Broken Orchestra: ‘A fragile beauty’
The Crow’s Nest, a music column by Russ Litten
Plus Portrait of the Artist
The Broken Orchestra are one of those outfits who seem to have been floating on the edge of my peripheral vision for a long time without fully coming into focus.
I finally paid proper attention to their work when they backed Vicky Foster on the BBC production of Bathwater in 2019.
I was struck by the precise and patient build up of their sound, a kind of delicate minimalism that perfectly supported the narrative.
Further investigation unearthed a healthy back catalogue featuring a host of different vocalists and spoken-word artists.
Broken Orchestra were obviously not a “band” in the traditionally accepted sense of the word, but rather a loose and ever-evolving collective that had its roots in the world of film scores and ambient soundscapes rather than the indie toilet circuit.
The sound itself was spare and intricate, like a finely assembled Swiss timepiece. I was reminded of The Penguin Cafe Orchestra and Philip Glass.
Album and single releases aside, the Broken Orchestra have also been commissioned to work with the Freedom Festival Arts Trust, Hull Jazz Festival, and BBC Contains Strong Language.
BROKEN ORCHESTRA: Carl Conway-Davis, left, and Pat Dooner
They have produced soundscapes for audio walking tours and sci-fi drama. They are regularly championed by Tom Robinson and Steve Lamaq on BBC Radio Six. Clearly it was time I investigated further, so I had a chat with founding core member Pat Dooner:
Where did music start for you?
“Music for me started through collecting and occasionally DJ-ing from about 18/19 years old. I had a love of HipHop music and it just developed from there.
“My first run of production was basic, but I got the bug for it and it developed quickly. It was a time of MySpace and it was easy to collaborate. I worked with MCs from across the world and began developing my sound and slowly self-releasing vinyl.
“I ended up releasing two collaborative albums with a female MC called Lady Paradox in 2007/09 respectively. They did quite well sales-wise and were licensed to a Japanese label.
“I was sampling records and I ended up wanting a bit more creatively, which is how I got started with TBO. The last album I did with Lady Paradox, I was blending sample-based tracks with live instrumentation, and TBO built from there, working with session musicians like samples.”
What were your formative influences?
“A lot of Hip-Hop, Jazz, Soul, Breaks and later Ambient and Soundtrack music. When I joined with Carl [Conway-Davis] to form TBO we shared a lot of similar influences, but enough different influences to keep each other on our toes.
“Carl has a love of odd soundtracks and maybe pushes the boundaries a little more than I do.”
How did Broken Orchestra form?
“In 2010 we both (Carl and I) started working at Element Studio in Hull. In order to fast-track learning the gear we did some test sessions together. It was a positive couple of sessions and the experimental aspect was liberating.
Broken Orchestra at Hull Jazz Festival, with Lyn Acton on vocals
“We decided to try and make it something and develop further ideas, and quickly tracks and ideas built up. Collaboration has always been important to me and it continued on through the beginnings of TBO, working with a range of musicians, vocalists, writers and artists.”
Where did the name come from?
“I’d love to say that it was the result of weeks of soul searching but it was just one of those times where we both threw loads of words together and it just stuck. It is really fitting though, as the majority of sessions we do, none of the musicians meet and are laying down parts in isolation.
“The idea of a broken/segmented orchestra is great, but sadly the name made more sense the more we worked.”
How does it work with songwriting? What’s the process?
“The process is pretty simple. We start with really basic ideas. Looped-based parts, drum loop or chopped up sound or texture. From that we spend time building and layering sounds. Some with Carl and myself and some we bring other musicians in.
“There comes a point where it’s ready enough for a vocalist to work on it, which tends to vary depending on who it is. From that point on it’s treated much more like a normal song and arrangements are worked out.
“It’s then a case of adding garnish, fine-tuning and tweaking parts and the mix. The process definitely isn’t for everyone but it’s limitations are part of its charm.
“There isn’t loads of room for re-recording/changing parts as decisions are made quite quickly, and normally if we notice a mistake that is unworkable then the whole thing starts again.”
Is there a central manifesto or aesthetic you subscribe to?
“I’d say not consciously. We just want to create interesting and emotive music. The collaborative aspect is important to us and always has been. Artwork is also key, but then I guess it is for most artists.
“We’re keen on experimentation within the confines of limitations, if that makes sense?”
What is the attraction of minimalism?
“Personally, I love the feeling of something feeling full without it being overplayed. A lot of sessions we do with musicians are spent asking really talented musicians to play less. There is something beautiful about getting people to think about how little they can play, but still impact and be them.
“I love textures and layers and what they create when you layer simple parts over simple parts over simple parts.”
Your first album was called Shibui, which means ‘words to describe simple, subtle, unobtrusive beauty’. Where do you find such beauty outside music?
“Other artistic forms, writing, reading, films and images. Countryside, honesty, life, family. I guess the above is all around us and when we can escape the madness and find a moment we can appreciate it.
“There was a time during lockdown where everything slowed down a bit and life felt much more simple and pleasant again, but it definitely feels like the madness has ramped up recently.”
What makes you decide a song is a single release, rather than part of a larger body of work?
“I think with the track Glass it was out of necessity. I love the track, but it was definitely during a time when ideas were less abundant.
“We’d released Shallow Humour a couple of months before, but Glass didn’t quite strike the same chord. I think a single should be impactful and well-timed, which I’m not convinced that Glass is.
“It’s a difficult industry and there is often a feeling that you have to try and remain visible, which can lead to rushing things at times.
“Something like Someone Just Pressed Pause, Tomorrow or Play to the Gallery all feel like singles to me, as they all hit the right feeling at the right time. An EP or album should maybe have more of a continuous feel or idea running through it.”
Someone Just Pressed Pause struck a nerve - tell me how lockdown affected your music?
“Once the initial panic subsided it was a really creative and productive time. I took a small set up home and mixed on headphones. There was a freedom and creativity that came with lockdown, because nobody expected anything and everyone was in limbo.
“It felt like when I started making music when I was younger. I created a lot of ideas in that time, which is something you don’t get that much time to do once you’re back at it, recording and doing sessions and various other work.
“It gave us space and time to think about where we wanted to go, and also gave us the chance to throw around loads of creative commission ideas and funding bids.”
In a more general sense, how does your life feed into your art?
“I think subconsciously it spills over all the time. I’m not massively into being a walking, talking representative of what I do musically, as I think that can become draining, and I do quite like a distinct separation between home life and the music that I do.
“That said, you can’t help feeling inspired or being impacted by everyday events and scenarios. I have a two-year-old daughter and some of the things she does make me think more on a basic level about sound and how fascinating and simple sound and audio can be.
“She also often shows me how impactful music, sound and repetition can be to alter mood and feelings.”
What is your music for? Does it have a function?
“Ultimately it’s for us and to keep us sane. I think creating and working with sound gives a sense of calm and peace. It’s great to look back at what you’ve done sometimes, but ultimately the method/process in creation right then and there is what gives the most joy.”
You’ve been commissioned to write music for specific mediums and forms - radio plays, landscape installations etc - what are the challenges inherent in writing to order for such projects?
“The challenges are keeping everything interesting and knowing when to leave space and leave people wanting more.
“The projects we’ve done are so varied, but something like Bathwater with Vicky Foster became a challenge to see how little we could do musically whilst still enhancing Vicky’s words. In Bathwater, Vicky’s writing is absolute key and it was important we didn’t at any point tread on any toes.
“It's hugely different from a four-minute track, but also very similar in the way that you’re just there to embellish the writing and performance of the piece.”
You’ve worked with different vocalists and spoken-word artists - what do you look for in a collaboration?
“We’ve always been keen on unusual voices. We used to go looking for people with definite different styles, but of late we have found more people have come to us.
“I think we’re at a stage where we’d be happy and confident in trying to produce anyone, within reason, there is something of a challenge with working with as many different styles as possible and still creating your sound.
“Writing is always important to us. We’ve always been keen on writers keeping their identity as opposed to trying to meld to what we do.”
Tell me about the new single, Play to the Gallery
“Play to the Gallery came from a project that we worked on with Joe Hakim during lockdown. We worked on scoring four short stories with Joe called Extra Life and it was played as part of Freedom Festival online.
“We approached Joe about working on something more concise and track-like and sent him a simple loop idea. He sent a rough idea back and we were blown away.
“For us it was stepping into an area that we’ve never been before. Much less ambiguous and much more social and political.
“It was a bit of a leap of faith, but it comes back to the idea of how we can make this sound like us while still retaining the message and quality of Joe’s writing. It was well timed in terms of release and I think it was pretty cathartic for Joe.”
Where do you want to take your music next?
“We’re really keen to experiment with the idea of how to display music. The digital age has blown open the way people listen to music and we’re keen to look at how we can present music to people in different ways.
“The idea of Fair Winds, the interactive audio app that accompanied walks down the River Hull, had that at its heart; scoring a space but then letting people experience it in that space in an intimate way.
“There is no set plan but to continue creating, collaborating, pushing ourselves and testing ideas is where we want to be.”
Broken Orchestra - links
Portrait of the Artist
Deckie Learner
Who are you?
“I am a middle-aged man from Hull who fights off his demons by hiding in a shed and banging together bits of wood and metal.”
What do you do?
“I make music with basic beats, bass lines and samples and then smear all kinds of found audio over the top - anything from snippets of film dialogues, ancient prayer, sports commentary, interviews, fragments of spoken word and prose poetry.
“The result is a kind of lop-sided grimy funky ambient stew of weirdness.”
Current or forthcoming release?
“The debut single Neck is out on now on Fast & Bulbous. A full album is threatened for release at the end of August 2021.”
Forthcoming gigs?
“I don’t play gigs or do any personal appearances due to chronic indolence and a fear of open spaces.”
Plans for the future?
“I would like to make another album and maybe score the soundtrack for a top Hollywood film so I could retire from the music business and build a shed out of platinum.”
Deckie Learner - links