Forgemasters was a British

electronic music Electronic music is a Music genre, genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or electronics, circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromech ...

act composed of Robert Gordon, Winston Hazel and Sean Maher. Their single "Track with No Name" was the first release by

Warp Records Warp Records (or simply Warp) is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by record store employees Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell and record producer Robert Gordon.Southern, Richard (2003) "Label of Love: WARP", X-RAY, ...

and would help define the sound of Warp and

bleep techno Bleep techno (or simply bleep) is a regional subgenre of techno which developed in the late 1980s in Northern England, specifically Yorkshire. Named after its minimalistic synthesizer sounds, bleep techno combined influence from American techno a ...

History

Robert Gordon, Sean Maher and Winston Hazel were colleagues in the FON record shop and studio in Sheffield. Gordon was an engineer at FON Studio and co-founder of

. The name Forgemasters was taken from a local heavy engineering firm, Sheffield Forgemasters. Their single "Track with No Name" was the first release by Warp Records. It was of a

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

subgenre, the primarily Sheffield based bleep techno, and written in four hours one evening at Gordon's home studio. Dave Simpson, writing in '' Fact'' in 2012, described it as "driven by an eerie pulse, a sound which would soon be called a ‘bleep’ and become the distinctive signature of hardcore northern techno and, for its first two years, the sound of Warp." Matt Anniss, writing for ''

Resident Advisor ''Resident Advisor'' (also known as ''RA'') is an online music magazine and community platform dedicated to showcasing electronic music, artists and events across the globe. It was established in 2001. ''RA''s editorial team provides news, musi ...

'' in 2014, called it "one of the defining records of the era".

Discography

Singles and EPs

* "Track with No Name" (

Warp Warp, warped or warping may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books and comics * WaRP Graphics, an alternative comics publisher * ''Warp'' (First Comics), comic book series published by First Comics based on the play ''Warp!'' * Warp (comics), a ...

, 1989) – released in association with Outer Rhythm * ''The Black Steel E.P.'' ( Network, 1991) * ''Quabala EP'' (Hubba Hubba, 1992)

Singles with contributions by Forgemasters

* "Network Retro #8: Back 2 Back Classics" (Network, 1993) – "Somebody New" by MK* / "Track with No Name (Communique Mix)" by Forgemasters

Compilation album appearances

* '' Warp 10: Influences, Classics, Remixes – Warp 10+2: Classics 89–92'' (Warp, 1999) – includes "Track with No Name" * ''Rob Gordon Projects'' by Rob Gordon (Source, 1996) – includes "Clap Your Hands", "" icand "Presence"

Remixes

* "Man Machine (Cyber - Subsonik) mix", Man Machine (Outer Rhythm, 1989) – "Man Machine (Cyber - Subsonik)" and "Man Machine (Elektro - Genetik)" mixed by Forgemasters * "15 Inches+" (Rebuilt by Forgemasters) – The Wad (Earth, 1997). Included on ''7 Hills Clash – Rebuilt EP'' * "Commercial Rain (Rub-A-Dub Mix)" –

Inspiral Carpets Inspiral Carpets are an English rock band, part of the late-1980s/early-1990s Madchester movement. Formed in Oldham in 1980, the band's most successful lineup featured frontman Tom Hingley, drummer Craig Gill, guitarist Graham Lambert, bassi ...

( Mute, 1990). Included on "Commercial Rain"/"She Comes in the Fall (Remixes)"

References

External links

* {{Discogs artist, Forgemasters English electronic music groups English techno music groups Musical groups from Sheffield British musical trios Warp (record label) artists Rhythm King artists