Planet Bohemia is a Berlin-based independent music label and a promotions platform for alternative events and culture that has recently initiated its quest for beauty in the German capital. The PB label aims to bring you sparkling, experimental, psychedelic sounds and a loose, free place to experience creativity, beauty and joy, all with the noble aim of combating the gloom and pessimism of our times.
This fledgling indie arts collective has proudly unleashed the debut long player of a little British band called the Dots & Stops, curiously entitled “If I Look Uncomfortable, It’s Only Coz I need to DO IT!” (BOHM2). This first vinyl offering forms part of a proposed series of limited edition releases of independent acts as part of the “Planet Bohemia Music Club”.
The Dots & Stops are a grouping of musicians and creative types in Reading, England based around chief songwriter and spokesman James Petersen Hahn plus committed associate in exile, the crestfallen high-society dandy and bon vivant Raphael Storm. They share a common musical education in experimental, psychedelic sounds fused with post-punk, indie and electronica. The Dots & Stops LP, complete with artwork by the group members themselves and unfolding over 12 inches of majestic white vinyl, reflects on the heady days of long gone psychedelic summers whilst simultaneously exploring more angular, aggressive soundscapes. The record introduces the listener to a multitude of unusual, enticing places and characters; from the unlikely gathering of esoteric celebrities at “Colin’s Tea Party”, a stream-of-consciousness tale of caffeine-induced delirium, to the driving psychedelic dance hall mayhem of “Life is a Yellow Pepper” and the menacing “Sister Gestapo”; a post-punk reading of “Venus in Furs” with echoes of “Da Capo”-era Love fused with driving John McGeoch-style guitars.
Prior to the new release on Planet Bohemia, The Dots & Stops have previously distributed the CD single “Life is a Yellow Pepper” b/w the storming “Jelly Voilà” to sympathizers at live shows plus released the chaotic, intriguing “These Stupid People, They Wear Their Brains on the Outside” mini-album in 2007.
A joyous, trashy explosion of experimental pop, The Dots & Stops’ debut album is soon to be joined by other releases from Berlin as part of the “Planet Bohemia Music Club”, as well as staging live happenings featuring experimental and dance acts from the UK, Berlin, Budapest and Vienna. The first “Planet Bohemia Be-In” complete with live acts, DJ’s and visual infotainment is scheduled for January 2012.
Irreverent, suspicious of dreary conformity, common sense and “generating value”, Planet Bohemia promises an escape route to the FUTURE, an open platform for independent creativity, an unfettered voice for those who revel in the joy of creation. The Berlin label is also more than interested in receiving demos from bands as well as proposals for a wide range of events to stage in the German capital. For more information about the project, check out the PB website: www.planetbohemia.com.
