The Ripple Effect: The Third Orchestra is presented by Turner Sims in association with Orchestras Live. This pioneering project sees three Southampton music creatives join co-composition and writing days in London and Southampton under the guidance of the director of the orchestra, composer and music leader, Peter Wiegold. The Ripple Effect will draw on their heritage, tradition and identity to generate experimental new works to be shared with audiences in Turner Sims’ award-winning performance space.
Following their successful applications, we introduce the three Southampton artists to become part of The Ripple Effect. Meet electronic musician Matt Brombley…
When I saw the openness, and the embracing of difference, I knew immediately that I had to put my name forward.
Matt Brombley has been part of Southampton’s music scene as a performer, producer and educator for over 15 years. As a musician he brings together samples, synthesisers, and his own voice, to create music which spans a wide range of modern and experimental genres. As a music educator and lecturer he works to develop the city’s young musicians and emerging artists, helping make sure that, whatever their background, young people can make music they love.
Matt’s solo music draws on a wide range of influences, including Frank Ocean, PinkPantheress, Ryan Beatty, London Grammar, Piri & Tommy, Drake, Joji, FKA Twigs, Sampha and James Blake. He blends modern Electronic, RnB, and Pop genres, layering vocoded and manipulated melodic vocals on top, as well as using spoken word. His work is informed by his experiences as a queer artist and person, and, for Matt, music has always been a valued place of self-expression and self-development.
You can hear Matt’s work on streaming services and digital platforms here
Matt is the Development and Inclusion Manager at Southampton Music Hub and Associate Lecturer in Popular and Digital Music Production at Solent University. As a drummer, musician, DJ, and producer, Matt’s past projects have seen him perform alongside Jessie J, Fenech-Soler, Ellie Goulding, Chloe Howl and The 1975 during their ascent to pop stardom.
Why did you apply to be a part of The Ripple Effect?
For me, as an electronic musician, I’ve never felt like the orchestra was a place where I could belong. But when I heard about The Ripple Effect – what The Third Orchestra were doing, and how Turner Sims and Orchestras Live were bringing that approach to the city – for the first time, I saw a way in which I might be able to actually belong. When I saw the openness, and the embracing of difference, I knew immediately that I had to put my name forward.
As well as my own musical practice, I work with young digital and electronic musicians at every stage of their development – from the very start, to those at university level – and I also wanted to be part of the project so that I can share what I learn from it with them, and help the next generation of electronic musicians and producers feel like the orchestra can be a space where they belong too.
What are you hoping to get out of the project?
First, I’m most excited to learn from others: both the musicians in the orchestra, and my fellow Southampton artists. The songwriting and composition process never fails to surprise and delight me, and there is always something magical about working with others to create something new: watching them bring and share their own unique perspectives, approaches and talents.
I’m also excited to contribute my own practice to this project, in particular, to see how electronic and synthesised elements can be brought into an orchestral space, both in terms of composition and performance. That’s something I’ve never done before, and I’m really excited to explore the possibilities. So I hope that at the end of this process, I better understand what is possible when an orchestra without boundaries, as the Third Orchestra is, shares a space with electronic sounds and ideas.
What are you most looking forward to?
As a producer, I love the process of composing and creating music. It is exciting and thrilling, even if it is also, at times, terrifying and confusing. For me, the payoff from all of the effort and creativity is that moment when it is all finished, and the discovery of something new: when you can look at what you’ve made and see something which is this wonderful product of inspiration, hard work and fortune. With this project, that is all about the live performance together – I can’t wait for that moment when all the preparation is done, and all that is left is to share it on the stage with others.
The Ripple Effect: Introducing Issa Loyaan Farrah-Kelly
The Ripple Effect: Introducing Anna Durance
Find out more about The Third Orchestra performance at Turner Sims on Thursday 30 March
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