Beyond the Perimeters
A mysterious figure in the British electronics and DIY music scene, Paul Kelday released a bunch of cassettes across the late 1970s to early 1990s with all the power and depth of more storied pioneers of electronic music – Conrad Schnitzler, Asmus Tietchens, Klaus Schulze. While he was connected both to the industrial underground, via appearances on compilations like The Elephant Table Album, and the shadowy improv of New 7th Music (his brother Phil was a member), Paul was singular in his exploration of what analogue electronics could do. Beyond The Perimeters is as good an entry point as any; big, abraded blocks of analogica bumping against each other, right-angling from thick, burnt-out drone quests to bubbling, babbling modular synth tickle. Most impressive is the scale of everything here – Kelday was visionary in his capacity to see an entire world in a few tones – and the patient, yet ever-developing, pace of the compositions. Staggering stuff.