Demo track from a series of recording working with a vocoder and voice samples

Die in my mouth

release date: 12 october 2021  F

requent or perhaps even occasional listeners will by now be familiar with my sonic interests - unusual combinations of slow, strange and stochastic sounds.  T

his weeks episode presents a series of sketches made with the small Eurorack modular synthesiser I’ve put together and have been experimenting with over the past few months. The system is intentionally oriented to manipulation of files from my samples library - recordings of the art instruments I make, found sonic generators such as the floating pontoon from episode 40 and sonic events performed for the recorder made with repurposed found objects.   Modular systems are attractive to me for their generative, unpredictable and exploratory qualities combining control and chaos, order and randomness. 

The core of my tiny system is a MakeNoise Morphagene which is fed multiple Control Voltage signals from a chain beginning with a Bastl LFO generator feeding into a Mutable Instruments Branches then a TipTop Audio MISO. The series provides order from the LFO, randomised CV pathing through Branches, fine-grain signal control at MISO and extremely variable CV and manual audio  sample manipulation at the Morphagene.  

Working with this system is pure experimentation - each module has multiple variable controls, the tiniest twiddle of any dial can dramatically alter the sonic endpoint and it can be next to impossible to recover a state of interest once even a couple of dials have been tweaked, buttons pushed or cables re-patched. 

I like this - it keeps me creatively in the moment of making with all its pleasures, frustrations, intrigue and addictive hold. And like any instrument, it requires hours of attentive engagement to develop any useful level of skill or sense of knowing.

41 SONIC SKETCHBOOKS - Morphagene

Recorded Wednesday evening, 1st December 2021, my Make Noise Mimeophon's inaugural recording.

Beyond the Occipital Cortex

It Could Happen

Recorded Tuesday afternoon, 22nd February 2022.

The Spinal Trophy

Improvised modular performance recorded in stereo / / 30.05.22

FM.RAL.1 // Pchnko

All 15 tracks from the album DETACH by Matthew Hodson
Buy the pre release single Big Dipper now and get the full album on the 29th September here ---> www.matthewhodson.com

//////INFO//////
PRE-RELEASE DATE: 15th September 2017
DOWNLOAD RELEASE DATE: 29th September 2017
STREAM AND DOWNLOAD 15th October 2017

Sonic excursions, drenched in arrhythmic delays and swashes of reverb, which masterfully play with song structure, provoking the listener with familiarity and yet disconnection.

“His sound instantly recalls some of the classic Skam output, from the atmospheric chord changes you might expect to hear from Boards Of Canada’s bank of synths to Bola’s sinewy beats” – Boomkat.

Solitude’s first release comes from the Brighton based label manager and producer - Matthew Hodson - titled - Detach. The album expresses sonic excursions, drenched in arrhythmic delays and swashes of reverb, which masterfully play with song structure, provoking the listener with familiarity and yet disconnection – a defining output for the Solitude label. Beautiful, heart felt melodies are delivered through the playful use of synthesis and sound design - something Hodson is often approached for within the world of film and TV. The erratic yet minimal use of raw oscillators surface like buoyant objects on a rough sea of vast delays and reverbs. 
Matthew Hodson may be more recognisable from his previous pseudonym as BITBIN and one half of Fat Cat Records Knightstown - a long-time fixture of the UK’s electronic underbelly in which he brought his own brand of down-tempo, erratic, and often-nostalgic musical output. His reputation is characterised for his controlled fusion of both ambient and aggressive electronica while delivering attention to the most microscopic sonic detail. Matthew’s work is also widely heard online and TV due to his long-standing career delivering commissioned work for some of the most prestigious film, television, and gaming studios around the world including the music for the BBC Abstract Season.
Recent performances by Hodson include opening for Wire, supporting the likes of Alex Banks (Monkeytown Records), Ulrich Schnauss, Rival Consoles (Erased Tapes) whilst also working with the original BBC Radiophonic Workshop on their new material at Peter Gabriel’s Realworld studios.

DETACG

DETACH

DETACH - ALBUM SAMPLER

Generative ambient work on my modular synthesiser.

Modules used:
Moog Mother 32
Make Noise Maths
Mutable Instruments Plats
Noise Engineering Viol Ruina

(Post processing done in Reason 8)

beautiful mistakes

This is a live, one-off 'performance' made straight out of the modular synthesiser system I've been building myself over the last year or so. 

Every drum, every sound, every effect - even the mixers and sequencers - I made myself. 

It has been/is a crazy learning curve but it is totally worth it, the sounds and grooves I can now make are pretty unique - and best of all, it is great fun.

There are loads of real analogue noises, and there's also some digital stuff in there as well, also built by me. 

All of that was then recorded straight onto 1/4" tape for real warmth. No multitracking on this one, although the tape machine is a quarter track machine which would allow a level of overdubbing.

Hope you like it, please leave comments. Watch this space for more over the next few weeks!

Infection

Erased Tapes founder Robert Raths about his Love for Record Stores.
Music: 'Ctaphone' by Qasim Naqvi
Taken from his new LP 'Beta' released on Love Record Stores Day.

Voice over originally recorded for Worldwide FM in support of independent record stores during the current coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. More info: www.loverecordstores.com

Beta

Ctaphone

Order Ltd. Clear LP

Erased Tapes Love Record Stores

My mobile modular setup sequencing Music Thing Modular Radio Music playing pitched samples of the Lizard Point foghorn.

Lizard Lighthouse Foghorn Composition

Founded by sonic architect and explorer Robert Raths aka ghostworker in 2007, Erased Tapes is a truly independent record label that has disrupted the industry and rejuvenated the musical landscape. The London-based label has consistently nurtured genre-defying artists from all around the world without losing its avant-garde ethos.

2015 saw BBC 6 Music radio presenter Mary Anne Hobbs stage an Erased Tapes evening featuring Nils Frahm and A Winged Victory For The Sullen at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the prestigious BBC Prom. It was the fastest selling ticket of the entire season. Shortly after Erased Tapes was awarded Best Small Label 2015 at the AIM Awards.

On February 5th 2017 Erased Tapes opened the doors to its new East London home, marking the 10th anniversary by introducing fans and the public to the new Erased Tapes Sound Gallery.

“Ten years of one of the most important record labels of the last few years“ — Gilles Peterson

"Over the last decade, Robert Raths’ label Erased Tapes has developed a sonic profile perfectly in step with the growing taste for quiet, meditative works on the cusp of ambient and chamber music" — The Independent

“The heart-string-tugging London label that floats gently between 20th century composition and ambient music” — Rolling Stone

RedYellowRed is the electronica nom de guerre of British musician Stephen James.  He is sonically influenced by the sounds of nature and the world we live in, also by the music of the Berlin School, and also Robert Fripp, Redshift, Tim Blake, Tangerine Dream, Morton Subotnick, Ian Boddy, Bernd-Michael Land, Ralph Baumgartl, Node and more.  

Stephen enjoys interaction with other electronic musicians, artists, composers and bands.

sonic sketchbooks is a podcast series about sound art, art music and field recording hosted by sydney-based artist gary warner

Acclaimed electronic producer Matthew Hodson presents his exciting new project, MATTHS, with ‘Velocet’ released on FatCat Records’ sub label FCR on 17 May 2019. 

With his debut MATTHS release, the Brighton-based artist presents two stunning, atmospheric soundscapes ‘Velocet’ and ‘Loop’ which both immediately captivate the listener with their masterful, brooding beats. Using a bespoke modular synthesiser setup, MATTHS has designed and compiled a unique musical instrument that enables the creation of textures and tones specific to personal creative concepts.

Title track ‘Velocet’ is a dynamically charged sonic excursion which keeps on building throughout to a powerful crescendo, providing a clever balance of familiarity and disconnection.

‘Loop’ complements the title track perfectly, an ambient yet powerful cut that develops with layers of rhythm and melody, drenched in arrhythmic delays and swashes of reverb.

Recent MATTHS performances include opening for Wire; supporting Alex Banks (Monkeytown Records), Ulrich Schnauss and Rival Consoles (Erased Tapes). MATTHS has worked with the original BBC Radiophonic Workshop on their new material at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios. In May, MATTHS will play the Superbooth Festival in Berlin.


The New Album 'DETACH' Out 15th October 2017 at wwwmatthewhodson.com

Sonic excursions, drenched in arrhythmic delays and swashes of reverb, which masterfully play with song structure, provoking the listener with familiarity and yet disconnection.

“His sound instantly recalls some of the classic Skam output, from the atmospheric chord changes you might expect to hear from Boards Of Canada’s bank of synths to Bola’s sinewy beats” – Boomkat.

Solitude’s first release comes from the Brighton based label manager and producer - Matthew Hodson - titled - Detach. The album expresses sonic excursions, drenched in arrhythmic delays and swashes of reverb, which masterfully play with song structure, provoking the listener with familiarity and yet disconnection – a defining output for the Solitude label. Beautiful, heart felt melodies are delivered through the playful use of synthesis and sound design - something Hodson is often approached for within the world of film and TV. The erratic yet minimal use of raw oscillators surface like buoyant objects on a rough sea of vast delays and reverbs.

Matthew Hodson may be more recognisable from his previous pseudonym as BITBIN and one half of Fat Cat Records Knightstown - a long-time fixture of the UK’s electronic underbelly in which he brought his own brand of down-tempo, erratic, and often-nostalgic musical output. His reputation is characterised for his controlled fusion of both ambient and aggressive electronica while delivering attention to the most microscopic sonic detail.

Record Label: Solitude

New tracks tagged #Modular Synthesiser