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2008-10-06
By: RockSpotlight
Posted in: Rock Spotlight

One Saturday evening, during Mike-K’s wonderful show on ‘MixRadio’ (Saturday Night Rocks), I had the pleasure to hear a wonderfully written, well performed pop song, wrapped in a modern soundscape with a touch of Retro … I instantly knew I want to know more about the band behind this song.  So ….
LADIES & GENTLEMEN
Let me present to you our first Rock/Pop spotlight … the spotlight for October, 2008: 
THE TRANSMISSION
 
In the early Nineties, two aspiring musicians from Rugby in Warwickshire, England, found themselves in a band called ‘Autez Cray’.  
They went on to play together for about four years, by which time they felt the need to separate and to go their own ways.
Fast-forward to the year 2005.
The paths of Robert Low and Jason Hier were meant to meet again; pure chance, but they took it seriously. While talking and reminiscing they discovered that there was still a musical spark – and - a desire to give it another go. 
So, they planned to record four or five songs together; perfect pop tunes with catchy choruses, sharp lyrics while still maintaining their roots in Indie Music.
To keep them, and their projects on track they looked upon their musical influences. These influences came from bands like New Order (the ‘Brotherhood’ album), The Editors (‘Back Room’), Depeche Mode (‘Songs of Faith and Devotion’), Jean Michel Jarre (Oxygene) … as well as Hard-Fi, The Doves and The Smiths.  
Yes, one can say there is a little bit of every band in their songs …
Robert credits Jason for his great production skills on his analog studio equipment. Considering it was just a very small room in his flat (neighbors often banged on the walls in disgust), they still managed to record all their tracks right there. 
The vocals were recorded on a Shure SM58 microphone, which was the same they used for gigs back then when they first played together.
They’ve endured many a problem during this adventure, but most of all they felt how their private lives suffered from being locked up in the studio, hour after hour. 
Still, they always knew they want to get it right, so they put everything else aside and fully concentrated on their songs.  
After three months of hard work they’ve produced ‘Close your Eyes’, a song so full of energy and emotion; sparkling with well-known retro hooks, yet, with a very modern sound.  Juicy guitar riffs backed up with lush, deep and attractive synths. A beat and a melody which makes you want to hum and sing, long after the song has finished … 
And on top of all that, there are Robert’s vocals which really deliver the cleverly written lyrics. 
One can almost say – that it is ‘Old School’ Pop.  And that was what they were after. They have created a song which bears many an influence while still maintaining their own style. 
Robert: ‘The guitar melody on this tune was played on the ‘E’ string of an old acoustic guitar’.
So, all the slavery (as Robert puts it) has paid off, for sure.
Today, their songs are all very well received and being played on many a podcast, locally as well as in Germany and some even in the USA.  In the latter case, it was a big surprise for Jason and Robert to learn how many listeners actually enjoyed their songs.
For Tom Robinson of England’s BBC-6 Music, ‘Rise Above’ (their next, very interesting single) was the best song in the repertoire of THE TRANSMISSION.  He also stated that their tracks are all superbly produced.  So, this is definitely a big honor to receive.
> What are you guys doing while you’re not playing or recording?
Jason works as a DJ on a local radio station called Rugby FM, while Robert is employed in the field of logistics – ‘building the world with Cemex’, as he puts it.
> THE TRANSMISSION and their big name influences:
ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN – At one point they took on a cover version of that band’s big 1983 hit ‘The Cutter’. They also plan to create a remake of ‘The Killing Moon’, another 1983 UK-chart breaker.  
DEPECHE MODE – Robert’s vocal delivery, as well as the melody/chords they are written for leave no doubt that this great avant-garde band from England has left their footprint on their musical souls.
> Which one is your favorite song that you’ve written?
Robert: ‘I think, ‘Losing’ has to be my favorite, but I am sure Jason would prefer ‘Rise Above’, or maybe ‘Home’.  Another interesting fact: Their song ‘Stop me from falling’ was actually written way back in the early 1990’s – together with their friend and ‘guitar hero’ Neill Gingles, who they still credit in their line-up:
JASON HIER = Synthesizer & Programming
ROBERT LOW = Vocals, Guitars
NEILL GINGLES
> My final word … 
After going through their songs I must say, I’m deeply impressed by the quality of both – the songwriting and the production.  Jason and Robert have set the bar very high, and they knew it. They worked hard to reach their goal – and they did.
I can only add that I will definitely be back at their site – checking what’s new, etc … as their sound is not only awesome and utterly enjoyable, but it is also very inspiring; their songs are perfectly and thoughtfully written!
THE TRANSMISSION – right here on Mixposure.com

10/27/08 03:19:13PM @the-transmission:
Heinz, You know our passion for the pop genre, I guess we cross over into rock occasionaly. Good luck with this spotlight, you have already helped us no end on here so far. Thanks for your dedication my friend.
Bob
the Transmission

10/08/08 03:33:16PM @farrell-jackson:
This is great Heinz! I like pop rock and think a good deal of my songs fit in this category. I'll be checking this page on a regular basis!

Farrell

10/08/08 10:19:34PM @rock-spotlight:
Thanks guys! :-)

I already started working on it ...
Heinz.

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