Madchester
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Madchester refers to a period during the late 1980s and early 1990s when bands under the successful Factory Records label began to attract a lot of popularity.
During this period rock bands such as Inspiral Carpets (from Oldham), The Stone Roses, The Farm (from Liverpool), and The Happy Mondays emanated from Manchester as well as electronic music outfits such as 808 State and A Guy Called Gerald. The city had earlier seen punk rock outfits such as Buzzcocks, The Fall and Joy Division (from which New Order grew), and Manchester band The Smiths were one of the most popular indie groups of the 1980s. Though these bands originated from the Greater Manchester area, not all were labelled Madchester music.
The Madchester music was a combination of indie rock, psychedelia, and dance. In many instances it came out of collaboration between guitar-based groups and dance music producers. Producers such as Paul Oakenfold, Martin Hannett, Andrew Weatherall and Stephen Hague had a significant impact on the Madchester scene, frequently incoporating elements of the mid-tempo "Balearic" dance style associated with Ibiza nightclubs at that time.
It was also during this time that there was an influx of drug culture into the city (predominatly Ecstasy) that helped fuel the rise of some of the most popular dance music clubs of the time, such as Fac 51 Haçienda. "The Haçienda" was run by Factory Records record label impresario Tony Wilson and Factory Records also signed many of the artists associated with the Madchester scene, such as the Happy Mondays, New Order and The Other Two.
Bands such as The Stone Roses and other bands from Greater Manchester such as The Smiths and The Charlatans are not classed as part of the "Madchester" movement because they are affilated with other independant record labels and not Factory Records who benefited from the coined media phrase.
The 2002 film 24 Hour Party People is a semi-satirical depiction of the rise of Factory Records and many of the bands associated both directly and indirectly with the record label.
Major Madchester recordings
- Happy Mondays
- Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches (1990)
- "WFL (Wrote For Luck)" (single, 1989)
- "Madchester Rave On EP" (1989)
- "Step On" (1990)
- "Kinky Afro" (1990)
- New Order
- Technique (album) (1989)
- "World In Motion..." (Englandneworder, 1990)
- Electronic
- Electronic (1991)
- "Get The Message" (1991)
- Inspiral Carpets
- "Life" (1990)
External links
- Open Directory Project: Madchester (http://www.dmoz.org/Arts/Music/Styles/Rock/Alternative/Madchester/)
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