Editing Nothing Records (section)

=== The Bowling Green ===
[[Micko Westmoreland]] was born in 1971 in Leeds, England and had an ear for music from a very young age, learning guitar, keyboards and bass. Throughout his youth, Westmoreland would dabble in traditional instrumentation, until 1990, when his decks and records were stolen. Using insurance money received as a result of the theft, Micko decided to purchase an Atari and synth and began his first experimentations in electronic music.  While still developing his sound, during his time in college, Westmoreland collaborated with musician [[Brian Eno]] and a host of other young artists on the "Self Storage" exhibition at Wembley.

By the mid-1990s, Micko had honed his skills as an electronic producer and began recording as The Bowling Green; the name being derived from the [[bowling green|venue]] on which the sport of [[bowls]] is played. The sound of The Bowling Green crossed many styles of electronica, incorporating a distinct sense of retro and nostalgia.  Micko's earliest music to reach public ears would be for his brother, [[Wash West]]moreland, who began as a gay porn director, though he would later transition into an acclaimed independent filmmaker. Micko provided the music to many of his brother's gay porn films, often credited under the name The Bowling Green, including ''Naked Highway'', ''Technical Exctasy'', ''Animus'' and ''The Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony''.

The first track from The Bowling Green to see commercial release was on [[Rising High Records|Rising High Records']] ''Further Self Evident Truths'' compilation, with the track "Imparticular" included on ''Volume 3'' of the series (alongside future Nothing Records label-mate [[Plug (band)|Plug]]).  Around this time, Micko approached numerous labels and several responded with offers. Ultimately, he decided on [[Blue Planet Recordings]], a sub-label of [[Silver Planet Recordings]], on the basis that Blue Planet promised Micko some studio time. Micko recalled, "So they lent me their studio and I used to go in there on Sundays and work for 23 hours and finish the mixes at about 8 in the morning, which is quite hellish really.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.nothingisnext.com/bands/bg/media/int1.asp| title = An Interview With The Bowling Green's Micko Westmoreland| author = Miller, Walt| work = FAQT| date = 1997| access-date = December 23, 2016| url-status = bot: unknown| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030529113808/http://www.nothingisnext.com/bands/bg/media/int1.asp| archive-date = May 29, 2003}}</ref>  The results of his studio time would be The Bowling Green's debut ''Mingle EP'' 12" in 1996. This was followed by the ''Chaise Longue EP'' in 1997, which featured a remix from Blue Planet and future Nothing Records label-mate [[Plug (band)|Plug]].

The music would catch the attention of [[Trent Reznor]] and Nothing Records, which had just licensed [[Luke Vibert|Luke Vibert's]] [[Plug (band)|Plug]] project from the Blue Planet label.  Nothing Records offered to license The Bowling Green from Blue Planet and Micko joined the label in November 1997. The Bowling Green would release ''The Receptionist E.P.'' on Blue Planet in 1998, as well as appear on compilations for electronic labels Law & Auder, Dot and [[Shadow Records]].  Micko also began working on a debut album, opting to record in a home studio, appropriately named The Spare Room, in Ladbroke Grove, West London.  The resulting album, ''One Pound Note'', was released in the UK on Blue Planet Recordings in June 1998.  Shortly after the release, Micko appeared alongside [[Si Begg]] on the [[John Peel]] Sessions.

In October 1998, Micko gained further attention for an acting role in filmmaker [[Todd Haynes|Todd Haynes']] [[glam rock]] drama ''[[Velvet Goldmine]]'', starring alongside [[Ewan McGregor]], [[Christian Bale]], [[Jonathan Rhys Meyers]], [[Toni Collette]] and [[Eddie Izzard]]. Micko played the mysterious Jack Fairy, who was loosely inspired by musicians [[Brian Eno]] and [[Marc Bolan]].  The role came about by chance for Micko, as [[Todd Haynes]] had been taking residence in the home of Micko's brother, [[Wash West]]moreland, while shooting his film ''[[Safe (1995 film)|Safe]]''.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://mrs_fairy.tripod.com/bgstuff/mickobio.html| title = Nothing Records Press Release| author = unknown| work = Nothing Records| date = 1999| access-date = December 23, 2016| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161224094523/http://mrs_fairy.tripod.com/bgstuff/mickobio.html| archive-date = December 24, 2016}}</ref>  Todd had met Micko though his brother and felt there would be a place for him somewhere in his new film, ''[[Velvet Goldmine]]''.  Initially auditioning for a minor part, Micko was instead cast in the pivotal role of Jack Fairy.

The first appearance of The Bowling Green on Nothing Records came with two tracks from ''One Pound Note'' being featured on the label sampler ''Nothing Changes'', which was included with an issue of XLR8R Magazine in 1998.  Nothing Records then released ''One Pound Note'' in the United States on January 19, 1999. The album contained numerous samples, including dialogue from the 1973 cult horror film, [[The Wicker Man (1973 film)|The Wicker Man]].  The album's samples were left intact for the U.S. release, with the exception of the song "Gentleman Reverse," which was cut from the U.S. edition, due to sample clearance issues.

The Bowling Green's run on Nothing Records was limited to the release of ''One Pound Note'', as the Blue Planet label went on hiatus shortly thereafter (before eventually going defunct altogether after a brief return from 2004 to 2005).  This left The Bowling Green in need of a new UK label and subsequently ended their licensing deal to Nothing Records. In 2002, The Bowling Green signed with Spiky Records in the UK, which released his sophomore album, ''Fabrications''. The album marked a shift in sound for Micko, with many tracks more focused on songwriting. In addition, Spiky released three 12-inch singles around the ''Fabrications'' album; ''Pre-Fabrications Vol. One'', ''Pre-Fabrications Vol. Two'' and ''Tigons And Liger'', featuring remixes from [[Mike Paradinas|μ-ziq]] and [[Si Begg|Si Begg's]] Buckfunk 3000 project.

After the release of ''Fabrications'', Micko opted to no longer record as The Bowling Green.  In 2001, he recorded music for his brother [[Wash West|Wash Westmoreland's]] film ''[[The Fluffer]]'', as well as his 2006 film ''[[Quinceañera (film)|Quinceañera]]''.  The latter won both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the [[2006 Sundance Film Festival]].  In 2009, Micko Westmoreland released his first solo album under his own name, entitled ''Wax & Wayne'', on [[Terry Edwards|Terry Edwards']] Sartorial Records.  The album marked a significant change in sound for Westmoreland, leaving electronic music behind, in favor of a British indie rock sound.  In 2010, however, Micko released an electronic project known as Wooden Spaceship in the U.S. on I, Absentee.  The ''Wooden Spaceship'' material, which amounted to a one-off, self-titled EP, hearkened back to the electronic nostalgia and wonky beats of his electronic roots and represented a bridge between The Bowling Green and his later, eponymous solo material.

In 2015, Micko launched his own label, Landline Records, which released his sophomore album under his own name, entitled ''Yours Etc Abc''. Micko also digitally reissued The Bowling Green albums ''One Pound Note'' and ''Fabrications'' on Landline Records in 2016. The same year, Micko digitally released a collection of both The Bowling Green and Micko Westmoreland remixes, simply titled ''Remixes'' and featuring tracks from the old The Bowling Green 12"s, which included remixes by [[Luke Vibert]], [[Mike Paradinas]] and [[Si Begg]], amongst others.  In 2017, Landline Records digitally reissued the ''Wooden Spaceship'' EP.  Micko continues to use Landline Records as his primary musical outlet.