can now concentrate on much more creative concerns during the winter months ahead and start 2008 on a much more productive note. September / October 2007 The 'Bombarding New York 12' MP3 collection is now doing the rounds and we have been approached by independent film makers in the USA concerning the use of 'Media Monkey' in a forthcoming production, so things are moving along but, of course, the release of 'While You Were At Church' is facing further delay. If we went into the details here you wouldn't believe us but this is just another time of having to be patient and hoping these expensive delays can be kept to a minimum...we will get it out there one of these days! And, after another year of struggle and "unforeseen circumstances" that day has finally arrived. The last few weeks have been hectic but the new CD mini album will be released via this website on 29th October. We also apologize if this website sometimes looks a little 'out of order' - this is nothing to do with us at all but we are trying to deal with these peculiarities and rectify them as quickly as we can. Dave has a mountain of new material to work on but, for now, we are just relieved that 'While You Were At Church' is at last ready for release and, of course, we hope all of you will enjoy this material as much as we (and others) do. July / August 2007 Very glad that the new material is already receiving exposure - special thanks to the On The Wire team, your support remains invaluable - and perhaps a little surprised that the atmospheric, hypnotic instrumental '43 Birthdays, 29 Candles' is gaining the most attention but, as ever, any spreading of the word is a good thing in our book - the 'Sportive' going-out-take remix is also receiving airplay and we can only hope for more of the same! We are currently tackling the mini album artwork and trying to resolve other manufacturing issues, in the hope of reaching our late August release target. As usual though, there are delays but we hope all problems can be resolved as quickly as possible and that the CD will be available soon. May / June 2007 The mini album 'While you were at church' is now full compiled, mastered and promo CDs are currently being manufactured - basically we just want to see if this material can receive any of the feedback, that we feel it certainly deserves, before scraping together the cash to go ahead with the complete project. Dave has hardly had the chance to even pick up a guitar during the past two years, so it really feels fresh to be writing again and making rough recordings. The usual "technical problems" always arise but things just have to be dealt with one at a time. The circuit bent keyboard work has also been very encouraging - perhaps this will result in yet another side project?? - and it is just such a relief to get back to creating again. As stated above, we finally gave in to all the pressure and created a MySpace page - we don't like using that site much, it is unreliable and inaccurate, but people will get carried away with these fads! We will probably only update it very occasionally but at least it gives people the chance to hear some tracks and, as we have no budget at all for marketing, then we have to conceed it is a decent way of spreading the word. Of more importance to us is the news that, after only a month's delay, the promotional copies of 'While You Were At Church' have arrived and we are sending them out in the hope of gaining some extra exposure. Any DJs or other interested parties out there, do feel free to contact us! March / April 2007 Compiling and finalizing all work for the proposed mini album is just one of two major aims for this year. The second aim is probably more important - namely, for Dave to get back to composing and creating new work. So much has had to be done over the past two years just to have this work heard and exposed that it is has left practically no time at all for concentrating on new music. Now Dave can finally get back to the real work of putting new ideas together (and realizing so many old ones that have had to be put on the back burner for all this time) with a view to putting together a new album....with all the experiences gained through the long 'Istvan Zsolt' ordeal, we will not make any rash predictions but a new Dave Swain album? Well, we can but hope and dream... So, back to a routine of trying to stretch resources in order to secure some new (old) equipment and getting back to recording, whilst dealing with a fresh set of technical problems (some things never change.) A circuit bent keyboard has been the most intriguing and inspiring addition, so fresh sounds are certainly flowing!The Wire magazine exposure has also resulted in more radio plays but we are well aware that it is about time some new material was unleashed. A big thank you to James Barlow at KHz studios for his mastering work on the collection "While you were at church", which we soon hope to have some promo copies of and, if there is enough exposure/response to the material, then hopefully we can think about manufacturing this CD mini album in the summer. That's a long way off for now and there is plenty of time for problems to emerge, so we won't count our chickens (or Easter eggs) yet. In the meantime, the unrelenting hard work continues as thoughts are concentrated on the new writings/recordings and we just hope that Dave's creativity can progress as smoothly as possible. January / February 2007 2006 certainly was a remarkable year of progress for us with the continuing international exposure and sales, quite an acheivement when you consider that we are not a 'proper' record company and Dave is what is loosely classified as an "unsigned" artist. The hard work will continue in 2007 and hopefully the global coverage will too. Four tracks will appear on the 'Listen Loudest' MP3 compilation 'Bombarding New York 12' from Croatia; The tracks are: 'Sportive' (radio edit), 'Goodnight America' (edit), 'Media Monkey' (original master) and 'Giada' (edit), available in the next month or two. These compilations are free of charge, Listen Loudest simply ask a very small fee to cover the postage/shipping costs. Apart from that, there is more progress on the mastering front and Dave is back to work remixing, compiling and planning future track ideas while continually juggling several project ideas at the same time (as usual, finance delays the realization of these projects as much as anything else.) A BIG thank you to everyone who has supported this work over the past 18 months, let us all keep the faith and hope for continued good fortune in the year ahead. With favourable results on the mastering front, our immediate aim is to compile a mini-album of "other" material recorded over the past few years, such as favourites from the CD-R releases and tracks that were recorded before/during/ slightly after 'Istvan Zsolt's Plane Ticket' but never quite found an appropriate home before. Naturally this will be done on an even tighter budget than before but every order received helps us to fund this project and we do hope to release this new collection of material on the unsuspecting public at large before the end of the year. All progress/hiccups will be posted here first. November / December 2006 So, perhaps a quieter time (at last) for a week or two but the encouraging news is that The Wire have chosen to include 'Media Monkey' on the Wire Tapper 16 CD which accompanies the December issue of the magazine (On sale from 30/11/2006) As orders still drift in for the album it is always good to have this material heard by a new audience and, of course, we are grateful for any further exposure. It has been quite an amazing 18 months, so let's hope there will be more "spreading of the word" before the end of the year. We cannot say that we are particularly happy with how the Wire Tapper CD was compiled or mastered (and, no, we have no idea why they chopped the end of the track off either) - it certainly does not to justice to the track but these things happen when you deal with "the business" so you sort of learn to expect it... Anyway, further interest has been generated and that is all that really matters (any publicity is good publicity perhaps?) We are more concerned with our efforts to find a new mastering studio and there do seem to some feasible options out there so, hopefully, more material will be available in early 2007. Much work to compile, complete, remix, get started etc. etc....let's just hope for a positive month to end such an encouraging year and see what may emerge in the new year. September / October 2006 As we attempt to plunder the minefield of digital distribution and, having already spent what we could on some (not too eye-catching) advertising, this could be a much needed quieter period for us. As ever, Dave has about 20 potential projects in mind, but now is the time for a well earned rest and a chance to recharge the batteries for a month or two. Of course, if any opportunities arise to promote the album further then we will take them but we are only human! We just hope that the interest in the album will continue and, with any luck, Dave's next project will be in progress before the end of the year... Of course, this is why Dave tends not to "plan" in advance - the rest period lasted for about five days. Well, there are always so many promotional options (usually very time-consuming) and we cannot ignore them, however we do not have the time or manpower to do anything about digital distribution at this time - if you want MP3 files, just email us! Added to that, Dave is also working on some new 'Sportive' remixes / versions  that we are very enthusiastic about. A million more ideas still to be tackled but, as things take shape, you will hear about them all here first. July / August 2006   Anyway, we are glad that the CD is now easily available by using the shopping cart option. As ever, we appreciate all your emails but for those of you who were not sure how to get hold of the album, now you can do it with a few simple clicks. A big "danke" to Borderline Extra for playing 'Goodnight America' recently (the complete version, to boot) and thanks also to Radio 3's Mixing it team for giving Sportive yet another airing. Onwards and upwards (or sideways at least.) The past twelve months have been quite amazing - so much radio airplay, support from so many new listeners, the radio session, interviews (not Dave's favourite activity in the slightest) - who'd have thunk it?! Now activity is centred around advertising/promoting the album and the hard work continues. We appreciate that hi-tech kids are more interested in downloads these days and we are also working on securing the digital distribution of this material (yes, we know we should have done this a long time ago but hopefully we are on the right track now.)   May / June 2006 We are not sure how long The Garden Of Earthly Delights Session will remain online but, again, the response has been very positive so we urge you to check it out while you can. Of course, all the airplay and all this positive feedback to the material is vital to us but it does not equate to distribution, so we can only do our best, keep our fingers crossed and hope that the light at the end of the tunnel is not the light of an oncoming train. Anyway, we will endeavour to keep promoting this material to the best of our modest ability and see if someone out there wants to make some money from it (surely  these DJs, reviewers and listeners can't ALL be wrong??!!) Keep your ears and eyes open as you never know where 'Istvan Zsolt's Plane Ticket' will turn up next (and we certainly don't have a clue either, but that's half the fun!) As ever, any developments will be posted here first.   March / April 2006   After almost five years of continuous hiccups, we can never hope for an easy ride, but we do hope we can secure distribution for 'Istvan Zsolt's Plane Ticket' in the coming months. We certainly do welcome all orders for the advance copies, but now we must try to get it to the unsuspecting public at large. You would think with the global airplay of 'Sportive' and 'Media Monkey' that it should not be a major problem but there are never any guarantees. As ever, the key words now are patience and effort. The most heartening thing is that different tracks from 'Istvan Zsolt's Plane Ticket' are now receiving airplay and exposure from different DJs/reviewers, associated with different genres. The album is such a diverse mix and it's great that tracks including 'Brand New Jesus', 'Goodnight America', 'Icy Queue' ( Alt Rudey ), 'Recuerdo', 'Sun Over Simferopol', 'Line Central' and 'Last Year's Visitor' are all being picked up on (and heard by) different audiences. Shane Quentin recently included 'Nt Wrkng' on a mix for his cool 'Garden Of Earthly Delights' radio show and the even better news is that Dave will be recording a session for the show, due to be broadcast on Friday 21st April. It's all about having the material heard so hopefully we can keep things ticking over this month as we still try to plot a release date for the album. The Garden session was recorded without too many hitches and again the response has been very positive so far. What actually happened was that Shane, the Head Gardener built an excellent 66 minute mix around the four exclusive mixes that Dave provided. Be warned that this whole mix does include language of an adult nature - if that does not offend, then you can listen to it online by clicking on the link you will find on our CDs/Records page.   January / February 2006   Sportive continues to receive much online and radio airplay - it pops up in some very unexpected places! Although some of these plays are of the incomplete "demo" version, it is all good publicity and we welcome it all. No other Dave Swain track has ever received so much exposure, so long may it continue throughout 2006! We also thank all of you who have ordered the limited edition 7" 45 and the album. Remember that copies of the single and advance copies of the complete CD album are available - just click here  So, may 2006 be a kind year to all visitors and let us all hope that "Istvan Zsolt's Plane Ticket" can be distributed in the coming months, with a minimum of fuss.  For those of you (like us) who are not used to reading such positive things here, do not worry, there are still plenty of problems! Anyway, after a two month delay, the 12" LP version of the album, which has been a series of headaches all in itself, is finally available. Well, we will keep the positive thinking going...at least 'Sportive' continues receiving airplay (in some very bizarre places!) and other album tracks are starting to get exposure - 'Media Monkey' has been played on 'On The Wire' (a genuine honour) and recently featured on 'The Sound Lab' (Triple j Radio, Australia) - so let us all just hope February will be a kinder month. November / December 2005   The "demo" version of Sportive has certainly taken off online, you can download it all over the place and it keeps popping up on pod casts all over the world.Very fitting, given the nature of the track, but for those interested in hearing the complete track, order the 7" single from us while you still can!  The whole response to the airplay has been such a boost and helps to make up for all the struggles of the past four years. At last the album, 'Istvan Zsolt's Plane Ticket', has been sent for manufacture and, while the Christmas curse would make distribution impossible before the new year, advance copies of the LP and CD should be available through this site from December ( again it is just a case of keeping fingers crossed and trying to keep further disasters to a minimum ) Sportive continues to receive radio airplay and positive reviews, so it has been a brighter ending to yet another bizarre year. Due to a problem at the printers (typical!) the vinyl pressings of the LP have been delayed and will not be ready until almost the holidays. However, the CD is NOW AVAILABLE, so order now!   September / October 2005   Well, what a difference a month can make. Having been badly let down by photographic models ( Natalie Donnan etc. ) , continually for the past fourteen months, we have had to come up with a completely new idea for the Sportive demo / single artwork. Doing battle with our failing printer, we were finally able to put together a couple of demos. Thankfully, one of these copies was sent to Rob da Bank who recently played ' Sportive ' on his  BBC Radio 1 show. The response since then has been very encouraging, so we thank One Music and all those who have been in contact. You can download this demo version of the track from the One Music page, but the even better news is that the complete single version has now been sent for pressing. This limited edition 7" will only be available via this website, as our efforts are still concentrated on having this material heard and pushing on with the album, rather than losing more precious time trying to distribute the single. So, now we just nervously wait and hope there will be no disasters with pressing process ( well you know what our luck is like! ) but things have been going well so we must stay positive. The continuing positive response to 'Sportive' really has taken us by surprise but ( fingers crossed ) the single is now completed and available as a Limited edition 7" 45 - order now to avoid disappointment folks! All our efforts now are fully concentrated on preparing the complete album for manufacture and, even though it would be very unlikely  to have the album distributed before January 2006, it should be available through this site before the end of the year. Just like the music itself, we are very much playing it by ear at this time.   July / August 2005   The BIG news is that all recording and mixing for the album has now, finally, been completed and has been sent off for mastering. In truth, the hard work only starts here but after all the disasters of the past couple of years this is still quite a milestone for us! Dave can take a tiny little break for the first time this year before we must "mobilize" and try to push on with the next phase....well, we knew this wouldn't be easy, so we just hope all efforts will be rewarded in the end. Ideally we would hope to make a single from this project too but we will just have to see what time and finance dictates.... Anyway, after a few minor hiccups, the LP has been mastered. There are many more mountains to be climbed but each tiny step counts as progress in our book! We can just hope for a month of better progress now and hopefully some more concrete news to report very soon.   May / June 2005   We really are getting to the "business end" of things now. The album would appear to be only three tracks shy of completion ( one in progress, two more to be negotiated ) and, despite the usual hiccups, we can only hope that it will soon be ready for mastering. So, it looks like a busy Summer ahead, but after everything else that has happened, what a relief it will be! Of course, we don't want to tempt fate of get ahead of ourselves here, let's just hope the winds of change will blow kindly for us... The good news is that ( at long last ) we are finally uploading sound files to the site. For now, these are just mono WAV files which don't do full justice to the orignal recordings but they just serve as a rough guide. For those of you unfamiliar with Dave's work, these files will just give you some idea of what to expect, so please keep checking the CDs / Records page as we gradually upload these files. Of course things never go smoothly and we appreciate that, for some reason, these files are slow to load - but they do play eventually! - so we hope they don't cause too much inconvenience for our visitors. Anyway, May was a good month of steady progress and we just hope that will continue to this month - the finished tracks continue to mount up and completion of the whole project feels ever closer....we hope to have more definite news to report very soon.   March / April 2005   This year has been a bit of a grind so far but it is just a case of patience, patience, patience. The body of work slowly grows and it's just a matter of time and effort before completion. Hard to believe that this site has been up and staggering for three years now - aw, don't they grow up so quickly? ( er, well not in this case, they don't!) We hope to have much better news to report here in the months ahead and also to make improvements to this site - that just brings us back to patience... well, we'll all get there sooner or later, one way or another! Onwards... So, as he finally overcome further technical problems, the "news" is slightly better - the album really is taking shape now and Dave continues to work seven days a week, writing, recording, mixing.... It is all about finding the correct last few pieces of the jigsaw. Effort, hard work, concentration and just a little luck is required but it's getting there step by step. Apologies to all who have been waiting for replies to e-mails - we are catching up woth our mail as best we can! Hopefully we will not be dogged by further problems and, more importantly, we hope to have much brighter news to report in the coming months. Special thanks to all those who have shown their support - and patience!   January / February 2005   So, the start of a new year....and the work goes on... We reckon that over the past four years Dave has completed enough work for about three albums, but ever the perfectionist....there is always more to be done : more tracks to be started, completed, reworked, adapted. Progress is slow but steady at this time and it's just about concentration and hoping for the best - well, you have your whole life to make your first album and that's very much how Dave treats it. OK, 2005, here's hoping! More updates as and when they occur ( computer system permitting, of course ) November / December 2004   Sorry folks - a few computer problems are making updates a difficulty....and on it goes....but it's really a case of 'as you were', with Dave trying to dodge the catastrophies and curses to progress ( even at such a slow pace. ) Talking of computers though, we do hope to give this site a facelift in the new year as we appreciate it's a bit overdue. We hope to provide more of an update next month - computers and progress providing! So as the winter weather takes a grip outside, another period of 'hibernation for creation' begins...truly a case of "Wait until Spring, Bandini"...as ever, at this time, we would like to thank all visitors to this site, old and new, for your interest and support. Hope it's a happy festive period for you all and let us all hope the album will finally be completed in the new year! Keep your fingers crossed....;-)   September / October 2004   Another month passes by and still very little for us to report! In all truth it seems unlikely that this work will be completed by the end of this calender year but Dave presses on, working on a vast range of new tracks and ongoing 'works in progress'. The track 'Sportive' sounds like an ideal single to us but only time, luck and budget will tell if such ideas are feasible, so let's concentrate on getting this whole project completed and then see what may happen.... ( certainly a demo at very least ) Obviously it is apparent that the album will not be finished in this calender year but work goes on and on. The new target is to have the complete album ready for mastering in January 2005 so we can finally bring the curtain down on this sorry saga. So it looks like another Winter strategy of "hibernate to create" for Dave, which is no bad thing. At this point we must comment on the shocking news regarding the death of John Peel in Peru. This is a terrible loss to the generations of us that musically grew up with the Radio 1 DJ and is certainly the end of a long and illustrious era. His impact was truly immeasurable and we send our condolences to Sheila and all of the Peel family. We are going to miss you Peely but we will never forget what you did for us. Rest in peace.   July / August 2004   Oh, Summertime and everyone's on their holidays...er, well not quite. This will be a Summer of hard work and Dave continues to tackle all the tasks ahead. It's a very long and slow process sometimes but it is all necessary to the cause. To be fair, much of the album has already been completed and is ready for mastering, but there is still much more to be done, so Dave keeps his head down and gets on with things - and will continue to do so until it is finally time for the fat lady to sing... OK, OK, so there is very little actual concrete news at this time. It really is a case of juggling old recordings, new ideas and that endless list of other jobs to be done. Patience without laziness is probably the key - so on with the struggle. Slowly, slowly the album takes some shape and that really is the main thing.   May / June 2004   Chris Hudec did an excellent job mastering the 'Insurmountables' project and it is currently being pressed. This is always a nervous time, as we know ( from experience ) that many things can go wrong at pressing plants...but hopefully this very limited edition 10" will be ready very soon. ( That's a 25 cm record to our European visitors - what DO you call them?! ) As we wait for these pressings, Dave continues to work on prospective album tracks - most notably 'Sportive', which is a very humorous "East meets West" track ( Thank you for all your good work blondie :-))) ) - very relevant at this time in particular. Progress on these tracks and the 'Insurmountables' release will be posted here very shortly....we hope. Indeed, with a minimum of fuss the pressings for 'Insurmoluntables' have arrived and everyone is very happy with the end result!  8 instrumental, short and very varied tracks make this another interesting, emotive project - and it's SO GOOD to be working with the superior sound quality of vinyl again. Very limited edition but good for the soul - check out the details here!   March / April 2004   It bores us to write the same old bad news as much as it probably does for you to keep reading it but there has been yet another technical setback. Audio CD burners always seem to burn themselves out after 8 or 9 months use - and this has happened yet again. Our tip to anyone wanting to buy such equipment is quite simple - make sure you get an extended warranty. Dave has done just this and despite the extra expense, hopefully work will resume soon. On a far more positive note, we really are looking into the possibility of putting out a very limited 10" of instrumental works and hope to start compiling this as soon as the neccessary equipment arrives. Already it seems like a very interesting body of work (very modern?) and we'll post regular updates here as this project takes shape. Also, as this site hits it's second birthday we'd like to thank all our old and new visitors - our levels of traffic may not be earth-shattering to most people but it has been a very pleasant shock to us! OK, let's all hang in there and see what will happen in the coming months... Actually, it has been a very fruitful start to Spring. The 'Insurmountables' 10" project looks like becoming a reality in the near future. As we wait for the material to arrive back from the mastering studio in Canada, Dave continues to work on new material at a very encouraging rate. Tracks such as 'Sportive' are really taking shape - also it is a relief to finally have 'Goodnight America' mixed - and that was no easy feat! Onward...   January / February 2004   As Dave works on and we wouldn't want to hope for too much at this time of year, for fear of tempting another false dawn, let us quietly hope that the album will finally reach completion during 2004. Work has progressed at a slow but steady pace, and long may it continue. Thus far, we haven't made very much progress with the 'shopping cart' or with creating new sound files for this site, but those are more things to keep us occupied over the coming year! We would at this time like to thank all of you out there for your patience and support. We sincerely wish all our visitors a wonderful new year and may it bring you and us both much to be truly thankful for! The most significant development during the start of this year has been the short visit of German singer Nico Forster, who has added backing vocals to 'Goodnight America' as well as recording some voice samples - this should all help Dave to keep busy during the months ahead. Nico is also a professional voice coach and has tried to pass on some tips to Dave...well, fine in theory but we won't hold our breath waiting for the improvements! ;-) November / December 2003 As this period of ' creative hibernation ' gets underway - i.e. cutting out as many distractions as possible and finally being able to concentrate fully on the album work - there may not be too much news to report over the coming monthes, but 'no news is good news '. We still have not been able to find any workable way of adding a shopping cart to this site, but we continue to look into it. However, ' Heart of Europe ' has already become one of our best - selling CD's and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have bought this title and especially thank you for the very favourable response to it. All we can say is that we hope next year there will be more ( and even better? ) work available...fingers crossed! Another apology...we are very sorry that the 'Sum of the parts' files are no longer available for download - this was beyond our control as 'Fighterguppy' radio removed them without even telling us ...as is always their way.At least Dave's current stratedgy seems to be paying dividends, with tracks such as 'A woman and her dog' and, in particular, 'Goodnight America' really taking shape. Let's just hope this is not another false dawn and much more work will emerge to counteract the freezing cold outside... September / October 2003 If there is any 'silver lining' to the latest technical 'cloud' then perhaps it is that Dave has had a chance to concentrate more on guitar work, rather than the more electronic / sound sampling work of late and also to spend more time developing ideas that for one reason or another, have been dormant in recent times...still, it would be nice to record some of these ideas, but hopefully that will be possible in the very near future. As far as this site is concerned, we are looking into the possibility of setting up a shopping cart ( for all you milions, desperate to get your hands on this material!! ) so we hope to have that up and running soon - if not, people can still mail us for quotes, best prices etc. or use PayPal secure online payments. The D1600 has returned and, despite having it's "guts" ripped out, much to the relief of all - the existing work IS still intact...phew! These are still times of too much distraction and too little progress, but Dave is already planning to hide himself away over the Winter monthes ( even more than usual ) and hibernate to create. Seems unlikely that any work will be released this year, but perhaps a brighter start to the new year could help signal a brighter future July / August 2003 Travel broadens the mind...it also helps give inspiration and ideas for an 'artist', especially one who also thrives on collecting new field recordings. Dave has just returned from a well-earned break in Italy, collecting recordings, ideas, recharging the batteries and generally taking inspiration from the new sights, surroundings and, in particular, the new faces... Yes, we hope the summer will be a very productive time with much progress - the start has been ideal and has provided an extra dimension to the works and ideas that have already been in a formative state...inspiration, rather than distraction, is such a welcome change of fortune! ...BUT...It will come as no surprise to regular visitors of this site, to learn that there have been yet more technical problems. A suspected 'internal fuse' problem with the D1600 has yet again put plans on hold. Awaiting repair, our only hope is that all the material stored on it will not be lost...to lose all this material twice in 10 monthes just isn't worth thinking about...oops...evryone just tries to stay calm...and breathe VERYdeeply May / June 2003 As ever, so it seems, these are testing times, but at least with the release of 'Heart of Europe' the focus is now firmly on moving forward. Material, ideas and various projects which will all hopefully help towards the goal of completing the album project continue to grow and as they change, so we must change with them ...looks like a long Summer ahead of us! We have been surprised by the wholly favourable response to 'Heart of Europe' and would like to take this opportunity to all those who have offered their support and positive feedback, as it really does mean a lot...THANK YOU!!! If you haven't heard this work yet, check out the Gaz 'zine reviews section! March / April 2003 Although certain tracks have been completed for the album, the demise of the old master recorder has left a lot of work in the ' is it or is it not?! ' file, so the thought of documenting some of this material as it exists, is more than a possibility. A potential mini-LP's worth of material has been sent to the mastering studio, so we await the results to see if they may be up to scratch, like some sort of half term report....We already know the words " could do better " are emblazened on it, but it could be a helpful pointer to us - and to the listener. Despite the expense, we are also looking into options for making a very limited run of vinyl pressings, as it has been so long since we had a chance to produce anything in this superior format! We'll let you know about our findings... Despite a few delays and other 'problems' the material has finally been satisfactorily mastered, so these are mixed times - recording the new and documenting the old. The mini-album has finally mareialized! It was unfeasible to make a vinyl version, but these funds are set aside for future use...there WILL be vinyl this year!! The mini-album 'Heart of Europe' is an intriguing journey - from warmth of 'Giada' to some very strange and dark places- from acoustic to electronic and 'noise'. Not sure where or what the Heart of Europe it is, but it must be full of mystery! Check out the details here January / February 2003 The festive season is finally over and hopefully the hitches that came with it, will pass as quickly! Yet more equipment problems have made for a far from perfect start to the year, but hopefully the whole new 'studio' set-up will be in place and this long period of creative hibernation can soon come to an end. Material has been saved and there are always new ideas to develop and work on, so it's just a matter of taking a deep breath and trying to get everything back on track. Hope we will have some PROPER news to report very soon.  At least the mixes of the much worked on track have been completed and saved, even if the track will need to be started over from scratch again. Also, the Korg D1600 has arrived, so now is about learning how to get the best results from it so that progress can finally recommence! The upgrade in standard, as well as the move up to 16 tracks, has also meant a re-evaluation of the work already completed  ( and uncompleted ) and the idea of putting out a mini - LP as a marker and a means to clearing up some of this material is already begining to take shape...money, time and progress will determine how best this might be done! November / December 2002 True to form, our 'pallandromic anniversary year' ends as it began - with technical failure and that ' what can possibly go wrong now? ' feeling -the whole scenario has deteriorated into a Franz Kafka novel! Dave's hard disk recorder needs to be replaced, along with other vital equipment - that would be bad enough, but having spent well over a month working on one ( rather special ) new track, which requires three seperate mixes, the master recorder needs to be rested for three days at a time to enable just a single attempt at mixing the track. No overdubs or re-workings are possible - it is simply a matter of trying to get the right mix out of the track as it exists. What should take an afternoon to complete, is taking literally weeks...turning into monthes...oh boy... If there are any religious people out there, please say a prayer - we will gladly accept divine intervention from any available deities!!! Thankfully 'Sum of the parts' has received only positive feedback and the folks at Fighterguppy radio have gone crazy about it....still... Roll on 2003 ;-) September / October 2002 So the Winnie Storms / Dave Swain collaboration 'Sum of the parts' ( see CDs / Records )  has materialized without too many hitches, and will hopefully serve as a catalyst for a more creative end to the year! The fastest project in our history? Definitely! So back to the album... getting slowly back into the swing of things, or some kind of routine, it is taking some kind of obscure shape, but much hard work ahead... and always more options to be considered. July / August 2002 A chance meeting with U.S. poet and singer Winnie Storms, in West London, has resulted in some very interesting collaboration! Apart from adding vocals to the track 'Murmur mermaid' ( working title ) some other possible projects may also be taking shape - just what everyone needed...Another project to worry about! Interesting though...watch this space... Other than that, armed with new keyboard and other equipment, the LP material gradually builds - after the many setbacks this year, even the slowest and smallest progress is very welcome. May / June 2002 Having struggled through many technical problems, and replacement of equipment, the album is finally starting to take shape. Being composer, arranger, multi-'un'instrumentalist, vocalist, engineer and producer all at once, is not Dave's idea of fun, but he carries on regardless of the problems, in his UK hideaway! Dave would like to take time to thank all those people who have offered support and assistance, through this site and elsewhere, during this rather rough patch! You know who you are, and you are appreciated. March / April 2002 It's been a long, painful process, but finally 'All you never needed to know' is completed. This was meant to be the easiest part! This unreleased CD is a clearing up of the archives, containing many previously unheard demos, experiments, work tapes etc. 12 years of home recordings - and it felt like it took that long to finish! Hitch after hitch, but at least it is done. Further problems have arisen, such as technical failure of equipment etc. Still, on with this project... even if it kills us! Stage One is now completed. January / February 2002 Having spent the past sixteen months or so, buying up affordable home recording equipment ( that makes the Black Ark studio look like Abbey road ) Dave is currently working full-time on his first full length LP - completely self-funded. Back to his roots, you might say. Early experiments formed the 'Work nearing progress' CD single ( G.I. 05 ) and other out takes and 'mops' can be found on the 'All you never needed to know' compilation. This is a good place to start for those of you unfamiliar or unsure of the material ! The early signs are that this project will be an intriguing mix of semi-acoustic songs, spoof keyboard soundtracks, field-recording loops/samples, children's toy instruments, home-made percussion and much, much more! Never one to make life any easier for himself, Dave still refuses to use any computers. The way he sees it, human error is a crucial, but all too often overlooked, element of music and it's production. Sound like an excuse? Of course it is, but not a bad one really. More updates will be posted here, as and when they happen.