Organ Thing of the Day: NONEXISTENT – Astrud Steehouder (Opal X, Paper Dollhouse), Alex Tucker (MICROCORPS, Grumbling Fur) and Luke J Murray (Grimescapes, Iceman Junglist Kru, Stonecirclesampler) – have shared a new video for ‘UNTITED 3 (AUBURN VACUUM)’ from their self-titled debut, available now on Downwards Records.

And that’s the thing about these Things, you don’t need a million words, you just need the links and the music or the art and none of that wallzing around the building, Nonexistent are or is, shall we go dor are? Nonexistent are warm, they paint, they’re not abstract, they do engage. True, we do get lots and lots of pieces of music rather like this, we get at least five or six a week but there is soemthing a little more here,

Long-standing friends Steehouder and Tucker planned to collaborate for many years, and in 2020 they finally found the time to start sharing files with the aim of making long form drone pieces. As the project progressed they enlisted Manchester producer Luke J Murray in to the fold. The tracks started to detour from their original intention towards a hybrid zone, built around Steehouder’s extended Prophet 8 improvisations, Tucker’s modular processed cello, voice and tapes and Luke J Murray’s sampled electronics. These components started to weave between a world of drones, cut-up electronics and damaged samples. Tucker says “we had this idea of discovering a hard-drive or device that was rusted and rotted but still functioning, the information within it containing corrupted or scrambled audio that had rearranged itself into new forms.”

The trio – all residents of North East London – draw upon the combination of urban sprawl, reservoirs, woodlands, and industrial history that rubs up against each other in the area, exposing the layers of the past and present. This translates in the multi layered textures that make up NONEXISTENT’s self-titled debut, drawing upon the ancient, the modern and the spaces between. Recorded in their respective corners of Walthamstow and constructed and produced at Tucker’s Liquid Window studio.

Astrud Steehouder is a musician, performer and producer utilising both electronic and acoustic compositions. She works predominantly with synthesisers, electronics and guitar and is best known for her prolific work as Paper Dollhouse with Nina Bosnic. She has released music with Night School, Finders Keepers, The Tapeworm and her own MoonDome imprint. Since moving on from Paper Dollhouse, Steehouder is currently working under her heavy electronics alias Opal X.

Alex Tucker is a multidisciplinary artist working across music and visual art. Tucker’s multiple projects include solo work as Alexander Tucker, avant pop duo Grumbling Fur with Daniel O’Sullivan, radiophonics tape works as Imbogodom with Daniel Beban and most recently his solo electronics project MICROCORPS for ALTER. Tucker had collaborated alongside Charlemange Palestine, Neil Campbell, Mark Titchner, Gazelle Twin, Simon Fisher Turner and Nik Void, releasing works with Thrill Jockey, Important, VHF and ATP recordings. 

Luke J Murray is a Manchester producer based in London, his projects as one half of Iceman Junglist Kru and Grimescapes have seen him release for both The Tapeworm and Manchester’s YOUTH label. He records solo as Stonecirclesampler (via Industrial Coast), creating gauzy drones and submerged audio, hovering at the edges of mutant jungle, garage and experimental zones. 

And here, have some more…