TimeShard
Encyclopedia
Time Shard were one of the innovators in underground UK
electronic dance music
during the 'second summer of love' in 1989. During their first five years Gobber, Psi and Angstrom became known as one of the UK's first live 'acid house
' acts, during this time they developed a sound which (later) became known as Psychedelic trance
although at the time they were often described as producing Ambient or Shamanic Trance music.
Their early music was a synthesis of dub with the pulsating sounds of Kraftwerk
and on slower pieces the influence of Brian Eno
is in evidence. Their signature sound of analogue synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines overlaid with glissando guitars and an electric sitar
player became popular as music magazine publishers struggled to deal with the new rift between rock and roll
and the burgeoning house music
music. Time Shard built a devoted following among the mixture of punks and Acid House followers which flocked to Britain's fields during this period.
Their initial successes were on the UK's free - festival circuit, which was in a period of transition and fusion as acid house fans found a place to dance (initially) without restriction, outside mainstream club culture, which had yet to develop the 'superclubs' such as Cream
.
In later years (1996- ) they fell victim to the UK's criminal justice bill which killed many venues, this, combined with the fragile financial health of their record company Planet Dog
urged them to take to the web, where they became one of the first groups to attempt distribution of MP3 files, striking a deal with webmusic distribution pioneers e-music.
In recent years they have been quiet, but still maintain a web page at http://www.timeshard.com.
Some of these are available from the Planet Dog records website at www.planetdogrecords.com
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
electronic dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
during the 'second summer of love' in 1989. During their first five years Gobber, Psi and Angstrom became known as one of the UK's first live 'acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
' acts, during this time they developed a sound which (later) became known as Psychedelic trance
Psychedelic trance
Psychedelic trance, psytrance or just psy is a form of electronic music characterized by hypnotic arrangements of synthetic rhythms and complex layered melodies created by high tempo riffs. It appeared in the mainstream in 1995 as with reporting of the trend of Goa trance. The genre offers variety...
although at the time they were often described as producing Ambient or Shamanic Trance music.
Their early music was a synthesis of dub with the pulsating sounds of Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
and on slower pieces the influence of Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
is in evidence. Their signature sound of analogue synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines overlaid with glissando guitars and an electric sitar
Electric sitar
An electric sitar is a kind of electric guitar designed to mimic the sound of the traditional Indian instrument, the sitar. Depending on the manufacturer and model, these instruments bear varying degrees of resemblance to the traditional sitar...
player became popular as music magazine publishers struggled to deal with the new rift between rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and the burgeoning house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
music. Time Shard built a devoted following among the mixture of punks and Acid House followers which flocked to Britain's fields during this period.
Their initial successes were on the UK's free - festival circuit, which was in a period of transition and fusion as acid house fans found a place to dance (initially) without restriction, outside mainstream club culture, which had yet to develop the 'superclubs' such as Cream
Cream (nightclub)
Cream, based at the Nation nightclub in Liverpool, is one of the best-known night clubs in the UK. Cream began life as a weekly house music night at Nation, and ran in this format for 10 years, from October 1992 to June 2002...
.
In later years (1996- ) they fell victim to the UK's criminal justice bill which killed many venues, this, combined with the fragile financial health of their record company Planet Dog
Planet Dog
Planet Dog is a small ambient/techno/breakbeat/psychedelic trance record label based in London, UK. It is part of the same organisation that ran Club Dog in London and the touring Megadog parties....
urged them to take to the web, where they became one of the first groups to attempt distribution of MP3 files, striking a deal with webmusic distribution pioneers e-music.
In recent years they have been quiet, but still maintain a web page at http://www.timeshard.com.
Album
- Crystal Oscillations (Planet DogPlanet DogPlanet Dog is a small ambient/techno/breakbeat/psychedelic trance record label based in London, UK. It is part of the same organisation that ran Club Dog in London and the touring Megadog parties....
1994) - Hunab Ku (Planet DogPlanet DogPlanet Dog is a small ambient/techno/breakbeat/psychedelic trance record label based in London, UK. It is part of the same organisation that ran Club Dog in London and the touring Megadog parties....
1996) - Live (Neo)
Some of these are available from the Planet Dog records website at www.planetdogrecords.com