RAW '83 by des hume

My friends,

We are living in uncertain times. I am awakened from my dreams to a reality that, with each passing day, becomes more indistinguishably surreal. I speak only for myself. but I have found that in these times the only comfort lies in the bonds between us, and the passions that guide us. It is on that note, that I am reaching out to you today to inform you of new developments in the initiative, that date back to another period of uncertainty - the 1980s.

In 1983 I was in a strange place. I'd spent the previous years wandering the streets of London and New York, leaving copies of 'A Field Guide for Utopian Social Dynamics' in cafes and parks, and living off of a dwindling stipend from a wealthy benefactor. I'd been comfortable in earlier years, but irresponsible with my resources, and many of those lessons made their way into 'Field Guide' and subsequent publications. By February however, I was facing a harsh truth - I was broke, unsuccessful, and lost. This was the moment that Phil Collins entered my life.

In the early 1980s Phil was inescapable. 'Face Value' had been released in 1981 to critical and commercial fanfare, but his 1982 sophomore record had a cooler reception. Phil needed hits, and as a young songwriter I saw an opportunity. I knew Phil was aware of my work tangentially - he had a copy of 'A Field Guide', and was rumoured to be enamored with it - so I put the last of my money into studio time, crafting a series of songs I planned on pitching to him. My contact in the industry >>REDACTED<< was impressed by early demos and insisted on taking my masters in person to present them to Phil. Foolishly, I gave him my only copies of the tapes, and the day I handed them over was the last time I heard from him - and the last time that I heard those songs.

I don't know what happened to him, or the tapes, but for the last 37 years I have assumed these recordings were lost forever. In the time since, I have made many recordings (some of which have made their way outside of our organization) and watched our initiative grow into the thriving global movement that it is today. We have walked the true path together, and while this has been my singular focus for decades, I have always regretted my mistakes in that era and wondered at what could have been.

You will understand then, my delight last month when a pair of tapes were discovered in the back of a brooklyn janitorial closet, slightly warped but otherwise undisturbed by time. While they are only two of the 18 I recorded, hearing them transports me to the young man I was then. 'Raw' is a sexually charged plea for acceptance, with a sinuous bass synthesizer engulfed in circling guitar jabs. 'Holdout' is a slowburn disco tune that is meant for solo listening, at night with headphones or on a meandering drive. They both, and I say this with the utmost sincerity, slap.

On April 3rd, 2020 the DHI will be presenting these songs to the public, in their original form, as RAW '83. Our cultural outreach program will be handling this release, and any outsider inquiries can be directed to welcome@deshume.com. Internal queries will be handled as usual via mindlinkserver.

While we have kept much of our work secret by necessity, public curiosity and recent government inquiries have forced us to let others into our circles, to wonder at what we have created. In these times of anxiety, fear and ennui, we have a responsibility to provide hope to a world devoid of it. This is our calling. To all those who have not yet walked the true path we say "Join us. We have been waiting for you." This is just the beginning.

Blessings be.

-THE FOUNDER-

The des hume initiative is a for-profit organization dedicated to researching utopian social dynamics.

Join us. We have been waiting for you.


welcome@deshume.org