Cathode

Cathode was an experimental electronica project, active between 2001-2009, by Steve Jefferis from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. Cathode’s precise, glitch-driven electronics with melody and melancholy at its heart thrived during the IDM boom of the mid-00s. Early singles on Static Caravan and 555 Records led to a debut album in 2004 for Expanding Records, “Special Measures”. The album was judged “first class” by John Peel and neatly summed up by Metro as “a moody, melodic soundscape of carefully controlled clicks, beats and bleeps, producing a crescendo of beautifully blended electronic rhythms”.

Productive years at the heart of Newcastle’s experimental music and art scene followed, including collaborations with musicians like The Matinee Orchestra, The Unit Ama and d_rradio, and artists like Rob Kennedy, Richard Fenwick and the Novak collective. Following a 7” for Distraction Records, in 2008 Expanding released the second Cathode album “Sparkle Plenty”, with songs drawing from a richer sonic palette.

Steve then formed a duo, Warm Digits, with regular collaborator Andrew Hodson, which brought live drums and guitars into the electronic equation, later signing to Memphis Industries. After a final Cathode gig supporting Joker under the Glasshouse Bridge on the banks of the River Tyne, Cathode bowed out with two compilations of rare and unreleased material (“Before We Split Frequencies” Vol. 1 & 2) in 2014. www.cathode.org.uk