title:

a rainy mile

label:

static caravan recordings

format:

3" cd

release date:

06.02.06

cat. no.:

van112

tracks:

traces

adrift

hikari

prolonged reflection

reviews:

"what's this? a cute little 3" cd with a very nice red plastic case? could it be the new cactus island release? no! it's the new static caravan. only 200 copies for the world, so you'll want to snap it up quickly... particularly as cheju (of boltfish records fame) has come up trumps with a pure slice of electronica pleasure. dense, layered sounds and even a spot of what sounds like guitar coupled with some truly magnificent and beautifully processed rhythms make for a very enjoyable selection indeed. it's melodic, yes, but with some tremendous washes of pure sound layered over the tight beats which gives it a downtempo funk that's enviable. spot on and highly recommended." - smallfish, 02.06

"that blooming static caravan label just keeps 'em rolling out. another well limited cd, this time from cheju, this baby being one of 200 3" diddy doo-dah baby digital music carriers. and it's rather fabulous. layered and sleepily paced downtempo but melodic electronics with real atmosphere & soul. the first of 4 tunes immediately brings mum to mind with that spine tingling echo-judder harpsichord effect put through a puffin-flange-o-meter but there the similarity falls dead into a glacial crevice where digital budgies squawk incessantly & a treated post rock guitar coda lazily rolls throughout. there's elements of the last boc album on the second track, but better (hehehe) & phil says he can hear traces of the first verbose album. the beats on t3 are languid but jittery, moon stomping shards of futuristic break, icy, treated harpsichord like arovane being pummeled in a snowball fight by eu & the closing tune is semi ambient bliss-out perfection. i really haven't been that engrossed with an electronic record in a while & whilst this is doing nothing startlingly revolutionary (who the hell is?) it's a superb multi faceted slice of warm, accomplished music to cuddle up with & cherish. 1 per person please!" - norman records, 02.06

"this little honey comes pressed on a four track 3” cd and again is ridiculously limited - i believe to just 200 copies and no doubt selling fast. cheju is alter ego of london based musician / producer and head honcho of boltfish records wil bolton. previously unknown to us - but then that comes as no surprise you might - if so inclined - add at this point - cheju has been decorating the listening spaces of all the in crowd with an assortment of (by accounts) tasty releases over the course of the last six months - and this latest proves to be no exception to the rule. 'a rainy mile' affords you the opportunity of spending 20 minutes in the hermetically safe confines of bolton’s melodic playground. utilising an array of freeze dried glacial backdrops and after hours lunar like signatures cheju cleverly instils a free flowing dynamic within a medium that can often misconceived as being cold and two dimensional, opener 'traces' with it’s oddly late night down tempo accents, tweaks, clicks and pinball like boings is served with a warming embrace and could easily be a long thought lost shy half cousin to manual. the brief but nevertheless beautiful 'hikari' is texture wise a more bullish affair packing swathes of majestic widescreen back drops that play a subtle homage one would imagine to both john barry and roy budd in terms of endowing a sense of suspense into the mix. sadly our copy refuses to play the last cut 'prolonged reflection' all the way through yet from the bits we did actually get to hear we strongly feel that our heart would not have been up to the test given that we were knee deep (and climbing) in tears within 20 seconds - sounded oriental though all the same though i suspect that’s not much help. still we contended ourselves with playing 'adrift' twice to make up for the loss - what can we say - exquisite - featuring peering through the ether heavenly choirs and the kind of overwhelming stately attributes that you feel a entrance fee is required - all in all a cosmic overture for love lorn androids - pass the hankies our kid. recommended." - losing today, 02.06

"'a rainy mile' is cheju's debut release for the honourable static caravan label. the beautifully packaged four track 3” cd single starts off with 'traces', cheju’s signature is clearly audible and it would be the beats that would give him away, however isn’t there a very familiar yet foreign element in this track as well, a sample of another great electronic musician. 'adrift' features devastating vocals and imposing guitars fused with a healthy beat to keep things moving along quite unlike cheju and at the same time not. 'hikari' brings the big drum and cheju sounds to go, it’s just a great seminal track. 'prolonged reflection' is in a sense a retake on one of his own tracks and probably my favourite of the four on this ep. the build-up is superb, beats, melody and bassline to die for and kind of reminiscent of bauri's work actually, but still being a cheju affair. 'a rainy mile' - a lovely 3-inch release from static caravan counting in at 112! it’s only a 200 series run, so i suggest you get yourself a copy before it’s too late..." - electronic desert, 02.06

"following respected releases on great labels such as boltfish (wil bolton) cheju delivers up this ep of electronic beauties to static caravan. crunchy, broken, melodic, warm experimental electronica of the classic caravan kind. this release is delivered on a cool 3 inch cd, I love the small cd's. 'traces' is a strumming acoustic rumble into your inner core, flanked on both sides by melodic murmurings and tiny puddles of reverberating beat portions whilst 'adrift' is a ghostly simmering call to action for a bunch of clouds that haven't seen much action lately. bumps whistles and muffled pulse laden guitar roundabouts fill the sky, as the team finally gets into the swing of things again. seamless and atmospheric stuff. 'hikari' jumps out of the starting gates with a spinning strike ready beat pattern, which throws in a city revealing underlying melody to grab your attention from the very start. match this with snappy crystal clear, but slightly processed satchels full of tomorrow information and you have this one completely under your belt. 'prolonged reflection' on the other hand is more of an awakening of sorts, with subtle clicks, whirs and peaceful thuds, which give off the message that all is well in cheju land. you can just see all the robots loving this one. 'a rainy mile' is a cool collection of intelligence, glowing characters and bubbling landscapes all whisked together with an air of calculation and intelligence. cheju has treated us again with four clever and inspiring pieces of music, good stuff! get it if you can (limited to 200 copies!)" - tesselate, 02.06

"already the author of many eps in 2005 (on boltfish which he co-directs, but also on rednetic, kahvi collective and lacedmilk technologies), cheju begins 2006 with a new release, appearing this time on static caravan. 3" cdr, coloured plastic case, melodic electronica– all leads me to think this is one of the volumes in cactus island's residents association series. precise rhythms and lightly sustained, traditional yet pleasant melodies - this is traditional electronica, tinted with certain more metallic and crackling sounds. sometimes more aggressive ('hikari'), the pulsations are nevertheless moderated by the chromatic dimension of english music, in particular with the notes of a digitalised harpsichord. introducing more atmospheric effects in 'adrift', wil bolton brings blissful washes of synths and more laid-back rhythms, soon joined by an atmospheric guitar and rattlings, for a totally convincing result. with a similarly calm mood, 'prolonged reflection' has small slender notes, almost cherishing, the perfect ending to a particularly convincing release." - etherreal, 02.06

"3" cd that showcases what static caravan does best – off-kilter, evocative, melodic electronica that turns technology on it’s head, reverses it, cuts it up, tapes it back together without the service manual. every track here sounds like a kid playing a digimon game on the backseat as you follow the world’s longest pylon chain in your xr3 injection. ok, like a car ad then. but some of those would be nice if they weren’t selling us anything." - piano magic, 02.06