In reality, by this time, Sheffield had already been mad on electronic music for years, it was just now that the rest of the world were finally catching up. Heavily influenced by Brian Eno in Roxy Music, Kraftwerk and the Wendy Carlos soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange, the likes of Cabaret Voltaire, The Future, and Vice Versa were all experimenting away, often with homemade synths and contraptions, forging new pioneering sounds in the mid-1970s.

Within a few years, bands had split and splintered and even more electronic outfits were formed.

The Human League, Heaven 17, ABC and Clock DVA all became hugely important groups. Mainstream success meant that some would go on to change, and arguably define, the face of electronic pop music in the 1980s. However, while this took place and Sheffield conquered the world, a new generation of artists were coming up and shaping the next underground movements. FON studios had been built and would go on to be a vital force in shaping the next wave of electronic music, with the hugely influential producer Rob Gordon beginning his career there as a youth apprentice.   

The 90s and 00s

The 90s saw the city internationally celebrated for a wide variety of electronic and dance music, with seminal clubs, such as Niche, Bed, The Arches and The Republic being go-to destinations - particularly as the latter was the iconic home of the legendary Gatecrasher, which saw the city descended upon by hard dance, trance, and cyber ravers. At the same time, groups such as Moloko and The All Seeing Eye were crafting unique electronic pop that was storming the charts.

image credit: Retro Headz

The sound of The Fat Truckers’ northern electroclash soundtracked much of the early 2000s, along with other electronic outfits such as I Monster and Kings Have Long Arms, the latter of whom collaborated with Phillip Oakey on a track called ‘Rock and Roll is Dead’.

Simultaneously, Toddla T’s distinct blend of dancehall, grime, breakbeat and UK garage would close out the end of that decade, with him going on to be one of the most celebrated producers in the country.

Then throw in the numerous labels, promoters and club nights that have kept the city dancing since then – spanning everything from Central Processing Unit to Off Me Nut via Kabal, Groundwork, Algorave, Gut Level and Apricot Ballroom – and you have a city that has remained constantly at the forefront of electronic music.

image credit: Gut Level

Record Shops

Sheffield has a solid collection of genre-spanning record shops where you'll be able to find electronic music alongside everything else. For these places, check out: Bear Tree, Record Collector, Spinning Discs, LP, Record Junkee, and Waxatmoorgate. Although if you’re after somewhere that specialises purely in dance, and electronic-adjacent music, then there’s a new place in town just opened up...

Record Labels

While Warp records may be the label that is forever synonymous with Sheffield, it moved the majority of its operations to London years ago. However, there are still numerous local record labels specialising in electronic music releasing an eclectic bunch of sounds.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

This label launched in 2012 and aside from being one of the most distinctive looking labels going – with its sharp uniform black and white design along with its unique 8 digit binary catalogue numbering system – it has been a label that has spearheaded the electro movement. Resident Advisor has called it “one of the best electro labels going" while Bleep.com said it was “one of the most interesting electronic labels to come out of Sheffield since the Cabaret Voltaire days.”

Computer Club

Also run by Chris Smith, the man behind CPU, this is an off-shoot label of sorts that also runs events as well as puts out records. Here you’ll find slightly more leftfield picks on this imprint, which has put out a variety of tunes spanning experimental techno to computer music via some noisy and glitchy stuff.

Memory Dance

This archive label is a relatively new addition, having only put out its first release in 2023, which was a never-before released eight track compilation of 1980s Sheffield post-punk-disco-dub-pop group the Leisure Foundation. Its remit is “sharing never-known work from the archival fringes of post-punk, jazz-funk, noise, synthpop, boogie, street-soul, proto house music, and everything in between those cracks.”

Off Me Nut

An independent rave label that’s been running since 2010. This isn’t chilled out electronic music perfect for home listening, it is big, raw, heavy, bold and in your face stuff. It’s heavy on bassline, jungle, and breakcore sounds and is intended to be played loud through as big of a speaker system as possible. Aside from boasting a hugely extensive back catalogue of records,  the label has also been known to throw some killer parties in the city over the years too. 

Audiobulb

This is a Sheffield label that has been going for just over 20 years now and is a “exploratory electronic music label releasing ambient, glitch, electronic, microsound and modern classical music, software and creative projects.” It has a deeply impressive and eclectic series of releases behind it, often with a focus on exploring the intersection of the electronic and natural world.

Organisations

Sheffield Techno Institute  

Love techno? So does the Sheffield Techno Institute (STI). They run events, parties and gatherings that are all things techno and have been embedded into the Sheffield scene for well over a decade now. So, give them a follow on socials if you want to get involved and join the party.  

Yorkshire Sound Women Network

While this is Yorkshire-wide rather than just Sheffield, there are often meet-ups and events held in the city, and there is a specific Sheffield chapter called SONA. Yorkshire Sound Women Network (YSWN) was founded in 2015 by women working in the sound technology industry who wanted to use their skills and influence to address gender and racial inequality. Through various events and workshops they actively encourage women and girls to participate and develop skills in sound and music digital technology.

Algorave

Algorave is as much a movement and community as it is a party. It’s all about using live coding to make music in real time and the organisation has been hosting events and parties for years in the city. It has toured all over the world and is something of a leading force in the world of algorithmic music. However, they are also very welcoming in encouraging people to take part, get involved and learn the craft. They often host workshops and meetups for people to learn more about what they do and how to do it. There is also Pattern Club which is connected to the Algorave world, which actively welcomes “ imposters and beginners” to come along and explore making patterns in craft, technology, music, and performing arts.

Mondo Radio

This is a community radio station based in Sheffield. They have also been known to throw great parties and various events in the city over the years but it’s also a real community made up of members, DJs and general electronic music fans. They also have a rich variety of shows from some of the city’s best selectors, so it also doubles up as an amazing musical archive and resource.