Search - Wide Receiver :: Finally

Big, chemical beats from London to San Francisco

Eric Lee | San Francisco, CA | 09/08/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you like the new Crystal Method, Uberzone, Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Leftfield, Fatboy Slim, Beatseed you'll love the UK's Wide Receiver, released worldwide through the notorious Journees Music. Here's some info we dug up on them on the web... An excerpt of 'Cained' is used throughout the film 'The Debt Collector' (June 1999). New mixes have been recorded with guitar and clav by Primal Scream's Andrew Innes and Martin Duffy.Wall of Sound's head honcho, Mark Jones, received an anonymous cassette of three demos during the bleak winter of 1996. The combination of heavy beats and cinematic samples appealed to Mr Jones wry sense of humour and led to Wide Receiver's first official recording: the Italian Job sampling "Daylight Robbery" on Wall Of Sound's 'Dig The Nu Breed' compliation. It was one of three track's selected by Radio 1's Mary Ann Hobbs to profile the album, and was even used as bed music for concert footage of the Backstreet Boys on BBC 2's Ozone programme (We would never make up this stuff, honest).
Daylight Robbery was subsequently released on 12" vinyl backed by the Get Carter sampling "Cained" in June 1996 as the Completely Cained ep. Cained was included on the 'Big Beat Elite' compliation CD on Lacerba records, and was used in the film 'The Debt Collector', released June 1999. We recommend you catch it now on video (if your 'ard enuff).
Wide Receiver's first remix was Grease by 18 Wheeler on Creation in 1997. Wide Receiver have gone on to remix: The Egg (China), Subcircus (Echo), Arkana (WEA), Hoodwink (Mute), Ballroom (Mother), The O (Polydor), Africa Bambaata (Multiply), The Cardigans (Stockholm records), and The Lanterns (Colombia).
Following an Italian dj'ing gig in October 1998 at the aptly named MAFFIA nightclub in Reggio Emmilia, Wide Receiver recorded "Breakbeat Sushi", the band's most requested release.
It was immediately included on the Big Beat Elite 2 compilation (Cerbad 005), before being released on vinyl in April 1998, backed by the Rakim sampling "Let 'em Know you're there". The dj support behind both sides of the single ensured that it became the staple of clubs around the world and led to it's inclusion by John Stapleton on React Records 'Dope On Plastic 6' in Feb '99. 'Sushi' has been reworked for inclusion on Wide Receiver's forthcoming debut album (Spring 2000).
Wide Receiver's live debut was at Camden's underworld in March 1998. Incorporating a full live band with Karl Mann on guitar, Simon Doling on vertical drum kit, Lewis Kirk on drums, Ian Gotts on bass and Steve Blood on vocoder, keys, airhorn and plastic dogbones. Further gigs followed at the Monarch with Fused and Bruised's Surreal Madrid as support, the Falcon, Water Rats, Camden Palace, and a further tour de force at the Underworld, before venturing out of London to Squires in Bedford, the Vapour festival in Birmingham with the Freestyler's and the Dub Pistols, and a 4000 capacity marquee packed with screaming teens at the Galaxy 102 festival in Leeds supporting Adam F.
Simon Williams review of the band's performance at the Monarch as 'the 90s answer to pigbag' in the NME, and Steve Lamacq, also in attendance at the Monarch booked the band immediately for a live appearance on the evening session, which was broadcast in June 1998."