Duncan Bellamy, Jack Wyllie, Milo Fitzpatrick, and Keir Vine make up Portico Quartet, an experimental contemporary ensemble, who came together while studying at university in London in 2005. The quartet made a name for themselves by busking outside the National Theatre on London’s Southbank, but have since compiled a healthy discography of forward-thinking, wide-screen jazz drawing on minimalism and electronic music, not to mention earned themselves a Mercury Prize nomination with their debut album, 2008’s Knee-Deep in the North Sea. Besides the unnerving beauty of their work, they’re known for their use of the Hang, a peculiar instrument akin to the steel drum and the brainchild of pioneer sound designers Felix Rohner and Sabina Schaerer.

After a period of self-reflection, the quartet recently returned in 2017 with Art in the Age of Automation on Gondwana Records. Their latest release, Memory Streams, is out now, and to mark the occasion, 15 years after their formation, Jack Wyllie of Portico Quartet took a step back to reflect on their work and the influences behind it.

“This mix digs into the music that bought us to our sound, particularly the common tastes shared and developed when we first started making music together over 10 years ago. What I’ve put together here is stuff that I still often play today. There is a focus on American minimalism; the interlocking, phasing patterns and restless experimentalism of that period remain a strong influence. This moves into jazz; John and Alice Coltrane along with Pharoe Sanders and the band we all bonded over initially, E.S.T. Then there’s some of my favorite tracks I listened to a lot when I was growing up, Apex Twin, Boards Of Canada, and Autechre that have remained a staple. And finishing with Arthur Russell, his beautiful experimental songwriting bringing the mix to a close. Hope you enjoy!” —Jack Wylie (Saxophone), Portico Quartet

XLR8R has now joined Mixcloud Select, meaning that to download the podcast you will need to subscribe to our Select channel. The move to Mixcloud Select will ensure that all the producers with music featured in our mixes get paid. You can read more about it here.

Tracklisting

01. John Adams “China Gates” (Presto Classical)
02. Steve Reich “Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices and Organ” (Nonsuch)
03. Jon Hassell “Chemistry” (E. G, Polydor)
04. E.S.T “Seven Days of Falling” (ACT Music)
05. John Coltrane “Naima” (Impulse!)
06. Alice Coltrane “Turiya and Ramakrishna” (Impulse)
07. Jaco Pastorious “Okonkole y Trompa” (SME)
08. Pharoe Sanders “Astral Travelling” (Impulse!)
09. Autechre “Altibuzz” (Warp Records)
10. Aphex Twin “Xtal” (R&S Records)
11. Boards of Canada “Amo bishop roden” (Warp Records)
12. Oneohtrix Point Never “Laser to laser” (Software Recording Co.)
13. Arthur Russell “Soon-To-Be Innocent Fun/Let’s See” (Audika Records)