Philip Jeck (15 November 1952 – 25 March 2022) was an English composer and multimedia artist. His compositions were noted for utilising antique turntables and vinyl records, along with looping devices and both analogue and digital effects.[3] Initially composing for installations and dance companies, beginning in 1995 he released music on the UK label Touch.

Philip Jeck
Jeck performing in 2011
Jeck performing in 2011
Background information
Born15 November 1952
OriginEngland
Died25 March 2022 (aged 69)
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • visual artist
Instruments
Years active1980s–2022
Labels
Websitewww.philipjeck.com

Early life

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Jeck was born in England in 1952.[6][3][7] He studied visual arts at Dartington College of Arts in Devon.[3][8] He became interested in record players after visiting New York in 1979 and being introduced to the work of DJs such as Walter Gibbons and Larry Levan.[9]

Career

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Jeck started exploring composition using record players and electronics in the early 1980s. In his early career, he composed and performed scores for dance and theatre companies, including a five-year collaboration with Laurie Booth.[3] He also composed scores for dance films Beyond Zero on Channel 4 and Pace on BBC 2.[10][11] Jeck was perhaps best known for his 1993 work Vinyl Requiem with Lol Sargent, a performance for 180 Dansette record players, 12 slide-projectors and two film-projectors.[3] Although he initially intended to perform it only once, he went on to organise further performances of the installation.[7] It won the Time Out Performance Award in 1993.[3][12]

Jeck signed with Touch in 1995 and proceeded to release his best-known works on the label, including Surf (1998), Stoke (2002), and 7 (2003). In 2004, he collaborated with Alter Ego on a 2005 rendition of composer Gavin Bryars's The Sinking of the Titanic.[3] His 2008 album, Sand, was named the second best album of that year by The Wire.[13] Many of his studio releases are pieced together from recordings of his own live performances and stitched together with a MiniDisc recorder.[3] His final music credit came in 2021 with Stardust, a collaboration with Faith Coloccia.[14]

He collaborated with artists including Jah Wobble, Jaki Liebezeit, David Sylvian and Janek Schaefer.[3]

Death

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Jeck died on 25 March 2022, aged 69, following a brief illness.[15][8][14]

Discography

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Studio and live recordings

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  • Loopholes (1995, Touch)[16]
  • Surf (1998, Touch)[16]
  • Live in Tokyo (2000, Touch)[16]
  • Vinyl Coda I–III (2 CDs) (2000, Intermedium Records)[16]
  • Vinyl Coda IV (2001, Intermedium Records)[16]
  • Stoke (2002, Touch)[16][17]
  • 7 (2003, Touch)[16][18]
  • Sand (2008, Touch)[16][19]
  • Suite. Live in Liverpool (2008, Touch)[16]
  • An Ark for the Listener (2010, Touch)[16]
  • Cardinal (2015, Touch)[16][19]
  • Iklectik (2017, Touch)[16]

Collaborations

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References

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  1. ^ Gotrich, Lars (10 September 2019). "Viking's Choice: What I Learned From Aquarius Records, A Record Store For Big Ears". NPR. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  2. ^ Sherburne, Philip (28 March 2022). "10 Must-Hear Recordings by Experimental Turntablist Philip Jeck, Who Found Infinity in Vinyl's Grooves". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Bush, John. "Philip Jeck – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  4. ^ Clark, Philip (26 December 2015). "The playlist: best experimental music of 2015 – Laura Cannell, Philip Jeck and more". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  5. ^ Albiez, Sean (2017). Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, Volume 11. Bloomsbury. pp. 347–349. ISBN 978-1-5013-2610-3. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  6. ^ Staff. "Philip Jeck – CV" Archived 28 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine. www.philipjeck.com.
  7. ^ a b Rutherford-Johnson, Tim (2017). Music After the Fall: Modern Composition and Culture Since 1989. University of California Press. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-520-28314-5.
  8. ^ a b Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (28 March 2022). "Philip Jeck, acclaimed British experimental composer, dies aged 69". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  9. ^ Saunders, James. "Interview with Philip Jeck". The Ashgate Research Companion to Experimental Music. Ashgate. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  10. ^ Rowell, Bonnie (2000). Dance Umbrella: The First Twenty-one Years. Dance Books. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-85273-077-2.
  11. ^ "Pace". British Film Institute. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  12. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (28 March 2022). "Philip Jeck, acclaimed British experimental composer, dies aged 69". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Biography". Philip Jeck official website. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  14. ^ a b Minsker, Evan (27 March 2022). "Philip Jeck, Experimental Composer and Turntablist, Dies at 69". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  15. ^ Minsker, Evan (27 March 2022). "Philip Jeck, Experimental Composer and Turntablist, Dies at 69". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Philip Jeck – Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  17. ^ Richardson, Mark (26 November 2002). "Stoke". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  18. ^ Richardson, Mark (13 January 2004). "7". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  19. ^ a b c Cornish, Dale (28 March 2022). "The Quietus | Features | Remember Them... | Remembering Philip Jeck". The Quietus. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  20. ^ a b c d e "Philip Jeck – Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  21. ^ Staff (21 October 2004). "Songs for Europe". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
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