Q&A with soaring synth star, The Silent Room

Image Credit: Erica Hawkins

 

We spoke with Tim Oliver, the UK composer behind The Silent Room, a new solo project influenced by Pink Floyd, The 1975, and Peter Gabriel. His sound blends dreamlike film soundtracks with a synthscape akin to that of M83 and TOTO. His debut single, ‘You’ll Never Know’, dropped  on September 6, 2024, via his Meddle imprint, previewing his forthcoming debut EP, Fluorescent, which will feature collaborations with Jess Greenfield, Owen Parker, Sam Wilcock, and Iain Hornal. Before this project, Oliver toured globally and performed with artists like Neneh Cherry and Lady Gaga, and scored for BBC shows including Jungle Atlantis and Horizon.

 

Stream ‘You’ll Never Know’ while you read our interview with him below.

 

 

Set the tone for us. Why the arts?

Because the arts express the things I can’t otherwise explain. We respond to music and sound before we understand words, or can even see, and when we’re near the end – it’s one of the very last things to go. It communicates at the very deepest level in a way we’re yet to understand. I hope we never fully understand it. Where I may lack the words, or even the honesty – music sends it in on a secret frequency. 

 

Which comes first when you’re producing – the sound or the idea?

The sound – almost always. I’ll be fiddling around on a piece of gear in my studio – and hopefully at some point, something will resonate – I’ll hit record as soon as I can. That’s the first building block, a little phrase or something – I’ll make it sound as nice as I can and build out from there until there’s a decent stretch of music. Then while I’m getting some sort of balance going, or often listening in the car, vocal ideas may start to occur – normally wordless – but in-between the vowel sounds, odd words and phrases may pop up out of nowhere … I’ve learnt to trust this, as things really start to slow down once I have to think about it. But it’s the sound that informs the idea.

 

Does your material feature any collaborations? 

I always knew I wanted to work with someone in the final stages of production to help bring it home. Julian Kindred is that person, I loved talking and working through the project with him – a very empathic, enthusiastic presence always willing to experiment. As well as doing a badass mix, he also massively improved the drum programming and added countless nice extra production touches.  

I’m very lucky to have met some awesome musicians over the years who have added a lot to this project – especially Jess Greenfield – probably best known as the singer/keys and percussion player with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. I knew very early on that I wanted her involved in this project. I’ve known Jess for many years,  she’s got a raw soulful voice that elevates the tracks into really passionate territory, and I love how it blends with mine – it’s sometimes hard to tell where one ends and the other begins – a texture that I find beguiling. You can hear her the most clearly on You’ll Never Know .

 

What’s on your current playlist?

I don’t really do playlists but I love finding a new album to get my teeth stuck into. The new ones from Peter Gabriel, Bleachers, M83, Idles have all figured strongly  but for me this year has all been about the new MGMT album Loss of Life. It’s been on heavy rotation, if it was a tape it would be worn out by now. There’s so much detail and interest in it – and I love the psychedelic, almost proggy undercurrent. I’m a sucker for cool keyboard sounds and great vocal hooks and there’s plenty of that here.

 

What techniques do you experiment with to get your original sound?

I think because of my classical background I approach things in quite a linear way. I think in lines rather than loops, melody rather than harmony, and layers rather than minimalism. No matter how much and try and make myself work any other way, it always ends up like this. 

I have sometimes limited myself to one bit of gear though – normally the OP1, and that’s produced some nice stuff. I went on a one week retreat to an island in Norway, and it’s the only thing I took with me. It’s also amazing for hotel rooms, or the back of a bus as I can put the headphones on and totally disappear into it. You kind of have to bend with it as it’s not massively intuitive – but what I get out of that – mainly using the sampler and built in mic – I would never have got sitting in the studio, even if it’s just a 4 bar section. It’s the sound of the relationship between me, the OP1 and whatever environment I’m in at that specific point in time.

 

Take us through a day in the recording studio.

Get in with a coffee – muck around on YouTube and get lost in it – then at some point my imagination gets curious and I’ll reach normally to my left where the Juno is and start playing some lines, I’ll maybe experiment with setting up new FX pedal chains  – and once I get a sound that fires me up – I’ll hit the red button in Logic and commit something – if I’m lucky I’ll get on a roll and one thing leads to another – and then anything is possible and time can disappear. I’ll probably forget to eat or drink and then 8 hours later I’ll hit a point where I’m getting lost in detail that isn’t getting me anywhere – that’s when I realise I should stop. There’s probably a creative sweet spot between 3pm and 6pm- the ramp up to that mentally is clearing the way and the ramp down is dwindling focus and unbelievable hunger.

 

Was there a specific moment in your life where you thought, “this is what I want to do”?

I’ve always loved putting on headphones and getting lost in what I’m listening to – and once I got an Atari ST, a drum machine and a synth and realised I could do it myself – that was it. 

 

If you’ll forgive the disgusting imagery, I guess it’s down to getting your insides out, making the abstract real.

 

What do you keep close by while you’re playing a set?

When I get to play, I’ll make sure I keep a trinket from one of my daughters on me. Anything to stop me throwing up from nerves.

 

Any emerging artists on your radar?

Hattie Whitehead is someone I’ve known for years through touring, and I’ve been watching her gradually form and rise. She has a remarkably pure, seemingly effortless folky voice, and she writes beautifully nuanced and phrased songs. She’s gaining momentum now and I’m pretty sure she going to go places.

 

What gets your creative juices flowing?

Space and time, and feeling dwarfed by nature.

 

Take us through your collection of gear, tech or software that accompanies your creative expression.

I’ve built up quite a bit of stuff over the years, but here’s some of my favourites :

Juno106 – It just doesn’t make a bad sound, it’s simple and useable, and sits great in a mix. Often my first port of call.

Strymon El Capistan Delay Pedal – I don’t know what they’ve done to make this sound so good but it’s gorgeous.

Roland Paraphonic 505 String Machine – It’s the magic machine. Being obsessed with the Blade Runner soundtrack – I wanted to get a vintage string synth that could do something similar. It’s really lush, and I’ve never heard software that gets even close to it. I have the somewhat niche accolade of having the world’s #1 YouTube video demonstrating it 🙂

 

Farfisa Compact Duo Organ – This is the organ Rick Wright used in Pink Floyd when they started out in the 60’s. When combined with the Binson Echorec delay unit, it kind of defined their 60’s psychedelic sound. It’s got a really nice tone and some weird features on it including a knee paddle that alters the tone. The killer feature though is a fantastic spring reverb built into the power supply that gives it an amazing magical shimmer. I found one while wandering around Denmark Street music shops and immediately pounced.

Teenage Engineering OP1 – It’s an absolute classic in so many ways. The combination of sampler / 4 track recording and arpeggiator is ingenious and it can do so much more. The gorgeous design really helps draw you in too. Perfect for tour busses.

 

Any side projects you’re working on?

I’ve been working for a while on a collaboration with a fantastic singer, Py. I can’t wait to put the finishing touches on this and let you hear it. It’s still electronic, but it sounds more organic, magical and edgy.

 

How have you refined your craft since you entered the industry?

The transition from professional musician to an artist has been the most interesting change for me. As a pro – you have to be skilful in playing or composing in a way that gets the job done, while hopefully retaining your own identity. As an artist though, the only person you should satisfy is yourself – and after years and years of working as a pro it’s taken me a while to get to that point. The refinement for me is getting to something true and honest.

 

Breakdown the news for us: what can we expect from you this year?

The single is out 9th September, with a full EP release around October the 11th. I’m working on a bonus track before the end of the year also.

 

Famous last words?

I normally think of something much better to say after the moment has gone, so I’ll leave that to my ghost.

 

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