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Hospital Productions

FEMALE - Pleasures That Kill

"A key component of the 1990s Birmingham techno sound, and co-founder of the Downwards label, Female's music is as important for everything it doesn't tell you as it is for the pummeling rhythms it forces you to engage with. One of the few remaining examples of an artist with a palpable sense of mystique, Female conjures a world that evokes Film Noir, or even something out of a Burroughs story. The language of this music will be familiar to those who listen to "dance music", but the bare building blocks are often all we get. Development within these tracks is subtle, and it's the sense that something is being held back that gives the music its power. The forceful minimalism of these tracks creates a narrative that, when combined with their titles and the visual imagery of the sleeves, is at once immediate and yet feels almost impenetrable. This tension is what makes the music so invigorating. It's as if we're hearing blocks of sound carved out from larger monoliths that have no beginning or end. This music is an aural equivalent to an act of voyeurism, or the fear of seeing something horrific we shouldn't have seen. Brutal and repetitive, it recalls a distant time and place, yet somehow escapes the confines of linear time and sounds fresh today. This comprehensive box set places Female in the same spotlight as luminary figures Regis and Surgeon. These sides are no less important and their simplicity is deceptive. Female, with all its bleak and yet forward-thrusting energy, is crucial to understanding how Downwards, as a precursor to Sandwell District, created a larger-than-life legend. Carefully transferred from the original vinyl records with audiophile needles for the best stereo cuts, the audio was then meticulously cleaned and de-clicked. Justin Broadrick, a contemporary of the early Downwards crew with a pristine ear, was then brought in to remaster everything, resulting in a true to the original vibe but larger than life textural result. In addition to including every solo Female track and record released on Downwards and Sandwell District, the fifth disc presents a never-before released live collaboration with Regis from 2000. Velvet wrapped and debossed box with spot gloss individual CD wallets; includes large, fold-out poster featuring rare photos; includes download code." - Hospital Productions.
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  • Regular price $78.00


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)_/¯ ).

So—we suggest you take some time to dig through the site—even we’ve been surprised by what’s been turning up, and there’s much more to come.
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