Originally hailing from Blackpool, Chevron jumped ship to Iceland where his studio once resided in the heart of Reykjavik. It was when he moved there in 2015 that he started to immerse himself into the local music scene and in turn became a huge influence on his productions. Releasing his first album ‘Everything’s Exactly The Same’ in 2005 on Planet Mu, Chevron has gone on to release a further five LPs including the self-released project ‘Obstacles’ and ‘Good Morning Britain’ on Love Love as well as a limited 12″ vinyl release on Balkan Vinyl which featured tracks from Ben Pest, Posthuman and Altern 8’s Mark Archer. The most recent album ‘Memory Disks Volume 2’ lands on The Netherland’s Shipwrec imprint His quirky, hardware-focused records span across acid, dubstep, rave and IDM with the latest contribution focusing heavily on 303 sounds with a tinge of pop-influenced vocals and synths.
For the next edition of our Influence series, Chevron talks through the tracks that inspired ‘Memory Disks Volume 2’.
Fu Kaisha – Porth
Ice Breaker
This was the first track I made when I moved to Iceland, back in 2015. It was track to test out the studio. I was getting into the Icelandic electronic music scene at the time, listening to tracks like this one, from Fu Kaisha on Möller Records.
Cocteau Twins – Ribbed and Veined
Do You Wanna Do Me? (Like Someone You Love)
I have a fondness for the high-pitched bass guitar of northern post-punk bands like Joy Division/New Order and the Cocteau Twins. I wanted to learn the bass so I bought a Yamaha BB414 (a copy of the one Peter Hook uses) and a Clone Theory chorus pedal. This is the first track I made with them. ‘Ribbed And Veined’ is one of my favourite tracks with that high, choral bass sound.
Paul McCartney & Wings – Jet
The Reset
When I test a new synthesizer, I often play this melody. I can’t really play any instruments in a classical way. I thought it would be nice to record it and put it on the record. This is a Sequential Prophet 12 with a Roland SH-101 over the top. The SH-101 lead reminds me of the lead synth in a track my dad used to play.
µ-ziq – Meinheld
Malibu
I made this around the time of joining Planet Mu records. An exciting time in my life, the breakcore sound was prevalent and I would often see Mike Paradinas and Venetian Snares play live. Listening now it reminds me a bit of this track by U-Ziq.
Hiroki Kikuta – A Wish
Á
I visited Iceland quite regularly whilst still living in London. This track was made during February, in London, whilst I was reminiscing about Icelandic nature during winter. It quite reminds me of some snowy music from my favourite computer game Secret of Mana.
DJ Shadow – Changeling (Transmission 1)
Branches
I was playing around with a Fender Rhodes-type sound on the Prophet 12 and the arpeggiator on the Elektron Octatrack. It was good to make a soulful piece that sounded like it was played by a person. It almost sounds like it was sampled from an old record from the 60s or 70s. That sound, along with the break, reminds me of mid to late 90s instrumental hip hop, such as DJ Shadow.
Ceephax Acid Crew – Topaz
Formaggio e Spionaggio
This was one of the first tracks I made after a few months of living with Andy Jenkinson aka Ceephax. I think his melodies may have rubbed off on me whilst making this track. This one by Ceephax, was a favourite of mine back then.
Breakage – The 9th Hand
Sigh
When I wrote this track, I was discovering new beat-slicing VSTs like InstaJungle. I didn’t like the way those VSTs arranged breaks so much, as I preferred to do my editing by hand. However, here is a track I wrote with one such VST. It reminds me of the Planet Mu jungle that came out in 2006 and some added influences of Gary Numan.
The Shamen – Phorward
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a dream state acid track and I have always been into trippy acid music. This track by The Shamen was an originator of that sound for me
The Chemical Brothers – Where Do I Begin
I Want to Go Out
I wanted to make a loose-flowing, breezy, happy track, that sounded like a bit like a carnival. I remember the Chemical Brothers would end their albums with an epic track that sounded like a celebration, such as this…
‘Memory Disks Volume Two’ by Chevron is out now on Shipwrec – buy vinyl here and digital here.