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Mannequin

BOURBONESE QUALK - Bourbonese Qualk 1983-1987

Mannequin Records is proud to present a compilation of one of the most important industrial bands active during the 80s in the UK. Bourbonese Qualk were an experimental music group from England, active from 1979 through 2003. They were always obsessively and uncompromisingly focused on controlling their work: they ran their own record label, recording studio, tour organization, and music venue (the notorious Ambulance Station). They refused to integrate into the commercial music racket and turned down publishing deals from major labels, stubbornly opting for total independence. Theyre also known for their political activism, formed in the crucible of 1980s Britain amid such influences as the UK miners strike, The Falklands War, Thatcherism, monetarism, local government corruption, squatting, anti-capitalism, anti-fascism, and anarchism. Their work was often ambiguous and directly critical of cynical power-politics of any color, often irritating members of the traditional organized left. In 1984 Bourbonese Qualk occupied a large empty building on the Old Kent Road in South London, which they turned into a base for their activities, a cooperative space for artists, musicians, and writers, and a center for radical political activism -- specifically as a coordinating center for the Stop the City anti-capitalist riots of 1984. Throughout its existence the band had a number of different line-ups; this collection focuses on the period of 1983 through 1987, which featured the trio of Simon Crab, Julian Gilbert, and Steven Tanza. During this time the group released five albums: Laughing Afternoon (1983), Hope (1984), The Spike (1985), Preparing for Power (1986), and Bourbonese Qualk (1987), releasing all but The Spike on their own labels Recloose Organisation and New International Recordings. Most of the tracks on this collection were recorded in their studio at the Ambulance Station. The group chose never to record in a proper studio (not that they could ever afford to), working instead with their own extremely basic equipment at a time when home studios were very unusual. If Bourbonese Qualk have a legacy, it is that culture should be reclaimed, redefined, and owned by the people, wherever they are, however small, and not by the state or the market, and that culture is a vital vehicle for debate and radical change. The fight goes on. Mastered by Rude 66. Graphic design curated by Simon Crab and Alessandro Adriani. Double LP includes four tracks not included on the CD: Dream Decade," "In Flux," "Sweat It Out," and "There Is No Night." Digipak CD edition limited to 500 copies." - Mannequin

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After nearly a decade of false starts, multiple game plans veering off the rails, and a handful of shattered hopes and/or dreams, the odyssey is finally complete—the new Fusetron site is here.

This is the first phase of a multipart rollout that will span the next few months: the currently browsable stock includes miscellaneous new releases from the past 8+ months (we have a lot of catching up to do), plus approximately a third of our backstock. Note that we’ve reduced/slashed prices on many titles and will continue to do so in order to make room for new stock. We’ll also be expanding / tweaking / improving / debugging the site itself (for example, we still have work to do on the automated international postage system, not to mention the inevitable inventory discrepancies that come with transferring an ancient and massive database to a new system).

Over the next few months, as we take inventory, clean house, and delve into our storage, we will be uploading thousands of additional items, gradually, on a near-daily basis. This will include the majority of the LPs, as well as many titles, in all formats, once thought long-gone. Many currently “sold out” items are likely to resurface.

Finally, once our general backstock is up (probably in the next two or three months) we’ll begin making our extensive stockpile of rarities available online for the first time: tons of random out-of-print titles, "deadstock," warehouse finds, secondhand collectibles, etc., accumulated over the past few decades.

Frequent/returning customers will be getting early access to these items. Details to follow on how this will work (a priority mailing list? a 'frequent flyer'-like program?), but it will not be based on dollars spent. We want to reward those who consistently support us, especially in the discogs marketplace era (to those who show up trying to poach five copies of a one-off rarity, and nothing else, ever… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ).

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