Future Loop Foundation - Memories from a Fading Room (2007)

CD Description
After the success of 2005´s 10" Scratch ´n´ Sniff EP, FLF return with their most artistic, personal and inspired album to date. Memories From A Fading Room is constructed using recordings from family interviews that have laid dormant in an attic somewhere in the north of England for almost a quarter of a century and comes with an accompanying 50 minute film edited by BAFTA nominee Annie Watson. FLF has assembled a highly personal and organic album around these speeches using electronic and acoustic instruments as one to present a synth-centred orchestral album that sparkles with originality and wit. Indeed Memories From A Fading Room achieves an intriguing balance between conjuring up a series of snapshots of a nostalgic past whilst being wholly contemporary in musical vision. It is tipped to become the word of mouth album of the year, the kind of record you find in the dusty corner of the junk shop Bagpuss inhabits and come to treasure forever more.

Review
When it comes to packing emotion into electronic music it s easy to press the angry button or get horny horny horny horny. Nothing wrong with that as the punky-electro identI-hordes will breathe heavily into your ear. But not so many albums try and explore something deeper and more personal then come up with something that can only be described as beautiful. Future Loop Foundation is Mark Barrott and he s done just that by looking back to his childhood and constructing a series of poignant, haunting electronic reflections inspired by recordings of his family in the 70s. The memories have inspired a lovely soundscape which manages to be dreamy and melodic without slipping into soppiness. It also accompanies a 50 minute DVD film of Super8 footage of Mark s childhood. In some hands this could be cringe-inducing. Barrott exercises his trademark deftness and experience gained from his previous four albums to deliver a stunning piece of work which could actually make you well up if you have any warm feelings towards your own growing up. There s also an EP which sees tracks sensitively reworked by Rob Da Bank and Chris Coco, Hiem and Beauty School. --Kris Needs - Update 5 Stars

With four successful albums under his belt Mark Barrott (aka Future Loop Foundation), has embarked on his most inspired project to date. Memories from a Fading Room is constructed using recordings from family interviews that have laid dormant in an attic somewhere in the North of England for a quarter of a century. Amassed back in his childhood days, the vocal snippets document a simpler existence which proved to be an inspiration for Barrott. When I first read the above blurb that came with the CD I was expecting a self indulgent, un-accessible, labour of love, unexpectedly what I discovered was some of the most beautiful 560 minutes of electronic music I ve had the pleasure of listening to. I thought that by using sound clips of his family Barrott would alienate his listener, but somehow the seemingly random sounds layered over the hushed tones, of what is presumably his Grandmother on On the Village Radar , sounds quite special. There s no beat here, no drums, no reverb, no noise, just bliss. The guitar in Everything as it should be lulls you in before the piano and synth wash over you. Things elevate a bit on Homegrown Dynamic , it reminded me a bit of the Chemical Brothers in their more mellow moments, In-between Somewhere Beautiful continues that theme through the next track before it turns up a touch more Orb-ish with Experimentation Begins at Home . This is where we live is one of the more melodic tracks on the CD sounding almost like Badly Drawn Boy in places and then comes Sunshine Philosophy . Warm, mellow, floating, it s one of those songs that takes you away. The second to last track The Sea and the Sky is the pinnacle of the album, everything before it seeming to build up to an amazing nine minutes of what sounds like an orchestra playing in the sun, uplifting, melodic and quite beautiful. Wait till the sun comes out, sit down, relax and listen to this one. You won t be disappointed! --Inhale

Blimey - this is good. We re not just talking okay good, either - more I ve just had a head rush, i need a nice cup of tea and a sit down good. Which is obviously, very good. The original The Sea and The Sky is simply awesome - a soaring orchestral beast that gently rises and falls in all the right places, but the remixes are equally sublime. Padded cell throw down a synthy version that throbs and tingles impressively, while TG does his am in a cellar tech-house thing. Best of all, though, is Ashley Beedles lush Balearic house version. by the end you ll be hugging everyone in sight, holding your hands skyward and crying like a big girl. It has end of night written all over it. --IDJ review by MA 5 stars