We interviewed Warm Digits in TSP21 in 2012…very pleased to see they are making great inroads and enjoying many successes with their highly enjoyable English form of Kraftwerk-Neu! electronic beat music, appearing at festivals, getting involved in remix projects with assorted big names, and receiving airplay on BBC Radio. Their recent Interchange (DISTRACTION RECORDS DIST28) is a concept piece of sorts, inspired by the construction of the Metro underground in Newcastle in the 1970s [1. The work was produced as part of Half Memory; “artists and musicians working with sound and the moving image were invited to unearth material from the vast collections of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums to inspire new work”.]. Did I mention that the duo Steve Jefferis and Andy Hodson have connections with Newcastle and Manchester…and the record proudly boasts it’s made in those cities, like the brand of a 19th century manufacturer of cast iron pipes. The release is a six-track full length album plus an accompanying DVD for the experimental movie which they made, with help of archival materials from Tyne and Wear Archives. Without a doubt this accomplished release is a knowing attempt to recreate Autobahn for an English listenership, and to my mind is a great success on that account; melodic, romantic, and somehow retaining a uniquely British flavour while remaining true to the precepts of 1970s German electronic music. And of course it’s themed on travel, with an appropriate sense of endless forward-movement to each track (if I drove a car, this would be on repeat play as my drive home music). Superfluous to add, but live drumming is one of their secret weapons; taking a lesson from the percussion pad work of Karl and Wolfgang, drum machines not allowed. A hugely entertaining piece of music with not a single slack moment; every home should have one of these irresistible delights. The video is also a treat; using documentary source material such as photographs and architectural drawings blended with op-art and psychedelic abstractions, they create an impressionistic journey through the construction of the Metro. In this time of pessimism and dourness, it’s a genuine pleasure to experience the thrilling futuristic optimism with which this entire package is saturated [2. It’s a kind of retro-future nostalgia for a time when British industry was actually able to do something worthwhile, new and exciting that would benefit the community.]. If this duo wanted to offer their talents in the creation of modernistic public services films or promotional events, they’d clean up! From 01 July 2013.
