Series I by I 02.08.16

Spatial fuses dub techno abstraction with rave sonics in striking live show

Earlier this year, FACT’s John Twells and Bryan McKay headed to Montreal with local FACT contributor Son Raw for MUTEK, and talked to a handful of artists about the nature of live performance.

Spatial, aka Matt Spendlove, burst onto the scene in 2008 with the Infra001 EP, the first of a series of influential 10″ releases on his own Infrasonics imprint. Pulling apart garage and rave tropes, Spendlove quickly became notorious for his smart reflections on popular sounds, blending the low end bounce of Wookie or MJ Cole with the studied rhythmic clatter of Mark Fell.

We talked to Spendlove at this year’s MUTEK Montreal, and found out just how the producer moves his intricate studio productions into the live space. With a pared-down setup (bits of analogue hardware and a laptop), Spendlove tries to be a bit “free-er sonically” with his performances, while retaining the traces of the jungle and rave he grew up with.

If you want to catch Spatial’s live show and happen to be within easy access of London, he’s playing Broken Sonics at Corsica Studios on August 12.

Spatial is an alumni of the SHAPE platform for innovative music and audiovisual art, which is supported by the Creative Europe program of the European Union.

Directed by Bryan McKay. Interview by Son Raw. Shot by Bryan McKay and John Twells. Produced by John Twells.

Latest

Latest



		
	
Share Tweet