Name: To Make A Fool Ask, And You Are The First
Brand: Ashtray Navigations

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

blackest056

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Colour

Colour details

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Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Download included

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Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2016-11-11

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Cargo

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

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Total Cap

1 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Ashtray Navigations

Genre GB

Electronic

Label GB

Blackest Ever Black

Ashtray Navigations is an artist collective led by Phil Todd, formerly a solo project and now a collaborative effort. Phil Todd was the founder of the now defunct Betley Welcomes Careful Drivers label and currently runs Memoirs Of An Aesthete.
With a sound that blends elements of experimental noise, psychedelic rock, and improvisation, Ashtray Navigations has carved out their own unique sonic territory. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Vibracathedral Orchestra, No-Neck Blues Band, and Sunburned Hand Of The Man among others, their music is characterized by sprawling compositions filled with layers of distorted guitars, hypnotic drones, and swirling electronics.
Known for their prolific output and unpredictable live performances, Ashtray Navigations continues to push boundaries in the realm of underground music. Their discography spans over two decades and includes collaborations with notable artists like Jackie O Motherfucker and Wolf Eyes. With each release, they explore new sonic landscapes while maintaining their signature experimental approach.

Blackest Ever Black is a London-born music label that was founded by Kiran Sande in 2010. The label operated until 2019 and during its existence, it became known for its diverse range of musical genres and styles. Initially based in Berlin, the label later relocated back to London in 2016. With an impressive roster of artists and a commitment to pushing boundaries, Blackest Ever Black has left an indelible mark on the music industry.
Throughout its lifespan, Blackest Ever Black consistently showcased innovative and boundary-pushing music from various genres including electronic, experimental, industrial, and beyond. Under the guidance of Kiran Sande, the label cultivated a reputation for releasing thought-provoking and challenging records that pushed the boundaries of conventional sound.
With a strong emphasis on quality over quantity, each release from Blackest Ever Black was meticulously curated to offer listeners a unique sonic experience. The label's dedication to artistic integrity earned them respect within the industry and garnered a dedicated following of fans who appreciated their uncompromising approach to music.

Blackest Ever Black presents To Make A Fool Ask, And You Are The First, the latest – and, for us, greatest – full-length entry in Ashtray Navigations’ uniquely important, uniquely sprawling – possibly sentient and self-multiplying – discography. It picks up where the nerve-damaged exotica of 2015’s A Shimmering Replica left off…acerbic “surf” guitar and synthetic salt-breeze fit for the Tropic of Yorkshire. Instant immersion in a potent, pungent psychedelia that feels equal parts cosmic and aquatic. What Todd wrenches out of his instrument these days is a language unto itself (perhaps it always was)… a helical, ecstatic, grieving howl…a (super)natural efflorescence, beyond earthly description or transcription…ur-rock and post-everything. But equal emphasis is given here to pulsating machine rhythms and lush keyboard textures, with killer contributions from longtime fellow traveller Mel O’Dubhshlaine. There were pre-echoes of all this in the recent(ish) Fluctuants and Aero Infinite: but To Make A Fool feels like the culmination, or the fullest expression, of something which was only glimpsed in those earlier works. The side-long ‘Spray Two’ – gently eddying string-pads gradually slashed to all f***k with fraught piano improvisations – is a masterpiece in its own right. At its delirious peak, the whole thing boils over into brooding, arpeggiated noir-techno – Michael Mann’s steadicam roaming Leeds’ B-roads, some kind of tangerine nightmare – before finally cooling into a bleary starfield of pure and sumptuous hypno-tone. This LP is a trip, in the most skull-splitting, soul-crinkling sense of the word, but it soothes and heals as well. A circular and transformative journey to the other side of the underneath and a landmark recording from one of the most adept and visionary nodes in Britain’s freakout underground.

To Make A Fool Ask, And You Are The First

Music GB