Protect and Survive

I was delighted to find the latest issue revisiting hauntology-related themes [FT379:37-43]. The whole Protect And Survive thing resonated with me, as I discovered these eerie transmissions in video form after your previous articles, and subsequently sampled the sounds in one of my own hauntology tracks, ‘Chlorine Tube’ (named for my also sampling a BBC educational chemistry programme from the 1970s, whereby I converted an exploding test tube into two percussion instruments). I also sampled the Open University theme and turned that into a track; the theme absolutely fascinated me as a youngster. It’s hard to explain why, but it’s yet another example of the weird atmosphere present in the 1970s and 80s. I discovered music such as the brilliant Moon Wiring Club due to the previous cover story, which is ironic as I’ve been obsessed with Boards of Canada (perhaps hauntology music godfathers, also mentioned in the aforementioned article) for nearly 20 years.

Thanks to your coverage, I’ve discovered numerous films and old TV programmes. Last night I saw Threads, and today I’ve started watching Survivors. We’re lucky, in the YouTube age, to have access to so much of the past.

Thanks once again for your quite amazing publication. I literally feel like a child at Christmas whenever a copy arrives through the letterbox. (Should you care for a quick listen, ‘Chlorine Tube’ is at www.youtube. com/watch?v=XrZ5behyGCo.) Tom Vanheems

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