Many of the guests in cherry custard come into mixing via non-traditional routes (filmmaking, curation, writing, performance, poetry, and so on), so it only felt right to cast a spotlight over those who have inspired host christeeeene’s experimental artistic practice so far. Not only those that use mixes within their visual practice, but those who use words to inform their mixing. The reader, the writer, the artist, the activist, the poet and performer; they’re all here and they’re all cherries.

This month’s episode features special guest David Toop.

David Toop has been developing a practice that crosses boundaries of sound, listening, music and materials since 1970. This encompasses improvised music performance, writing, electronic sound, field recording, exhibition curating, sound art installations and opera. It includes nine acclaimed books, including Rap Attack (1984), Ocean of Sound (1995), Sinister Resonance (2010), Into the Maelstrom (2016), Flutter Echo (2019) and Inflamed Invisible: Writing On Art and Sound 1976-2018 (2019). Briefly a member of David Cunningham’s pop project The Flying Lizards in 1979, he has released fourteen solo albums, from New and Rediscovered Musical Instruments on Brian Eno’s Obscure label (1975) and Sound Body on David Sylvian’s Samadhisound label (2006) to Entities Inertias Faint Beings (2016) and Apparition Paintings (2021). His 1978 Amazonas recordings of Yanomami shamanism and ritual were released on Sub Rosa as Lost Shadows (2016).

“This mix is inspired by my recent book – Two-Headed Doctor: Listening For Ghosts in Dr John’s Gris-gris (published by Strange Attractor). The book is a forensic examination of Dr. John’s Gris-gris album, released in 1968, tracing its evolution from Louisiana voodoo and hoodoo, the spread of African diaspora music, masking and spiritual practices, New Orleans’ unique cultural mix and the potential of the recording studio to create a dream-text, a vision of possible worlds.” D.T.