But where the others would swiftly diverge and head off in many creative directions – into increasing abstraction or intricacy, or back towards pure techno – Plaid were the ones who stayed truest to the musical values they started out with. Their sound palette has got broader over the years, their techniques more sophisticated, they increasingly incorporate real instruments – especially with their ever-closer collaborations with multi-instrumentalist Benet Walsh – but over the years their focus has remained the same: intricate but always grooving rhythm, immersive listening experience and melodies and sound design that connect direct to the emotional centres.
The pair, and Ken Downie with whom they formed The Black Dog, were initially inspired “first of all by hip-hop and electro, then later by the techno, house and acid we heard coming from the US”
"We were motivated to write because the music we liked was difficult to find at that point. We listened to cassette compilations and shared US import vinyl bought at places like Blackmarket and Groove Records in London”.
Indeed, their earliest releases from 1989 onwards – which now fetch eye-popping sums second hand – are hip-hop as much as they are techno or electronica. And like so many hip-hop beat heads, they got immersed in the crate-digging game, seeking new and obscure vinyl to sample for beats, and as a result very quickly got a schooling in jazz and funk. This too is instantly audible in their work: from the beginning they had a swing and roll to their rhythms, and a narrative complexity to their chord and melody patterns that made them stand apart.
For all that this music was intended for close listening (the computer art of an android enjoying a smoke and a Pink Floyd album on the cover of the first Artificial Intelligence album in 1994 made that clear), it was not an alternative to club music. Quite the opposite, it was very strongly rooted in the dancefloor, and the scene around British electronica was a social one, with a supportive scene involving not just the WARP artists but acts like Coldcut, Orbital, Bandulu, The Orb, Future Sound Of London and an array of spaces both legal and illegal to play in. Ed and Andy's clearest and best memories of the time are of clubs and live shows: as they say, “Mindset and setting has a huge impact on the way music is experienced. Often a track will vividly evoke a moment in time far more than a picture of an event.”
And although they've played many huge shows over the years, their musical hearts are still in small clubs like the Bass Clef in pre-gentrification Hoxton, or Club 69 in Paisley on the outskirts of Glasgow, with “artist and audience on the same level, people not even bothered about the performer, everyone just enjoying the music and the night.”
Plaid as a duo and The Black Dog as a trio existed concurrently, indeed blurred into one another on the legendary Bytes album and elsewhere, until 1995 when Ed and Andy decided to focus entirely on Plaid. Up until that point, despite their prodigious output and cult status, music had ultimately been a hobby, a way of making the sounds they wanted to hear – but from here on in, the scale and pace of their activities stepped up a gear. Being asked to support Björk on an Asian tour in 1996 gave them an immense boost, and confident in the support of WARP to treat them as an act with a viable career, they spread their wings and really became the entity they are today.
While the scene around them was twisting into ever-new forms, and in particular the fiddly intricacies of IDM started to risk heading into cliché, Plaid remained true to their love of song and groove, and though they were as in love with the possibilities of technology as any of their peers, for them it was always a tool to support the music, not vice versa as in many cases. Regular collaborations with unique singers like Björk and Nicolette, and frequent remix work for the likes of Goldfrapp and Herbert only strengthened the duo's own sense of song structure, and their gigging increased, keeping them constantly in touch with their audience and the possibilities of live performance.
That work rate has not let up. In the 2000s they increasingly worked on film soundtracking, with their scores for Michael Arias's Tekkonkinkreet and Heaven's Door becoming among their best-loved releases. This tied in with a strong visual aesthetic that has always been part and parcel with Plaid's output – whether in artwork, videos, or on-stage projections, which they two feel are vital to what they do and have evolved along with the available technologies. Indeed, their next tour is set to involve them 'playing' a visual sequencer, with custom screens built for three-dimensional image mapping, and they speak excitedly about the possibilities of working with virtual reality. Whether as DJs or a live act, Plaid still play 40 to 50 shows a year, and everything they do is tested in this demanding atmosphere.
If anything, in fact, they've stepped up the pace even more lately, and their cross-media and technological collaborations are becoming more diverse. There was the material written for the robotic orchestra Felix's Machines at Workshop InFiné, Normandoux in 2014 with Felix Thorn, and performed at the Tate Modern in London in 2018. Also in 2018 they wrote a three track EP entirely on the Elektron Analog Rytm beat machine and sold in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support. They were involved with the development and launch of Mogees – the electronic trigger that can turn any device into an instrument. They soundtracked a level on the Little Big Planet 3 game. With The Creators Project, Nexus Interactive Arts and director Evan Boehm they worked on sound for an original interactive film experience, The Carp and the Seagull. And so it goes on, but always with their constant studio experimentation driving everything.
Discography:
- Peel Session 2 (2019)
- Polymer (2019)
- The Digging Remedy (2016)
- Reachy Prints (2014)
- Scintilli (2011)
- Heaven's Door (Soundtrack) (2009)
- Tekkonkinkreet Remix Tekkinkonkreet (2007)
- Tekkonkinkreet (Soundtrack) (2006)
- Greedy Baby (2006)
- Dial P (2003)
- Spokes (2003)
- Parts In The Post (2003)
- P-Brane EP (2002)
- Double Figure (2001)
- Booc (2000)
- Trainer (2000)
- Futura Connect (1999)
- Rest Proof Clockwork(1999)
- Peel Session (1999)
- Not For Threes (1997)
- Mbuku Mvuki (1991)
Shackbu
Plaid Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Arrested, he was bound.
They said there'd been a robbery,
his pistol had been found.
They marched him to the station house,
he waited till the dawn.
And as they led him to the dock,
he knew that he'd been wronged.
he heard the bailiff say.
He knew without an alibi,
tomorrow's light would mourn his freedom.
Over the hills and far away,
for ten long years he'll count the days.
Over the mountains and the seas,
a prisoner's life for him there'll be.
He knew that it would cost him dear,
but yet he dare not say.
Just where he'd been that fateful night,
a secret it must stay.
He had to fight back tears of rage.
His heart beat like a drum.
For with the wife of his best friend,
he spent his final night of freedom.
Over the hills and far away,
he swears he will return one day.
Far from the mountains and the seas,
back in her arms again he'll be.
Over the hills and far away.
Over the hills and,
over the hills and,
over the hills and far away.
Each night within his prison cell,
he looks out through the bars.
He reads the letters that she wrote.
One day he'll know the taste of freedom.
Over the hills and far away,
she prays he will return one day.
As sure as the rivers reach the seas,
back in his arms again she'll be.
Over the hills and far away,
he swears he will return one day.
As sure as the river reach the seas,
back in his arms is where she'll be.
Over the hills and far away,
she prays he will return one day.
As sure as the rivers reach the sea,
back in her arms is where he'll be.
Over the hills,
over the hills and far away.
Over the hills,
over the hills and far away.
The lyrics to Plaid’s song Shackbu tell a story of a man who is wrongfully accused of robbery and is sentenced to ten years in prison. The song describes his journey, with the lyrics “Over the hills and far away,” as he faces the reality of life in prison, away from his loved ones. The pain of being taken away from his freedom and being separated from his wife, who he spent his last night of freedom with, is palpable in lines like “His heart beat like a drum.” The story reveals that the man knows where he was on the night of the robbery, but he cannot reveal his alibi and will have to keep it a secret. As he spends his days in prison, he receives letters from his wife, who is still waiting for his return, and he hopes for the day that he can be with her again.
The song takes on a somber tone as it tells the story of a man who has been wronged by the legal system. The lyrics depict the emotional turmoil that the man faces as he is forced to live in captivity, longing for freedom and a life with his wife. The song ends on a hopeful note, as the man vows to return to his wife one day, and as sure as the rivers reach the sea, he will be back in her arms.
Line by Line Meaning
They came for him one winter's night.
On a cold winter's evening, a man was arrested by law enforcement.
Arrested, he was bound.
After being apprehended, he was restrained in some manner.
They said there'd been a robbery, his pistol had been found.
Authorities accused him of committing a theft and discovered a firearm in his possession.
They marched him to the station house, he waited till the dawn.
The officers escorted him to a police station where he remained detained until morning.
And as they led him to the dock, he knew that he'd been wronged.
While being transported to court, he realized that he was wrongly accused.
"You stand accused of robbery," he heard the bailiff say.
The bailiff announced the charges of theft against him.
He knew without an alibi, tomorrow's light would mourn his freedom.
Since he had no proof of his whereabouts at the time of the robbery, he feared that he would be found guilty and imprisoned.
Over the hills and far away, for ten long years he'll count the days.
He will soon be sent away to a distant location and be imprisoned for a decade.
Over the mountains and the seas, a prisoner's life for him there'll be.
He will be incarcerated far from his home, and he will experience the hardships of being behind bars.
He knew that it would cost him dear, but yet he dare not say.
He was aware that his silence regarding his whereabouts on the night of the crime could be costly, yet he felt unable to reveal his true location.
Just where he'd been that fateful night, a secret it must stay.
He had to keep his whereabouts on the night of the robbery a secret.
He had to fight back tears of rage. His heart beat like a drum.
As he contemplated his fate, he struggled to control his emotions and felt his heart pounding rapidly.
For with the wife of his best friend, he spent his final night of freedom.
On the eve of his arrest, he engaged in a romantic relationship with his best friend's wife, knowing that he might not be free again for a long time.
Over the hills and far away, he swears he will return one day.
Despite his prolonged imprisonment, he is optimistic that he will be released and will eventually go back home.
Far from the mountains and the seas, back in her arms again he'll be.
He dreams of reuniting with the woman he fell in love with on the night of his arrest and being with her wherever she may be.
Each night within his prison cell, he looks out through the bars.
While trapped in his cell, he gazes outside and feels confined.
He reads the letters that she wrote. One day he'll know the taste of freedom.
He reads the correspondence that his lover sends him and cherishes and anticipates his upcoming liberation.
As sure as the rivers reach the seas, back in his arms again she'll be.
He is confident that he and his lover will reunite soon, like how water naturally flows to the ocean.
As sure as the river reach the seas, back in her arms is where he'll be.
He knows that he will be with his beloved partner again, like how rivers merge with the ocean.
She prays he will return one day. As sure as the rivers reach the sea, back in her arms is where he'll be.
His lover hopes for his safe return and believes that they will be reunited, just as rivers join the ocean.
Over the hills, over the hills and far away.
Despite the distance between them and the obstacles they face, they both long to be reunited.
Over the hills, over the hills and far away.
Their longing for each other continues, amidst the deep separation imposed on them.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GARY (GB MOORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Věrka Soukupová
BUT ITS PAST
Věrka Soukupová
DONA...its hurtS full for \ME...DONA Paula..i see...I firstly feel a pain
|LIKe ME LIKE ME LIKED ME LIKED ME LIKE MEEEEEEEEEE
PLEASEE$
take control..i am maD..but i used to bee...I AM IAM IAM.......
waterfallls of paIN...Waterfalls of anxiety...every morning
eatingb for breakfast THIS SHIT..AGAIN AGAIN and AGAIN...pls TRUST ME
Věrka Soukupová
my HEART BOOM BOOM