Dazed Mix: Richie Culver

For Hull-born multidisciplinary artist Richie Culver, music takes the form of harsh sound collages that contort like memories blurred out of focus. Also an esteemed visual artist, whose works feature direct phrases on white canvas with a cynical yet humorous tone, his singular style has earned him viral acclaim, most notably with his provocative “Did U Cum Yet?” painting, the original of which has since been destroyed. This ability to boil down phrases to their bare, and oftentimes existential, essence carries into his music releases, where blunt poetics are delivered with stone-cold clarity, and positioned against distorted patchwork samples of crow caws, gas leaks and dental drills.

Now based in London, the musician has spent the last few years immersed in a growing community of underground artists, including Blackhaine, Space Afrika and Rainy Miller. With two new albums on the way, Scream If You Don’t Exist and Alive In The Living Room, he builds on the stark catharsis of previous releases; the first drawing on drone, industrial noise, experimental hip-hop and UK rave to create unsettling compositions, while the second is an improvised piece on sleep paralysis. On his exclusive Dazed mix, Culver presents a sonic landscape consisting largely of his own work, using field recordings and sound mass elements – listen below.

​​Hey Richie – how’s your summer going? Any plans?

Richie Culver: Summer has been great so far. It’s definitely my least favourite season, but this too shall pass and autumn will soon be here.

You have two albums coming up With Scream If You Don’t Exist and Alive in the Living Room. What are some of the main driving forces behind these releases?

Richie Culver: Scream If You Don’t Exist is the follow-up to my first album I was born by the sea, which came out last year. It’s a continuation of sorts. I have two features on this record, from Moor Mother and Billy Woods, which I’m really happy with. They have added a whole new layer to the direction the record ended up in.

Alive In The Living Room is a 27 min sound mass and it’s coming out in September on my favourite label, Drowned by Locals. This record is about sleep paralysis, which is why there are no vocals on it. It’s an improvised sound piece in three parts, loosely referencing the stages of sleep paralysis, which I have lived with all my life. To accompany this release is a book of lyrics and poetry that can be read along with the music. Then the next layer is two remixes by Pessimist and BOD. On both remixes, the lyrics from the book are actually used. So it’s a fairly conceptual release with many layers.

How would you describe the relationship between your visual practice and music?

Richie Culver: I would say it’s all just different layers. My music work tends to be much more personal and reflective.

What would you say are some of your most formative musical experiences? Have they influenced your sound at all?

Richie Culver: Being from Hull, Throbbing Gristle was a big one, and their link to the city. Pork recordings also. When you see people succeeding and doing things in a certain way, I guess it gave me hope. Throbbing Gristle definitely influenced me in lots of ways.

What’s the worst advice you’ve ever been given?

Richie Culver: Work hard.

And the best advice?

Richie Culver: Put your phone away.

What are you listening to at the moment?

Richie Culver: Kinlaw, Florence Sinclair.

Tell us about your Dazed Mix.

Richie Culver: I wanted to create a sonic landscape of largely my own work using field recordings, sound mass elements, and Quiet Husband (a side project). So I guess it’s more of a hybrid set. There are a couple of exclusives on there also.

Tracklist

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