The first recording of Stephen Bradbury in his Black Tempest guise, this album was to prove far from representative. Initially, Black Tempest was a vehicle for rock/metal improvisations. It was only when these improvisations extended into drones, and from there to electronic sounds, that Black Tempest was fully evolved.

Limited edition of 50. Sold out.

Dave W of White Hills wrote:

The latest release under the BLACK TEMPEST moniker is Proxima…a massive work of some truly amazing cosmic music. Flowing naturally like ocean currents, Proxima is seemless and organic. Over 52 minutes, the three tracks that comprise Proxima weave pastoral and heavenly synth washes and sequences with tasteful processed guitar and electronics. The longer the song the more difficult it is to keep a listener captivated…that is not a problem with this album. The different parts in each composition come in and out at exactly the right moment keeping the listener attentive and engulfed in the music from beginning to end. For this Mr. Bradbury should be applauded.

Nothing about this album sounds forced at all. When I listen to this disc, I am taken to a different place each time. It’s the perfect soundtrack for inner peace and understanding.

Steve Palmer of Terrascope wrote:

If Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze and early Jean-Michel Jarre are your thing (and, believe me, they really should be) then you will love the new release "Proxima" by Black Tempest, a.k.a. Stephen Bradbury. Combining the best of analogue sequencing with drifting chords, vintage synth effects and tasteful guitars and bass, I loved this. Split into three sections covering 52 minutes, the album takes all the best bits of the Berlin School and reworks those parts into analogue heaven; specifically that provided by Moog, Doepfer and Roland. The sequences don't outstay their welcome, as can be the case with new BS material, and the overall form of the three compositions is very pleasing. Electric guitar parts are subtle and don't (as could be the case with a certain Mr Froese) overwhelm the tracks. I suppose "Phaedra" would be the nearest sonic comparison. This album will be receiving regular play at Palmer Towers.

Limited edition of 50. Sold out. Now available as a download.

Ex Proxima
(Tempest Towers TT02CD)

Proxima and Ex Proxima both featured in the Top Ten of 2010 of the very wonderful Kosmik Radiation radio show.

Steve Palmer of Terrascope wrote:

Secret Astronomies
(Tempest Towers TT03CD)

Brett at Norman Records wrote:

The music of Black Tempest is new to me but I know we've stocked a couple of his/her/their releases in the past (both self-released and via Apollolaan) and they seemed quite popular. I can see why as a fine skill at mining the cosmic gold mine has been displayed in the tracks on this new one thus far.. It's pure synth-powered sci-fi and the grainy quality of it suggests the hard variety (think the dirty, cobbled together Nostromo of Alien, battered, flickering computer systems and all) rather than the soft (all shiny surfaces, spotless uniforms and space dudes with nary a hair out of place). There are plently of Zombi moments as well as conjurings of Emeralds and the like but for the most part it's really got its own thing going on as it morphs from passage to passage, never stopping off in one place long enough for your interest to wander. I look forward to hearing more..

Dave W wrote in On the Decks (Rocket Recordings Blog):

The latest offering from the man known as Stephen Bradbury. Secret Astronomies picks up where his previous albums, Proxima and Ex-Proxima, left off. This 5 track album is more realized than his previous two, taking the listener further into space than ever before. The music of Black Tempest stretches out the boundaries between space and time. There is a teleporting effect to this music, making you feel as if you are floating in space. I look forward to seeing where Black Tempest goes next!

Steve Palmer at Terrascope wrote:

The brand new album "Secret Astronomies" from synth explorer Stephen Bradbury, aka Black Tempest. Earlier releases have shown Bradbury to be a master of tone, timbre and sequencing, and this is more than evident on the new album, which has to be his best so far. The album is split into five tracks, the first and last lengthy and related, with the middle three being considerably shorter. Opening with spacey electronics, 'Cosmic Wand' mutates into analogue swoops and radio sounds, before heading off into a rippling sequence reminiscent of the 'seventies classics. The sounds are perfectly judged, the sequences mesmeric. Further strange electronics emerge from the mix, and then another sequence, this one slower, almost whimsical, which battles noisy synths and effects as the track progresses. 'Whirling Wheel' changes the mood entirely, being a looped guitar piece that over its seven minutes evokes a strange landscape. It's both a contrast to the opening cut and a successful piece in its own right. 'Merunatia' is an lovely ambient interlude of organs and synths - again, highly effective - while 'Starway' is more of a dark dream painted in synths and deeply reverberated effects. The album concludes with the second half of the Cosmic Wand piece, which opens with stark electronica before heading off into a miasma of string synths, and then a quieter, spacier place filled with drones and shifting textures. All in all, this is superb listening. Recommended, and definitely one for those enamoured of the 'seventies Berlin sound, but also reminiscent of more recent artists such as Brendan Pollard.

Supernormal Recordings
(Tempest Towers TT04CD)

Supernormal Recordings is a 3 CD set including the complete recording of Black Tempest live at the Supernormal Festival on the 19th August 2011.  The other 2 CDs are culled from many hours of improvised rehearsals for the festival. This collection traces the journey from the idea of taking the music of Black Tempest to the live environment to the actuality.

Supernormal is, in their own words "An experimental, artist-led event, set in the magical looking-glass world of Braziers Park", and is a fantastic (and under-eported) event.  Black Tempest headlined the 2nd stage on Friday night, on the last and most beautiful of the summer days of 2011, taking to the stage as the sun set and the audience relaxed into the vibe. 

The set includes a lavishly illustrated 8 page booklet.

Rocket Recordings review of Black Tempest at Supernormal:

The only Rocket curated band actually to play on Friday was the amazing and rarely seen live Black Tempest, who headlined the second stage. Adorned in a white lab coat, BT subjected the audience to some stunning psychedelic analogue soundscapes from his vintage sonic weaponry, that even got some of the crowd writhing around in the grass...stunning!!

Norman Records review of Supernormal Recordings:

Not one, not two, but three CDs are in this spunky set courtesy of Tempest Towers. Basically you get a CD of the performance from the Supernormal festival from August of this year. The other 2 discs are compiled of tracks from the various improvised rehearsals for the gig. So there’s the info...I’m only a few minutes in and it’s taking me on a cosmic journey to floaty spaceville. Nice Emeralds-esque synthy keyboard business with lots of ambient noises in the background like twattering birds and that. It’s reminding me a little of some of the earlier more ambient Orb music in places. Essentially though it’s a CD of kosmische synthy drones and ambience and if you’re hankering for more then this bargain three disc set would be a decent place to start!!

Terrascope review of Supernormal Recordings:

Black Tempest, aka Stephen Bradbury, will be well known to readers of Terrascope Online for his synth soundscapes in the Berlin School style - notably the albums "Proxima" and "Ex Proxima." On this new triple album, a live set recorded at the second stage of the August 2011 Supernormal Festival and two companion disks of recordings made during rehearsals for the gig are welded together into a monolith of synthy proportions.

Disk one covers the four tracks comprising the live performance, opening with the twelve minute atmosphere of birdsong, Phaedra-style sequencing and mellotron emulation that is 'Astral Pastoral Part 3,' in which Tangerine Dream circa 1974 is evoked. 'Proxima' is a mere stripling at four minutes, opening with a lurching sequence that acts as a foundation for more choir/strings mellotron emulation and sundry electronic effects. 'Tanks But No Tanks' uses World War 2 recordings and harsher, more dramatic electronic textures to evoke something of the chaos of that global conflict, adding wonky sequences and a Schulze-esque buzzing overtone later in the mix. It's the most effective and enjoyable track on the disk. A five minute conclusion, 'Proxima X,' ends the set, bringing in the flute mellotron emulation.

The second disk opens with one of the brightest and best tracks of the whole package, a version of 'Proxima X' recorded almost four months before the live event; the combination of bouncing sequences and ghostly organ sounds, reminiscent of 1974/75 Schulze, make an excellent cut. 'Proxima Y' follows, matching choir mellotron emulation with a stronger, more urgent sequence; also an effective track. 'Proxima Beta' is a shorter track with a really cutting, dramatic sequence, while 'Proxima Delta' returns to the Schulze style organ and a simple oscillating sequence, concluding this section of the disk. These four tracks listened to as a whole are the best part of the package: an excellent quartet. 'Tanks But No Tanks' lacks something of the live performance, while the seventeen minute 'Astral Pastoral Part 2' also seems rather empty in comparison with its live sibling. The disk closes with 'Y Proxima,' returning to organ tones and simple, but effective electronic additions.

Disk three is similar to disk two in style and intent. 'Proxima V' sounds like some of Edgar Froese's very early solo explorations (especially in the sequencing style), while the twenty two minute 'Astral Pastoral Part 3' returns to birdsong, loopy sequences and quite harsh, though occasionally cosmic, synth additions; later in the cut another Phaedra-esque sequence emerges, to dive back quickly into the choirs and birds. Two more versions of 'Tanks But No Tanks' seem a little unnecessary, but the twenty minute 'Proxima X' is better, with some good synth washes and oscillating analogue effects.

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