Graeme Miller & Steve Shill Woodland Band (Parade)

Consisting of homemade electronic and mechanical music heard exclusively
via British TV speakers as an eerie backdrop for the Polish made stop-motion
adaptation of the Finnish comic strip classic. Custom composed for radically
reedited daily five-minute episodes (alongside reconstituted storylines and the
narrations/impersonations of comedy actor Richard Murdoch), the short cues
written and played by two Leeds based post punk avant- theatre composers
helped exacerbate the programme’s bizarre spectral storylines and characters
earning a firm fixture of fear, intrigue and infatuation in the hearts and memories
of a slightly confused electro fed generation. Ticking all the boxes that attract
freak folk enthusiasts and synthusiasts alike, the combined efforts of Steve Shill
and Graeme Miller deployed thumb pianos, backwards tape effects, wooden
pipes and a Wasp synthesiser (the almost affordable post punk synth of choice)
to replace the original 70’s German jazz soundtrack, thus dramatically mutating
the tonality of the one hundred episode long saga. Miller and Shill’s unique DIY
approach follows characters like Moomintroll, Sniff, Snuffkin and the Snork Maiden
as they encounter hobgoblins, sand lions and the mysterious Groke complete with
their individual detuned electronic voices and thereminesque whimpers. Based
on the original sprites invented by Tove Jansson the modified fuzzy felt figurines
were designed by animator Lucjan Debinski at the legendary Se Ma For studios
in Poland for German syndication resulting in what many regard as the definitive
and most enigmatic version of the story succeeding further animated adaptations
form Japan and Russia.
Sharing the same nostalgia and oblique exoticism as The Singing Ringing Tree,
The Little Mole, The Magic Roundabout and other reconstituted imports seen on
programmes like Granada TV’s Picturebox, The Moomins and its synonymous
theme tune and sound effects render this limited 7” vinyl release an essential
addition to the record shelves of soundtrack collectors, domestic electronic fans
and absent bygone tele addicts as well as animation and design enthusiasts on
account of its unique imagery and packaging. Housed in a very special custommade felt backed 7” sleeve depicting original production stills this limited 45 single
comprises an extended take of Woodland Band and a never before heard cue from
the forthcoming Lost Tapes LP.
Like the running lengths of the original episodes these rare specimens won’t stick
around for long so act fast, relax, regress and rejoice for the return of the Moomin
trolls.