Rev 23

Another day, another Revelation test press. And this is one of the most controversial releases in the label's catalogue - the infamous Rev 23.

For those of you who don't know the catalogue numbers off by heart, this is the Ray & Porcell 7". Otherwise known as the Ray & Porcell & the drum machine 7". It's always been seen as somewhat of a joke release due solely to the use of a drum machine rather than a human drummer, which did always seem to me to be a weird choice. That said, I read an article about the story behind this release on NO ECHO some time ago, and it then made a lot more sense. Porcell wrote the music and wanted to do something different, so the drum machine was a conscious choice. Apparently he recorded it himself and wasn't even looking to release it, but Jordan at Revelation really liked it and talked him around. The most surprising bit for me was discovering there was originally supposed to be a girl singing, but she couldn't make it so Ray stepped in to help.

Anyway, my feelings on this record are probably the same as most people's, in that I think the songs are pretty good, although I wish they'd been recorded with real drums. That said, however, I can't imagine this being received entirely seriously even if it had.

This test press comes only in a plain white paper sleeve, but I did my usual and took a pic with the regular cover to make this post look a little more interesting.