Studio Electrophonique: The Sheffield space age, from The Human League to Pulp – Jamie Taylor

in conversation with Deb Grant

17 October, 2025 at 6:00 pm

The Sheffield space age began in 1961, when local mechanic Ken Patten won a tape-recording competition by recreating the sound of a rocket launch using a pencil and a bicycle pump. The makeshift home studio Ken constructed became the launch pad for a group of young musicians who would shape the futuristic sound of 1980s pop. The Human League, Heaven 17, Pulp, ABC and others made their early recordings with Ken, whose DIY ethic was the perfect fit for a city facing industrial decline but teeming with ideas.

Studio Electrophonique tells the story of a generation seeking new frontiers in music, using everything they could lay their hands on – from science fiction novels to glam rock, Dada art and cheap electronics – to get there. Drawing on original interviews with Jarvis Cocker, Martyn Ware, Mark White and others, it brings to light a world of humour, charm, creativity and unfounded yet undaunted self-belief.

“The amazing story of an enthusiastic oddball who changed the sound of British pop” Mark Radcliffe

Deb Grant is a broadcaster on BBC 6 Music, a DJ, and a columnist

For info on screening of A Film About Studio Electrophonique at Showroom Cinema 17 Oct, 8.30pm visit showroomcinema.org.uk