Miles Brown (musician)

Miles Brown
Brown in 2016
Background information
Born (1978-01-04) 4 January 1978 (age 46)
OriginHobart, Tasmania, Australia
GenresElectronic, progressive rock, synthwave, synthpop, experimental, industrial, film score
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, performer, producer, curator, sound artist
Instrument(s)Theremin, analogue synthesizer, electric bass, pipe organ, vocals, electronics
Years active1995–present
LabelsDeath Waltz Recording Company, Mondo, It Records, Twisted Nerve Australia, Homeless, Exo, Denovali Records, Trendkill, Seed Records, Unstable Ape Records, Nosferatunes
Websitemilesbrown.com.au

Miles Brown (born 4 January 1978) is an Australian theremin player, composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, music curator and sound artist. Best known for his work with Australian instrumental electronic act The Night Terrors, Brown has also performed with Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Goblin, Black Mountain, Mick Harvey, Alexander Hacke, Danielle de Picciotto, Bardo Pond, Heirs and The Narcoleptor.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Biography

[edit]

Brown was born in Hobart, Tasmania, and developed his practice in the experimental art rock scene of Melbourne.[9] He is a student of Russian theremin virtuosa Lydia Kavina,[9] the first cousin twice removed of Léon Theremin (the inventor of the instrument).

With his band The Night Terrors, Brown has explored the theremin as a lead instrument in an electronic progressive rock scenario.[10] The Night Terrors have released four albums and have toured with Hawkwind,[11] Goblin,[12] Melt-Banana,[13] Serena-Maneesh and Black Mountain.[14][15] The Night Terrors are often described as horror film soundtrack music.[16][1][17][18][19]

Brown has also worked with Australian experimental industrial band Heirs,[1] touring Europe and Australia supporting Alcest,[20] Primordial[20] and Årabrot,[21] and contributing to the records Fowl (2010) and Hunter (2011).[22][23]

In May 2014 Brown was commissioned by the City of Melbourne to compose an album of music for the Melbourne Town Hall's Grand pipe organ,[24] the largest grand romantic organ in the Southern Hemisphere.[25] Pavor Nocturnus: Composition for Grand Organ, Theremin, Electronics and Percussion was performed by The Night Terrors, recorded on Friday the 13th of July and launched on Halloween 31 October 2014.[26] The album was released by the label Twisted Nerve Australia, a joint imprint between Dual Planet and UK producer / music archivist Andy Votel.[26] A special edition was released by UK cult movie soundtrack label Death Waltz Recording Company[27] / Mondo[28]

Miles Brown’s debut solo album Séance Fiction was released in 2015 on Death Waltz and It Records.[29] His solo material explores the theremin and analogue synthesiser in the realms of dark wave, gothic disco and cosmic electronics.[30]

In 2019 Brown debuted The Narcoleptor - his new experimental collaboration with classical harpist and vocalist Mary Doumany. The Narcoleptor's debut EP was released that year on Nosferatunes Records.[31]

Brown's sophomore solo album The Gateway was released by Death Waltz in 2020 to celebrate with the 100th anniversary of the theremin.[32] The Gateway features a contemporary expansion of the classic theremin sound in the style of 'gothic sci-fi techno'.[33] Brown plays the Moog Etherwave Pro theremin employing both its familiar heterodyne voicing and controlling analogue synthesisers via CV.

In 2021 The Narcoleptor released their debut LP Transmogrification on Nosferatunes. The album explores the microtonal capacities of theremin, analogue electronics, post-Celtic lever harp and voice.[34]

In 2023 The Night Terrors reunited to release their fourth album Hypnotica: Composition for Theremin and Electronic Music Synthesizer on Disdain Records. A departure from their previous work, this album focuses on the unique emotional capabilities of theremin in an ethereal electronic darkwave context.[35][36]

Miles played theremin on the soundtrack to Australian supernatural horror film Late Night With The Devil (2023), written and directed by Colin and Cameron Cairnes, starring David Dastmalchian.[37]

Discography

[edit]

Solo

[edit]
  • 2020: The Gateway – Death Waltz Originals
  • 2019: Shudder Speed (single) – Nosferatunes
  • 2015: Séance Fiction – Death Waltz Originals / Mondo / It Records
  • 2014: Electrics (single) – It Records

The Night Terrors

[edit]
  • 2023: Hypnotica: Composition for Theremin and Electronic Music Synthesizer - Disdain Records
  • 2014: Pavor Nocturnus: Composition for Grand Organ, Theremin, Electronics and Percussion – Twisted Nerve Australia
  • 2014: Spiral Vortex – Homeless
  • 2012: Monster / Lasers For Eyes (12" EP) – OSCL / Seed Records
  • 2009: Back To Zero – Exo / Trendkill / Homeless
  • 2003: Lightless – Unstable Ape Records
  • 2002: The Night Terrors – Unstable Ape Records

The Narcoleptor

[edit]
  • 2021: Transmogrification LP – Nosferatunes
  • 2019: The Narcoleptor 12" EP – Nosferatunes

Studio Collaborations

[edit]
  • 2022: Grace Cummings – 'Fly A Kite' – Storm Queen - ATO Records
  • 2019: Black Lung – 'NXIVM II' – NXIVM – Ant-Zen
  • 2019: Jess Ribeiro w/ Mick Harvey – Wildflowers – Remote Control
  • 2019: Cat Hope / Monash Art Ensemble 'The Dark Hip Falls' – Here Now Hear – FMR Records
  • 2013: Sankt Otten – 'Mach bitte, dass es leiser wird' – Messias Maschine – Denovali
  • 2011: Antoni Maiovvi – 'Murderfunk Night Terrors Remix' –Trial By Bullet – Seed Records
  • 2011: Heirs – Hunter – Denovali / OSCL
  • 2010: Heirs – Fowl – Denovali
  • 2009: Little Birdy – Confetti – Universal Music

Film Score

[edit]
  • 2019: Volatilis (with The Narcoleptor) directed by Jenna Eriksen
  • 2016: Dark Whispers – Volume 1 (anthology), segment: Watch Me, directed by Briony Kidd
  • 2015: Our Extra Sensory Selves directed by Allison Gibbs – Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow, UK
  • 2015: Insomnolence, directed by Kiefer Findlow

Live Score

[edit]

Videos

[edit]
  • "Levitation" from The Night Terrors - Hypnotica: Composition for Theremin and Electronic Music Synthesizer (2023), directed by bl00dsp0rts
  • "Speaking In Tongues" from The Gateway (2020), directed by bl00dsp0rts
  • "Shudder Speed" single (2019), directed by Geoffrey O'Connor
  • "I (excerpt)" from The Narcoleptor EP (2019), directed by Jenna Eriksen
  • "Feeder" from Séance Fiction (2015), directed by Agostino Soldati
  • "Apparition" from Séance Fiction (2015), directed by Agostino Soldati
  • "Megafauna" from The Night Terrors – Pavor Nocturnus: Composition for Grand Organ, Theremin, Electronics and Percussion (2014), directed by Agostino Soldati
  • "Hunter" from Heirs – Hunter (2012), directed by Brent Stegeman and Damian Coward

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Music News, Views And All The Latest From Junkee". Junkee. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Sydney Tapes: VIVID Festival: Noise Night". 1 June 2010. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  3. ^ "Alcest". 31 October 2011. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  4. ^ "Black Mountain + The Night Terrors - Annandale Hotel (20.02.11)". 21 February 2011. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Goblin Metro Sydney 16 July 2013 - Synth Universe". Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  6. ^ "/". The Music. Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  7. ^ "Heraldsun.com.au | Subscribe to the Herald Sun for exclusive stories". www.heraldsun.com.au. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  8. ^ D’Souza, Shaad (18 December 2021). "The new funding model bringing life back to music". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Miles Brown | Theremin Today - Терменвокс". Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Miles Brown: 'How about this great Australian theremin player?' Goblin, the Night Terrors and Séance Fiction: Interview by Tony Mitchell". Cyclic Defrost. 7 December 2015. Archived from the original on 13 April 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  11. ^ "Hawkwind (UK) Australian Tour 2011 - Hawkwind at Manning Bar, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW on 11 Mar 11". Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  12. ^ "Goblin Return For 2013 Australian Tour Playing Horror Classics Live". 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  13. ^ Boel, Jurgen (10 October 2010). "Night Terror + Melt Banana, 09 oktober 2010, De Kreun | enola.be". Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  14. ^ Sounds, Doubtful (1 March 2011). "LIVE REVIEW: Black Mountain @ Annandale Hotel, Sydney (19/02/11)". Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  15. ^ "Black Mountain, Circolo degli Artisti, Roma - Live Report". OndaRock. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  16. ^ "Night Music : The Seductive Sounds of Miles Brown". 23 April 2016. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  17. ^ "The Night Terrors – Pavor Nocturnus (Dual Planet)". 25 October 2014. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  18. ^ "The Night Terrors – Pavor Nocturnus LP (Twisted Nerve Australia)". Cyclic Defrost. 10 October 2014. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  19. ^ "Beat Magazine". Beat Magazine. Archived from the original on 25 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  20. ^ a b "JOSÉ'S BANDS OF THE WEEK: THE NIGHT TERRORS / HEIRS". 3 November 2010. Archived from the original on 25 September 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  21. ^ "Arabrot :: Dynamo, 26.10.2010". usgang.ch. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  22. ^ "HEIRS INTERVIEW". 10 August 2010. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  23. ^ "post-rock.ro". www.post-rock.ro. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  24. ^ "The Night Terrors Pavor Nocturnus Free Organ Performance". www.weekendnotes.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  25. ^ "Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ, Attraction, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia". Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  26. ^ a b "The Night Terrors Play a Really Big Organ in a Really Big Room". 24 September 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  27. ^ "The Night Terrors – Pavor Nocturnus – Mondo". Archived from the original on 12 August 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  28. ^ "Death Waltz Recording Company". Discogs. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  29. ^ "Summon the Power of 'Séance Fiction' with Miles Brown's Debut Solo Album". www.vice.com. 7 December 2015. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  30. ^ "Rolling Stone Australia — Five for Friday: The 131's, Elizabeth Rose, Velcro, Hoodlum Shouts, Miles Brown". Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  31. ^ "Watch the spooky debut of The Narcoleptor". Cyclic Defrost. 23 September 2019. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  32. ^ "It's A Good Time To Be Waving Your Hands Around In The Air - A Chat with Miles Brown". 30 October 2019. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  33. ^ "Miles Brown - The Gateway". Echoes And Dust. 13 August 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  34. ^ "The Narcoleptor : "Dancing in a constantly warping haunted house."". Cyclic Defrost. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  35. ^ Murphy, Fiona (11 November 2023). "The Night Terrors' Hypnotica". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  36. ^ Teeple, Alice (10 October 2023). "The Night Terrors Raise The Theremin to New Emotional Heights in Their Video for "Levitation"". Post-Punk.com. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  37. ^ Cairnes, Cameron; Cairnes, Colin (22 March 2024), Late Night with the Devil (Horror), David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, IFC Films, Shudder, Image Nation, retrieved 10 May 2024
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Miles_Brown_(musician)&oldid=1230200288"