Ben Chatwin

Ben Chatwin is a Scottish musician who combines electronic and acoustic instruments (including guitars, bells, strings, and organs) into his dark, haunting ambient compositions. His dreamlike pieces shun traditional rhythms or song structures; nevertheless, they are highly melodic and evocative, recalling suspenseful soundtracks as well as cinematic post-rock. Following a string of limited releases as Talvihorros beginning in 2008, Chatwin started using his own name with the release of 2015's The Sleeper Awakes, an album on which he utilized a century-old dulcitone. His scope vastly expanded with 2018's fully orchestrated Staccato Signals, and the dense, caustic soundscapes of 2020's The Hum explored the hidden frequencies of the recording studio. As Talvihorros, Chatwin began issuing limited cassettes and CD-Rs of his music on labels such as Kaivo Records and Benbecula during the end of the 2000s. Following 2011's Descent Into Delta on Hibernate, German label Denovali Records signed Talvihorros, releasing And It Was So in 2012, in addition to reissuing several of his earlier works. Following 2013's Eaten Alive, Chatwin began releasing albums under his own name. The Sleeper Awakes appeared on Village Green in 2015, followed by 2016's Heat & Entropy on Ba Da Bing. He returned to Village Green with 2018's Staccato Signals, which incorporated string arrangements for a more dramatic, fleshed-out sound than his earlier affairs. This was followed shortly by companion album Drone Signals. Altered Signals, a remix album featuring contributions from artists like Steve Hauschildt and Pye Corner Audio, followed in 2019. In 2020, Chatwin released The Hum, an album which aimed to capture hidden frequencies inaudible to most, such as the hum of the power grid in a recording studio. ~ Paul Simpson