Memory9 makes jazz-influenced electronic music which falls “somewhere in the space between beats and sound design-heavy electronica”. We asked him to introduce himself.
Who are you?
I got started as a jazz musician but as I realised that the distinctions between sound, music and noise are completely artificial I became interested in the many ways one can play with the blurry lines that supposedly divide them. In time I’ve become obsessed with all the different ideas people have about these things, how they make sound, understand it, manipulate it and listen to it.
What do you sound like?
Aside from the obvious genre associations, I’d like to think that I sound like someone who spends a lot of time trying to create something worth listening to.
Why should we listen to you?
If you like music that exists somewhere in the space between beats and sound design-heavy electronica and have a passing interest in jazz, then I think you might in fact enjoy what I do.
What have you released so far? What else have you got coming out in the near future?
So far I’ve released three EPs and two singles. For the immediate future I have another EP planned and then an album.
What song sums you up?
I’d say ‘Escape The Ice’ off my latest release, The Abyss Within, really does sum up a lot about my work. There are many of the sound tools I love in terms of foley, prepared piano and stuff like that; a 160 bpm beat with elements of juke and jungle, as well as some live drums; and the melodic and harmonic parts which are played on a ’73 Fender Rhodes with the occasional jazzy nod.
What or who is your biggest influence?
I listen a lot to film soundtracks, especially the sound design. It’s massively inspiring to me and I use a lot of the tools that are employed by Hollywood sound designers and score composers.
Where can we hear your music?
The best places are my SoundCloud and my YouTube channel. Or a gig. I spend a lot of time finding ways to present my work live in a way that provides a different experience from the records.
Where will you be in five years’ time?
Ah, who knows? Maybe London, maybe somewhere else… maybe like a tropical island being a professional chef, or a gentleman thief in Hong Kong. Either way, I’ll still be making music.
Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.
I am pretty severely colourblind. Some colours I just can’t see. Some of them just make my cognition flip out, especially certain combos in dotted textures. I recently went to see the Lichtenstein exhibit at Tate Modern and there was this one pointillistic painting he did that literally looked like it was swirling and pulsing, and I couldn’t make out the picture for the life of me. No need for psychedelics when your optical nerve is that bonkers. Maybe that’s why I prefer sound so much.
The Abyss Within is out now on Mnemonic Dojo. Find Memory9 on Facebook, Twitter and SoundCloud.