Lester's Legacy, the Archive & Making Product

Product was the last major project Lesta and I collaborated on - looking back at it now it was a really 'easy' job - some of the art, and associated printed inserts for the sleeve had complex production techniques and methods but sorting the digital copies, designing the cover - the front cover picture was chosen by me as the cover of my first record over 30 years earlier... all of that went smoothly..getting the test pressings was really exciting - finding that despite the master being a cassette the quality was outstanding - that was satisfyingly lo-fi Lesta incorporated his sections and ideas on the project into his Print Phd. at University, this meant He/We had access to all kinds of materials and techniques - he came up with some really brilliant stuff - some of which I only found after his death when I took on the roll of archivist/custodian of his large art collection - he had done so many related pieces - wonderful stuff like Limited Edition Embossed Reducerman Prints, all the A1 blow up's for decorating the the launch venue - it just keeps appearing as I slowly make my way through his work...Everything went so well - until the week before launch when my Mother died, the funeral was the same weekend as the launch which I couldn't move without costing a lot of money, so it all ended up as a bit of a hurried mess...After the launch my poor health prevented me following the release up with potential distributors...so Product never really got the attention we think it deserves - it captures Reducers early sound and style before we settled into having vocals - on two of the tracks there is the three of  us playing a synth at the same time and again on the percussion it was three of us at the same time, so we could get the most out of four tracks! It's also a great cut - we gave it as much room as possible helping to fill out the sound ..and I am very happy with the result. If this is to be the only vinyl Reducer produce, it stands up - as a teaser of what might have been - and perhaps more importantly it's a Tangible Hard Copy of what Reducer and Lesta where all about.