Broadcast

Broadcast are Trish Keenan (vocals), Roj Stevens (keyboards), James Cargill (bass), Tim Felton (guitar), Keith York and Steve Perkins (drums). Influenced by psyechedelic electronic music by the cult band "The United States of America" , they created a music that lays between film noir-movie/ sci-fi soundtracks and strange pop. 'The Noise Made By People' is their debut album proper, released in March 2000 on the Sheffield label Warp Records. In fact they are the first "classical band" on Warp Records. The comparision to a soundtrack is not a coincidence :"Soundtracks are definitely an influence in our music", admits keyboardplayer Roj. "Especially because of the way the music is put together. It's a different way of writing music." There are ghosts of old soundtrack composers moving through many of the songs: an elegant ripple of John Barry in 'Unchanging Window'; the ornate threat of Ennio Morricone in the banshee-riven madrigal 'Until Then'; the deep space isolationism of Louis & Bebe Barron's Forbidden Planet score in 'Minus 1'. Broadcast formed in Birmingham sometime in the mid '90s - part of a vague scene of kindred spirits that also incorporated Pram and labelmates Plone - and released their first seven-inch, 'Accidentals' on the fine, sadly defunct Wurlitzer Jukebox label early in 1996. At the time, as seven-inches from nominally experimental bands started cropping up with brilliant frequency, it appeared they were aligned to a nameless movement quietly reacting against the prevailing Britpop hegemony. With hindsight, it's plain Broadcast had precious little in common with virtually any of their contemporaries - as evinced by two more singles, 'Living Room' and 'The Book Lovers' for the flawlessly tasteful Duophonic imprint. 'Work And Non Work' a mini-album and their first release on Warp, collects all these rare and lovely songs, one of those unusual compilations notable for its consistency, its sustained tone. A promise of great things, was the consensus. Until, that is, the trail appeared to go dead. Sometime in 1997, Broadcast began the tortuous process of recording what would eventually become 'The Noise Made By People'. Various producers were summoned, dismissed, walked out. Progress stalled, the awful prospect of a band with such a firm vision unable to fully present it loomed large. Even Tom 'Squarepusher' Jenkinson, a man not known for exactly dwelling on his tunes, stopped by and tried to teach them how to loosen up. Apparently, it worked. Broadcast set up their own studio at the Custard Factory in Birmingham, figured out how to use it, and started the job in earnest. 'Hammer Without A Master' - a glowering instrumental that sounded industrial, but nothing like industrial music - appeared on Warp 100, the exemplary 'We Are Reasonable People' compilation. Until the end of 1999 and the release of the stark, uneasy 'Echo's Answer', they seemed to play little more than once a year - at Meltdown in summer '98, amidst the cream of Warp's roster, then again at Belle & Sebastian's Bowlie Weekender in spring '99. Adopted by both extremes, fitting neatly into neither Broadcast are Trish Keenan (vocals), Roj Stevens (keyboards), James Cargill (bass), Tim Felton (guitar), Keith York and Steve Perkins (drums). Influenced by psyechedelic electronic music by the cult band "The United States of America" , they created a music that lays between film noir-movie/ sci-fi soundtracks and strange pop. 'The Noise Made By People' is their debut album proper, released in March 2000 on the Sheffield label Warp Records. In fact they are the first "classical band" on Warp Records.