Staying Local by Michael son of Michael

MSOM returns with his second EP ‘Staying Local’, largely inspired by his experience of living in Cliftonville, Margate, which was recently voted the 8th coolest neighbourhood in the world.

Released as a collaboration between Ali Renault’s VIVOD label and DIY label The Fearless Few co-founded by Mikkelsen, the EP features five original tracks and five remixes available on cassette (including download) or as a download only.

Prompted by the disproportionately high incidence of Tesla owners in one of Britain’s poorest towns, ‘Speed Freak’ - the opening track - references the YouTube phenomenon where EV drivers take unsuspecting passengers for a ride, hoping to capture their visceral reaction to the sudden acceleration of the powerful vehicle. It really is a thing!

Using a lengthy excerpt from an interview with astronaut Donald Pettit, ‘Frontier Living’ draws parallels between life on the International Space Station and life in Margate (recently dubbed the Death Star of Thanet in an infamous newspaper article).

Astonished by the often vitriolic debates that raged on social media during Covid, ‘Dr Surf’ highlights the slight absurdity of self taught individuals taking on the scientific community on the basis of information garnered from their own echo chambers.

‘Hounds of Cliftonville’ poses the question whether Covid brought about another pandemic locally, with the size of the canine population having pretty much exploded since the pandemic.

‘Escape to the Avenues’, meanwhile, tells the tale of nouveau locals escaping the mean streets of Cliftonville (and its primary schools), exchanging the latter for a more palatable alternative with sea views and palm trees.

Also available on cassette tape. Free digital download code with every cassette tape ordered.

Originally released February 16, 2023

Margate Electronics co-pilot

Fearless Few co-founder

Instagram