Pulco

Ashley Cooke aka 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.

I Dreamt of Cows - Pulco

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.

TakeaA Dip in the Ocean

 

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A series of unique home-recorded, home-packaged CDs

SOREPAW - Pulco

Folkwit Records (f0017)

CD Album - £7.99(GBP) + P&P

Download Album - £7.00(GBP)

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

“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

WENGEN - Pulco

Folkwit Records (f0010)

CD Album - £7.99(GBP) + P&P

Download Album - £7.00(GBP)

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 Bol
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UNDERSEA ADVENTURE - Pulco

Folkwit Records (f0007)

CD Album - £7.99(GBP) + P&P

Download Album - £7.00(GBP)

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

"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

PUCLO BUNDLE - Wengen, Undersea Adventure, Sorepaw + I Dreamt Of Cows EP

Folkwit Records

3 CD Albums + EP - £20.00(GBP) + P&P

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.

(c) Folkwit Records 2009 - mail(at)folkwit.biz - PO Box 8504, Nottingham, UK