Darren Tate was
a member of the British collective Ora.
But he was more influential with his work as Monos, that focused on the droning manipulation of field recordings, a project that often involved
Colin Potter
(i.e., de facto, a continuation of Ora without Andrew Chalk).
Despite the abrasive sound of early pieces such as the 32-minute Promotion (2000), Monos was more often concerned with the thick, rich drones of pieces such as 360 Degrees (2001) and Sunny Day In Saginomiya (2001), that explicitly referenced natural sounds.
Nightfall Sunshine (2002), instead, delved into the "concrete" sound of vintage analogue electronics.
Everyday Soundtracks (2001 - Fungal Records, 2013) is a minor work.
Places (2002) and Window (2003) returned to the classic sound
of Ora. However, the 47-minute Collage (2003), and
Landscapes (2004), a collaboration with Paul Bradley,
were more interesting in that Potter's studio work all but totally eclipsed the original sources, a process that peaked with
the four extended pieces of the double-disc Generators (2005).
Tate also released dozens of CD-ROMS under his own name, starting with
Nonsense For The Cat (2003) and peaking perhaps with
the 42-minute Rain During Summer, off Nothing By Chance (2003),
A Strange Artifact (2004)
and Without Season (2005), a collaboration with Andrew Liles.
Organ Of Sight (Fungal, 2007) was a work for analogue synthesizers.
Old Pointed Hat (Fungal, 2008) moved further away from drone music,
sculpting a dynamic noisescape of synthesizer, guitar and found sounds.
Reflections On A Ceiling (Fungal, 2008) was an abstract atmospheric work, again largely immune from drones for the sake of drones.
When An Insect Visits Your Window (Fungal, 2009) leaned even more towards
white noise.
Monos (Darren Tate and Colin Potter) returned with the two lengthy pieces of
Above The Sky (ICR, 2010) that document live performances of 2006.
Snippets (Fungal, 2010) was composed by assembling snippets of
guitar, electronics, and field recordings, basically a follow-up of
his seminal Old Pointed Hat.
Late Afternoon (Fungal, 2010), ostensibly dedicated to Finnish bard Keijo,
was recorded outdoors letting the sounds of the environment participate in the
composition of the music.
Nature In The City (Fungal, 2010) is a brainy synthesizer symphony in
the vein of Monos.
The Night (Fungal, 2010) turned instead to minimal ambient music.
No Longer Here (ICR, 2012) was de facto a collaboration with
Colin Potter, who extensively remixed (not just "produced") the original
music.
Ordinary sounds that can be heard from an ordinary room in an ordinary house
are the protagonists of the stream of consciousness implied in
Close Timid Night (Fungal, 2012). They duet with Tate's loony
harpsichord and quiet humming.
The double-disc
Age & Transformation (Fungal, 2006 - Infraction, 2012)
was actually a solo (and very dissonant) Tate album later remixed by
Colin Potter.
Small Worlds (2007 - Fungal, 2013) was another minor experiment.
Two Improvisations (Fungal, 2013) is a bedroom album.
He also released
Calm in a Teacup (2012),
Rotate (2012),
Secret Mantra (2014),
Metamorphosis (2024).
He was also active as Jurgen Vries (his most successful singles) and DT8.
DT8 Project is credited with
Narama
(2006),
Hold Me Till the End
(2007),
Carry On/We Are Oxygen
(2019),
and several EPs.
He also scored many film soundtracks.
