When I lived in Japan a few years ago I had the pleasure to meet and become friends with Kevin Martin, aka The Bug, and undoubtedly one of the most fascinating producers to emerge out of London in the last ten or so years. Getting to know Kevin also meant that I got acquainted with (sometimes re-acquainted) his past work, including his work as Techno Animal alongside Justin K. Broadrick. That led me to also explore Broadrick’s work especially as Goth Trad was also a big fan and put me onto a bunch of Justin’s own solo and group work.

So it was a nice surprise to get an email from Ghostly the other day announcing that Justin would be releasing a new album on the label next month under the Pale Sketcher moniker. This new release follows and is based on his work as Jesu, a metal project he started a few years back. Here’s the low down on the album, Pale Sketches Demixed, from Ghostly:

Pale Sketcher didn’t begin to manifest until the 2007 Jesu release Pale Sketches, which compiled an album’s-worth of tracks that didn’t quite fit the Jesu mold—skeletal, synthesizer-laced compositions that relied more on subtlety and atmosphere than guitar-based sturm und drang. Broadrick continued to tinker with these songs, “de-mixing” them until they barely resembled their originals, forging a sound that was unlike anything in the Broadrick universe.

Interestingly, as Broadrick has moved from more traditional signifiers of heaviness (aggression, guitars, volume) towards their opposites (melancholy, computers, texture) his music has only gotten deeper and more affecting. In that way, Pale Sketcher may be Broadrick’s heaviest work to date.

Having had a chance to check an early preview of the album I can say it’s definitely one of the more interesting releases we’ve had this year with hints of dub and an eerie atmosphere that is strangely fitting to the current weather and mood here in London. It’s also a project which I’m sure will trigger curiosity from fans of Justin’s previous work as well as make some new fans along the way.

We’ll be airing tracks from the album in the July and August shows but in the meantime Ghostly have very kindly given the following track away for promo download, it’s called ‘Plans That Fade (Faded Dub)’ and as always you can just download it and stream it below.

Pale Sketches Demixed comes out August 24th on Ghostly in digital, CD and limited vinyl run. Full tracklist as follows:

01. Don’t Dream It (Mirage Mix)
02. Can I Go Now (Gone Version)
03. Wash It All Away (Cleansed Dub)
04. The Playgrounds Are Empty (Slumber Mix)
05. Tiny Universe (Interstellar)
06. Supple Hope (2009 Mix)
07. Dummy (Bahnhoff Version)
08. Plans That Fade (Faded Dub)

Download Pale Sketcher – Plans That Fade (Faded Dub)