The Future Sound of London
Lifeforms
The Future Sound of London consist of musicians Brian Dougans (of "Stakker Humanoid" fame) and Garry Cobain, and visual artist / graphic designer Buggy G. Riphead (also of "Stakker Humanoid" fame).
As you might expect from their equipment list, the Future Sound of London made heavy use of samples in their work. Stylistically, they ran the gamut from breakbeat infused dance music to chillout ambient soundscapes. They're perhaps best remembered for one of their earlier tracks, "Papua New Guinea", which deftly straddled the line between the two extremes.
They generally combined cutting edge technology and futurism with new age spirituality and mysticism. They "toured" the world's radio stations from the comfort of their studio, via ISDN lines (which offered more bandwidth than a dialup Internet connection). They also used an SGI machine to create 3D graphics. In retrospect, they were perhaps the most 1990s band there was.
Equipment list
Circa 1992
- Akai S612[1][2]
- Akai S900[1][2]
- Akai S1000[1][3][2]
- Alesis MidiVerb II[1][3] (×2)
- Alesis QuadraVerb[1][3] (×2)
- Atari 1040ST[1][3]
- C-LAB Creator[1][3][2][4]
- Fostex B16[1]
- Roland D-110[1][3][2]
- Roland JX-3P[1][3][2]
- Roland TB-303[1][2]
- Roland TR-606[1]
- Yamaha SPX90[1][3][2]
- Yamaha TX81Z[1][3]
Additions circa Lifeforms
- Akai S1100[3]
- Akai S1100EX[3]
- Alesis ADAT[3] (×2)
- EMS Synthi AKS
- E-mu Vintage Keys[3]
- Korg Wavestation A/D[3]
- Roland SH-101[3]
- Roland TR-909[3][2]
Additions circa ISDN
Selected discography
- Lifeforms, 1994
- ISDN, 1994
- Dead Cities, 1996
References
- "Past, Present and Future" Simon Trask, Music Technology, Aug 1992, pp. 61—66
- "Classic Tracks: The Future Sound of London 'Papua New Guinea'" Richard Buskin, Sound On Sound, Nov 2006
- "Future Talk" Simon Trask, Music Technology, Jan 1994, pp. 16—18
- "Brian Dougans" Neil Mason, Electronic Sound, Jul 2018
- "The Future Sound of London" "Transmission 3: Edinburgh, Forth FM, 1996-10-28" The Future Sound of London, ISDN live, 1996
- "Moving further into the future. The Future Sound of London." "Transmission 11: Berlin, 1996-12-06" The Future Sound of London, ISDN live, 1996
External links
Interviews
- "Past, Present and Future" Simon Trask, Music Technology, Aug 1992, pp. 61—66
- "Future Talk" Simon Trask, Music Technology, Jan 1994, pp. 16—18
- "Future Talk" Simon Trask, Music Technology, Mar 1994, pp. 34—36
- "Future Sound Of London: Broadcast, TV & Radio Musicians" Nigel Humberstone, Sound On Sound, Aug 1994
Retrospectives
- "Classic Tracks: The Future Sound of London 'Papua New Guinea'" Richard Buskin, Sound On Sound, Nov 2006
Artists: Aphex Twin | Autechre | Derrick May | Fatboy Slim | Juan Atkins | Kevin Saunderson | Kraftwerk | LFO (artist) | Man Machine | Moby | Nine Inch Nails | Orbital | Richie Hawtin | The Future Sound of London | The Prodigy | Underworld | Vladimir Ussachevsky | Wendy Carlos | William Orbit | Zoë Blade
