Hailing from Leeds, LFO were unintentionally to become
the catalyst of what the British electronic scene would
become in years to come. The musical playground of Mark
Bell and Gez Varley, LFO was never supposed to be more
than two guys recording music and distributing it to
their friends. One of these friends, Martin Williams,
a DJ at the city’s Warehouse club, was to prove
pivotal in the band’s success. As he was playing
the band’s eponymous track in the club one night,
Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell, who were in the process
of forming Warp Records, enquired about it, and consequently
were introduced to Bell and Varley and rapidly offered
them to release it. Going from the original five thousand
copies pressed to become Warp’s most successful
single to date, reaching number 12 in the national chart,
LFO became emblematic not only of the sound the band
would develop on their subsequent album, but also of
the label’s following releases, from early Nightmares
On Wax to Polygon
Window, B12 and even Autechre.
If the band’s following singles didn’t achieve
the same success, the album, Frequencies, proved
that it was possible to produce a dance album that was
at once entertaining and challenging. Released in 1996,
almost five years after its predecessor, Advance,
second album from the pair, showed a departure from
the Detroit techno inspiration. If the rave-rooted sound
could still be heard on Shut Down, Tied
Up or Psychodelik, tracks such as Loch
Ness, Them or Shove Piggy Shove,
which would later become I Go Humble for Björk,
focussed less on the dance floor to explore more laidback
and introvert territories.
Following Advance, Varley decided to leave
Bell sole in charge of the LFO brand to concentrate
on his solo work. Although Mark Bell could easily be
labelled as the slowest man in the business, he has
actually been pretty busy since the release of Advance,
some seven years ago. With production credits on Bjork’s
Homogenic and Dancer
In The Dark and Depeche Mode’s Exiter,
Mark was given the opportunity to confront his electronic
realm with that of pop music. Finally returning to his
own project, Bell presents Sheath, a collection
of tracks recorded over the last few years.
Possibly a ploy from Warp to avoid having these tracks
spreading across the Internet before the official release
of the album, the promo version of this album was actually
presented on an old fashioned analogue tape. This, it
seems, somewhat relates to the fact that one of Mark’s
closest friends collected a few of his favourite unreleased
LFO tracks on a tape to play in his car. Whatever the
reason behind this unusual choice, it actually suits
most of this album quite well. If the album very much
continues the exploration of wider sonic environments
sometimes only remotely connected to the dance culture
(Blown, Nevertheless, ‘Premacy),
there are some infectious dance floor moments here too,
led by the terribly in-your-face first single, Freak.
When it comes to vintage techno, Mark Bell still manages
to contain the genre’s essential ingredients in
sharp infectious compositions, as he re-captures the
spirit of We Are Back or You Have To Understand.
Despite the obvious early nineties connection of some
of the pieces here (Mokeylips, Freak,
Mummy, I’ve Had An Accident),
Sheath is far from desperately falling into
nostalgia. Quite the opposite in fact. The album might
feel patchy at times, but it seems more due to the juxtaposition
of the LFO of old and the much more mature and reflective
approach of modern electronica than to a lack of creativity.
Only Snot appears rather empty of content and purpose.
Of the quietest moments on this album, the opening and
closing tracks, Blown and ‘Premacy,
almost seem to echo each other. The clever use of dreamy
soundscapes, especially on ‘Premacy,
shows Mark Bell at his most eerie. Unafraid To Linger
and Sleepy Children, although built around
more defined structures reflect on similar themes.
If, since LFO first appeared, electronic music has developed
considerably, Mark Bell shows here that he is still
very much in touch with his roots. Yet, has he has evolved
himself, confessing that he now has “some pubes,
can cook and read the Sunday papers”, the dance
floor influences now cohabite with more subdued and
intricate ambiences, demonstrating the widening range
of this precursor of today’s electronic scene.
A welcome return.
4.4/5 |
