Night Operations is the project of Mike Powell which began in 2011 with the release of the long-deleted Colour & Number EP on Prescribed Records. Mike was the keyboard player for KIT B, and has in the past performed and released music with several other bands including Exchange (2012-2014), The Shelltones (2007-2011) and Five Days Of Static (2003-04) as well as releasing 2 singles under his own name, Behind The Wheel (2010) and Dancefloor (2011). After the release of the first EP, Night Operations releases have been few and far between; aside from the track Driving Rain which was released as an EP in 2014 and featured on the German Shepherd charity album Salford Streets. Night Operations has also released remixes, for artists and bands such as KIT B, Exchange and The Junta.

Work began on the Mantra album, the first full release with German Shepherd, as early as mid 2014, but most of the material was recorded in late 2015 / early 2016. The album was released in October 2016, preceded by a promo single, Remember,   released in September 2016. A second album Advantage was released in February 2018. An EP featuring tracks Area 51 and Forbidden Fruit via three remixes was released in October 2018.

A new single “Pull The Trigger” was released in May 2020. This is now followed by the third album Protocol which releases on 25th September. 

Protocol finds the Night Operations sound developing further with a more experimental approach and a broader mix of material. The finest work to date by Mike Powell shows him developing as a writer and artist.  The album was recorded at The Zone, Runcorn and The Zone, Ellesmere Port and engineered & produced by Leon Schneider. Mike plays guitar and synthesizers and sings.

Dislocation Dance – we are pleased to support Dislocation Dance frontman Ian Runacres with a fundraising project to help raise funds for much needed medical support for his son Joel. We will be releasing a charity EP in October all income from which will be used to support the current fundraising project “Help Joel Live Longer”. Details of the appeal are available here – in summary we are seeking donations towards a pioneering treatment for brain cancer that will help Joel and also contribute to developing breakthrough treatment for brain tumours to help others in the future. Our release forms part of series of charity events aiming to hit the challenging target.

Originally formed in 1978 and active again since 2009 Dislocation Dance emerged in the midst of the first Manchester Post-Punk wave with a fresh sound.  Perhaps they were a band out of time – their quirky jazz-pop too eclectic to make charts dominated by glossy sugary pop, and, not grim enough to fit in with the same scene as Joy Division or The Fall. We are pleased to add to their impressive back catalogue with a new EP which features new material and is called “Discombobulation”. More details on the release and the fundraising will follow over the next few weeks.