The 21 tracks here are extremely short and concise. No wonder, since they were first released on several 3″ CDs in 2003 and 2005, which were only available on live performances, and were specially reassembled and remastered for this new release. Not only was their release policy special, but musically Broadcast had some unique characteristics. The band with guitarist Tim Felton, bassist James Cargill and changing drummers came from Birmingham in the north of England and combined their retro-futuristic and BBC Radiophonic Workshop-oriented music with the characteristic 60s voice of singer Trish Keenan, who died in 2011. Most of the tracks on »Microtronics Volumes 1 & 2«, which hardly last longer than two minutes and are always instrumental and particularly atmospheric, captivate with their nervous rhythms and tape loop-like structures of electronic instruments, string, guitar and vocal loops. The tracks often seem more like musical sketches or snapshots than fully composed songs. It is not for nothing that »Microtronics Volume 1« was originally subtitled »Stereo Recorded Music For Links And Bridges«. Like all of Broadcast’s other releases, the music on »Microtronics Volumes 1 & 2« is particularly creative, independent and special throughout. And this is still true after almost twenty years.
Metronomy
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