View source for The Future Sound of London

{{Short description|British electronic group}}

{{Unreliable sources|date=December 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}

{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = The Future Sound of London
| image             = 11apr_261_GarryCobain.jpg
| caption           = Garry Cobain at the 2009 [[Gogolfest]] in Kyiv, Ukraine
| landscape         = no
| background        = group_or_band
| alias             = {{plainlist|
* Amorphous Androgynous
* Blackhill Transmitter
* Synthi-A
* Yage}}
| origin            = [[Manchester]], England
| genre             = {{flatlist|
* [[Electronic music|Electronic]]
* [[intelligent dance music|IDM]]
* [[techno]]
* [[Ambient music|ambient]]
* [[psychedelic music|psychedelia]]
* [[experimental music|experimental]]
}}
| years_active      = 1988–present
| label             = Jumpin' & Pumpin', [[Astralwerks Records|Astralwerks]], [[Rephlex]], [[Virgin Records|Virgin]], Quigley, Hypnotic, Future Sound of London Recordings, FSOLDigital, Electronic Brain Violence
| associated_acts   = 
| website           = [http://www.futuresoundoflondon.com futuresoundoflondon.com]
| current_members   = {{plainlist|
*[[Garry Cobain]]
*[[Brian Dougans]]
}}
| past_members      = 
}}

'''The Future Sound of London''' (often abbreviated '''FSOL''') is a British [[electronic music]] duo composed of [[Garry Cobain]] and [[Brian Dougans]]. They have been described as a "boundary-pushing" electronic act,<ref>{{Allmusic | class = artist | id = p74795 | tab = biography | label = Biography of The Future Sound of London | first = Sean | last = Cooper | access-date = 22 March 2009 }}</ref> covering [[techno]], [[ambient music|ambient]], [[house music]], [[trip hop]], [[psychedelic music|psychedelia]], and [[dub music|dub]].<ref>{{Allmusic | class = artist | id = p44795 | tab = biography | label = Biography of Amorphous Androgynous | first = John | last = Bush | access-date = 24 April 2012 }}</ref>

While keeping an enigmatic image and releasing music under many aliases, the band found commercial success with singles "[[Papua New Guinea (song)|Papua New Guinea]]" (1991) and "[[Cascade (song)|Cascade]]" (1993), and albums ''[[Lifeforms (The Future Sound of London album)|Lifeforms]]'' (1994), ''[[ISDN (album)|ISDN]]'' (1995) and ''[[Dead Cities (album)|Dead Cities]]'' (1996). In recent years, the duo has become more candid with their fanbase online. Their later work include their series of experimental ''[[Environments (album)|Environments]]'' and ''Archives'' albums.

==History==

=== Formation ===
[[Garry Cobain]] and [[Brian Dougans]] met in the mid-1980s while studying electronics at university in [[Manchester]]. Dougans had already been making electronic music, working between [[Glasgow]] and Manchester, when the pair first began working together in local clubs. In 1988, Dougans embarked on a project for a graphic studio ''Stakker'', which resulted with a single "[[Stakker Humanoid]]" that reached number 17 in the UK charts, introducing [[acid house]] to mainstream audience.<ref name="Stuart Aitken">{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/nov/11/stakker-humanoid-25th-anniversary-acid-house |title=Stakker Humanoid: how the Future Sound of London won hearts and minds |date=11 November 2013|author=Stuart Aitken|website=The Guardian }}</ref> Cobain contributed to the accompanying album ''[[Global (Humanoid album)|Global]]''. In the following years the pair produced music under a variety of aliases, releasing a number of singles and EPs, including "Q" and "Metropolis", later featured on the 1992 compilation ''Earthbeat''. They were initially signed to the British sub-label of Passion Music, Jumpin' & Pumpin'.<ref>{{Discogs label|1595-Jumpin-Pumpin|Jumpin' & Pumpin'}}</ref>

In 1991, Cobain and Dougans released their breakthrough single, "[[Papua New Guinea (song)|Papua New Guinea]]" on Jumpin' & Pumpin'. The song was based upon a [[Sampling (music)|sample]] from "[[Within the Realm of a Dying Sun|Dawn of the Iconoclast]]" by [[Dead Can Dance]] and a bassline from "Radio Babylon" by [[Meat Beat Manifesto]]. It enjoyed great success, charting at No. 22 for seven weeks in 1992.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/future-sound-of-london-papua-new-guinea/ |website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]] |access-date=31 March 2024 |title=Papua New Guinea by Future Sound of London}}</ref> The single was followed by their debut album, ''[[Accelerator (The Future Sound of London album)|Accelerator]]'', which included "Papua New Guinea" among other new tracks. After a few other releases on Jumpin' & Pumpin', they were signed by [[Virgin Records]], with the free rein to experiment.<ref>{{cite web |author=Richard Buskin |title=Classic Tracks: The Future Sound of London 'Papua New Guinea' |url=https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-future-sound-london-papua-new-guinea |access-date=31 March 2024 |website=soundonsound.com}}</ref>

In 1993, the duo released an ambient album ''[[Tales of Ephidrina]]'', the first under the alias Amorphous Androgynous. The focus on texture and mood, while retaining dance beats, was well received. The album was released on Quigley, the band's own short-lived offshoot of Virgin. The band begun experimenting with radio performance, broadcasting three-hour radio shows to Manchester's Kiss FM from their studio.

===''Lifeforms'' and the ''ISDN'' tour===
In 1993, the band released "[[Cascade (song)|Cascade]]," a nearly 40 minutes single which made the UK top 30. It was followed in 1994 by the album ''[[Lifeforms (The Future Sound of London album)|Lifeforms]]'', released to critical acclaim and a top 10 hit on the UK album chart. The [[Lifeforms (song)|eponymous single]] featured [[Elizabeth Fraser]] of the [[Cocteau Twins]] on vocals. The record introduced an array of exotic, tropical sound samples. Dougans' father's involvement in the [[BBC Radiophonic Workshop]] had a heavy influence on ''Lifeforms''. Often asked whether [[Brian Eno]] was an influence, Cobain and Dougans said they were about looking to the future not the past. To them, ''[[Lifeforms (The Future Sound of London album)|Lifeforms]]'' was a new work not just another Eno-type ambient album.<ref name="Clash magazine">{{cite web |url=http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/future-sound-london |title=Future Sound of London |publisher=[[Clash (magazine)#ClashMusic.com|Clash Music]] |date=1 September 2006 |access-date=1 April 2024}}</ref>{{listen
| filename     = Future Sound of London - Dead Cities - Her Face Forms in Summertime.ogg
| title        = "Her Face Forms in Summertime" (1996)
| description  = Sample of "Her Face Forms in Summertime" from [[Dead Cities (album)|''Dead Cities'']].
| format       = [[Ogg]]
}}

That year, the Future Sound of London released a limited-edition album ''[[ISDN (album)|ISDN]]'', which featured live broadcasts made over [[ISDN]] lines to various radio stations worldwide to promote ''Lifeforms'', including [[The Kitchen (art institution)|The Kitchen]], an avant-garde performance space in New York, and several appearances on BBC ''Sessions'' hosted by [[John Peel]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.secondthought.co.uk/fsol/live.htm |title=The Future Sound of London: Welcome to the Galaxial Pharmaceutical |website=Secondthought.co.uk |access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref> The shows featured ambient soundscapes with previously released material performed alongside unheard tracks. One performance for [[BBC Radio 1]] featured [[Robert Fripp]]. The tone of ''ISDN'' was darker and more rhythmic than ''Lifeforms''. The band wanted to achieve something epic and grand, but no matter how much technological or personal support they had they never got to truly do what they envisioned. Cobain said that the 90s were a time of frustration because the technology didn't fit the band's ideas.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web |url=http://www.barcodezine.com/The%20Future%20Sound%20Of%20London%20Interview.htm |title=The Future Sound of London Interview |website=Barcodezine.com |access-date=22 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927235850/http://www.barcodezine.com/The%20Future%20Sound%20Of%20London%20Interview.htm |archive-date=27 September 2011 }}</ref> In 1995, the album was re-released with expanded artwork and a slightly altered track list.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.secondthought.co.uk/fsol/isdn.htm |title=The Future Sound of London: Welcome to the Galaxial Pharmaceutical |website=Secondthought.co.uk |date=5 December 1994 |access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref>

The band's interests have covered different areas including film and video, [[2D computer graphics|2D]] and [[3D computer graphics]], [[animation]] in making almost all their own videos for their singles, radio broadcasting and creating electronic devices for sound making.<ref name="autogenerated6">{{cite web|author=Andrea Giacobe/Astralwerks |url=http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/future_sound_of_london/artist.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060205024334/http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/future_sound_of_london/artist.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 February 2006 |title=Future Sound of London &#124; Music Artist &#124; Videos, News, Photos & Ringtones &#124; MTV |publisher=MTV  |access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref><ref name="autogenerated5">{{cite web|url=http://www.yage.co.uk/glitch.html |title=glitch |website=Yage.co.uk |access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref>

===''Dead Cities''===
{{listen|filename=WipEout 2097 - FSOL_landmass - WipEout 2097.ogg|title="Landmass" (1995)|description=Sample of "Landmass", which was featured in the game [[Wipeout 2097|''WipEout 2097'']].|format=[[Ogg]]}}
The 1995 edition of ''John Peel Sessions'' featured new tracks which moved away from [[breakbeat]] and the free sampling of ''ISDN''. In 1996, the band released ''[[Dead Cities (album)|Dead Cities]]'' which expanded upon these early demos, in a mix of ambient textures and dance music. The new sound was introduced in the lead single "[[My Kingdom (song)|My Kingdom]]." The album featured the first collaboration with composer [[Max Richter]], including on a 1997 [[big beat]] single "[[We Have Explosive]]" that featured manipulated samples of [[Run DMC]]. The track was used on popular soundtracks to ''[[Mortal Kombat Annihilation]]'', and the video game ''[[Wipeout 2097|WipE'out" 2097]]'', the latter also including a new track "Landmass." "We Have Explosive" was the band's highest-charting single, and over the course of its five-part extended version included hints of [[funk]].

The album was promoted by what the band described as "the fuck rock'n'roll tour" via ISDN, gaining attention as the first world tour without leaving a studio. While the 1994 tour focused on creating soundscapes and unreleased material, the 1996 and 1997 shows were more conventional, each offering a different take on music featured on ''Dead Cities'', blending current with occasional unreleased tracks. The final performances included considerable use of live guitar and percussion.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} These sessions were the basis of the band's later [[psychedelic music|psychedelic]] projects of the following decade, while others appeared on the subsequent album series ''From The Archives''.

===New millennium===
After a four-year hiatus, rumours of [[mental illness]] began to spread. In an interview, Cobain revealed that he had been undertaking spiritual experimentation and had dealt with a bout of [[mercury poisoning]], with over one hundred times the amount deemed to be safe. He gained much from his experience, realising that he could use music as a tool for psychic exploration, entertainment, and healing. <ref name="Clash magazine"/><ref name="autogenerated2" /> The pair returned in 2002 with ''"[[The Isness]]"'', a record heavily influenced by 1960s and 1970s [[psychedelia]] and released under their alias Amorphous Androgynous. It was preceded by ''[[Papua New Guinea (song)#"Translations"|Papua New Guinea Translations]]'', a mini album which contained a mixture of remixes of FSOL's track as well as new material from ''The Isness'' sessions. The album received mixed press due to the drastic change in sound which was inspired by Cobain's and Dougan's (separate) travels to India and immersion in spiritualism, nevertheless the majority was positive with ''[[Muzik]]'' magazine offering the album a 6/5 mark and dubbing it "...a white beam of light from heaven..." and other British publications such as ''[[The Times]]'', ''[[The Guardian]]'' and ''[[Mojo (magazine)|MOJO]]'' praising the album and the band's ability to do something so completely different from what they had done before.<ref>[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/Fsol_-_aa_-_divinity_back_cover_with_reviews.jpg ]{{Dead link|date=August 2010|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref name="autogenerated4">{{cite web|url=http://www.secondthought.co.uk/fsol/muzik02.htm |title=The Future Sound of London: Welcome to the Galaxial Pharmaceutical |website=Secondthought.co.uk |access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref>

Three years on, they followed the album with a continuation of the Amorphous Androgynous project, ''[[Alice in Ultraland]]''. Rumoured to be accompanied by a film of the same title, the album took ''The Isness''{{'}} psychedelic experimentation and toned it down, giving the album a singular theme and sound, and replacing the more bizarre moments with [[funk music|funk]] and ambient interludes. The album was ignored by the press, but was received more favourably among fans than its predecessor. Unlike ''The Isness'', which featured almost 100 musicians over the course of it and the various alternative versions and [[remix]] albums, ''Alice in Ultraland'' featured a fairly solid band lineup throughout, which extended to live shows which the band had undertaken away from the ISDN cables from 2005 onwards.
{{blockquote|text=...song form has just become too limited. And when I say 'psychedelic', it's not a reference to 60s music but to the basic outlook of a child, which we all have. I think this is the only salvation now. Dance music taught us how to use the studio in a new way, but we have to now take that knowledge and move on with it. This stuff, electronic music, is not dead. It's a process that is ongoing. We have to take hold of the past and go forward with it...|source=Cobain on the new Amorphous Androgynous sound<ref name="Clash magazine"/>}}

===5.1 and digital experimentation===
The FSOL moniker re-appeared in 2006 with a piece entitled "A Gigantic Globular Burst of Anti-Static", intended as an experiment in [[5.1 Surround Sound]] and created for an exhibition at the Kinetica art museum entitled, appropriately, "Life Forms". The piece contained reworked material from their archives and newer, more abstract ambient music. The piece was coupled with a video called "Stereo Sucks", marking the band's theories on the limitations of stereo music, which was released on a [[DVD]] packaged with issue 182 of ''Future Music Magazine'' in December 2006 and on FSOL's own download site in March 2007.

They also moved into creating their own sounds when they began constructing electronic instruments, the result of which can be heard on the 2007 release ''[[Hand-Made Devices]]''. At their website Glitch TV (where the motto is "[A] sudden interruption in sanity, continuity or programme function") they sell and explain their devices such as the "Electronic Devices Digital Interface" glitch equipment.<ref name="autogenerated5" /><ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/-7J0MkzfcBs Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20070321032404/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7J0MkzfcBs Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7J0MkzfcBs&feature=PlayList&p=461CB93226697866&index=4 |title=YouTube – electronic devices digital interface (EdDi) |website=Uk.youtube.com |date=22 June 2006 |access-date=22 March 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===FSOLdigital and the Archives===
In 2007, the band uploaded several archive tracks online, for the first time revealing much of their unreleased work and unveiling some of the mystery behind the band. The old FSOL material, including the previously unreleased album ''[[Environments (album)|Environments]]'', along with a selection of newer experiments, the 5.1 experiments and a promise of unreleased Amorphous Androgynous psychedelic material, was uploaded for sale on their online shop, FSOLdigital.com.
{{blockquote|text=The FSOLdigital platform has performed very well – we are delighted that people still dig us – we dig you all too.|source=Brian Dougans on the positive reaction to the site and ''Archives'' sales<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.secondthought.co.uk/fsol/ |title=The Future Sound of London: Welcome to the Galaxial Pharmaceutical |website=Secondthought.co.uk |access-date=22 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313152959/http://www.secondthought.co.uk/fsol/ |archive-date=13 March 2012 }}</ref>}}

In early March 2008, the band released a new online album as Amorphous Androgynous entitled ''[[The Peppermint Tree and Seeds of Superconsciousness]]'', which they describe as "A collection of psychedelic relics from The Amorphous Androgynous, 1967–2007". The release retains the sound of their last two psychedelic albums, while expanding on the element of funk first introduced on 2005's ''[[Alice in Ultraland]]''. They recorded their following album, ''[[The Woodlands of Old]]'', under the alias of their imaginary engineer Yage. Unlike the techno work recorded as Yage in 1992, this new record was darker, more [[trip hop]] and [[world music]]-oriented and featured ex-[[Propellerheads]] member Will White.

From 2008, the band showcased a series of radio broadcasts and podcasts called The Electric Brain Storms, originally on stations such as [[Proton Radio]], PBS radio in Australia, and Frisky Radio. The remaining shows appeared on the band's official site<ref name="digitalpodroom"/> and SoundCloud.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://soundcloud.com/fsol-digital-recordings/the-electric-brain-storm|title=THE ELECTRIC BRAIN STORM – Document Eight|access-date=27 April 2019|website=Soundcloud.com}}</ref> The shows featured electronic, krautrock, experimental and psychedelic favourites of the band mixed in with known and unknown FSOL material, including newly recorded tracks, archived pieces, and new alias recordings. Many of the new tracks appeared on the band's ''Environments'' series. Cobain has described the new music as having "the introspective, kind of euphoric sadness that was always there in the FSOL melodies".<ref name="secondthought.co.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.secondthought.co.uk/fsol/newalbum.htm |title=The Future Sound of London: Welcome to the Galaxial Pharmaceutical |website=Secondthought.co.uk |access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref>

From this point, the band have been alternating their focus between different projects. In 2008, ''[[Environments II]]'' and ''[[From the Archives Vol. 5]]'' were released on the band's site, followed by ''[[Environments 3]]'' and ''[[From the Archives Vol. 6]]'' in 2010; and ''[[Environments 4]]'' and ''[[From the Archives Vol. 7]]'' in 2012. Whilst the Archives feature old, unreleased material, the ''Environments'' albums feature a mixture of old demos, recently completed, and new tracks.<ref name="ilovecubus.co.uk">{{cite web|url=http://ilovecubus.co.uk/fsolboard/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=311|title=The FSOL Message Board • View topic – Forthcoming releases|website=Ilovecubus.co.uk|access-date=27 April 2019}}</ref>

The band have continued to use the FSOLDigital platform to release side-projects and solo work, under names such as Blackhill Transmitter, EMS : Piano, Suburban Domestic and 6 Oscillators in Remittance, as well as distributing digital releases from other artists, including Daniel Pemberton, Herd, Kettel & Secede, Neotropic, Ross Baker and Seafar;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fsoldigital.com/product-category/side/|title=Side Projects / Other Artists Archives|website=Fsoldigital.com|access-date=27 April 2019}}</ref> they also continue to update The Pod Room with ISDN transmissions from the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fsoldigital.com/product-category/pod/|title=Pod Room Archives|website=Fsoldigital.com|access-date=27 April 2019}}</ref>

===''A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding in Your Mind''===
Following on from the band's 1997 DJ set of the same name, a series of ''Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding in Your Mind'' mix CDs were begun in 2006. The first two were released under the Amorphous Androgynous alias, subtitled "Cosmic Space Music" and "Pagan Love Vibrations", with the first taking over two years to compile, mix and gain sample clearance, both featuring the band's psychedelic influences. A third is set for release sometime in 2010, and will be more electronic, mixed by the Future Sound of London.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://users.boardnation.com/~fsoladmin/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=90 |title=A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble |website=Users.boardnation.com |access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref> Further mixes in the series are expected in the future, to be curated by related artists,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://users.boardnation.com/~fsoladmin/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=317 |title=AA/Gaz interview in this month's Classic Rock |website=Users.boardnation.com |access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref> and the band took the concept live with an eleven-hour spot at 2009's Green Man festival,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thegreenmanfestival.co.uk/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030517065312/http://www.thegreenmanfestival.co.uk/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 May 2003 |title=21st, 22nd & 23rd August 2009 |publisher=The Green Man Festival |date=17 August 2008 |access-date=22 March 2009 }}</ref> to contain live bands and DJ spots.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://users.boardnation.com/~fsoladmin/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=332 |title=AA 7 hour Bubble at Green Man festival (and more news) |website=Users.boardnation.com |access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref>

[[Noel Gallagher]] of British rock band [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]], after hearing the first release, became a fan and asked the band to remix the following Oasis single "Falling Down". The Amorphous Androgynous responded with a 5 part, 22-minute Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble remix, which Noel liked enough to release on its own 12". Noel also invited Cobain to DJ at the afterparty for one of Oasis' gigs at Wembley Arena.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://users.boardnation.com/~fsoladmin/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=304 |title=The Amorphous Androgynous & Oasis |website=Users.boardnation.com |access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref>

The band continue the psychedelic theme to the mixes on their [[podcast]] site The Pod Room<ref name="digitalpodroom">{{cite web |url=http://www.yage.co.uk/digitalpodroom.html |title=digitalpodroom |website=Yage.co.uk |access-date=31 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620093235/http://www.yage.co.uk/digitalpodroom.html |archive-date=20 June 2010 }}</ref> and on February 2010s Mojo Magazine cover CD.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.secondthought.co.uk/fsol/news/2009/12/181209-mojo-psychedelic-bubble.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924095943/http://www.secondthought.co.uk/fsol/news/2009/12/181209-mojo-psychedelic-bubble.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 September 2015|title=secondthought.co.uk|date=24 September 2015|access-date=27 April 2019}}</ref> The ''Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble'' remixes grow in popularity with commissions from [[Paul Weller]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fsolnews.blogspot.com/2010/04/200410-that-record-store-day-12-and.html |title=that Record Store Day 12" and the state of the world |website=The Galaxial Pharmaceutical |date=19 April 2010 |access-date=1 April 2024}}</ref> and [[Pop Levi]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fsolnews.blogspot.com/2010/05/120510-pop-levi-remix-on-its-way.html |title=Pop Levi remix on its way |website=The Galaxial Pharmaceutical |date=12 May 2010 |access-date=1 April 2024}}</ref> and Cobain has suggested a full album of remixes and covers will appear<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fsolnews.blogspot.com/2010/04/210410-monstrous-psychedelic-remix.html |title=Monstrous Psychedelic Remix Album |website=The Galaxial Pharmaceutical |date=21 April 2010 |access-date=1 April 2024}}</ref> on their recently formed ''Monstrous Bubble'' label<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fsolnews.blogspot.com/2010/05/100510-monstrous-bubble-records.html |title=Monstrous Bubble Records |website=The Galaxial Pharmaceutical |date=10 May 2010 |access-date=1 April 2024}}</ref>

On 6 July 2011 it was announced that Noel Gallagher's second solo album would be in collaboration with The Amorphous Androgynous, and was set for release in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noelgallagher.com/ |title=The Official Noel Gallagher Website &#124; Home |website=Noelgallagher.com |access-date=31 March 2012}}</ref> In August 2012, Gallagher mentioned in various interviews that he was considering scrapping the collaborative album with Amorphous Androgynous due to not being completely satisfied with the mixes.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/08/09/noel-gallagher-considers-_n_1758882.html Noel Gallagher Considers Scrapping Album With Amorphous Androgynous]. Huffingtonpost.co.uk (9 August 2012). Retrieved on 2012-12-27.</ref> Two songs from the project have surfaced as B-sides to Gallagher's singles in 2012: "Shoot a Hole into the Sun" (based on Gallagher's track "[[If I Had a Gun...]]") was a B-side to the single [[Dream On (Noel Gallagher song)|"Dream On"]], and a mix of "[[AKA... What a Life!]]" featured on the B-side of "[[Everybody's on the Run]]". However, as the project was shelved in November 2012,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fsolnews.blogspot.com/2012/11/031112-archive-7-prime-world-noel.html |title=Archive 7, Prime World, Noel Gallager tired of Amorphous collab, Amorphous get soupy |date=3 November 2012 |website=The Galaxial Pharmaceutical |access-date=1 April 2024}}</ref> the group have returned to original material, releasing the first in a series of ''Monstrous Bubble Soundtracks'', entitled ''The Cartel''. On Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' album ''Chasing Yesterday'', The Amorphous Androgynous are credited as Co-producers of the tracks "The Right Stuff" and "The Mexican".

===Recent work===
With the freedom of working independently from a record label, the group have remained prolific, working on multiple projects at once. Since 2014, the majority have releases through FSOLDigital have been of newly recorded material, with ''[[Environment Five]]'' being the first in the series to feature all new tracks.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/environment-five|title=Environment Five|website=bandcamp.com|access-date= 3 June 2022 }}</ref> Since then, FSOL releases have been less conventional, with ''Environment Six'' being split over three volumes, named ''Environment Six'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/environment-six|title=Environment Six|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> ''Environment 6.5''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/environment-65|title=Environment 6.5|website=bandcamp.com|access-date= 3 June 2022}}</ref> and ''Environmental'', the latter part of a triple LP release called ''Archived : Environmental : Views''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/archived-environmental-views|title=Archived Environmental Views|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> Similarly, ''Environment 7'' is planned as a trilogy, the first volume released for [[Record Store Day]] 2022 under the name ''Rituals''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/rituals-e7001|title=Rituals E7.001|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> In a move further from traditional structures, several albums have been released under the banner FSOLDigital Presents, including yearly ''Calendar Albums'', presented to subscribers as a track each month,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/fsoldigital-presents-2022-calendar|title=FSOLDigital Presents 2022 Calendar|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> and mix albums as part of the ''A Controlled Vista'' and ''Mind Maps'' series.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/|title=Music THE FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> FSOLDigital has also been used as a publishing outlet, with books exploring the artwork<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fsoldigital.com/product/artworks-booklet/|title=Artworks (Booklet) 2nd Edition – FSOLDigital|website=fsoldigital.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> and history of the band,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fsoldigital.com/product/the-most-important-moments-in-a-life-book-cd/|title=The Most Important Moments in a Life – FSOLDigital|website=fsoldigital.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> each combined with a music package; a series of A6 books entitled ''The Ramblings of a Madman'' was also produced,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fsoldigital.com/product/the-ramblings-of-a-madman-vol-1-3-book/|title=The Ramblings of a Madman Vol 1–3 (Book) – FSOLDigital|website=fsoldigital.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> with the accompanying download EPs later repackaged into an album entitled ''Music for 3 Books''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-3-books|title=Music for 3 Books|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> Alongside books, the band have further explored multimedia, including a series of digital artwork releases as NFTs on Foundation<ref>{{cite web|url=https://foundation.app/@FSOL|title=THE FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON (@fsol)|website=foundation.app|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> and a pair of synthesisers created in collaboration with Digitana, the SX-1 and the HALia,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/two-new-synths-from-digitana-electronics-and-the-future-sound-of-london-are-inbound|title=Two new synths from Digitana Electronics and The Future Sound of London are inbound|website=musicradar.com|date=February 2017 |access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> the former being manufactured as of July 2018,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ilovecubus.co.uk/fsolboard/viewtopic.php?p=16292#p16292|title=FSOL & Digitana – HALia & SX-1 Synths – The FSOL Message Board|website=ilovecubus.co.uk|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> the latter still in pre-production. A series of re-recordings of older tracks, combined with new remixes and related material, was released between 2018 and 2021 for Record Store Day, in place of conventional reissues; the reissue series so far features ''My Kingdom Re-Imagined'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/my-kingdom-reimagined|title=My Kingdom Re-Imagined|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> ''Yage 2019'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/yage-2019|title=Yage 2019|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> ''[[Cascade (song)#Cascade 2020|Cascade 2020]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/cascade-2020|title=Cascade 2020|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> and ''We Have Explosive 2021''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/we-have-explosive-2021|title=We Have Explosive 2021|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref>

As well as The Future Sound of London, Dougans and Cobain have also revisited older side-projects. Dougans's solo project Humanoid has been active again since 2014,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://touched.bandcamp.com/track/posthuman |title=Posthuman Humanoid Touched Music |website=bandcamp.com |access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> releasing the albums ''Built by Humanoid''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/built-by-humanoid|title=Built by Humanoid|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> and ''7 Songs''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/7-songs-bonus-edition|title=7 Songs ( bonus edition )|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> as well as a string of EPs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/stakker-humanoid-30303-ep|title=Stakker Humanoid 30303 EP|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/future-turned-ep|title=Future Turned EP|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/kaage-ep|title=KAAGE EP|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/orfan-atmosphere-ep|title=Orfan Atmosphere Ep|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://detunedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/st8818r-humanoid|title=sT8818r Humanoid|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> Meanwhile, Cobain, in collaboration with Dougans and new co-producer Enrico Berto,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.enricoberto.com/work/amorphous-androgynous-we-persuade-ourselves-we-are-immortal|title=The Amorphous Androgynous and Peter Hammil – We Persuade Ourselves We Are Immortal|website=enricoberto.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> began work on new Amorphous Androgynous material, with a double album of versions and remixes of the track "We Persuade Ourselves We Are Immortal" appearing in 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theaa.bandcamp.com/album/we-persuade-ourselves-we-are-immortal-mpb-remixes-2|title=We Persuade Ourselves We Are Immortal & MPB Remixes|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> Alongside contributors such as [[Paul Weller]], [[Ray Fenwick]] and [[Brian Hopper]], the release features lead vocals by [[Peter Hammill]], who is also credited on the album cover.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theaa.bandcamp.com/album/we-persuade-ourselves-we-are-immortal|title=We Persuade Ourselves We Are Immortal|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> Further alias releases have included albums released under the Blackhill Transmitter<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/blackhill-transmitter|title=Blackhill Transmitter|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> and Synthi-A<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsol.bandcamp.com/album/ignition-of-the-sun|title=Ignition of the Sun|website=bandcamp.com|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> names, as well as collaborations with Ross Baker<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/7540186-Apertures|title=Apertures Discography Discogs|publisher=Discogs|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> and [[Daniel Pemberton]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/21036730-Various-0|title=@0 (2021, Vinyl) – Discogs|date=19 November 2021 |publisher=Discogs|access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref>

==Independence==
Since the millennium, FSOL took a more independent turn with their career, releasing their more psychedelic ''Amorphous Androgynous'' on an independent label, ''The Isness'' on Artful Records<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/label/Artful+Records |title=Artful Records |publisher=Discogs |access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref> and ''Alice in Ultraland'' on the progressive [[Harvest Records]] (an arm of [[EMI]]). They also have their own label called ''Electronic Brain Violence''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/label/Electronic+Brain+Violence |title=Electronic Brain Violence |publisher=Discogs |access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref> on which off-beat electronic artists such as Oil and Simon Wells (Headstone Lane) have released EPs and singles. Simon Wells also contributed to ''Dead Cities'' on the track "Dead Cities Reprise"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/release/97758 |title=Future Sound of London, The – Dead Cities |date=28 October 1996 |publisher=Discogs |access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref>

Nevertheless, Virgin records still controls FSOL's back catalog and was going to release the ''Teachings from the Electronic Brain'' compilation without them, but the duo insisted on taking control of the production of the project.<ref name="autogenerated2" /> Cobain says that, even with Virgin, the reason they were able to do their own thing and create the music they wanted in the 1990s was because they already had some major hits under their belts such as "Papua New Guinea", "Metropolis" and "Stakker Humanoid" before joining the label.<ref name="autogenerated2" />

{{blockquote|text=Why is it, everybody, from the fucking fish and chip shop to a magazine ends up selling itself, getting the millions and retiring. Why don't people keep going with it, why can't they change it so that it keeps being important to them. Why didn't [[Anita Roddick]] keep going with [[Body Shop]], why did it get so alien to her that she had to sell it, why? Surely she's making so many millions she can get the right people that she loves to keep going with the ethos; there's something dangerous there.|source=Garry Cobain on people becoming successful only to quit<ref name="autogenerated2" />}}

Cobain has said that FSOL's mentality has always been about making a journey of an album rather than focusing on trying to have hit singles. He said that they had several top 40 singles (and albums) in the 90s because they had enough fans and had built up enough of a reputation to achieve these hits while still concentrating on the album rather than any potential singles during their time at Virgin.<ref name="Clash magazine"/><ref name="autogenerated2" />

They have been signed to Passion Records sub-label Jumpin' & Pumpin' since they started out.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/label/Jumpin'+%26+Pumpin' |title=Jumpin' & Pumpin' |publisher=Discogs |access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{Main|The Future Sound of London discography}}
*''[[Accelerator (The Future Sound of London album)|Accelerator]]'' (1992)
*''[[Cascade_(single)|Cascade]]'' (1993)
*''[[Lifeforms (The Future Sound of London album)|Lifeforms]]'' (1994)
*''[[ISDN (album)|ISDN]]'' (1994)
*''[[Dead Cities (album)|Dead Cities]]'' (1996)
*''[[Environments (album)|Environments]]'' (2007)
*''[[Environments II]]'' (2008)
*''[[Environments 3]]'' (2010)
*''[[Environments 4]]'' (2012)
*''[[Environment Five]]'' (2014)
*''Environment Six'' (2016)
*''Environment 6.5'' (2016)
*''Rituals E7.001'' (2022)
*''A Space of Partial Illumination E7.002'' (2022)
*''Environment 7.003'' (2023)

==Chart history==

===Singles charts===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!align="left"|Year
!align="left"|Single
!align="left"|Chart
!align="left"|Position
|-
|align="left"|1988
|align="left"|"Stakker Humanoid"
|align="left"|[[UK Singles Chart]]
| style="text-align:center;"|17
|-
|align="left"|1989
|align="left"|"Slam"
|align="left"|UK Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|54
|-
|align="left"|1992
|align="left"|"Papua New Guinea"
|align="left"|UK Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|22
|-
|align="left"|1992
|align="left"|"Stakker Humanoid '92"
|align="left"|UK Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|40
|-
|align="left"|1993
|align="left"|"Cascade"
|align="left"|UK Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|27
|-
|align="left"|1994
|align="left"|"Expander"
|align="left"|UK Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|72
|-
|align="left"|1994
|align="left"|"Lifeforms (feat. Elizabeth Fraser)"
|align="left"|UK Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|14
|-
|align="left"|1995
|align="left"|"The Far-Out Son of Lung and the Ramblings of a Madman"
|align="left"|UK Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|22
|-
|align="left"|1996
|align="left"|"My Kingdom"
|align="left"|UK Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|13
|-
|align="left"|1997
|align="left"|"We Have Explosive"
|align="left"|UK Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|12
|-
|align="left"|2001
|align="left"|"Stakker Humanoid 2001"
|align="left"|UK Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|65
|-
|align="left"|2001
|align="left"|"Papua New Guinea 2001"
|align="left"|UK Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|28
|}

===Album charts===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!align="left"|Year
!align="left"|Album
!align="left"|Chart
!align="left"|Position
|-
|align="left"|1992
|align="left"|''Accelerator''
|align="left"|[[UK Albums Chart]]
| style="text-align:center;"|75
|-
|align="left"|1994
|align="left"|''Lifeforms''
|align="left"|UK Albums Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|6
|-
|align="left"|1994
|align="left"|''ISDN''
|align="left"|UK Albums Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|44
|-
|align="left"|1996
|align="left"|''Dead Cities''
|align="left"|UK Albums Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|26
|-
|align="left"|2002
|align="left"|''The Isness''
|align="left"|UK Albums Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|68
|}

==See also==
* [[List of ambient music artists]]
* [[Max Richter]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.futuresoundoflondon.com Future Sound of London.com] – official website
* {{discogs artist|artist=The Future Sound of London}}
* {{YouTube|user=theelectronicbrain|title=The Future Sound of London}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050410115808/http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1994_articles/aug94/futurelondon.html an overview of their studio equipment et cetera from 1994]

{{The Future Sound of London}}
{{Authority control}}

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