re:mote voices

Title: Needle In The Groove
Author: Jeff Noon
Publisher:Black Swan

inside, it's like a graveyard club
the hush of the machines, all turned to standby
all the lights, turned to darkness
walk through, slowly
every single line of force concentrated, right to the dance floor, exact centre
where the night seems darkest, alive with secret rhythms
-needle in the groove
-jeff noon.


prompted by my enjoyment of noon's most recent novel, falling out of cars, i decided to fill the gap in my noon collection that is needle in the groove. to date noon has five novels and a collection of short stories, but along with those he has also published a proposed writing system - an experimental mix fiction system called cobralingus. his intent was to challenge writer's and the structures they use in writing, falling this up it is clear from the notes of the first pages that needle in the groove has been written implementing this cobralingus system. with the result that it is has a very definite style and rhythm, equating the ideas of DJs mixing themes and threads together only in a verbal sense.

elliot is a bass player, playing for a number of pub bands, when is approached by a singer to help with something new. elliot has nearly made it big in the past, but isn't really interested in trying that again. but still when he meets jodie, 2spot along with the singer donna he is introduced to something special. not just the start of dance music in manchester when he is coming from a rock background, but also the technology of liquid music, spheres that provide instant remixes. driven by the DJ jodie they hone their work until they are ready to release their first single. however the history of manchester and its music is inextricably linked to that of the band, and just as they are ready to go 2spot's part in events brings everything crashing down.

noon has a particularly lyrical delivery with this foray into remix fiction, spinning the threaded sequences round and round. creating bass heavy imagery with a dose of humour, and a head spinning bpm. a liquid fiction, which is at once entirely contemporary - manchester and music - but topping the scales into noon territory with the extreme referential manner of all the music themed street name, and the undertones of alternative technology and experimental writing.