Mooch

Mooch were formed in 1992 by Steve Palmer. The early recordings were tape-only and featured musicians who worked with Steve at North London Collegiate School in Edgware: the mark I line-up. These early tapes featured guitar, flute and percussion, along with more exotic ethnic instruments collected by Steve from festivals, ethnic shops, even museums. A tape sent to Andy Garibaldi, then working at Mike Lloyd Music, was enthusiastically received by him and led on to dealings with Taste Records, who released 3001 on CD. Later came the cassette-only Planetfall, which continued the science-fictional music of the band.
The very first Taste release was the CD Postvorta, recorded directly after 3001, which saw a more ethnic sound, though still recognisably Mooch, and which included the classic tracks Winged Beings, and the always-performed live favourite Extended Life with its rushes of bass and clattering percussion. Postvorta acquired a number of fans for the band, including Radio 1 (now Radio 2) DJ Mark Radcliffe.
After recording a few more tape albums the third official CD release was recorded: Starhenge. This album was greatly inspired by the collection of ethnic musical instruments now lodged on nails and hooks around the walls of Steve's music room. Starhenge was a more ambient affair than the earlier albums, and had a disastrous beginning when the manufacturers left off almost all of the final track (later replaced). Starhenge saw the creation of the mark III line-up. Mooch always prefered a shifting, sliding, gliding membership, but here brothers Cal and Garry Lewin working with Steve produced an amalgam of psychedelic, free-ethnic, spacey-groovy music, but with guitars.
Steve later began working with Pete Wyer, an old friend from university days, and Pete contributed a strong electric guitar to the increasingly sequenced compositions. By now Steve was working in the media department of the University of Luton, where he discovered the joys of working with Mac computers. In this year too came the final group composition of the third line-up, the fifty-seven minute Flight of the Dub Voyager. This piece was culled from an amazing two-hour multi-instrumented recording session.
With Steve now working for Andy Garibaldi's new Dead Earnest record label, the fourth CD In Search of the Acid Metal Grille was produced. It was released in 1999. This recording of spacey techno rock grooves was enthusiastically received by space cadets everywhere. In collaboration with the Future Sound of Exeter, Steve and various friends put on a series of gigs to help promote the Mooch sound, usually in Exeter, but occasionally at festivals.
The first year of the new millenium saw Mooch doing only a little recording, as Steve concentrated on the Blue Lily Commission solo project (eastern influenced beats with guitars, flutes and percussion). A new studio set-up gave Mooch a fuller sound. The sound quality was further improved by a new mastering set-up. During this period Steve worked alot with Don Falcone and Karen Anderson, who live near San Francisco; Don and Karen own Noh Poetry records.
Gaiaspace was released on 24 April 2006, and the album was enthusiastically received. And in 2007 everybody went wild for Dr Silbury's Liquid Brainstem Band, while through 2007 and 2008 a number of back catalogue classics were rereleased by AmbientLive Records.
Postvorta (1993) Taste Records
3001 (1994) Taste Records
Starhenge (1995) Taste Records
In Search Of The Acid Metal Grille (1999) Dead Earnest Records
Flight Of The Dub Voyager (2005) self released
Gaiaspace (2006) Dead Earnest Records
Dr Silburys Liquid Brainstem Band (2007) AmbientLive Records
Postvorta/Starhenge Remastered Set 1 (2007) AmbientLive Records
The Crypt Of Artificial Intelligences/Golden Ear Machine Remastered Set 2 (2007) AmbientLive Records
1967½ (2008) Ambient Live Records
In Search Of The Acid Metal Grille/The Acid Metal Grille Sessions Remastered Set 3 (2008) AmbientLive Records
”1966” (2008) Ambient Live Records
3001/Planetfall Remastered Set 4 (2008) AmbientLive Records
The last 'sixties album ”1966” was released on September 5: imagine an alternate 66 as you surf to:
www.myspace.com/mooch1966
You can join the Mooch newsgroup at http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/mooch/
2009 releases:
Shroomshire (Steve solo)
1968a
Remastered set volume 5
Bharatadubs (Blue Lily Commission ethnic dub)
The Pagan Year
Steve solo works
Remastered set volume 6