Tim Hecker
Tim Hecker (born July 17, 1974) is a Canadian electronic musician, producer, composer, and sound artist. His work, spanning albums such as Harmony in Ultraviolet (2006), Ravedeath, 1972 (2011) and Virgins (2013), has been widely critically acclaimed. He has released eleven albums and a number of EPs in addition to a number of film scores and collaborations with artists such as Arca, Ben Frost, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Daniel Lopatin, and Aidan Baker.
Tim Hecker | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Hecker at a live performance | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Jetone |
| Born | July 17, 1974 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Origin | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Composer |
| Instrument | Electronics |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels |
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| Website | sunblind.net |
Tim Hecker (born July 17, 1974[citation needed]) is a Canadian electronic musician, producer, composer, and sound artist. His work, spanning albums such as Harmony in Ultraviolet (2006), Ravedeath, 1972 (2011) and Virgins (2013), has been widely critically acclaimed.[1][2] He has released eleven albums and a number of EPs in addition to a number of film scores[3] and collaborations with artists such as Arca, Ben Frost, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Daniel Lopatin, and Aidan Baker.[4][5]
Biography
[edit]
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Hecker is the son of two art teachers. During his high school years, he played in rock bands with friends, before acquiring a sampler and working on solo material.[6] He moved to Montreal, Quebec in 1998 to study at Concordia University and explore his artistic interests further.[6] He initially performed as a techno producer under the name Jetone, debuting in 1996.[7][8] By 2001 he became disenchanted with the musical direction of the Jetone project. In 2001, Hecker released the album Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again,[9] under his own name through the label Alien8.[7] He followed with Radio Amor (2003) and Mirages (2004).
In 2006, he moved to Kranky where he released his fourth album Harmony in Ultraviolet.[7][10] He subsequently incorporated the use of pipe organ sounds which were digitally processed and distorted. The album was called the 9th best ambient album of all time by Pitchfork.[11] For the album Ravedeath, 1972 (2011), Hecker traveled to Iceland where together with Ben Frost, he recorded parts in a church.[12] The album was awarded the Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year.[13] In November 2010, Alien8 re-released Hecker's debut album on vinyl.[14][15] His live performances contain improvisations by processing organ sounds that are manipulated, with great fluctuations in volume.[16]
In 2012, Hecker collaborated with Daniel Lopatin (who also records as Oneohtrix Point Never) on an improvisatory project which became Instrumental Tourist.[17] Following 2013's Virgins, Hecker returned to Reykjavík, Iceland for sessions in 2014 and 2015, to create what would become Love Streams.[18] Collaborators include Ben Frost, Johann Johannsson, Kara-Lis Coverdale and Grimur Helgason, whilst the 15th century choral works by Josquin des Prez birthed the foundations of the album.[19] In February 2016, it was announced that Hecker had signed with 4AD while Love Streams was released in April of that year.[20][21]
In addition to touring with Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Sigur Rós, and recording with the likes of Fly Pan Am, Hecker has also collaborated with the likes of Arca and Aidan Baker.[5][22] He has also contributed remixes to other artists, including Ellen Allien, John Cale, Isis, and Interpol.[6][23][24][25]
Art
[edit]Hecker occasionally makes sound installations and has collaborated with visual artists such as Stan Douglas[26] and Charles Stankievech.[27]
Hecker, along with other musicians Ben Frost, Steve Goodman (Kode9), Piotr Jakubowicz, Marcel Weber (MFO), and Manuel Sepulveda (Optigram), provided music for Unsound Festival's sensory installation, Ephemera.[28]
Hecker composed the score for Damien Jalet's performance piece, Planet [wanderer].[29]
Film
[edit]Hecker composed the score for 2016's The Free World,[30] selected to be shown in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.[31] He composed the score for BBC Two drama series The North Water directed by Andrew Haigh and based on Ian McGuire's novel of the same name.[32][33]
Hecker also composed the score for the Austrian drama and horror film Luzifer, which won the Best Actor Award for Franz Rogowski at Fantastic Fest in 2021[34] and Best Actress Award for Susanne Jensen and Best Actor Award for Franz Rogowski at the 2021 Sitges Film Festival.[35][36]
Hecker composed the score for Infinity Pool, the 2023 film by Canadian director Brandon Cronenberg, starring Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.[37][38][39]
Personal life
[edit]Hecker pursued a professional career outside music, working as a policy analyst for the Canadian Government in the early 2000s.[40][41] After leaving his employment in 2006 he enrolled at McGill University to study for a PhD,[42] with a thesis on urban noise that was published in 2014.[43] He has also worked there as a lecturer in sound culture in the Art History and Communications department.[44]
Hecker is a Buddhist and a former Catholic. He started studying Buddhism and practiced meditation in his studio during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.[41]
Discography
[edit]- Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again (2001)
- Radio Amor (2003)
- Mirages (2004)
- Harmony in Ultraviolet (2006)
- An Imaginary Country (2009)
- Ravedeath, 1972 (2011)
- Virgins (2013)
- Love Streams (2016)
- Konoyo (2018)
- Anoyo (2019)
- No Highs (2023)
- Shards (2025)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Tim Hecker". Kranky.net. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
- ^ "Tim Hecker". Mutek.org. Archived from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
- ^ "Tim Hecker". IMDb. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
- ^ Rhoades, Lindsey (April 29, 2016). "Tim Hecker Albums From Worst To Best". Stereogum. SpinMedia. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
- ^ a b "Arca shares new single and music video, 'Cayó': Watch". DJMag.com. April 7, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- ^ a b c Christopher R. Weingarten (October 10, 2013). "Tim Hecker: Attack of the Drones". Spin Magazine.
- ^ a b c Hampson, Simon (March 3, 2007). "Tim Hecker interview". Cyclic Defrost. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
- ^ "Tim Hecker: Sculpting Sound and Emotion Through Sonic Experimentation". Waldorf Music. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
- ^ "Tim Hecker – Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again". Discogs. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
- ^ "Tim Hecker – Harmony In Ultraviolet". Discogs. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
- ^ "The 50 Best Ambient Albums of All Time - Page 5". Pitchfork. September 26, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ "Tim Hecker Talks Ravedeath, 1972 | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca. February 15, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ "Yearly Summary". JUNO. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ^ "Tim Hecker – Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again (vinyl 2010)". Discogs. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
- ^ "Tim Hecker – Haunt Me". Alien8recordings.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
- ^ "RA: Tim Hecker: Imaginary countries". Residentadvisor.net. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ "Instrumental Tourist review" Mark Richardson, 'Tim Hecker/Daniel Lopatin Instrumental Tourist review', Pitchfork, November 30, 2012
- ^ "Tim Hecker - Love Streams - Review". DIY. April 8, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- ^ "Tim Hecker Announces New Album Love Streams". Pitchfork.com. January 27, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ de Franchis, Vittoria (February 2, 2016). "Tim Hecker joins 4AD and announces new album 'Love Streams' | Inverted Audio". inverted-audio.com. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
- ^ Todd, Bella (April 5, 2016). "Tim Hecker: 'I make pagan music that dances on the ashes of a burnt church'". The Guardian. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ "Fantasma Parastasie, by Aidan Baker And Tim Hecker". Alien8recordings. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ "Tim Hecker: "Suffocation Raga for John Cale"". Pitchfork. April 12, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ "Interpol Enlist Tim Hecker, Panda Bear, the Field, More for Remix LP". Pitchfork. March 10, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ "Ellen Allien Taps Tim Hecker, Bodycode for Remix Comp | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ "En/Of". Bottrop-boy.com. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ "Loveland". Stankievech.net. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ "Ephemera". Unsound.pl. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ "Planet [wanderer]". Damien Jalet. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
- ^ "Tim Hecker Scoring Jason Lew's 'The Free World'". Film Music Reporter. December 14, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ "Sundance Institute". Archived from the original on January 26, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
- ^ "Tim Hecker Releasing Score for Colin Farrell–Starring TV Show The North Water". Pitchfork. September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ The North Water (Adventure, Drama, Mystery), See-Saw Films, Rhombus Media, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), September 10, 2021, retrieved September 24, 2022
- ^ "Fantastic Fest 2021: Franz Rogowski awarded Best Actor". www.austrianfilms.com (in German). Retrieved February 21, 2022.
- ^ "Festival Scope". pro.festivalscope.com. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
- ^ "Sitges Fantastic Film Festival: Double win for LUZIFER". www.austrianfilms.com (in German). Retrieved February 21, 2022.
- ^ "Infinity Pool - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
- ^ Lang, Brent (June 23, 2021). "Alexander Skarsgård Starring in Brandon Cronenberg's Sci-Fi Thriller 'Infinity Pool'". Variety. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ "Program Guide | 2023 Sundance Film Festival". festival.sundance.org. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
- ^ "Guestlist on Pitchfork" 'Guest Lists: Tim Hecker', Pitchfork Media, October 27, 2006
- ^ a b Currin, Grayson Haver (April 25, 2023). "Tim Hecker Helped Popularize Ambient Music. He's (Sort of) Sorry". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
- ^ "McGill Daily" John Watson 'Bring the noise', The McGill Daily, April 5, 2011
- ^ Hecker, Timothy (2014). The era of megaphonics: on the productivity of loud sound, 1880–1930 (Ph.D.). McGill University.
- ^ "Quietus Interview" Ryan Alexander Diduck 'Darkness More Than Anything: Tim Hecker Interviewed', The Quietus, March 21, 2012
Further reading
[edit]- Bergmann, Brett (July 2009). "Global Movement, Local Detail: The Music of Tim Hecker". Montréal: eContact!. Archived from the original on August 4, 2009.
External links
[edit]
- Tim Hecker at IMDb
- Tim Hecker at AllMusic
- Tim Hecker discography at Discogs
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