Stealing Sheep have announced details of their new album Wow Machine, a specially commisioned project taking inspiration from the female pioneers of electronic music. The album features many of the early techniques of sampling, splicing, looping and reversing that revolutionised what was possible with electronics.
Due to be released on June 24th via Both Sides Records, the album is a first for the label set up as part of the Brighter Sounds Gender Equality program. Both Sides Records is a new label, which grew out of the work of the Manchester based charity, and their innovative Both Sides Now programme, a ground-breaking gender equality initiative and their most recent event, All Thing Equal, where the charity created a Manifesto calling for gender equality across the Music industry.
To celebrate the release of the album, the Liverpool trio have shared the lead single for the album ‘N’ever Gonna Live Up’; A pulsating extravaganza of electronic melodies and rhythms weaving and counter-weaving. Listen below.
Due to the methods they have used to compose the music, the album is entirely self-produced, creating a instinctive and intuitive style. The band site Delia Derbyshire, Laurie Anderson, Daphne Oram and Suzanne Ciani as key influences, as well as modern electronic pioneers SOPHIE and Planning to Rock.
Speaking about the commission and how the music evolved from a live installation the band says, “We’ve been inspired by the ‘Sisters With Transistors‘, a group of radical women, who used technology to push the boundaries of music. Without the representation of these musicians, we would have struggled to picture ourselves in these roles.”
“The music was written in our home studios and came to life as a live installation at the Great Exhibition of the North with a mechanical light-up stage and robotic dance performers. This had a big impact on how we wrote the music as we created a listening experience that is intended to transport an audience and take them on a journey”.
Tracklisting for Wow Machine:
Power Up & Blast
Synthetic Love Muscle
Pressure
Replicate
Never Gonna Live Up
Don’t think, Just Do
Input, Output
Disco Italo
Ending Theme
Power Down
Photo: Holly Whitaker
