'Gong bath' Co-Op freezers inspire new album

Inspiration can come from the strangest of sources, but for one group of musicians Sheffield's row of droning freezers has become the catalyst for a new 11-track album.

Mat Pronger said he devised the "silly idea" after the appliances hit the headlines with their soothing, ambient hum, which has been likened by some to a "gong bath".

Now, with the help of members of the city's DIY music scene, the compilation of songs - all featuring or inspired by the freezers at the Co-Op in Ecclesall Road - has been released.

Pronger said money raised from the sale of the album would be donated to S2 Foodbank.

"It's a really odd feeling," he said.

"How exciting can a freezer sound? There's a limit to that.

"It feels really odd to be in there. We are surrounded by machine noises all day long but very rarely is it what we call concordant, so very rarely does it make a musical noise.

"There's a bit of dispute about whether the freezers are in C# Major or whether they're in A6."

Pronger said the contributing artists had two weeks and some "scrubby samples" to create their tracks, which include Frozen Out, Ice Cream Lament and, controversially, Co-Op in C#.

The final track, simply called Co-Op Freezers, was recorded by 15 members of Emergence Collective, including Pronger, live at the shop.

"I've got to confess, we didn't tell Co-Op we were coming, we figured it was maybe easier to ask for forgiveness than permission," he said.

"The staff were lovely. There were a lot of people who were sort of pretending they couldn't see it, which was kind of funnier.

"It felt like a very odd experience. I probably won't be doing that one again."

Emergence Collective, which contributed to the album, holds open meets at the Gardener's Rest each month and has "built a community" of musicians, Pronger said.

He added: "That means you've always got like-minded people. If you have a silly idea and go, 'what do people think?', three or four people might go, 'yes'.

"You are then going to have to do it."

Speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield, Pronger suggests another idea: "You guys organise the proms, what about this: 20 freezers on stage at the Royal Albert Hall.

"We'll see if Richard Hawley wants to come and sing something heart-breaking about when Debenhams used to be open."

All proceeds from the album, which is on Bandcamp and available for download, will be donated to S2 Foodbank.

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