The Records of My Life by Thomas Walmsley of Temples

Temples They will return to our country to present “BLISS” (V2, 26), a work that combines its psychedelic spirit with more electronic textures than ever. We took the opportunity to ask its founding member and bassist, Thomas Walmsley, about the six albums of his life.

(You can check their tour dates at the end of this article).

VV. AA. – “Hackers” (1995)
An incredible film that perfectly captured the excitement and futuristic nature of the technological avant-garde of the 90s. The writing and acting are very period-specific (so questionably bad it’s great), the fashion and Angelina Jolie cameo are memorable, but what really stands out is the soundtrack. It’s phenomenal and, without a doubt, drives the film from start to finish. Hearing “Halcyon + On + On” by Orbital for the first time in the opening scene and the constant repetition of “Voodoo People” by The Prodigy, “Cowgirl” by Underworld and “Open Up” by Leftfield is crazy. It’s basically a greatest hits compilation of the era and continues to sound as grand and futuristic today as it probably did back in the day.

Enigma – “MCMXC aD” (1990)
I love records that, for sixty minutes, transport you to a completely different realm. And Enigma’s debut album is, without a doubt, one of their most captivating. Virgin never disappoints. There was a time in the late ’90s and early ‘2000s when Gregorian chant was hitting the charts, and Enigma helped get it all started. The single “Sadeness” defines the genre and paved the way for a succession of songs that, on this album, merge with each other. It is dark, spiritual, glorious and visceral music. Ancient but futuristic. I think one critic described it as “easy listening sex music” and he wasn’t wrong.

William Orbit – “Strange Cargo III” (1993)
One of the best English producers of all time, who obviously collaborated with Madonna, Blur and All Saints. His sound is unmistakable, leaving behind his underwater, spacey wails and undulating synth sounds wherever he goes. His solo albums before the big collaborations are incredible, especially this “Strange Cargo III”. It is a paradise of samples, combination of rhythms, high-pitched female voices, dizzying synthesizers and spatial effects. It’s like listening to your mind in full movement. “Into The Paradise” is an exceptional song. Additionally, along with the album, he released a seven-track accompanying video exclusively on VHS. Incredible.

Saint Etienne – “Foxbase Alpha” (1991)
Another impressive debut album, released by Heavenly, a label we know and appreciate very much. In my opinion, “Foxbase Alpha” captures the essence of the “summer of love” of the sixties and makes it relevant to the times of its publication. It is a fresh vision that combines genres, strong rhythms and classic samples, but at the same time retains a classic sixties feel. The Dusty Springfield sampling on “Nothing Can Stop Us” is great and “Girl VII” is both dark and bright. An album that I love to listen to repeatedly.

Ryuichi Sakamoto – “Smoochy” (1995)
This stage of Ryuichi Sakamoto shows us, without a doubt, at his most free and creative moment. He was a great melodic composer. A great melodic composer, collaborator and producer at different times in his career, but I feel that, in “Smoochy”, he manages to embroider all three facets in the same album. He achieves this through distorted rhythms, crystalline keyboards and beautiful orchestral arrangements. This album captures enormous nostalgia and melancholy and means a lot to me, like meeting someone you met years ago who turns out to be the love of your life. “A Day In The Park” and the “Bibo No Aozora” remix are Japanese City Pop heaven. In addition, it has one of its most iconic covers, photographed by Nick Knight. A ten out of ten album.

David Bowie – “Earthling” (1997)
Legendary artists who managed to reinvent themselves decades later are rare, but Bowie made a career out of it (or did he?). Without exception, this album, which could have been a disaster. After the milestones of Tin Machine and his friendship with Goldie, Bowie threw himself into experimentation and achieved an addictive album. His way of working with drum’n’bass and industrial shouldn’t work, but it does, and brilliantly. In any case, “Little Wonder” and “I’m Afraid of Americans” are Bowie classics. I think that both this and “Outside” from 1995 are two of his most imaginative albums.