Hero Worship: Matthew Herbert

I first heard Matthew Herbert on 6 Music when I was about 16; the track Leipzig stuck out to me. I had that feeling of familiarity you get when you hear something new that ticks all of the right boxes, something that you can’t believe you lived so long without. A little bit of googling and downloading later and I had one of those great experiences where a whole new world of sound opens up right in front of you.

I remember reading the manifesto on his website, ‘No drum machines, no synthesisers.‘

I’ve been doing it wrong all this time, I initially thought.

‘The sampling of other people’s music is strictly forbidden.‘

This is the point at which I was ready to give up. All my preconceptions and discoveries made when first making music had been undermined by the manifesto of an experienced artist working in the field I wanted to move towards.

I dug deeper into the back catalogue, through Wishmountain and Doctor Rockit, through minimal techno and big bands, microhouse and jazz.

One day it all finally clicked. The manifesto and extremely varied discography is not about me at all – it’s one man’s personal journey into a world he cares about deeply. I don’t need to make a big-band album to justify myself; neither do I need to ban synthesisers. What I should focus on is challenging my own clichés and laziness. The creation of electronic music becomes more convenient each day and it’s inspiring to see one man take action. Herbert’s refusal to repeat himself means he never reaches his pinnacle; instead he opts to make consistently innovative and intelligent records that challenge his fan base.

Now head of the BBC's New Radiophonic Workshop, Herbert continues to release politically-fuelled experimental electronic music. His latest album, The End of Silence, is composed of a single five-second sample of a plane dropping a bomb in Syria, and before that was Tesco, a Wishmountain album sampling sounds from top-selling supermarket products. But even when tackling political issues or taking a stand against capitalism, Herbert has a knack for making really galvanising techno.