Woodleigh Research Facility (The) - Anamchara *Pre-Order

W.R.F. was formed in 2015 by Nina and late studio partner Andrew Weatherall to help wrangle the
vast output recorded together beyond his solo releases.
Spotlighting nine tracks from the Apparently Solo series of EPs recorded between 2016- 2019 and
released on Bandcamp in 2023, this lustrous time capsule marks the culmination of Walsh and
Weatherall’s creative relationship born after they clicked at London’s earliest acid house clubs,
becoming partners then managers of their Sabres Of Paradise/Sabrettes labels before taking
different paths by the late '90s.
An accomplished musician, Nina had learned the art of studio technology by the time they reunited
and started working together in 2012. Created at her Facility 4 Studio situated in the dangerous,
gang-ridden no man’s land between Streatham and Mitcham, Anamchara captures the super-
prolific creative stretch starting in 2015 that produced Weatherall’s Convenanza and Qualia solo
sets, W.R.F.’s The Phoenix Suburb (And Other Stories) plus a whole lot more. According to Nina,
Andrew envisioned the spectacular ‘Borderland’ as natural successor to ‘Smokebelch’, his most
revered track. When it came to his remix, Nina enlisted renowned viola virtuoso Sarah Sarhandi
and composed new harmonies with Pachelbel’s Canon in D Minor in mind.
The set also catches the breakthrough period when, through Nina’s careful coaxing, Andrew
started using the computer system she’d set up to better express his musical visions by arranging
the elements, grooves and melodies she sent him. Still considered the UK’s greatest DJ-producer,
Andrew’s arrangements were inspired by his club-igniting sets. “This allowed me to mix the colours
for his palette whilst he was painting the picture,” says Nina. Anamchara straddles the gamut of
musical styles explored by W.R.F. at this time, from slower paced psychedelic “drug chug” outings
‘We Two’. ‘Heat To Meat Ratio’, ‘Hidden Watchers Part 1’ to banging acid house and techno

sometimes inspired by the violence outside the studio door, including ‘SCHLAP’, ‘Crack-Ed’ and
churning acid juggernaut ‘Yacidik’ (“After much dangling of the acid carrot, Andrew took a bite and,
after one familiar raised eyebrow, never looked back,” says Nina).
Many tracks fly elements from the enormous sonic library Nina inherited from late partner Erick
Legrand that she called The Akashic Library of Sound. Marking Andrew’s 2016 admission into the
vault, ‘Rattly Old Puffin’ boasts Erick’s psychedelic guitar and tumbling drum loop Weatherall would
run with, including on ‘Borderland’. “Erick was like our third member,” says Nina.
Bringing down the curtain, ‘Alma’’s exquisitely poignant melody that unfolds over thirteen time-
stopping minutes was composed by Nina while navigating Erick’s birth and departure date
anniversaries to accompany Andrew’s reading from Gordon Burn’s 1991 same-named novel at
2018’s Durham Literary Festival. Burn’s novel imagines early 60s popstrel Alma Cogan, who
succumbed to cancer in 1966 surviving to reflect on fame. “Now it just makes me think of Erick.
And every time I hear those well-placed cymbal crashes I can only think of the Captain himself.”
A beautiful grand finale for this astonishing selection of pure gold from the vaults.
Kris Needs / 2026
A1) We Two A2) Crack-Ed A3) SHLAP
B1) Hidden Watchers Pt1 B2) Yacidik
C1) Borderland (Andrew Weatherall Mix) C2) Heat To Meat Ratio
D1) Rattly Old Puffin D2) Alma
CD: 1) We Two 2) Crack-Ed 3) SHLAP 4) Hidden Watchers Pt.1 5) Yacidik 6) Borderland
(Andrew Weatherall Mix) 7) Heat To Meat Ratio 8) Rattly Old Puffin 9) Alma