James Holden wheeled his modular synth over to Maida Vale for a session on BBC Radio 3 earlier this month.
The Border Community boss collaborated with Mark Holub on drums and Marcus Hamblett on electric guitar and cornet to record a selection of tracks for the Late Junction, some adapted from their own music and one based on a number by the late Ornette Coleman.
Between tracks the trio explain the workings of their collaboration, with Holden describing the computer program he uses to emulate human timing by monitoring the strength of each drum hit. “Timing becomes more natural, it doesn’t feel like you’re playing with a robot who’s not listening to you,” he says of the Group Humanizer, which he made available to Max for Live users recently.
Stream or download the whole episode from BBC Radio 3.
Earlier this year Holden linked up with Floating Points and Moroccan gnawa musician Maâlem Mahmoud Guinia for a collaborative 12″ on Eglo. [H/T Luke Abbott]