Artists
Biography
Minotaur Shock is David Edwards. David has been making music since the last century. Starting out using borrowed equipment, living in a borrowed house in an adopted country across the murky Severn, he recorded some tracks that were released on Melodic Records. His friend Warwick The Skipper drew the pictures that were used on the sleeve.
This was the first time David had held a piece of vinyl with his own music on it, and was a special time. After graduating with a 2:2 in Sociology, but a First in spending all night listening to Bowie's back catalogue and so forth, he returned to Bristol with an urge to hold a new piece of his own vinyl. The last one was getting tatty. So he did another bunch of tracks that Melodic kindly released.
Soon it was time to make an album. That was back in 2001. The album was called Chiff-Chaffs and Willow Warblers, and this meant that David got his hands on a commercially-produced CD with his music on. Whilst not quite as exciting as the fresh vinyl, this still made him happy and proud. It was a special time. After this, David released a few more tracks and a compilation on the Melodic label, and found himself remixing other people's work.
During the next few years, David concentrated on playing drums and other instruments for another band, Bronze Age Fox, who comprised of beloved old friends and his younger sibling. They had fun releasing oddly shaped vinyl records in absurdly limited editions, playing their pop music here and there, releasing the hard-to-find Compilation CD (hard-to-find unless you look on the top of David's wardrobe) and recording an as-yet-unreleased debut album, Impossible. BAF fell foul of the industry, their own willful obscurity and the pressures of trying to make a living. However, this was a really special time. Really special.
Ok, so after that brief diversion into songwriting and proper pop production, David retreated to his little studio and made some more music. He also made a baby, and when 4AD (a label he had grown up loving) showed an interest in releasing his music, he decided that while Melodic will always hold an immovable place in his heart (remember that special time with the first vinyl?), it was time to move on.
4AD released a couple of singles and an album in 2005, Maritime. This was another special time. David got to travel a bit, played some live shows with his friend Emily and brother William in the band (including a tour with Yo La Tengo and various festivals hither and thither). David also carried on doing the odd remix.
Since then, David has been working on various secret projects, including a techno offshoot called Principal Participant (www.principalparticipant.co.uk), under which guise he spent ooh about a week at the top of the DMC international techno chart. He has also made another baby, and is proud to release his second album on 4AD (and third album proper), Amateur Dramatics.
ABOUT AMATEUR DRAMATICS:
“I’ll keep this short because there’s lots to read elsewhere. I’d describe Amateur Dramatics as school band meets Italo meets chamber music rubbing up on electro with a slice of acid, a sprinkling of minimalism and a short attention span. It's got saxophones, violins, clarinets and the insides of my grandma's mini-piano on it.
It was influenced by many things, notably Fleetwood Mac, Detroit techno, Frank Zappa, Cluster, Andrew Poppy, Bowie, Italo house, Glass/Reich, Gentle Giant and Todd Rundgren. Each track has it’s own artwork and the tracklisting is pretty fluid.
It was all written, arranged, recorded and produced by me mostly at home (occasionally in other people’s houses). All instruments were done by me except clarinet, flute and saxophone which were played by the wonderful Emily Wakefield, and violin which was played by the excellent James Underwood of the Iskra String Quartet. Anna-Lynne Williams of Lotte Kestner provided vocals for ‘This Plane Is Going To Fall’.”
David Edwards, June 2008
MINOTAUR SHOCK DISCOGRAPHY:
ALBUMS: CHIFF-CHAFF AND WILLOW WARBLERS released 19 November 2001
Melodic Records (CD / LP – melo009)
RINSE released 10 November 2003
Melodic Records (CD – melo021)
MARITIME released 30 May 2005
4AD (CD / Download – CAD2511)
AMATEUR DRAMATICS released 11 August 2008
4AD (Download – EAD2810A)
EPs: BAGATELLE released 3 April 2000
Melodic Records (12” – melo002)
MOTORING BRITAIN released 15 January 2001 and 12 February 2001
Melodic Records (2 x12” – melo004 & melo005)
ROCKPOOLIN’ released 26 August 2002
Melodic Records (12” – melo012)
VIGO BAY released 18 April 2005
4AD (12” / Download – BAD2509)
MUESLI released 26 September 2005
4AD (12” / Download – BAD2515)
COMPILATION TRACKS: ‘STENCIL’ appeared on FWD/MOTION
(4AD - 2000 – CD – TAD2K23)
‘LADY CAME FROM BALTIC WHARF’ appeared on A ROOM FULL OF TUNEFUL
(Melodic - 2002 – CD – Melo 010CD)
‘BIG LIGHT’ appeared on TRACKS FOR HORSES
(Melodic - 2004 – CD – Melo 020CD)
As PRINCIPAL PARTICIPANT: ‘PRINCIPLES’ b/w ‘FRAGRANCE POLIZEI’
(Part One! Recordings - 2006 – 12”)
‘WONDERFUL’
(Part One! Recordings - 2007 – 12”)
MINOTAUR SHOCK REMIXOGRAPHY:
2 Amigos ‘The Great Freight Escape’ (Hombre – 7" – 2000)
Badly Drawn Boy ‘The Shining’ (Twisted Nerve/XL – CD / 10" – 2001)
Andy Votel (feat. Jane Weaver) ‘Girl on a Goped’ (Twisted Nerve/XL – 7" – 2001)
Tim Hutton ‘Colours’ (PIAS – 12” – 2001)
His Name Is Alive ‘One Year’ (4AD – 12" – 2001)
Normal Position ‘Big Tits’ (Oddie Remix) (Deep Water – 12" – 2002)
Hint Count ‘Your Blessings’ (Ninja Tune – 10” – 2002)
Mojave 3 ‘Bluebird of Happiness’ (4AD – CD / 12” – 2003)
Lucky Pierre ‘The Heart Of All That Is’ (Melodic – 7” – 2003)
Super Furry Animals ‘Cityscape Skybaby’ (Sony/Placid Casual – CD – 2004)
Lunz ‘Uferlose Sea’ (Gronland – 12” – 2004)
Bloc Party ‘Tulips’ (Wichita/V2 – CD – 2004)
Wolf & Cub ‘Targets’ (4AD – 12” – 2005)
Hard Fi ‘Hard To Beat’ (Atlantic – 12” – 2005)
Diefenbach ‘Glorious’ (We Love You/Wall of Sound – 12” – 2005)
The Longcut ‘Transition’ (Deltasonic – CD – 2005)
Snow Patrol ‘You’re All I Have’ (Polydor – 7” – 2006)
Justine Electra ‘Fancy Robots’ (City Slang – 12” – 2006) – As Principal Participant
Bloc Party ‘On’ (unreleased promo – 2006) – As Principal Participant
Stars ‘The Big Fight’ (Arts & Crafts – CD – 2007)
GoodBooks ‘Passchendaele’ (Columbia – CD – 2007)
Blitzen Trapper ‘Sci-Fi Kids’ (Download – 2007) – As Principal Participant
Trespassers William ‘And We Lean In’ (Trespassers William – Download – 2007)
Holy Fuck ‘Lovely Allen’ (XL/Young Turks – 12” – 2008)