woob

Paul Frankland's music has been more inspirational, medicinal and influential to me than most others' since I was barely a teenager. It taught me, among other things, about the limitlessness of composition; that songs can embody entire ecosystems as opposed to simply presenting equations. I sincerely hope that enough people become acquainted with Paul in the near future to kindle a loud, standing ovation he deserves. ▪

I love dem Woobies!! fourteen thirtythree rocks! that track blew my mind when i first heard it on my friend's high end audio system (back in the early/mid 90's when i used to be able to buy a lot em:t stuff at Mod Lang in Berkeley...). the spacial effects are amazing! of course 1194 and 4495 are truely t:meless. i just can't believe the prices on them on ebay... i wish Woob would come out with more woobies... or at least re-release them for all to hear. yeah, my friends and i used to say "Woobies" A LOT. WOOBIES! Woob! Woob?

how did he come up with that name anyways??? it's awesome. ▪

first heard them on "commercial-free, inverted-radio."
i ripped them with stream-ripper because i'm a bad person.

the magnum opus is "Wuub." deceptively subtle at first, becomes a cacophany of tribal vocals and thin synthetic string samples, utilizes silence like a pro, smartly compresses the
transition from main eq to outro, leaves you wanting more.

this is me praising someone elses fucking music. not a habit. ▪

Woob has such a special, sacred place in my life and heart --so much so that I named my pet sugarglider, "Woobie", in the group's honor. R.I.P., woobie.

I love reading all of the other Woob fans' comments. It's good to know that I'm not the only one who still treasures Woob's music. ▪

From: Stephen Oldmeadow
(stepheno@cougar.multiline.com.au)
Date: Fri, 2 Dec 1994 15:14:22 +0000
Subject: Woob Demo Review

For those who do not know 'Future Music' is a British magazine that covers 'making music with modern technology'. It is primarily aimed at musicians but it does have interviews with some interesting bands (Orbital, Meat Beat Manifesto, Mixmaster Morris plus many others). The interviews are primarily about how they make their music but usually include a discography (usually not complete). The interview with Mixmaster Morris included a chart of ambient tracks he was playing at the time which lead me to discover many great albums (if you are reading this Morris, another chart would be much appreciated :) ). If you are a musician I would recommend the magazine otherwise it would only be worth getting if it featured a band/artist that you were fanatical about.

What follows is a transcript of the demo review that appeared in the August 1993 issue (page 91). I have omitted the gear list as I included that in my previous post. "We've had a few bands trying to catch our attention with gimmicks in the past, but this is the first demo to be preceded by a postal teaser-ad campaign! First we received a yellow card which simply said 'Woob', followed by further yellow cards reading 'Planet', 'Deeper' and 'Soon'. We wondered what the hell it could all mean, until we finally received a black package with 'Woob' written on the side.

Now, I'm not one to fall for the power of advertising, and I was convinced that I would have to take the mickey out of the tape when it arrived, simply because of the weird postal preamble. However, this thought alone means that the campaign had done its job. I had remembered who Woob were before getting hold of the tape. Now for the real nitty gritty: what's the demo actually like?

The tape contains two tracks of ambient dub, with a host of swirling sounds and ethereal samples. The first, 'Planet Woob', starts off with a few quiet voices which merge into Orb-like swirls and drones before the shuffling dub beat starts up. The core of the track is taken up by some very moody chords and odd female vocal wails. Variation is added by dropping in some animal sounds and a thuddy, almost sub-bass groove as organ sounds and mellow synths fade in and out of the mix. Some of the sections seem to drag on a bit, so to keep the prospective A&R men interested an edited radio-friendly version could be worth working on.

Although the track is fairly long, it has a smooth, evolving feel which makes it a great chill-dub piece reminiscent of some of the tracks found on the first Intermix album, with more than a passing nod to chart band Enigma. The Enigma comparison is even more relevant to the second track - - 'Deeper'. The intro features shifting chords, splashing water sounds and eastern sounding voices, not unlike some of the sections from the KLF's 'Chill Out' album. When the main section gets going, that (in)famous shakahachi sample instantly makes you think of Enigma, albeit with a less poppy edge. The sounds are very nice and the track as a whole has a beautiful, relaxing feel, but the same criticism as for 'Planet Woob' applies. Some parts just drag on for a little too long.

The more well-known labels might want some somewhat abbreviated versions before flourishing the contracts. Seeing as such a small amount of gear was used to write and record the tracks, Woob-man Paul Frankland has created an absolutely marvellous sounding demo. Some of the more underground dance-trance-ambient labels could by vying for Mr Frankland's attention before long, as long as they wanted to release progressive trance techno tracks of a not brief length.

Contact: Paul Frankland on 0252 733256

Apologies for any typos, any grammatical errors are the magazine's. The band Intermix that are referred to are an off shoot of Frontline Assembly (a Canadian industrial band). Do not rush off and buy an Intermix album thinking it will sound like Woob - they don't.

I would be interested to hear anyone else's thoughts on what happened to these tracks. ▪

put on Woob's 'On Earth', lean back and relax; close your real eyes and open the mind's one. hey look, it's like conversing with plant entities in the rainforest! not many artists or tracks can do that, therefore i say Woob rule! ▪

"I like the music that fits 2 the artwork on the inside of the national hijinx CD! I saw it was made by Tim Grabham, but i can't find anything more of this great artist! I would like 2 know more about his works! Thanxxxxxxx! "

Tim is one of my best friends and a very special artist indeed. You can write to him at: iloobia@hotmail.com ▪

Around '95 , while I was a student in college (UConn), I was just starting to get into music other than rock/jazz/classical. Having been exposed to John Cage, Penderecki and Satie, I began to explore ambient music, while separately growing more interested in dance. (at the time, some in the US used the term "techno" as an umbrella term for anything electronic sounding, later the weird term "electronica" replaced this). One of my friends was into raves but I wasn't to crazy about acid house, and other friends were getting into Portisehead, Chemical brothers or trip-hop compillations.

About this time I think I may have picked up some Orb, the Blade Runner soundtrack, and general ambient compillations. I think I first saw 1194 mentioned either while exploring hyperreal or somewhere else, something about the reviews made me decide I had to get it. I went into the HMV store in Avon CT, the clerk asked me what it was and I don't remember what I said, but he told me if I didn't like it I could return it if I kept my receipt.

FAT CHANCE!! I took the CD home, popped it in and was blown away. Completely different from anything else I had heard. i would play 1194 for my friends and they'd have similar reactions. Today I am so happy that Instinct decided to distribute this release stateside, so that a decent number of people could find it, I would see this release in Borders and Barnes and Noble. I think this CD was one of the very few that delivered on the promise of quote-unquote ambient electronic music - it took you out of your environment and put you somewhere else. It was like watching a really good film - it had atmosphere, development, it created a world you believed existed. Paul Frankland has my admiration and more importantly, his CD's are still in my player today! ▪

I've been an ambient freak for more than 15 years now. I think Woob's music is far out the best ambient music there is. I heard that Paul Frankland is busy making music for commercials.
Paul, if you're reading this message : please please please come back !!!!!! ▪

In reply to "chr:s t. the hague May 12 04"

I rented this film on DVD from local Video shop in the South Paciffic backwater city of Auckland, New Zealand...if I could get a hold of it in this sleepy hollow, I am sure your chances of seeking out and finding this movie must be as good if not better from your corner of this funny old planet of ours...

ciao for now
BiLL ▪

Glad to hear about the source of the music sample in 'on earth.' The vocal sample that includes, 'Thanks, uhhhh, I think I'll probably need a little luck," is apparently from the tv show Quantum Leap. BTW, although Frankland said in an interview that all he knew about the samples in 'strange air' was that they were from a horror movie, it turns out that it's from "Night of Dark Shadows," a theatrical release based on the Dark Shadows TV series. The only other sample I know is one from the film The Abyss that's featured in 'latneiro,' on Earthrise-- 'it's 3 a.m....' Finally, the Chinese sample in the same song is of a girl giving a high school graduation speech. Don't know the source, but if anyone else has any sample-knowledge to share, please do. ▪

Hi there.
I discovered Woob thanks to the plug in & turno on CD that I brought from a trip to NYC.
It's absolutely wonderful sound. The only bad thing is that I CAN'T find anymore of this music anywhere here in Spain or special stores.
I love this music, very cool and trippin'
If you don't have it, look for it and get a piece of mind blowing music for your consciousness.
Bleck ▪

I like the music that fits 2 the artwork on the inside of the national hijinx CD!
I saw it was made by Tim Grabham,but i can't find anything more of this great artist!
I would like 2 know more about his works!
Thanxxxxxxx!

PS; not the collage,but the Robert Venosa/myselflike paintings! ▪

Paul Frankland is one of my favorite musicians alive; I don't believe I've ever heard such beautiful and strikingly unique songs. I don't think the world would be such a clusterfuck if, now and then, everybody sat down, relaxed for a moment and listened to a Woob record. ▪

thanks for being apart of the heard.

i'm guessing but it would be wonderful if when em:t rec. gets back firmly on its feet - such things as re-releasing will be a strong consideration, considering how much these cds are fetching @ ebay.

but for those that have over played and still enjoy the t:me rec. works... its going to be real good to have some new sonics that are not just about being a sound track but a tool ▪

I love that guy in Woob. Too bad you cant find his albums anywhere, especially the second Woob album, which I have been searching for for almost 7 years now with no luck. (if anyone wants to sell me a copy, let me know). Probably the best ambient work of the nineties, and beyond, at least that I have heard. (I feel like Im on drugs, but Im not!) Hopefully, you guys at this new em:t will start re-releasing some of this stuff. It is highly superior to the majority of tripe out there, and needs to be heard. Thanks for listening ▪

I'm a big fan of Woob/journeyman. Have been since 1194. I had the privilege of playing in woob on three occasions. When i get the chance to play out as a dj i always play a few tracks and they always go down well.

I'm pleased to see that Paul's music is loved by many people. I think you'll agree with me when i say that his music is timeless, always fresh at each listen.

It's been a couple of months since i last spoke to Paul. When I next see him I will tell him of this web site and of all the support he is getting in case he doesn't know.

Trystan ▪

I would like to thank Paul Frankland for expressing my feelings without having said any words: I actually fell in love with a girl - and she fell for me - while listening to Woob - 4495, one of his best albums. Actually, every album is equally perfect. He is by far my personal favourite, you can understand why. Try to imagine sitting in a car for two and a half hours, being trapped in the acoustic labyrinth created by the genious of Woob. I haven't been this spaced out (without drugs, just adrenaline and love) in quite a while. Thank you for taking my life to a higher level. Could anyone tell me if the Woob albums are available on vinyl? I'd kill for them. I'd nearly trade them for my girlfriend. And my second question is if the man is willing to come to the Netherlands to perform, visual and musical performance. Could you please let me know if that is possible. Thank you. All my love and inspiration i dedicate to Paul Frankland. He has made me realize where I stand as a deejay and how much more there is to explore in the wonderful world of emotions. ▪