Tag Archives: Nightports

Nightports announce new collaborative album with Matthew Bourne, Dulcitone 1804

03 May 2024

We love Nightports, the inventive duo of British musicians and producers Adam Martin and Mark Slater, who have been dazzling us over the years with collaborative projects with other musicians exploring and reworking their music with the single remit of only using sounds produced by the featured musician. Starting in 2018 with Nightports w/ Matthew Bourne, they have also released albums with drummer and percussionist Betamax in 2020 and with double bassist Tom Herbert in 2022.

Dulcitone 1804 is their  latest sonic adventure, which saw them team up again with pianist and composer Matthew Bourne, and it will see the light of day on May 24th through The Leaf Label. As the name suggests, the upcoming album is centred around recordings of Bourne playing a Dulcitone, a 19th century rare keyboard instrument, and in this specific case the instrument is number 1804. The idea arose after Martin and Slater saw the small instrument at Bourne’s studio while working on another project. “As Matthew does with all instruments he plays, the first sounds he made with the Dulcitone were immediately beautiful,” Martin explained. “Somewhere between a celeste and a piano, it has a clear, bell-like quality that’s evocative of a strange other world. Something old and distant.”

 ‘Machell’ is the first heavenly gorgeous single to be let loose and you can listen to it below.

Nightports set to release new album, Minster; listen to lead single ‘Trinity’

15 March 2023

There’s exciting news from Nightports, who have announced the release of a new album entitled Minster. As in previous records, the ingenious pair approach their projects with sets of pre-defined rules, be it only using sounds produced by a featured musician, as they did with previous collaborative albums with Matthew Bourne, Betamax, and Tom Herbert, or by creating music only with sounds recorded in a specific place on one day  like in their 2020 On Wat Chedi Luang EP. The 14th century Hull Minster is the sole source of sounds on the upcoming Minster, and we find the pair exploring and reworking the recordings they undertook of the bells and of its clock mechanism in varied ways.

Minster is set for release on April 7th through The Leaf Label but we can already hear the first immersive and hauntingly beautiful single, ’Trinity’.

In other related news, Nightports are set to perform their new work at Hull Minster this Friday, March 17th at 6pm, 7pm, 8pm and 9pm. The performance will be part of The Awakening, the prelude to this year’s Hull Freedom Festival and it will be free.

Nightports share second single from upcoming album with Tom Herbert

12 April 2022

Nightports w/ Tom Herbert is the new collaborative album from inventive British duo Nightports with phenomenal bass player Tom Herbert, releasing on May 6th via The Leaf Label. Throughout Nightports w/ Tom Herbert, Herbert’s command of the double bass is on display. Speaking about the recording process, he says:

“Recording the music for the Nightports album was a very straightforward and enjoyable experience for me, I had nothing to prepare or learn and just spent a relaxed, if intensive, day of recording with Adam and Mark, who just let me improvise, occasionally throwing in a suggestion or idea for me to explore. They had the difficult job of sifting through the recordings and editing and shaping it into a coherent piece of work! I had very little memory of what I had played and I had no idea how extreme Adam and Mark were going to get with their production, so whenever they sent me anything it was always a surprise. I’m very proud of this music. It really feels like a great balance between and representation of my playing and their vision.”

The news emerged last month along with the first riveting single, ‘Arcs’ and now they are following it up with a second single called ‘October’ and an accompanying video by GOOD BOY. Watch it below.

Nightports unveil new album with Tom Herbert; listen to first single ‘Arcs’

03 March 2022

Photo: Joe Collinson

There’s a new album on the way from inventive British duo Nightports. The pair approach their different projects with pre-defined rules, and in their two previous albums, they only used sounds produced by a featured musician, discovering varied ways to explore and rework the artist’s music. Following their 2018 collaboration with Matthew Bourne, and the 2020 collaboration with Betamax, which was one of our favourite Albums of 2020, Nightports joined forces with phenomenal bass player Tom Herbert (Polar Bear, The Invisible) for their next record. Entitled Nightports w/ Tom Herbert, on the album Herbert’s command of the double bass is on display throughout. “Through our collaboration, we wanted to show different sides to the instrument and reveal the real details of Tom’s playing,” Slater comments. “In our approach, we wanted to highlight all that the double bass is and can be, and to put it centre stage.”

We’ll have to wait until April 29th for the album to be out through The Leaf Label but we can already hear the first riveting single, ‘Arcs’. The track comes with an accompanying video made by GOODBOY. Watch it below.

Mixtape #123

01 February 2021

We love Nightports’ sublime music. The inventive duo of British musicians and producers Adam Martin and Mark Slater approach their different projects with sets of pre-defined rules. Their recent EP, Wat Chedi Luang, was created using recordings from a unique day and place. Similarly, for their two previous albums, they only used sounds produced by a featured musician, discovering varied ways to explore and rework the artist’s music. Following their 2018 collaboration with Matthew Bourne, last year’s dazzling sonic collaboration, Nightports w/ Betamax, made it to our favourite Albums of 2020 and we simply can’t put it down. So we’re delighted they stitched together this phenomenal mix for us. Dig in!

  1. Anna Meredith – Calion [Moshi Moshi] 0:00
  2. Eli Keszler – Measurement Doesn’t Change the System At All [Shelter Press] 4:30
  3. Floating Points – Anasickmodular [Ninja Tune] 8:03
  4. Beatrice Dillon – Workaround One [Pan (3)] 11:10
  5. Laurence Pike – Rapture [The Leaf Label] 14:29
  6. TOMAGA – Squeek and Chatter [Negative Days] 18:06
  7. Leafcutter John – Pillar [Border Community] 22:35
  8. Sebastian Rochford & Pamelia Kurstin – Ouch [i] [Slowfoot] 27:28
  9. MRR-ADM – 2wo 31:35
  10. Autechre – esc desc [Warp] 33:46
  11. A Winged Victory for the Sullen – The Rhythm Of A Dividing Pair [Ninja Tune] 38:27
  12. No. 3 – No. 3 42:34
  13. Ametsub – Snowy Lava [Progressive Form / Third Ear] 50:30
  14. Domenique Dumont – People on Sunday [The Leaf Label] 54:42