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Wigan synth types The Duke St Workshop initially formed to create minimal soundtracks for imaginary films.
2014’s The Cabin was based on a Californian cold case of the early 80s, but this follow-up finds them tackling the fictional realm of cult horror writer HP Lovecraft. It also revives their relationship with British actor Laurence R Harvey, who featured in the promo video for The Cabin and was also in two of the Human Centipede movies. Harvey narrates two macabre Lovecraft stories, From Beyond and The Hound, both exploring the Lovecraftian theme that forbidden knowledge comes at a terrible price. The musical settings are suitably creepy, from the sinister radiophonics of Tillinghast to the gurgling demonic throb of They Are Coming!? There are subtle worlds of invention here too. The Machine slides, slithers and occasionally yelps like a storyline revelation, its synthetic tones spiked by urgent beats and what feels like a short detour into Victoriana. The Workshop’s Lee Cullen has enriched these scores with his own library of found sounds and processed film samples, adding to this record’s mesmerising allure.
