Tycho – project of celebrated San Francisco songwriter, musician and producer Scott Hansen – announces Boundary Rider, his new collaboration with Paul Banks of Interpol.
WithInterpol cited by Hansen as a key touchstone on his own productions Boundary Rider sees Tychoin a decidedly post-rock mode, with Banks’ yearning vocals delivered over crisp percussion, swirling guitar riffs and fleeting synths. Watch below:
“Interpol has long been one of my biggest influences so I jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with Paul on a song,” explains Hansen. “Boundary Rider started life as an atmospheric instrumental song titled “Forge” that I had been working on here and there for a couple of years. When I met Paul and started thinking about what songs might connect with his voice, Forge immediately came to mind.”
“I sent him a demo along with the prompt “Boundary Rider”. I had been reading about the lives of Boundary Riders during the 1930’s, people who patrolled and maintained fences in the vast expanse of the Western Australian outback. There was something about this solitary existence that I felt resonated with the song and the deep sense of isolation in Paul’s lyrics brought this into focus.”
Published post no.2,696 – Thursday 23 October 2025
TAKKUUK is a new immersive installation from BICEP, visual artist Zak Norman and filmmaker Charlie Miller that explores the lives, communities and challenges facing artists Indigenous to the Arctic Region. TAKKUUK will feature on the giant floor to ceiling wrap around screens at Outernet London, one of the UKs most visited cultural attractions.
Created in partnership with the charity In Place of War, as part of their EarthSonic programme, the installation sees the renowned Northern Irish electronic duo — otherwise known as Andy Ferguson and Matthew McBriar — collaborating with a number of Indigenous vocalists, including Katarina Barruk, Andachan, Sebastian Enequist (from Sound of the Damned), Tarrak, Nuija, Niilas and Silla. The music was recorded in 2024 by Detroit-based producer and musician Matthew Dear in Árni Árnason from The Vaccines studio, during Iceland Airwaves festival in Reykjavík.
The resulting demos, combined with additional field recordings taken by Ferguson from the Russell Glacier in Greenland, form the backbone of this unique soundtrack set to accompany the remarkable TAKKUUK visual installation which premiers on July 3rd at Outernet London, before touring venues and festivals across the globe over the coming year.
The initial spark for the project came when BICEP travelled to Greenland in 2023, in which they began learning about the various issues facing local artists and their communities. It then came to life over the following two years, growing to eventually incorporate a striking visual element shot by Zak Norman (who has previously worked on visuals for BICEP, Squarepusher and Africa Express) and Bristol-based filmmaker Charlie Miller (whose documentary work with In Place of War has taken him to some of the world’s most marginalised and remote communities.)
Across its immersive presentation, TAKKUUK sees Norman and Miller introduce each of the Indigenous musicians and their communities. In scenes from Greenland, Sweden, Norway and Canada, attendees will witness the impact of their changing worlds, giving us an insight into their everyday lives and exploring not just the direct environmental consequences of a changing climate, but also the displacement of people and the marginalisation of their communities — resulting in the erosion of ancient cultures, languages, traditions and more.
Through highlighting these individual stories, the project hopes to raise awareness of the existential issues facing Indigenous people across the Arctic region. TAKKUUK reflects In Place of War and EarthSonic’s mission to use music to tell the stories associated with climate change, amplifying the voices of Indigenous artists on its frontlines. Through their music, words, and lived realities, this project shines a light on the deep connection these Indigenous communities have with their environment, while revealing the challenges they face as their lands, languages, and traditions come under threat.
“Takkuuk (pronounced tuck-kook) is the Inuktitut word which translates to literally ‘look’ but has the connotation that you’re urging someone to look at something closely. The Arctic climate is changing rapidly, so in context of the larger project, it’s a ‘hey look at this, the adverse effects of climate change are obvious,’ but also, ‘hey look at how cool Inuit culture is’.” – Charlotte Qamaniq (AKA Silla)
“This is a global story, and we all have a role to play. Join the movement by pledging to one or more of our six climate actions, and become an EarthSonic Champion. Together, we can make meaningful steps towards a more climate-conscious future.” – Ruth Daniel, CEO In Place of War/EarthSonic. Read more at earthsonic.org/6-acts
“Creativity and music are both powerful forces that can shine a light on global issues that need to be addressed. As a trustee of In Place of War the Earthsonic project with Bicep and artists Indigenous to the Arctic Region was something we really wanted to support. The work that has been created will be showcased across the Outernet screens and I know it is going to have a real impact and look and sound beautiful.” Philip O’Ferrall CEO Outernet
LONDON – OUTERNET – 03/07/2025 GHENT, BELGIUM – Wintercircus – 01-07/09/2025 MILAN, ITALY – Act in Synch Summit at Linecheck – 17-22/11/2025 TBC OULU, FINLAND – Deep Space at Museum & Science Center – 02/2026 NUUK, GREENLAND – NUUK Snow Festival – February 2026 UMMANNAQ, GREENLAND – Iceberg Projection – February 2026 SISIMIUT, GREENLAND – Arctic Sounds – 04/05/2026 BELFAST, NI – Ulster Museum – May – July 2026 TBC LINZ, AUSTRIA – Ars Electronica – Dates TBC LONDON, U.K. – Frameless – Dates TBC BERLIN, GERMANY – Quantum Gallery – TBC BARCELONA, SPAIN – Mira Festival – TBC DUBAI, UAE – IMS – TBC SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – CCBB Gallery – TBC BELFAST, N.I – AVA Festival – TBC GIJÓN, SPAIN – LEV Festival – TBC
Ben Böhmer’s first album in three years came after an intense period of touring, playing more than 200 shows in 2022. The title, Bloom, reflects the time he spent reconnecting with making music, as he put it in a social media post, “a journey through change, self-discovery, and finding the right moment to ‘bloom’.”
His experiences are reflected in the lyrics, with the lead single Best Life finding a reflection from guest vocalist JONAH that ‘life is short and fast’. The guest roster also includes Lykke Li, Oh Wonder, Enfant Sauvage (of French duo The Blaze), Malou, Erin LeCount and Max Milner.
What’s the music like?
Slick, melodic and very listenable. Böhmer brings studio polish and class to his productions, which have elements of pop, trance and house but crucially make an emotional connection to the listener.
He is a flexible writer, too, capable of writing a floor filling anthem and following it with a down tempo treasure, as he does here. Martin is a great way to start, a piano-led beauty taking its inspiration from the piano of Martin Kohlstedt, whose intimate but bright loop powers the track.
The vocalists acquit themselves well – Lykke Li on the smoky Hiding, Malou on Beautiful, with its rolling bass, and on the slower side of things Erin LeCount’s Faithless is excellent, as is the closing instrumental Blossoms. Rust is coolly delivered, while arguably the biggest rush comes from Evermore, a brilliant song taken to the next level by Enfant Sauvage. Böhmer creates a heat-soaked atmosphere, encapsulated by Oh Wonder’s dreamy contribution The Sun.
Does it all work?
Yes. Böhmer writes fluently and the album is well structured, responding well to repeated listening.
Is it recommended?
It is. Bloom is a real pick-me-up, a force for good in the face of tough times.
Listen & Buy
Published post no.2,329 – Saturday 12 October 2024
This is the fifth Floating Points album, and the first since Sam Shepherd’s alias teamed up with Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra for the memorable Promises, one of the very best albums released around lockdown.
That period provided the indirect inspiration for Cascade, for Shepherd had grown frustrated at the lack of opportunities to promote his preceding solo album, Crush, to heaving dancefloors where its potential clearly lay. Seizing the opportunity to write for the club crowds, he delivered an album of speed and complexity.
What’s the music like?
There is some dazzling music on Cascade. A lot happens in the hour in which it unfolds, and while some of the tracks are quite complicated in their arrangements, Shepherd’s trump card lies in his ability to make intricate music that rewards close inspection while making some eminently danceable grooves.
That applies very much to Birth4000, which traverses a number of styles while ensuring there are plenty of hooks for the listener to latch on to. Afflecks Place – named after the Manchester market – bubbles up from the ground, in the power of an elemental force, while Key103 has primal urges taking us right into the middle of the dancefloor.
The larger structures work really well, the album only nine tracks but featuring a couple of bigger constructions such as Ocotillo and Vocoder that develop instinctively and dramatically.
Does it all work?
It does. On occasion Shepherd’s music almost has too much going on, but he seems to pull it back it just the right moment, and adding the closing track Ablaze as a comedown works a treat.
Is it recommended?
Yes, enthusiastically. A dizzying high that delivers on several levels.
For fans of… Squarepusher, Throwing Snow, Mount Kimbie, Jamie xx
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Published post no.2,302 – Monday 16 September 2024
San Franciscan producer Scott Hansen returns to his Tycho alias for a first long player since 2020’s Simulcast.
The aim this time around was, in his words, “about creating a space for healing and reflection, a mantra for spiritual, emotional, and physical healing. At the end of the day, all we really have is our health – both physical and mental – and we wish infinite health to our family and friends. So in those ways, infinite health is a salutation and an imperative.”
The synths and samplers still form the basis for the Tycho sound, but Hansen has looked to use acoustic topping in creating an individual sound, helped by regular collaborators Zac Brown (guitar), Rory O’Connor (drums) and producer Chris Taylor.
What’s the music like?
Tycho have always made beautiful sounds that somehow capture the wide expanse and warmth of their Californian home – and Infinite Health is no different.
This is an upbeat album, full of energizing, positive grooves and laden with hooks. Hansen’s breezy textures, helped by Grizzly Bear’s Taylor, are a treat, especially on their own favourite, the single Phantom:
The punchy groove they achieve here is used to good effect elsewhere, with breaks successfully employed alongside springy, four to the floor rhythm tracks. Restraint is a dreamy reverie, as is the lovely Green, dressed with earthy drums, while Devices and DX Odyssey are more of the electro-disco school.
For this author the best track is Totem, a really catchy acoustic-led number that is fertile in its invention and packs a good groove.
Does it all work?
It does, comfortably – with Infinite Health having all the positive energy and breezy textures of previous releases, while facing firmly forward in its musical outlook.
Is it recommended?
It is – Tycho bring a burst of late summer sunshine to the party, dressed in production you want to dive into. First class chillout music.
For fans of… Ulrich Schnauss, Explosions In The Sky, Rival Consoles, Minotaur Shock
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