Tim Hecker
Encyclopedia
Tim Hecker is an electronic
musician and sound artist based in Montreal
, Canada
. Hecker previously recorded under the moniker Jetone, but has become better known internationally for his ambient
recordings released through Kranky
, Mille Plateaux
, Alien8, Force Inc, Staalplaat
, and Fat Cat
under his own name.
, touring and producing under the name Jetone. He has performed extensively including festivals such as Sónar
(Barcelona), MUTEK
(Montreal), Impakt Festival (Utrecht), Victoriaville
in (Quebec), IDEAL (Nantes), Vancouver New Music Festival (Vancouver), and club transmediale
(Berlin).
In addition to touring with Godspeed You! Black Emperor
and recording with the likes of Fly Pan Am
, Hecker has also collaborated with Christof Migone
, Martin Tétreault
, and Aidan Baker
. He has also contributed remixes to other artists, including Isis
.
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
musician and sound artist based in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Hecker previously recorded under the moniker Jetone, but has become better known internationally for his ambient
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 :...
recordings released through Kranky
Kranky Records
Kranky is an independent record label, located in Chicago, Illinois. It was started in 1993 by Bruce Adams and Joel Leoschke.The bands it houses are noted for combining experimental and often electronic influences with elements of more traditional rock structures, and many of the artists on Kranky...
, Mille Plateaux
Mille Plateaux
Mille Plateaux is an influential electronica record label founded 1993 by Achim Szepanski in Frankfurt, Germany. It is known for mostly releasing minimal techno, glitch music and other experimental electronic music.-History:...
, Alien8, Force Inc, Staalplaat
Staalplaat
Staalplaat is an independent record label that is located in Amsterdam with a separate store in Berlin. Created in 1982, the company's mission was created as a sound forum for sound artists, who write and perform new and experimental music...
, and Fat Cat
Fat Cat Records
Fat Cat Records is an independent label based in Brighton on England’s South Coast. Their output includes electronica, post rock, indie, downtempo, minimal techno, noise and punk-pop...
under his own name.
Background
Hecker is a producer of electronicaElectronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
, touring and producing under the name Jetone. He has performed extensively including festivals such as Sónar
Sónar
Sónar is an annual three-day music festival held in Barcelona, Spain. It is described officially as a festival of Advanced Music and Multimedia Art. Music is by far the main aspect of the festival....
(Barcelona), MUTEK
Mutek
Founded in 2000, MUTEK is an international festival organization dedicated to the promotion of electronic music and the digital arts. Its central platform is an annual five-day event in Montreal that takes place in late May and early June...
(Montreal), Impakt Festival (Utrecht), Victoriaville
Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville
The Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville is an annual international music festival held in Victoriaville, Quebec that showcases contemporary music.-External links:*...
in (Quebec), IDEAL (Nantes), Vancouver New Music Festival (Vancouver), and club transmediale
Club transmediale
The annual CTM Festival festival is a music and visual arts event held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1999, the festival originally focused on electronic music, but has since evolved to cover a wide range of genres under the banner "festival for adventurous music and related visual...
(Berlin).
In addition to touring with Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian post-rock band which originated from Montreal, Quebec in 1994...
and recording with the likes of Fly Pan Am
Fly Pan Am
Fly Pan Am, or Le Fly Pan Am, are a Canadian experimental rock band formed in Montreal in 1996. They release their albums through the Montreal-based Constellation Records, producing and collaborating on works with Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Shalabi Effect.-About the band:The band was formed in...
, Hecker has also collaborated with Christof Migone
Christof Migone
Christof Migone is an experimental sound artist and writer, formerly based in Montreal, now living in Toronto.He is the Director/Curator of the Blackwood Gallery and is a lecturer at the Centre for Visual and Media Culture at The University of Toronto's Mississauga campus.Migone's solo recordings...
, Martin Tétreault
Martin Tétreault
Martin Tétreault is a free improvisation musician and visual artist. Often using the turntable as the basis for his experimental music, he has released many collaborative records with people such as Kevin Drumm and Otomo Yoshihide, as well as his own solo work.-External links:* at Discogs...
, and Aidan Baker
Aidan Baker
Aidan Baker is a musician from Toronto, Canada who has released numerous records both as a solo artist and with his groups Nadja, ARC, and Mnemosyne. He has also written several books of poetry....
. He has also contributed remixes to other artists, including Isis
Isis (band)
Isis was a Los Angeles, California-based post-metal band, founded in Boston, Massachusetts, with a career spanning from 1997 to 2010...
.
Albums
- Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again (2001)
- Radio Amor (2003)
- MiragesMirages (album)Mirages is the third full-length album by Tim Hecker. It was released on September 21, 2004 by Alien8 Recordings. It is described on the Alien8 website as “an ambient-death-metal classic in waiting.” The album is composed primarily of heavily distorted and processed guitar...
(2004) - Harmony in UltravioletHarmony in UltravioletHarmony in Ultraviolet is Tim Hecker's fourth full-length album, released on October 16, 2006 by Kranky.-Critical reaction:The album was generally praised by critics, with Pitchfork Media writer Mark Richardson saying:-Track listing:...
(2006) - An Imaginary CountryAn Imaginary CountryAn Imaginary Country is Tim Hecker's fifth full-length album, released on March 10, 2009 by Kranky. The album is available on either CD or 2×LP.-Reception:Initial critical response to An Imaginary Country was positive...
(2009) - Ravedeath, 1972Ravedeath, 1972Ravedeath, 1972 is Tim Hecker's sixth full-length album, released on February 14, 2011 by Kranky.Pitchfork gave the album a favorable score of 8.6/10, calling it a "a dark and often claustrophobic record that is arguably Hecker's finest work to date."...
(2011)
EPs & Other
- Trade Winds, White Noise (2002)
- My Love Is Rotten To The Core (2002)
- Radio Marti / Radio Havana (2004)
- Mort Aux VachesMort aux vaches (Tim Hecker album)Mort Aux Vaches is Tim Hecker's fourth release. It is a part of Staalplaat's series of live releases from a wide range of artists of the same name. Hecker's recording is from a live set for Dutch national radio VPRO, recorded on 3 May 2004.-External links:*[ Allmusic's information page for Mort...
(2005) - Pareidolia (2006)
- Norberg (2007)
- Atlas (2007)
- Apondalifa (2010)
- Dropped PianosDropped Pianos-Track listing:All songs written and composed by Tim Hecker.# "Sketch 1" – 7:09# "Sketch 2" – 3:57# "Sketch 3" – 1:20# "Sketch 4" – 2:56# "Sketch 5" – 4:58# "Sketch 6" – 1:24# "Sketch 7" – 3:26# "Sketch 8" – 1:43# "Sketch 9" – 5:32...
(2011)
Albums
- Autumnumonia (2000)
- Ultramarin (2001)
- Sundown (2006)
External links
Interviews
- Hampson, Simon. “Tim Hecker Interview.” Cyclic Defrost, 3 March 2007.
- Henderson, Lee. “Tim Hecker: Resisting the Technophilia.” Splendid eZine, 2003.
- Schepper, Ron. “An Interview with Tim Hecker.” Junkmedia, 27 September 2004.
- Nguyen, Mac. “Interview: Tim Hecker.” The Silent Ballet, 28 March 2010.
- Unknown author. “Two and a Half Questions with Tim Hecker.” Headphone Commute, 28 April 2010.
- Unknown author. “Interview with Tim Hecker.” Headphone Commute, 18 February 2011.
Further reading
- Bergmann, Brett. “Global Movement, Local Detail: The Music of Tim Hecker.” eContact! 11.2 — Figures canadiennes (2) / Canadian Figures (2) (July 2009). Montréal: CECCanadian Electroacoustic CommunityFounded in 1986, La Communauté électroacoustique canadienne / The Canadian Electroacoustic Community is Canada’s national electroacoustic / computer music / sonic arts organization and as such is dedicated to promoting this progressive art form in its broadest definition: from “pure” acousmatic...
. - Hecker, Tim. “Guest List Top 10.” Pitchfork. 27 October 2006.
- Richardson, Mark. “Tim Hecker: Harmony in Ultraviolet.” Pitchfork. CD Review. 16 October 2006.