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Home , 24 Hour Party People, Always Now, A Certain Ratio, Bummed, Factory Records, John Cooper Clarke

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Martin Hannett The Factory Sound. . . . Martin Zero Words Andy Thomas Photographs courtesy of and Chris Hewitt alongside Joe Meek, Phil Spector and instrument. He played with a few groups a roster and then booking them out,” the other producer geniuses of the 20th in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the says Mitchell. “It was set up with a century sits the lesser-venerated Martin fi rst to make a name being Spider Mike proper constitution but it was all quite Hannett. He passed away in 1991 aged King. “I lived above a record shop in alternative then. I was a hippy; Martin 42, having created a sonic signature Rusholme and Martin lived around the was more obscure than a hippy.” With through studio innovations and original back,” says drummer Bruce Mitchell. Music Force co-conspirators Tosh Ryan use of electronics, leaving behind a set “Martin and Mike used to play together. and Lawrence Beadle, Hannett launched of recordings that proved enormously I had a basement and we put egg boxes Rabid Records from a room in Cotton infl uential. Although best-known for his around, and [they’d] bang away down Lane. Both entities were vital building echo-laden productions, there forever.” Mitchell, as an offshoot blocks in the musical future of the city, his contribution to Manchester’s music of his band Greasy Bear, also dealt as critic explains: “Punk scene goes back to the 1960s. A new high-end equipment out of GB Audio. didn’t spring out of nowhere. There was documentary – He Wasn’t Just the Fifth “Sound was more important than an alternative scene and structures before Member of Joy Division – by old friend anything to Martin,” says Mitchell. “He then. And Martin was a big part of that Chris Hewitt, seeks to tell his real story. would go without food and save up to in Manchester.” Hannett became an in- “I wanted to get past the stereotype that buy a piece of equipment. He’d be able house producer for Rabid working on Martin was invented at the same time as get fi rst shout on the latest gear, like the the fi rst releases by Slaughter & the Factory,” says Hewitt. “He wasn’t just a Quad 405 current-dumping amplifi er – Dogs and Jilted John, an early Graham product of punk – he had a wider scope.” that was very exotic then, very hi-spec Fellows incarnation. He also honed his Born James in Miles and Martin had to have it. He wanted production skills for theatre group Belt Platting, north Manchester in 1948, his to try every new thing and analyse it.” and Braces Roadshow Band, as well as obsession with sound began as a teen. Hannett met another important on an avant-garde electronic soundtrack “There were small electronic shops at collaborator at a Soft Machine gig he to science-fi ction cartoonAll Sorts of the bottom of Road and was promoting in 1971. “Martin had Heroes, co-written with Steve Hopkins. Road in Manchester and I’d graduated but was still working with His fi rst production of note – under be dispatched with incomprehensible the student social secretaries at UMIST the moniker Martin Zero – was the notes to hand over in their murky depths putting on various gigs,” recalls Steve EP in January and come back with some crucial bit of Hopkins. “He wanted cannabis for the 1977. “Martin was the only person we equipment,” his sister Julie told Hewitt. band and a mutual friend called me in knew in Manchester that was known as, He had a huge record collection and as ‘someone who might know someone or called themselves, a producer,” singer listened intensely to their production on who could oblige’ – which was indeed says. But Hannett felt his high-end equipment. While his peers true. We got on instantly.” Through the restricted by the sessions. “I was trying enjoyed Simon & Garfunkel’s melodic pair’s shared love of music and sonic to do things and the engineer was pop on Sounds of Silence, young Martin’s experimentation, a musical partnership turning them off when I looked round: ears were tuned to the echo chamber began. “Our friend fl agged the fact I ‘You don’t put that kind of echo on a used at the CBS studios where it was was a keyboardist, which got him snare drum!’” he told Savage. “It was recorded. While studying chemistry at excited and we set up a date to visit his never fi nished. I’d have whipped it away the University of Manchester Institute pad and have a jam,” says Hopkins. and remixed it but he erased the master and Technology (UMIST) and inspired Hannett joined promotion collective because he thought it such rubbish.” by the Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh, Music Force soon after. “It was like an The Hannett-Hopkins partnership Hannett picked up the bass, his fi rst agency putting together all the bands on was cemented when their collective the >

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Invisible Girls provided the music for yearned for experimental outlets for the source,” he says, “and our eternal search John Cooper Clarke’s Disguise in Love. sounds in his head. “They were different for the compressor to make the bass “One of Martin’s big ambitions was to from punk,” he told Jon Savage on first sound like it was knocking on wood.” form a collective of talented musicians hearing Joy Division. “There was lots of Fixated on finding the sounds in his who would work together on diverse space in their sound.” His first work for head, Hannett’s studio eccentricity is the projects with different front men and the band was two tracks from A Factory stuff of legend. “Play faster, but slower,” women,” says Hopkins. “He called us Sample, alongside Cabaret Voltaire and he told , in the studio the Invisible Girls, and occasionally the . Recorded at to record ‘All Night Party’. “Martin was Cheese Nightmares, which didn’t catch Cargo Studios in October 1978, ‘Digital’ a comical guy and frequently obscure,” on so well.” The group would variously and ‘Glass’ were, in the words of Factory says Mitchell. “His sense of humour was include of Buzzcocks, Vini biographer James Nice, “a huge leap sometimes incomprehensible.” In the Reilly of the Durutti Column and 10cc forward for both band and producer… new documentary, late Factory Records drummer . “Martin always elevating the raw post-punk power they boss provides an insight recognised that different musicians produced onstage towards pure sonic into Hannett’s techniques: “As well as brought different vibes and he was a architecture.” The sound owed a lot to the great soundscapes and his incredible keen talent-spotter. He gave musicians a new piece of Hannett equipment: the work on that, he had this sociological space to try out ideas and tended to AMS Digital Delay. It would be just one work in the studio whereby he would record everything. If he was getting of the tools used to create his production put groups under incredible pressure, something that he felt was too ordinary ‘thumbprint’ and what became known as and would actually pull their brains or dull, he devised methods for getting the Manchester Sound. He told Savage: around, sort of surrealistically, and get musicians out of their comfort zone. things out of them.” Steve Hopkins But there was no formula; everything recalls his partner’s infamous studio was very spontaneous,” says Hopkins. riddles: “I understood his off-beam, Disguise in Love was the first of three ‘HANNETT surreal descriptions of musical styles; Clarke LPs the Invisible Girls played on, not every musician could tolerate that... including 1980’s definitive Snap Crackle WAS WEIRD [but] his penchant for producing chord & Bop. Behind the punk poet’s sequences or melodies by a random street musings (that reached their zenith AND SCARED number generator could be frustrating.” on ‘Beasley Street’), they created an While Hopkins may’ve understood innovative tapestry of sound and texture THE HELL Hannett, others found him baffling at that Hopkins says was influenced by OUT OF US’ best. “Hannett was weird and scared the everything from the Radio 4 shipping hell out of us. At one point he just forecast to Pierre Henry. “It was highly climbed under the desk and went to experimental,” he says. “The sounds “When digital effects came in at the end sleep,” OMD’s Andy McCluskey says. themselves were becoming as important, of the 1970s, there was a quantum leap His production of ‘Electricity’/’Almost’ if not more, than the harmonies and in ambience control. You had as many in 1979 riled the singer: “Our version of melodies of before. So, goodbye organ flavours as you could invent. You could ‘Almost’ was really tight and poppy, but solo and hello distorted, mangled piano. whack it into little attention-grabbing he’d laid it back and covered it in echo. of Joy Division and Martin Hannett at Cargo Studios, 1979 “On ‘I Don’t Wanna be Nice’, for things, into the ambient environment.” It was a pop song and he turned it into instance, the effect that sounds like a The synthesisers that became studio this totally lethargic ballad.” during this time, music founded on his claustrophobic”. The band he had first Martin’s doing.” The ’s ambience crazy steel band is just a delay echo on staples included the Transcendent 2000, In his quest for his own sound, he own compulsive and boundary-pushing seen live “were very, very loud, and hard also had other sources, as Savage says. the vocals coming through Martin’s ARP Omni and ARP 2600. Hannett’s is often portrayed as dismissive of other work ethic, an ethic that would create and heavy. So , when “He used to smoke shed loads of dope favourite device, the Marshall Time experimentations with those synths can ideas. “Martin was quite secretive,” says one of Factory’s true masterpieces. I first heard it, was quite a shock. It was and it was very strong. I would always Modulator.” Hannett’s famous reverb be heard on Maverick Producer, Genius Hewitt. “He liked to experiment in the Recorded at Strawberry Studios very much produced with Martin as the get super-stoned when I was with him. was achieved by using the studio’s lift and Musician released on Hewitt’s Ozit control room, so it was almost like the in , the monumental first Joy auteur,” which included using the studio And we’d drive around forgotten bits shaft as an echo chamber, just as Joe label. He loved experimenting, pushing musicians were a less important part Division album Unknown Pleasures was elevator as an echo chamber. “I went into of Manchester late at night – completely Meek created his trademark reverb in a technology to the limit. “If instruction of the equation.” Joy Division and New released in its legendary Peter Saville Strawberry when Martin was recording,” fascinating, derelict parts of town.” And bathroom. “Martin loved echo; he’d try books said don’t ever turn anything Order’s later outlined to the radio-wave sleeve in June 1979. Martin explains Savage. “And I remember him he also looked above for inspiration. “He anything and everything,” says Hopkins. beyond this setting, the first thing he’d NME the strain at their sessions: “In the Hannett’s first album for the band was putting a Leslie speaker in the lift and loved science fiction, likeDr Who, and “He once dragged us up a three-mile do was turn it beyond that setting to see studio, we’d sit on the left, he’d sit on loved by Tony Wilson and the press, but was recording it. And that became the he subscribed to Omni, which covered hill in Saddleworth just to record him what happened,” says Hewitt. Helping the right and if we said anything like, ‘I hated by Joy Division – except for singer start of ‘Insight’. So I was aware that all things to do with aliens, space and performing a poem in an old quarry.” him with the gadgets was old UMIST think the guitars are a bit quiet, Martin,’ . “The production inflicted Martin was into effects and ambient futuristic inventions,” says Hewitt. With much more in common with friend, ‘electronics genius’ Martin Usher he’d scream, ‘Oh my god! Why don’t his dark, doomy mood over the album,” sounds. And also the noise of the room, Apart from an enduring love of echo, experimenters like Meek and Spector – who worked closely with Joy Division you just fuck off, you stupid retards.’” said guitarist Bernard Sumner. But Jon which is very important when you are Hannett’s distinctive drum sound also than the homogonous three-chord punk and later New Order. “Two things that But whatever his relationship with Savage reflected the album’s critical thinking about Joy Division, because became key. “Martin wanted everything bands that would follow in the wake of spring to mind were hooking up a Mini musicians, there’s no doubting the acclaim, calling it “a definitive northern- they reflected the environment they were recorded separately, so we started with the and Buzzcocks, Hannett Pops drum machine to an external drive brilliance of the music he was producing gothic statement: guilt-ridden, romantic, in. That would very much have been the bass drum – literally just the bass >

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and experimental use of drum sounds. A few months after Closer’s release, ESG tracks ‘Moody’, ‘UFO’ and ‘You’re “Martin used that digital delay not as band members played their first gig as No Good’ would become their signature a repeat echo delay, but to make a tiny New Order. Tony Wilson’s attention had tracks, ominous that sounds as raw millisecond that came so close to the meanwhile turned to his other favourite and alien today. Lead singer Renee drum it was impossible to hear,” says Factory band. A Certain Ratio’s cassette- recalls the sessions with Hannett: “It’s Reilly – who later brought in Bruce only The Graveyard and the Ballroom funny because everyone talks about him, Mitchell to drum. “I would never have included the austere funk of ‘Do the and I’ve seen , but thought of that. No one else would. I Du’ and ‘Flight’, two of his heaviest this was not the guy I met. He was calm, don’t know how he could have possibly productions. “Martin certainly took he was respectful. I had no idea who he envisaged the final sound.” The LP has them by the scruff of the neck,” says was, that he was this big important been reissued by Factory Benelux with Savage. “I thought ‘Flight’ was the best producer, because he was just a cool guy. insightful sleeve notes, including this thing he did with them. He slowed He took me in and showed me around from John Brierley: “Vini would come them down and got space in their sound, the mixing boards and after we’d record in to listen to playbacks and then back which, again, is important.” Hannett something he’d ask if I liked it.” The 7” into the studio but he got no feedback described the Factory Sound as having EP was released on both Factory and 99 as to whether what he was playing was ‘a certain disorder in the treble range’ Records and New York and Manchester good, bad or indifferent. Martin was far and you can certainly hear it on ‘Flight’. grew closer when the band was invited too engrossed in his Time Modulators It was later released on a two-track EP to play the Hacienda’s opening night. and AMS Digital Units.” with one of his most experimental Sadly, the tensions between Hannett Closer, recorded in March 1980 at and ACR boiled over back in England ’s Britannia Row studio, was when he insisted on separating the funk to be Joy Division’s final studio album. drums of Donald Johnson, which were On 18 May, Curtis committed suicide. ‘THE the backbone of ACR’s sound. To Each Its release in July saw universal acclaim was Hannett’s last job for them. But one but Hannett had lost a friend. “He was PRODUCTION listen to the spacey inflections and heavy one of those channels for the gestalt. A use of snare on ‘Gum’ and you can hear lightning conductor,” he said of Curtis. INFLICTED HIS he left his mark. While they’d end up “Everyone found it hard after Ian DARK, DOOMY one of Factory’s most distinctive bands, died, and I think Martin took it very ACR had initially been dismissed as Joy hard,” says Savage. “Nobody knew how MOOD OVER Division copyists, as had Factory rival to cope with it – this was pre-therapy Section 25. “That was a problem all the days. It was a very different time.” THE ALBUM’ Factory bands had, in that Joy Division Hannett would later call Closer his most were so big and, of course, there was the ‘mysterious’ work. “The content is much unanimity in sound, because of Martin,” more cohesive, much more accurate, Factory releases on the flip: a serious slab says Savage. But the Sheffield group – much more powerful,” he said. “Closer of mutant Latin funk, ‘Blown Away’ who later created club classic ‘Looking is a very complicated and sophisticated anticipated the band’s later explorations. from a Hill Top’ – had their own austere piece of music,” says Savage, “much more Their love of would further sound that would reach a peak on one in the European classical tradition as when they joined New Order and Tony of Factory and Hannett’s most darkly well as much more layered. Unknown Wilson for a famous trip to New York. atmospheric recordings. Packaged in Pleasures sounds like a band new to the It was to prove a pivotal few weeks for one of Peter Saville’s exquisite sleeves, John Cooper Clarke surrounded by Rabid Records co-founders Lawrence Beadle, Tosh Ryan (front) and Martin Hannett studio, playing live, then being treated Factory, with nights spent at clubs like is a masterpiece of northern to fuck. Whereas Closer sounds like a Paradise Garage and the Funhouse post-punk dread. Drummer Vin Cassidy group who know what they’re doing in providing inspiration for the Hacienda. explained how Hannett dragged every the studio and are collaborating with But it was a much less inspiring time shred of creativity out of them: “He drum and me,” says Stephen Morris, figure central to Hannett’s vision. “I “Martin arrived with these great big the producer. It’s an amazing record.” for Hannett. Alongside four gigs on the encouraged us to expand on what we whose almost robotic drums were both don’t think of myself as ‘influencing’ black cardboard-fronted machines, The glacial, epic sound of tracks like east coast, he had studio time booked originally thought we were going to do. stark and soulful, “then the snare again, Martin – people didn’t do that,” he says. synthesizers,” Wilson recalls. “For two ‘Decades’ and ‘The Eternal’ was the at EARS Studio in New Jersey. As well And he told me the most important then the hi-hat again.” The Syndrum “He had ideas, ideas expressed as needs. days, he did nothing but create strange result of the sonic alchemist making full as producing New Order’s first single sound to him was the snare drum.” was also used regularly as Hannett From my perspective, his needs were to rhythm/noise tracks. Occasionally, Vini use of his massing equipment. Stephen ‘Ceremony’/‘In A Lonely Place’, the Other lesser-known Factory acts developed his sound. Some Joy Division build or customise equipment to do [Reilly] would strap on the guitar and Morris, who described his drumming on plan was for Hannett to produce a whole Hannett would produce included Crispy credit must go to Chris Nagle, whose things he wasn’t able to do with ‘over- play some notes onto the tracks. But it Closer as ‘a tribal thing’, explained LP for ACR. The studio didn’t meet his Ambulance and Brussels-based post- name appears on so many Factory the-counter’ equipment – a frustrating was hard to get Martin to notice as he how Hannett and the band pushed their needs, though, and the sessions were cut punk act the Names, and while he was, releases. “None of the other engineers at activity, since he was never satisfied, pored over the primitive electronics.” studio toys to the limit: “The unusual short with him subsequently mixing at of course, feted for creating the Factory Strawberry were willing to work with there was always something else.” Released in 1980 in its sandpaper sleeve, noise that I like the best is on ‘Atrocity Strawberry. The spare studio time would Sound, he also worked for other labels. him,” Nagle said. “On our first day, I Hannett’s second LP for Factory Return was haunting and majestic, with Exhibition’. I had a Simmons SDS-V be given to three teenage girls from the Produced at a number of studios across was informed that ‘the first rule is there was The Return of the Durutti Column, Reilly’s distinctive guitar arpeggios held and a Synare 3, which we got out and Bronx who Wilson had seen support London, Magazine’s The Correct Use are no rules.’” Martin Usher was another recorded at Cargo in August 1979. in space by Hannett’s electronic trickery put it through this horrible fuzz box.” ACR. Hannett’s production of the three of Soap was released on Virgin in May >

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1980. Hannett considered it his best recalled the sessions with Hannett: “He years, eventually settled out of court, technical work, and it found him at his just seemed to have a knack of putting and would be both emotionally and most enigmatic. “Martin moves in his everything in the right setting. He fi nancially devastating for Martin. own mysterious way,” Howard Devoto works in a totally different way to any What followed was a decline into told a journalist. “A lot of musicians other producer we’ve recorded with.” heroin addiction. “One signifi cant, and fi nd it hard to work with him; he doesn’t Hannett’s production of Movement serious, aspect of working with Martin communicate well. He sits like Buddha (1981) was to be his last for New Order. is that you were dealing with a junkie,” behind the mixing desk, untouchable.” “He taught us what to do very early on. says Usher. “This gradually reduced his Around the same time, he was given We learnt the actual physics of recording capacity to work, to earn and generally the chance to explore his love of echo from him… but in the end there was manage his affairs.” His 1985 studio (and guitar overload) with London too much compromise from both sides,” time with a pre-fame Stone Roses was synth-reggae band Basement 5. The dub Peter Hook told The Face in 1983. While described as ‘a disaster’ by singer Ian version of their album 1965-1980 found it was dismissed as ‘terrifi cally dull’ by Brown. But another Manchester band Hannett exploring new sonic avenues. one critic, Jon Savage remains a fan. “I on the cusp of something special would “It was the most diffi cult production, really like Movement. I can understand provide a far more rewarding outlet for I must say, the heaviest,” he told Dutch why the band hated it because I think Hannett. The ’ manager music magazine OOR. “It has been the Martin was getting quite diffi cult at that Nathan McGough explained at the time most physical album that I’ve ever done. time. But I think it’s a great record and why they chose him for 1988’s genre- Made me feel like I’d been carrying very underrated.” Meanwhile, Hannett’s defi ningBummed . “I loved Hannett’s bricks around. Heavy work. Putting the production of Unknown Pleasures and bass lines in the right place. But it was Closer… we wanted that kind of exotic, good.” It was certainly one of Hannett’s spatial dynamic that Martin brings.” most urgent productions, perfectly in ‘HE WAS WAY Fuelled by the regular servings of ecstasy touch with the band’s message. the band plied him with, Hannett While Basement 5 would slip away UP THERE proved a perfect choice for their most into cultish obscurity, another band psychedelic LP. He went on to produce Hannett worked with would go on to AMONG the On EP, its mix of fi ll stadiums. had been fans since THE GENIUS dance and rock much copied by a series Unknown Pleasures and he seemed the of bands more than eager to jump on the obvious choice when they were seeking PRODUCERS’ bandwagon. One band unfairly lumped a darker sound. “Martin Hannett was a in with what became known as the genius,” Bono said. “He looked like Dr ‘ sound’ were Manchester’s New Who and was into technology. He had production of the band’s ‘Everything’s Fast Automatic Daffodils, whose ‘Get harmonisers and things we had never Gone Green’ 12” would provide a clue Better’ is one of Hannett’s lesser-known heard of.” In the end he would only to how New Order might have sounded productions. But by the time he entered produce one track – ‘11 O’Clock Tick with Martin as they moved more heavily the studio to add a dose of psychedelic Tock’ – before being sidelined for the into dance music. “‘Everything’s Gone noise, he weighed 165kg after turning more conventional Steve Lillywhite for Green’ was a pivotal record,” says Savage. heavily to alcohol in a bid to stay off their 1980 debut Boy. It was a major Released on the Factory-associated heroin. Martin Hannett died from heart knock back and one can only wonder Belgian Les Disques du Crépuscule failure in Manchester in April 1991. how monumental U2’s debut LP would label, the Names ‘The Astronaut’ was to “He was way up there among the genius have been with Hannett at the controls. be his last production for Factory until producers,” says Jon Savage. “He had a Another band that found Hannett the late 1980s. With Hannett separated good brain, he was funny and intelligent too experimental were the Psychedelic from New Order, Durutti Column and and saw things. He had vision and it Furs, who also turned to Lillywhite after A Certain Ratio, his relationship with was just a real shame that he fell out Hannett produced four tracks, including Factory now became feudal when, as a with Tony Wilson and Factory.” ‘Susan’s Strange’. A far more successful shareholding director, he issued a High Hannett outing was and Court writ against the other partners. the Invisible Girls, which reached 25 on The lawsuit claimed the company had Martin Hannett: He Wasn’t Just the the album charts. This incarnation of been “seriously mismanaged… without Fifth Member of Joy Division is out the Invisible Girls included his consent or knowledge”. Tony Wilson on DVD and Buzzcocks guitarist John Maher later claimed it was Factory’s refusal to ozitmorpheusrecords.co.uk alongside Hannett and Hopkins. It was buy an expensive Fairlight synthesiser Martin Hannett – The Redemption a wonderful LP of post-punk synthpop while duly ploughing money into the memorial event is at Gorilla, Manchester best captured on ‘Dream Sequence 1’. Hacienda that led Hannett to take the on 10 April In the NME at the time, Pauline Murray action. The case dragged on for two thisisgorilla.com

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