Hope Bridge Crossing

Martin Archer was born 1957 in Sheffield, England. Sopranino, alto and baritone saxophones, bass clarinet, bass recorder, violectronics, keyboards, software instruments Since his move in the early 1990s from free jazz saxophonist to studio based electronics composer, Archer has produced a series of highly acclaimed CDs which combine electronics-based structures with written and improvised parts for brass, woodwind, strings and voices. Elements from jazz, free improvisation, contemporary classical music, electronica, and cutting edge rock music are all present within his work. Current live emphasis on solo laptop / woodwind performances, but also live and studio collaborations with all-acoustic improvising sextet ASK, laptop duo Inclusion Principle with Herve Perez, Hornweb with Charlie Collins and Derek Saw, (all represented on Discus) and as part of Gated Community, Mick Beck's 14 piece improv and compositions band. As a performer, Archer seeks to avoid the inert and inexpressive performance style inherent in much live electronic music. Archer acknowledges groups such as Faust, Henry Cow, Soft Machine and Magma as being highly influential in his work alongside Cage, Stockhausen, Feldman, and of course the school of European free improvisation. This combination of sources makes Archer a unique inhabitant of the school of English maverick composers.

Cfr. n. Arch. 184.68