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Artist Picks: Matthew Collings

Following the release of his A-side, They Meet On The Subway, we asked Edinburgh composer Matthew Collings to talk us through his favourite track on his album, Splintered Instruments, which was released earlier this year.



"'Routine' is the final track from Splintered Instruments. Like all the tracks on the record it was recorded all over the place, at various studios and at home over a period of a couple of years, although I hope it fits into a giant, seamless epic! It's also the oldest piece of music I still perform; the main refrain started out as a melody on another track I made on Fruityloops about 12 years ago, where I constructed a 'synth' of sorts together from the sound of earthing a cable on my hand (very hi-tech).

That's what you hear when the main melody comes in. I even made a video for the original track when I lived in Iceland, with a blind-folded couple walking on a black beach covered with icebergs:



It was one of those tracks which Ben, who produced the record, urged me to explore more and take further. I love how it turned into a kind of symphonic requiem including everything from bubble-warp popping to brass sections and hungarian zithers from these humble origins. The climatic crescendo with the brass section was recorded live in a bar in Reykjavik, with my laptop literally on the bar and the two players, Helgi and Ari, close behind me. It was completely improvised and was a glorious moment, especially as we'd never played together before, or since... I hope you enjoy it."

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