‘Fear Fear’ remixes by Toddla T, Charla Green, Ross Orton, Diessa and Forgemasters.
The Steel City EP will be available exclusively through Sheffield’s premiere independent record store Bear Tree as a limited-edition bonus CD together with their album Fear Fear on exclusive LP formats, out July 15th 2022 on Heavenly Recordings.
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Sheffield. Not only the steel city – and the sex city – but a misfit musical town that’s always punched above its weight and led the way that others invariably end up following. From the Cabs to the Crooked Man, FON to Warp, Human League to Self Esteem, Sheffield has long made the kind of music that subverts the mainstream and changes its course.
Although based across The Pennines in West Yorkshire, Syd Minsky Sargeant (Working Men’s Club’s front man and songwriter) has become immersed in Sheffield’s musical community over the last couple of years having made the trip there regularly to record both WMC albums (WMC’s guitarist Mairead also hails from there).
The Steel City EP reflects the city’s influence on the band by bringing together five of Sheffield’s most innovative producers to remix tracks from the second album, Fear Fear (due on Heavenly Recordings on 15th July 2022).
First up, Money Is Mine sees Toddla T sets the track to a full on klonking two step rhythm; next, Charla Green turns the album’s title track into a relentless drum ’n’ bass groove built around a single sinister vocal line. The band’s longtime studio collaborator and prolific Sheffield producer Ross Orton turns Ploys into a vocoder led alien electro workout while Hope Works resident Diessa brings the industrial noise to Rapture to create a track that sounds like a symphony being played out at night by automated factory machines. Finally, on The Last One, Forgemasters (aka Winston Hazel and Robert Gordon, creators of the peerless Track With No Name – the first release on Warp) splice a snarling buzzsaw guitar riff and a lo-slung bassline to the kind of celestial orchestration that Vangelis brought to the Blade Runner soundtrack.
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The remixers said of their versions:
Charla Green: ‘It was lovely to work on a remix for Working Men’s Club and put a Jungle twist on it. Sheffield’s music scene has a lot to offer so it’s nice to see alternative scenes working together. I’ve also loved Heavenly Recordings for a long time so that was a bonus’
Ross Orton: “Not done a remix in ages but getting asked to remix the mighty WMC felt like a buzz. Here’s my wobbly take on a very heavy “future” Sheffield style classic!”
Toddla T: “As the original version stank of Sheffield, I wanted to do something that I would be itching to play in a set back home, particularly at Kabal or if I wasn’t in attendance something that I know Winnie or Pipes would draw for which was made for the dancefloors of Sheffield”
Forgemasters: “We think this remix has taken the song to another level of spirituality. May the Fonk be with you”.
The Steel City EP Track-list
- Money Is Mine – Toddla T Home Sick Remix
- Fear Fear – Charla Green Remix
- Ploys – Ross Orton Remix
- Rapture – Diessa Remix
- The Last One – Forgemasters Remix
The Steel City EP will be available exclusively through Sheffield’s premiere independent record store Bear Tree with a limited edition of their album Fear Fear which is out July 15th 2022 on Heavenly Recordings.
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