WELCOME TO
ELECTRONIC
SOUND 03
Howdy fellow enthusiasts of the sound we call electronic. It’s been
a busy issue for us. We conducted a huge interview with Gary
Numan which took in his early years, his recent move to LA and
his forthcoming new album. We’ll spill the beans on the new album
nearer the time, but for now we hope you enjoy his account of
the Tubeway Army days and his transition from punky also-ran to
synth mega-star. We even tracked down Jess Lidyard, who played
drums on both Tubeway Army albums, and he had some interesting
perspectives to share.
In an entirely different sonic landscape, era and, indeed, part of
the world, we have the first UK interview with Japanese technopop
sensations Perfume. They’re playing their first show in London soon
and the original venue for the gig sold out so quickly the promoter
moved them to a larger one, which is an indication of just how far
their fiercely disciplined brand of electronic pop has transcended
their domestic market. We also met up with Martyn Ware to discuss
the latest instalment in his ongoing BEF project and the circumstances
of The Human League’s 1981 subdivision into The Human League
Mark II and Heaven 17. Fascinating stuff.
And then there’s our Radiophonic Workshop interviews. We have
the new director, Matthew Herbert, who tells us about his life with
the Methodist Church, fresh brown shrimp, and how his new album
is based on a 10-second sample of an explosion in Libya, and Brian
Hodgson, the man who created the sound of the TARDIS in ‘Doctor
Who’ and was part of the seminal studio project White Noise
alongside Dave Vorhaus and Delia Derbyshire.
All of which leaves us hardly any space to tell you about 808 State’s
Graham Massey talking about the making of ‘Pacific State’, minimal
techno overlord Robert Hood on his life and music, the ever-busy
Boyz Noise on Snoop and Skrillex, Portishead’s Adrian Utley’s
Synth Journey, Roedelius interviewing Schneider, Scandinavian
electroheads Husky Rescue and Club 8, the album reviews, the
jokes…
It’s probably best you just dive in and check it all out for yourself.
Electronically Yours,
Push and Mark