BY CHLOE SANGER
Melbourne violinist, composer and producer Matt Sheers launches his solo EP ORCHA this weekend at the Gasometer Hotel in Collingwood.
Matt’s years of honing his skills as a versatile violinist in many genres – including classical, folk, bluegrass, jazz and pop – have culminated in an EP of original electronic music that he creates entirely using his violin. It’s an innovative and unconventional project that has been getting a lot of attention, and last week I had the chance to chat with him about how it all started.
What is your musical background? What did you grow up listening to and how did that change as you got older?
I have been playing violin for 18 years, learning classical, jazz and Latin music at school and university. I studied music performance on the violin at Box Hill Institute and explored electronic ideas, creating music during my spare time and learning how to adapt my sound to work with bands.
I grew up listening to a lot of different styles of music – electronic, folk/jazz, classical, Latin as well as Eastern European traditional music. I was always drawn to darker sounds, as well as music that had a strong pulse. Bartók was a particular favourite of mine that I would often play. His interpretations of Eastern European folk music opened my eyes to alternate techniques and approaches to playing. As I got older I started seeking music that combined strings and violin with popular music, especially electronic music but it was hard. Violin is not often used as a main instrument in popular music – not as a main songwriting tool or melodic lead. So when I discovered Andrew Bird, a violinist from New York, I took a lot of inspiration from his music. I started exploring looping and using electronic effects to create interesting sounds.
How did the ORCHA project begin?
I began ORCHA after I was living out of home and had no work. I was poor and searching for a job, and in between handing out resumes, which can be soul-crushing, I would spend the rest of my time in my makeshift home studio, writing small electronic beats along with violin melodies, and experimenting with effects and sounds. I treated these sessions as my day job until I eventually found paid work! After that, I took the demos I had made into the studio and started making the EP.
Tell us about your creative process when arranging these beats using your instrument.
When I’m making electronic music, too much choice – in terms of synths, plug-ins and pre-set sounds – clouds my creativity. With this in mind, I try to only use sounds created from my violin, along with drum samples, to create music. This process was difficult but a good limitation, as it forced me to be more creative with my main instrument.
What are some of the challenges involved with using a traditionally classical, acoustic and melodic instrument to create electronic music?
I have experimented with so many different effects using the violin, and a real challenge is that some sounds just don’t work. Synths and synth software are tailor-made to respond well to the use of effects. When you have a traditionally acoustic instrument running through multiple effects, some things sound amazing but some sound terrible! The music I have made for ORCHA is a result of the sounds that did work, but the trial and error involved was a slow process. I also found it tough to fill out the harmonic structure of the music to create a full sound when I’m limited to building up chords one string line at a time.
Tell us about the line-up at your EP Launch.
I have three amazing supports for the EP launch. Firstly, Zól Bálint creates ambient electronic music in a similar way to myself. He has made a custom acoustic guitar with a sample pad built in and plays it similar to finger-style guitarists, with electronic beats instead of finger taps. He was a performer at Melbourne’s White Night this year. Luboku is also supporting me – he produced my EP and has his own electronic/pop project gaining momentum around Melbourne.
Lastly, Cool Explosions is performing, exploring funky synth-pop electronic music, and are good friends of mine from my time at uni. There will also be multiple visual projections happening around the Gasometer – artist and friend Grace Carey is creating and setting up heaps of weird stuff to accompany the music.
Why should orchestral and chamber musicians be interested in a gig like this one?
I think orchestral and chamber musicians would enjoy something like this as it pushes the limits of what a traditionally classical instrument can do. I find when you are mostly playing traditional Western art music, sometimes it’s hard to imagine using your instrument for other purposes. But music is there to be explored, and you can do whatever you like with your skills.
The ORCHA EP launches at The Gasometer Hotel in Collingwood on 14 May for $10 on the door. More info on Facebook.
Image supplied.
