In the past we’ve created several collaborative Willkommen projects for free download over the Christmas period.

This year we asked as many Willkommen related artists as possible to simply contribute thirty seconds of sound. I stitched them together in the order in which they arrived to make a sonic patchwork quilt. The result is incredibly diverse and beautiful despite the random nature of its composition and form.

Thank you to the following people for contributing:

Alessi Laurent-Marke (Alessi’s Ark)
Woodpecker Wooliams
Said Speaks
Landshapes
Marcus Hamblett
Soccer96
Eyes & No Eyes
Hamilton Yarns
Thomas Heather
Danny Green (Laish)
Gravenhurst
John Smith
Fiona Sally Miller
Nick Hemming (The Leisure Society)
This Is The Kit
Rachael Dadd & Ichi
Rozi Plain
Birdengine
Helen Whitaker (The Leisure Society)
Steve Aston Trio
Rowan Coupland
Turbo & Silke (Martha Rose / OCDC)
Jacob Richardson (Sons of Noel and Adrian)
Emma Gatrill
Chimes (Christian Hardy)
Mary Hampton
Alphabets Heaven
François Marry (François & the Atlas Mountains)

Here are a few links to past collaborative projects for free download on last.fm:

• Willkommen Covers The Sleeper – various artists covered each song from The Leisure Society’s debut album. Originally released as a free Rough Trade bonus CD.
• Willkommen Foxswap – various artists covered each other’s songs before the Foxtrot festival
• Willkommen Christmas 2008 – again various Willkommen related bands covering each other’s songs

Woodpecker Wooliams is off on tour to Germany / Switzerland for two weeks with Fiona Sally Miller on 6th March. The dates are here. If you want a tour treat email or Facebook either of them with your postal address and they’ll send you a postcard from one of the destinations.
They’re also both currently booking a second May tour for Russia / Ukraine / Poland.

Copies of the Russian re-release of ‘Patryoska’ (original Italian basket edition sold out) on cassette will soon be available, as will Chicago-based cassette label Love Lion‘s pressing of the collaborative film soundtrack ‘Anni’  made with OCDC.

Check out Woodpecker Wooliams here for more information. I heard she might have just recorded an album so that’s very exciting…