ISDN is a music album by experimental electronica artists The Future Sound of London

The Future Sound of London

The Future Sound of London is a prolific British electronic music band composed of Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans. The duo are often credited with pushing the boundaries of electronic music experimentation and of pioneering a new era of dance music...

 which was released in two different versions in 1994 and 1995. The music on the album is edited together from various live broadcasts that the band had broadcast to radio stations all over the world using ISDN, which at the time was a relatively new technology.

The Album

Stylistically, the record features some of the ambient of their previous work, but brings in elements of hip-hop, trip-hop and acid jazz.

The two released versions have different track listings and cover art. The limited edition, a 10,000-copy pressing released in December 1994, has a black cover. The later release, which first appeared in June 1995, has a white cover with black writing, and a different track listing.

The album contains numerous references to several films such as Repo Man in "Eyes Pop - Skin Explodes - Everybody Dead" is a line spoken by the character J. Frank Parnell, and the track "It's My Mind That Works" samples Miller saying "you know how everybody's into weirdness right now" and "it's all part of a cosmic unconsciousness." There are also samples from the sci-fi epic movie Aliens

Aliens (film)

Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, William Hope, and Bill Paxton...

in the track "The Far Out Son Of A Lung And The Ramblings Of A Madman", along with robotic sounds and laser-fire from the film "The Black Hole" in the track "Just a Fuckin Idiot", and samples from films Escape From New York

Escape from New York

Escape from New York is a 1981 American science fiction action film directed and scored by John Carpenter. He co-wrote the screenplay with Nick Castle. The film is set in the near future in a crime-ridden United States that has converted Manhattan Island in New York City into a maximum security...

, Predator

Predator (film)

Predator is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by John McTiernan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and Kevin Peter Hall. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox....

and The Exorcist II

Exorcist II: The Heretic

Exorcist II: The Heretic is a 1977 American horror film and the sequel to The Exorcist , directed by John Boorman from a screenplay by William Goodhart and starring Linda Blair, Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow, James Earl Jones, Ned Beatty and Kitty Winn...

scattered throughout the record.

Limited edition

1. "Just a Fuckin Idiot" – 5:39
2. "The Far Out Son Of Lung and the Ramblings of a Madman" – 4:29
3. "Appendage" – 2:26
4. "Slider" – 7:22
5. "Smokin Japanese Babe" – 4:59
6. "You're Creeping Me Out" – 6:32
7. "Eyes Pop - Skin Explodes - Everybody Dead" – 3:45
8. "It's My Mind That Works" – 3:25
9. "Dirty Shadows" – 6:15
10. "Tired" – 6:32
11. "Egypt" – 4:11
12. "Are They Fightin Us" – 6:23
13. "Hot Knives" – 3:20
14. "A Study Of Six Guitars" – 4:13
15. "An End of Sorts" – 5:26

Second edition

1. "Just a Fuckin Idiot" – 5:39
2. "The Far Out Son Of Lung and the Ramblings of a Madman" – 4:29
3. "Appendage" – 2:26
4. "Slider" – 7:22
5. "Smokin Japanese Babe" – 4:59
6. "You're Creeping Me Out" – 6:32
7. "Eyes Pop - Skin Explodes - Everybody Dead" – 3:45
8. "It's My Mind That Works" – 3:25
9. "Dirty Shadows" – 6:15
10. "Tired" – 6:32
11. "Egypt" – 4:11
12. "Kai" – 4:24
13. "Amoeba" – 5:21
14. "A Study Of Six Guitars" – 4:13
15. "Snake Hips" – 5:52

Vinyl edition

1. "Just a Fuckin Idiot" – 5:39
2. "The Far Out Son Of Lung and the Ramblings of a Madman" – 4:29
3. "Appendage" – 2:26
4. "Slider" – 7:22
5. "Smokin Japanese Babe" – 4:59
6. "You're Creeping Me Out" – 6:32
7. "Eyes Pop - Skin Explodes - Everybody Dead" – 3:45
8. "It's My Mind That Works" – 3:25
9. "Dirty Shadows" – 6:15
10. "Tired" – 6:32
11. "Egypt" – 4:11
12. "Are They Fightin Us" – 6:23
13. "Kai" – 4:24
14. "Amoeba" – 5:21
15. "A Study Of Six Guitars" – 4:13
16. "Snake Hips" – 5:52

Crew

• Written and produced by The Future Sound of London
• Engineered by Yage for EBV
• Recorded live at Earthbeat Studios, London 1995, during various ISDN transmissions
• Guitar on Dirty Shadows was sourced from Robert Fripp
  Robert Fripp
  Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
  
   live with FSOL, Radio 1 FM, on 14/5/94.
• John Williams
  John Williams (guitarist)
  John Christopher Williams is an Australian classical guitarist, and a long-term resident of the United Kingdom. In 1973, he shared a Grammy Award win in the 'Best Chamber Music Performance' category with Julian Bream for Julian and John .-Biography:John Williams was born on 24 April 1941 in...
  
   - acoustic bass loops was sourced from the album Cavatina
  Cavatina (song)
  "Cavatina" is a classical guitar piece by Stanley Myers and the theme from The Deer Hunter.The piece had been recorded by classical guitarist John Williams, long before the film that made it famous. It had originally been written for piano but at Williams' invitation, Myers re-wrote it for guitar...
  
   - put through the machines on Smokin' Japanese Babe & Are They Fightin Us.
• Snake Hips contains a horn sample from Vegas El Bandito and additional percussion loop from Kundalini by 23 Skidoo.
• Hot Knives is based on the Mental Cube track Chile Of The Bass Generation.