Sound UK’s artist development programme, Sound Generator, supports early career artists and the work they present.
In this series of Spotlight interviews, we find out more about the artists on our 2023 artist development programme, delve deeper into their Sound Generator project and discover what the process has meant to them.
This week, we talk to Marco Woolf.
Malawian-born musician and storyteller Marco Woolf’s work has been described as light, complex, rich and immediate, swarming with micro-details that multiply with each new listen. He creates layered music with a deepened sense of narrative through improvisation and stories.
Please tell us about your Sound Generator project. What is it and where did the initial inspiration come from?
Stories play a huge role in the music I make and the way I present it, and I’m always seeking to expand the role that stories play in my work.
Recently, I have been working on a new body of work that explores the theme of how communities heal from collective trauma. For this project I wanted to incorporate dance/movement in my work.
My Sound Generator project is exploring two things; firstly, the different ways that dance can influence my performance and songwriting and secondly, how I can take my music and this new performance out of traditional music venues and into community spaces.
Sara Marques warming up for an exploration session focusing on how movement can influence the texture of the music/sounds we make. Featuring Carmel Smickersgill on acoustic and electronics and Manon McCoy on lever harp.
How has your idea developed during the programme so far? And what have you learnt?
Well initially I was hoping to use the time I spent with a dancer to develop new musical ideas but I soon realised that what I wanted to achieve with the live performance needed more attention and after a super inspiring chat with one of my mentors I decided to focus on that.
What has this opportunity meant to you?
This has been so valuable for me, Sound Generator has definitely helped me take my career to the next stage.
Being able to dedicate time to my craft in this focused way alongside the amazing mentorship has done wonders for my confidence moving forward and I’m so excited about the direction this project will take.
Has it helped you to develop your creative practice? If so, how?
As an independent artist, sometimes it feels like you have to move a million miles per hour to make the most of the opportunities that you get but with Sound Generator I was able to slow down and really think about what I want to achieve with my creative practice and how to best go about that.
Marco, Sara and Tom discuss story shaping.
Who are your key artistic influences for this project?
Ooh loads, where to start:
- Pina Bausch’s ‘Rites of Spring’ (specifically the Sadler’s Wells and École des Sables performance)
- Francis Bacon’s ‘Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion’
- MF DOOM
- Partita For Eight Voices by Caroline Shaw
What have you been listening to recently? Any new music recommendations?
- The Omnichord Real Book by Meshell Mdegeocello
- We Get What We Get & We Don’t Get Upset by Carmel Smickersgill
- Massive Sunray by Diving Station
What are your hopes for this project? How do you see it developing beyond this initial 6-month programme?
The next stage is to secure support for an extended tour in 2024. I then hope to use this project to write new music for a new body of work.
Exploration session 1. Finding more ways to inject movement in the music we share.
We look forward to sharing more details about Marco Woolf's Sound Generator project as it develops. Visit Marco's Instagram and follow to find out more about his work.
Sound Generator is Sound UK's artist research and development (R&D) programme that supports early-career artists and seeds the development of an ambitious new project. Following an open call, a panel of leading figures across contemporary music, chose six early-career artists working at the forefront of sound and music.
Sound Generator supports artists in the first 5-10 years of their career. Over the six month programme, they each receive mentoring by a range of professionals to develop an innovative project ready for showcasing to the industry.
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