Tag Archives: Cosey Fanni Tutti

Switched On – Cosey Fanny Tutti – 2t2 (Conspiracy International)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Christine Newby, as one of the elder stateswomen of electronic music, is also one of its figureheads.

Even when not accounting for her work as a member of Throbbing Gristle, and the many inspiring solo ventures and collaborations she has enjoyed as Cosey Fanny Tutti, she has more recently been ensuring that musicians such as Delia Derbyshire got their dues, through the Re-Sisters book. A biopic of her colourful life, including her provocative and inspirational work in pornography, is in the offing. 2t2, meanwhile, is the latest chapter in her own music. Representing a return to relatively full health since her and partner Chris Carter experienced serious illness in Covid times, it is an album celebrating that freedom but also responding to the difficult times the world is experiencing.

What’s the music like?

Often darkly coloured, and occasionally foreboding, but ultimately giving hope. If this were a debut album, it would be celebrated for its maturity and inventiveness – but also its restless spirit.

For Newby is still all about opening doors to see what’s behind them, and that pioneering spirit informs the best work here. Her cornet brings a much-needed innocence to a track such as To Be, with its glowering colours that evoke The War Of The Worlds, and also the mysterious Stolen Time.

Threnody, dedicated to Derbyshire, is warmer – and so to is Respair, led by harmonica. The drama is saved for last, as the album comes to a head with Limbic, however, a track with vivid flashes of colour and a tendency to turn its back on tonality altogether.

Does it all work?

It does. 2t2 is not always an easy listen, but Newby has never been about making things easier for her listeners. A challenge is to be encouraged and is set here through one of her most listenable albums, presenting a wide spectrum of colour.

Is it recommended?

For sure. Cosey Fanni Tutti remains one of the most compelling figures in electronic music, and this is another fine opus to add to the roll of honour. Worth getting to know over time for a full and lasting appreciation.

For fans of… Death In Vegas, Jah Wobble, Siouxsie and the Banshees, 808 State

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You can read more about 2t2 and explore formats for purchase at the Boomkat site

Published post no.2,573 – Tuesday 23 June 2025

Switched On – Carter Tutti Void: Triumvirate (Conspiracy International)

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reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

This is the third and sadly final volume in which the trio of Chris Carter, Cosey Fanni Tutti and Nik Colk Void join forces – Carter and Tutti being half of Throbbing Gristle, and Void from Factory Floor. The interchangeable trio can operate as solo artists in their own right, but when they unite improvisation is the watchword of the day.

There is a distinct lack of ceremony to their work together, the six tracks on this collaboration referred to as simply T 3.1 and so on. They are not quite presented in order, suggesting the improvisation runs to the album sequence as well as the music itself.

What’s the music like?

Dark and propulsive, like a lumbering machine. With rolling bass and low slung rhythms T 3.2 comes in like the machine cranking into life, sporting a mid-tempo and slightly dubby profile that sounds superbly moody. It sets a guide for the rest of the album, which proceeds with similarly dark colours but is a compelling listen.

T 3.5 is the sort of track that would benefit from visuals, like the soundtrack to a game or movie yet to be written. Again there is a dark presence in the music, but the effects, disembodied voice of Cosey and fulsome beats combine to make an incredibly descriptive piece of work.

T 3.3 is slightly more acidic and industrial, powered again by an insistent rhythm, the machine now in fine form – and it continues to work well in T 3.1 through a chugging beat that sounds a little like mid-period Orb. The foreground features all kinds of metallic flashes and flickers, as though the trio are welding their music live, and the longer the track goes the more mischievous the interventions become.

Finally T 3.6, monotone like many of the others, plays effective games with its sonic perspective and builds rich layers of sounds that are slate-like in colour.

Does it all work?

Yes, Triumvirate offers an incredibly solid counterpoint to the first two releases, and goes about its business in a refreshingly direct way. There is something thrilling about the music’s construction, its industrial sounds that love to reference the thrill of early dub-infused house as their metallic profiles take shape. It would doubtless be brilliant live.

Is it recommended?

Yes. Heavy and brooding it may be, but the construction of Triumvirate is fascinating to take in, glinting in the darkness and working its magic to great effect on headphones.

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