Mark Griffiths (b.1959) is a UK based synthesist / composer. He started working in the late 70s using cheap 60s tape machines plus anything that could make a sound that came to hand. This included creating a track “Inside, Outside” which recorded switching from microphones suspended out of a window to one inside a room. The outside microphone picked up the sounds of birds and neighbours talking with that peculiar reverb of narrow suburban canyons of terraced houses, whereas the room picked up the sounds of another tape recorder, flute, voice, etc. Luckily no recording of this work still exists.
Mark had an interest in synthesisers since the mid seventies and experimented on several Korg MS synthesisers before being able to buy his own synthesiser in 1980.
Several melodic electronic cassette albums were recorded and released in the 80s and 90s with a very basic set up.
The music software revolution brought the possibilities of a much broader range of sounds and the music produced during that period ranged from a kind of electronic folk music, to “space music”, ambient and experimental. There were also tracks intended as incidental music for TV programmes. The BBC, Discovery, plus local in country channels have used this music.
Modular synthesisers were added into the mix in 2006 offering an approach of using a single instrument plus software to act as a digital tape recorder. Another approach he has used extensively is to use his own “real world recordings” and then digitally manipulate them. Take out the words “software” and “digital” and you will see there is a direct line to the methods and techniques he employed in the 70s and 80s. Everything has changed and nothing has changed.
During 2019 Mark added old family names to distinguish himself from other Mark Griffiths after issues with misallocation of ownership on Spotify and Youtube.
As Mark Ellery Griffiths he produces mainly melodic and pastoral ambient music. His main inspirations come from nature, our relationship with landscapes/place and childhood memories.
Under the name Mark Dalton Griffiths he produces more austere but often playful works exploring modular electronics, digital manipulation of acoustic sounds and other experimental techniques.
He expects to continue to explore different musics and techniques for as long as he is able.
| Location | Oxford, UK |
|---|---|
| Genres | Ambient Cinematic Collages Concrete Drone Electro-Acoustic Electronica Experimental Soundscapes |
| Instruments | EMS VCS3 / Synthi Field Recording Frac Tape Loops Voice Wiard |