Tag Archives: scanner

Scanner – Forces, Reactions, Deflections (quiet details)

Posted by John Lithium on

Label Description:

Music by Robin Rimbaud
Mastered by Alex at quiet details studios
Artwork by quiet details in collaboration with Robin Rimbaud
Design by quiet details
© quiet details 2025 all rights reserved

Elated to welcome one of the most enduringly creative and boundary-pushing artists of the last few decades to quiet details, Robin Rimbaud, otherwise known as Scanner.

A towering figure in the worlds of music, sonic and visual art, dance, installation and a myriad of other disciplines – Robin has covered a huge amount of artistic ground since his earliest forays into our consciousness in 1991.

From countless albums and projects as a solo artist and in many collaborations, including the likes of Brian Ferry, Michale Nyman, Steve McQueen, Stella McCartney, Laurie Anderson and Hussein Chalayan, and Pauline Oliveros; to the first Sound Art commission at the Tate Modern London; scoring a dance piece for the UK Olympics; the list of his critically-acclaimed achievements goes on and on.

At the core of his work is always a deep curiosity, the ability to make cognitive leaps into the creative unknown and fashion something beautiful – it’s with this sense of wonder he’s made something truly incredible for quiet details.

The album is a stunning sonic exploration of the world around him, another fundamental element running through his work – realising the majesty contained within structures that has always been there, now brought to life.

As Robin says:

This album is forged entirely from the resonant clangs, echoes, and whispers of a stainless steel staircase at home, transforming everyday architecture into an unexpected orchestra.

By coaxing rhythm, tone, and atmosphere from the metallic body of a staircase, the work reimagines movement between floors as a passage through sound.

No synthesisers were used in the creation, only the natural sound of the staircase using a geophone seismic microphone and the gentle assistance of the occasional resonant filter and sample software.

This has led to an album of enveloping beauty – highly textured drones meet distant pulses; metallic fragments merge with hauntingly evocative melody. Physical architecture translated to harmonic structures in the most breathtaking way imaginable.

There’s so much to admire here – from the beauty of the original recordings to the highest level of craft to turn them into something so musically engaging – a true masterpiece from one of our finest artistic minds.

Huge thanks to Robin for being part of the series.

The artwork was made as always influenced by the music and idea behind the album – originating from a photo from Robin which was then captured with analogue photography and processed here at quiet details studios.

As usual, the album is presented on the physical edition, a custom six-panel digipack with a separate fine art print too.

The CD also has a special long-form continuous mix of the album, created by the artist and representing the music in its purest form.

scanner.bandcamp.com

Scanner & Nurse With Wound – Contrary Motion

Posted by John Lithium on

Label Description:

A collaboration between Steven Stapleton (Nurse with Wound) and Robin Rimbaud (Scanner), exploring the darkest regions of the airwaves and live electronics.

It’s an ominous trip into radio waves, processed voices, electronics, squeaky guitars and a mysterious labyrinth of echoing sonic disturbances.

Available in the Scanner CD edition, as well as the Nurse with Wound CD edition, containing identical audio, but alternative artwork. The vinyl edition will be a double LP, with 3 sides of music and one side with a special Babs Santini etching.

You can buy the Scanner oriented CD artwork here, and the NWW oriented CD artwork from NWW.

We will each have a limited bundle of the two CDs for those who want to have both editions.

www.nursewithwound.co.uk

credits

releases March 3, 2025

All titles written, performed and produced by Robin Rimbaud & Steven Stapleton
Premixing by Andrew Liles
Thanks to Steve Pittis
Cover Art by Santini
Photography & Graphics by Sarah Stapleton

Scanner – The Magician’s Hat Vol.4 Studio 2024 (Self-Released)

Posted by John Lithium on

a3504482684_10

Label Description:

Volume 4 of my series, The Magician’s Hat, this time, offers an insight into my studio work from 2024.

Like many other creative people, there’s a significant amount of work that is never experienced, so thought I’d take this opportunity to share a few pieces sitting on the studio hard drive in 2024.

None of them are finished works as such, mere ideas with a sonic playground for experimentation. They range from works exploring different techniques, synthesisers(sic), guitar pedals and software.

Perhaps some of them might be reworked into something else, but for the moment enjoy this little voyeuristic view through the window of the studio.

Scanner – Columns (The Vinyl Factory)

Posted by John Lithium on

a1418648292_10

Label Descriptions:

This digital release accompanies the very limited, hand-made vinyl production released on Vinyl Factory 2024. Available exclusively here:

thevinylfactory.com/product/columns-falling-columns/

* Two electronic soundtracks composed by Robin Rimbaud aka Scanner
* Music produced to accompany Ben Kelly installations commissioned by 180 Studios for the exhibition Future Shock (2022)
* Pressed on 180-gram white vinyl
* Gatefold sleeve printed International Orange (RAL2004) on Mirror board
* Hand signed and numbered by Ben Kelly and Robin Rimbaud aka Scanner
* Limited edition of 300 copies

Ben Kelly is one of the UK’s most influential designers. Kelly is best known for his interior design of the legendary nightclub, The Haçienda in Manchester. His practice has produced influential work for 180 Studios, Virgil Abloh, The Sex Pistols, The V&A, Vivienne Westwood, Malcolm McLaren and Factory Records.

The Vinyl Factory first collaborated with Kelly to commission and stage his installation RUIN, produced in collaboration with Virgil Abloh, at 180 Studios in 2017. 180 Studios subsequently staged Kelly’s Columns installation as part of the exhibition Future Shock (2022), the soundtrack to which, composed by electronic musician Robin Rimbaud aka Scanner, is released here.

An organic shaped die cut peephole is cut into the front of the sleeve as a homage to Marcel Duchamp’s final work Étant donnés (1946-1966) – a gateway to another world. The peephole reveals one of Ben’s orange columns and plinth with a gloss varnish on a black background. On removing the inner sleeve the statement: “CONCERNING THE BUILDING OF THESE COLUMNS WE HAVE NO CERTAIN NEWS” is revealed, printed on a Pigeon Blue background.

The rear of the inner sleeve contains a printed transcription of a conversation surreptitiously recorded via dictation, complete with mistakes and mishearing’s, between Kelly and Scanner. The transcription has produced a mashup version of the true conversation which has been printed in full. Across the two sides of the inner sides of the gatefold, a vertical full colour printed collage of columns, taken from the FALLING COLUMNS digital installation.

The rear of the sleeve contains a printed essay by Brian Dillon, beginning with a quote from Francesco Colonna, Hypnerotomachia (1499). This essay was originally commissioned by Ben to accompany his COLUMNS installation in 2022. A Chocolate Grinder is printed on the silver mirror board on the rear of the gatefold above the VF logo.

Scanner’s work traverses the experimental terrain between sound, space, and image. His diverse body of work includes soundtracks for films, performances, radio, dance, theatre and site-specific intermedia installations. Committed to working with cutting edge practitioners he has collaborated with Carsten Nicolai, Wayne MacGregor, Laurie Anderson, Hussein Chalayan, and Mike Kelley.

released October 28, 2024

Music composed and performed by Robin Rimbaud / Scanner Commissioned by Ben Kelly / The Photo Kid and VF on the occasion of: COLUMNS for the exhibition ‘FUTURE SHOCK and FALLING COLUMNS digitally exhibited in the Atrium, both at 180 The Strand.

Released by The Vinyl Factory, 2024. VF392
Sleeve Design by Ben Kelly
Layout Artwork by BPD
Essay by Brian Dillon

Photos of vinyl by Feiyang Xue

Scanner & Neil Leonard – The Berklee Sessions (Alltagsmusick)

Posted by John Lithium on

a0340221972_10

Label Description:

This session took place over one day, but remarkably took a decade to mix and release. There was no rehearsal, we simply set off into the unknown with each piece, and the players found their feet within the music almost immediately.

Guided by Neil Leonard, who has worked with Magdalena Campos, Fujiko Nakaya, Phill Niblock, and Tony Oursler, the session was truly magical.

It’s psych rock embodied with an electronic spirit, spiralling(sic) off into thunderous rhythms, blistering solos, ethereal melodies and sampled voices, with exuberant playing and focused improvisation.

Working with David Tronzo on electric (slide) guitar (David Sanborn, John Cale, The Lounge Lizards, Sex Mob, Wayne Horvitz), Mike Rivard on bass (Cab Calloway, Frank Zappa, Morphine, Jon Brion), and Dean Johnston on Drums (Superhoney, Club d’Elf), they propelled the music into entirely fresh and dynamic territory.

The session was part of a residency in the Berklee Interdisciplinary Arts Institute at Berklee College of Music, Boston. Huge gratitude to Neil Leonard who steered the production in the right direction.

This exclusive version on Bandcamp features a reworking of Time Code by legendary American musician Richard Devine in collaboration with Neil Leonard live in Boston in 2014

“It hits the kind of openended(sic) all-consuming groove to be found in The Necks, Tortoise or Miles Davis in modal mode: pulsating, circling jazz patterns, bass bubbling through ring modulation and envelope filters, sax and slide guitar, with Rimbaud’s shortwave radio and electronics dusting through the gaps”
The Wire Magazine

“The album provides a powerful document of the idea that music is a living, breathing force of nature and as an ever-evolving possibility. The interplay with between the electronics, punctuating drums, bass, and horns delights in newfound measure. From the night-time atmosphere of grainy cinema or the nostalgic whisper of words to the more colourful(sic) excess of psychedelia, to the edge or life-affirming all points are referenced, touched upon, and then exercised.”
Magazine Sixty

credits

released July 5, 2024

Robin Rimbaud – Electronics, shortwave radio, keyboards
Neil Leonard – Soprano and alto saxophones, bass clarinet, and live electronics
David Tronzo – Electric (slide) guitar
Mike Rivard – Bass
Dean Johnston – Drums
Fred Oliveira – Tracking engineer
Artur Sandulyak – Mix engineer

Recorded live on 9 March 2014
Mixed and produced by Robin Rimbaud

Composed by Robin Rimbaud, but the recordings were extensively improvised by the musicians

license

all rights reserved

Scanner – Alchemeia (Alltagsmusik)

Posted by John Lithium on

a3298951213_10

Just received this in the mail today, also came with several label stickers which is always fun.

Description:

This album was written as a tribute to the early 1960s library music culture, applying crude techniques of electronic composition, using a mix of hardware and software. It explores a kind of musique concrète, electroacoustic character, in an otherworldly cinematic fashion.

It is the debut release on Alltagsmusik, a new label to release Scanner albums.

Available as limited digipak CD and digital

credits

released January 19, 2024

Written, performed and produced by Robin Rimbaud
Recorded at The Factory 2023