Name: B.J. Smith
Nationality: British
Occupation: Producer, composer
Current release: B.J. Smith's new EP Dedications to the Greats Four 'Don't Be Cruel,' featuring Joe Harvey-Whyte, is out via NuNorthern Soul.  
Recommendations on the topic of sound:
https://tapenotes.co.uk
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b09cy8yl
https://www.youtube.com/freetousesounds
David Byrne – How Music Works

If you enjoyed this B.J. Smith interview and would like to stay up to date with his music, visit his official homepage. He is also on Instagram, Soundcloud, bandcamp, and Facebook.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

I feel the frequencies. I analyse and dissect the sounds.

I stare blankly into space, distracted, which annoys my family very much.

How do listening with headphones and listening through a stereo system change your experience of sound and music?

Headphones are more intimate, behind the eyes. Speakers are more physical, to the bones.

Tell me about some of the albums or artists that you love specifically for their sound, please.

Brown Fang's Netherfield Lagoons has a beautiful marriage of electronics and organics, particularly the tune "Railway Potatoes."



Joe Harvey-Whyte and Paul Cousins have made a wonderful collage of sound on their album in a fugue state.



The songwriting of Huw Costin never fails to take me on a journey.



Do you experience strong emotional responses towards certain sounds? If so, what kind of sounds are these and do you have an explanation about the reasons for these responses?

I have a strong negative response to balloons being massaged, fireworks, busy spaces loud people.

There can be sounds which feel highly irritating to us and then there are others we could gladly listen to for hours. Do you have examples for either one or both of these?

The 7th fret on an acoustic guitar resonates perfectly with me.

Om chants in the shower at a resonant frequency also have an otherworldy feel about them.

Are there everyday places, spaces, or devices which intrigue you by the way they sound? Which are these?

Always. Everyday.

Right now the dishwasher is swooshing away and the fire is ticking. Together they are hypnotic.

Have you ever been in spaces with extreme sonic characteristics, such as anechoic chambers or caves? What was the experience like?

Yes. I have experienced extreme closed and extreme open spaces.

It’s disorientating and then enlightening.

What are among your favourite spaces to record and play your music?

Outside, where nature can join in.

Do music and sound feel “material” to you? Does working with sound feel like you're sculpting or shaping something?

I know what you mean – yes – in a way I see or rather feel the shape of the music.

The pieces that really connect will always have a heart.

How important is sound for our overall well-being and in how far do you feel the "acoustic health" of a society or environment is reflective of its overall health?

Sound is hugely important but so is silence. It’s Yin and Yang.

I liken it to living in a city where buildings hide the horizon – you need to exercise the eyes by finding the horizon and looking further.

Similarly you need to allow the ears space to hear your own heart beat.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds?

Can’t say.

Many animals communicate through sound. Based either on experience or intuition, do you feel as though interspecies communication is possible and important? Is there a creative element to it, would you say?  

Absolutely – sound is Vibration. Vibration penetrates all living things. All  living things vibrate.

I am working on a project right now with an artist that is based on breath and vibration.

Tinnitus and developing hyperacusis are very real risks for anyone working with sound. Do you take precautions in this regard and if you're suffering from these or similar issues – how do you cope with them?

I wear ear plugs when I am out in the city. It dulls all the busy noise.

I have custom molds for loud shows.

We can surround us with sound every second of the day. The great pianist Glenn Gould even considered this the ultimate delight. How do you see that yourself and what importance does silence hold?

It depends on the sound. The world is too noisy. In this age it is not a delight at all.

The sound of nature is buried under modernisation. Like not being able to see the stars because of light poullution. It’s the same.

We need to listen more – to silence.

Seth S. Horowitz called hearing the “universal sense” and emphasised that it was more precise and faster than any of our other senses, including vision. How would our world be different if we paid less attention to looks and listened more instead?

Like I said – we need to be better listeners.