After hours grooving…
01. John Foxx – Metamatic
This was an LP that my sister bought and I used to play when she went out without her knowing – it really captured my imagination and made me want a synth, big time!
02. The Jonzun Crew – Space Is The Place
I first heard this track on a documentary about break dancing on channel 4 in the 80s, I went out and ordered a copy the next day.
03. Paul Haig – Blue For You
I recorded him performing this track from Channel 4’s The Tube, I wanted to look like Paul Haig and I wanted the Roland SH101 in the video. Lucky me, I eventually did get an SH101 and dyed my hair blonde.
04. Tonto’s Expanding Head Band – Zero Time
This LP is always an inspiration for me brilliant synths on every track.
05. Music From The BBC Radiophonic Workshop (Limited Edition 4X10″ Vinyl Compilation)
Fun packed with inspiration I love the whole Radiophonic sound its where most of the early Emperor Machine DC ideas originate from.
06. Michael Jackson – Off The Wall
This LP sounded amazing on my Dads Tandberg HI-FI system, he played it constantly and used to tell me to listen to all the detail in the music. I guess this was one of my first lessons in clarity I still refer to the vinyl when mixing down my own music.
07. The Raincoats – Animal Rhapsody
I bought the 12″ of this track from a junk shop in Stafford a few years back I used it on the Chicken Lips k7 mix Lp its the Dennis Bovell dub thats amazing.
08. Yello – Solid Pleasure
We all have some kind of writers block at some point and this is the LP that saved the day for me.
09. Gong – You
I love everything about this Gong LP and the Angels Egg LP, its the way the music never goes where your expecting it to go, there is method in the madness of the arrangements that I love listening too.
10. Funkadelic – America Eats Its Young LP
Reminds me of good times around the late 90s friends back to mine after the pubs shut – playing records.
The Emperor Machine – Like a Machine (LP)
(Southern Fried Records – ECB86)
Following on from two hugely well received EPs on Southern Fried Records in 2013, the imprint is to release the highly anticipated, next full length offering from electronic explorer, Andy Meecham AKA The Emperor Machine.
Since his last LP as The Emperor Machine, ‘Space Beyond The Egg’, Meecham has been busy on plenty of other essential projects: as well as appearing on the Boiler Room, the so called ‘King of the Weirdigans’ has worked with Erol Alkan (on the Future Four project released on Phantasy Sound) and disco king Todd Terje (Todd programmed the System 700 on the ‘So.Ma.So’ track on the LP) and has been remixed by both Andrew Weatherall and Ewan Pearson. Meecham however makes it clear that albums are still where his heart is at, as he looks to the release of his fourth LP, “I prefer to make albums as The Emperor Machine. I like to go a bit weirder, which I think you can on an album. I’ve hooked up with a vocalist on this record and it’s brought another dimension to the sound”.
That added dimension brings a further layer of emotion with an LP that balances beautifully constructed songs with Meecham’s much loved electronic audio manipulation. The album, complete with stunning original art work, kicks off with the fizzing, dirty and indie leaning sonics of ‘Theme From Magical Ring’ which is captivating from the off. Dramatic and epic in equal measure, the album goes on to include a punky, tortured version of the previously released single/title track before sinking into a dubbed out, guitar licked disco groove awash with shimmering synths and Studio 54 dazzle.
Meecham proves his exceptional range throughout the album thanks to tracks like the kicking, vocal led punk-funk-disco jam that is ‘Voices’, the sexy, sultry groove of ‘Pop The Lid’ and insular, broken beat stumbles of the echo drenched ‘Let The Bombs Fall’ with its richly harmonic vocal refrains and acid twitches. This is another hugely textured, dynamic and multi-layered ride into the psychedelic sound world of The Emperor Machine that might just be his most complete work yet. With a new live show, a single forthcoming featuring Erol Alkan on remix duties and a special limited vinyl version of the album being released for Record Store Day (plus a deluxe version featuring a previously unreleased album called ‘Return Of The Egg’) there is much to look forward to from The Emperor Machine.
The Emperor Machine – Like a Machine LP is out on Southern Fried Records 19-05-2014
