Belbury Poly
Belbury Poly is the studio band of Ghost Box Records co-founder Jim Jupp. Jupp is the main composer and producer and also plays synth, keyboards and guitar. Other members are session musicians, that have included: Christopher Budd on bass and lead guitar, Jim Musgrave on drums, James Allen on drums, David Sharp on acoustic guitar and Jon Brooks on piano.
Belbury Poly | |
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Background information | |
Genres |
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Labels | Ghost Box |
Associated acts | The Belbury Circle The Focus Group The Advisory Circle |
Website | Belbury Poly on Ghost Box |
Members | Jim Jupp |
Sound
Working with analogue electronics and wide range of unusual instrumentation and more recently supported by session players on drums and guitars, Belbury Poly's soundworld is characterised as a kind of upbeat, electronic and rustic prog rock. Influences, range from old library music and TV soundtracks to keyboard driven 1970s prog rock, folk and Krautock.[1][2][3]
Jupp has spoken about Belbury Poly and the other artists on Ghost Box as sounding like the misremembered past of a parallel world,[4][5][6][2] as well as acknowledging a debt to the author Arthur Machen.[6] The name references the fictional town of Belbury, created by the author C.S. Lewis[7] in his novel That Hideous Strength.
Biography
Jim Jupp has released EPs, singles and six albums on Ghost Box under the name of Belbury Poly. He is also a member of The Belbury Circle along with Jon Brooks (of The Advisory Circle) and occasional collaborator, John Foxx.[8] In 2019 he co-wrote and produced the music and spoken word album Chanctonbury Rings with Justin Hopper and Sharron Kraus.[8] He has recorded library tracks for KPM, BMG and Lo-Editions. He has remixed tracks for several artists including John Foxx and Bill Ryder-Jones (The Coral). The track "The Willows" taken from the first Belbury Poly album of the same name was reworked by Paul Weller as "Earth Beat"[9] for his 2020 album On Sunset. The debut EP by Belbury Poly, Farmer’s Angle was included in an Electronic Sound magazine feature, A History of Electronic Music in 75 Records.[10]
Discography
Albums and EPs[11]
Title | Format | Label | Catalogue Number | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|
Farmer's Angle | 3" CD EP/DL | Ghost Box | GBX001 | 2004 |
The Willows | CD/LP/DL | Ghost Box | GBX003 | 2005 |
The Owl's Map | CD/DL | Ghost Box | GBX007 | 2006 |
From an Ancient Star | CD/DL | Ghost Box | GBX011 | 2009 |
Farmer's Angle (Revised Edition) | CD/10"/DL | Ghost Box | GBX014 | 2010 |
The Belbury Tales | CD/LP/DL | Ghost Box | GBX016 | 2012 |
New Ways Out | CD/LP/DL | Ghost Box | GBX024 | 2016 |
The Gone Away | CD/LP/DL | Ghost Box | GBX035 | 2020 |
Singles[11]
As | Title | Format | Catalogue Number | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|
Belbury Poly and Moon Wiring Club | Study Series 01: Youth and Recreation | 7"/DL | GBX701 | 2010 |
Belbury Poly and Mordant Music | Study Series 03: Welcome to Godalming | 7"/DL | GBX703 | 2010 |
Belbury Poly and The Advisory Circle | Study Series 08: Inversions | 7"/DL | GBX708 | 2012 |
Belbury Poly and Spacedog | Study Series 10: Message and Method | 7"/DL | GBX710 | 2013 |
Pye Corner Audio with Belbury Poly | Other Voices 05: Machines are Obsolete/Pathways | 7"/DL | GBX715 | 2015 |
Sharron Kraus with Belbury Poly | Other Voices 10: Something out of Nothing | 7"/DL | GBX720 | 2018 |
Album Appearances
Album Title | Album Artist | Label | Catalogue Number | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ley Line[12] | Justin Hopper | Bandcamp | self-released | 2014 |
Shirley Inspired: A Tribute to Shirley Collins[13] | Various Artists | Earth | EARTHLP003 | 2015 |
Folklore of Plants Volume 1[14] | Various Artists | Folklore Tapes | 2017 | |
Chanctonbury Rings[11] | Justin Hopper, Sharron Kraus and Belbury Poly | Ghost Box | GBX033 | 2019 |
Intermission[11] | Various Artists | Ghost Box | GBXD008 | 2020 |
Remixes
Track Title | Original Artist | Album,Single,EP title | Label | Catalogue Number | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taxi Negro (Black Cab Mix) | Tre-molo | Visitas | Mil Records | MRCD009 | 2008 |
Ghost Office (Remixed by Belbury Poly) | Xylitol | Xylitol Music as played by Other People | self-released | 2010 | |
Escape Hatch | Bernard Fevre | The Strange World of Bernard Fevre Remixes | Universal | NJ9048 | 2010 |
And The Cuckoo Comes To Belbury | The Advisory Circle | Mind How You Go (Revised Edition) | Ghost Box | GBX013 | 2010 |
Lights And Offerings (Belbury Poly Mix) | Mirrors | The White EP | Skint | SKINT216ID | 2011 |
Summerland (Belbury Poly Mix) | John Foxx and the Maths | The Shape of Things | Metamatic | META29CD | 2011 |
If... (Belbury Poly Mix) | Bill Ryder-Jones | If... Remixes | Domino | DS061 | 2012 |
Hobby Horse | The Memory Band | Further Navigations | Static Caravan | Van 272 | 2014 |
Broken Folk[15] | Seatman and Powell | Broken Folk | KS Audio | KSA 008 | 2018 |
Something Out of Nothing[16] | Sharron Kraus | Other Voices 10 | Ghost Box | GBX720 | 2018 |
The Belbury Circle (Belbury Poly and The Advisory Circle) Discography[11]
Title | Format | Label | Catalogue Number | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|
Empty Avenues | 10" EP/CD EP/DL | Ghost Box | GBX019 | 2013 |
Outward Journeys | CD/LP/DL | Ghost Box | GBX029 | 2017 |
References
- "Belbury Poly on ploughman's lunches, prog rock and avoiding "Clarkson/Wakeman territory"". Factmag.com. 1 February 2012.
- "Label Profile: Ghost Box | Clash Music Exclusive General". web.archive.org. 12 May 2012.
- "Cardboard Cutout Sundown: Interview with Jim Jupp". Jameshoodillustration.blogspot.com. 20 December 2010.
- Reynolds, Simon (15 October 2017). "Hauntology: Ghost Box label profile, Frieze magazine October 2005". Reynoldsretro.blogspot.com. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
- Society of the spectral Archived 23 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine, The Wire no. 276, November 2006
- "15 questions | Interview | Jim Jupp | Circle of Friends". 15questions.net. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
- "The art of noise refined-Arts & Entertainment-Music-TimesOnline". web.archive.org. 1 April 2007.
- "Home - Ghost Box".
- Stickler, Jon. "Paul Weller Shares New Song Earth Beat From Upcoming Album 'On Sunset' - Stereoboard". Stereoboard.com. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
- "Issue 65 Print Edition | Out Of Stock – Electronic Sound". electronicsound.co.uk.
- "Catalogue Archive - Ghost Box".
- "Ley Line, by Justin Hopper". Jackdaw Shivers Press.
- "Shirley Inspired, by Shirley Inspired..." Shirley Inspired...
- Tapes, Folklore. "The Folklore of Plants Vol.I". Folklore Tapes.
- Seatman, Keith (12 November 2018). "Test Transmission all things Keith Seatman and more: Out Now. Broken Folk 10 inch EP and Digi Release".
- "Sharron Kraus with Belbury Poly - Other Voices 10". Ghost Box.
External links
- Belbury Poly on Ghost Box
- Quietus Interview with Julian House on Ghost Box
- The Sunday Times article on contemporary electronic music, including Ghost Box and Belbury Poly(subscription required)
- Interview with Jim Jupp by The Haunted Generation Blog