Memotone's #DreamSofar

A man hardly famed for his friendly, bubbly personality, even by his standards Calvin Harris was not a happy chap approximately one month ago. It all started when a video which appeared to show one-third of DJ supergroup Swedish House Mafia, Steve Angello, doing nothing more than pressing play on a pre-mixed segment of a festival set cropped up online. Even despite Mr. Harris selling unthinkable amounts of records himself, you wouldn’t have thought he would particularly object to being compared (albeit inadvertently) to such a global superstar and legend in the game as Steve Angello. Wrong, and unfortunately BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat had to find out the hard way and very, very publicly. See, the mentioning of merely ‘pressing play’ and CDJs (the equipment Angello is alleged to be using in the aforementioned video) is considered near-on blasphemy in the EDM world. And what did Greg Cochrane of Newsbeat go and do? Cut his interview with the Scot DJ in such a way that suggests theWe Found Love man not only is okay with the use of CDJs and the like, but actively endorses it! Cue Calvin talking himself into such a rage in full view of his almost 2 million Followers he ends up Tweeting ‘Looking into taking action on @BBCNewsbeat for that libellous broadcast’. Amazingly, you can still see the naughty Newsbeat article online.

So on one side you’ve got the likes of Steven Angello taking the art out of ‘artist’ in the EDM scene, and then on the other you’ve got William Yates, aka Memotone, who promises he’s never even used a laptop on stage and vows to keep it that way.

When I play live I try and make it so every sound you hear you can see me create or trigger (when samples are involved.) I never use a laptop on stage and want to keep it that way. I think it’s much more interesting for the crowd and as a performer.

Impressive. Even more so when it is considered just how many sounds Yates puts to good use. Of course there’s the expected piano, keyboard, bass and drums. Not so expected are the clarinet, trumpet, zither, glockenspiel, organ, conversation and toy instruments (to name a few). Consequently, it was always expected that Memotone would come up with an interesting #DreamSofar and he certainly doesn’t disappoint (see below).

Curious as to how one can mesh together so many diverse sounds and do so successfully? There’s plenty to be found on Memotone’s website, including links which take you to places where you can buy his various records, as well as a whole host of free downloads.

Leafcutter John:

'This fellow not only plays instruments beautifully and sings, he is also a genius when it comes to audio manipulation using computers and customised hardware. He writes his own programmes to make sounds do as he pleases and can do it all in a live environment. I have never actually seen him live, only videos, but I imagine it would be totally engrossing. Also - having worked with him myself, I can confidently say he is also a really nice chap!'

Puma:

'Surely one of my favourite bands. A three piece from Norway packing enough punch to shake a standard living room to pieces. I think it would be an utterly invigorating and uplifting experience to see this band live. On Half Nelson Courtship (released by Rune Grammofon) each track holds it's own majesty and driving power, rising up from sometimes unfathomable depths to finally crescendo high above the atmosphere, notes falling from the sky and creating pools of multicoloured liquid where they land. Imagine that!?'

Joanna Newsom:

'There is some music which seems to have been designed for the living room environment. Even though Joanna Newsom transcends any living room, I think her live performance would be perfect for a Sofar event. Her music is intimate, peaceful, poetic and tangible. If you found a place large enough to get her harp through the door and wheel a grand piano in after it, I think you would have the set up for an incredibly moving and memorable evening.'

Max Richter:

'Max Richter has the capability to transform any environment into one of beauty. So I could imagine seeing him perform live from the comfort of a living room would be almost ultimate bliss. I have seen him live once before and it was one of the best live musical experiences I have ever had. So reliving that if possible would be a chance I could not pass up. Truly a great composer and musician.'

Talk Talk:

'Laughing Stock by Talk Talk is one of my favourite albums of all time. One of the reasons I like it so much is because it sounds and feels as if it's being performed live right in front of you. If it were actually being performed live right in front of me I would probably be overwhelmed. It's the perfect balance of quiet, thoughtful composition and profound elation. It's patient refrain keeps the ear hanging to every note. Beautiful.'