John Bence uses music to probe the deepest recesses of the human psyche. Over a handful of releases the composer has already built up a striking body of work bound by an incredible clarity of vision. His elegiac works occupy an omnivorous sound-world, assimilating elements of British avant-garde and electronic music, classical tradition and sacred medieval song into cavernous, sepulchral compositions.
John Bence⤬
John Bence is a composer and producer from Bristol, UK, whose work tackles epic narrative themes and uncompromising sonics with a juddering emotional punch.
Early releases for Nicholas Jaar’s Other People imprint and Yves Tumor’s label Grooming were engulfed in overwhelming emotion. Struggles with alcoholism and addiction found their outlet in brooding chamber atmospheres and caustic eruptions of choral aggression on the macabre Kill. Love forms the final chapter in a trio of works with Kill and Disquiet that chart Bence’s experiences with addiction and his subsequent journey to recovery. Returning to his first love, the piano, Bence explores the instrument’s deeply emotional qualities in ten movements.
Love’s stark minimalism and raw production reflect the composer’s personal struggles with striking honesty, searching for the deeper meaning in human suffering.