:: GussetBLOG ::

:: Saturday, November 24, 2007 ::

RIP Rob Deacon

Rob Deacon RIP [via Meat Beat Manifesto MySpace Blog]
I can't believe I've only just heard about this.

Robert Andrew Deacon, publisher and music producer: born Sutton at Hone, Kent 6 August 1965; died 8 September 2007.

"With CDs now stuck to the covers of most music monthlies and given away with newspapers, it is easy to forget how innovative Volume, the CD and magazine combination launched by Rob Deacon in 1991, really was. Beautifully packaged – usually with a colour picture of tropical fish on the glossy cover – the CDs contained tracks by a wide range of acts, as well as a CD-sized book packed with articles on the artists and the occasional irreverent feature. Publication was haphazard and never reached more than five issues a year, but Deacon's attention to detail and high production values, as well as the inclusion of exclusive mixes, demos and tracks unavailable elsewhere, made Volume a sought-after item."
[Independent]

"Rob's idea for Volume was to combine a CD of exclusive tracks with a full-colour CD-sized book of music journalism. In his tiny basement flat in Edith Grove, west London, he had spent months collecting music from the cutting edge. Old favourites, Wolfgang Press and Meat Beat Manifesto, mixed with indie shooting stars, the Shamen and Throwing Muses, and a contingent of dance and electronic-oriented artists, including the Orb, Nitzer Ebb and Consolidated.

"Working on one of the earliest Apple computers, paid for by a Prince's Trust grant, he produced Volume One in an atmosphere of enthusiasm and optimism. It hit the shops in September 1991, and sold quickly. Volume Two featured Blur, Definition Of Sound, the Sugarcubes, Bomb the Bass, Nine Inch Nails and Pulp among its 29 tracks. Volume Three had Orbital, Moby, the Breeders, the Charlatans. Volume Four included Suede, the Aphex Twin and the Fall.

"By the 1990s the music business had become an impersonal and increasingly money-obsessed place. Rob broke convention, continuing throughout his career to work with artists, contributors and business partners in a spirit of friendship and cooperation. He was changed by the dance music revolution, seeing in its gradual intermingling with rock a new vista of possibilities."
[Guardian]

I didn't discover these until I picked up Volume 14 at Reading Festival in '95, but I'm glad I did.


"...not to go into too many business details, he treated me very fairly in an industry that will eat you alive especially when you are really concerned about music and have little interest in the business end. Rob cared about the music and if he gained success, great for him. He loved life. For his vision and creativity, I will always be grateful."
[Jack Dangers - Meat Beat Manifesto]

There aren't enough people like that in the music industry and it's a sad day when we find there is one less than before.

Labels: RIP

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