Martyn Ware

Last updated

Martyn Ware
Martynware.jpg
Ware in 2003
Background information
Born (1956-05-19) 19 May 1956 (age 67)
Origin Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • composer
  • arranger
  • record producer
  • music programmer
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • synthesizer
  • keyboards
  • Mellotron
Years active1977–present
Labels

Martyn Ware (born 19 May 1956) is an English musician, composer, arranger, record producer, and music programmer. As a founding member of both the Human League and Heaven 17, [1] Ware co-wrote hit songs such as "Being Boiled" and "Temptation".

Contents

Ware has also worked as a record producer, notably helping to revitalise Tina Turner's career in 1983 with her cover of "Let's Stay Together", launching Sananda Maitreya's career by co-producing his solo debut, Introducing the Hardline According to... in 1987, and producing Erasure's I Say I Say I Say album in 1994. He is also noted for work in surround sound technology and, more recently, for creation of sound installations.

Early years

Ware was born and grew up in Sheffield, England. After leaving King Edward VII School, [2] he worked in the computer industry. [3] With his first wages, he bought a Korg 700 monophonic keyboard and started experimenting with electronic sound. [4]

Music career

The Human League

In the 1970s, Ware and synth player Ian Marsh teamed up to play as The Future and then as the Dead Daughters. In 1977, they formed the Human League with vocalist Philip Oakey and soon added Adrian Wright as "Director of Visuals" to create slide shows for their performances. They recorded a demo and signed with the indie label Fast in 1978. The band was commercially and artistically successful, issuing "Being Boiled" as their first single, but Ware and Marsh left in 1980 over internal tensions, forming the British Electric Foundation. [5]

Heaven 17

The British Electric Foundation was an experimental production project that employed artists including Tina Turner, Sandie Shaw, and Gary Glitter. The band's first album in 1980 was the instrumental cassette-only release Music for Stowaways, followed in 1982 by Music of Quality and Distinction, Vol. 1 which featured vocalist Glenn Gregory. By this time, Ware and Marsh had already teamed with Gregory to form Heaven 17. Their first release was the single "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang," which was banned by the BBC. In 1983 they released the hit song "Temptation" which reached #2 on the music charts. The band went on hiatus in 1988, but reformed in 1990 and released Music of Quality and Distinction, Vol. 2. In 2005 Marsh left the band, but Ware and Gregory continued production. [6]

Other projects

Ware has collaborated with Vince Clarke (as The Clarke & Ware Experiment) on two music projects; the Pretentious album (1999), and Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle (2001). [7] He has also contributed programmes to Internet radio stations.

In the late 2000s Ware created a touring production called "The Future of Sound", featuring audiovisual artists working on the boundaries between music, art and technology, including United Visual Artists and The Sancho Plan. [8] [9]

Ware also completes sound installations as a "sonic muralist". [10] In 2016 he released an 82-minute soundscape called Sounds of Our Shores, made up of sea coast sound clips sent in by the public. [11]

He curated and produced 'Everything You Can Imagine Is Real' for the UK's National Portrait Gallery in 2017, to coincide with their Picasso Portraits exhibition. The event was inspired by Picasso's circle in Montmartre in the first decade of the 20th century. He arranged for the gallery to become an artists’ colony featuring a wild cross-pollination of ideas, music, poetry, performance, art, film and dance. It included acts as diverse as the Radiophonic Workshop, Scanner, Feral Five and White Noise.

In late 2020 he began a series of podcasts entitled Electronically Yours in which he interviewed various influential figures from the world of music, art, film, comedy and TV that he has encountered during his 40-year career within the industry. Interviewees have included John Foxx, Peter Hook, Gary Numan and Sandie Shaw. [12]

Surround sound technology

Ware performing with Heaven 17 in 2014 Martyn Ware 2014.jpg
Ware performing with Heaven 17 in 2014

Ware created a 3D surround sound auditorium for the National Centre for Popular Music in Sheffield – a museum of contemporary music and culture, launched with £15 million of National Lottery money, which opened in March 1999 and closed in July 2000. BBC News described the centre as having been "shunned" by visitors, and, despite a £2 million relaunch, the Centre closed. Despite this, Ware later used the surround sound technology to launch an Arts Council subsidised touring project called "The Future of Sound". [13]

Ware's 3D music has also been used in an unusual noise suppression experiment undertaken in Brighton in 2011 on behalf of the Noise Abatement Society (NAS). [14] During this experiment, which was an entry for the John Connell Technology Award, a six-point sound field was created using ethereal sound textures. This was played in the main shopping street in the city, West Street, with the intention of distracting people from the traffic noise.

In the meantime, film made of the street during the time the sound was being produced was analysed by the psychobiologist Harry Witchel to assess whether the ambient sound made any difference to hearers' behaviour. [15] Early results suggested that it did have a beneficial effect for the public both during the day and anecdotal evidence suggested it served as a calming influence during the "clubbers rush" in the evening. Suggestions have been made that the experiment could be rolled out more widely in the future.

Honours and awards

Ware is a visiting professor at Queen Mary University of London, a member of BAFTA, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a founder of 5D – the future of immersive design. In 2012 he received an Honorary Doctorate in Science from the University of London. [16] He received a "Gold Badge Award" from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, & Authors (BASCA) in 2017. [17] He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Sheffield in 2022. [18]

Podcast

In November 2020, Ware launched a podcast, Electronically Yours. [19] It shares the title with his forthcoming autobiography. [20]

Public speaking

Ware speaks regularly on music policy from the perspective of a creative person. His speaking engagements have included: "The future of copyright in Europe" at the British Library on 11 February 2011 for Copyright for Creativity; [21] "The needs of creators, archivists, and educators in transforming creative works" at the European Parliament in Brussels on 14 June 2011; [22] and two outreach events in Brussels [23] in May 2012 in the Library of the European Parliament. He was also a keynote speaker at the Silicon Dreams festival in Leicestershire on 6 July 2013, where he performed with Heaven 17. [24]

Personal life

Ware is married to Landsley and has two children, Elena and Gabriel. [25]

He is a longtime Sheffield Wednesday supporter. [26]

Political views

In November 2019, along with 34 other musicians, Ware signed a letter endorsing the Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in the 2019 UK general election with a call to end austerity. Ware is an anti-Zionist and a critic of Israel's policy towards the Palestinians [27] [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heaven 17</span> English new wave and synth-pop band

Heaven 17 are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1980. The band were a trio for most of their career, composed of former Human League members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh (keyboards) with vocalist Glenn Gregory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Human League</span> English synth-pop band

The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their third album Dare in 1981 after restructuring their lineup. The album contained four hit singles, including the UK/US number one hit "Don't You Want Me". The band received the Brit Award for Best British Breakthrough Act in 1982. Further hits followed throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, including "Mirror Man", "(Keep Feeling) Fascination", "The Lebanon", "Human" and "Tell Me When".

<i>Travelogue</i> (The Human League album) 1980 The Human League album

Travelogue is the second full-length studio album released by British synthpop group The Human League, released in May 1980. It was the last album with founding members Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware, as they would leave to form Heaven 17 later that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Oakey</span> English singer-songwriter and producer

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<i>Penthouse and Pavement</i> 1981 studio album by Heaven 17

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<i>The Luxury Gap</i> 1983 studio album by Heaven 17

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temptation (Heaven 17 song)</span> 1983 single by Heaven 17

"Temptation" is a single by British band Heaven 17, originally released in April 1983, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart. This was the second single to be taken from their second album, The Luxury Gap, after "Let Me Go" in November 1982. "Temptation" was certified silver by the BPI in May 1983, for sales exceeding 250,000 copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Being Boiled</span> 1978 single by The Human League

"Being Boiled" is the debut single by the British synthpop band the Human League. Composed by Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, with lyrics by Philip Oakey, it has been released several times since 1978, finally becoming a UK top ten hit in 1982.

Ian Craig Marsh is an English musician and composer. He was a founding member of the electronic band the Human League, writing and playing on their first two albums and several singles, until leaving in 1980 to form the British Electric Foundation and later Heaven 17.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Don't Depend on You</span> 1979 single by "The Men" aka the Human League

"I Don't Depend on You" is a disco-influenced song by the British synth-pop group the Human League released under the pseudonym The Men. It was released as a single in the UK in July 1979, but failed to chart. It was written by Philip Oakey, Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh; was produced by Colin Thurston and featured guest backing vocalists Katie Kissoon and Lisa Strike.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roland System 100</span> Semi-modular synthesizer released in 1975

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<i>Before After</i> 2005 studio album by Heaven 17

Before After is the seventh studio album by the English synth-pop band Heaven 17. It was originally released in September 2005, on the label Ninthwave, nine years after their previous album, Bigger Than America.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ballad of Go Go Brown</span> 1988 single by Heaven 17

"The Ballad of Go Go Brown" is a song by the British new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, which was released in 1988 as the lead single from their fifth studio album Teddy Bear, Duke & Psycho. The song was written and produced by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware. "The Ballad of Go Go Brown" reached No. 91 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for two weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">This Is Mine</span> 1984 single by Heaven 17

"This Is Mine" is a song by the British new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, which was released in 1984 as the second single from their third studio album How Men Are. It was written by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware, and produced by Marsh and Greg Walsh. The song reached No. 23 in the UK, remaining in the charts for seven weeks. It would be the band's last Top 30 single until 1992's "Temptation "

Dewtron was the trade mark of Design Engineering (Wokingham) Ltd. or D. E. W. Ltd. a small British electronics manufacturer, founded by Brian H. Baily on 5 February 1964. In adverts the company address is always given as, Ringwood Road, Ferndown, Dorset, never Wokingham.

<i>Music for Stowaways</i> 1981 studio album by British Electric Foundation

Music for Stowaways is the debut album by English electronic act British Electric Foundation (B.E.F.), formed by musicians Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh. The album released in the United Kingdom as a limited edition cassette in March 1981 by Virgin Records, who also released an LP version of the album titled Music for Listening To later in the year with a different track list and cover art, aiming its release for export markets. The Stowaways version was originally released concurrently with Ware and Marsh's first single with Heaven 17, "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang", itself a developed version of the Music for Stowaways track "Groove Thang".

<i>Higher and Higher: The Best of Heaven 17</i> 1993 compilation album by Heaven 17

Higher and Higher: The Best of Heaven 17 is a compilation album by English new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, released in 1993.

References

  1. ↑ Ankeny, Jason. "Heaven 17: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  2. ↑ "Martyn Ware interview: The Heaven 17 synth pioneer on Sheffield, music and architecture". Martyn Ware interview: The Heaven 17 synth pioneer on Sheffield, music and architecture.
  3. ↑ Clark, Vince, Martyn Ware, archived from the original on 26 February 2019, retrieved 14 June 2016
  4. ↑ Martyn Ware: Creating "new musical textures", archived from the original on 10 August 2018, retrieved 14 June 2016
  5. ↑ Ankeny, Jason, The Human League , retrieved 14 June 2016
  6. ↑ Ankeny, Jason, Heaven 17 , retrieved 14 June 2016
  7. ↑ DiGravina, Tim. "Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle: Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  8. ↑ "The Future of Sound According to Martyn Ware" . Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  9. ↑ "Martyn Ware on the Future of Sound" . Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  10. ↑ Thorpe, Vanessa (7 November 2015), From Heaven 17 to sonic muralist: how Martyn Ware wants to redefine art , retrieved 14 June 2016
  11. ↑ Morris, Steven (20 March 2016), Martyn Ware's seaside soundscape: a feeling of calm in a manic world
  12. ↑ "Electronically Yours with Martyn Ware" . Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  13. ↑ Hellqvist, David, The Future of Sound According to Martyn Ware , retrieved 15 June 2016
  14. ↑ Lester, Ahren. "Noise Abatement Society experiment uses d&b audiotechnik loudspeakers". Audio Pro International. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  15. ↑ Sound experiment to take place on West Street, 1 November 2011, retrieved 15 June 2016
  16. ↑ Human League's Martyn Ware awarded Honorary Doctorate , retrieved 19 July 2018
  17. ↑ Gold Badge Awards 2017, goldbadgeawards.com
  18. ↑ "Martyn Ware of The Human League and Heaven 17 to become Doctor of Music at the University of Sheffield". www.sheffield.ac.uk. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  19. ↑ "Martyn Ware Launches New Podcast Series". Tileyard. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  20. ↑ "ELECTRONICALLY YOURS by Martyn Ware". Little Brown . Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  21. ↑ The future of copyright in Europe, 11 February 2011, Copyright for Creativity, London
  22. ↑ The needs of creators, archivists, and educators in transforming creative works, 14 June 2011, Copyright for Creativity, Brussels
  23. ↑ "events".
  24. ↑ An Evening With Martyn Ware, 6 July 2013, silicondreams.org.uk.
  25. ↑ Heaven 17, plus 35 – the Martyn Ware interview, 1 October 2015, retrieved 14 June 2016
  26. ↑ Martyn Ware: Why I love Sheffield Wednesday, 25 September 2022, retrieved 4 December 2023
  27. ↑ "Musicians backing Jeremy Corbyn's Labour". The Guardian . 25 November 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  28. ↑ Gayle, Damien (25 November 2019). "Stormzy backs Labour in election with call to end austerity". The Guardian . Retrieved 1 December 2019.
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