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 Records by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD after the release of th ...

Records — a British major independent label home to

The Pixies The Pixies are an American alternative rock band from Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986 by Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass, vocals) and David Lovering (drums). The Pi ...

Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock music, rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 19 ...

, Scott Walker and many others. He records and performs as Twilight Sequence,

Magnétophone Magnétophone are a band 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 Sometimes I Need to Be Reminded of How ...

, 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

(John Hanson being the other), he 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 independent record label 4AD. He has produced several records, although he prefers to use the term "musical director" ...

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 Yello ...

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, P ...

, 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, hi ...

, 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 Bes ...

, as well as sessions for

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

and

XFM Radio X is a British national commercial radio station focused on alternative music, primarily indie rock, and owned by Global. The station launched in 1989 as a pirate radio station named Q102, before being renamed Xfm in 1992. The station b ...

. Saunders has collaborated on record with significant artists such as rock legends

Kim Deal Kimberley Ann Deal (born June 10, 1961) is an American musician. She was the original bassist and co-vocalist in the alternative rock band the Pixies (band), Pixies from 1986 to 1993 and again from 2004 to 2013. She is the frontwoman of the Bre ...

and

Kelley Deal Kelley Deal (born June 10, 1961) is an American musician and singer. She has been the 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 Ke ...

, 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, '' I DES'', released in ...

, infamous drone rock band

Spacemen 3 Spacemen 3 were an English 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 "trance-like neo-psyched ...

Peter Kember Peter Kember (born 19 November 1965), also known by his stage name Sonic Boom, is an English singer-songwriter, composer and record producer. He was a founding member, vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist of neo-psychedelic band Spacemen 3, las ...

(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 ''The Man Who Ate the Man'' is an album by the electronic / art rock band Magnetophone. It was released in 2005 on 4AD Records. Equally inspired by electropop pioneers like Morton Subotnick, contemporary electronic artists like Autechre, and Kr ...

or related 12" releases. He is currently releasing records as "Twilight Sequence" and is signed to Castles in Space Records where he has released a 7" single on the subscription library, an etched 12" with artwork by Zeke Clough (this 17 minute track was used as the soundtrack to a public photography exhibition of hedges curated by Gareth Gardner), and a vinyl album. He is also 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 fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...

'' and Self-Titled Magazine, from music author and journalist

Simon Reynolds Simon Reynolds (born 19 June 1963) is an English music journalist and author who began his career at ''Melody Maker'' in the mid-1980s. He subsequently worked as a freelancer and published a number of books on music and popular culture. Reynold ...

, 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 News is an international English-language pay television channel owned by BBC Global News Ltd. – a subsidiary of BBC Studios – and operated by the BBC News division of the BBC. The network carries news bulletins, documentaries, an ...

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 file:Sample cross-section of high tension power (pylon) line.jpg, 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 d ...

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 (band), Wire. Early life Newman was born in Salisbury ...

, Eva Bowan,

Malka Spigel Malka Spigel (; born 19 July 1954) is a London-based Israeli musician and artist. She was a founding member of the Israeli-Belgian rock band Minimal Compact. She has also worked as a solo musician and as a visual artist, exhibiting in prominent v ...

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 publ ...

, and

Jon Thorne Jon Thorne (born 12 February 1967) is an England, English double bassist, producer and composer. Career His debut album ''Manchester Road'' was released through SAM LTD/ EGEA records in 2006 featured 12 original compositions of jazz with pianis ...

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

Visionaire Visionaire is a company based in New York City that creates films, experiences, and events in addition to an eponymous publication that intersect art, fashion, film, and contemporary culture across multiple platforms. Artists and designers often ...

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

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; 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 in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

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 the alternative rock band R.E.M. Stipe was born in Metro Atlanta in January 1960. Due to his father's militar ...

, U2,

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

Lalo Schifrin Boris Claudio "Lalo" Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger, and conductor. He is best known for his large body of film and TV scores since the 1950s, incorporating jazz and Music of Latin America, Lati ...

David Byrne David Byrne (; born May 14, 1952) is an American musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He was a founding member, principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the American New wave music, new wave band Talking Heads. Byrne has ...

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 music, hip-hop group Beastie Boys. While Beastie Boys were active, Horovitz performed with a si ...

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, Love has had a career spanning four decades. She rose to promi ...

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 Twilight Sequence * (2024) ''A Travel Companion for the Avid Field Recordist'', CD (Patterned Air) * (2023) ''Outline of Nature,'' LP (Castles in Space) * (2022) ''Trees In General: And the Larch'', 12" (Castles in Space) * (2022) ''Looking at Lifeforms'', 7" (Castles in Space) * (2021) ''Analogue Studies at Dawn and Dimmity,'' digital (Patterned Air) Assembled Minds * (2020) ''Dirty Workshop Magick,'' digital (Patterned Air Recordings) * (2019) ''Psychogeographic Audio Explorations Along the A303 Vol.1'', 8" vinyl (Patterned Air Recordings) * (2011) ''Tomorrow Curves'', Assembled Minds, CD (Patterned Air Recordings) * (2015) ''Creaking Haze and Other Rave Ghosts'', CD (Patterned Air Recordings) The Matthew Machine * (2021) auto-autumnal generative soundwave bath, digital (Patterned Air Recordings) ; Magnétophone *(2000) ''I Guess Sometimes I Need to Be Reminded of How Much You Love Me'' (4AD) * (2005) ''

'' (4AD) * (2006) ''Promo Phone 1'' (Ensnare) Singles, EPs, and various * "You Should Write Music" (1998, 7" single,

Earworm An earworm or brainworm, also described as sticky music or stuck song syndrome, is a Catchiness, catchy or memorable piece of music or saying that continuously occupies a person's mind even after it is no longer being played or spoken about. In ...

) * "Air Methods" (1998, 7" single, Static Caravan) * "Box Flow" (1999, 'Infrasonic Waves' compilation, 7",

Ochre Ochre ( ; , ), iron ochre, or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colou ...

) * "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' 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 music, avant-garde composers in the latter half of the ...

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 Charles Atlas (born Angelo Siciliano; October 30, 1892December 24, 1972) was an American bodybuilder best remembered as the developer of a bodybuilding method and its associated exercise program which spawned a landmark advertising campaign ...

Remix compilation, Audraglint) ; DJ mixes of Matthew J Saunders / Magnétophone * "Kel's Vintage Thought Outhud Remix" (2005 Glimmers DJ Kicks, !K7)

Radio sessions

Magazine mix (2017) * Self-Titled Magazine mix (2017) *

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 ...

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

Session, Maida Vale Studio (2000) * BBC Radio 1 John Peel Session, Live in Birmingham (2000) *

John Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

Session, Live in London (2001) *

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