Electric Intervals
Released 17 November 2017
Electric Intervals was composed, performed, and produced by Martyn Heyne at Lichte Studio in Berlin.
‘The number of parameters that determine a recording appears to be infinite. The mood, instrument, tuning, settings, room, microphones, placement, temperature, time of day, etc. all contribute to the sound. The magic, once captured, is impossible to recreate. This might seem a hindrance, but it is really the whole point of recording for me and also the reason why I never use samples or virtual instruments.’ says Heyne.
Opener Carry, for example, is a composition carefully developed over a period of months with the production happening in front of the microphone rather than after. Wilde Wide, however, was recorded only once as an early-morning improvisation: a perfect example of how important capturing the moment can be.
Having worked recently with composer Dustin O’Halloran on the Emmy-winning Transparent soundtrack and with celebrated clarinettist Claudio Puntin as part of the duo Set Aglow, Heyne’s sound is one of simplified diversity. The result is an exciting debut LP where he controls each melody with the precision of a veteran producer. Says Heyne: ‘The better an instrument sounds, the more you want to convey that quality.’ This philosophy is present throughout Electric Intervals and reflected in the way Heyne proposes to listen to music: “I encourage an active mode of listening that deciphers and makes connections; it is so much more rewarding.”
The intricate chords of Carry, the use of silence in Patina, the driving quietude of Fårö; they all invite the listener to creep in close to hear Heyne’s message. It is also why he has put so much thought into the sequencing of the album. While most of the album’s tracks seamlessly melt into each other, the beats of Come On actively stand out, forcing the listener to sit up and pay attention, “like an espresso in the afternoon.” Throughout the record, Heyne personally delves into the history of the electric guitar. The versatile Electric Intervals serves as a fascinating pursuit to develop its repertoire. “I think the guitar is far from finished,” says Heyne. This boundary-pushing work shows us that there is no path to discovery: rather that discovery is the path.
'Electric Intervals' album teaser
Press for Electric Intervals:
‘It’s a beautiful record from end-to-end.’ Mary Anne Hobbs, BBC Radio 6
‘Martyn Heyne is the kind of oblique player who takes the instrument to a completely different textural plane. (…) You forget all about the how, and luxuriate in the why.’ loudersound.com, UK
‘Heyne’s instant-winner full-length debut, Electric Intervals, is something quite distinct: solitary, spacious, meticulously performed and recorded.’ The Key, WXPN, US
‘Martyn Heyne’s album is neither neo nor classical but quite simply one of the best records to be released this year’ Das Filter, Germany
‘Blinking gorgeous.’ Tom Ravenscroft, BBC Radio 6
‘The divine guitar-based compositions crafted by Heyne carve out a ceaselessly rich listening experience for the here-and-now.’ Fractured Air, Ireland
‘A complex, multi-staged guitar melody draws the listener forward like a tour guide, pointing out all the sights and landmarks along the way.’ soundblab.com, Texas, US
‘Electric Intervals is an eclectic listen, but with every track sounding clear and fully-realised.’ Norman Records, UK
‘Thus all the ingredients are revealed that make Electric Intervals such a surprisingly commanding record despite its simplicity and restraint – pure love of the instrument, meticulous attention to intonation, a gift for melody, and an enthusiastic embrace of spontaneity and unimpeded creative flow.’ Headphone Commute, US
‘This is a gorgeous album of intriguing variety.’ Apple Music
‘Was die Platte aber allem voran schafft, sie verleiht der E-Gitarre als Instrument ein völlig neues Gesicht und lässt sie facettenreicher denn je klingen. Heyne hinterlässt durch seinen Experimentiergeist einen dicken Daumenabdruck in den Chroniken der Musikgeschichte.’ E1nen Hab Ich Noch, Germany
‘Fließende Musik ohne einfache Lösungen (…) Aber sie fordert auch zum Verfolgen, Reinwühlen und Entdecken auf.’ Intro, Germany
the singles:
Carry
Fårö
Luxury
official video for 'Carry'
Made by Dan Lezz and Torsten Posselt. With invaluable help from Arne Römer,
Felix Grimm, Christopher Kelly, Albert Andreu, Sepp Singwald, and Ariane Holz.
official video for 'Curium'
Directed by Jasperi Wirtanen
Liner Notes
Isn’t it funny that one would be hard pressed to come up with a more universally appreciated word than music? Is there anything with more positive connotations?
With love comes heartbreak, power can be oppressive and peace describes the absence of war.
What is more, there appears to never have been a human society in history that has not had music. We even know of man made musical instruments - flutes - from as long as 42,000 years ago. We have cultivated music as an international and universal phenomenon both in sound and notation.
Music then, seems to have a very special value to us that no one wants to be without. I would like to put forward that it is the possibility to experience something about oneself that is both at the very core of our being and, at the same time, abstract from the tangible things in our world.
Beyond all the practical uses of music in cafés, films, and on the dance floor, lies the potential for self-reflection in a one-of-a-kind mirror. It allows us to recognise aspects of our being that we did not otherwise know existed. And when, at the right concert, things align in a certain way, even the suspension of time and the very experience of freedom are within reach.
I hope that in times where music can have so many other purposes such as fashion, money, and entertainment, we remember that these purposes, fine as they may be, could never have given it the singular standing that it has and has always had in our culture.
Let this unique potential for freedom, and self-awareness not be an elitist secret but instead let it be a pillar of our world next to reason, truth, and love.
- Martyn Heyne, 2017
photo: Dan Lezz