Vessel | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Sebastian Gainsborough |
| Origin | Bristol, UK |
| Genres | Electronic, instrumental, avant-garde |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, producer |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | Tri Angle Records, Sacred Bones Records, Paplu, Liberation Technologies, Left_Blank |
| Website | sebgainsborough |
Vessel, also known as Sebastian Gainsborough is an English music producer and composer from Bristol, England.[1]
Musical career
Electronic producer and composer Seb Gainsborough (Vessel) began his career as a producer of bass driven, experimental electronica both as a solo artist as well as under numerous guises alongside and as part of Bristol's 'Young Echo' Collective, most notably as a member of Killing Sound.[2]
Following a number of limited 12" EP releases with London label Left Blank and an EP on Mute Records subsidiary, Liberation Technologies, Gainsborough's 'Vessel' solo output has been released by Tri Angle Records.[3][4]
His trio of albums on Tri Angle, Order of Noise, Punish, Honey and Queen of Golden Dogs have been widely acclaimed, averaging 78/100 on review aggregator Metacritic.[5][6][7]
Alongside his studio album releases, Gainsborough has over recent years become increasingly known for his collaborative practice, especially concerning his collaboration with both classical instrumentalists and AV artists. Notably, he has collaborated extensively with visual artist Pedro Maia,[8] contemporary classical collectives Immix Ensemble[9] and Manchester Collective,[10] acclaimed violinist Rakhi Singh[11] and renowned visual artist Anouk de Clerq.[12]
In July 2020 Gainsborough announced the launch of a new music imprint 'Paplu' in partnership with long-time collaborator, violinist Rakhi Singh. To mark this, a new edit of 2014's Red Sex was released featuring Singh on viola and violin. This was followed up by Passion in November 2020, a long form work for strings, electronics and voice, launching with a video by Pedro Maia.[13]
On April 12, 2022, he announced on his social media feed that he had co-composed the score for Robert Eggers Viking epic, The Northman with Robin Carolan, which released the following week in the UK, with its US cinematic release the following week.[14]
The soundtrack was highly praised in reviews, LA Weekly writing that "Every frame of Jarin Blaschke's cinematography is a carefully rendered baroque painting, while the score by Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough pushes us deeper into the ether with transcendent rhythms and primordial drums".[15]
Empire (magazine), in their five star review said of the score, "Long takes like these, accompanied by composers Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough’s pulsating score, throbbing with drumbeats and low notes, emphasise the savage spectacle and unforgiving harshness of these times, but also the powerful physicality of Skarsgård"[16] and IGN "The music, by Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough, is absolutely key, veering between folk-like strings that evoke King Aurvandill’s regality as he returns from war, and percussions so heavy — during murkier and more spiritual segments — that with the right theatrical sound system, the bass is sure to rattle your ribcage."[17]
The soundtrack was released digitally by Backlot Music coinciding with the cinematic release on April 22, and on tape, CD and various vinyl editions by Sacred Bones Records on July 22.[18]
In November 2022, Fever Ray announced their new single, 'Carbon Dioxide', a co-composition between Karin Dreijer (Fever Ray) and Vessel. The single lands ahead of Fever Ray's upcoming 2023 album 'Radical Romantics', which is also set to feature the likes of Olof Dreijer, Nídia, Peder Mannerfelt, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.[19]
Discography
Albums
| 2012 | Order of Noise (Tri Angle Records) |
| 2014 | Punish, Honey (Tri Angle Records) |
| 2018 | Queen of Golden Dogs (Tri Angle Records) |
EPs
| 2010 | VeElSkSiEdL with El Kid (Astro:Dynamics) |
| 2011 | Wax Dance (A Future Without) |
| 2011 | Nylon Sunset (Left Blank) |
| 2012 | Standard (Left Blank) |
| 2013 | Misery Is A Communicable Disease (Liberation Technologies) |
| 2016 | Transition with Immix Ensemble (Erased Tapes Records) |
| 2020 | Passion (Paplu) |
Singles
| 2014 | Red Sex (Tri Angle Records) |
| 2018 | Paplu (Love That Moves The Sun) (Tri Angle Records) |
| 2020 | Red Sex (Re-Strung) featuring Rakhi Singh (Paplu) |
Remixes
| 2012 | Liars - Brats (Vessel Elliptic Remix) |
| 2013 | El Kid - We Need Mirrors (Vessel Psychosis Mix) |
| 2013 | El Perro del Mar - Hold Off the Dawn (Vessel Remix) |
| 2013 | Hyetal - Northwest Passage (Vessel Remix) |
| 2013 | Ike Yard - Cherish8 (Vessel Remix) |
| 2017 | HEALTH - Dark Enough (Vessel RMX) |
| 2019 | Just Mustard - Seven (Vessel Remix) |
| 2020 | Foals - Exits (Vessel Remix) |
| 2021 | Lyra Pramuk - fountain (ars amatoria) (Vessel Rework) |
Production
| 2012 | Evian Christ - Kings & Them (Mastering) (Tri Angle Records) |
| 2013 | Evian Christ - Duga 3 (Mastering) (Tri Angle Records) |
| 2015 | Ossia - Red X (Mastering) (Blackest Ever Black) |
| 2019 | Malibu - One Life (Mastering) (Joyful Noise Recordings / UNO NYC) |
| 2020 | Nebala - Lustuz (Production) (By Norse) |
| 2022 | Fever Ray - Carbon Dioxide (Co-Production with Karin Dreijer) (Mute Records / Rabid Records) |
Soundtracks
| 2022 (April 22) | The Northman Directed by Robert Eggers - Composer (co-composition with Robin Carolan) |
Composition for Live Performance
| 2019 | Paradise Lost - Composition for String Ensemble and Voice (for Manchester Collective) |
| 2019 | Written In Fire - Composition for Electronics and String Ensemble |
| 2021 | Squint - Composition for Electronics, String ensemble and Percussion (for Manchester Collective) |
| 2022 | Logos - Co-Composition with and for Rakhi Singh & NYX Electronic Drone Choir (for PRS New Music Biennial) |
References
- ↑ Aroesti, Rachel (23 November 2018). "Vessel: Queen of Golden Dogs review – a gloriously weird electro-odyssey". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ↑ "RA: Young Echo". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ↑ "Vessel (5)". Discogs. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ↑ "Tri-Angle Records - Vessel". Angle Records. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ↑ "Vessel". Metacritic. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ↑ "Albums: Jools Holland And Marc Almond, Fleetwood Mac, The Fizz, Vessel". The Irish News. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- ↑ "Vessel: Queen of Golden Dogs". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- ↑ "VESSEL | Pedro Maia". Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ↑ "Immix Ensemble & Vessel - Artists". Erased Tapes. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ↑ "Paradise Lost". Manchester Collective. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ↑ "Vessel and violinist Rakhi Singh join forces for Written In Fire". FACT Magazine: Transmissions from the underground. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ↑ "Anouk De Clercq with Vessel and Helga Davis". BOZAR. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ↑ Matthew, Strauss (9 November 2020). "Vessel Announced Passion EP, Shares new Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
- ↑ "Twitter". Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ↑ "ROBERT EGGERS' THE NORTHMAN: A BRUTAL, BIG BUDGET TALE OF VIKING VENGEANCE". LA Weekly. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ↑ "The Northman Review". Empire. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ↑ "The Northman Review". IGN. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ↑ "Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough - The Northman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Sacred Bones. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ↑ "Fever Ray Announces New Album Radical Romantics, Shares New Song "Carbon Dioxide": Listen". Pitchfork. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.