Philip Clemo
Encyclopedia
Philip Clemo is a British musician
, composer
, record producer
, sound artist and film-maker.
, Scotland
. He moved to London
in 1982, where he has lived ever since apart from a year in Sydney
, Australia
in the mid-1990s. His musical education began as a teenager when he took guitar
lessons from Scottish singer-songwriter Iain MacDonald, who went on to release two albums in the mid-80s.
, post-rock
, contemporary classical and electronica
. In the studio he builds complex textures and develops them through a process of composition and improvisation, with contributions from a diverse group of musicians. He also extensively weaves in field recordings made in locations such as Delhi streets, Malaysian rainforests, Sydney building sites, Icelandic mud pools and a glass and metal workshops.
, aka Mee, on violin and vocals, who shared composition credits with Clemo. A second album with Spevack, Soundzero, was completed in 1999 and was released in March 2009. Both albums featured, amongst others, Phil Slater on trumpet, and Tarlochan (Bobby) Singh on tabla with the British rhythm section of Mark Sanders (drums), John Edwards (double bass) and Pete Lockett
(percussion) joining on the Soundzero album. Australian vocalist Royce Doherty (Kiva) guested on three tracks on Inhale the Colours (with the track Fade being co-produced by Australian producer Roy Nicholson), while Jazz singer Cleveland Watkiss
, often heavily processed, made a guest appearance on Soundzero.
with Clive Bell
(reeds) and Tom Chant (soprano saxophone
and bass clarinet
).
In October 2008, Clemo released his fourth album, The Rooms, a musical progression through different sound "rooms" or "spaces" featuring 22 musicians such as Clive Bell, Theo Travis
(saxophone and flute
), Simon Hopkins (electric guitar
), B.J Cole (pedal steel), Henry Lowther
(trumpet and flugelhorn) and a Prague
string quartet
. Clemo credits veteran sound engineer Phill Brown, who has worked with Jimi Hendrix
and Bob Marley
among others, for his invaluable contribution to the recording process of The Rooms.
Philip Clemo is currently in the studio working on his 5th album.
, Vietnam
, Australia
and Iceland
. He filmed his first major project, 'The Air Holds Still On My Breath - The Iceland Journey', in the Summer of 2008. The film, a series of abstract
'mood paintings' to music from The Rooms was shot using specialist camera technology to capture extreme slow motion details of geothermal activity and waterfalls, and from the air using a gyro-stabilised camera mounted on a helicopter
. The Icelandic film project has now grown into a larger feature film project 'Breath: Symphony of the Senses'. Breath, which is in development, presents new perspectives on landscapes from around the world. It maps the human journey from birth to death, and beyond, and explores a parallel journey from sleepwalking to awakening. The dramas of human life are illustrated through the metaphors of landscape and climate, and the human body is explored as a virtual landscape, including in extreme close up and on a specially developed ‘energy field’ camera. The film also explores the terrains of micro ‘landscapes’ through the use of unique high magnification microscopic systems.
Philip Clemo uses video projections of his film work extensively in his live performances.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, sound artist and film-maker.
Background
Philip James Clemo was born on 3 August 1964 in AberdeenshireAberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1982, where he has lived ever since apart from a year in Sydney
Sydney
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...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in the mid-1990s. His musical education began as a teenager when he took 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...
lessons from Scottish singer-songwriter Iain MacDonald, who went on to release two albums in the mid-80s.
Creative process
Clemo's music crosses genres between jazzJazz
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...
, post-rock
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
, contemporary classical and electronica
Electronica
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...
. In the studio he builds complex textures and develops them through a process of composition and improvisation, with contributions from a diverse group of musicians. He also extensively weaves in field recordings made in locations such as Delhi streets, Malaysian rainforests, Sydney building sites, Icelandic mud pools and a glass and metal workshops.
Collaborative work
Clemo worked on his debut album, Inhale the Colours, while living in Sydney in 1996/97. The album was released under the name Sound, in 1997, featuring contributions from eleven musicians, notably Ysanne SpevackYsanne Spevack
Ysanne Spevack is a British violinist, composer and string arranger best known for her work recordings for the Smashing Pumpkins, Dub Gabriel featuring Michael Stipe, Tiesto, and Asian Dub Foundation...
, aka Mee, on violin and vocals, who shared composition credits with Clemo. A second album with Spevack, Soundzero, was completed in 1999 and was released in March 2009. Both albums featured, amongst others, Phil Slater on trumpet, and Tarlochan (Bobby) Singh on tabla with the British rhythm section of Mark Sanders (drums), John Edwards (double bass) and Pete Lockett
Pete Lockett
Peter Robert Lockett is an English percussionist and recording artist. Lockett is known as a versatile and prolific percussionist, collaborating with many artists. He is well-versed in percussion traditions from music cultures around the world, including, Arabic, Japanese, Indian and...
(percussion) joining on the Soundzero album. Australian vocalist Royce Doherty (Kiva) guested on three tracks on Inhale the Colours (with the track Fade being co-produced by Australian producer Roy Nicholson), while Jazz singer Cleveland Watkiss
Cleveland Watkiss
Cleveland Watkiss is a versatile English singer who performs in a variety of musical genres, including jazz, reggae, rock music and drum and bass. Watkiss also performs on piano and guitar.-Life:...
, often heavily processed, made a guest appearance on Soundzero.
Solo work
Philip Clemo's third album, Ambiguous Dialogues, was released in 2004 on Metier Jazz. It was the first released under his own name and featured 12 musicians, including Sanders, Edwards and Lockett as rhythm sectionRhythm section
A rhythm section is a collection of musicians who make up a section of instruments which provides the accompaniment section of the music, giving the music its rhythmic texture and pulse, also serving as a rhythmic reference for the rest of the band...
with Clive Bell
Clive Bell
Arthur Clive Heward Bell was an English Art critic, associated with formalism and the Bloomsbury Group.- Origins :Clive Bell was born in East Shefford, Berkshire, in 1881...
(reeds) and Tom Chant (soprano 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...
and bass clarinet
Bass clarinet
The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...
).
In October 2008, Clemo released his fourth album, The Rooms, a musical progression through different sound "rooms" or "spaces" featuring 22 musicians such as Clive Bell, Theo Travis
Theo Travis
Theo Travis is a British saxophonist and flautist.Travis received his degree in flute and saxophone from the University of Manchester and has worked among others with Robert Fripp, Gong, Porcupine Tree, The Tangent, Bill Nelson, Bass Communion, No-Man, Steven Wilson, David Sylvian, Harold Budd,...
(saxophone and 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...
), Simon Hopkins (electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
), B.J Cole (pedal steel), Henry Lowther
Henry Lowther
Henry Lowther may refer to:*Henry Lowther, 3rd Viscount Lonsdale *Henry Lowther, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale *Henry Lowther , British Conservative politician...
(trumpet and flugelhorn) and a Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
string quartet
String quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
. Clemo credits veteran sound engineer Phill Brown, who has worked with Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
and Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
among others, for his invaluable contribution to the recording process of The Rooms.
Philip Clemo is currently in the studio working on his 5th album.
Film-making
Since 1989, Philip Clemo has made several short films shot in locations around the world, including IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. He filmed his first major project, 'The Air Holds Still On My Breath - The Iceland Journey', in the Summer of 2008. The film, a series of abstract
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
'mood paintings' to music from The Rooms was shot using specialist camera technology to capture extreme slow motion details of geothermal activity and waterfalls, and from the air using a gyro-stabilised camera mounted on a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
. The Icelandic film project has now grown into a larger feature film project 'Breath: Symphony of the Senses'. Breath, which is in development, presents new perspectives on landscapes from around the world. It maps the human journey from birth to death, and beyond, and explores a parallel journey from sleepwalking to awakening. The dramas of human life are illustrated through the metaphors of landscape and climate, and the human body is explored as a virtual landscape, including in extreme close up and on a specially developed ‘energy field’ camera. The film also explores the terrains of micro ‘landscapes’ through the use of unique high magnification microscopic systems.
Philip Clemo uses video projections of his film work extensively in his live performances.
Discography
- Sound - Inhale the Colours, 1997, with Mee (Ysanne SpevackYsanne SpevackYsanne Spevack is a British violinist, composer and string arranger best known for her work recordings for the Smashing Pumpkins, Dub Gabriel featuring Michael Stipe, Tiesto, and Asian Dub Foundation...
) - soundzero, 1999 (but only released in 2008), with Ysanne SpevackYsanne SpevackYsanne Spevack is a British violinist, composer and string arranger best known for her work recordings for the Smashing Pumpkins, Dub Gabriel featuring Michael Stipe, Tiesto, and Asian Dub Foundation...
- Ambiguous Dialogues, 2004
- The Rooms, 2008
Filmography
- Box In The Sun, 1990
- From the Morning On, 1990
- Objects and Observations, 1993
- Thieves - Unworthy promo, 1994
- An Altered Perspective (Journeys in the East), 1995
- Metal On Water, 1999
- Separated by Shadows (shown during 2005/6 UK tour), 2005
- The Air Holds Still On My Breath (Iceland Journey), 2009
- Melt, 2009
- Breath (Symphony of the Senses) (in development), 2011
External links
- Official Website
- Profile written by Nicholas Royle
- Profile written by Chris Fortescue