London, UK. (Mandalic Records) - Marvin Ayres is a composer, cellist, pianist and violinist. He has recorded a diverse selection of ambient and 'string design' albums, as well as produced and composed a number of sensual jazz and film soundtracks that combine classical technique with free-form extemporization.
Straddling the worlds of commercial and classical music, as composer/producer Marvin Ayres has developed a distinctive and innovative style by subjecting his instruments to electronic treatments, thereby pioneering an approach described as "Ambient Orchestral Minimalism". Operating somewhere between the spiritual serenity of Gorecki and Part and the electronic adventures of Brian Eno and Aphex Twin, his key features are layers of organic strings filtered through atmospheric distortions and effects, sounding at once both familiar and utterly new.
"...like some of (Brian) Eno's best work, the atmospheres Ayres creates can comfortably blend into the sonic backdrop, they are also compelling pieces of music that can dominate and transport." All About Jazz
A founding member of The Government, Ayres also made solo contributions to bands and artists throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, notably, Culture Club, Simply Red and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. In 1999 he was signed to the avant-garde label Mille Plateaux as composer/producer and released two ambient albums, Neptune and Cellosphere, to critical acclaim. Excerpts of these works have been performed live in an array of forums such as: London's 'Festival of Electronica'(with Groove Armada's Patrick Dawes), and the inter-media cutting edge event 'Sprawl'. His reputation as producer and performer came to the attention of Jaki Liebezeit (formerly of Can), who invited him to re-mix tracks and tour with Liebezeit's band Club Off Chaos in early 2001. Ayres was commissioned by Einsturzende Neubauten's electronica music publishers Freibank, and his compositions have featured on five 'For Films' albums.
In addition to his work with musicians, Ayres also collaborates with visual artists on audio-visual installations, which have been exhibited in major galleries and art houses in Europe and the U.S. In 2000, the prestigious ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts) in London commissioned him to compose and produce their first ever DVD exhibition. The two works resulting from this were 'Sensory' and 'Cycle', incorporating spatial soundscapes and psycho acoustics and were composed specifically for 5.1 Surround Sound. Marvin Ayres' collaborative film 'Scape' is to this day a permanent fixture on exhibition at The Tate Modern.
His ongoing project with Sonja Kristina (from rock legends Curved Air) is called Mask and their 2006 hit single 'Waking The Dream' came from their debut dual-disc album 'Heavy Petal'. The new album, 'Technopia' will be released this autumn on Maroonbox, an exciting new digital platform and traditional record company.
www.marvinayres.com
www.myspace.com/marvinayres
Marvin Ayres Discography
Cellosphere (Mille Plateaux)
Neptune (Mille Plateau)
Scape (Burning Shed)
Cycle (Burning Shed)
Sensory (DVD) (Burning Shed)
Mask
Heavy Petal (MaroonBox)
Healing Senses (DVD) (MaroonBox)
