Sebastian Gainsborough

Electronic producer and composer Sebastian Gainsborough – also known under his artist moniker, Vessel – began his career as a purveyor of left-field, bass driven electronica using his unique sonic palate to create immersive compositions and exploring texture and tone, the organic and the man-made.

His first album, ‘Order of Noise’, released via Tri Angle Records, saw him position himself as an artist at the vanguard of new British electronic music.  This was followed in 2014 by ‘Punish, Honey’, which saw him step aside from digital music tools in favour of analogue hardware and unique, hand-crafted instrumentation in order to develop an entirely unique sonic palette.  The lead single “Red Sex” picked up cult status, being used in the trailer for Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden, on Alexander McQueen’s catwalks and as the soundtrack to a swathe of contemporary dance works whilst simultaneously destroying dank basement dancefloors around the world.

Gainsborough then teamed up with Erased Tapes’ Immix Ensemble for his first foray into the ‘classical’ world, resulting in a new commission for the re-launch of Tate Britain, ‘Transition’, released on Erased Tapes in 2016 and collaborations with Rakhi Singh, Immix’s violinist, and acclaimed cellist Lucy Railton.

All the while, alongside this exploration, collaboration and creative play, Sebastian was simultaneously penning ‘Queen of Golden Dogs’, an album that would be his first true, cohesive amalgamation of his deep, nuanced electronic music and the new world of experimental and classical music.  It marks a stark departure from the producer’s previous work, taking that next step on Gainsborough’s creative journey, combining chamber-rave freak outs with vocal segues and neo-classical pieces.

It was this expansion of his musical ambitions and sonic landscapes that lead directly to his collaboration with fellow Tri Angle Records artist Robin Carolan, in co-scoring the visceral Robert Eggers epic, The Northman.  Utilising avant-garde textures coupled with traditional, historical Nordic instruments, booming percussion and swelling orchestral elements, the score was critical acclaimed and described as “one of the most radical, scary and intimidating soundtracks you can imagine”.