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Saturday 16 November 2019

Salford Electronics - Communique No. 2


Salford Electronics – Communique No. 2 – Tesco Organisation Germany – CD/DL- Tesco 117 – 2017.


     1.    Neon Rain.
     2.    Prestwich.
     3.    Cease to Function.
     4.    Broken Shadows.
     5.    Ritual No.6.
     6.    This Sickness.
     7.    Lost Transmission.
     8.    Another Place.
     9.    Capitulation.
    10.  Getting the Fear.




I’ve been sat on this album for a few months, When I ordered a Grey Wolves CD, I decided to also see what Dave Padbury does now, so I got Communique No. 2 as well as a Grey Wolves album (Exit Strategy), both oddly enough tie in well together as that is the end and this is the now. This ties into my ‘now’ massively, through my interest on the blog in fractured, moder atmospheres of projects like Occulting Light and Tetsuo coupled with my personal obsession with Tower Block Flats this work appeals to me.

To trace the timeline, I must go back to The Grey Wolves, for example their contribution to the Death Odours compilation - Riddled with Cancer (as I only have little bits of GW). This is a classic example of the more ambient side of The Grey Wolves that existed, as did the more aggressive Power Electronics side. Also if you listen to the Broken Techno of Exit Strategy, you hear a rich atmosphere that also exists in the straight ambient material too, it was indeed an exit strategy, but in a way bits of the old project that were always there carried on into Salford Electronics. I needed to say that, but I also need to get back to Salford Electronics.

When I think of Salford Electronics, I think to the Twitter account that seems to post images of buildings, particularly Tower Block flats, graffiti that points towards social unrest. Most of these images are from the past, they seem to often be based in Manchester. I often wonder, does the creator of this music come from or live in Salford, perhaps live in a tower block making these sounds at 1.00am in the morning walking around at odd hours for inspiration?
The music on Communique No 2, is rich and atmospheric, not just ambient, more of a soundtrack. It’s described as Bladerunner like and futuristic, I believe the project jars the then and now of Salford, of Manchester. It’s a walk, late at night around the city, seeing the lights, the shops, the houses and remembering what was once there.

When I play this, I feel that it looks back to past events in places. I question is it best to walk around Salford in the early hours listening to this to get the full picture? I scrolled the Twitter as I played this and the images and sound just jarred off each other. As daunting as some of the images are, they are also intensely beautiful.

The electronic soundtrack element is rich, when I play this I feel like it’s midnight and I haven’t slept, I feel this music makes perfect sense during those times and fits in well with the Autumn season. The deep drones seem to resonate, as if a long urban landscape, some of the electronics resonate night activity and rain. I feel the music resonates the beauty of the past and present as if in awe of the coldness of different times and locations. I find myself lost in the work when playing it, at times I am submerged in it.

In terms of my relation to the sounds and the images, I think this is a rich album that fuels the imagination. I feel more visuals are needed with the album, but they are also out there to find. There are other Communiques on the Bandcamp for me to investigate. I may have waffled about the past and wanted to get more of it, but instead I got smacked with everything that is great about the sound of now. Get this CD before it sells out.

Nevis Kretini 2019. 

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