Aphex Twin Lucy Jones of the telegraph talking about aphex twin, venetian snares, switched on bach

April 26, 2012

http://blogs.telegra...op-electronica/

electronic music is mainstream now hehe

do you think she fancies chris clark and got his phone number then he told her about all this stuff?

Recommending “pop” music, in the widest sense, to friends who only listen to classical can be tricky. It’s harder than the reverse situation, which is also more common. Why? Because a classical fan in 2012 will have already heard lots of examples of popular music simply by dint of, well, being alive. They arrive with a pocked slate, well-versed in reasons for rejection. The average pop fan might be put off by snobby stereotypes attached to classical music but it’s unlikely he’s heard the Rite of Spring all the way through.

So when a pal says “modern music sucks”, what do you suggest? I put the dilemma to Twitter last week.

cropped up many times, as did the icy equilibrium of

.

was of course present, as were

, heavy metal band Metallica,

,

and

; artists who have dipped their toes in classical structures, textures or instrumentation here and there.

Someone mentioned the album Switched-On Bach by Wendy Carlos and Benjamin Folkman from the late 1960s. Do you remember it? It was heralded as the “first electronic classical album” and cast classical in a cool light. The record featured Bach works recalibrated on a Moog synthesiser and recorded on an eight-track. Enormously successful, winning Grammys and riding high in the charts, it was followed by similar records such as The Well-Tempered Synthesizer.

Switched-On Bach hit the Billboard Charts Top Ten

It’s sounds dreadful today but it's certainly interesting and does support a theory I have: that electronic music is the way into the classical fan’s heart. An album comes out this week, by Lone, the prolific Manchester talent, that strikes me as a good example. Galaxy Garden sounds like the soundtrack to an all-night rave in the Garden of Eden, all tropical early-acid chords, tinkling clicks, tribal percussion and sparkling, filigreed twists reminiscent of classical compositions. The tracks have movements instead of three solid minutes of hi-hats, thrash guitar or rap. It demands to be listened to properly, in the same way you would need to spend time with a Bruckner piece to discover its intricacies.

Matt Cutler (aka Lone) started making music when he was unusually young. After seeing the music video for Prodigy’s No Good Start The Dance in 1994 he used toy keyboards to “recreate Prodigy tracks and rave tunes.” He was 10, and soon eschewed Playdays for the Hardcore genre of music. In 2007, he hooked up with a label in Nottingham and since then has been putting out releases every year. You might have heard his popular track

.

I spoke to Cutler about what he's trying to achieve with Galaxy Garden.

I just want to give myself a certain feeling and hope listeners get the same thing. It’s the point when the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end and you get that shivery feeling. My only aim is to get that feeling for myself, it’s almost magic. It’s a physical reaction from something, it’s totally weird. If people can feel that, it would be amazing.

He compares the record to classical music: “The emotional connection with music comes from chords. Nothing gets me more than beautiful chord changes or melodies, and I guess classical music is just that.”

Whereas Detroit and Chicago house and techno influenced his previous work, the main inspiration for Galaxy Garden is his own discography. “This one is about not relying on too much influence, looking forward and trying to carve out my own thing.”

The track titles are evocative (Dragon Blue Eyes, Raindance, Crystal Caverns, Stands Tidal Waves) and combined with the album cover – surely one of the best this year – and the trippy video trailer, the impression is cinematic. Indeed Lone “made it with the intention of painting a certain picture in people’s heads”.

The story of the album’s artwork is testament to the bold aesthetic of the music. Tom Schofield, the artist, asked Matt at a gig in Glasgow if he could do the cover. Matt told him to do “whatever came into his head”. When Tom came back with the finished work, it was exactly the same as Matt had envisioned, colours and all. "It all comes down to the image I have in my head. I imagine a mass gathering in a rainforest at night looking up at the stars. Looking up into space from earth", he explained.

Although Lone’s ultimate influence is Aphex Twin, his career highlight was reworking a Radiohead track for their remix album TKOL RMX 1234567. “It was terrifying to be honest. I’ve always been a huge fan. Radiohead are the only band that I’ve ever been into. It took me ages to do the remix because I kept panicking," he told me.

The Boiler Room launch party was a special night with memorable sets from Illum Sphere, Caribou, Jamie xx and Thom himself. What was it like for Matt to meet his them?

I’ve met certain heroes of mine before who just turn out to be complete d—s and I find it difficult to listen to their music after that. But Radiohead were the nicest people ever. Ed was the nicest guy in the world. It was like hanging out with mates you’ve known for years.

You can stream the album below and here are details of the launch party. Do let me know what kind of music you recommend to your classical music pals in the comment box below or, if you're a classical boffin, popular artists that you enjoy.

PS I'm going to a classical club night this evening. The programme is Penderecki, Ligeti, Xenakis and then a two hour set from…techno producer Alex Smoke. Sounds like a good fit.

Edited April 26, 2012 by chunky

April 26, 2012

On 4/26/2012 at 11:28 AM, chunky said:

http://blogs.telegra...op-electronica/

electronic music is mainstream now hehe

do you think she fancies chris clark and got his phone number then he told her about all this stuff?

Recommending “pop” music, in the widest sense, to friends who only listen to classical can be tricky. It’s harder than the reverse situation, which is also more common. Why? Because a classical fan in 2012 will have already heard lots of examples of popular music simply by dint of, well, being alive. They arrive with a pocked slate, well-versed in reasons for rejection. The average pop fan might be put off by snobby stereotypes attached to classical music but it’s unlikely he’s heard the Rite of Spring all the way through.

So when a pal says “modern music sucks”, what do you suggest? I put the dilemma to Twitter last week.

cropped up many times, as did the icy equilibrium of
.
was of course present, as were
, heavy metal band Metallica,
,
,
and
; artists who have dipped their toes in classical structures, textures or instrumentation here and there.
Someone mentioned the album Switched-On Bach by Wendy Carlos and Benjamin Folkman from the late 1960s. Do you remember it? It was heralded as the “first electronic classical album” and cast classical in a cool light. The record featured Bach works recalibrated on a Moog synthesiser and recorded on an eight-track. Enormously successful, winning Grammys and riding high in the charts, it was followed by similar records such as The Well-Tempered Synthesizer.

Switched-On Bach hit the Billboard Charts Top Ten

It’s sounds dreadful today but it's certainly interesting and does support a theory I have: that electronic music is the way into the classical fan’s heart. An album comes out this week, by Lone, the prolific Manchester talent, that strikes me as a good example. Galaxy Garden sounds like the soundtrack to an all-night rave in the Garden of Eden, all tropical early-acid chords, tinkling clicks, tribal percussion and sparkling, filigreed twists reminiscent of classical compositions. The tracks have movements instead of three solid minutes of hi-hats, thrash guitar or rap. It demands to be listened to properly, in the same way you would need to spend time with a Bruckner piece to discover its intricacies.

Matt Cutler (aka Lone) started making music when he was unusually young. After seeing the music video for Prodigy’s No Good Start The Dance in 1994 he used toy keyboards to “recreate Prodigy tracks and rave tunes.” He was 10, and soon eschewed Playdays for the Hardcore genre of music. In 2007, he hooked up with a label in Nottingham and since then has been putting out releases every year. You might have heard his popular track

.
I spoke to Cutler about what he's trying to achieve with Galaxy Garden.

I just want to give myself a certain feeling and hope listeners get the same thing. It’s the point when the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end and you get that shivery feeling. My only aim is to get that feeling for myself, it’s almost magic. It’s a physical reaction from something, it’s totally weird. If people can feel that, it would be amazing.

He compares the record to classical music: “The emotional connection with music comes from chords. Nothing gets me more than beautiful chord changes or melodies, and I guess classical music is just that.”

Whereas Detroit and Chicago house and techno influenced his previous work, the main inspiration for Galaxy Garden is his own discography. “This one is about not relying on too much influence, looking forward and trying to carve out my own thing.”

The track titles are evocative (Dragon Blue Eyes, Raindance, Crystal Caverns, Stands Tidal Waves) and combined with the album cover – surely one of the best this year – and the trippy video trailer, the impression is cinematic. Indeed Lone “made it with the intention of painting a certain picture in people’s heads”.

The story of the album’s artwork is testament to the bold aesthetic of the music. Tom Schofield, the artist, asked Matt at a gig in Glasgow if he could do the cover. Matt told him to do “whatever came into his head”. When Tom came back with the finished work, it was exactly the same as Matt had envisioned, colours and all. "It all comes down to the image I have in my head. I imagine a mass gathering in a rainforest at night looking up at the stars. Looking up into space from earth", he explained.

Although Lone’s ultimate influence is Aphex Twin, his career highlight was reworking a Radiohead track for their remix album TKOL RMX 1234567. “It was terrifying to be honest. I’ve always been a huge fan. Radiohead are the only band that I’ve ever been into. It took me ages to do the remix because I kept panicking," he told me.

The Boiler Room launch party was a special night with memorable sets from Illum Sphere, Caribou, Jamie xx and Thom himself. What was it like for Matt to meet his them?

I’ve met certain heroes of mine before who just turn out to be complete d—s and I find it difficult to listen to their music after that. But Radiohead were the nicest people ever. Ed was the nicest guy in the world. It was like hanging out with mates you’ve known for years.

You can stream the album below and here are details of the launch party. Do let me know what kind of music you recommend to your classical music pals in the comment box below or, if you're a classical boffin, popular artists that you enjoy.

PS I'm going to a classical club night this evening. The programme is Penderecki, Ligeti, Xenakis and then a two hour set from…techno producer Alex Smoke. Sounds like a good fit.