The duo comprises DJs Matt Black & Jonathan More, formed in London, England… Read Full Bio ↴The duo comprises DJs Matt Black & Jonathan More, formed in London, England around 1986. During their career they have encompassed a wide range of styles from hip hop and rap to electronica and jazz-inflected sounds. They began working together in the mid-eighties on the (then) pirate radio station KissFM. Shortly thereafter they released their first single, Say Kids, What Time Is It?, which marked the first stirrings of the UK's dance/cutup scene. This was followed by their influential remix of Eric B. & Rakim's Paid in Full, which made the top 10 and was voted best remix of the year. Featuring a prominent Ofra Haza sample and a slew of other vocal cutups, it is now regarded as both a hip hop classic and a breakthrough in the remix field.

Their first major hit as Coldcut was the house-inflected People Hold On, featuring a then-unknown Lisa Stansfield. The single took the U.K. by a storm, and the subsequent album featured such luminaries as Junior Reid (on the single "Stop This Crazy Thing") and Queen Latifah.

In 1991 they started their own record label, Ninja Tune, which continues to release groundbreaking and extremely diverse music by a small army of like-minded artists. In 1997 the duo unveiled their own real time video manipulation software, VJamm. Coldcut's current live and DJ sets rely on video as much as records, taking the concept of multimedia performance into largely uncharted territory.

Conceptually, Coldcut owes as much to the ideas of beat writer and cut-up theorist William S. Burroughs, 1970s art / industrial group Throbbing Gristle, and the religious writings of J. R. "Bob" Dobbs as much as to hip-hop originators like Grandmaster Flash or later innovators Double D and Steinski.

Recognizing the power inherent in Burroughs' cut-up technique and its presence in hip hop music, More and Black have relentlessly pushed the D.I.Y. ethic and an understanding of play as a means of fostering greater interaction with and understanding of the world around you. The similarities between this ethos and that of hacking need hardly be stated. Ninja Tune uses a corporate facade to communicate via the marketplace itself, an idea first implemented by Throbbing Gristle via their own Industrial Records imprint.

One of the key aspects of the Ninja Tune ethos, Stealth, implies that their following of DJs and listeners are "agents" in a Burroughsian sense, propagating the D.I.Y. ethic of play as an essentially subversive act by replaying and manipulating media under the radar of mainstream culture. Nowadays Coldcut reach a worldwide audience through their syndicated radio show Solid Steel. Black has recently (2003) worked with Penny Rimbaud (ex Crass) on Crass Agenda's Savage Utopia project.

In 2006, Coldcut released their fifth album, Sound Mirrors. single True Skool featured rapper Roots Manuva and featured an Indian sample from a cult Bollywood era, making the track popular on the bhangra and desi scene and with most of the British Asian urban nation.

Atomic Moog 2000
Coldcut Lyrics

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Atomic military Buildup can be reversed
outlaw the bomb

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in "Atomic Moog 2000" by Coldcut speak to issues surrounding nuclear weapons and the potential for disarmament. The lines "Atomic military buildup can be reversed" and "Outlaw the bomb" suggest that the build-up of nuclear arms is not an inevitability, and that there is hope for a peaceful resolution. The use of the term "outlaw" emphasizes the need for active measures to be taken in order to prevent the destructive effects of nuclear weapons. By calling for an end to the proliferation of nuclear technology, Coldcut is advocating for a safer and more peaceful world.

Additionally, the song's title, "Atomic Moog 2000," makes reference to the Moog synthesizer, a key component of the electronic music that Coldcut produces. The juxtaposition of this futuristic technology with the outdated and dangerous technology of nuclear weapons highlights the potential for progress and innovation in modern society, but also emphasizes the need for responsible use of such tools.

Line by Line Meaning

Atomic military Buildup can be reversed
The process of developing nuclear weapons can be stopped and undone

outlaw the bomb
Make it illegal to possess or use nuclear weapons

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MATT BLACK, PAUL BROOK, JONATHAN MORE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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