The Nag’s Head was a warts-and-all vessel for the sonic meanderings of Brighton artist Stephen Maskell. Taking in richly textural techno, corrupted pop and ASMR drone sculptures, his four releases on Kit documented the ecstatic mundanity of life in broken Britain. Maskell’s impressive ear for a dancefloor bothering rhythm (most likely recorded using a biscuit tin) was deployed on each record, and these brief moments of booty shaking were threaded together with glimpses of pirate radio, ear-tickling art installations, and altercations in terrible pubs.
Honkytonk Cheeseballs is perhaps Maskell’s final release, and represents the culmination of his digital dream diary approach. Gone is the farty upholstery of The Nag’s Head (burnt down in a possible insurance job?), and in the embers we find Basil Neptune: a kind of sentient Airbnb profile, seeking out the smelliest, strangest sonic vestiges of Albion. Expect thickly harmonic ambience, ghostly spoken word, and a few trademark knee wigglers. All shot through the lens of… Scooby Doo? Zoinks.
Honkytonk Cheeseballs is perhaps Maskell’s final release, and represents the culmination of his digital dream diary approach. Gone is the farty upholstery of The Nag’s Head (burnt down in a possible insurance job?), and in the embers we find Basil Neptune: a kind of sentient Airbnb profile, seeking out the smelliest, strangest sonic vestiges of Albion. Expect thickly harmonic ambience, ghostly spoken word, and a few trademark knee wigglers. All shot through the lens of… Scooby Doo? Zoinks.
