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

Hamilton Yarns have released an excellent new album, called “Calm Down Grandad”. Band member Iain Paxon says, “It’s a mixture of experimental pop, instrumental interludes and wandering sound journeys.  You could conceivably dance to some of it – if you try, please report back and let us know what happened!”

The Wire magazine call it “beautifully layered, free-breathing electroacoustic pop… the use of environmental sound is inspired”

The 42 minute CD is packaged in a hand-cut gatefold sleeve and with a double sided A3 poster. The first 30 or so will come with a free 25x25cm screen print. It is also available as a download.

You can read more about it and buy it here.

Hamilton Yarns are an exceptional band with a pretty huge and incredible back catalogue. If you’re unsure where to start, though they seem like a very unlikely band to have one available, where better than a greatest hits?!

Hamilton Yarns’s Iain Paxon said, “yeh, we’ve been recording music for 10 years now, and thought a greatest hits collection would be a fun way of marking the occasion. We have not technically had any hits whatsoever but we have amassed a mass of music over this time, which has now been carefully sifted and filtered and the +best bits+ picked out and put together here for you, sequenced in a non-chronologically logical listen over 2 x 40 minute CDs, packaged inside a homemade gatefold sleeve…..”

ALSO, you get a limited edition screen printed commemorative Tea-towel, all for just £12.50. You can see the full tracklisting and buy the CD here.

There are two fantastic Willkommen shows coming up this December in Brighton and Lewes – and both headliners have recorded seasonal hits.

The wonderful Hamilton Yarns have uploaded a typically unique Christmas song which you can get for free from here. The band play at the Needlemakers in Lewes with Kristin McClement on December 20th.

Laish have done the same and their track can be heard here. The band play tomorrow, Wednesday 14th December, at the Proud Ballroom in Kemp Town, Brighton with The Magic Lantern. Tickets are available here. Then the two bands then play at Old St Mary’s Church in Stoke Newington, London on Friday 16th December. Tickets for that one can be purchased here.

The next four  Willkommen nights are all confirmed and we’ve added a dedicated page to this site to help you keep track of our monthly live shows in Brighton. 

January 24th: The Leisure Society + Shoreline @ Komedia Studio Bar 
Facebook event | Last.fm event

February 7th: James Blackshaw + Hamilton Yarns @ The Westhill Hall
Facebook event | Last.fm event

March 21st:  Cath and Phil Tyler, Mary Hampton, The Horse Loom, Laish Quartet @ Sanctuary Café
Facebook event | Last.fm event

April 10th: The Trembling Bells, Hamilton Yarns, Redwood Red at Sanctuary Cella @ Sanctuary Café
Facebook event | Last.fm event