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Category:    Home > Reviews > Documentary > Music > New Wave > Electronic > Pop > Rock > Made In Sheffield - The Birth Of Electronic Pop

Made In Sheffield – The Birth Of Electronic Pop

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: B-     Documentary: B

 

 

New Wave gets a bad rap these days and it is based on everything from a series of cheap shots, to those who missed the point.  Sure, it all eventually became too safe and commercial, but the problem was not the entire genre.  Though some bands (Kraftwerk, Split Enz) were trying things with electronic music, it really became a permanent fixture in music by the early 1980s.  The end of the classical Disco era is one reason, with the influence of Chic and the Giorgio Moroder/Donna Summer collaborations looming large, brought dance music back in a never-say-Disco way.  Eve Wood’s Made In Sheffield – The Birth Of Electronic Pop is a solid new documentary that does a great job in about an hour of covering the rise of Sheffield as the world capital of such music before big label commercial success caused enough of a flight of talent to end Sheffield’s run of glory by 1983.

 

You may have heard of ABC, The Human League, Pulp, The Damned and even Def Leppard (seemingly unrelated, but think of their distinction form other Hard Rock bands like them), but you are less likely to know the stories of Artery, The Torpedoes, Cabaret Voltaire, The Extras, Clockdva, Veer, Cardboard Criminals, The Future, Used Toys, They Must Be Russians, 3:2, The Studs and Vice Versa.  So many of these bands could have been as big and successful, certainly being as talented, but it was not to be.  Without giving anything away, some of them had members that went on to other more successful bands, but Miss Wood’s work shows so many great talents and so much great music was left behind.  Hopefully, this work will be the beginning of that movement because music could use the injection of such rediscovery as much now as ever.  It’s amazing this music has not been sampled or remade enough.

 

The 1.33 X 1 image was shot on analog PAL videotape (or a digitally enhanced equivalent) and shows some age, but is fine for what was needed and includes some great film and video clips, along with stills.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has no real surround information, but is not bad either.  The combination is engaging enough to tell its story.  Extras include stills, trailer, 3 extras full-length performances, a great set of extra interview clips and a booklet with key illustrations and text that further enhance the DVD.  This is one of the best titles Plexifilm has issued to date.  Made In Sheffield is a must-see for all serious music fans.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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