Sugar Experiment Station is a techno and electro project by Neil Landstrumm and Tobias Schmidt. Known for their gritty, hardware-driven sound, they blend distorted drums, squelching basslines and raw synthesisers. Their Peel Session, recorded for John Peel in October 1998, captures this intensity in a live context. The set was fast, abrasive and full of squirming analogue textures. It stood out at the time for pushing UK techno closer to the punk energy of DIY electronics.

Neil Landstrumm, originally from Edinburgh, has released on labels such as Tresor, Planet Mu and his own imprint, Scandinavia. His work often fuses techno with grime, electro and bass-heavy UK styles. Tobias Schmidt, also Scottish, is known for releases on Sativae Recordings, Scandinavia and Tresor, with a distinctive sound rooted in distorted funk and industrial rhythms.

Sugar Experiment Station was a short-lived but influential side project. It bridged the gap between club techno and experimental live performance. Their work fits alongside artists like Cristian Vogel, Jamie Lidell and the rest of the mid-90s UK electronic underground. The Peel Session remains a cult classic – raw, improvised and with a sense of urgency that few acts managed to capture so well on national radio.

Sugar Experiment Station - Peel Session - Live Hardware Set 08.10.98

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