Psychic TV soundtrack recordings return after thirty years
Cold Spring will release A Prayer for Derek Jarman by Psychic TV on 23 June 2025. The material—previously unavailable for close to thirty years—has been remastered by Martin Bowes at Cage Studios and will be issued on CD and digital formats. The release collects a group of recordings made as soundtracks and thematic pieces for films and video journals by Derek Jarman, recorded by Genesis P-Orridge, John Gosling, and Larry Thrasher between 1969 and the early 1990s.
Artist: Psychic TV
Release Date: 2025-06-23
Genres: Avant-garde, Experimental Music, Industrial Music
Label: Cold Spring: Industrial, Dark Ambient & Ritual Music News
Description: Cold Spring reissues Psychic TV’s A Prayer for Derek Jarman, a collection of soundtrack recordings made for the filmmaker between 1969 and 1993.
Originally developed across multiple locations including The Building Site and Jhopdi Studios, the recordings feature extended tonal constructions, tape collages, and improvised motifs. Field recordings made in Dungeness—across from Jarman’s residence Prospect Cottage—appear on the 17-minute composition Prayer for Derek, structured on Tibetan ritual forms and described in liner notes as “invocationary.” The piece incorporates environmental material (sea waves, birdsong), domestic sounds (babies crying), and chant elements.
Other works include Mylar Breeze (Parts 1–3), reportedly linked to an unrealised short film from the Sebastiane period, and Rites of Reversal, a theme intended for a film by P-Orridge with William S. Burroughs, with Jarman operating the camera. The compositions employ looped electronics, manipulated vocal textures, sparse melodic elements, and recurring noise treatments. The Loops Of Mystical Union and Elipse Of Flowers were originally created as themes for Home Movies, one of Jarman’s video diaries.
The remaster includes new artwork and liner contributions by both Genesis P-Orridge and Larry Thrasher.
Psychic TV was formed in 1981 by Genesis P-Orridge following the termination of Throbbing Gristle, with early collaborations involving Peter Christopherson, Alex Fergusson, and later Fred Giannelli, Paula P-Orridge, John Balance, and others. The project operated across a shifting lineup and was central to the output of Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth (TOPY). Across its lifespan, the group released over one hundred albums and video works, often combining live improvisation with pre-recorded sound sources, ceremonial motifs, and media sampling. The band’s catalogue spans industrial, acid house, experimental rock, and spoken-word formats.
A Prayer for Derek Jarman is available for pre-order on Bandcamp.
Tracklisting
- The Loops Of Mystical Union (17:55)
- Elipse Of Flowers (10:58)
- Mylar Breeze (Parts 1 & 2) (7:52)
- Mylar Breeze (Part 3) (11:56)
- Prayer For Derek (17:21)
- Rites Of Reversal (7:40)
Personnel
Genesis P-Orridge – voice, treatments
John Gosling – electronics, programming
Larry Thrasher – percussion, effects
Produced by Genesis P-Orridge
Track 6 co-produced by Larry Thrasher
Remastered by Martin Bowes at Cage Studios
Liner notes by Genesis P-Orridge and Larry Thrasher
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