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Babylon (Remastered)

Release artwork for Babylon by The Black Dog featuring Ofra Haza

I don’t remember talking to Ken about this album very much. I do remember his manager sending me the album and singles, along with a bit of chat about the quality of Jimmy Cauty’s remixes. Beyond that, it was one of those records that quietly appeared and then slowly disappeared again.

Looking back, this feels like Ken’s second solo Black Dog album. It has always sat slightly outside the main Black Dog story and, because of that, it never seemed to receive the attention it deserved. Over the years it became increasingly difficult to find, and for many people it simply vanished.

We’re making it available again because it deserves to be heard. We also want Ken’s work to remain available as a complete archive, rather than leaving important releases scattered across deleted CDs, out of print vinyl and disappearing digital services.

One thing that has always puzzled us is why the release ended up consisting mostly of remixes of Ken’s original recordings. We’ve spoken to people involved at the time, but nobody seems able to remember exactly how or why that decision was made. The original DAT tapes are still safely stored away and, one rainy day, we may return to them and finally release the original versions as they were first recorded.

Originally released on Warner ESP in 1998, Babylon became one of the last projects that Ofra Haza worked on before her untimely death on 23 February 2000. Her voice, combined with Ken’s production, created something that still sounds unlike anything else from that period.

A few years after its release, Ken reflected on the project and said:

“Out of everything I’ve ever done, I think the Babylon project is the one thing that I’m most proud of.”

Free for our Patreon supporters, sign-up and download now at:
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Fragments (Remastered) – Shipping 7/11/2025

Release artwork for Fragments (Remastered) by The Black Dog, limited edition 2x12" vinyl

Completely remastered and pressed to limited edition double vinyl, for the first time, and now with 6 extra bonus tracks.

Pre-Order Now:
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“Fragments was a completely new way of working for us. We’ve always worked with an internal brief, creating documents, pictures and videos, simply because keeping an idea on track with three individuals can be difficult. It’s easy for someone to be edged out of the creative process when the focus is not clearly defined.

It’s a formula we’ve used since the early 2000s, but things have changed a lot since then, particularly when we decided to dip our collective toes into supporter memberships with Patreon. It made us think about what we could do directly for our supporters rather than just the next album or project. At first, the whole thing felt odd and uncomfortable, but we decided that we’d try a few things and ask for feedback.

“Fragments” was initially a way for us to see how we could include others in an ongoing creative process. There was no over-arching concept, no defined characteristics or purpose, just the promise that there would be at least one new track for members to download every month. Consequently, we never knew what was coming next, so the old, very focused working method was irrelevant. It was difficult for us to let individual tracks go without knowing what was coming next, but this also made the project more interesting.

And then C19 hit and we were forced to continue the project remotely from our home studios. As difficult as the disruption was, it was during this period that we realised we could re-organise and remaster the individual tracks into a coherent album, capturing a specific moment in time and drawing a line under the first phase of the project.

Like our “Allegory” EPs, we’ve tried to keep everything stripped back. We used to hide many subtle elements within the layers, but not so much this time.

Fragments is our journey through many changes, both self-imposed and those imposed upon us, and it ultimately led us to create things differently. We hope you like it.”

Ships on the 7th of November 2025.

Further Vexations (Remastered) – Out Now

Further Vexations (Remastered) by The Black Dog - Release Artwork

Our 2009 album “Further Vexations” has been remastered at Abbey Road and reissued as digital downloads, streaming, CD and a limited edition 2×12″ purple vinyl.

Our supporters over at Patreon can get the downloads free right now, and the physical objects can be ordered right now:
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Further Details:
Full details and previews at Dust Science

Further Vexations (Remastered) – February 2025

Further Vexations (Remastered) by The Black Dog - 2x12" Vinyl - Promotional Artwork

Our 2009 album “Further Vexations”, has been remastered and recut at Abbey Road Studios, and is available to order now on digital download, CD and a very limited edition 2×12″ coloured vinyl pressing. Shipping on the 14th February 2025.

Order Now:
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Further Vexations picks up from what was started in Radio Scarecrow, moving beyond the world of open secrets and the bemusing transmissions of number stations, to exploring the dark cynicism of Orwellian practices carried out by our Governments, institutions and corporations.

Martin Dust from tBd explained, “Our main concern was and still is the amount of personal freedoms being surrendered under the banner of “for your own safety” – CCTV, Biometrics and the World Wide Databases being the latest inventions to save us from ourselves. What is it going to take for people to wake up? How much further can the people we’ve put into power go before something finally snaps? We’ve had enough now! We believe that people have become lazy and accepting of “beige” political parties who have realised if they stand for nothing, people will fall for anything.”

10 years on, the references to George Orwell’s 1984 appear to be naive and wholly inadequate. From billion-dollar corporate entities openly mishandling our data for profit to highly targeted and manipulative political propaganda campaigns, the misuse of our data and communications is far more sophisticated and devious than originally envisaged.

The stark omens of Further Vexations are now more prophetic than ever.

Silenced (Remastered) – Out Now

Silenced (Remastered) by The Black Dog

The remastered version of Silenced is out now and ready for immediate download. If you’re after a tasty real-world object, then the CD and a lovely, exclusive double orange vinyl edition, are shipping now. The first 400 orders of the vinyl or CD from us will get the bonus art poster and sticker set. There are a few left at the time of writing, so get in quick.

Order direct with exclusive bonus extras:
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And of course, our lovely supporters at Patreon can get the downloads right now. You can join too and get all of the recent releases, just for the price of a nice beer:
https://www.patreon.com/theblackdogma

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Silenced (Remastered) – Pre-Order Now

Silenced (Remastered) by The Black Dog on Limited Edition ORANGE 12" Vinyl

Almost two decades on from its initial release, Silenced has been remastered and re-issued for digital download, streaming, CD and a lovely new limited edition, double 12″ vinyl package. Available to order now and shipping on the 12th of April 2024.

Order Now:
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In the enigmatic realm of electronic music, The Black Dog stands as a visionary act, responsible for crafting, among other things, the mesmerising album “Silenced”. Notably, this release marks a significant milestone in the band’s evolution, being the first album from the new line-up and their collaboration with the fledgling label Dust Science.

Defying industry norms, The Black Dog embodies a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) ethos. Their artistic journey remains steadfast, with a commitment to originality and creative freedom, unfettered by the limitations imposed by the commercial music industry.

The record label Dust Science takes pride in championing The Black Dog’s musical prowess, with its first release being the band’s 4-track EP “Bite Thee Back”. However, this EP was only a prototype for the revitalised collective, eventually leading to the composition of Silenced, which followed soon after.

This creative period denotes a fresh start for The Black Dog, a testament to their resilience and a commitment to evolving their sound. The resulting album represents a new beginning, celebrating and transcending the echoes of the past. It redefines the band’s sonic landscape and establishes a distinct musical narrative that resonates with dedicated followers and newcomers alike.

Radio Scarecrow (2023 Remaster) – Out Now



Our 2008 album Radio Scarecrow has been remastered and recut to a lovely pair of red 12″ vinyl and CD, both now available to order from DustStore.com and Bandcamp:
https://www.duststore.com/pages/radio-scarecrow-2023-remaster
https://theblackdog.bandcamp.com/album/radio-scarecrow-remastered

Our supporters on Patreon can download the remastered digital files for free, right now:
https://www.patreon.com/theblackdogma

Radio Scarecrow – 2023 Remaster and Re-issue


15 years after its original release on Soma Records, Radio Scarecrow is now remastered and re-issued on Dust Science. We’ve got a fresh batch of CDs and a lovely, limited edition, pressed on to double, RED 180g 12″ vinyl.

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Two years of constant development culminated in a masterpiece that flows delightfully and hits hard. Marking a true progression from the band’s previous album, Silenced, the trio are keen to note:

“The beats are faster and the bass is much heavier – so much so, that it was making us ill, working with the low frequencies for hours on end. We could only do 3 hours at a time on some parts.”

Tracks like Floods v3.9 and Beep are a testament to this. With throbbing basslines strong enough to make an impact on the Richter scale, these tracks are best played out on big sound systems.

Radio Scarecrow unfolds gracefully, barely skipping a beat between tracks. The act have created an album that demands to be listened to in its entirety. With elements blending between tracks (the same kick drum being used to very different means in Short Wave Lies and Siiiipher for example) and with constant references to conspiracy theories and the supernatural, The Black Dog present more than a collection of tracks. Influenced heavily by their interest in Magick, Numbers Stations and Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP), the act have hidden examples of these within their work.

“These transmissions and recordings (and people’s interpretations of them) had a strong influence on many of the final concepts and compositions, to the point where we’ve been embedding coded messages and curses deep inside the tracks”.

Bytes & Spanners (They’re Back!)

Bytes & Spanners – two fan favourites that we’ve endured endless questions about over the years.

Finally, they’ve been lovingly remastered and repressed with some tasty new vinyl cuts. If you’d like a little piece of our history, go get your order in now. They’ll ship on the 4th of August 2023.

Bytes
The third album in the Artificial Intelligence series, Bytes was originally released in 1993 and this reissue marks the 30th anniversary. Black Dog Productions were Ed Handley, Andy Turner and Ken Downie. For this record, Handley, Turner and Downie appear under various guises: Atypic, Balil, I.A.O, Close Up Over, Xeper, Discordian Popes and Plaid.

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Spanners
Originally released in 1995, Spanners is the second album from The Black Dog and their first for Warp Records. In 2017 it was selected by Pitchfork as one of ‘The 50 Best IDM Albums of All Time’. The reissue will be the first time the vinyl is available since its original pressing in 1995. After this release the original trio of Ed Handley, Andy Turner and Ken Downie went their separate ways – Handley and Turner formed Plaid, whilst Downie carried on with The Black Dog name, initially by himself, and latterly with the assistance of brothers Martin and Richard Dust.

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