Our world is loud and out of control. And Matthew Herbert is paying close attention, making sense of it all with sound and music. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to describe the range and ingenuity of Herbert's work. His career in music is innovative in every sense, from conceptual to technical; he's an expert producer, articulate provocateur, and an electronic music revolutionary. It was no surprise Herbert was named Creative Director of the relaunched BBC Radiophonic Workshop, an instititution known for pushing boundaries.Needless to say any new release is greeted with anticipation, and new album The Shakes is no exception. It's a return of sorts to Herbert's dance music roots, combining intricate sound design with irresistible rhythms; percussive and playful tracks written in singular style. It's pop, and a redefinition of what pop can be. Australian audiences are fortunate to experience the songs in a live setting during his current tour, and Herbert kindly took some time out to discuss the record and his life's work at the new frontiers of sound.THUMP: What have been some of the more interesting and challenging experiences you've had as Creative Director of the relaunched BBC Radiophonic Workshop? And what are your priorities for the organisation, in the current musical context?
Matthew Herbert: The original radiophonic workshop, in many ways, was a victim of its own success as it helped bring about the democratisation of music technology and experimental electronics. They themselves even ended up using the same synths and equipment as could be bought in music shops and so in many ways it became harder to justify the expense of keeping the department open, at least in that new phase of the BBC. The situation has multiplied many times since then to the point that everyone carries around a computer in their pocket now capable of creating extraordinary experimental musical worlds. The obsession with synthesis though has played out now to the point where texturally there aren't many surprises left to be heard. This makes the focus for the new Radiophonic Workshop around sound instead. in so-called found or real sound, recorded with microphones, we have only just begun to start listening and the revolution in music that crystallised with the invention of the sampler - the turning of ordinary sound in to music, is fertile ground for a new wave of experimental music and theory.You've about your new album: "Music can't only and always be a call to arms, it can also tenderise and engulf when comfort is needed. This album then is an attempt to find a middle ground between those two positions." How do you make an album that fulfils both roles?
On previous albums I have been drawn to the new documentary aspect of music, the transposition of the real/literal/mundane into a musical world, for example One Pig. When taking the role of documentarist though, there is a tradition inherited from film-making that the director or author takes a back seat, their role more as listener than lead singer. On this record though, I have prioritised what it feels like to be alive today, prioritised the emotion of it. In this context, there are, roughly speaking, two main approaches to politics in music. One is to deal head-on with the issues of the day (on this record "Strong") the other is to create a new world that operates according to different rules than the current, dominant political ideology. That is, it expresses something in its own terms, in a world of its own creation. That's an approach that can be heard in a track like "Even". It's important for me to try and do both as the act of creation is often an optimistic one but at a time of a profound existential crisis for humanity with the onset of a climate catastrophe, it could be seen as irresponsible to pretend the visible world doesn't exist.What keeps you most excited about music making, sound design and composition?
That you can make music out of anything. therefore the only limit is ones imagination.Herbert's new album The Shakes is out Friday 29 May via Caroline Australia. You can catch Matthew Herbert at the dates below:
Friday 22nd May // Prince Bandroom, Melbourne // Tickets available here
Saturday 23rd May // The Studio, Sydney Opera House (VIVID) // SOLD OUT
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Matthew Herbert: The original radiophonic workshop, in many ways, was a victim of its own success as it helped bring about the democratisation of music technology and experimental electronics. They themselves even ended up using the same synths and equipment as could be bought in music shops and so in many ways it became harder to justify the expense of keeping the department open, at least in that new phase of the BBC. The situation has multiplied many times since then to the point that everyone carries around a computer in their pocket now capable of creating extraordinary experimental musical worlds. The obsession with synthesis though has played out now to the point where texturally there aren't many surprises left to be heard. This makes the focus for the new Radiophonic Workshop around sound instead. in so-called found or real sound, recorded with microphones, we have only just begun to start listening and the revolution in music that crystallised with the invention of the sampler - the turning of ordinary sound in to music, is fertile ground for a new wave of experimental music and theory.You've about your new album: "Music can't only and always be a call to arms, it can also tenderise and engulf when comfort is needed. This album then is an attempt to find a middle ground between those two positions." How do you make an album that fulfils both roles?
On previous albums I have been drawn to the new documentary aspect of music, the transposition of the real/literal/mundane into a musical world, for example One Pig. When taking the role of documentarist though, there is a tradition inherited from film-making that the director or author takes a back seat, their role more as listener than lead singer. On this record though, I have prioritised what it feels like to be alive today, prioritised the emotion of it. In this context, there are, roughly speaking, two main approaches to politics in music. One is to deal head-on with the issues of the day (on this record "Strong") the other is to create a new world that operates according to different rules than the current, dominant political ideology. That is, it expresses something in its own terms, in a world of its own creation. That's an approach that can be heard in a track like "Even". It's important for me to try and do both as the act of creation is often an optimistic one but at a time of a profound existential crisis for humanity with the onset of a climate catastrophe, it could be seen as irresponsible to pretend the visible world doesn't exist.What keeps you most excited about music making, sound design and composition?
That you can make music out of anything. therefore the only limit is ones imagination.Herbert's new album The Shakes is out Friday 29 May via Caroline Australia. You can catch Matthew Herbert at the dates below:
Friday 22nd May // Prince Bandroom, Melbourne // Tickets available here
Saturday 23rd May // The Studio, Sydney Opera House (VIVID) // SOLD OUT