Bleep

‘Radiophonic Music’ is one part of a pair of re-releases from the vaults of the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop, and offers a chance for listeners to trace the roots of electronic luminaries such as Aphex Twin back to their source.

The two cuts from icon and creator of the original Doctor Who theme tune Delia Derbyshire signal the pedigree of the release from the word go. ‘Pot Au Feu’ is a sinister mix of sci-fi synth strings and a chugging bass pedal, which challenges contemporary analogue techno in its immaculate craft from three decades earlier. ‘Mattachin’ is quainter, with quintessentially English flutes circling around toy synthesisers in a playful yet precisely wrought fashion.

Despite Derbyshire’s class, the three other cuts from John Baker and David Kain perhaps even better their illustrious contemporary. David Kain’s ‘Radio Sheffield’ is an incredibly compelling riff on bizarrely skewed tuned percussion synths, while Baker’s ‘Radio Nottingham’ feels positively psychedelic in its use of synthesised flutes and tuned percussion. It is fascinating to revisit the work of this collective and note the wonders achieved in labs running parallel to musical cultures in both rock and electronic music at the time, and in their wake.