philip perkins: king of the world

Formerly a musician, cinematographer and lighting designer with The Residents and a student of “Blue” Gene Tyranny, Philip Perkins issued this astounding release on his own Fun Music label in 1983. Perkins often worked in topographical realms, crafting environment-enriching soundscapes, albeit on a micro level. Taking cues from minimalism, environmental field recordings and home-baked ceremonial mantras, King Of The World is a meditation on the lives of three ancient kings who believed themselves to be the ruler of all mankind. The post-Hassell currents of Fourth World music unavoidably come to mind. King Of The World sits comfortably amongst the backwards-referencing style of more recent producers - but Perkins was a contemporary of the famed trumpeter and he alchemises a DIY spirit and sound art aesthetic into his own unique province of Magic Realism. Off-centre loops of African hand percussion are overlaid with a palette of water trickles, bird calls and mutant Casio synthesizer forming deceptively simple rhythmic and textural collages, always at a level just above subliminal. Remastered in Brooklyn by Josh Bonati and with new sleeve artwork by the internationally acclaimed book designer Luke Bird.