Matthew Herbert^UK

Photo credit: Chris Plytas

As much a social activist as a musician and storyteller, Matthew Herbert translates his unique worldview into thought-provoking electronic music using found sounds from the physical world. From exploring the complete life of a pig and crafting a body of music using a horse’s skeleton to capturing the sounds of a crowded nightclub or a tank driving over a meal prepared for Tony Blair, his sonic narratives aim to disrupt the status quo, spotlighting some of the world’s most pressing issues.

His wide-ranging work spans more than 30 albums, scores for Oscar-winning films, and music for the National Theatre, Broadway, TV, games, and radio. Over 30 years, he has performed solo, as a DJ, and with various ensembles, including his own 21-piece big band and 100-piece choir, bringing his work to venues such as the Sydney Opera House and the Hollywood Bowl.

His forthcoming work, theukhasmorefoodbanksthanbranchesofmcdonalds.com, makes its North American debut at this year’s MUTEK Festival. Building on his practice of crafting experimental music from real-world materials, the project critiques the UK’s rising number of food banks using the sonic textures of everyday essentials like bottles, packets, soap, and more.

A true pillar of electronic experimentation, iconoclastic producer Matthew Herbert, has long operated at the forefront of the British leftfield. A master at recontextualizing and reinventing entire sonic worlds, this self-taught contemporary musician is simply the ultimate word in hybrid forms. Since the mid-nineties, Herbert’s highly conceptual yet ever-accessible practice has excelled at shimmering house, experimental techno, musique concrète, sampler-sweeping big band (as The Matthew Herbert Big Band) and dance music that doubles as persuasive political manifestos. Having inspired the name of a major homegrown film (Café de Flore), this incomparable soundshaper more than makes up for an eight-year absence with three highly potent performances at MUTEK 2013, including, The End Of Silence. The project is inspired by the sound of a bomb’s immediate impact, as captured by photojournalist Sebastian Meyer in war-torn Libya. In this improvised performance, featuring Herbert and three other musicians, the conscientious showman confronts us with sobering global truths by delving deep into the terrifying ten-second recording, playing on its infinite variations and echoes.