Wavemaker -

Wavemaker was an English electronic duo that released the 1975–77 Polydor albums Where Are We Captain?… and New Atlantis.

Members: Brian Hodgson, John Lewis

Background

Formed by BBC Radiophonic Workshop-vet/White Noise-cofounder Hodgson with Electrophon Studio cohort Lewis, the duo released two albums on Polydor with help from percussionist Jon Keliehor and kettledrummer Anthony McVey.

Where Are We Captain?…

Wakemake released their first album, Where Are We Captain?…, in 1975 on Polydor.

“Lodestar” has a Moog theme and fuzzy sounds over simulated sheet-metal effects. It builds into a percussive electro-jam of dueling processed sounds (in B).

Electro-bass forwards the shifting syncopated meters of “Syren’s Song,” where a flowing ARP-ish theme emerges dominant among a spiraling mass of cymbal-misted analogue filigree.

Kettledrums underlay waves of Electrophon fuzz on “Double Helix” — a sonic raging sea of splashing echoes and oscillations. Midway through, the storm is swallowed in a percussive-laden jam of filtered/vibrato counterpoint.

Stars flicker aglow as the one-four-three-two progression of “Oracle” takes shape in Dmin. Colliding electro-layers soar and fizzle amidst the unit’s hazy percussive debris until a shift in cadence ushers an avalanche of chordal descents. Eventually, the current slows as the sonic elements sparkle, melt, and thaw like lava into water.

New Atlantis

Wavemaker released their second album, New Atlantis, in 1977 on Polydor. The title comes from a 1624 essay by English philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon (aka Lord Verulam, 1561–1626).

Void-spawn electro-echoes spin to a halt as the modulating theme of “Salomon’s House” takes form. Kickdrum syncopation fuels bars of ascending–descending chromatic counterpoint, which are gradually engulfed in a churchy organ wave that fades in and out amidst torrents of glockenspiel-laced tom fills. All the while, the central theme gains evermore nuance.

At side’s end, Electrophone layers simmer, percolate, and boil four-fold in the rhythmless “Waters of Paradise.”

“Echoes C” builds slowly from a synth/percussion call-and-response, congealing in full during the fourth minute. A cymbal-laden 2/4 kicks in around 5:10 to weather a meteor storm of polyphonic down-pitch. Shifting bass/harpsichord/marimba-like tones spiral from a vortex of sound-simulation across the tom-driven finale.

“Tunnel of Love”

In September 1977, Wavemaker released the non-album single “Tunnel of Love,” a vocal electro-funk track backed with “Mickey Moonshine.” John Lewis co-wrote both numbers with Ben Cross. “Tunnel of Love” features an unidentified female singer and brass section.

After Wavemaker

A Hodgson–Lewis LP titled Encore Electronic appeared on the Standard Music Library label concurrently with Wavemaker’s debut. After the duo split, Hodgson refocused on BBC work while Lewis went on to assorted sessions.

Discography: