Studio Electrophonique: from the Human League to Pulp
The Sheffield space age began in 1961, when mechanic Ken Patten won a tape-recording competition by recreating the sound of a rocket launch using a pencil and a bicycle pump. In the years that followed, his makeshift studio became the launch pad for a group of musicians who would shape the sound of 1980s pop.
Members of The Human League, Heaven 17, Pulp and ABC were among those who found themselves squashed into Patten’s living room, inventing the future over tea and biscuits. Studio Electrophonique tells the story of how they conquered new frontiers in music, using everything they could lay their hands on – from science fiction novels to glam rock, Dada art and cheap electronics – to get there.
Drawing on original interviews with Jarvis Cocker, Martyn Ware, Mark White and others, Studio Electrophonique brings to light a world of humour, charm, creativity and unfounded yet undaunted self-belief.
Paperback, 304 pages
Studio Electrophonique: from the Human League to Pulp
The Sheffield space age began in 1961, when mechanic Ken Patten won a tape-recording competition by recreating the sound of a rocket launch using a pencil and a bicycle pump. In the years that followed, his makeshift studio became the launch pad for a group of musicians who would shape the sound of 1980s pop.
Members of The Human League, Heaven 17, Pulp and ABC were among those who found themselves squashed into Patten’s living room, inventing the future over tea and biscuits. Studio Electrophonique tells the story of how they conquered new frontiers in music, using everything they could lay their hands on – from science fiction novels to glam rock, Dada art and cheap electronics – to get there.
Drawing on original interviews with Jarvis Cocker, Martyn Ware, Mark White and others, Studio Electrophonique brings to light a world of humour, charm, creativity and unfounded yet undaunted self-belief.
Paperback, 304 pages
