(Elrctronic, Indie, Alternative, Retrowave) Metal Machine Music - All of them Hitses - 2017, MP3, 320 kbps

All local scenes trade tapes and CDs and it was many years ago we first came into contact with Metal Machine Music's discographies (real heads will recognise the esoteric 'Weird Coroner' home dubs). A cut above the rest, these collections were quickly duplicated and shared across the region. Without a shred of effort on his part, this naturally snowballed into garnering fans from all corners of the globe, weekly plays and exposure on BBC Radio and well received videos on the NewRetroWave youtube channel. But outside the town's postcode, he remained largely a mystery. The DJ Tom Robinson would frequently announce 'I know nothing of this man, except that he's from the North East and writes fantastic music'. And then as quickly as he achieved these goals, he slipped off back into the shadows. In an age where artists fall over themselves to promote their image, Metal Machine Music was a true definition of vaporware - there one second, then gone the next.
This collection of music chronicles recording sessions from 2010 to 2015. A smorgasbord of influences that include psych, 80s pop, electro, techno, punk and all in between - this compilation is the true definition of kitchen sink recordings. Written around raising a young family, the music is peppered with references to this juggling act (the melody line from L'Absinthe was lifted from a children's show he was watching with his daughter, the drums in Kenneth Anger Dreams were made using his son's toy drum set) with the studio confined to a corner of the bedroom. A conventional DAW was not touched until later on (track 11 onwards) and most of these recordings were multitracked on a budget 8 track recorder using a vast and ever changing array of synths, organs, drum machines and percussion. These pop gems deal with alienation, lust, doubt and nihilism, told through a Hammer-Horror and Pop Culture lens and delivered with a distinctive North Eastern drawl. It includes a new track in Demons 1985 and a reworking of a local classic, Replacement Roz. Word is in that a new EP is on its way, which we'll be hosting in due course. In the mean time get to know the North East's best kept secret.