Electronic Sound Magazine

9 July 2020

“He’s a big fan of the magazine,” his people told us. It turns out that Jarvis Cocker regularly nicks their office copy. So when it came to press interviews for ‘Beyond The Pale’, the debut album from Cocker’s new band JARV IS..., Electronic Sound was one of only three UK print titles he wanted to have a chat with. One of the others was The Sunday Times. It’s not often we’re mentioned in the same breath. On first sight, of course, Jarvis Cocker is not an obvious choice of cover star for us. But once you hear ‘Beyond The Pale’, with its upfront synths and more than a passing nod to krautrock on many of the tracks, the significance of his Sheffield heritage is obvious. While bands like Cabaret Voltaire and The Human League were a little older than him, their pioneering work clearly left their mark. Elsewhere this issue, we have our usual action-packed fun and games. We interview Soulwax about their new Synthi 100 album and spend a very pleasant Sunday afternoon chewing the fat with Luke Vibert. We talk to Polly Scattergood on her recent return to the UK after a year on Fuerteventura and meet French tape music legend Beatriz Ferreyra. We ask The Beloved to cast their minds back to the making of their classic crossover album ‘Happiness’ too. Look closely and you will also Stephen Mallinder, Richard Norris, Black Devil Disco Club and Polypores. Oh, and Andrew Berry, the man responsible for the Factory Haircut. Talking of haircuts, have you managed to get yourself sorted yet?