Andy Stott

Andy Stott is a British electronic musician and producer, living in Manchester.

Biography

Stott's debut album was ''Merciless'' in 2006, followed by ''Unknown Exception'' in 2008. The EP ''Passed Me By'' (2011) marked a significant change in his sound; it has none of the elements of his previous dub techno release, opting for a much more bass-heavy sound. The album '' Luxury Problems'' was released in 2012. ''Luxury Problems'' received top album awards from both ''Resident Advisor'' and ''Pitchfork''.

Stott has undertaken several productions under the moniker Andrea and these works were released on Daphne, a sublabel of Modern Love. Most of this work is in association with Miles Whittaker (who releases music as MLZ, with Pendle Coven, and as one half of Demdike Stare) who used the moniker Millie in the recordings and were released as Millie & Andrea. In 2012, Stott collaborated with the Brooklyn duo The Hundred in the Hands remixing ''Keep It Low'' from their 2012 album, ''Red Night''. In March 2014, Millie & Andrea released ''Drop the Vowels''.

Artistry

Stott analogises making music to a scientist creating compounds, by figuring out formulas that use studio gadgets and parts of other music.Sokol, Zach (28 April 2016)
"Andy Stott Decodes the Mad Science Behind His Latest Sonic Experiments "
'' Thump''. Vice Media. Retrieved 29 August 2017. He never borrows inspiration from his personal experiences when he produces material. As Zach Sokol explained when he interviewed Stott in 2016, "his music draws from where he's at creatively, functioning as a reflection of whatever curiosity is currently making the gears in his head churn." When creating albums, he also tries to make each track have a very different aesthetic by using a variety of equipment and musical influences. As he explained, "I go to the studio and I don't mess around, but at the same time, I don't really know what's going to come out." Modern Love boss Shlom Sviri also contributes suggestions and ideas to Stott when he creates tracks and sequences the order of songs on his LPs.

All of Stott's work touches on many types of experimental styles and genre. ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' writer Birkut analysed Stott's works employ neo-futuristic themes and are hard to label in specific genres because they are "shifting disfiguration of Detroit techno, grime, house, and industrial music." Stott's music contains a melodic structure that has been compared by multiple critics to Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance. A trademark element in his works is the use of rhythms that are slightly off beat, which often gives the tracks a feeling of anxiety.Tantum, Bruce (21 April 2016)
"Andy Stott ''Too Many Voices''"
''XLR8R''. Retrieved 29 August 2017.

Since ''Luxury Problems'', vocals from Stott's former piano teacher Alison Skidmore appear on his music, and numerous pieces about Stott's second, third and fourth studio albums highlighted, as well as praised, the interplay between the menacing instrumentals and the light tones of Skidmore's singing.Jones, Daniel (16 November 2012)
"Angelic Engines: Daniel Jones recommends Andy Stott’s Luxury Problems"
'' Electronic Beats''. Retrieved 4 September 2017. The vocals have a bright pop tinge and an ethereal tone that contradict the otherwise sinister vibe of the instrumentals. As Stott discussed creating ''Luxury Problems'', "when it was suggested that I use a vocalist, I was worried that it would sound different to the normal way that I write tunes, but when I heard that bass coming from the speakers, that visceral bass, I knew that I still wanted that undertone as a counterpoint to her vocals."Brophy, Richard (14 November 2012)
"Solving life’s luxury problems: An interview with Andy Stott"
. ''Juno Plus''. Juno Download. Retrieved 4 September 2017.

An '' Electronic Beats'' review of ''Luxury Problems'' described its sounds as presenting "the beautifully decayed aura of concrete and chrome, halogen and grime—the soul of a heaving, monstrous city at twilight, equal (yet often struggling) parts fragile light and enclosing darkness." Writing a ''PopMatters'' article about ''Too Many Voices'', Alex Franquelli wrote that "patches of comfort" are included for the "sole purpose of creating an imbalance that makes the darker elements stand out and shine in all their misty glare."Franquelli, Andy (27 July 2016)
"Andy Stott: Too Many Voices"
''PopMatters''. Retrieved 29 August 2017. Reed Scott Reid's review of ''Luxury Problems'' for ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' analyse it "represents an apogee of scruffy elegance, curdled rhythms growling within the crumbling masonry of its bitworn shunt." He wrote the vocals "dimly illuminate a pervasive auroral gloom, shafts of ecru and dun mottled with putrescent tinctures; a mournful, angelic presence – a long-deceased sacristan, perhaps – bleeding through the aether as faint drumsteps crack gravel."Scott Reid, Reed
"Andy Stott – Luxury Problems"
''Tiny Mix Tapes''. Retrieved 4 September 2017.

Personal life

Stott is married, and has a son who was born in July
in
2012.

Discography

Albums

Singles and EPs

As Andy Stott:
*2005: ''Replace'' (EP)
*2005: "Ceramics"
*2005: ''Demon in the Attic'' (EP)
*2006: "Choke" / "For the Love"
*2006: "Merciless"
*2006: ''The Nervous'' (EP)
*2007: "Handle with Care" / "See in Me"
*2007: ''The Massacre'' (EP)
*2007: ''Fear of Heights'' (EP)
*2007: "Hostile"
*2008: ''Bad Landing'' (EP)
*2009: "Brief Encounter" / "Dripping"
*2010: "Tell Me Anything" / "Love Nothing"
*2011: ''We Stay Together'' (EP)
*2011: ''Passed Me By'' (EP)
*2013: ''Anytime Soon''
*2024: "Out (Version) / Love (Version)"

;As Millie & Andrea
*2008: "Black Hammer" / "Gunshot (Stripped)"
*2009: "Spectral Source" / "Ever Since You Came Down"
*2009: "Temper Tantrum" / "Vigilance"
*2014: '' Drop the Vowels'' (Album)

;As Andrea
*2010: "You Still Got Me" / "Got to Forget"
*2010: "Retail Juke" / "Write Off"

Remixes

*2011: "Know Where (Andy Stott Remix)" on Holy Other's EP ''With U''
*2011: "Great (Andy Stott Remix)" on Hatti Vatti EP ''Great''
*2012: "Keep It Low (Andy Stott Remix)" on The Hundred in the Hands EP ''Keep It Low''
*2012: "Pleasure (Andy Stott Remix)" on Blondes' album '' Blondes''
*2013: "Valentine (Andy Stott Remix)" on False Idols' One sided-12"
*2013: "Concrete (Andy Stott Remix)" (remix of Batillus song)
*2015: "Boys Latin (Andy Stott Remix)" (remix of Panda Bear's song "Boys Latin" off of his 2015 release " Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper")
*2015: "MG – Europa Hymn (Andy Stott Remix) " (remix of Martin Gore's song)

References

External links

Andy Stott page on Modern Love website
*
Andrea at DiscogsMillie & Andrea at DiscogsAndy Stott on Last.fm

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stott, Andy
English electronic musicians
Living people
Musicians from Manchester
Year of birth missing (living people)