Published by Davide Pappalardo on March 24, 2019
Sheffield is a city with a special place in the heart of any lover of electronic music, especially experimental synth and EBM/industrial aficionados. Names like The Human League, Cabaret Voltaire, Clock DVA, Heaven 17 have established a tradition touching both the poppier and the more experimental spectrum of what was at the time a revolutionary kind of music.
Fast forward: enter Randolph & Mortimer, an English trio hailing from that very city and operating in the field of modern EBM/techno music with eclectic elements. They are no new comers: their first work $OCIAL £UTURES €P dates back to 2014, and during the years they have resealed a series of digital singles and EPs with new tracks and remixes, never rushing things out and following their own whim and will.
Despite the presence of no label behind their back, they have gained quite a reputation thanks to the force of their music and the versatility of their style in which electro house, new beat, EBM, industrial, techno, grebo, and much more find a common place.
Manifesto For A Modern World is their first full length, a celebration of sort compiling their best moments until now and some new tracks. Here the sheer force of their sound works as a statement to their skills and artistic vision, displaying an uncanny ability to sound at the same time accessible and experimental, fun and stark.
Existing, not living is a perfect way to start things up thanks to its dystopian sci-fi soundscape made of throbbing lines and robust drums, a dance number for rebellious machines conceived in a factory, and Citiziens offers one of the highlights of the album under the guise of an old-school number with riffing arpeggiators and caustic drum machines. EBM galore and minimal synth takes are the key words at work.
Despotic ventures in more chaotic territories, displaying syncopated rhythms and samples, underlined by obsessive marching electronics. There is something akin to cinematic film-score sounds, but keeping a body-music factor. Witch hunt! Is a stomping number with steady snare drums and steel-like beats, showcasing throbbing bass-lines and acid atmospheres, while Ballad of the iron lady starts off as an obsessive alarm-sound, then developing a frantic synth-track underlined by riffing loops.
True order gives us a very different side of their art, showcasing an ambient soundscape with sampled dialogues and mesmerizing loops. But this is not the real face of the track: during the second half, belligerent riffs add a sort of industrial metal spice to their music. Exclude/Divide returns to EBM territories, this time recalling the American side of things and the Wax Trax! Sound by the means of mean rhythmic stompers and unintelligible vocals. The funk is strong here, and beautiful melodies complete an engaging refrain.
Randolph & Mortimer are more than ready to conquer the current scene, showcasing a style that frankly surpasses many of the recent neo-old school acts which simply ape the past without reinventing it. Fresh, enthralling, strong, melodic, with different moods and takes – this is their sound staying true to the title of the album, and their attitude is always in character without being too serious (let’s think about the name of the project coming from the movie Trading Places) or too frivolous, keeping some grim aspects and dark atmospheres. You can dance, you can listen, you can have fun, you can enjoy aural art.
Label: Self-released
Rating: 8