Signal Generator : Output EP (OCC2CD) Reviews:-

11/10/06 - Tasty Fanzine

"Some ambient electro synthpop here from Calderdale-based Signal Generator. With a penchant for weird titles like 'Cerebral Sit', Legno Lungo' and 'Radix Lecti', the EP starts of at the bouncy, fuzzy, friendly end of the spectrum and moves through various phases before settling into the slightly disturbing final track - which is very 'I Care Because You Do' era Aphex Twin. Not ground breaking but pleasing enough evening entertainment."

Reviewed by SB

4/5/06 - ManchesterMusic.co.uk

"In a room in Huddersfield somewhere, a group of radio hams seem to have modified their equipment. Now they seem able to receive ambient disconnected transmissions which might or might not be eminating from earth. “Legno Lungo” is the sound of someone floating in space, if indeed they could make a sound from the expansive vacuum of the universe . Preferring to create such noises without a thumping disco beat is quite laudable in itself (although “Radix Lecti” throws in a shuffling D’N’B beat), which does mean that the “Output EP” is more akin to classical opus , with each movement gently passing into the other with a svelte, partially sinister style. It definitely begins to grow on you after just a couple of listens."

MMM ½

Reviewed by AS"

22/2/06 - Atomic Duster Webzine:-

"T: You know when you're at a festival and you've been going mosh crazy? Maybe you've bruised a few ribs and you need to take refuge in one of the smaller tents, perhap with the help of a herbal tea and an almighty spliff? Well, THIS is the kind of thing you want to hear playing by the artist at the forefront of the canopy while you recuperate, chill out and gather your thoughts. Or, alternatively, just blitz them. These are possibly the most relaxing tunes I've heard since FSOL's "Life Forms". Obviously a European artist, and the press release will confirm that the guy in question does indeed come from...um...Huddersfield. Oh...

N: Shouldn't that be a herbal cigarette and an almighty cup of tea?! Bearing in mind that I've had neither today, a lovely tingle descends my spine - Signal Generator are tinkling again (and this time Tone finds the pan - see review further down the page!) A tranced out foot tapper. No lyrics, no guitar, but instead a wealth of electronic patterns seem to dance before you as they replicate mechanoid timings and organic patterns at the same time. Yes, FSOL / Amorphous Androgynous, and even Orbital or The Orb appear to be this artist's mentors. 9/10"

22/12/05 - Vanity Project Webzine:-

"Huddersfield electronic musician, guiding light like a prism and shooting it into a refracted distance. ‘Memory Helmet’ glides and scampers, spider-like and with an innocent glee. ‘Cerebral Sit’ drops, weir-like, akin to amalgam of Banco De Gaia and FortDax. This is ambient, exquisite and highly recommended. "

Reviewed by Skif 22/12/05.

Also one of Skif's top 10 singles of 2005.

24/12/05 - Diskant Webzine:-

"It must be tough to be an electronicist nowadays, it being a genre that's entered a kind of adolescence. Older forms have a long and fruitful past to draw upon. A guitar-rock band can easily flourish and become massively successful while sounding much like another guitar-rock band that was around thirty years ago, based entirely on an ear for a catchy tune and nice white smiles. Form a folk act, and while there are many qualities that your audience will expect from you, exciting new forms of sonic creation are going to be fairly low down on their list of priorities. Novelty, while always entertaining, holds far less value to a long-established musical genre than it does one for which the listener's perception is that of acres of new ideas and possibilities stretching into the horizon, waiting to be harvested.

Partly, this is an illusion caused by massive growth spurts over the life of the genre. Hardware which would have required the taking out of a mortgage in order to possess a decade ago is now available, in one form or another, to any back-bedroom tinkerer of a modest income. Undoubtedly a good thing, optimistically leading to the democratization of music and making the major labels sweat, this rush of technological advance has had the effect of stamping a "best-before" date on almost every new work, to the point where the canny listener can place previously unheard records to within a couple of years.

Now that's reaching an age where, while still a young pup, it actually has some kind of commonly recognized history, electronica is faced with a problem. How to address its past while still expected to be constantly eyeing the future?

Richard D. James gave us one answer with his Analord series of EPs, restricting himself to ancient equipment but approaching it without a hint of nostalgia to produce something that sounds every bit as fresh as you would expect if he allowed himself a less restrictive palette, but which is sonically rooted in his own personal tradition.

For Huddersfield's Signal Generator, on the other hand, the past isn't there to be dissassembled and pillaged for raw material, but is a place whose customs and architecture are familiar and comforting. If played this record without any prompting as to its origin, I would have placed it in 1995 sooner than 2005. By putting out an EP of electronic music which has so little regard for recent fashion, Signal Generator seem to suggest that the electronic genre might be one which could do with slowing down, taking a breath, and spending some time coming to terms with its own history before it goes tearing off again. If, indeed, there really is anywhere left that's worth tearing off to. The four tracks on this record range from the playfully melodic ("Memory Helmet") to the pleasingly ambient ("Legno Lungo") or skittishly sinister ("Radix Lecti") and are all perfectly effective and constructed with a sense of confidence which is admirable. Somehow, they fail to engage as they might, but there's a sense of promise which, while frustrating at present, suggests that the individual behind Signal Generator might yet unearth something rare and exciting from his personal archaelogical dig."
 

Reviewed by Alex M 24/12/05.

12/05 - Leeds Music Scene:-

"Everything is done well here. Synths bleep and sigh expertly... drums crackle about in and out of the frame... nothing outstays its welcome... and it's all produced excellently. There's even a pleasant feeling of glacial calm about the whole affair. The openers Memory Helmet and Cerebral Sit (the names belie Signal Generator's influences as much as the music) exhibit all these qualities and more."

"It's melodic, it's excellently structured and executed perfectly"

"(Legno Lungo is) A four and a half minute excursion almost entirely based on a beautiful rotating icy synth loop as it's escorted along with cautious restraint by the rest of the track" "

7/11/05 - Music Guru Webzine:-

"From the uniform black and the grime of Huddersfield, comes the colourful and vibrant, Signal Generator. 'Output EP' is the new four- track offering from one of the West Riding's best working solo electronic artists. From the outset of the first track, 'Memory Helmet', with it's playful and sanguine melodies, the listener can be certain that they're not in for mindless circuit board rompings, rather a music that is thoughtful, occasionally delicate and often compelling. The EP's third and penultimate track, 'Legno Lungo' offers a pleasant surprise with its ambient, orchestral motions which gently nod towards the early solo work of Bill Nelson. Short, perhaps too short. But is that necessarily a bad thing? Well, I challenge you to go and find out for yourself."

Reviewed by Alex Clark.

7/11/05 - Comfort Comes Webzine:-

"The name threw me off a little bit at first. I was expecting something completely different. Signal Generator are based in Huddersfield , this is their second release. "Memory Helment" is first track on the EP, and it's quite a mix. The backbone is almost an 80s synthpop feel to it. Yet, there is something a little more sophisticated here. It works really well without vocals too; very strong effort. "Cerebral Sit" has a bit of a funky ambience to it, yet still maintains a lush feel to it. "Radix Lecti" has a great beat to it and is loaded with a diverse set of sounds, and it can get quite intoxicating. The EP is solid base for the band. It showcases some very intriguing tracks. The real stand out being "Memory Helment" but by the end of the four songs there needed to be a hint more of a variation. None the less, a solid foundation "

25/10/05 - Sandman Magazine:-

"Like it or not, the Leeds music scene is quickly becoming dominated by guitar-orientated indie bands. You can have too much of a good thing, though, so it is reassuring to know that there are still people out there doing their own thing, like Huddersfield’s Signal Generator. Described at turns as 80’s Electro pop and melancholic ambience, Output is certainly a mixed bag of electro-ambience. ‘Memory Helmet’ comes on all Supertramp, before morphing into Godley and Crème via Vangelis, ‘Cerebral Sit’ sounds like the more up-to-date Arpanet, ‘Legno Lungo’ is pure ambience in a Future Sounds Of London vein and ‘Radix Lecti’ romps home in a reverent, bombastic style reminiscent of Orbital or The Prodigy. It’s a definitely a grower, but suffers from the curse of ambience – lack of identity and the tendency to sound like a computer game soundtrack. More Jarre and Vangelis than Orb and Orbital but a nice, relaxing noise. (RW)"

3/10/05 - MusicOMH Webzine:-

"While the Aphex Twin seems to have gone to ground since 2001's Drukqs, there are plenty of acts out there willing to take his place in the outer reaches of electronica. One problem suffered by both Richard D. James and his legions of copycats though is the tendency to indulge in discordant, inaccessible noise. This may be down to artistic expression, the contrast between the light (melody, warmth) and the dark (squealing, screaming synths and drilling, pneumatic beats), but it seems almost as if there's an element of pretentious snobbery at work: if you don't 'get it' you aren't worthy.

So while Signal Generator are clearly fans of James' Selected Ambient Works Vol. I, it is refreshing to hear they can produce lush electronica without feeling the need to test and alienate the listener by making their eardrums bleed. All four tracks on offer here are excellent examples of what was once called 'ambient techno', meaning they have both melody and movement. There is also a joyfulness that runs through each composition, especially lead track Memory Helmet, which may not please the 'Twin geeks, but certainly pleases the ears.

Fans of the Aphex Twin's mellower moments, take note, this is stunning, uplifting electronica minus the tiresome lapses into sonic ugliness: beautiful."

20/9/05 - Glasswerk Webzine:-

"Other than one Prime Minister, nothing has come out of Huddersfield that is until now, the solo electronic musician that goes by the name of Signal Generator with the release of the second EP “Output”. The influences of early synthpop are clear in all the tracks of variable quality. The real stand out tracks are the first two – “Memory Helmet“ and “Cerebral Sit” these are both defiantly chill out rather than the banging dance that seems to inhabit clubs and the trendier bars in towns and cities. "

5/9/05 - Norman Records:-

"First up we have my favourite record of the week (so far). Its a new CD EP by Signal Generator. I don't know why this one stands out above all the other millions of electronic records released this year - there's nothing new in it ...or challenging..... it's just lovely, honest to goodness electronic music, full of atmosphere and tunes that hit the spot. Think Bitstream, Nautilus, Metamatics, Plaid, Aphex Twin, AI, Warp........4 tunes on a CD EP on Occasional Records. "

Reviewed by Norman Records 2/9/05.

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