David Janssen

### Associated acts

Renaldo & The Loaf, The Tapeworm Vessel, The Darkening Scale, Lightness Ascending

**David Janssen**(also known as **Ted The Loaf** and **Sneff**) is one half of the English musical duo Renaldo & The Loaf, who released numerous albums on Ralph Records and collaborated with The Residents on the album *Title In Limbo.*

Outside of Renaldo & The Loaf, Janssen has also recorded as **The Darkening Scale**, **Lightness Ascending** and **The Tapeworm Vessel** (with Sylvie Walder).

## History

### Initial activity (1977-1987)

David Janssen began working with Brian Poole to produce music in 1977, the two were fans of The Residents*,* and in 1979, they began to send their early demo tapes to The Cryptic Corporation, in attempts to get a US record deal with Ralph. By 1981 a deal was made, and Ralph released their album *Songs For Swinging Larvae* in the US.

In March 1981, David and Brian went to San Francisco to film a music video for their album with Graeme Whifler. Whilst there, they met with The Residents, the two groups decided to record a demo (known as "4 Daze") over just four days before Renaldo & The Loaf returned to England.

David and Brian met with The Residents again in June 1983, whilst The Residents were on tour in London. They met backstage at the Hammersmith Odeon, where they discussed completing the "4 Daze" recordings. In September David (unable to return to America due to scheduling conflicts) recorded additional material for the album at his home studio, which he gave to Brian to take with him to The Residents' studio when he returned later that month.

In 1987, Renaldo & The Loaf released their last album on Ralph, *The Elbow Is Taboo*. After this, the duo contributed a song to the *Potatoes* compilation album, before retiring the project.

### Solo projects (2005-2012)

In 2005, Janssen was credited as director of a music video, "Not Hot To Trot", for the British electronic group Von Iva. It was included on the enhanced CD release of the group's self-titled EP in that year.

In 2006, he began to release a number of CD-Rs and digital albums under the pseudonym The Darkening Scale, beginning with the album *The Entomology of Sound*. Reworked versions of two of these albums (*The Entomology of Sound* and *Sonic Archaeology*) were later distributed on CD by the label Klanggalerie in 2017; these two CDs were noted by Janssen to contain the best material from this period.

Between 2007 and 2008, Janssen released two albums and a number of digital singles online under the pseudonym Lightness Ascending. In 2008, he formed an ambient project, The Tapeworm Vessel, with Sylvie Walder. The Tapeworm Vessel continued until 2012 and produced three albums and two singles, as well as a number of tracks released on MySpace.

In 2011, The Darkening Scale released an EP titled *Stuck Bad*, consisting of remixes of tracks from The Residents' *Duck Stab!* EP.

### Reunion of Renaldo & The Loaf (2006-present)

Janssen began recording with Brian Poole again in earnest in 2006, producing a number of pieces of music, including three songs featured on the soundtrack of the film *Kirk Mannican's Liberty Mix*, the duo's first new music since 1988.

Between 2014 and 2016, Renaldo & The Loaf's discography was remastered and reissued on Klanggalerie, beginning with the compilation of unreleased early recordings, *Behind Closed Curtains + Tap Dancing In Slush + Rotcodism*. Each reissued album contains a bonus disc featuring demos, alternate versions and rarities.

The reissue series was followed by the duo's first album of new material since reuniting, *Gurdy Hurding*, in 2016. Renaldo & The Loaf performed their first live show in more than thirty years in Vienna in June 2018, which was released as the album *Long Time Coming* the following October.

In May 2020, they released two digital singles, "Hambu Lodo" and "Hair Apparent"; these were followed by two newly recorded tracks featured on the three-disc various artists compilation *South Specific*, "Blue Mountain Goat" and "Now/Then".

During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Janssen began recording as The Darkening Scale again, releasing twenty-eight tracks on his Bandcamp page, collectively titled *Lockdown Music*.

## Discography

### As The Darkening Scale

#### Albums

* *The Entomology Of Sound* (2006)
* *Sonic Archaeology* (2007)
* *Larval Dissections* (2007)
* *Stone Deaf Mythology* (2008)
* *The Songs Of Langtuhn Hemblu* (2008)
* *Hydrogen Kaleidoscope* (2010)
* *Aerobic Dallying* (2011)
* *Wind In The Wires* (2011)
* *Ethane Ghost* (2011)
* *Secondhand Muon* (2012)
* *Lockdown Music* (2020)

#### EPs and singles

* *Six Things Recycled* (2007)
* "Cankered Lightness" (2007)
* *Stuck Bad* (2011)

### As Lightness Ascending

#### Albums

* *Substance & Essence* (ca. 2007)
* *Emptiness & Form* (ca. 2008)

#### EPs and singles

* "Vastness" (ca. 2007)
* "Kirk's Dream" (ca. 2007)

### With The Tapeworm Vessel

* *Twelve Atmospheres* (2008)
* *Song From The Tree Of Life Vol. 1* (2009)
* *Oxherding* (2012)

## See also

* Renaldo & The Loaf
* Brian Poole
* *Title In Limbo*

## External links and references

* "Interview: Renaldo and The Loaf" at Kittysneezes