In this podcast Rob Puricelli talks to Ian Boddy, who has been a fixture on the electronic music scene for over 40 years, as an artist, sound designer and label owner. His label, DiN, celebrates its 100th release this month with one of Ian’s own creations, ‘Nevermore’.
Rob finds out more about this niche label, why and how it started, and how it still remains a relevant and popular imprint to this day.
Show Notes
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:36 - Where did it all begin?
05:58 - How did you get into sound design?
09:53 - How did the idea of the DiN label come about?
13:05 - What makes it on to the label?
14:43 - What was behind the Tone Science series of releases?
18:07 - How have services like Bandcamp empowered labels?
22:39 - The 100th DiN release, Nevermore
26:13 - What was the inspiration behind Nevermore and what was used to create it?
28:17 - What’s your story with the Analogue Systems French Connection?
31:44 - What are your thoughts on expressive synthesizers?
32:55 - Are there any more live performance recordings coming soon?
34:39 - What’s your personal favourite DiN release of the 100 so far?
35:56 - What are the plans for the next 100 DiN releases?
37:15 - What’s coming up in terms of live performances in the future?
38:58 - What instruments are inspiring you right now?
Ian Boddy - Biog
Analogue Systems French Connection keyboardComposer, sound designer, DiN ambient music label owner and analogue synth aficionado, Ian Boddy first got into composing music in the late 1970s in Newcastle upon Tyne, England whilst studying for a degree in Biochemistry.
Having fallen in love with the sound-worlds of German electronic bands such as Tangerine Dream, he came across an arts centre that housed a studio filled with reel-to-reel tape machines and analogue synthesizers. Boddy taught himself how to use this equipment through a process of experimentation, thus began a long and successful music career.
Specialising in ambient and electronic music, Boddy has three main strands to his musical activities which are run under the umbrella of his own company, Something Else Music Limited.
Sound Design
- Worked with Zero-G since 1992 to release a series of critically acclaimed sample libraries such as Ambient Volumes 1 & 2, Malice In Wonderland, Ambiosis and Dreamzone.
- Released 3 Kontakt virtual instruments Morphology, Analogue Sequencer Loops and Outer Limits.
- In 2008 he set up his own brand of downloadable sound libraries under the Ian Boddy Waveforms banner with four releases to date.
- Undertaken extensive sound design/synth programming work for Native Instruments, Camel Audio, Soniccouture, Sample Magic and LinPlug.
Library Music
Worked with DeWolfe Music since 1997 releasing over 20 albums with titles such as Waterworlds, Drones, Living Planet, The Unexplained and The Weather. In total this represents over 500 pieces which have been used extensively in TV, radio, film and documentaries in the UK, Europe, Japan and North America.
DiN
Although Boddy has been releasing music since 1980 his main focus since 1999 has been the DiN ambient electronica label. With the release of 'Nevermore' the label has now released 100 albums from artists such as Chris Carter, Robert Rich, Node, Tetsu Inoue, Markus Reuter, Erik Wøllo, Scanner and ARC. Boddy has performed concerts in the UK, The Netherlands, Germany and USA.
UPDATE
Since this interview was recorded Ian has now released a new album, Modulations II, entirely created just using his venerable VCS3. This meant a lot of multitracking as well as using some modern Eurorack gear to give a helping hand with various Control Voltage sources such as sequencers, LFOs and envelopes. However, all the sounds were painstakingly created using just the VCS3, and with the use of vintage FX such as spring reverb, tape echo and analogue phasing, the overall sound has a truly vintage feel.
Further details on Ian's Bandcamp site https://din.org.uk/album/modulations-ii-dinddl27
https://ianboddy.com
https://din.org.uk
https://dinrecords.bandcamp.com
https://din.org.uk/album/nevermore-din69
Audio clips used in this podcast are taken from the DiN album, ‘Nevermore’, performed by Ian Boddy.
Interviewer: Rob Puricelli - Biog
Rob Puricelli is a Music Technologist and Instructional Designer who has a healthy obsession with classic synthesizers and their history. In conjunction with former Fairlight Studio Manager Peter Wielk, he fixes and restores Fairlight CMI’s so that they can enjoy prolonged and productive lives with new owners. He also writes reviews and articles for his website, failedmuso.com, and other music-related publications, as well as hosting a weekly livestream on YouTube for the Pro Synth Network and guesting on numerous music technology podcasts and shows. Rob also works alongside a number of manufacturers, demonstrating their products and lecturing about music technology at various educational and vocational establishments.
Twitter: @failedmuso
Instagram: @failedmuso
Facebook: www.facebook.com/failedmuso/
About the Electronic Music podcast channel
On this channel we feature some of the pioneers of the industry, interview musicians and talk about retro and current gear.
Available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon or wherever you get your podcasts.
