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British "electronic" music

L

Libellule

pfm Member
My eldest son was bemoaning the lack of British "electronic" bands of the same sort of calibre as some of the current French bands, such as Phoenix and Air. I don't know how they are classified exactly, but can anybody think of a British band of a similar ilk?
 
new Hot Chip out next week, getting great reviews
electronica is a massive genre. Lots of top UK stuff of all types.
 
'When it Falls' by Zero7 is all you need to know that its alive an well in the UK, at least in the context of 'Air'.
 
The french electronic scene can be very airy-fairy indeed. A bit powder puff and frills and... well, very french. Our's is a bit more serious and mature:

Massive Attack, Portishead ('Dummy' album), Quantic, TM Juke, Orbital, Blue states, Fila Brazilia, Baby Mammoth.

Status Quo, Chas & Dave...

(joking on the last two, don't recommend him those)
 
LoBo said:
The french electronic scene can be very airy-fairy indeed. A bit powder puff and frills and... well, very french. Our's is a bit more serious and mature:

Massive Attack, Portishead ('Dummy' album), Quantic, TM Juke, Orbital, Blue states, Fila Brazilia, Baby Mammoth.

Status Quo, Chas & Dave...

(joking on the last two, don't recommend him those)
Click to expand...

Not totally air fairy....Etienne De Crecy's "SuperDiscount" Volume's 1&2 are fabulous.
Another two albums worth picking up are 'Source Rocks' and 'My House In Montmartre', cheap as chips if you do a search:)
 
For a old time head scratchy electronic extravaganza Spooky Tooth's 'Mass for Piere Henry' or should I say Henri?
Dib dib dib

However whilst A for effort musically it was a bit 2 dimensional ... however the Dansette may have been the problem.
 
The Afternoon Play on BBBC Radio4 4 Monday feb 1st pm sounds very interesting for EVP (electronic voice phenomena ) fans
Recorded on location, this chilling tale is written and narrated by Paul Evans.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qbvg9

Tom Saunders, a wildlife sound recordist, goes missing, leaving only a collection of recordings and a notebook. These fall into the hands of his radio producer, who tries to piece together what has happened. His quest leads him back to the disturbing aural landscape of Slaughton Ditch, where an obsession with hidden sounds has terrifying and fatal consequences.

Tom Saunders ...... Jimmy Yuill
Narrator ...... Paul Evans

Other parts played by Christine Hall and Richard Angwin.

Wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson

Directed by Sarah Blunt.
Related Links

* Wildlife sound recordist, Chris Watson (www.chriswatson.net)
* Location recordings were made in Norfolk, Suffolk and in and around Porlock Caravan Park, Exmoor. (www.porlock.co.uk)

RECORDINGS

Recordings of EVP included extracts from THE GHOST ORCHID, Justin Chapman and Mike Harding, ASH INTERNATIONAL

Recordings of Knot included extracts
from STORM: Chris Watson and BJNilsen, TOUCH
 
Libellule said:
My eldest son was bemoaning the lack of British "electronic" bands of the same sort of calibre as some of the current French bands, such as Phoenix and Air. I don't know how they are classified exactly, but can anybody think of a British band of a similar ilk?
Click to expand...

Try Tahiti 80 if you enjoy Phoenix....'Wallpaper For The Soul' is smashing:)
 
I second the Captain. Boards of Canada are out there way in front.

838-music-has-the-right-to-children.jpg


Untouchable
 
Thanks for the recommendations guys - I'll pass them on and see what he says. Knowing him, if it's more than 10 minutes old it'll be passé though!

He started off playing drums in a sort of band with a few mates , doing stuff like "All Right Now", but his tastes gradually changed whereas the others were quite happy playing seventies-style guitar based stuff plus some of their own compositions. He stopped playing drums, the band died and he's moved on to keyboards.
 
Aggghhhh - kids (he's 17)!!!!

Just mentioned a couple of the names to him and he says he doesn't do "recommendations" and he's got too many things to listen too already. Apparently he listens to things on Spotify - but he didn't say how he comes across new bands in the first place...
Told him Boards of Canada were Scottish - he doesn't do Scottish bands - all the singers sound the same and he doesn't like their voices.
What can you do?!?
 
Libellule said:
Aggghhhh - kids (he's 17)!!!!
Told him Boards of Canada were Scottish - he doesn't do Scottish bands - all the singers sound the same and he doesn't like their voices.
What can you do?!?
Click to expand...

Point out that BoC don't have a singer. Maybe all Scottish synth operators sound the same too. Also, point out that Air are a pretty weak excuse for a band and haven't made a half decent album since they started trying to sound like Pink Floyd sometime in 2001.

UK electronica is on the whole a much stranger place than anything I can imagine Air coming up with. See Belbury Poly, The Focus Group, Moon Wiring Club or even Broadcast's more recent albums.
 
Libellule said:
Aggghhhh - kids (he's 17)!!!!

Just mentioned a couple of the names to him and he says he doesn't do "recommendations" and he's got too many things to listen too already. Apparently he listens to things on Spotify - but he didn't say how he comes across new bands in the first place...
Told him Boards of Canada were Scottish - he doesn't do Scottish bands - all the singers sound the same and he doesn't like their voices.
What can you do?!?
Click to expand...

'I am not young enough to know everything' - Oscar Wilde.
 
Not exactly a band, as there's only one of her, but Imogen Heap is as English as they come, and her new album, Ellipse, is as beautiful and inspiring a blend of catchy songwriting and electronica as I've heard in ages.

Further investigations have revealed a previous release under the name Frou Frou, which is again superb, and similar.
 
I think he needs to mine the deep vein that is early 60's UK pop.

Telstar, by the Tornados, produced by Joe Meek, is possibly the greatest piece of Electronica in history

Swedish (?) band the Spotniks also pushed the boundaries of the edge of the outside of the perimeter of the envelope with their leccy version of Orange Blossom Special C 1961. Yep... I know they weren't British.....

BBC Radiophonic Workshop. The Original Dr. Who theme.

And read this.. or be dumb:

http://www.delia-derbyshire.org/

Mull
 
I bought that Boards of Canada CD ("Music has the Right...") on the basis that a lot of my friends, who like the same sort of electronic music that I do, recommended it.

And it didn't do anything for me at all.

I'll stick to Aphex Twin.
 
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