WHIRL
OUT NOW ON SPUN OUT OF CONTROL
For the follow up to their sold-out 2021 album ‘Spomenik’, also on Spun Out Of
Control, Mark Radcliffe’s electronic duo UNE, the continuing collaboration with
electronic boffin and beat-maker Paul S Langley, have taken circular motion as
their theme. New album Whirl has a concise six tracks that each play like
extended dance mixes, bleeding into one another like a deejay set.
Endlessly inventive, tracks include Twisted, inspired by the anthropomorphic-
like names we now give major storms; taking this to its logical conclusion and
having a hurricane apologise for the havoc it’s causing.
Dervish is inspired by the Sufi whirling dervishes and their meditation in
perpetual motion; with one hand directed to the heavens and the other to earth,
channeling divine energy. Copernicus is about the astronomer and polymath who
laid down the theory that the earth went round the sun and not the other way
round. Molengang meanwhile is the Dutch word for a collection of windmills. It
also gives a nod to Pete Townsend’s windmill-like guitar arm and Windy Miller’s
musical accompaniment in the classic children’s show ‘Camberwick Green’.
With Mercury being a musical tribute to the planet, the album closes with the
pumping Underworld-like banger Velo, inspired by a trip to see Kraftwerk play
the Velodrome at the Manchester International Festival, as the GB Olympic team
cycled around the track.
Sadly the physical release on Spun Out Of Control as a beautiful limited edition 4-panel digipak
CD with 12 page illustrative booklet, the artwork for Whirl is by Kevin ‘DJ Food’
Foakes under his Openmind alias, with album mastering by Antony Ryan has SOLD OUT but the digital down with additional content is available from..
SPOMENIK
OUT NOW ON SPUN OUT OF CONTROL
An album inspired by Cold War era concrete and steel monoliths, constructed from sounds that echo the likes of Kraftwerk, OMD and the Hacienda classics. ‘Spomenik’ is the third LP from electronic duo UNE – broadcaster Mark Radcliffe and electronic musician Paul S. Langley – following Lost and Deux. It’s a very different beast compared to its predecessors, taking largely an instrumental route. Presented as a continuous musical mix spread over two sides of limited edition vinyl – choose from ‘Spomenik Silver’ or ‘Permafrost’ clear with ice blue splatter – its sounds weave through pioneering late 70s and early 80s electronica, while being informed by 90’s and 00’s club culture. Truly monumental…
DEUX
FRIDAY 24th SEPTEMBER 2021
BUY IT ON GATEFOLD HEAVY WEIGHT VINYL: www.monr.co.uk
The highly anticipated sophomore album from electronic pioneers UNE Released 24th September 2021
Boutique Scottish independent label Middle of Nowhere Recordings is proud to announce the release of ‘Deux’ - the new album from electronic conceptualist duo UNE.
Consisting of broadcaster and writer Mark Radcliffe and techno-head and remix master Paul S Langley, this is the follow up to 2019’s debut album ‘Lost’ which received rave reviews and national airplay on BBC Radio 2 and 6music.
The inspiration for ‘Lost’ was phrases in foreign languages that have no equivalent in English.
Once again ‘Deux’ has an over-arching concept at its heart.
Obviously it is appropriate because UNE are a duo and this is their second album.
But there is more to it than that.
Lyricist Radcliffe became intrigued by partnerships and pairings of many different kinds.
There are songs here about bluesman Robert Johnson meeting the devil (‘Devilled’), the mythological twins Castor and Pollux (‘Gemini’), chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov taking on the IBM computer Deep Blue (‘Grandmaster’) and a sea slug that is both animal and plant (‘Half’). Mark also delves into the personal to explore his obsession and relationship with David Bowie (Kwest).
The hypnotic and elegant soundtracks of Langley are this time embellished with additional vocalists, including special guest Dr. John Cooper Clark (‘Devilled’), and guest musicians not least Gary Kemp on lead guitar (‘Kwest’).
Like its predecessor the album was mixed and mastered by Jim Spencer (New Order, The Charlatans, Doves).
The artwork features custom built robots, or automatUNEs, created by master modeller and fantasy artist Tim Olsen.
Each album also includes an exclusive modernist postcard painted by Mark and digitally enhanced by Michael Tickle.
Available on vinyl with extended versions on download, ‘Deux’ takes the listener on a journey into the magical world of UNE once more.
Oh, and the next album will definitely NOT be called ‘Trois, it's called Spomenik!
Mark Radcliffe, UNE
WE ARE UNE
Two people working on a single concept
UNE are BBC 6music and Radio 2 broadcaster, musician and author Mark Radcliffe and electronica tech head Paul S Langley (Robs Records/Yeti-MusicMan/SonyBMG)
UNE is electronic music spanning many styles with a plaintive lonely voice at its heart. A happy accidental collision of man and machines.
These UNE songs are inspired by words from other languages that have no literal translation into English: Boketto, Waldeinkamseit, Saudade, Komorebi.
The music and lyrics have therefore tried to convey the feelings those words invoke.
UNE is two people working on a single concept.
UNE means one-word titles.
UNE is about being alone.
UNE is an anagram of NEU (and very nearly of ENO).
UNE is pop music for dreamers.