Matthew J. Saunders

Matthew J. Saunders (born 5 January 1972) is an English composer, mastering engineer, and visual designer. During the first decade of the 21st century he was signed to 4AD Records[1] — a British major independent label home to The Pixies, Cocteau Twins, Scott Walker and many others. He records and performs as Magnétophone,[2] The Assembled Minds,[3] Rapid Eye Electronics Ltd.[4] and also runs the record label Patterned Air Recordings.[5]

Matthew J. Saunders
Matthew J. Saunders, 2006
Background information
Born	(1972-01-05) 5 January 1972 Birmingham, England, United Kingdom
Genres	electronica film score tv hauntology
Occupation(s)	Composer, Mastering Engineer
Years active	1995–present
Website	matthewjsaunders.co.uk
Magnétophone

On 4AD, as one half of the art-rock electronic band Magnétophone, Saunders released two albums,[6][7] three EPs[8][9][10] and a 7" single.[11] It was an unusual signing for 4AD, Magnétophone's first album being almost all instrumental, and this departure piqued the interest of journalists and fans of the label and band equally.[12] The band were the first signing after the corporate restructuring of 4AD when co-founder Ivo Watts-Russell departed and the album was seen as a signpost of where the newly reinvented label might be heading[13]

Before signing to 4AD, Saunders released records on several influential record labels including Static Caravan Recordings,[14][15] Earworm Records,[16] Spaceage Recordings and Ochre Records. He has recorded two Peel Sessions[17] for BBC Radio One, two sessions for BBC Radio One's Rob da Bank, as well as sessions for BBC Radio 3 and XFM.

Saunders has collaborated on record with significant artists such as rock legends Kim Deal and Kelley Deal,[18] Scottish folk legend and Mercury Music Prize nominee King Creosote,[19] infamous drone rock band Spacemen 3's Peter Kember[20] (who also joined Magnétophone as a performing member and manager in 2006–2008),[21] Scottish folk singer/songwriter James Yorkston and others — all tracks that appeared on Magnétophone's second 4AD album, The Man Who Ate the Man or related 12" releases.[22][23]

He is known for his solo electronic recordings as The Assembled Minds, having released two albums[24] and numerous singles and remixes on a variety of record labels, gaining critical acclaim from magazines such as The Wire[25] and Self-Titled Magazine,[26] from music author and journalist Simon Reynolds,[27] and numerous national radio plays on stations such as BBC Radio 6[28][29][30][31]

Saunders worked on the feature documentary film Valentino: The Last Emperor and is a credited composer on IMDb.[32] He has also had music synced by BBC World News in daily continuity pieces and Sky in cross-network adverts. According to the official website,[33] he is currently composing music for media in addition to running mastering house 808 Hz,[34] where he has mastered albums by artists such as Wire front man Colin Newman, Eva Bowan, Malka Spigel, Anthony Reynolds, and Jon Thorne[35]

In 2007 Saunders contributed a Magnétophone track to a prestigious arts project by New York publishing house Visionaire, a work called Visionaire No. 53: Sound,[36][37] which saw him appear on record alongside artists such as Yoko Ono, Michael Stipe, U2, Liza Minnelli, Lalo Schifrin, David Byrne, Ad-Rock, Courtney Love and others. Each artist was asked to provide a unique piece of music which was then pressed across five pieces of vinyl and a cd, was housed in a large dome receptical and supplied with a record player in the form of a battery powered car.