Steve Davis' Interesting Alternative

Prog fans have never had it so good, nor, for that matter, have fans of any other genre.

Never in music’s history has so much potentially pleasing music been available for you to access, audition and possibly buy. However, there is always a trade off, and in this case it’s not so much ‘as one door opens another closes’, but more that you’re bombarded with too many open doors to choose from!

In the past our diet was local record shops, NME, John Peel and Fluff Freeman. These sources were our music filters, even though they themselves were only scratching at the surface. With the onslaught of stuff now available at our fingertips, these methods of recommendation are still as relevant today, arguably even more so. Of course, it is a welcome addition to have our trusted bloggers and websites to guide us. Without them we would be in needle in a haystack territory, but the most important link in the chain to us tracking down our perfect desires are the specialist record labels. The beauty of these babies is that you can trust them implicitly with your PayPal account. They are music fans first and foremost and they only put out releases on their imprint that they would consider buying themselves. Without these surefire champions, I personally would never have broadened my own listening horizons.

The Interesting Alternative Show would like to thank the following: Altrock, Bad Elephant, Believers Roast, Cuneiform, ReR and Soleil Zeuhl for supporting some of the most innovative artists out there. 2014 was a bumper year for goodies. Here is our ‘best of’ playlist. Should you be into the avant-progressive scene, we think that you could do far worse than invest in these gems:

Trojan Horse – World Turned Upside Down CD

Flying Lotus – You’re Dead! LP/CD

Poil – Brossaklitt CD

Arch Garrison – I Will Be A Pilgrim CD

Panoram – Everyone Is A Door LP/CD

Emmett Elvin – Bloody Marvels CD

Patten – Estoile Naiant LP/CD

Swans – To Be Kind LP/CD

Magma – Zühn Wöhl Ünsaï – Live 1974 CD

Magma – Riah Sahiltaahk LP/CD

Prescott – One Did CD

The Gasman – Hiding Place 2 CD

Bob Drake – Lawn Ornaments CD

Gong – I See You LP/CD

Poino – Bon Ick Voyeur LP/CD

Jack O’ The Clock – Night Loops CD Knifeworld – The Unravelling LP/CD Stars In Battledress – In Droplet Form CD

Steve Davis is a six-time world snooker champion and former BBC Sports Personality Of The Year. He plays modular analogue synth in experimental music group The Utopia Strong and has worked as a DJ in both clubs and on radio, presenting shows on BBC 6 Music, NTS Radio and Brentwood community radio station Phoenix FM.