In this series, I explore the grassroots music scene, examining the key players, their roles, and the insights they can offer to Joyzine and its readers.
There’s no denying radarbase have a soft spot for the ’90s. It was one of those decades that just hit differently. Music felt new and unpredictable, design was breaking out of its shell, and fashion didn’t care if you understood it or not. It wasn’t flawless, but no era is. Still, it felt like things were opening up.
Before Underworld became known for their club anthems, they were part of a design outfit called Tomato, a studio that blurred the line between visuals, sound, and technology. Around the same time, collectives like Attik & The Designers Republic were producing work that felt genuinely ahead of its time, whether for record sleeves, video games like Wipeout, or experimental visuals.
Even film marketing had a different energy. Posters like Trainspotting, by Stylorouge felt raw and immediate, like they belonged to the culture instead of selling it. It was a moment where the usual rules did not seem to apply. Designers were not just decorating things, they were shaping how people experienced music, film & games. After the early novelty phase of desktop publishing and the whole idea that anyone with a Mac was suddenly a designer, there was a sharper, more intentional edge to the work. In some ways, it echoes what is happening now with generative AI. There is the same flood of output and the same question of what actually means something.
Then there were the videos. Chris Cunningham’s work for Aphex Twin and Björk still feels unmatched. Come to Daddy in particular the chaos, discomfort and brilliance all at once, arguably still one of the most unforgettable music videos ever made, In fact, rewatching it after all these years, its still terrifying, that poor old lady!
That is the space radarbase are tapping into with their new track ‘Take Me to Your Leader’. It has shades of Underworld and Primal Scream, a hard hitting dance anthem which is made for the Club UK dance floor. The lyric, “Take me to your leader, are you ready to play?” leans into that playful, slightly dystopian sci fi vibe.
Visually, they have nodded to those iconic Designers Republic aesthetics, especially the Neville Brody inspired fonts, with the futuristic look of Wipeout. The idea is Adam and Mark are Player 1 and Player 2 pilots navigating their own radarbase universe. It is less about nostalgia for its own sake and more about reworking that energy into something current.
The outfit packed out Electroniq at The Dublin Castle in November and will make their eagerly awaited return on May 29th.
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Article by Mr Laurence
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