Adam & the Ants’ Kings of the Wild Frontier album, sparked more than just a fleeting interest in music, for me, it was the beginning of a lifelong passion. From that point on, I’ve spent the majority of my working life in post production and tape archives, plus an unhealthy (?) love of spending time, and money, in record shops, and following bands around, both home and abroad.

Best described as varied, at one point my musical tastes veered from Glenn Miller to David Soul to classical to Leo Sayer. I was in senior school between 77 and 83, probably the pinnacle of creative, boundary pushing music, and the music the cool kids were listening too, wasn’t passing me by. The late 70's found me loving The Stranglers, Boomtown Rats, Blondie and Tubeway Army. Jean-Michel Jarre's Equinoxe was like nothing I’d ever heard (I still feel that way).

It was Adam Ant’s style and his “Antmusic" that grabbed my 13-year-old attention. However, flaky teenage loyalty soon gave way to an enthusiasm for synth-driven music after hearing "European Son" by Japan, and OMD, The Human League, Depeche Mode, Fad Gadget, Kraftwerk and many others followed, and electronica became my musical world.

Then the musical education really started.

My working life has included PolyGram, Decca, The Audio Archiving Company and the UMG archives. I have worked with incredibly knowledgeable people, worked with the legend that is Stevo. I’ve listened to music (for a living) ranging from Vera Lynn and Edmundo Ros to Hawkwind and Faust, via Pavarotti and Kiri Te Kanawa, and I've even bumped into Sir Georg Solti in just a vest and boxers!!! My adult life has also revolved around an unhealthy love of spending time, and money, in record shops (although more in pubs), and following bands around, both home and abroad.

My habits haven't really changed-I still attempt London trips on Fridays for new releases, normally at the superb Sister Ray. Whilst the initial thrill has subdued, the core excitement remains. Live music is still vital, and discovering new artists still important, especially now that I produce a fortnightly Mixcloud show.

Post-lockdown, I experimented with the unused Micro Korg that my mum bought for me at Christmas 2012!!! My small home studio expanded, and now, humorously dubbed "twiddling knobs" by my wife, this twiddling has led to 2 (so far) album releases under the name Experiments & Observations on Electricity.

And then there’s Cult Image…

In 2020 I resurrected an early 21st century idea, of recreating old record label and studio logo’s onto merchandise, that was initially called Eclectic Friend, and based around the synth music I loved. However, in the course of working at Audio Archiving, I really discovered Krautrock and my idea evolved somewhat, I just never acted and it lay dormant, until 2020.

It’s been a long gestation period, and I’ve hit more than a few potholes along the way, but I guess that happens if you try to do things above board and honestly. I won’t bore you with the finer details, it has though, been a very steep learning curve. For Cult Image to exist, I’ve not scratched the surface, I’ve had to reinterpret designs, create my own music based artwork to flesh out the idea. I’ve had to teach myself how to build websites, use Affinity software, even create two (albeit basic) music videos, but what a journey it has been.

The time has come for this all to become a reality, but I’d love some company on this adventure.

Why the name?

Cult, because much of the idea is rooted predominantly in Krautrock. Though now excepted as a major influence, it was a genre once seen as strange music that only had a CULT following. Listening to the likes of OMD, Numan and Japan, they all at some point cited a Neu! or a Can as an influence. I loved Ultravox Mk 1 and I equally loved Mk 2, they both worked with pillars of the Krautrock scene in Conny Plank and Brian Eno. The reason for the exclamation mark in my logo, is my nod to Neu!

Image, because old record labels like Sky, Brain and Ohr, recording studios like Trident, or Martin Rushent’s Genetic had fantastic logo designs, and these need to be remembered and celebrated.

Manifesto

No not the Roxy Music album!!!

As mentioned above, I've bought a few albums, seen a few gigs and certainly purchased more than enough t-shirts.

Cult Image is me starting from scratch, but the first thing on the drawing board is quality. People work hard, and money is tighter than ever, so you want a good quality item that will last, print and t-shirt. Fruit of the Loom, Gildan, Bella Canvas and Stanley/Stella, they’ve all passed through my hands as samples (and as gig merch), but one brand has always stood out, Continental Clothing's Earth Positive range. They wash up well, hold their shape, and prints seem to remain clear after many washes, and most importantly, they're comfortable. They also tick the eco and sustainable boxes.

So, who to produce them? Printful, Fifth Column, Everpress? I’ve tried these and made enquiries with others. However, on the recommendation of Mark Powell, owner of Esoteric Recordings I tried TOTShirts, and they have been perfect in everything. UK based, and close to where I live, so even better.

I aim to add more to my shop including artwork, but, for the time being it's t-shirts. However, if it's more than tees that you require, say a hoodie, a beanie, maybe a mug or a mousemat, or perhaps you like a t-shirt, but the colour you prefer isn’t showing, then please contact me on craig@cultimageshop.net or via my Instagram account, and we can discuss your needs. A discount code is also available for initial orders, so if you require a sample or 2 please contact me for the 15% off code.

And finally, I am eager to test myself with designing, so working with a 3rd party would be welcomed. Or, if you have your own merch, but don't have time to set up a shop, maybe we could work together?

Regardless, I would love to hear from you.