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March 5, 2006
Have you guys ever heard of Matthew Herbert?
Matthew Herbert makes rules for himself to follow, known as the PCCOM. These rules are very strict about what sounds he can use and what he samples. The results are pretty impressive. Herbert spends more time and puts in more work into an album then I have ever heard of. He spent three years making his last record, Plat Du Jour. A protest record without a single word. I know you're thinking, how is that possible? Believe me, Herbert did it. Plat Du Jour is a protest record about the food we eat; whether it be about the dangers to the environment, the disrespect of others, or the absolute crap we put in our bodies. What Herbert does is sample food, and related products to the issue. For example here is what went into making the track, THE TRUNCATED LIFE OF A MODERN INDUSTRIALISED CHICKEN :
field recordings:
30,000 broiler chickens in one barn
24,000 one minute old chicks in one room of a commercial hatchery
40 free-range chickens in a coop
one of those chickens being killed for a local farmers' market and its
feathers washed and plucked
a dozen organic eggs from tescos
a 2.0l 21cm pyrex classic bowl made in the uk
the average age of a british broiler chicken is between 36 and 41 days
all melodies and chords are samples of eggs on pyrex bowls and played by phil parnell, dave o'higgins, pete wraight and matthew herbert
all live percussion is made from a dozen organic free-range eggs, egg boxes and egg cups and played with chopsticks by leo taylor
the bassline is a 'cheep' from a minute-old chick pitched down
All of that to protest the way we treat today's chickens. To read more visit the website for Plat Du Jour. The website is full of information, resources, and samples of tracks. Here are a few track though:
THE TRUNCATED LIFE OF A MODERN INDUSTRIALISED CHICKEN
FASTER, SLIMMER, FASTER, SLOWER
One of the more interesting facts I saw on the site was this, the ultimate modern compromise: brown bread is nutritionally better for you but contains 5 times more pesticide residues (due to the milling process) than white bread.
His new album Scale comes out in a few months. It's a lot different than Plat Du Jour, just check out this track:
Posted by cory at March 5, 2006 4:51 PM