Guerilla Welfare share remaster of their 1991 LP ‘Evidence I Was Here’

Music

Canadian dub outfit Guerrilla Welfare have released a newly mastered version of their second album Evidence I Was Here, which features Edmonton-based poet Mary Howes.

Originally released in 1991, the album matches Mary’s powerful words and her “disruptive blend of experimental and ambient sensibilities” with band members Brian Schultze and Curtis Ruptash’s blend of dub-wise atmospheres and polyrhythmic oddities, approached with their signature “studio as an instrument” mindset.

The LP was released in cassette form as a companion to Mary’s book of poetry Vanity Shades, but sadly the publishing company didn’t get the duplication right at the time, resulting in a duller more lo-fi sound than intended.

When Brian Schultze sadly passed away in 2013, fellow band member Curtis Ruptash transferred the three albums the group made to digital and released the catalogue back in 2016. More recently Ruptash reconnected with Mary Howes which prompted him to get a new master of Evidence I Was Here, which was restored to the way it was originally intended by mastering engineer Patrick Pritchett.

Politico dub-collage practitioners Guerilla Welfare were active during the late 80s and early 90s practising their ‘studio as instrument’ mindset, which was influenced by the likes of Eno and King Tubby, while their DIY approach to experimentation takes cues from the likes of African Head Charge, Woo, Negativland and The Residents.

Tracklist
1. Rock-a-bye
2. Easy Street
3. Bubble
4. QHS
5. Available Light
6. Cobalt
7. Dying All Weekend
8. Box Factory
9. Easy Street (clean version)
10. QHS (Clean version)

<a href="https://guerillawelfare1.bandcamp.com/album/evidence-i-was-here-2022-analog-remaster">Evidence I Was Here (2022 Analog Remaster) by Guerilla Welfare</a>

Evidence I Was Here is out now on Bandcamp. A digital booklet of Mary’s poems comes as a bonus item with purchase.