Formed in 1976 in Brixton, a multicultural, and â at the time â down-at-heel part of south London, This Heat were born into a music scene in rapid flux, first thanks to the punk explosion and then via new wave and its myriad offshoots into pop, rock and art-rock. But while many sought to apply punk attitude to chart-friendly sounds, This Heat were concocting some of the most experimental ideas ever committed to tape, taking influence from musique concrĂšte, krautrock, the burgeoning industrial scene and even the dub reggae blasting out in their home borough.
Recorded from 1979 â 1980 “Repeat / Metal” is essentially This Heatâs third proper album, although it was released posthumously in 1993. Arguably their most radical work, “Repeat / Metal” features side-length tape experiments ranging from the dubby drum loops of âRepeatâ, a 20 minute edit / reworking of their landmark piece â24 Track Loopâ, to the gamelan-inspired sounds of âMetalâ, an electro-acoustic work recorded outside of their studio, Cold Storage, and helmed by member Gareth Williams.
Following Modern Classics Recordingsâ 2016 reissue campaign to mark the bandâs 40th anniversary, these new releases “Made Available“, “Repeat / Metal” round out the story. Each release is sanctioned by surviving members Charles Bullen and Charles Hayward and features newly remastered audio sourced from original tapes.
Modern Classics Recordings
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