title:

pica

label:

unlabel

format:

cd

release date:

01.05.06

cat. no.:

un52006/18

tracks:

pica

business as usual

flutter

scattered

stylet

object not found

little by little

pica reprise

reviews:

"unlabel's series52 project is a simply wonderful idea. for each week of the 52 week year one album will be released. all releases have matching packaging with photos of a landscape taken weekly by unlabel and also the artist's own image on the cover. each release is printed in extremely limited edition runs of a mere 100 copies, and it is possible to subscribe for the whole lot, which i feel may be a very good idea. co-owner of boltfish records wil bolton (cheju) presents his series52 offering. it comes on satisfyingly strong, like a malleable skam release, with bulky electronics that degenerate and are reconstructed under solid loops and perfectly balanced programmed beats. the album continues to degenerate further into dustier more organic tracks, which resonate under cyclic melodies. interesting and varied for an album of its kind, pica draws from many sources, with beats hushed under organic programming, before being let loose over heavier bass sounds. bolton achieves a gratifying and accomplished sound through the combination of many influences. pica succeeds in doing what many have failed at, sounding both innovative and retrospective." - angry ape, 06.06

"that cheju fella is a rum bugger. not content with limiting his last release to 50 copies for record shop spods to coo over, his crunchy & melodic new album is here. and there's 100 of them for twice the amount of record shop spods to dribble over. it's fair dinkum is this 8 tracker. joseph nothing & random number leap out at me from pica's opening track but although cheju's doing nothing too revolutionary, this should keep the idm kids smiling with contentment for a month!" - norman records, 06.06

"cheju drops eight more tracks on his pica contribution to the unlabel series, with his set characterized by a slightly heavier and stripped-down synths-and-beats sound. throughout the disc, bolton spins, with seeming effortlessness, ultra-melodic variations using a minimal number of elements yet the results reveal no drop in quality or lack of imagination. elegant pieces like 'stylet' and 'little by little' exude a churchy ambiance while blistered breaks offset sparkling melodies in the title cut, 'flutter', and the somber 'object not found.' stick around for the closer, 'pica reprise,' where cheju re-imagines the title track as a chiming cloud of heavenly ambient." - textura, 06.06

"'cheju is wil bolton, london-based producer of crunchy melodic electronica and co-owner of boltfish recordings. cheju has previously recorded for boltfish, static caravan, rednetic recordings, october man recordings, en:peg digital, filament recordings, camomille, lacedmilk, kahvi and others.' crunchy and melodic electronica indeed! an abundance of heavy glitch sounds layered over some soothing idm style electronics. highlight of the album would be 'flutter' has a little bit of the spacey electronics, but kept down to earth by heavy bass lines and the heavy crunch of electronic glitch. 'stylet' is another standout track that is as smooth as one could want in an electronic song, satisfying beats, glitches to be found throughout, and a melodic synth line. perfect soundtrack to accompany your more futuristic daydreams if you will. 'object not found' is a gorgeous downtempo tune, that may recall some b. fleischmann but with way heavier drum beats. the drum beats has that serious distorted sound that may make the casual listener wonder if their speakers are busted. sweet! a very elegant and sweet electronic album that can still be ordered from unlabel. the album is limited to a 100 copies so get it while you can. if your curious to hear some of the wonderful sounds of cheju you can download a prior of album of his called negative spaces in it’s entirety & free from (filament recordigs). if your able to find their limited edition ep 'partition' would recommend getting that as well, it's even more impressive." - lunapark6, 06.06

"wil bolton and murray fisher are chiefly known for owning boltfish recordings, one of the uk's brightest sources of new electronic music talent. both are also active musicians in their own right and cheju is bolton's main outlet for unleashing his mix of melodic synth washes and brittle, glitchy beats. it's a style which serves him well, too, especially on the title track of his 'pica' album which is quite beautiful. by the time of 'scattered' there's a noticeable change in pace and texture as the beats become less harsh and the music is less busy. indeed, after hearing 'little by little', the mood is so downbeat as to be classified as funereal. yet, ultimately, this is a good example of how two seemingly disparate strands of electronica can form a compelling, cohesive whole." - leonard's lair, 06.06

"'pica' is cheju's contribution to unlabel's diy extreme project 'series52', get your head around this: 'during 2006 unlabel is releasing a series of 52 cd albums - one every week of the year, all by people who aren’t connected with us (i.e. none of our regular artists), to include all genres that we cover from the usual guitar based music - acoustic and alt. country to post-rock / math-rock, hardcore and beyond, piano, electronica / idm through to ambient, glitch, microsound, gabber, industrial / noise, soundscapes and anything else that takes our fancy, each in a strictly limited edition of just 100 copies.' the nine tracks on 'pica' all hold the high standard one would expect from cheju. the album is filled with strong melodic constructions and beats in many variations. for example 'flutter' that got a sweet sounding melody and excellent beats, simply a treat! or it’s a good album all around and carries number 18 and that would be corresponding to week 18 of 2006 and the 18th release out of 52!" - electronic desert, 08.06