Close to the noise floor : formative UK electronica 1975-1984 : excursions in proto-synth pop, DIY techno and ambient exploration

"One way or another, bedrooms and box rooms form the creative backdrop to this excellent compilation, which sieves the output of a predominantly underground, DIY electronica scene that, in large part, (barely) subsisted via the exchange of cassettes housed in unruly, Xeroxed, monochromatic sleeves. You could, of course, cite any number of contributory factors regarding that era's viral spread of "cold wave" electronic music in all its permutations - the rock-repudiating example set by Kraftwerk, nuclear paranoia, punk's empowering "anyone can have a go" ethos, the increasing availability of comparatively inexpensive synths".

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"The fledgling musicians could record in bedrooms and release the results on cassette, or they could ally with independent labels and operate at studios like Blackwing, a haven for Mute and 4AD artists such as Depeche Mode and Cocteau Twins. Released by Cherry Red, one of those original outlets for music of the margins, Close to the Noise Floor: Formative UK Electronica 1975-1984 collects four discs of the alternately thrilling, grim, silly, and just plain bizarre stuff".

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