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Pulco 
Creeping
stealthily from his attic studio, Pulco is the current
recording project of ex Derrero singer / guitarist Ash
Cooke. Ash started making ambitious home recordings in
his adolescence before forming Derrero with Falmouth College friends
Andy Fung and Dave Hirst in 1995. Relocating to Cardiff a year
later, Derrero released their debut album on big noise records, with
three EP’s and two albums to follow. The Radar Intruder and
Unstraightforwardtune singles got played almost everywhere, and were
particular favourites with John Peel and Steve Lamacq. Not to mention
being b-listed on Radio 2 and gaining lots of plays on daytime Radio 1.
Both videos for these singles were broadcast on MTV’s alternative
nation. The band also recorded three sessions and a live broadcast for
John Peel. During their career, Derrero toured with the likes of
Super Furry Animals, Sebadoh, Gorkys Zygotic Mynci, Catatonia and
Grandaddy before heading to Europe with ex Boo Radley Martin Carr’s
Brave Captain Project in 2001. The bands last album, Comb the Breaks,
was recorded and released by the Welsh group Melys on their Sylem label.
The record got rave reviews and still stands as a confident and
multicoloured collection of songs.
With the birth
of his son in 2002, ash decided to bow out of band commitments to
concentrate on the Pulco project, and has continued to record via his
attic studio.
His first sonic
adventure, Cactus Fog was released in 2003 by cardiff
label musicbox records and received lots of support from the likes of
BBC DJ Adam Walton and the BBC session in Wales.
Second album Wengen
made a few appearances on John Peels show before his sad passing and saw
Ash set up the Redlip Record label. Wengen has since been re-released on
Folkwit Records (f0010).
So far Ash has
released 2 new albums on Folkwit - Undersea Adventure & Sorepaw.
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home
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A
series of unique home-recorded, home-packaged CDs
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SOREPAW
- Pulco
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Folkwit Records
(f0017)
CD
Album - £7.99(GBP) +
P&P
Download Album
- £7.00(GBP)
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Track list:
Tudor Grains
 Coral Visions
Taking Time
Glitches
Whiskey Song
Pony Munchin
Policies Placed
Gonzalez Instrumental
Growing Hard
Altered Blogs
Strange Hail
Choppy Seas
Killer Set
Dino Song
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“For his
latest album, Ash Cooke, aka Pulco, has gone right back to
basics and he seems to be thriving on it. “Sorepaw” was
recorded on a Tascam Portastudio in the bedroom of his new
home whilst waiting for the studio to be built. He also had to
do it without waking his two young daughters. The result is an
enchanting and delicate album that’s pretty much stripped
back to guitar and voice. The impact however is huge. It has a
charm that weaves around the deceptively simple phrasing. The
guitar almost as expressive as the voice as they carry you off
to a safe place”
- FATEA/Cambridge
& Beyond
"Recorded
in Ash's attic Portastudio, there's an attractive immediacy about
the final product, which is matched by the sweet, quirky intimacy
of Ash's songs. This quality in turn probably reflects Ash's
conversion to fatherhood and all the commitment that involves
(sessions took place in evenings when babes were asleep - you can
even hear little snorings and sneezes from time to time!). Ash
accompanies himself on guitar, ably and with a gentle melodic
charm (and a touch of occasional mouth-percussion), there's a bit
of glockenspiel on the closing track, and he doubletracks all his
backing harmony vocals. One track also employs some backwards-tape
stuff, but this doesn't interfere with the mood. Most of the time
minimalist is indeed best, for the songs radiate their own sense
of relaxed contentment and don't really need any special pleading
- rather like those of Syd Barrett, you just need to let them work
their genial magic - which they will."
-
David Kidman, NetRhythms
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WENGEN
- Pulco
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Folkwit Records
(f0010)
CD
Album - £7.99(GBP) +
P&P
Download Album
- £7.00(GBP)
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Track list:
Vein
Song 37
Ifan
Sleazy Paddocks
Enjoy Your Ride
Jungle
Struggled To Wander
Frazzle (The Story Of Husker Du)
Glowing
Tide
Wengen
Plants Know
Old N Bold
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UNDERSEA
ADVENTURE - Pulco
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Folkwit Records
(f0007)
CD
Album - £7.99(GBP) +
P&P
Download Album
- £7.00(GBP)
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Track list:
Haul Away
Squid
Kid Kippling
Paddle People
Love Of The Ocean
Sardines
Whistle For A Breeze
Kursk Flute
Ocean Trench
Snorkeling The Hours
Mrs Haines
Middle Ear Discomfort
Poseiden Adventure
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"Kid
Kipling, Paddle People and Whistle for a Breeze
are clear, enchanting and very tuneful, with Cooke employing
great harmonies and an interesting range of instruments (tin
whistles and ukuleles among them). The lush and jaunty Love
of the Ocean could have been performed by a pared down
version of The Thrills. The subject matter is also often
interesting, from the sinking of the Kursk to a sailor
delivering news of a lost comrade (standout track Mrs
Haines)."
-
Jenny Alder, Americana UK
"...some
truly fantastic phrases, both of music and lyrics"
-
Neil King, FATEA
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| PUCLO
BUNDLE - Wengen, Undersea Adventure, Sorepaw + I Dreamt Of
Cows EP |
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Folkwit Records
3
CD
Albums + EP - £20.00(GBP) +
P&P
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A great introduction to the
irrepressible talent of Pulco - skillfully crafted home
recordings lovingly packaged.
LEFT-FIELD
FOLK WHICH TRANSPORTS THE LISTENER TO A SOMETIMES STRANGE BUT
WONDERFUL WORLD THROUGH IMAGINATIVE LYRICS, COLOURFUL
INSTRUMENTATION AND RICH VOCAL HARMONIES.
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