It’s time to crank up the Crystal set…
Silence FM is the first feature-length release by The Sons Of Silence.
Since the summer of ’96 many people have found their quality of life improved by the Suited & Booted EP, which included the dancehall and Radio 1 favourite ‘Silence Go Boom!’
Hot on its heels came Spring Forward: Fall Back (March ’97), featuring such diverse elements as the bumpy house of ‘Critical Mass’ and the louche, swinging ‘A Grain Of Sand’. A CD also included the four beauties that made up Suited & Booted.
The Sons Of Silence have preached to the perverted by performing live in various clubs, venues and states of mind. Whether as the house band in the corner of the Sprawl club, pepping up Friday night at The Sausage Machine, or filling Dingwalls with waves of awesome sound as support to Laika, The Sons never fail to make an impression (Terry Thomas is a current favourite). One of The Sons (DJ Silencer, as he shall henceforth be known) even impressed the more discerning dancefloors of the UK with his scratch’n’paste skills, rocking rooms with a unique blend of ragga, funk, hip-hop and drum’n’bass.
The Sons once co-hosted MTV’s Party Zone. Managing to combine their habit of tinkering with musical toys with two hours of charming and witty chit-chat AND a whole bunch of their favourite videos made for compelling viewing. On the show they also broadcast the four films they made to accompany their more popular tunes – it was about this time that it finally dawned on them how far out of any particular ‘stream’ they were heading…
After days of hard work and lots of mucking about (improvisation?), they emerged with the 15 tracks that make up Silence FM. “It’s kind of our idea of a radio station, the kind that gives you a great time without having to worry about what record to put on next” is how they describe the concept (oh fuck, no one told us it was a concept album…)
From the opening time signal, through the rumbling dub of ‘Going To Fat’ and the breakneck bounce of ‘It’s A Bloodbath!’ to the sheer oddball beauty of ‘Spanish:Wolverhampton’, the album is a long, strange and memorable trip indeed.
Bonus useful info:
– they won their name from a Louisiana motorcycle gang in a game of poker; they played double or quits for the name ‘Crawling With Tarts’ but lost – so The Sons Of Silence it is
– they always wear suits when appearing in public as it allows them to think about more important things than colour co-ordination
– The Sons Of Silence enjoy cycling, reading and socialism. They do not have a star sign or a Driving License between them and only do things for fun (these facts only appropriate in case of beauty contest entrance)
– the album combines most of The Sons favourite things: hopes, fears, laughter, tears – and of course vast quantities of trouser-trembling bass.
“London Swings…like a hanged man”
– attributed to The Sons Of Silence, ’97
FORMATS
Vinyl
Limited edition double black vinyl LP (1,000 copies) – BAY 1V
CD
BAY 1CD
Digital
BAY 1E