CityLife

Robotic movement

IT'S all too rare these days to find a united and buoyant local music scene that's as approachable as it is brimming with musical potential. But even rarer is it to find some people who completely embody that community-minded ethos.

Meet Alan Lewinsky and Rachael Elwell, the Manchester electro scene's self-elected "odd couple" (both romantically and professionally).

As their previous incarnation of Bynatone, they blazed a trail for other Manchester electronica acts doing it for themselves and taking electro music away from the unfashionable fringes.

Now, with their new outfit, Robot Arm, and a new record label Audio Monster, Alan and Rachael could soon get their well-deserved dues.

We're sat in Night and Day Café and the pair are explaining their (accidental) manifesto. "When we first started playing live there were so few electronica acts around," begins Rachael.

"But then nights like Chips With Everything and Club Suicide have started up since up since, and it's great because electronic music is finally finding a platform."

With Bynatone laid to rest earlier in the year ("we got bored of it"), Rachael and Alan have been planning the next stage in their electro invasion. Entitled Robot Arm, they're hoping to assemble Manchester's very own electro supergroup. Well, that was the original plan anyway.

Explains Rachel: "We wanted Robot Arm to be this big collective of Manchester electro musicians. So I sent an e-mail out to loads of people and said whoever wants to be in Robot Arm can be. Only about three people bothered to email me back!''

Avante Jon

Nevertheless, one of those three people turned out to be Avante Jon, a Manchester scene regular who also doubles up as the electro community's very own Iggy Pop ("he's brought some much needed fashion sense to the band!" exclaims Alan).

Now settled as a three-piece, Robot Arm are dragging Manchester electro out of its current retro obsession and throwing it headfirst into a 21st century punk rock future.

Particularly, in signature tune Lost Remote, they're firing off electro-lo-fi-noise that manages to sound like a heap load of esoteric leftfield influences (Add N to X, Fat Truckers, Kraftwerk) but still manages to be catchy, funny and - the important bit - smothered in pop sensibility all at once.

What's more, with the imminent release of their own Audio Monster compilation and a launch of a club night, the outside world should finally start to sit up and notice. Not that Robot Arm would ever be career-obsessed enough to want the world to take notice, mind.

Says Jon: "We're not really setting off to conquer the world...I mean, we're not the most radio-friendly band. We don't write music thinking this'll appeal to such and such a kind of person."

So what would a typical Robot Arm fan look like then?

They roll about with laughter. "We're not sure they exist!"

Robot Arm play The Electric Circus at the Roadhouse on Thursday, October 23. Tickets are £4. The Audio Monster compilation is available to buy now by clicking here.