Forest Swords
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Matthew Edward Barnes, known by his stage name Forest Swords, is an English
record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...
, composer, DJ, and artist. As of , he has released three studio albums, two EPs, and several scores for film, television, and video games.


Career


''Dagger Paths'' EP

Forest Swords's debut six-track EP, '' Dagger Paths'', was originally released in March 2010, before being reissued later that year with additional tracks. ''FACT Magazine'' named it their album of the year. It received an 8.4 rating on music website ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'' and was No. 48 on their Albums of the Year list. It was rated 9/10 on music website '' Drowned in Sound'', called "one of 2010's finest underground records" by ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'', and chosen as a 'Hidden Gem of 2010' in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''.


''Engravings''

Forest Swords' debut studio album, ''
Engravings Engraving is the practice of incising a design on a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an inta ...
'', was released through Tri Angle Records on 26 August 2013. Critical response was unanimously positive, with ''Pitchfork'' giving it an 8.5 Best New Music review and ''Resident Advisor'' a 4.5/5 review. ''
Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...
'' rated it at number 37 in their best albums of 2013 list, '' Wire Magazine'' ranked it at number 35, ''Pitchfork'' at number 34, ''
Clash Magazine ''Clash'' is a music and fashion magazine and website based in the United Kingdom. It is published four times a year by Music Republic Ltd, whose predecessor Clash Music Ltd went into liquidation. The magazine won awards including the Best New M ...
'' rated it at number 21, ''Dummy Magazine'' at number 16, and ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' at number 10. The video for "Thor's Stone" was directed by Dave Ma and made available online in September 2013. It featured Spanish dancer Guzman Rosado. A remix by dub artist
Lee Scratch Perry Lee may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lee'' (2007 film), Tamil-language sports action film * ''Lee'' (2017 film), Kannada-language action film * ''Lee'' (2023 film), biographical drama about Lee Miller, American photojournalist * ''L ...
was posted online in November. A video for "The Weight of Gold", directed by French dancer and choreographer
Benjamin Millepied Benjamin Millepied (; born 10 June 1977) is a French dancer and choreographer, who has lived and worked in the United States since joining the New York City Ballet in 1995, where he became a soloist in 1998 and a principal in 2002. He has als ...
, was posted online in February 2014 and featured dancer Billy Barry.


''Compassion''

The second Forest Swords album, ''
Compassion Compassion is a social feeling that motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental, or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is sensitivity to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based ...
'', was released through
Ninja Tune Ninja Tune is an independent record label based in London, with a satellite office in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1990 by musicians Matt Black and Jonathan More, known collectively as Coldcut. The label was established as an outlet for Col ...
on 5 May 2017, with a video and streaming single release of lead track "Arms Out" and a set of worldwide festival and headline tour dates. The track "The Highest Flood" had previously been released as a standalone digital single. ''Resident Advisor'' gave the album a 4.5/5 review, calling it "both sincere and sublime". ''Fake DIY'' called it "heart-stopping and thoroughly arresting" in a 4/5 review. ''DJ Mag'' gave it 4/5 and called it "a stunning vision, hypnotic". In an 8.5/10 review, ''The 405'' called it "a brilliant album — well worth the four year wait". ''Q Magazine'' gave it a strong 4/5 review and said it "unfolds like a journey through a bustling soundscape of found sounds, instrumental loops and post-dubstep production". ''The Loud & Quiet'' review stated the album is "arresting in its austerity" in an 8/10 review. ''Pitchfork'' rated the album at 7.8; "more ambitious and varied while retaining the uncanniness he's known for". ''PopMatters'' gave it a score of 8, saying, "A dazzling, evocative album that acts as the perfect soundtrack to the precarious times we live in". ''AV Club'' called it "passionately realized" in an A− review. ''Clash'' gave it an 8 out of 10 review, describing it as "wordless protest music that impresses with its sheer thematic ambition". ''Exclaim!'' awarded it 8/10, saying, "the goosebumps will cover most of your body". ''Sputnikmusic'' gave the album a 4.5 out of 5 'superb' rating, describing it as "nothing short of breathtaking". ''Gigsoup'' praised ''Compassions "beautiful strings and rolling percussion" in an 86% review. In an 8 out of 10 review, ''Soundblab'' claimed Barnes has "developed a whole new language/style that other electronic musicians should be eager to take note of". ''The Age'' rated ''Compassion'' 4.5 out of 5, calling it "triumphant". It was Album of the Week on BBC 6Music and ''Bleep''. A single, featuring two tracks from the ''Compassion'' recording sessions—"Congregate" and "Free"—was released later that year, with all proceeds going to relief work in Mexico and Puerto Rico.


''Bolted''

On 11 July 2023, Barnes released a new single, "Butterfly Effect", through the
Ninja Tune Ninja Tune is an independent record label based in London, with a satellite office in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1990 by musicians Matt Black and Jonathan More, known collectively as Coldcut. The label was established as an outlet for Col ...
label. It was his first new material in five years and featured a previously unheard vocal sample from musician
Neneh Cherry Neneh Mariann Karlsson (; born 10 March 1964), better known as Neneh Cherry, is a Swedish singer, songwriter, rapper, occasional disc jockey, and broadcaster. Her musical career started in London in the early 1980s, where she performed in a numb ...
. His third album, '' Bolted'', was announced in September 2023 and released on 20 October. The announcement was accompanied by two new tracks, "The Low" and "Caged". The album has received positive reviews, including a 9/10 rating from ''
The Line of Best Fit ''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music. It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...
'', 82% from
Beats Per Minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...
, a review calling it "absolutely phenomenal" by ''
The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...
'', 4/5 from
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, and 8/10 from '' Clash'' magazine.


DJ-Kicks compilation and mixes

Barnes has created mixes for ''
Fact A fact is a truth, true data, datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance. Standard reference works are often used to Fact-checking, check facts. Science, Scientific facts are verified by repeatable careful observation or measurement by ...
'',
Unsound Festival Unsound Festival, also known as Unsound, is an annual music festival that takes place in Kraków, Poland, dealing with evolving and mutating forms of music, as well as related visual arts. Apart from the main festival, Unsound regularly takes plac ...
, and ''
Dazed ''Dazed'' (''Dazed & Confused'' until February 2014) is a quarterly British lifestyle magazine founded in 1991. It covers music, fashion, film, art, and literature. ''Dazed'' is published by Dazed Media, an independent media group known for produ ...
'', the last of which featured exclusive remixes of tracks by
Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...
and
Anohni Anohni Hegarty (formerly Antony Hegarty), styled as ANOHNI, is an American singer, songwriter, and visual artist. She has presented solo work and as the lead singer of the band Anohni and the Johnsons, formerly known as Antony and the Johnsons. ...
. In 2018, Forest Swords curated and released a 27-track ''
DJ-Kicks ''DJ-Kicks'' (styled ''DJ-KiCKS'' on all cover artwork) is a series of DJ mix albums, mixed by various artists for the independent record label !K7 Records. History ''DJ-Kicks'' started out in 1993 as a compilation of electronic DJ-style mi ...
'' compilation through !K7 Records. The collection "draws a line between past inspirations and his current peers" and features one exclusive Forest Swords track called "Crow", as well as songs from artists like
Dead Can Dance Dead Can Dance are a British-Australian band founded in Melbourne in 1981 by Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard, before relocating to London the following year. The Australian music historian Ian McFarlane described Dead Can Dance's style as "const ...
, Orbital,
Laurel Halo Laurel Anne Chartow (born June 3, 1985), known professionally as Laurel Halo, is an American electronic musician currently based in Los Angeles, California. She released her debut album '' Quarantine'' on Hyperdub in 2012 to critical acclaim; it ...
, and
Mira Calix Chantal Francesca Passamonte (28 October 1969 – 25 March 2022), known professionally as Mira Calix ( ), was a South African-born British-based audio and visual artist and musician signed to Warp Records. She also worked as Warp's press office ...
. The album artwork was also designed by Forest Swords.


Remixes and production

Forest Swords has created remixes for
Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...
,
Anohni Anohni Hegarty (formerly Antony Hegarty), styled as ANOHNI, is an American singer, songwriter, and visual artist. She has presented solo work and as the lead singer of the band Anohni and the Johnsons, formerly known as Antony and the Johnsons. ...
,
These New Puritans These New Puritans are an English band from Southend-on-Sea, England. It consists mainly of Jack Barnett (principal songwriter, vocalist, producer, multi-instrumentalist) and his twin brother George Barnett (drums, electronics, producer, artwo ...
,
Wild Beasts Wild Beasts was an English indie rock band, formed in 2002 in Kendal. They released their first single, "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants", on Bad Sneakers Records in November 2006, and subsequently signed to Domino Recording Company, Domino ...
, and
Gold Panda Derwin Schlecker (born Derwin Dicker, 1980), professionally known as Gold Panda, is an English electronic record producer and songwriter. Derwin Dicker also performs house music as DJ Jenifa. Early life Derwin Schlecker was born as Derwin Dicker ...
, amongst others. In 2012, he co-produced and co-wrote the single "Cold Nites" for How to Dress Well, from the album ''
Total Loss In insurance claims, a total loss or write-off is a situation where the lost value, repair cost or salvage cost of a damaged property exceeds its insured value, and simply replacing the old property with a new equivalent is more cost-effect ...
'', and went on to produce Barbadian rapper Haleek Maul's track "Lobo". Dyymond of Durham, a one-off collaborative project with Bavarian fine artist Otto Baerst, released a track on No Pain in Pop's vinyl compilation ''The Bedroom Club II''. In April 2014, Forest Swords recorded a
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 Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
live session at
Maida Vale Studios Maida Vale Studios is a complex of seven BBC sound studios, of which five are in regular use, in Delaware Road, Maida Vale, west London. It has been used to record thousands of classical music, popular music and drama sessions for BBC Radio 1, ...
for
Benji B Benjamin Benstead, known professionally as Benji B, is a British DJ, radio presenter, and record producer. A longtime BBC Radio producer and presenter, he has presented a weekly show on BBC Radio 1 since 2010 that highlights an eclectic mix of ...
. Forest Swords co-produced the opening track on
Ellie Goulding Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer, songwriter, and activist. Born in Hereford and raised in Lyonshall, Goulding began writing songs at the age of 15. She released her debut single " Under the Sheets" through ...
's 2020 album, '' Brightest Blue'', featuring vocalist
Serpentwithfeet Jonathan Josiah Wise (born July 9, 1988), known professionally as serpentwithfeet, is an R&B singer based in Brooklyn, New York City. Wise signed with the English record label Tri Angle (record label), Tri Angle to release his debut extended pl ...
.


Original composition and scoring work

In 2014, Barnes was commissioned to produce the trailer music for
Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...
's video game title ''
Assassin's Creed Rogue ''Assassin's Creed Rogue'' is a 2014 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Sofia and published by Ubisoft. It is the seventh major installment in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series, and is set alongside 2012's '' Assassin's Creed III'' and af ...
''. In 2015, the artist collaborated with
Robert Del Naja Robert Del Naja (; born 21 January 1965), also known as 3D, is a British artist, musician, singer and songwriter. He emerged as a graffiti artist and member of the Bristol collective The Wild Bunch (sound system), the Wild Bunch, and later as ...
from
Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol, England, by Robert Del Naja, Robert "3D" Del Naja, Daddy G, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, Tricky (musician), Adrian "Tricky" Thaws and Andrew Vowles, Andrew "Mushroom" ...
and
Young Fathers Young Fathers are a Scottish Progressive rap, progressive hip hop group formed in Edinburgh in 2008. Their second EP, ''Tape Two'' (2013), won the Scottish Album of the Year Award. In 2014, they won the Barclaycard Mercury Prize, Mercury Prize ...
on the score for ''La Fête (est Finie)'', a short film about climate change. In 2016, Forest Swords released ''Shrine'', the soundtrack for an original contemporary dance piece. The dance performance was streamed via Boiler Room and has toured European festivals, such as
ReWire ReWire is a software protocol, jointly developed by Propellerhead and Steinberg, allowing remote control and data transfer among digital audio editing and related software. Originally appearing in the ReBirth software synthesizer in 1998, the p ...
in The Hague. In 2019, it was announced that Barnes had completed the soundtrack for the documentary film ''Ghosts of Sugar Land'', directed by
Bassam Tariq Bassam Tariq (born October 22, 1986) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter born in Karachi, Pakistan. He co-directed and produced the Sundance-funded documentary '' These Birds Walk'' (2013) with Omar Mullick, and he was named ...
. The film won the Best Documentary Short award at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
, was nominated for the 2020
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
shortlist in the Documentary Short category, and was subsequently bought by Netflix. Forest Swords composed the original soundtrack for ''The Machine Air'', a film by director Liam Young, which was released in December 2019 through the Dense Truth label. The press release called the project "part art film, part performance piece" and "the first film to be both about and recorded by flying drones". The film originally premiered at the BFI Imax in Waterloo, London for the BFI London Film Festival. In 2020, Barnes composed music for ''islands'', a dance piece choreographed by Emma Portner and performed by members of the Norwegian National Ballet. It premiered at the Oslo Opera House as part of the Norwegian National Ballet Festival. Barnes composed music for the Ghost Light exhibition at NAK in Aachen, Germany in 2021 by artist Thomas Dosal, a 28-audio channel and light installation using manipulated audio ripped from the artist's smartphone. Also in 2021, he collaborated with Liam Young once more on a
quadraphonic Quadraphonic (or quadrophonic, also called quadrasonic or by the neologism quadio ortmanteau, formed by analogy with "stereo" sound – equivalent to what is now called 4.0 surround sound – uses four audio channels in which speakers are po ...
original score for the documentary film installation ''Planet City'' for the NGV arts institution in Melbourne, Australia. In 2022, he composed the original score for the documentary film ''Dogwatch'', by Greek filmmaker Gregory Rentis. Barnes composed and performed the original soundtrack for the 2022 adventure video game '' As Dusk Falls'', developed by Interior Night and published by Xbox Game Studios. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' wrote that the game "features one of the best musical scores we've ever heard". In 2023, he wrote the original score for the film ''Stephen'' by visual artist Melanie Manchot. Barnes composed original music for an opera production of the Greek tragedy Fedra, directed by Paul Curran, performed at the Teatro Greco in Syracuse, Italy, in 2024.


Artwork

Matthew Barnes is also a graphic designer, with work featured in ''Creative Review'', ''Grafik'', and '' Dazed & Confused''. He has mentioned in interviews that design and visual art are key influencers to his music. A special edition of the ''
Engravings Engraving is the practice of incising a design on a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an inta ...
'' album is available with an additional twenty-page booklet of Barnes' original photography. The cover artwork, designed by the artist himself, was selected for Art Vinyl's 2013 Best Art Award, and ''Pitchfork'' included it in their top 25 album covers of 2013. In 2011, at the Abandon Normal Devices festival, three new pieces, as part of a site-specific sound installation called Ground Rhythms, were cut to 12" X-ray film and performed on turntables at an event in
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
. The pieces were inspired by three architectural sites from Merseyside history that no longer exist, and the tracks on the brittle X-ray pressings were designed to be "played once only before degrading, never to be played again". The final copy of the X-ray vinyl was sold in December 2013 on
eBay eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...
, with all proceeds going to the Philippines Typhoon Appeal. A second performance in the series took place at the AV Festival in Newcastle in 2012, inspired by demolished buildings in the northeast.


Critical reception

In 2010, ''Pitchfork Media'' posted an article suggesting Barnes was part of a new generation of producer/composers, alongside James Blake,
Mount Kimbie Mount Kimbie is an English electronic music and indie rock group consisting of Dominic Maker, Kai Campos, Andrea Balency-Béarn and Marc Pell. Mount Kimbie was formed in 2008 by Maker and Campos. The duo expanded on the musical template of the U ...
,
Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Vernon had originally formed Bon Iver as a solo project, but it eventually became a band consisting of Vernon (vocals, guit ...
,
Burial Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...
, and
Four Tet Kieran Miles David Hebden (born September 1977), known as Four Tet, is an English electronic musician. He came to prominence as a member of the post-rock band Fridge before establishing himself as a solo artist with charting and critically acc ...
. A 2013 feature on
The FADER ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...
website placed the Forest Swords project as a unique and contemporary strain of
dub music Dub is a musical style that grew out of reggae in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is commonly considered a subgenre of reggae, though it has developed to extend beyond that style.Dub: soundscapes and shattered songs in Jamaican reggae, p.&nb ...
, "worth endless listens, endless re-examinations, endless re-contextualizing", and stated that it "exists in that sweet spot of musical influence between everything and nothing".


Discography

Studio albums * ''
Engravings Engraving is the practice of incising a design on a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an inta ...
'' (2013) * ''
Compassion Compassion is a social feeling that motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental, or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is sensitivity to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based ...
'' (2017) * '' Bolted'' (2023) Original scoring * ''Shrine: Original Dance Score'' (2016) * ''The Machine Air: Original Score'' (2019) EPs * ''Fjree Feather'' (2009) * '' Dagger Paths'' (2010) Singles * "Rattling Cage" (2010) * "Congregate/Free" (2017) * "Butterfly Effect" (2023) * "Torch / Pearl of Hail" (2024) Curated compilations * ''Forest Swords – DJ-Kicks'' (2018)


References


External links

* *
IMDB page for scoring work

Early interview with ''FACT Magazine''

Interview and art feature at ''Dazed''

Live session on the BBC Radio One Benji B show
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forest Swords English composers English electronic musicians British dub musicians English DJs English experimental musicians English record producers English graphic designers Living people Year of birth missing (living people)