five times of dust: smile with the eyes

A double LP of selections of unreleased material from the prolific outsider/underground duo Five Times of Dust. Formed in 1980 in Bristol, the duo of Mark Phillips (MAP) and Robert Lawrence came together with a shared passion for krautrock, industrial electronics, and the burgeoning DIY tape scene as well as being influence by the Dadaist movement and the works of Burroughs and Ballard. Unconventional and quirky, yet at times melancholic and romantic their music was a perfect escape from the urban decay of early '80s Bristol and Cardiff, the two cities they travelled between at weekends to record. Although unashamedly electronic, the sound of Five Time of Dust is far harder to pin down, in part perhaps due to their location. Both Phillips and Lawrence produced music that owed little to any scene happening in London, Manchester or Sheffield at the time. As a result, the majority of their output sounds like perfectly formed electronic curiosities. The material on Smile with the Eyes spans recordings Lawrence and Phillips made between 1982-1986. As a follow up to The Dadacomputer, their debut cassette release as a duo which we reissued earlier this year, Smile with the Eyes remains lo-fi but is musically more complex. The recordings are catchy, curious and emotionally rich. Whereas The Dadacomputer could be compared with the early output of Robert Rental, Smile with the Eyes is a collection of works that stands all on its own. Smile with the Eyes is a double LP pressed on 180 gram black vinyl and housed in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve. Limited edition to 500 numbered copies.