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Mark Wastell

Mark Wastell

Mark Wastell has been played on NTS in shows including Mosca, featured first on 8 February 2013. Songs played include Rays and For Hugh Davies.

Mark Wastell is a British cellist and improvisationalist born in 1968.

Much of Mark Wastell's relationship with his chosen instrument is concentrated on the tactile, textural and sonic possibilities of both violoncello and bow. He is increasingly interested in working with extreme elements drawn from frequency, timbre and pitch.

His early activity was consciously and subconsciously influenced by a variety of improvising musicians including John Stevens, Barry Guy, Phil Durrant and John Russell.

Subsequent exposure to contemporary composers lead to a greater understanding and appreciation of the works written for strings by Feldman, Cage, Nono, Lachenmann and Sciarrino. The use of live electronics and music concrete by Tudor, Parmegiani, Xenakis and others was another important early influence.

Wastell's instrumental material primarily focuses on using abstract principles of space and texture – encompassing elements of New London Silence, pro-instrument minimalism, new complexity and electro-acoustics. Because of the very nature of his chosen instrument, he tends to favour 'chamber' style ensembles, and is a member of groups like Assumed Possibilities, IST, Broken Consort, The Sealed Knot, Evan Parker's String Project, and many others.

In more recent years, Wastell has favoured "amplified textures" using contact mic's on various surfaces, and has recently been using a type of gong called a Tam-Tam as his main instrument of choice, to produce meditatively hypnotic drone pieces.

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Mark Wastell

Mark Wastell has been played on NTS in shows including Mosca, featured first on 8 February 2013. Songs played include Rays and For Hugh Davies.

Mark Wastell is a British cellist and improvisationalist born in 1968.

Much of Mark Wastell's relationship with his chosen instrument is concentrated on the tactile, textural and sonic possibilities of both violoncello and bow. He is increasingly interested in working with extreme elements drawn from frequency, timbre and pitch.

His early activity was consciously and subconsciously influenced by a variety of improvising musicians including John Stevens, Barry Guy, Phil Durrant and John Russell.

Subsequent exposure to contemporary composers lead to a greater understanding and appreciation of the works written for strings by Feldman, Cage, Nono, Lachenmann and Sciarrino. The use of live electronics and music concrete by Tudor, Parmegiani, Xenakis and others was another important early influence.

Wastell's instrumental material primarily focuses on using abstract principles of space and texture – encompassing elements of New London Silence, pro-instrument minimalism, new complexity and electro-acoustics. Because of the very nature of his chosen instrument, he tends to favour 'chamber' style ensembles, and is a member of groups like Assumed Possibilities, IST, Broken Consort, The Sealed Knot, Evan Parker's String Project, and many others.

In more recent years, Wastell has favoured "amplified textures" using contact mic's on various surfaces, and has recently been using a type of gong called a Tam-Tam as his main instrument of choice, to produce meditatively hypnotic drone pieces.

Original source: Last.fm

Tracks featured on

Most played tracks

Rays
Mark Wastell
Kning Disk2007
For Hugh Davies
Adam Bohman, Lee Patterson, Mark Wastell
Another Timbre2008