Multidimensional

Generally speaking, Patrick Ellis’s music falls under two strands. The first is mostly notated instrumental music that can be performed in both concert/recital halls and alternative venues. The music itself is often characterised by focused material in the form of repetitive gestures, that either deviates away from itself or is juxtaposed with other materials. Increasingly, over the past three or four years, he has taken an interest in integrating more timbral and gestural detail into my instrumental writing.

The second strand of his music is largely based around an online-only ‘bedroom studio’ project named Vallé, which began back in 2013 as a means to fill a void that had been left when one of my teenage rock bands split up. However, it has since grown into an extensive project, having released two albums and several eps. Typically, it’s instrumental and heavily guitar-driven that utilises ambient, dream pop and shoegaze aesthetics.

Ellis viewed the two as completely separate entities, writing his Vallé music in secret during the spare time when he was living in student halls whilst studying for a degree in composition. However, gradually Patrick Ellis began to notice that both strands of music have infiltrated each other, and after suggestions from some friends, he plans a new ‘branch-off project’ of Vallé with a friend and fellow composer Peter Bell, that will function in a live capacity, using characteristics from ambient, noise, drone, shoegaze and experimental music.

Patrick Ellis about his new composition (titled Fractured Motion): “By combining the saxophone quartet with electronics and visuals of 20th-century imagery, I opted to fuse all these elements into an immersive concert experience, while using an alternative stage set up. In the piece, the visitor encounters a ‘Wall of Sound’, that slowly shifts and breaks away from the place it initially started, including sequences of images that glitch and change with the repetitions and transformations in the music.” In much of his work Patrick Ellis regularly utilises limited musical material and explores it with the use of subtle development, repetitive structures and juxtapositions. In more of his process-driven and conceptual works, he takes found material from data and statistics, translating them into musical and time-based parameters.

In his music, Ellis knows how to use instruments in an inventive fashion for a remarkable and unique sound. He utilises hypnotic repetitive motives and weaves through influences of different genres. As if it were self-evident, he gives his own spin on the music with ease, and often with limited musical material. In more of his process-driven and conceptual works, he takes found material from data and statistics, translating them into musical and time-based parameters.

Bio Patrick Ellis

Patrick Ellis (London 1994) is a United Kingdom-based composer whose music has been performed in venues in Europe, Asia and Australia and the United States. Many ensembles and soloists performed, recorded and workshopped his compositions including Orkest de Ereprijs, Residentie Orkest, Kluster 5, The New European Ensemble and The Hodiernal Quartet. His work has been part of festivals, series and projects such as the Young Composers Meeting, the London New Wind Festival, Ideas of Noise Festival and the Psappha Composing For Scheme. Patrick also writes shoegaze and dream pop-inspired guitar music under the alias Vallé.

Ellis holds a Master’s degree in composition from the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague and he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in composition from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

Composer Patrick Ellis (Londen, 1994) is artist in residence of De Link and AMPA (Academy of Music and Performing Arts, Tilburg) in 2022, and he is staying over at SEA Foundation.

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