This Saturday, July 20, at Latitude Festival, Walls – the duo of Alessio Natalizia and Sam Willis – will be fielding the results of their delving in the archive of BBC Radiophonic Workshop founder and composer Daphne Oram at Goldsmith’s College in London.
Invited by Radio 3’s Late Junction programme, they were tasked with creating a set of original material based around Oram’s tapes and will be collaborating with drummer John Barrett for the occasion. In addition, the performance will be broadcast on Radio 3’s Late Junction programme next week, Wednesday 24th July, at 11pm.
Ahead of the event, we asked them to tell us a bit more about what we can expect.
Hello Walls! How did the project come about?
Walls: We were approached by the Late Junction people as to whether we’d like to collaborate with the Oram archive, as there were hundreds of hours of Daphne’s private recordings of her synthesiser experiments – it was an easy thing to say yes to!
What is it about Daphne Oram’s work that appeals?
W: Through her pioneering machinery and techniques, she created some totally unique sounds – otherworldly drones and pulses, as well as incredibly lifelike approximations of string and brass instruments.
Did you find any particular gems in the archive? What were the best things you came across?
W: There was nothing that disappointed, but some of the drones would probably be our favourite – so emotive and suggestive.
How did you approach building a set out of the material?
W: As part of our involvement in the project, we created a number of tracks from her sounds, so we’ve basically expanded on what we’ve already done, as well as adding Alessio’s good friend and banjo or freakout bandmate john barrett on drums.
What can we expect from the set – does it sound like Walls, or has the archive material pushed you into new sonic territory?
W: It’s definitely different to a Walls live show, due to the aforementioned live drums, plus the addition of Daphne’s sounds, which are very distinctive. We anticipate it being quite a tripped out experience though, for sure!
