BLACK MARKET KARMA and THE UNDERGROUND YOUTH spread good vibes on 'Wonky' single from their 'Friends In Noise' LP

July 1, 2023

"Emotive, tender and nostalgic...an intriguing and evocative release that effortlessly demonstrates Stan Belton's spectacular composing skills" ~ Clash Magazine

"A glorious scuzzy shoegaze blast that fuses a Jesus and Mary Chain insolence with a Velvet Underground drone, all wrapped up in a sixties sparkle. It swaggers, it prowls, it scowls with a black leather-jacketed sneer and yet scales immeasurable pop heights with a fuzzy bravado" ~ Backseat Mafia

"A delight, immediately pleasing the ears with catchy caresses of Belton’s guitar, warmly inviting the listener to soak in a magnetically psychedelic gaze... positively contagious" ~ The Spill Magazine

"Their psychedelic vision goes well beyond the influential underpinnings of 60s rock, presenting a kaleidoscopic array of sonic threads woven together into the fabulous tapestry" ~ Amplify Music Magazine

London psychedelic pop artist Black Market Karma presents 'Wonky' featuring Craig Dyer of iconic psychedelic rock duo The Underground Youth, lifted from the band's eleventh full-length album 'Friends In Noise'. A collaborative album rooted in friendship, this record follows 2022's ‘Aped Flair & Hijacked Ideas' LP. Recorded over nine years, it was released via London boutique label Flower Power Records.

Revolving around songwriter Stanley Belton, Black Market Karma adds some much needed colour to this world with a carousel of jingle jangle and distorted wobble with flavours of psychedelia, fuzzed out tones and thumping grooves.

“Craig and I became pals during the nascent days of our bands. I remember that the kind of music we loved and wanted to make felt somewhat dead at the time, so it was special to come across groups like TUY and connect in that way. He’s a good dude and a wicked lyricist. We’ve both been at it for over a decade since those early beginnings and it’s really nice to have this collaboration out together. It really is a perfect blend of both our groups. I dunno why we didn’t do it sooner,” says Stanley Belton.

With a thick and colourful sound channelled through vintage equipment, Black Market Karma's music is rooted in 60's guitar and pop music, other influences include folk, blues, lo-fi electronica, alt pop and soul.

“In the hazy days during which I started my project, many years ago now, before live shows and a global following, I found like-minded individuals and bands in a small online community. One of those individuals was Stan and his band Black Market Karma," explains Craig Dyer.

"Fast forward to a different time, years have passed and the both of us are still creating music under our long since chosen monikers. In a perfect celebration of that, Stan approaches me with his idea to collaborate on a song. I dig into the vaults of myself to produce something reminiscent of the period in which our bands began and the music that inspired those beginnings. The result was ‘Wonky’, a perfect blend of 50% Black Market Karma and 50% The Underground Youth.”

This follows up the latest audio-visual offering from this album - the 'Heady Ideas'rework by Swedish cosmic mastermind Joakim Åhlund of Les Big Byrd, packed with slamming breakbeats, analogue filters and krauty synths. Earlier singles include 'The Sky Was All Diseased' with iconic vocalist Tess Parks and 'Aping Flair' with Ruari Meehan (Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe and Belakiss). This album also involves fellow Londoners The Confederate Dead.

'Friends In Noise' is out now, available digitally via Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp, and on 180-gram coloured vinyl, along with their latest 'Aped Flair & Hijacked Ideas' LP. In August, Black Market Karma will also release the output from the recent collaboration with Pete Kember (aka Sonic Boom) of Spacemen 3, which is now available for pre-order.

BLACK MARKET KARMA presents 'Heady Ideas (Joakim Åhlund Remix)' from loaded 'Friends In Noise' LP

March 6, 2023

New album features Tess Parks, The Underground Youth, Les Big Byrd & The Confederate Dead

"Emotive, tender and nostalgic...an intriguing and evocative release that effortlessly demonstrates Stan Belton's spectacular composing skills" ~ Clash Magazine

"A delight, immediately pleasing the ears with catchy caresses of Belton’s guitar, warmly inviting the listener to soak in a magnetically psychedelic gaze... positively contagious" ~ The Spill Magazine

"Impressive and singular, yet filled with easy and accessible appeal... making music without following fad or fashion" ~ The Record Stache

"Their psychedelic vision goes well beyond the influential underpinnings of 60s rock, presenting a kaleidoscopic array of sonic threads woven together into the fabulous tapestry" ~ Amplify Music Magazine

London psychedelic pop artist Black Market Karma presents 'Heady Ideas', a fan favourite, sonically reshaped by Swedish cosmic mastermind Joakim Åhlund of Les Big Byrd and also known for his work with Caesars, Smile and Teddy Bears.

Packed with slamming breakbeats, analogue filters and krauty synths, this track is on the band's eleventh full-length album 'Friends In Noise', a collaborative album rooted in friendship. Following 2022's ‘Aped Flair & Hijacked Ideas' LP, the new record was recorded over nine years and released via London boutique label Flower Power Records.

Revolving around songwriter Stanley Belton, Black Market Karma colourized this world with a carousel of jingle jangle and distorted wobble with flavours of psychedelia, fuzzed out tones and thumping grooves. With a thick and colourful sound channelled through vintage equipment, their music is rooted in 60's guitar and pop music, other influences include folk, blues, lo-fi electronica, alt pop and soul.

“This remix is one of the earlier contributions to Friends In Noise. We’d just returned from a short tour of Ireland alongside Jocke’s (Joakim Ahlund) band Les Big Byrdwhen he dropped me a message one night saying “fancy a remix? My answer was an immediate yes because I knew he’d do something cosmic to it,” says Stanley Belton.

"He was digging the then brand new ‘Heady Ideas’ (sort of a BMK classic these days) so I sent him the audio files and he sent me back this absolutely slammin’ remix with a heavy break beat and these arpeggiating synths. I dug it big time and in return I did my own remix of their song ‘War In The Streets’, which also ended up on the record".

Earlier, Black Market Karma released 'The Sky Was All Diseased' with iconic vocalist Tess Parks and 'Aping Flair' with Ruari Meehan (Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe and Belakiss). This album also involves The Underground Youth and The Confederate Dead. More recently, Stan completed a collaboration with Pete Kember (a.k.a. Sonic Boom) of Spacemen 3, which will be released in spring 2023.

“I loved that tune from the first time I heard it. Reminds me of a Tibetan death chant. Same chord all the way through and that nice droney vocal. I put some quite heavy, almost military marching band drums on it and then put it all through an anologue filter I had back then but lost when I moved studios. Wish I still had that, sounds pretty brilliant to me. That fast arpeggio is a Juno 60. Nice," says Joakim Åhlund.

'Friends In Noise' is out now everywhere digitally, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. It can also be ordered on 180-gram coloured vinyl, along with their latest 'Aped Flair & Hijacked Ideas' LP. Having recently wrapped up tour dates with The Black Angels, the band continues touring throughout March. Tickets can be ordered here.

BLACK MARKET KARMA announces 'Friends In Noise' LP and European tour dates with THE BLACK ANGELS

January 6, 2023

"Emotive, tender and nostalgic...an intriguing and evocative release that effortlessly demonstrates Stan Belton's spectacular composing skills" ~ Clash Magazine

"Addictive... bravely and perfectly executed" ~ The Spill Magazine

"Impressive and singular, yet filled with easy and accessible appeal... making music without following fad or fashion" ~ The Record Stache

"Their psychedelic vision goes well beyond the influential underpinnings of 60s rock, presenting a kaleidoscopic array of sonic threads woven together into the fabulous tapestry" ~ Amplify Music Magazine

London psychedelic pop artist Black Market Karma announces their upcoming tour with The Black Angels as they gear up for the band's eleventh full-length album band's 'Friends In Noise', an international collaboration rooted in friendship and spontaneity, to be released via London boutique label Flower Power Records.

Revolving around songwriter Stanley Belton, Black Market Karma offers a colourful carousel of jingle jangle and distorted wobble with flavours of psychedelia, fuzzed out tones and thumping grooves. With a thick and colourful sound channelled through vintage equipment, their music is rooted in 60's guitar and pop music, other influences include folk, blues, lo-fi electronica, alt pop and soul.

"I didn’t really get the idea of an album in my head too much. It’s something that gradually came together over the years through playing and becoming friends with so many good musicians. Collaborations naturally occur when you’re spending time with people who are musically minded, especially when we would hang at my studio. The songs started to build up over time and I thought man, these should all be gathered together on one release so here we are," says Stanley Belton.

"The last pieces came via two good friends - Craig Dyer of The Underground Youth and Butchy Davy of The Confederate Dead. Craig and I had wanted to make music together in the past but it never came to be - he lives in Berlin, but we managed to make 'Wonky' happen. Lastly Butchy came to the BMK studio with an unfinished, instrumental demo and we worked on it together. The result was 'Ageing Boy'".

Earlier, Black Market Karma released the singles 'The Sky Was All Diseased' with iconic vocalist Tess Parks and 'Aping Flair' with Ruari Meehan (Tess Parks, Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe and Belakiss with Ringo Starr's granddaughter Tatia Starkey).

Featuring recordings captured over nine years, 'Friends In Noise' is a series of collaborations between Black Market Karma and friends. Apart from Tess Parks, this album also involves The Underground Youth, Les Big Byrd / Joakim Ahlund, The Confederate Dead and Ruari Meehan. More recently, Stan has also been collaborating with Pete Kember (a.k.a. Sonic Boom) of Spacemen 3 fame on a forthcoming release.

Earlier this year, the band released the ‘Aped Flair & Hijacked Ideas' LP, a loaded 11-track offering with a fluid texture of beach-soaked instrumentation. Themes ranging from the sycophantic circles that leach from the arts, desperate attempts to stay spiritually close to a distant love, Japanese folklore, and the deep connection between man and beast.

As of January 13, the 'Friends In Noise' album will be available everywhere digitally, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. It can be ordered on 180-gram coloured vinyl from the label, as well as their latest 'Aped Flair & Hijacked Ideas' LP. Tickets for upcoming tour dates can be ordered here.

BLACK MARKET KARMA team with RUARI MEEHAN on ‘Aping Flair', previewing 'Friends In Noise' LP

December 6, 2022

UK artist Black Market Karma and Ruari Meehan (Belakiss, Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe) present 'Aping Flair', the second single from the band's eleventh full-length album 'Friends In Noise'. An international collaboration rooted in friendship and spontaneity, the record will be released in mid-January via London boutique label Flower Power Records.

Hailing from London and now residing on the South coast of England, Black Market Karma revolves around songwriter Stanley Belton. Last month, he released the first single 'The Sky Was All Diseased', with iconic vocalist Tess Parks.

Ruari Meehan plays with Tess Parks' band and contributed to her album with Anton Newcombe. He is also known as vocalist and guitarist of Belakiss, formed with Tatia Starkey (granddaughter of Ringo Starr). Apart from touring with Kasabian, they saw huge success in Japan, reaching number 1 in the international airplay chart with their hit ‘Only You’ and charting high in the official Japanese charts for several releases. Ruari is also a professional photographer and the son of Tony Meehan, drummer for iconic 60's band The Shadows and a producer).

"The very first incarnation of this song came to life during a somewhat inebriated jam between Ruari Meehan and myself at my old studio. I threw a mic up quickly in the middle of the room just to capture the general essence of it for future reference. We were amped about the tune but life happened and for whatever reason it got shelved. I stumbled across it again years later and a vocal melody and lyrics came to me, real easy. It felt right so I got in touch with Ruari, he came to my studio and we got it down," says Stanley Belton.

"As for the lyrics, you know those kind of people who enter a room, switch on their clout radar, scan for fame and then proceed to charm that person as hard as they can to further their career, while simultaneously dismissing anyone who they think doesn't need to be bothered with? They're about those kind of people".

Black Market Karma offers a colourful carousel of jingle jangle and distorted wobble. With broader flavours of psychedelia, fuzzed out tones and thumping grooves, their thick and colourful sound is shaped by the use of a lot of vintage equipment. Rooted in 60's guitar and pop music, other influences include folk, blues, lo-fi electronica, alt pop and soul.

Technically nine years in the making, 'Friends In Noise' is a series of collaborations between Black Market Karma and friends. Apart from Tess Parks, this album also involves The Underground Youth, Les Big Byrd / Joakim Ahlund, The Confederate Dead and Ruari Meehan. More recently, Stan has also been collaborating with Pete Kember (a.k.a. Sonic Boom) of Spacemen 3 fame on a forthcoming release.

Earlier this year, the band released the ‘Aped Flair & Hijacked Ideas' LP, a loaded 11-track offering with a fluid texture of beach-soaked instrumentation. Themes ranging from the sycophantic circles that leach from the arts, desperately attempts to stay spiritually close to a distant love, Japanese folklore, and the deep connection between man and beast.

As of December 6, 'Aping Flair' will be available everywhere digitally, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. The full 'Friends In Noise' album (out January 13) can be ordered on 180-gram coloured vinyl from the label, as can their latest 'Aped Flair & Hijacked Ideas' LP.

CREDITS
Lyrics written by Stanley Belton
Music written by Ruari Meehan and Stanley Belton
Stanley Belton - drums, guitar, vocals, keys, percussion
Ruari Meehan - guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals
Recorded, produced, mixed & mastered by Stanley Belton in London
Released via Flower Power Records
Publicity by Shauna McLarnon at Shameless Promotion PR

-SELECT FEEDBACK-
"Emotive, tender and nostalgic...an intriguing and evocative release that effortlessly demonstrates Stan Belton's spectacular composing skills" ~ Clash Magazine

"Addictive... bravely and perfectly executed" ~ The Spill Magazine

"Impressive and singular, yet filled with easy and accessible appeal... making music without following fad or fashion" ~ The Record Stache

"Their psychedelic vision goes well beyond the influential underpinnings of 60s rock, presenting a kaleidoscopic array of sonic threads woven together into the fabulous tapestry" ~ Amplify Music Magazine

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