2016 Blog

Album of the Month: Beyond The Wizards Sleeve ‘The Soft Bounce’

Beyond The Wizards Sleeve is the warped-Balearic-psychedelic-brotherhood of Erol Alkan and The Grid’s Richard Norris. Created in 2007, part folk astronauts, part electronic neo-romancers, they do not remix, they Re-Animate. Adding cosmic perfection to artists including The Chemical Brothers, Daniel Avery, Interpol, Goldfrapp, Midlake, Peter, Bjorn and John and more.

The duo has released a quartet of vinyl EP’s, compiled on the CD ‘Ark 1′ as well a collection of mixes ‘Re-Animations Volume 1′. In 2012 saw them release the double A side vinyl only single of original music ‘Black Noise’ backed with ‘Door To Tomorrow’ (featuring Euros Childs) which sold out within days. Most recently, BTWS have reanimated the entire debut album by Temples, the 2014 number one Rough Trade shops Top 100 album of the year ‘Sun Structures’. ‘Sun Restructured’ is the result – a continuous, stretched out trip which marked the 100th release on Heavenly Records.

About the album

‘The Soft Bounce’ is Beyond The Wizards Sleeve’s debut album, due to release on July 1st 2016.

There is a choice of 3 versions:

- Deluxe Gatefold Mirror Limited Edition [Black Vinyl + Downloads] £50

- Standard [Clear Vinyl + Downloads] £16

- CD Gatefold £11

“The Soft Bounce” Deluxe Mirror Edition Vinyl

We’re super pumped of having worked with Phantasy to manufacture the impressive deluxe edition of the album.

Housed in a hard mirrored gate-fold, possibly the world’s first, and only fully reflective record sleeve. Pressed onto heavyweight black vinyl, featuring the same 11 tracks as the other editions, this beautiful artefact has to be seen to be believed.

As with the previous singles, the sleeve was designed by Erol Alkan and Phil Sims (Neighbour UK) based around a shot of the band’s instruments by Ellis Scott, photographed in the old Decca studios in Finsbury Park.

Erol Alkan: ‘I’ve had the idea of a mirrored sleeve for a while now, it wasn’t until this record was finished that it felt it could the right choice for this concept. Its part inspired by the Sex Pistols aborted sand paper sleeve (which was later used by The Durutti Column), which was intended to destroy the records either side of it on the shelves, we wanted this sleeve to be the complete opposite, something which almost prevented you putting it on a shelf, and an object which reflected its surroundings rather than destroyed them. Reflection plays a big part in the record so it made perfect sense’ 

Guests vocalists include Blaine Harrison of Mystery Jets, Euros Childs of Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, Jane Weaver, Holly Miranda, Jon Savage and Hannah Peel.

• Delicious Light
• Iron Age
• Creation
• Door To Tomorrow
• Diagram Girl
• Black Crow
• Tomorrow, Forever
• The Soft Bounce
• Finally First
• Triumph
• Third Mynd

All the versions of the album are available to buy on Phantasy Sound Website.