Features – Page 12 – Electronic Sound

4 minute read

Cold War Electronica: The Jingle At The End Of The World

byBob Fischer

In 1975, the Central Office of Information secretly produced the chilling ‘Protect And Survive’ series of public information films, to be broadcast on British TV in the event of an imminent nuclear war. And the composer of its jingle, potentially the final piece of music the country would ever hear? The BBC Radiophonic Workshop’s Roger Limb

LLong Reads

12 minute read

Cold War Electronica: Atomic Anthems

byMat Smith

Five synth-driven gems from the 1980s that captured the paranoia and effervescent pop of the nuclear age – tales of tension, technology, hope and fear, as told by the artists themselves

LLandmarks

4 minute read

The Cleaners From Venus ‘Corridor Of Dreams’

byIsaak Lewis-Smith

Professional Englishman Martin Newell recounts the story of 1982’s ‘Corridor Of Dreams’, a classic track by The Cleaners From Venus born out of industry disillusionment, fraught relationships and a love for the “damp, misty lands” of Essex

TTime Machine

5 minute read

Optimo Espacio

byDavid Pollock

In the weeks before his recent untimely death, Keith McIvor, aka JD Twitch, revisited the birth of Optimo Espacio, the celebrated Glasgow club night he helmed with Jonnie Wilkes, from 1997 to 2010 and beyond

UUnder The Influence

5 minute read

Graham Massey

byDavid Pollock

As 808 State’s Graham Massey prepares to tour 1991’s acid house/rave classic ‘Ex:el’, he revisits his various influences, from Hawkwind to jazz

BBuried Treasure

2 minute read

Paddy Kingsland ‘Fourth Dimension’ (BBC, 1973)

byJoe Silva

“I was on the phone with [redacted] from Sonic Youth… ”

LLandmarks

4 minute read

Bill Nelson ‘When The Birds Return’

byIsaak Lewis-Smith

Influenced by Afrika Bambaataa, West Yorkshire and a dusty old marimba bought from The Beatles, ‘When The Birds Return’ is a forgotten masterpiece by Bill Nelson

TTime Machine

5 minute read

Ata Kak

byIsaak Lewis-Smith

In 1994, Yaw Atta-Owusu released a stone-cold classic under the alias of Ata Kak, but fewer than 50 people ever heard it. Or so he thought

UUnder The Influence

4 minute read

Emma-Jean Thackray

byCarl Griffin

Fresh from performing at this year’s End Of The Road festival, visionary producer and multi-instrumentalist Emma-Jean Thackray shares her influences, from the power of brass to accidentally finding Miles Davis

BBuried Treasure

2 minute read

Various Artists ‘Retro Techno / Detroit Definitive – Emotions Electric’ (Network, 1991)

byCarl Griffin

The North in the late 1980s and early 90s was not a bad place to be if you were into left-field music and dancing...