phil collins: my heart's in my hand...

This double LP, released by NERO magazine and Shady Lane Productions, gathers selected materials, both texts and audio recordings, from Phil Collins's project of the same name, for which Collins collaborated with guests of Gulliver, a self-described "survival station for the homeless" in Cologne, Germany. There, Collins installed a phone booth for free and unlimited local and international calls, on the condition that the conversations would be recorded and anonymized. Collins sent selected material to an international group of musicians, to serve as the starting point for original songs that he then presented as 7"s in specially-designed listening booths overlooking Cologne's central train station. Collins produced the work for his 2013 solo exhibition In every dream home a heartache (curated by Anna Brohm), at Museum Ludwig in Cologne, where he first presented it. The work is a headfirst dive into a city, tuning in to its many unheard stories. Having worked for a homeless magazine in the 1990s, Collins has a long-standing interest in issues relating to these communities. Bringing to the fore the lyrical and narrative potential of the human voice when it stands in for those subjects of city life who are purposefully ignored and routinely overlooked, he dramatizes the moment of communication as an emotional and ambivalent exchange. On January 5, 2001, Gulliver opened in a railway arch under the Hohenzollern Bridge, in the immediate vicinity of Cologne's main train station, the banks of the Rhine, and the old town. Gulliver is the first institution of its kind in Germany, offering a wide range of services with unusually long hours of operation. Collins's project includes contributions by legendary figures Scritti Politti, David Sylvian, Lætitia Sadier, and Damon & Naomi; trailblazing experimental and indie acts Demdike Stare, Planningtorock, Maria Minerva, Heroin in Tahiti, Pye Corner Audio, and Peaking Lights; and local heroes Elektronische Musk aus: Köln, Pluramon, and Cologne Tape; as well as a special guest turn from the original German superstar, Julia Hummer. The double LP is pressed on 140-gram colored vinyl and includes all of the original tracks and music by those who partook in the project. It's presented with a 29 x 29 cm, 24-page, 400-gram booklet containing critical texts by Mark Fisher and Florian Schneider, an extract from the original telephone conversations, images of the 7"s, and photographs of the Gulliver center. The LPs and booklet are housed in a glossy four-color gatefold sleeve.