Satin Storm - Nicholas Parsons

R.I.P. Travis Edwards

I felt compelled to share this… RIP Travis Edwards aka Satin Storm. I didn’t know him, nor much about him but he was involved in a record that had a huge impact on my life and taste in music. ‘Think I’m Going Out Of My Head’ came out in 1992, which means I was about 13 when I first heard it on Pirate Radio. It stood out then and it still stands out now.

Most people knew it as ‘Nicholas Parsons’. There was, and still is, constant discussion around what the sample actually said. Some thought ‘People Must Party’, some thought ‘People In Passing’. I’ve also heard rumours of ‘People Are Talking’ and that huge horn sound that follows is a bull - ‘People Are Talking Bull’. To this day I still don’t know and that certainly adds to the magic.

Everything about this record is enigmatic and unique. The sonics are, even by 1992 standards, extremely lofi and the balance of elements is quite jarring at times with a very loud tambourine that sticks out of an otherwise murky drum track. The low end is raw and undefined and the whole thing sounds alien or like an artifact from a harsh and cold parallel world. An engineer could go through this and mix it again ‘properly’ and it would lose all the character and intrigue that made this song so exciting. This one tears up the rule book on all accounts. Food for thought in today’s ‘DON’T DO THIS’ world of YouTube production tutorials (Don’t do what? Make a record that still sounds iconic 30 yrs later?) .

Thematically it was uncommon too - less Dub meets Hip Hop meets Techno and a bit more dystopian Gary Numan or perhaps even rave music from an afro futurist version of William Gibson’s Neuromancer world. As an early teen exploring this music via the faceless medium of Pirate Radio my head was filled with images and stories as to where this record came from and what it was all about. It still thrills me in the same way and if anything, my interest has grown over the years.

From what I have learned in conversation, Travis was quiet and mostly behind the scenes. This fits the narrative and only heightens my love. Discogs lists Satin Storm as being Travis Edward and Russell Taylor who later went on to work with Good Looking records as Tayla. I really don’t have much info on the history of this record or Travis so if you do please share here as I would love to hear.

Records like this don’t come around that often, but when they do they change your life and you remember them forever. If you know, I’m sure you know exactly what I mean and if you don’t please give it a listen as it really is one of UK Rave’s most unique and iconic pieces of work.