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Artist
Martyn Heyne
12+ albums
ambientguitarBerlinchilloutgerman
about
Amongst the pictures from Martyn Heyne’s childhood that you’ll find in his parents’ photo collection is one of him, aged two, strumming a canoe paddle like a guitar. If ever there were proof of the man’s natural born urge to make music, it’s this. Heyne’s approach to his art has always remained idiosyncratic, too: when he began teaching himself the piano, he developed a system based around the symmetry of the keyboard rather than its scales. Even his first band was unusual: having finally received music lessons, he began travelling from village fairs to sports halls to play shows with his brother and other friends. He was just ten. “Our tininess was well-received,” Heyne recalls fondly. The release of Heyne’s debut mini-album confirms he’s maintained his unusual, distinctive approach to music ever since. Working mainly with guitar, synthesisers and a drum machine – each enhanced by his trademark, vintage studio trickery – the composer has crafted six delicate pieces that are as moving as they are intricate. Whether it’s ‘Sparks’’ graceful melody, the lithe, rippling ‘Brandung’, or the gentle tremble of ‘Monoment’, their magical appeal lies not only in their detailed precision, but also in the rare serenity they afford their audience. He credits this plaintive, pastoral and evocative quality to a diverse range of influences, including Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Portishead, Boards of Canada and Krautrock. Heyne calls the mini album Shady & Light, but not for obvious reasons. “It
