Philip Jeck, the experimental British composer who deployed sampling and DJing to hugely imaginative finishes, has died aged 69 following a shorter ailment.
The founders of Touch, the record label that introduced his new music, announced the information, crafting that Jeck was “a extraordinary male and a superb artist,” and that “he has been 1 of the kingpins of our get the job done for 30 years. But with Philip it was under no circumstances just the get the job done, much more the really like, the spirit and the dedication. He touched so lots of with his wit, his zest for life and his wisdom.”
Jeck was acclaimed across the world underground audio scene for a profession that encompassed 12 albums and a quantity of other functions, working with dilapidated vinyl data and players salvaged from junk stores, in tandem with instrumentation and digital outcomes, to develop haunting ambient audio of terrific poignancy.
Immediately after studies at Dartington University of Arts and an inspirational excursion to New York in which he grew to become enthralled by the record mixing of dance new music DJs these kinds of as Walter Gibbons and Larry Levan, Jeck began a very long collaboration with dancer and choreographer Laurie Booth, offering audio for his performances.
Breakthrough good results arrived with the 1993 art set up Vinyl Requiem which made use of 180 turntables alongside movie projections, in a collaboration with Lol Sargent – it received a Time Out award that year.
Jeck commenced his recording occupation with the album Loopholes in 1995 and, along with his solo work, collaborated with musicians like Gavin Bryars, Jaki Liebezeit and Jah Wobble. His operate was hailed by theorist Mark Fisher as staying part of the “hauntology” motion of artists who drew on recorded musical heritage as section of their practise.
Jeck also done are living in semi-improvised performances that drew on his vast assortment of discarded vinyl, which then shaped the foundation of his album recordings. “I’ve got so quite a few information that, in a way, I’m drawing on quite well the full background of tunes, which is really too much to handle,” he when reported.