Episode 23: FROM SYNTHS TO SOUNDSCAPES - Adventures in Acoustic Ecology with Martyn Ware Artwork

The Quiet Mark Podcast

Welcome to The Quiet Mark Podcast. Hosted by Simon Gosling CMO at Quiet Mark, the global award programme associated with the UK Noise Abatement Society, this series uniquely explores the vital role acoustics will play in the future of global living, building and product design sharing conversations with thought-leading designers, architects, and sound experts. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognises environmental noise as the 2nd largest environmental health risk in Western Europe after air quality. Noise contributes to a range of physical and mental health problems, disturbed sleep, affects people’s hearing, communication and learning. And, in our smart-phone era, noise isn’t only about the big sounds of planes, traffic and construction sites, smaller sounds like someone FaceTiming on the bus or playing music loudly through their tinny headphones can cause stress, annoyance and impacts our mental health. During this time of Lockdown our world is much quieter than usual, every sound is more noticeable, quietness has never seemed more important or front of mind, where could this take us and how will we live, build, and work after this profound period of change? To help navigate the world-changes around us, these exclusive insights into pioneering projects and visions, explore the future on the other side of the crisis.

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The Quiet Mark Podcast

Episode 23: FROM SYNTHS TO SOUNDSCAPES - Adventures in Acoustic Ecology with Martyn Ware

May 27, 2021 • Quiet Mark

In 1978, in Sheffield, Martyn Ware formed The Human League. That December, David Bowie appeared in the audience of an early gig and later declared to NME that he "had seen the future of pop music".

Sheffield is the City of Steel. With its throbbing steelworks in the distance, and grinding metalworking soundscape of the city centre, made by the little mester finishing shops, Simon Gosling asks Martyn, is it any wonder that those early Human League records had such an industrial sound?

Asked why he chose a synth, instead of more traditional rock band instruments, bass, drums or guitar, Martyn says, “ I always loved anything that felt futuristic… I wanted to be the Roxy Music Eno, basically”!

In 2000, Vince Clarke (Yazoo, Depeche Mode and Erasure) and Martyn Ware (The Human League, Heaven 17 and BEF) decided to continue their love of musical creativity, forming Illustrious Ltd. whose modus operandi was to use the spatialisation of sound to enrich the human experience.

In this episode, Martyn shares his adventures in acoustic ecology, with stories taking us from Sheffield to Brighton to Mexico City and Bowie at The V&A. If that’s not enough ‘Temptation’...!

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Simon Gosling

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