Radio Massacre International

Artist: Radio Massacre International
P: 2004
Recorded in Sept. 2003 at the famous Dutch E-Live Festival this is immaculately recorded and falls into the category of the classic RMI sound oozing layers of synths melody and dense spatial energy. A trip into the Nebula Galaxy by way of a time warp thru’ a black hole. Totally different material than the previous set.

Here the last copy!

Artist: Radio Massacre International
P: 2024 
‘Galactic Furnace’ was made over the course of a week, in the middle of summer, in beautiful North Yorkshire. The trio inhabited a cottage space that was very kindly loaned to them by a good friend and unlike many recording environments; it was extremely pleasant with plenty of natural light and air.
As is their wont, they always keep a live microphone somewhere in the mix and this one was outside on the decking pointing towards woodland and good old Yorkshire countryside. When assimilating the music they had made, certain images and pictures arrived unconsciously, there was a loose visual impression created. Whilst they never set out to paint literal sound pictures, or describe specific images, the music suggested these things to the band afterwards. Certain sections of this music seemed to convey a vast turbulent cosmic fire, while others a peaceful sunlit place. You could maybe say this is their ‘Anthem To The Sun’.
RMI line-up: Steve Dinsdale (keyboards / electronics / drums), Duncan Goddard (keyboards / electronics / bass) and Gary Houghton (guitar / keyboards)
Steve, Duncan and Gary began playing together, along with other friends, as 16-year old students in England. After several years of various combinations, in 1993 they began working together in this trio format and began calling themselves RADIO MASSACRE INTERNATIONAL. After amassing a number of recordings that they were happy with, the group released their first CD in 1996 and also began playing shows and electronic music festivals. Throughout the 90s, the group released many CDs and toured much of Western Europe. They have also appeared in the USA six separate times, beginning in 2002.
Their music is largely improvised and performed live, without overdubs, gathering shape via post recording editing.

Artist: Radio Massacre International
P: 1997
It's amazing to think that well over 12 months have passed since Radio Massacre International opened the first electronic music concert ever to be held at Jodrell Bank. The whole thing passed in such a blur that only retrospectively did the full impact of the music presented on that night start to dawn. To hear this album now even I find it hard to believe that RMI constructed such a masterpiece almost off the cuff.
What you hear is what the lucky audience were treated to on the night. In the period since this concert I believe RMI have advanced even more, with the October Gallery concert showing the sequencing highs to which RMI can now reach as well as the melodic edge which is now becoming a greater factor. However, this concert was undoubtedly special and contains sections which are likely to remain amongst the greatest pieces RMI ever produce. The set as a whole has a beguiling nature which cajoles the listener into pondering matters related to time and space. The sequential structures could almost be the pin point reference map of a star strewn galaxy, while the sublime Mellotron and ethereal guitar work weave a nebulous cloud of sound which constantly changes shape and focus.
'Skeletope' deserves particular praise with its nigh on perfect use of electronic sounds and atmospherics, including samples of Jodrell Bank signals bounced off the moon during early experiments. There is a comforting assurance creeping into RMI's work which is leading many people, including myself, to ponder whether there really is any limit to this band's potential.
 

Artist: Radio Massacre International
P: 2007
This release features 77 minutes of mesmerizing rock music.
Joining Dinsdale, Goddard and Houghton on this release are: Cyndee Lee Rule and Martin Archer. The band routinely release “companion” albums in connection with their “official” releases. This is one such, being a second companion to their Rain Falls in Grey album.
Of the releases covered in this column, this one exemplifies the band’s fusion of contemporary electronics with progressive sensibilities, exploring tuneage that is crafted with more than the band’s customary EM sound. Traditional drums play a vital role in this music, contributing powerful rhythms that convey grandeur and immensity. But not every instance of percussion resounds with momentous impact; some occasions are relegated to the mid-range so that the beats endow without overwhelming. Technically, the role of guitar remains the same: vivid and cosmic in scope. The riffs are searing and compelling in their stratospheric nature. Combining elements of blues, space rock and progrock, the instrument glows with paranormal supremacy. Whether blazing with rock-out tendencies or simmering with glissando delicacy, the guitar provides a pivotal glory for each melody. Which is not to diminish the contributions of the keyboards, for they generate the lush foundation for everything. Airy texturals and demonstrative keys are integral to the music, as are the profusion of sparkling electronic effects that litter the songs. Bass provides a rumbling inclination, sometimes geological in its presence, other times hiding within the fluid mix. The addition of Archer’s saxophones and woodwinds and Rule’s violin lend the music a classical undercurrent that is twisted into progressive delineation by the band’s application of these fresh aspects. These compositions are superb examples of power-rock given over to progressive proclivity. Applying the flowing structure the band have mastered in their EM work, these tunes radiate solid beauty with their molten fervor.
 

Artist: Radio Massacre International
P: 2005    
DIN 23
LTD 1500 Copies
Radio Massacre International ( RMI ) comprises Steve Dinsdale (keyboards, electronics, drums), Duncan Goddard (keyboards, electronics, bass) and Gary Houghton (guitar, keyboards). This trio of musicians have steadily been building a solid reputation since 1995 with the release of their first album ‘Frozen North’ on Centaur Records. Since then they have released several other albums on Centaur as well as their own private Northern Echo label. Most recently they have released the double CD album ‘Emissaries’ on the well respected Stateside Cuneiform label.
The band incorporate elements of Berlin school electronics with Prog/Krautrock and are a force to be reckoned with in a live setting. Indeed it could be argued that they are best experienced in one of their concert performances which are often improvisational in nature and thus ebb and flow in a fluid and organic manner. They have performed many concerts and festivals throughout their career including dates in the Netherlands, Finland and the USA. Notable appearances in the UK include them co-hosting the dance orientated ‘Party Zone’ on MTV and an improv performance with legendary Can guru Damo Suzuki.
‘Septentrional’, their inaugral release on the DiN label see’s a new approach co-ordinated by DiN label boss Ian Boddy. RMI recorded a series of three hour long improvisations which they handed over to Boddy in multitrack form. These were then sifted through, extensively edited - often in a non-linear fashion, re-mixed with the addition of synthetic percussion layers on three of the five tracks and finally reassembled by Boddy into five new pieces. The result is still definitely an RMI sounding album and captures the feel and spirit of the band but filtered through the sonic excellence listeners have come to expect from this innovative label.

Here the last copy!

Artist: Radio Massacre International
P: 2010    
Featuring guest musician Martin Archer on all things woodwinds, the band takes their foundation of sequencer based material and stretches out the space within the beats (and for some the tracks on the album, there are no beats...so think about all that space!) The band is more interested in letting a scenic vibe come across, and it's one that you might not have expected after hearing an album like Rain Falls In Gray but it's more in the vibe of Philadelphia Air Shot in the idea of taking a starting point of an idea and letting it take control...
Recorded February-June 2009 by Radio Massacre International
Duncan Goddard - electronics, bass guitar
Steve Dinsdale - electronics, percussion
Gary Houghton - guitar, electronics
Special Guest: Martin Archer - Wind Instruments & Electronics

Artist: Radio Massacre International
P: 1998/ 2000
Concert recordings made between February 1997 and May 1998.
Part One was performed in Oct Gallery in 1998 and Oct Gallery in 1997
Part Two was performed at The Rheingold Club in 1997
Part Three was performed at Jodrell Bank in 1997 and Klemdag also in 1997.
The music is most of the times Berlin School style like Tangerine Dreams Encore or Ricochet.
 

Artist: Radio Massacre International
P: 2004
We were invited to participate in an arts festival just outside Helsinki in January 2004, and had a thoroughly good experience altogether making many new friends. The set was an hour long and featured the more traditional RMI line up of electronics and guitar only. The set is included in its entirety along with a bonus piece from our preparation sessions the day before our departure for the frozen north.

Here the last copy!

Artists: Steve Dinsdale
P: 2017
Light & Dark is Radio Massacre International member Steve Dinsdale's fifth solo studio album, and represents a continuation of the somewhat lighter (dare we say 'commercial'?) style of his solo music. The running order and length was designed for possible vinyl release, but when this proved impractical, the concise nature of the album still suggested itself as an advantage, and although more material was available Steve was keen to maintain a collection of pieces that could comfortably be listened to in one sitting. "I like an album that can be assimilated in one go; not so long as to have forgotten what the first track sounded like by the time the last one comes along" says Steve. The mood of the album is generally upbeat and positive, with bright textures and melodies suggesting a colourful and generally sunny outlook created by Steve's use of sequencers, drums and the classic keyboard sounds (Rhodes and Mellotron in particular) with which he has become associated. The almost funky 'Hit of Summer' is perhaps the least typical excursion, yet in many ways the most appealing; "to me it sounds like the sun's reflections dancing on the sea on a glorious day. Like all the pieces here it didn't start out as any grand plan it just ended up that way once I started overdubbing" Steve smiles, "and the lower end of the Rhodes keyboard does a surprisingly convincing impression of a Bass Guitar".
'Moonweed' is of course an affectionate nod to Tim Blake, whilst 'First Light' uses the authentic sound of the dawn chorus recorded in Skipton where the album was made...not just any old dawn chorus...these things are important. A spontaneous approach also brought out the doomy, dungeon-like textures of 'Dark Chambers', a piece which started off as a layered percussion meditation upon hearing some bad news about the possible future incarceration of an artist held in high esteem. Luckily this didn't transpire, but the piece remains as a stark and necessary contrast to the rest of the album, and indeed as the justification for its title. Book-ending the collection are two pieces recorded with lifelong friend and band-mate Gary Houghton on guitar: "He didn't know he was recording for my album when he visited, I didn't either, we were just trying out ideas. He brought the Gary Houghton effects arsenal for which he is justly famous, but rather less impressively left the power supply unit at home some fifty miles away. Instead I had to put him through my somewhat more basic effects pedal, but I like how this makes him sound less like Gary but at the same time unmistakably him".