"Northern Ireland's resident electronic compositional polymath”
- The Quietus
Liam McCartan is a composer, musician, performer, curator, radio host, tutor and lecturer who creates original scores for film, video games, theatre and art installations. As Son Zept he has released multiple albums on vinyl and digital, and brings immersive musical experiences to life through exciting audiovisual performances
"Son Zept delivers deft shock & awe" - The Wire
"dismantling electronic styles, and rearranging the fragments into something fierce, vibrant and his own." - DJ Mag
"...one of the finest and most interesting projects to emerge from the city in quite some time." - Clash
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Selected Recent Solo Work
02
Academic Background
Research areas:
Composition, Electronic Music, Memory in Composition, Club Music, Minimalism, Hauntology, Temporal manipulation
Doctoral Research
With the use of resynthesis to mean recombination as well as reproduction, Liam's research investigates the resynthesizing of club music's past along with the personal past as a form of compositional practice. This results in a portfolio of 23 pieces ranging from 3 to 9 minutes in length that explores the tropes, structures and techniques of jungle, grime, techno, hardcore and garage, while also containing hauntological works that explore false memory and the sonically re-produced past as sources of inspiration for composition. The thesis offers insights which grow from an exploration of this combination of personal experience, club music and memory through the practices of sonic art and composition.
PhD Thesis and portfolio
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Bridging composition, Sound and Performance
Commissions
Liam has spent years taking on commissioned work for a multitude of different creative areas and mediums. Ranging from the composing of new work for a newly restored church organ to the scoring of feature film, gaming, theatre, art-installation, and dance
Performances
Along with solo performances that feature dense large scale audiovisual material, Liam collaborates with diverse artists to create immersive sonic experiences that bridge cultural and disciplinary gaps.
Let’s work Together
Whether you are looking for a musical collaborator or an academic partner, I am always open to discussing new opportunities and creative ventures. Reach out to start the conversation.
sonzeptmusic@hotmail.com
Based In
Belfast
Inquiry
12
Awards Won
80
Compositions
2
Publications
05
Awards and grants