Matthew J. Saunders (born 5 January 1972) is an English composer, mastering engineer, and visual designer. During the first decade of the 21st century he was signed to

4AD 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name "Axis" (after the Hendrix album) by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD a ...

Records — a British major independent label home to

The Pixies Pixies is an American alternative rock band formed in 1986, in Boston, Massachusetts. Until 2013, the band consisted of Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass, vocals) and David Loverin ...

, Cocteau Twins, Scott Walker and many others. He records and performs as

Magnétophone Magnétophone are an electronic/art rock band originating from Birmingham, England, composed of Matthew J Saunders (born 1972) and John Hanson (born 1973). Since their inception in the mid-1990s they have released two albums, ''I Guess Som ...

, The Assembled Minds, Rapid Eye Electronics Ltd. and also runs the record label Patterned Air Recordings. On 4AD, as one half of the art-rock electronic band

, Saunders released two albums, three EPs and a 7" single. It was an unusual signing for

's first album being almost all instrumental, and this departure piqued the interest of journalists and fans of the label and band equally. The band were the first signing after the corporate restructuring of 4AD when co-founder

Ivo Watts-Russell Ivo Watts-Russell (born 1954) is a British music producer and record label executive. He was joint-founder with Peter Kent of the indie record label 4AD. He has produced several records, although he prefers to use the term "musical director". Ea ...

departed and the album was seen as a signpost of where the newly reinvented label might be heading Before signing to 4AD, Saunders released records on several influential record labels including

Static Caravan Recordings Static Caravan Recordings is an independent record label based in the North West of England, whose artist releases include singles and albums by Darren Hayman, the Hornblower Brothers, Hannah Peel, Erland & the Carnival, Shady Bard, the Ye ...

Earworm Records Earworm Records was a London-based independent record label, with its first release by the band Hood in 1997. Other bands to release music on the label include Yo La Tengo, Electric Sound of Joy, Of Montreal, Stars of the Lid, Windy & Carl, ...

, Spaceage Recordings and Ochre Records. He has recorded two Peel Sessions for

BBC Radio One BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

, two sessions for

Rob da Bank Robert John Gorham (born 24 June 1973 in Portsmouth, Hampshire), known by the pseudonym Rob da Bank, is an English DJ and co-founder of music festivals Bestival, originally on the Isle of Wight and now moved to Lulworth, Dorset and Camp Bestiv ...

, as well as sessions for BBC Radio 3 and XFM. Saunders has collaborated on record with significant artists such as rock legends

Kim Deal Kimberley Ann Deal (born June 10, 1961) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She was the bassist and the co-vocalist in the alternative rock band Pixies, before forming the Breeders in 1989. Deal joined Pixies in January ...

and

Kelley Deal Kelley Deal (born June 10, 1961) is an American musician and singer. She has been lead guitarist and co-vocalist of the alternative rock band The Breeders since 1992, and has formed her own side-projects with bands such as R. Ring and The Kelle ...

, Scottish folk legend and Mercury Music Prize nominee

King Creosote Kenny Anderson (born January 1967), known primarily by his stage name King Creosote, is an independent singer-songwriter from Fife, Scotland. To date, Anderson has released over forty albums, with his latest full length, '' Astronaut Meets Appl ...

, infamous drone rock band

Spacemen 3 Spacemen 3 were an English neo-psychedelia space rock band, formed in 1982 in Rugby, Warwickshire, by Peter Kember and Jason Pierce, known respectively under their pseudonyms Sonic Boom and J Spaceman. Their music is known for its brand of " ...

Peter Kember Peter Kember (born 19 November 1965), also known by his stage name Sonic Boom, is an English singer and record producer. He was a founding member, vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist of alternative rock band Spacemen 3, lasting from 1982 until ...

(who also joined

as a performing member and manager in 2006–2008), Scottish folk singer/songwriter

James Yorkston James Yorkston (born James Patrick Yorkston Wright; 21 December 1971) is a Scottish folk musician, singer-songwriter and author from the village of Kingsbarns, Fife. He has been releasing music since 2001. As well as recording as a solo artist ...

and others — all tracks that appeared on

's second

album, The Man Who Ate the Man or related 12" releases. He is known for his solo electronic recordings as The Assembled Minds, having released two albums and numerous singles and remixes on a variety of record labels, gaining critical acclaim from magazines such as ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The Wire'' premiered on June 2 ...

'' and Self-Titled Magazine, from music author and journalist Simon Reynolds, and numerous national radio plays on stations such as BBC Radio 6 Saunders worked on the feature documentary film Valentino: The Last Emperor and is a credited composer on IMDb. He has also had music synced by

BBC World News BBC World News is an international English-language pay television network, operated under the ''BBC Global News Limited'' division of the BBC, which is a public corporation of the UK government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and ...

in daily continuity pieces and Sky in cross-network adverts. According to the official website, he is currently composing music for media in addition to running mastering house 808 Hz, where he has mastered albums by artists such as

Wire Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm A wire is a flexible strand of metal. Wire is c ...

front man

Colin Newman Colin John Newman (born 16 September 1954) is an English musician, record producer and record label owner. He is best known as the primary vocalist and songwriter for the post-punk band Wire. Early life Newman was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire ...

, Eva Bowan, Malka Spigel,

Anthony Reynolds Anthony Reynolds is a Welsh musician. He has worked as a solo artist, and in collaboration with others in his bands Jack and Jacques. Jack In 1993, Reynolds moved to London where he formed the group Jack, on lead vocals, signing a music publis ...

, and

Jon Thorne Jon Thorne (born 12 February 1967) is an English double bassist, producer and composer. Career Thorne is self-taught and started playing at the age of 23. He has studied and played jazz for a number of years following and considers Danny Thomps ...

In 2007 Saunders contributed a Magnétophone track to a prestigious arts project by New York publishing house

Visionaire The VisionAire VA-10 Vantage is a prototype single-engined light business-jet (or "very light jet") designed and developed by the American company VisionAire Jets Corporation. Originally planned for production in the late 1990s, the original Visio ...

, a work called Visionaire No. 53: Sound, which saw him appear on record alongside artists such as

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of alternative rock band R.E.M. He is known for his vocal quality, poetic lyrics and unique stage presence. Pos ...

, U2, Liza Minnelli, Lalo Schifrin, David Byrne,

Ad-Rock Adam Keefe Horovitz (born October 31, 1966), popularly known as Ad-Rock, is an American rapper, guitarist and actor. He was a member of the hip-hop group Beastie Boys. While Beastie Boys were active, Horovitz performed with a side project, BS ...

Courtney Love Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison; born July 9, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress. A figure in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s, her career has spanned four decades. She rose to prominence as ...

and others. Each artist was asked to provide a unique piece of music which was then pressed across five pieces of vinyl and a cd, was housed in a large dome receptical and supplied with a record player in the form of a battery powered car.

Discography

; Albums Magnétophone * (2000) ''I Guess Sometimes I Need to Be Reminded of How Much You Love Me'' (4AD) * (2005) '' The Man Who Ate the Man'' (4AD) * (2006) ''Promo Phone 1'' (Ensnare) Assembled Minds * (2011) ''Tomorrow Curves'', Assembled Minds (Patterned Air Recordings) * (2015) ''Creaking Haze and Other Rave Ghosts'', Assembled Minds (Patterned Air Recordings) ; Singles, EPs, and various Magnétophone * "You Should Write Music" (1998, 7" single,

Earworm An earworm, sometimes referred to as a brainworm, sticky music, stuck song syndrome, or, most commonly after earworms, Involuntary Musical Imagery (INMI), is a catchy and/or memorable piece of music or saying that continuously occupies a person ...

) * "Air Methods" (1998, 7" single, Static Caravan) * "Box Flow" (1999, 'Infrasonic Waves' compilation, 7", Ochre) * "Lights in the Eye" (1999, 7" single, Active Suspension) * "Temporary Lid" EP (1999, 12" EP, Static Caravan) * "The Science Must Continue" (as Tape Recorder, 1999, 12" comp, Earworm) * "Lubeecha" Lathe Cut (2000, 7" single, Earworm) * "Eve Transmission" (2000, 'Interface' compilation, CD, Spaceage Recordings) * "Little Boy's Acorn" (2000, '4WD Motion' compilation, CD, 4AD) * "Come on the 'Phone" EP (2000, 12" and CD EP, 4AD) * "Relax, It's the End of Electronica" (2002, 7" single, Static Caravan) * "I Hear Blonde Falcons" (2002, '10p 1 Play' compilation CD, Robots and Electronic Brains Magazine) * "Kel's Vintage Thought" (2004, 12" EP, 4AD) * "...And May Your Last Words Be a Chance to Make Things Better" (2005, 7" single, 4AD) * "...And May Your Last Words Be a Chance to Make Things Better" (2006, CD compilation, Sunday Best) * "Systems Thinking Business Modelling Consultant" (2006 compilation, Magazine/CD, Esopus Magazine (Spring)) * "22 Calibre Family" (2006 compilation, 'A Mind Expansion Compilation', CD, Mind Expansion) * "Much Less Than A Day" (2007, '

Binary Oppositions A binary opposition (also binary system) is a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning. Binary opposition is the system of language and/or thought by which two theoretical opposites are strictly defined and set off against one ...

' CD compilation, Static Caravan) * "Much Less Than A Day: Edit" (2008, '

53' 12" and CD compilation,

) * "The Old Silver In and Out" (2008, '

György Ligeti György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde composers in the latter half of the twentieth century ...

Tribute', online compilation, Topher) ; Remixes of Matthew J Saunders / Magnétophone * "Kel's Vintage Thought Outhud Remix" (2004, 4AD) * "MNPLIE4AD Lost in Edit by JM Lapham" (

The Earlies The Earlies are a band formed by Christian Madden and Giles Hatton from Lancashire, England, and Brandon Carr and John Mark Lapham from the United States. They are notable for blending elements from a wide range of musical genres and have been ...

) Remix (2005, 4AD) * "Benny's Trip

Sonic Boom A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to ...

Remix" (2006, 4AD) ; Remixes by Matthew J Saunders / Magnétophone * "Run From Safety" (2007 Octoberman Run From Safety LP, White Whale) * "Antiphon" (2004, Charles Atlas Remix compilation, Audraglint) ; DJ mixes of Matthew J Saunders / Magnétophone * "Kel's Vintage Thought Outhud Remix" (2005 Glimmers DJ Kicks, !K7)

Radio sessions

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

John Peel Session, Maida Vale Studio (2000) * BBC Radio 1 John Peel Session, Live in Birmingham (2000) * XFM John Kennedy Session, Live in London (2001) * BBC Radio 3 Mixing It Session, Live in London (2001) * BBC Radio 1

Session, Maida Vale Studio (2005) * BBC Radio 1 ''Blue Room'' Session,

' Studio / Echo Gate Studio (2005)

Film

* Valentino: The Last Emperor — Acolyte Films/StudioCanal (2008)

References

External links

4ad.com/magntophone
Magnétophone at 4AD * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Matthew J. English electronic musicians Intelligent dance musicians 4AD artists Musicians from Birmingham, West Midlands 1972 births Living people