The sequel to last year’s critically acclaimed, strong selling ‘Close To The Noise Floor’.
Journey into the origins of electronica in Europe – from early techno and electro to synth-pop, industrial, ambient and noise experiments. Includes artists from Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Portugal, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Romania, Slovenia, Latvia, Yugoslavia and Greece. 62 tracks across 4CDs in a 52pp hard-back book format. Over 9,000 words of artists’ sleevenotes and introductory essay by Dave Henderson (Sounds/Wild Planet/MOJO). From figureheads (Cluster, DAF, Yello, Klaus Schulze, Vangelis, Front 242) to underground outsiders.
Part primitive rave, part synthesiser porn, part history lesson! A year in the making, Noise Reduction System reaches out into the European mainland, taking in tracks from key figures on the electronica cassette label underground alongside early releases by ground-breaking innovators.
Enthralled by the mysterious synthesiser and inspired by the DIY ethos of punk, a quiet revolution took place across Europe in the late 1970s and early 1980s. From Norway to Greece, the microchip and the affordable synthesiser inspired artists for whom guitars, drums and bass had become old hat, and in home studios and art spaces across the continent electronic musicians began to stretch the boundaries of sonic experimentation. Some wanted to dance, some to relax and others to confuse and confront – all are represented here.
Noise Reduction System explores every corner of this chapter in our musical history via over four hours of futurist, modern and sometimes challenging music. And who better to tell this story than the artists themselves – Noise Reduction System features sleevenotes from artists and their biographers, unseen photographs and an introductory essay by Sounds and Wild Planet legend Dave Henderson.