carl matthews: call for world saviours

Bureau B presents a reissue of Carl Matthews' Call For World Saviours, originally issued in 1984. Mesmerizing DIY electronic music from Cumbria, UK, influenced by the Berlin School but even more by Tim Blake, Call For World Saviours was originally released 1984 on cassette only; this is this music's first time on CD and vinyl. "Carl Matthews is by no means immune to the maelstrom of geocaching notebooks. Krautrock (tick), guerrilla DIY cassette-era artist (tick), under-rated UK electronic composer (tick). Man with a beard, surrounded by synths. Tick. Best of all, he was once described as the Edgar Froese of Cumbria. The Tangerine Dream legend needs no introduction, but the Cumbrian question deserves further scrutiny. In spite of the irresistible urge felt by many to claim Matthews for the Berlin School, this is unquestionably an artist who wrote music far from the madding krautrock crowd. Instead, he worked in isolation, splendid or otherwise. The question remains, is there a suspension bridge which connects Carl Matthews to the mainland European tradition of Harmonia, Cluster, and Tangerine Dream? 'I was at a crossroads in my life aged 28, early influences were krautrock: NEU!, Kraftwerk, Cosmic Jokers, etc. One day, I was listening to Tim Blake, and my inner voice said ''I can do that!'', Carl recalls. Whilst his music clearly bears the hallmarks of superb craftsmanship -- his mesmerizing soundscapes more than a match for any of his contemporaries -- Carl Matthews was, and still is, a truly independent artist, from the means of production to the published recordings. If it is possible to identify a scene along the lines described above, Matthews was not part of it. 'I was totally alone in doing this; no one was interested in my musical taste at that time. As far as I know the electronic/new wave music scene in Carlisle was virtually zero.' Happily for fans of his music, recent years have seen a resurgence in activity. Unwaveringly self-effacing, Carl Matthews continues to make music which is liberated from the constraints of ego, allowing one to wander the magnetic fields of his imagination. Today, in his own words, he is 'an old guy who likes making sounds for library/production companies', which says it all, really. The signs are all there in Call For World Saviours, music which is both timeless and very much of its time, a disappearing act on the part of its creator whose character nevertheless resonates in every note." --Harry Calvino.