Basil Kirchin
Encyclopedia
Basil Kirchin was a British drummer and composer. His career stretched from playing drums in his father's big band
at the age of 13, through scoring films, to experimenting with the manipulation of recorded sounds which has seen him cited as "the father of ambient music
."
. After the war, Kirchin played with Harry Roy
and Ted Heath
but returned to work with his father in the Kirchin Band in 1951. The band continued to enjoy success, with Billy Eckstein and Sarah Vaughan
insisting that the Kirchin Band backed them when they toured Britain. Their shows would break attendance records and were featured in Melody Maker
polls. The band recorded for Decca
and Parlophone
, their output for the latter being produced by George Martin
. Kirchin was able to record the band's live performances. By 1957, the rise of Skiffle
and Rock and Roll
had brought an end to the Big Band era and Kirchin decided it was time to move on "because you're a prisoner of rhythm. And I was fed up playing other people's music.".
but as his possessions were being unloaded from the ship a strap broke and everything, including his recordings of the Kirchin band, was lost beneath the sea. This loss would trouble him for the rest of his life.
In 1961, he returned to Britain and worked with Keith Herd on experimental pieces, "soundtracks for unmade films". He also produced material for the De Wolfe
library using the talents of young session musicians like Jimmy Page
and Mick Ronson
. In 1967, the Arts Council
awarded him a grant to purchase a Nagra
tape recorder. This he used to collect ambient sounds, animal noises at London Zoo
and the voices of autistic children. Kirchin experimented with slowing down the recordings to reveal "Little boulders of sound". "Take birdsong, all those harmonics you can't hear are brought down -sounds that human ears have never heard before." His experimentations were partly financed by composing film music for Catch Us If You Can
(1965), The Shuttered Room (1967), I Start Counting (1969) with Jenny Agutter
and The Abominable Dr. Phibes
(1971).
His experimental pieces were released on two albums both called World Within Worlds. The first was issued in 1971: Worlds Within Worlds, EMI Columbia
(SCX6463) and included Part I - Integration 2; Part II - The Human Element. The second was not issued until 1974: Worlds Within Worlds Island Records
(HELP 18) Part III - Emergence; Part IV - Evolution. Kirchin was frustrated with the record companies meddling with his material. Neither recording sold well at the time but have since become highly valued collectors items.
He continued to compose throughout his life and his music was acknowledged by a new generation with the release of material by Trunk Records
. Kirchin said
"I wanted to try and leave something for young people who are starting in music and looking for something as I've been looking all my life."
He spent the later years of his life living back in Hull
in a modest terraced house with his wife. His early fame and eventful life not known in the ex-fishing community of Hessle Road where he lived until his death in June 2005.Obituary The Independent
Jul 2, 2005; Pierre Perrone; p. 38.
Many musicians have since acknowledged the influence Kirchin had had on their own works. From Brian Eno
and Nurse With Wound
to Broadcast
- "We need role models like Basil Kirchin to go forward, and, as we can see parallels in his music and ours, hearing this confirms that we're doing the right thing."
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
at the age of 13, through scoring films, to experimenting with the manipulation of recorded sounds which has seen him cited as "the father of ambient music
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
."
Emergence
Basil Kirchin's debut was at the Paramount, Tottenham Court Road in London in 1940 where he played drums in the popular dance band led by his father IvorIvor Kirchin
Ivor Kirchin Ivor was the Band leader of The Kirchin Band, father to Basil Kirchin.Father, Ivor Kirchin was the Leader, Drummer, Singer, Conductorand Business Manager for this popular big band formed in 1952...
. After the war, Kirchin played with Harry Roy
Harry Roy
Harry Roy was a British dance band leader and clarinet player from the 1920s until the 1960s.-Life and career:...
and Ted Heath
Ted Heath (bandleader)
Ted Heath, musician and big band leader, led Britain's greatest post-war big band recording more than 100 albums and selling over 20 million records...
but returned to work with his father in the Kirchin Band in 1951. The band continued to enjoy success, with Billy Eckstein and Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
insisting that the Kirchin Band backed them when they toured Britain. Their shows would break attendance records and were featured in Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
polls. The band recorded for Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
and Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
, their output for the latter being produced by George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
. Kirchin was able to record the band's live performances. By 1957, the rise of Skiffle
Skiffle
Skiffle is a type of popular music with jazz, blues, folk, roots and country influences, usually using homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a term in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century, it became popular again in the UK in the 1950s, where it was mainly...
and Rock and Roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
had brought an end to the Big Band era and Kirchin decided it was time to move on "because you're a prisoner of rhythm. And I was fed up playing other people's music.".
Evolution
A decade before it became fashionable, Kirchin went to India and spent five months in the Ramakrishna Temple. He then moved to SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
but as his possessions were being unloaded from the ship a strap broke and everything, including his recordings of the Kirchin band, was lost beneath the sea. This loss would trouble him for the rest of his life.
In 1961, he returned to Britain and worked with Keith Herd on experimental pieces, "soundtracks for unmade films". He also produced material for the De Wolfe
De Wolfe Music
De Wolfe Music is the originator of what has become known as production music as it was established in 1909 and began its recorded library in 1927 with the advent of 'Talkies'. The library consists of over 80,000 tracks, all pre-cleared for licensing and synchronisation...
library using the talents of young session musicians like Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
and Mick Ronson
Mick Ronson
Michael "Mick" Ronson was an English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is best known for his work with David Bowie, as one of The Spiders from Mars...
. In 1967, the Arts Council
Arts Council of Great Britain
The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England , the Scottish Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Wales...
awarded him a grant to purchase a Nagra
Nagra
Nagra is the trademark referring to any of the series of mostly battery-operated portable professional audio recorders produced by Kudelski SA, based in Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland....
tape recorder. This he used to collect ambient sounds, animal noises at London Zoo
London Zoo
London Zoo is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. It was eventually opened to the public in 1847...
and the voices of autistic children. Kirchin experimented with slowing down the recordings to reveal "Little boulders of sound". "Take birdsong, all those harmonics you can't hear are brought down -sounds that human ears have never heard before." His experimentations were partly financed by composing film music for Catch Us If You Can
Catch Us If You Can (film)
Catch Us If You Can was the feature-film debut of director John Boorman...
(1965), The Shuttered Room (1967), I Start Counting (1969) with Jenny Agutter
Jenny Agutter
Jennifer Ann "Jenny" Agutter is an English film and television actress. She began her career as a child actress in the mid 1960s, starring in the BBC television series The Railway Children and the film adaptation of the same book, before moving on to adult roles and relocating to Hollywood.She...
and The Abominable Dr. Phibes
The Abominable Dr. Phibes
The Abominable Dr. Phibes is a 1971 horror film starring Vincent Price. Its art deco sets, dark humor and performance by Price has made the film and its sequel Dr. Phibes Rises Again classics.-Plot:...
(1971).
His experimental pieces were released on two albums both called World Within Worlds. The first was issued in 1971: Worlds Within Worlds, EMI Columbia
Columbia Graphophone Company
The Columbia Graphophone Company was one of the earliest gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. Under EMI, as Columbia Records, it became a very successful label in the 1950s and 1960s...
(SCX6463) and included Part I - Integration 2; Part II - The Human Element. The second was not issued until 1974: Worlds Within Worlds Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
(HELP 18) Part III - Emergence; Part IV - Evolution. Kirchin was frustrated with the record companies meddling with his material. Neither recording sold well at the time but have since become highly valued collectors items.
He continued to compose throughout his life and his music was acknowledged by a new generation with the release of material by Trunk Records
Trunk Records
Trunk Records is a British independent record label, which specialises mainly in lost film scores, unreleased TV music, library music, sexploitation and kitsch releases...
. Kirchin said
"I wanted to try and leave something for young people who are starting in music and looking for something as I've been looking all my life."
He spent the later years of his life living back in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
in a modest terraced house with his wife. His early fame and eventful life not known in the ex-fishing community of Hessle Road where he lived until his death in June 2005.Obituary The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
Jul 2, 2005; Pierre Perrone; p. 38.
Many musicians have since acknowledged the influence Kirchin had had on their own works. From Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
and Nurse With Wound
Nurse with Wound
Nurse with Wound is the main recording name for British musician Steven Stapleton. Nurse with Wound was originally a band, formed in 1978 by Stapleton, John Fothergill and Heman Pathak...
to Broadcast
Broadcast (band)
Broadcast are an electronic music band, founded in Birmingham, England. Original members were Trish Keenan , Roj Stevens , Tim Felton and James Cargill . Various drummers played with the band, including Keith York, Phil Jenkins, Jeremy Barnes, Steve Perkins, and Neil Bullock...
- "We need role models like Basil Kirchin to go forward, and, as we can see parallels in his music and ours, hearing this confirms that we're doing the right thing."