Metamatic Forums John Foxx John Foxx New John & Benge music The Machine Stops

the machine stops

A world premiere production of EM Forster's classic short story.
EM Forster is best known for his exquisite novels, but his short story masterpiece published in 1909 is astoundingly prophetic and poignant in 2016, and is a chilling prediction and exploration of our increasingly complex relationship with technology.
"You talk as if a god had made the Machine," cried the other. "I believe that you pray to it when you are unhappy. Men made it, do not forget that."
In a dystopian world where humans have retreated far underground, Kuno alone questions their now total dependency on technology to live and communicate with each other, but in his struggle to break out can he reach the Earth’s surface before the Machine stops?
Featuring a brand new soundtrack composed by John Foxx, pioneer of electronic music and founder of Ultravox, and analogue synth specialist, Benge.

https://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/event/the_machine_stops.php#.VoLIasCLQnU

Steve Malins just confirmed that John & Benge are not performing it live so should we expect a release on CD?

Brian

Thanks for the heads up Brian.

Sounds like a very interesting piece of work. Let's hope the soundtrack does indeed get a CD release. I've always thought that John should get more involved in soundtracks. I know he's done the odd thing but a whole soundtrack of new material would be most interesting.

John has this to say on the project:

"I first read E.M. Forster's The Machine Stops in 1964, when I was at school. It struck me then as prescient and original. When I started discussing the music for this production with Benge, I read it again. In the intervening years the internet had happened, and of course the world had changed dramatically, yet the story was still ahead of it all - an amazing feat of predictive imagination for something written in 1909. I'm quietly pleased to be able to collaborate with such an astounding piece of seminal sci-fi."

You can see the play (and thus hear the soundtrack) at:

York Theatre Royal: 13th May - 4th June

The Point, Eastleigh: 8th - 9th June

The Minghella Studio, Portsmouth: 11th June

It then moves to the Platform Shift+ Festival in Budapest.
The play will then be re-staged for an extensive tour in 2017.

As Steve has already confirmed (above) this is the SOUNDTRACK TO A PLAY.
Thus John Foxx and Benge will not be present or performing at any of these venues

John & Benge are doing some short performances of this in May in a World War 2 bunker in York.

Tickets are free.The sessions are around 20 minutes long with a Q&A afterwards at York Theatre Royal.

Book here:-

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-bunker-experience-tickets-24458799929

Brian

Nice one Brian! Are you going?

I've just registered for a ticket at the first showing so yes I intend to go.Are you going?

Brian

I'll be in Sheffield weekend of the 7th, so it seems insane not to go - currently trying to work out how to get from York back down south without having to sell vital organs.

I'm driving past Sheffield so can easily give you a lift there and back.

Brian

Yippee!

The link suggests this is Monday 9th May?

Gaz is hoping to extend his visit to cover it.

Brian

I've managed to find the link to book tickets for the Q&A at Theatre Royal York where you obtain free tickets.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-bunker-experience-qa-with-john-foxx-benge-tickets-24459403735

Brian

Brian!

I've booked for the following:

6.00pm - 6.20pm
7:30pm - 7:50pm
8.20pm Q & A session

I will book the 2nd one too then.

Brian

I hope everything goes well tonight with this chaps.

Don't forget we want recordings, photos, anecdotes, memorabilia and all the gossip!

Have fun!

cheers Martin.I'm ready and geared up.

Brian

BIG ISSUE NORTH: Preview: The Machine Stops

A future shock lands at York Theatre Royal - Yorkshire Post

You can read my thought experiments and random observations on THE MACHINE STOPS here

Thanks

A sound desk recording of the gig will shortly be available on Memetune download:-

http://myblogitsfullofstars.blogspot.co...._medium=twitter

Brian

The six track download, entitled The Bunker Tapes : Live At York Cold War Bunker, is now available on Bandcamp...

01. Memory Oxide [05:07]
02. Orphan Waltz [02:56]
03. Meat And Metal [03:18]
04. The Other Mother [03:40]
05. Transworld Airwave [03:29]
06. Star Thief [03:59]

This live performance was recorded at York Cold War Bunker on the 9th of May, 2016.

The music was partly conceived as the soundtrack to a play based on E.M. Forster’s short story The Machine Stops.

The play, adapted by Neil Duffield and directed by Juliet Forster was originally co produced by York Theatre Royal and Pilot Theatre during May and June 2016.

A studio album by John Foxx And The Maths of the complete soundtrack will be released by Metamatic Records in the next twelve months.



Rob

Hi Rob,

I'm guessing this won't be available on cd but I just thought I'd ask to be on the safe side...

Darren

I've been advised that The Bunker Tapes : Live At York Cold War Bunker is a download only release, and that there are no plans at the moment to release it on either CD or vinyl.

Rob

but...
"A studio album by John Foxx And The Maths of the complete soundtrack will be released by Metamatic Records in the next twelve months."

Yes, but the complete soundtrack (for the Machine Stops) and The Bunker Tapes : Live At York Cold War Bunker are two separate things...

Rob

EM Forster's all very well, but when are they gonna do some Harold Robbins?

There are actually THREE different things that could be going on...

1. THE BUNKER TAPES which as Rob said is a live recording of the set in York
2. THE MACHINE STOPS soundtrack as a studio album
3. THE MACHINE STOPS live theatre performance which 'uses' parts of the soundtrack music but in a different order, looped and sampled 'live' in response to the action on stage

Although I must add that Number 3 above is purely speculative on my part, but (perhaps as a DVD) is the one I would look forward to the most if it were ever to be discussed.

Confusing? Of course

I'll get the CD when it's available, but for now the download is very nice.

I bought it this morning and find it cuts a crisp line between two separate nodes on the Foxxmap. A hybrid from the Cathedral Oceans approach of glacial beauty and the Ballardian side of Metamatic/Maths work... with a chaser of T-Dream for something new. Very tasty to get all of these flavors in a single meal! Minimal expression vocals on "Memory Oxide." "Star Thief" has some "20th Century" DNA present. An intense little 23 minute gooseflesh pill to be savored. So glad that The Maths have been reactivated in such a fashion. How many more EPs can Foxx make in his liberal spare time? They have all been excellent and diverse.