Motortechno: Machine Soul, Deep Friendship, and the Underground Spirit
Born in 2005 at the intersection of friendship and obsession with machine soul, Motortechno began life as an internet radio show broadcast from a ground-floor flat in Chorlton, Manchester. What started with Rod Fry mixing live every Sunday evening on York house institution Freakin soon expanded when fellow York University techno devotee Ricky Ambury joined the rotation. Not long after, Ricky brought in his childhood friend Tom Long, and together the trio built a platform that mirrored the underground sounds they championed: raw, unfiltered, and bursting with energy.
The show migrated to Future Music—a station featuring heavy hitters like Mark Archer of rave pioneers Altern-8—where it found a broader audience and added editorial muscle through interviews with icons like Ben Sims and guest mixes from legends including DJ Bone. When Ricky and Tom both landed in Manchester, Motortechno evolved from broadcast into a series of unforgettable club nights at venues like Joshua Brooks and Paradise Factory, celebrating Northern talent like Head Front Panel and Adam Rayner alongside heavyweights Sou Tai and O/V/R.
Across five years, Motortechno carved out a niche as a gathering point for lovers of techno, house, and electro—a space where the music and the community were everything.
After the broadcasts ceased, the crew stayed active. Tom became a fixture at Manchester’s biggest techno events, including legendary nights at Sankeys, later co-founding the popular Hold It Down parties. Rod launched his 7 Segment project in London, playing standout sets at Option One boat parties on the Thames. Ricky… well, Ricky occasionally recorded the odd mix.
Tragically, in 2016, Tom was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He passed away in 2019 at just 33 years old, leaving an enormous hole in the lives of those who loved him. But Tom’s spirit remains inextricably tied to the music and friendships he helped forge.
In 2022, Tom’s close friend and Hold It Down co-founder Andy Ollerhead organised Here for Long—a memorial party delayed by the pandemic. Rod and Ricky returned to the booth together as Motortechno, paying tribute to their fallen brother in the only way that felt right. The emotional reunion was repeated in 2024, as playing together became a means of remembrance, reconnection, and celebration.
Now, Motortechno enters its next phase. Rod and Ricky are reviving the name as a monthly podcast, continuing to honour Tom’s memory and the spirit of the underground. Each episode features two to three hours of mixes—by them and occasional guests from across the UK’s electronic music underground—keeping alive the culture that shaped their friendship and defined their sound.
If the music moves you, please consider supporting via Patreon. All proceeds go directly to Tom Long’s Brain Tumour Research fundraising page.
Peace x
The Motortechno Crew