Woob
Encyclopedia
Woob is the stage name of Paul Frankland, a British ambient music
ian of the 1990s
. Woob’s albums combine elements of ambient
, dub
and world music
, with samples from field recording
s, movies and television. Frankland has also recorded with collaborators under the names of Journeyman and Max & Harvey. As Woob, he made a comeback with new material and re-releases in 2009.
while also working as a DJ.
He first came to attention in the early 1990s when he submitted the track Void to the Nottingham-based t:me recording company. The track was included on the first release by t:me’s new downtempo label Em:t
, a compilation album titled em:t 0094, which led to Woob signing with the label.
Woob's first full length album, Woob 1194
, was released by Em:t in 1994 and was immediately regarded as a milestone in ambient music. Production involved an Atari ST
work station, Akai s950
sampler and a Gem s2
synthesizer. The tracks were mixed and performed live, which contributed to the organic and evocative nature of the music.
Following the success of his first album, which was re-released in the United States by Instinct Records, Woob contributed tracks to more Em:t compilations and to trance label Flying Rhino Records. In late 1995, he released a second album on Em:t titled Woob2 4495 which garnered further praise. Frankland has also made music with Colin Waterton as Journeyman on Ntone
, and more recently with Mark Butt as Max & Harvey on Ninja Tune
.
Towards the end of 2009 Woob 1194 was re-released and on January 1, 2010 a new 10 minute single - "Unknown Quantity". This was followed in May 2010 by the album Repurpose which combines remixes of old material with new tracks. The "Paradigm Flux" EP was released in September 2010 as a taster for the forthcoming soundtrack album of the same name.
More than 15 years after it was released, Woob 1194 still appears on lists of best ambient albums, along with artists such as Brian Eno
, Biosphere
, The Orb
and The Future Sound of London
. The original CDs are sought after by ambient music collectors and regularly sell for many times the original price.
Singles
Compilation appearances
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
ian of the 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
. Woob’s albums combine elements of ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
, dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
and world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, with samples from field recording
Field recording
Field recording is the term used for an audio recording produced outside of a recording studio. The recording is typically recorded in the same channel format as the desired result, for instance, stereo recording equipment will yield a stereo product...
s, movies and television. Frankland has also recorded with collaborators under the names of Journeyman and Max & Harvey. As Woob, he made a comeback with new material and re-releases in 2009.
Life and career
Paul Frankland started writing music as a teenager, and went on to get a Masters in FilmFilm studies
Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to films. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies...
while also working as a DJ.
He first came to attention in the early 1990s when he submitted the track Void to the Nottingham-based t:me recording company. The track was included on the first release by t:me’s new downtempo label Em:t
Em:t Records
Em:t Records was a British record label, based in Nottingham, which specialized in ambient electronic music. They were active from 1994 to 1998, and after a period of bankruptcy, re-established themselves in 2003 under new ownership and management...
, a compilation album titled em:t 0094, which led to Woob signing with the label.
Woob's first full length album, Woob 1194
Woob 1194
Woob 1194 was the debut album of British soundtrack and ambient musician Paul Frankland. It was recorded over the span of two months and was released in the summer of 1994 on Em:t Records. It was also re-released in late 1994 on Instinct Records in the United States...
, was released by Em:t in 1994 and was immediately regarded as a milestone in ambient music. Production involved an Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
work station, Akai s950
Sampler (musical instrument)
A sampler is an electronic musical instrument similar in some respects to a synthesizer but, instead of generating sounds, it uses recordings of sounds that are loaded or recorded into it by the user and then played back by means of a keyboard, sequencer or other triggering device to perform or...
sampler and a Gem s2
Generalmusic
Generalmusic is an Italian musical instrument manufacturing company focusing on digital and acoustic pianos, synthesizers and arranger workstations...
synthesizer. The tracks were mixed and performed live, which contributed to the organic and evocative nature of the music.
Following the success of his first album, which was re-released in the United States by Instinct Records, Woob contributed tracks to more Em:t compilations and to trance label Flying Rhino Records. In late 1995, he released a second album on Em:t titled Woob2 4495 which garnered further praise. Frankland has also made music with Colin Waterton as Journeyman on Ntone
NTone
NTone is a sister imprint to the independent record label, Ninja Tune. The imprint is based in London, United Kingdom and specialises in experimental electronic music...
, and more recently with Mark Butt as Max & Harvey on Ninja Tune
Ninja Tune
Ninja Tune is a London-based independent record label started by DJs Matt Black and Jonathan More, better known as Coldcut and managed by Peter Quicke. The label has a strong leaning towards mostly Electronic Music...
.
Towards the end of 2009 Woob 1194 was re-released and on January 1, 2010 a new 10 minute single - "Unknown Quantity". This was followed in May 2010 by the album Repurpose which combines remixes of old material with new tracks. The "Paradigm Flux" EP was released in September 2010 as a taster for the forthcoming soundtrack album of the same name.
Legacy
The All Music Guide has described the first two albums, Woob 1194 and Woob2 4495 as 'among the most praised and encompassing documents of post-rave ambient of the last several years', while the Ambient Music Guide describes them as 'among the most refined, subtle and innovative examples of the meeting between electronics and live instruments that flowered in the ambient environment of the 1990'More than 15 years after it was released, Woob 1194 still appears on lists of best ambient albums, along with artists such as Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
, Biosphere
Biosphere
The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be called the zone of life on Earth, a closed and self-regulating system...
, The Orb
The Orb
Throughout 1989, the Orb, along with Martin Glover, developed the musical genre of ambient house through the use of a diverse array of samples and recordings. The culmination of its musical work came toward the end of the year when the group recorded a session for John Peel on BBC Radio 1...
and The Future Sound of London
The Future Sound of London
The Future Sound of London is a prolific British electronic music band composed of Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans. The duo are often credited with pushing the boundaries of electronic music experimentation and of pioneering a new era of dance music...
. The original CDs are sought after by ambient music collectors and regularly sell for many times the original price.
Selected discography
Full-length albums- Woob 1194Woob 1194Woob 1194 was the debut album of British soundtrack and ambient musician Paul Frankland. It was recorded over the span of two months and was released in the summer of 1994 on Em:t Records. It was also re-released in late 1994 on Instinct Records in the United States...
(Em:t RecordsEm:t RecordsEm:t Records was a British record label, based in Nottingham, which specialized in ambient electronic music. They were active from 1994 to 1998, and after a period of bankruptcy, re-established themselves in 2003 under new ownership and management...
, Instinct Records US, 1994) - Woob2 4495 (Em:t Records, 1995)
- Woob 1194Woob 1194Woob 1194 was the debut album of British soundtrack and ambient musician Paul Frankland. It was recorded over the span of two months and was released in the summer of 1994 on Em:t Records. It was also re-released in late 1994 on Instinct Records in the United States...
(re-release, Bigamoebasounds, 2009) - Repurpose (Bigamoebasounds, 2010)
- Paradigm Flux (soundtrack) (Bigamoebasounds, 2010)
- Return to the City (soundtrack) (Bigamoebasounds, 2011)
Singles
- "Planet Woob" (cassette-only demo tape, 1993)
- "Void, Part 2" (Beeswax Records, 1994)
- "Odonna (Bells Mix) Edit" (Bigamoebasounds, 2009)
- "EP1" (Bigamoebasounds, 2009)
- "Giant Stroke (v2)" (Bigamoebasounds 2009)
- "Unknown Quantity" (Bigamoebasounds 2010)
Compilation appearances
- "Void, Part 1" on Em:t 0094 (Em:t Records, 1994)
- "Pluto" and "Odonna" on Plug In & Turn On x.2 (Instinct Records, 1994)
- "Fourteen 33" on This is Acid Jazz: The Next Step (Instinct Records, 1995)
- "Fourteen Thirtythree" on Em:t 2295 (Em:t Records, 1995)
- "Mould" on Em:t 5595 (Em:t Records, 1995)
- "On Earth (Edit)" on Amberdelic Space (Dressed To Kill Records, 1996)
- "Giant Stroke" on Emit 1197 (Em:t Records, 1997)
- "Deep Chamber" on Hybrids (Hypnagogia, 1998)
- "Dooshta" on Caribbean Eclipse (Flying Rhino Records, 1999)
- "Pondlife" on So Fa (Flying Rhino Records, 2002)
- "Ten Ton Dub" on Skunked on Planet Dub (Dubmission Records, 2010)