Scatter (band)
Encyclopedia
Scatter are an improvisation
al collective
, based in Glasgow
. Their music is heavily influenced by jazz
and folk
(releases have included versions of folk standards
).
The membership of the group is fluid, and Scatter has contained up to nine musicians at points, featuring cornet
, flute
, megaphone
, drums
, bouzouki
, guitar
, trombone, saxophone
, upright bass, and harmonium
, among the instrument used. Members have included Rebecca Ashton, Martin Beer, Kenneth Broom, Matt Cairns, Chris Hladowski, Nick McCarthy, Alex Neilson
, Stephanie Hladowski, Oliver Neilson, Morag Wilson, Aby Vulliamy, George Murray and Hanna Tuulikki
. The band has been on indefinite hiatus for the past several years, and no future performances are currently scheduled.
Scatter have released music on the Pickled Egg Records
, Cenotaph
, and Blank Tapes record label
s.
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
al collective
Musical collective
Musical collective is a phrase used to describe a group of musicians in which membership is flexible and creative control is shared. Such entities have transitioned from the traditional hierarchical configuration that features either a frontman , or a plurality of band members in tension for...
, based in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. Their music is heavily influenced by jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
(releases have included versions of folk standards
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
).
The membership of the group is fluid, and Scatter has contained up to nine musicians at points, featuring cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, megaphone
Megaphone
A megaphone, speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loud hailer is a portable, usually hand-held, cone-shaped horn used to amplify a person’s voice or other sounds towards a targeted direction. This is accomplished by channelling the sound through the megaphone, which also serves to match the...
, drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, bouzouki
Bouzouki
The bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, trombone, saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, upright bass, and harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
, among the instrument used. Members have included Rebecca Ashton, Martin Beer, Kenneth Broom, Matt Cairns, Chris Hladowski, Nick McCarthy, Alex Neilson
Alex Neilson
Alex Neilson is an English drummer, percussionist and singer who is currently based in Glasgow but grew up in Leeds. He has performed alongside a large number of bands and artists including Lucky Luke, The One Ensemble Of Daniel Padden, Ashtray Navigations, Alastair Galbraith, Isobel Campbell,...
, Stephanie Hladowski, Oliver Neilson, Morag Wilson, Aby Vulliamy, George Murray and Hanna Tuulikki
Hanna Tuulikki
Hanna Tuulikki is a Finnish-English vocalist, musician and artist, born in Sussex, who is involved in the Nalle and Scatter musical projects, and has also contributed to the One Ensemble of Daniel Padden. Her vocals have been compared to those of Joanna Newsom and Björk on occasion, also...
. The band has been on indefinite hiatus for the past several years, and no future performances are currently scheduled.
Scatter have released music on the Pickled Egg Records
Pickled Egg Records
Pickled Egg Records is a UK independent record label founded in Leicester in 1998 by Nigel Turner. It has dedicated itself to redressing the world’s musical balance in favour of quirky genius, bent tunefulness, noisy playfulness, jazz turmoil and inventive retro-futurism...
, Cenotaph
Cenotaph (record label)
Cenotaph is an independent record label founded in December 2000 in Pittsburgh, PA. The label specializes in unusual music, often hard to categorize, and has released a handful of compact discs and vinyl LPs....
, and Blank Tapes record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s.
Collaborations and other projects
- Aby Vulliamy, Chris Hladowski, and Hanna Tuulikki are also sole members of NalleNalleNalle are a psych-folk trio, based in Glasgow, who were formed in the summer of 2004. They comprise Finnish-English vocalist Hanna Tuulikki , Aby Vulliamy and Chris Hladowski...
, a psych folkPsych folkPsychedelic folk or psych folk is a loosely defined form of psychedelic music that originated in the 1960s through the fusion of folk music and psychedelic rock...
trioTrio (music)Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
. - Aby Vulliamy and Chris Hladowski are also member of The One Ensemble Of Daniel PaddenThe One Ensemble Of Daniel PaddenThe One Ensemble is a British musical group, based in Glasgow. The project was initially conceived by Volcano The Bear member Daniel Padden as a vehicle for his solo work, and their first three albums were released under the name The One Ensemble Of Daniel Padden...
. - Alexander Neilson has toured extensively as a member of Will OldhamWill OldhamWill Oldham , better known by the stage name Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music...
's band, has played with JandekJandekJandek is the musical project of an anonymous outsider musician who operates out of Houston, Texas. Since 1978, Jandek has self-released over 60 albums of unusual, often emotionally dissolute folk and blues songs without ever granting more than the occasional interview or providing any biographical...
, and is also a member of Tight Meat Duo and MV & EE - Martin Beer is a member of The Pendulums
Discography
- Surprising Sing Stupendous Love (2004/Cenotaph)
- The Mountain AnnouncesThe Mountain AnnouncesThe Mountain Announces is the second album by the Scatter collective. The album was released in 2006 on the Blank Tapes label. It introduced a new vocalist for the group, Hanna Tuulikki, as well as including a traditional Irish folk standard, She Moved Through the Fair, and an eight-verse version...
(2006/Blank Tapes)
External links
- Cenotaph Records
- Pickled Egg Records
- Blank Tapes Records
- Dusted magazine review of The Mountain Announces