Studio Electrophonique - The Sheffield Space Age, From the Human League to Pulp

A ROUGH TRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025

The amazing story of the home studio that helped launch some of Britain's most beloved bands.

The Sheffield space age began in 1961, when local mechanic Ken Patten won a tape-recording competition by recreating the sound of a rocket launch using a pencil and a bicycle pump.

In the decades that followed, the makeshift home studio he constructed became the launch pad for a group of young musicians who would shape the futuristic sound of 1980s pop. The Human League, Heaven 17, Pulp, ABC and others made their early recordings with Ken, whose DIY ethic was the perfect fit for a city facing industrial decline but teeming with ideas.

Studio Electrophonique tells the story of a generation seeking new frontiers in music, using everything they could lay their hands on - from science fiction novels to glam rock, Dada art and cheap electronics - to get there. Drawing on original interviews with Jarvis Cocker, Martyn Ware, Mark White and others, it brings to light a world of humour, charm, creativity and unfounded yet undaunted self-belief.

About the author

Jamie Taylor is a writer and filmmaker from Sheffield. He is the director of The Campaigners and A Film about Studio Electrophonique.

Product details

• Authors: Jamie Taylor
• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 15.04.2025
• EAN: 9781526183231
• ISBN: 978-1-5261-8323-1
• No. of pages: 304
• Dimensions: 130 mm x 198 mm x 23 mm
• Series: The British Pop Archive
• Subjects: Education and learning > Teaching preparation > Vocational needs; Humanities, art, music > Music > General, dictionaries; Rock & Pop music, MUSIC / Recording & Reproduction, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / 20th Century, Music Industry, History of Music, Later 20th century c 1950 to c 1999, Popular Music, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Music, Electronic Music, Music recording and reproduction, EDM (Electronic Dance Music)