{"title":"Bourbonese Qualk","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"bourbonese-qualk","title":"Bourbonese Qualk","description":"\u003cp\u003eBourbonese Qualk were an experimental music group from England who where active from 1979 until 2003. The group were always obsessively and uncompromisingly focused on controlling their work - they ran their own record label, recording studio, tour organisation and music venue (the legendary 'Ambulance Station') - they refused to integrate into the commercial music racket turning down publishing deals from major labels - stubbornly opting for total independence. Bourbonese Qualk were also known for their political activism which was formed in the crucible of the 1980s Britain: The Miner's Strike, Falklands\/Malvinas war, Anti-fascism, Thatcherism, Moneterism, squatting\/housing, local government corruption, anti-capitalism, and Anarchism - which was further re-enforced by touring Europe and meeting like-minded groups and organisations. They saw their music as a revolutionary cultural force - a belief that radical musical forms must be part of positive social change. Despite this position, the group avoided dogma, cliché and propaganda, preferring to let their audience come to their own conclusions - their work was often ambiguous and directly critical of cynical power-politics of any colour - often irritating members of the traditional 'organised left'. In 1984 Bourbonese Qualk occupied a large empty building on the Old Kent Road in South London which they turned into a base for their activities and a co-operative for artists, musicians and writers as well as a centre for radical political activism - specifically as a co-ordinating centre for the 'Stop The City' anti-capitalist riots of 1984-1986. They never recorded in a 'proper' studio (not that they could ever afford to), choosing instead to work with their own extremely basic equipment (at a time when home studios were very unusual - the unique raw sound of these recordings is the result of their choice - which now, ironically, is in vodue due perhaps to the overwhelming obliquity of 'clean' audio digital production tools. If Bourbonese Qualk have a legacy, it is that 'culture' should be reclaimed, re-defined and owned by the people, wherever they are, however small and not by the state or the market and that 'culture' is a vital vehicle for debate and radical change. BQ was the band's fifth album and was originally released on New International Recordings in 1987. It was recorded by the band's core members Simon Crab and Steven Tanza, the latter leaving the band after the recording of the album to form his own project The State.\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Klanggalerie","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50482862752075,"sku":"1160404","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/2b907ddd-1c23-4973-84e9-717d8e778fac_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727557140"},{"product_id":"the-spike","title":"The Spike","description":"\u003cp\u003eBourbonese Qualk were an experimental music group from England who where active from 1979 until 2003. The group were always obsessively and uncompromisingly focused on controlling their work - they ran their own record label, recording studio, tour organisation and music venue (the legendary 'Ambulance Station') - they refused to integrate into the commercial music racket turning down publishing deals from major labels - stubbornly opting for total independence. Bourbonese Qualk were also known for their political activism which was formed in the crucible of the 1980s Britain: The Miner's Strike, Falklands\/Malvinas war, Anti-fascism, Thatcherism, Moneterism, squatting\/housing, local government corruption, anti-capitalism, and Anarchism - which was further re-enforced by touring Europe and meeting like-minded groups and organisations. They saw their music as a revolutionary cultural force - a belief that radical musical forms must be part of positive social change. Despite this position, the group avoided dogma, cliché and propaganda, preferring to let their audience come to their own conclusions - their work was often ambiguous and directly critical of cynical power-politics of any colour - often irritating members of the traditional 'organised left'. In 1984 Bourbonese Qualk occupied a large empty building on the Old Kent Road in South London which they turned into a base for their activities and a co-operative for artists, musicians and writers as well as a centre for radical political activism - specifically as a co-ordinating centre for the 'Stop The City' anti-capitalist riots of 1984-1986. They never recorded in a 'proper' studio (not that they could ever afford to), choosing instead to work with their own extremely basic equipment (at a time when home studios were very unusual - the unique raw sound of these recordings is the result of their choice - which now, ironically, is in vodue due perhaps to the overwhelming obliquity of 'clean' audio digital production tools. If Bourbonese Qualk have a legacy, it is that 'culture' should be reclaimed, re-defined and owned by the people, wherever they are, however small and not by the state or the market and that 'culture' is a vital vehicle for debate and radical change. \u003ci\u003eThe Spike \u003c\/i\u003ewas the band's third album, and originally came out in 1985 in Germany on the Dossier label. It was recorded while the group were involved in organising the Berlin Atonal festival. This first ever CD edition has bonus tracks not on the original vinyl LP and was remastered. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mannequin","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50507423514955,"sku":"1165186","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/4a5621dc-b4b0-4b12-9879-d662ae4674f0_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727849875"},{"product_id":"my-government-is-my-soul","title":"My Government Is My Soul","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMy Government Is My Soul\u003c\/em\u003e, a searing 1989 statement from Bourbonese Qualk, one of the UK’s most defiant and politically engaged experimental acts. Originally released on the group’s own label, this LP captures the uncompromising spirit of a band deeply embedded in the resistance movements of 1980s Britain.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded during a turbulent period of social unrest, \u003cem\u003eMy Government Is My Soul\u003c\/em\u003e stands as a fierce response to authoritarianism, surveillance, and the neoliberal decay that defined the Thatcher era. Bourbonese Qualk fused industrial rhythms, minimal synth, distorted tape loops, and spoken-word polemics into a sound that was both confrontational and deeply physical—a weaponized form of music rooted in activism and direct action.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWidely regarded by fans as one of the band’s strongest works, \u003cem\u003eMy Government Is My Soul\u003c\/em\u003e has earned a near-mythic status in underground circles. Fans have praised the album’s stylistic breadth—“sometimes it kisses the hem of rock, at others it bows towards the likes of Steve Reich and Philip Glass\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis reissue, fully remastered by Rude 66, reintroduces a critical work of post-industrial dissent to a new generation. Still as urgent and unflinching as ever, the album resonates with today’s climate of mass disinformation and systemic control. It is a timely reminder that sound can still be a form of resistance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Mannequin Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":51971309076811,"sku":"R7640-7591","price":21.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":56472274633035,"sku":"R7640-3176","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/g3wKX1Uw.jpg?v=1749219261"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/bourbonese-qualk.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}