News

DS93 News

Posted on 22nd July 2026 in News, Releases

Feral Grace by The Black Dog, release artwork

Most of you will know that the second series on DS93 will consist of 11 Digipak CDs, each with a single focus. At this point we’re not sure how long the series will take, but at the time of writing the first three releases are complete. The next instalment is scheduled for release in September.

The plan was to build the series slowly. As this is our second label, we expected things to move at a more measured pace. You seem to have other ideas. Stock of the first release is already running low and, at the current rate, we expect it to sell out within the next month.

Our thinking on vinyl is fairly straightforward. If the CDs continue to sell well, we’ll look at combining two volumes into a limited vinyl release. We’ll review that after the second release and keep everyone updated as our plans develop.

The second release, Psychick Youth, is pencilled in for September.

If you haven’t picked up the first release, Feral Grace, you can find it here:

Loud Ambient EP 1 – Out Now

Posted on 10th March 2026 in News

Out now and available to download:
DustStore.com
Bandcamp

Available around the world, to stream or download:
Juno Download
Boomkat
Bleep
Spotify
Apple Music
Beatport
Deezer
traxsource
Amazon

Further Details:
Full details and previews at Dust Science

My Brutal Life – The Ambient Mixes – Back In Stock

Posted on 19th February 2026 in Mixes, News, Releases

My Brutal Life - The Ambient Mixes (3 CD Boxset)

The “My Brutal Life – The Ambient Mixes” 3 CD boxset is now back in stock and available from our DustStore and Bandcamp pages:

DustStore.com
Bandcamp
Out In The World

Thank You

Posted on 16th January 2026 in News

First of all, thank you to everyone for your kind messages and comments during this difficult time. Your words have meant a lot to us and to Ken’s family. We sometimes forget the love that’s out there while working away on our own. Please know that we will always be grateful for your support.

Ken asked that we didn’t make big statements or announcements. He didn’t want the fuss. He simply asked us to carry on and be happy. We plan to honour his wishes.

We’ll miss Ken forever and in some ways he will always be with us in our work. We’ll never forget him, or the kindness he showed us over the last 25 years of working together.

Cari saluti, Kendo 353.

Martin & Rich

Ken Downie – Rest In Peace Brother

Posted on 22nd December 2025 in News

Ken Downie from The Black Dog
It’s with great sadness and a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Ken Downie on 20/12/25. Rest In Peace brother, you will be deeply missed and never forgotten. Our condolences to Sheena and his family.

Sleep Deprivation – Streaming Channels

Posted on 5th March 2025 in Mixes, News, Releases, Video

We recently launched our own series of live streams under the “Sleep Deprivation” name, intended to give us a little more freedom to try out long-form ambient and experimental pieces. We’ve got recordings and live-streams featuring music from our archives, along with new original works and generative experiments, where the machines take over.

https://www.youtube.com/@SleepDeprivation23

“Welcome to Sleep Deprivation, a sonic refuge for the sleep-deprived and the restless. Our channel delivers deep, hypnotic dystopian drone music, a fusion of dark ambient soundscapes, industrial undertones, and eerie atmospheric drones designed to lull you into a trance-like state.

Whether you’re battling insomnia, overactive thoughts, or the creeping silence of late-night solitude, our immersive soundscapes will envelop you in a world of slow-burning tension and melancholic serenity. Let the distant hum of decaying cities, ghostly transmissions, and mechanical lullabies guide you into the unknown.

Perfect for: Midnight thinkers, cyberpunk dreamers, and those seeking a surreal escape.
Sounds of the future’s ruins: Haunting drones, deep reverbs, and synthetic echoes.
Sleep… or surrender to the void.

Subscribe now and drift into the dystopian dreamstate.”

Live Coding Software For Music

Posted on 24th September 2024 in Gigs, News, Studio & Production

In September 2024 we took part in a Live Coding Workshop and Showcase at the Festival of the Mind 2024 in Sheffield. Together with the School of Computer Science at the University of Sheffield, we spent the afternoon making bleeps with code, before heading out for a live demo at the Spiegeltent in the city centre.

And now, the software is publicly accessible and free to use, along with the tutorials and a set of music demos from us:
https://bleep.sheffield.ac.uk/artist/seclusion

It’s a web-based live coding environment, designed for generating noise and music, and it’s intended to introduce the basics of coding, while making some interesting noises. It’s not as scary as it sounds, the simplified code lets you jump straight in and make some noise with just a single line of code. The tutorials will guide you through the basics, so it shouldn’t matter whether or not you have any coding experience.

This system and the code used is based on Sam Aaron’s Sonic Pi project, only now, it’s entirely web-based. It’s very much a work-in-progress, so may be a little rough in places, but that shouldn’t stop you getting stuck in.

And as you might have noticed, we’ve avoided referring to the software by name, mainly because it hasn’t actually got one. All suggestions welcome!

The demos we produced for the festival are at:
https://bleep.sheffield.ac.uk/artist/seclusion

The tutorials created for the workshop can be accessed via:
https://bleep.sheffield.ac.uk/artist/tbd

Download the tutorial PDF:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1glIlPp00SJi_gMVX8bZ5fwLNumnrlVyy/view?usp=drive_link

Want to dig deeper? More information is available in the Wiki, although this too is a work-in-progress:
https://github.com/guyjbrown/bleepmanual/wiki

Want to start from a blank project?
https://bleep.sheffield.ac.uk/user

Let us know what you get up to!

Techno Music Programming – Festival of the Mind 2024

Posted on 3rd September 2024 in Gigs, News, Studio & Production

On the 21st of September 2024, we’ll be joining with the School of Computer Science at Sheffield University for a couple of special music programming events, all as part of Festival of the Mind 2024.

Techno Music Programming Masterclass – The Diamond
This free 2-hour workshop will explore the basics of computer programming through the lens of techno music creation. Led by renowned musician and live coding expert Dr Sam Aaron, participants will use software specifically developed for this workshop, teaching the basics of coding and exploring music composition. We’ll be there to share our knowledge of techno music production, sharing our own code and examples to illustrate. Places are very limited and can be reserved at:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk

Techno Music Programming Showcase – Spiegeltent
At 5pm we’ll head down to the Spiegeltent in Barkers Pool where we’ll introduce the concepts of live music coding, demonstrate the unique software and perform some of the music that we’ve created, including pieces from our new Seclusion EP. The event is free but the Spiegeltent has limited space, so get down early to get yourself a place.

Full details for all of the events at this year’s Festival of the Mind can be found at:
https://festivalofthemind.sheffield.ac.uk/2024/