Fireside Chat

Matthew Herbert

Accidental Records, UK

Introducing: A gentleman genius. One of the first musicians stemming from a dance music background to explore the sounds in everyday objects and certainly of the rare breed to speak his mind on political subjects and creating albums that show the corruption of food production. Matthew Herbert, however, is an originator in more ways than just this. His success has been spread across an extraordinary number of fields. He is head of Accidental Records, which he founded in 2000 and his production credits range from Micachu to sequined sensation Rowdy Superstar to the stunning Roisin Murphy's 'Ruby Blue' long player. Herbert's early days included projects as Wishmountain, Doctor Rockit, Radio Boy and Herbert, which allowed him flexibility between house, techno and genres without names. He has breached boundaries in terms of collaboration too, ranging from his work with the Matthew Herbert Big Band, to working with playwright Caryl Churchill, and purveyor of radical cuisine Heston Blumenthal. Herbert has scored ten feature films, did clever sampling galore and released shimmering velvet sweet house, musique concrete and polemical protest pop. There is so much more to be said about this man of many facets, forays and food, some of which he is gentle enough to share with us in his Fireside Chat - unique in a mesh of pleasure and politics.