The free downloads at Robert Fripp‘s website don’t stay free or downloadable for all that long. The section of rotating MP3s is called “Hot Tickles,” as it’s intended to tickle one’s fancy to purchase full-length archival recordings. Case in point, the recent 1.5-minute soundcheck from King Crimson dating from October 25, 1994. Some of these hot tickles are selected by Alex Mundy, who surveys the vast past audio documentation in Fripp’s holdings, and whose surname has led to two things: first, the inevitable nickname “Stormy,” and second the fact that it’s on each Monday that he posts his glimpses into the archives.
This soundcheck track dates from early recording sessions by the King Crimson “double trio” that eventually yielded the album Thrak. That group consisted of two guitarists (Fripp, Adrian Belew), two bassists (Tony Levin, Trey Gunn), and two percussionists (Bill Bruford, Pat Mastelotto). An extended atmospheric wash (albeit one that comes to a sudden, rapidly scaling end), it’s a good reminder that for all of Crimson’s famed contrapuntal interplay, the band also has a way with sonic textures (MP3).
Visit the Fripp/Crimson site dgmlive.com.
Heya.
In case anyone’s intersted…
The “Hot Tickles” on the DGM Site are indeed offered for free for a limited time. But at the end of each year, the previous 12-months’ worth of them are collected and offered as a reasonably-priced bulk download (US$12.95 for FLAC, US$9.95 for 192kbps MP3).
The webpages for the previous four volumes can be found below:
Mr. Stormy’s Monday Selections, Volume 1: http://www.dgmlive.com/archive.htm?show=1344
Mr. Stormy’s Monday Selections, Volume 2: https://www.dgmlive.com/archive.htm?artist=27&show=1681
Mr. Stormy’s Monday Selections, Volume 3: http://www.dgmlive.com/archive.htm?artist=27&show=1784
Mr. Stormy’s Monday Selections, Volume 4: https://www.dgmlive.com/archive.htm?artist=27&show=1824
Peace.
–Casey