Biography
Named after the vast corporate entity featured in the cult science-fiction movie Blade Runner, the pop-house duo from Redcar, England, delivered one of 1992’s most arresting statements in the genre with their North East Of Eden collection. Smooth-voiced Joe Watson supplied the distinctive blend of house rhythms and Philly soul that defined the project, while lyrics remained direct whether addressing intimate matters or broader issues, as illustrated by the track “Ballad Of British Justice.” The group’s other core member, Tony Barry, handled lyrics and synthesizer duties—though Watson also contributed keyboard work. Barry had relocated from Redcar to London in 1984 and taken a job running a pub; six years later Watson, who had been calling bingo numbers, joined him in the capital and slept on his sofa. To finance evening studio sessions they took a series of daytime jobs. The pair issued their first recording, the single “6 O’Clock,” in 1990 on the small independent label About Time Two Records. That debut immediately highlighted their approach: while aligned with contemporary house styles, the track emphasized fully formed songwriting instead of relying solely on a repetitive groove. Watson observed, “A lot of the stuff around at the moment, you could never sit down and play it in a bar, but everything we do is a song and can be played that way.” After signing with Cooltempo—initially through Charlie Chester’s Volante imprint—the follow-up singles “The Bottle” and “Going Home” drew similar praise, with reviewers likening the results to the lyricism of the Smiths fused with the funk of Mr. Fingers. “6 O’Clock” critiqued British licensing regulations by referencing the earliest legal hour pubs could open; “The Bottle” extended the thematic thread with its prominent refrain “the bottle is mightier than the pen.” By contrast, “Going Home” offered a somber portrait of the industrial North East’s economic collapse and the erosion of its cultural identity, a concern that received fuller treatment across the duo’s debut album.
Albums
