Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan/Sulk Rooms

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Gordon Chapman-Fox works under the name Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan (WRNTDP) and produces wonderful propulsive, cinematic electronica which has a musical, conceptual and aesthetic setting in the mid 1970s to early 1980s and has made a great impact since his debut in 2020.

Gordon has released four albums to date on independent label Castles in Space. His latest record, The Nation’s Most Central Location has proved his most successful, charting at number 6 in the independent album chart and achieving much radio play and many requests for sync placements.

Following a solid upwards trajectory, all four WRNTDP albums have had increasing levels of critical and commercial success, with the third record Districts, Roads, Open Space charting at #20 in the UK vinyl album charts, and #60 in the main album chart. The album made several albums of the year lists, including Bleep, Norman Records, Piccadilly Records, Drift Records and made #5 in the Electronic Sound magazine 2022 best of list.

The Nation’s Most Central Location was pressed in the largest edition ever issued by Castles in Space, and yet still sold out in a matter of days. Genuine public demand necessitated a repress of a further 2,000 copies, which had to be ordered immediately following the album’s release.

Since performing at End Of The Road in 2022, Gordon has begun a definite move towards the mainstream consciousness, with his appearance there being noted in the Financial Times’ review of the festival. His work is regularly played on the BBC and he was asked to contribute to Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone special of hauntology last year. He was included in Shindig Magazine’s “ones to watch in 2023” feature, where they said “The richness of his visionary music is becoming progressively more enticing. A must for 2023”. The campaign for this new album has seen major features in Electronic Sound magazine and The Quietus. The album was also given 8/10 in a review/interview piece in Uncut.

What's difficult to convey is how much these records have resonated with so many cross sections of the public. From electronica fans, to town planners, architects and academics, current and ex-new town dwellers, futurists and nostalgia freaks, the reach and affection for this music has been quite a revelation. In an adept development, the work has become more overtly politicised as Gordon reflects and refracts the broken promises made over generations to those in the North of England. Brought into sharp relief with the latest levelling up debacle, although of the past, the music couldn't be more current. It's emotional and moving and it connects deeply with many people.

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A pseudonym of Yorkshire based composer Thomas Ragsdale, the music of Sulk Rooms draws the link between euphoric electronica and smoke engulfed drones. 

Slow-morphing textures sequence and cascade, encapsulating intimate moments of colliding sound amongst fluttering arpeggios and transcending synth builds.

Atmospheric music for the head alongside the heart, Sulk Rooms' music captures spontaneous audio mirages and saturated imperfections within a crushing backdrop of low end and harmonic ferocity.

Electric soundscapes and rising techno map Sulk Rooms' universe where panoramic pulses fuel adrenaline charged synths to feelings of both wonder and unease.

“Sulk Rooms summons slow moving and portentous drones that feel both elemental and diffuse” - Wire Magazine

“It’s all rather brilliantly evocative” - Electronic Sound Magazine

“Ephemeral, elusive and gloriously unsettling” - Electronic Sound Magazine