Martin Noble-James, Organiser Zero BPM Drone Festival
PREVIEW: ZERO BPM drone music festival, Church Piano Bar, Norwich, 25/5/26 At the end of the interview are links to tickets/further information about the festival - hopefully see you there!
PREVIEW: ZERO BPM drone music festival, Church Piano Bar, Norwich, 25/5/26
Anyone with a serious interest in music is unlikely to find an opportunity to spend £8 more wisely than on the ZERO BPM drone music festival. I bought my ticket some time ago and have been keen to persuade others to do the same ever since.
Maybe drone music isn’t for everyone, but I’m convinced it is for many more people than realise that it even exists. My desire to evangelise on behalf of this strange - frequently soothing, sometimes unsettling - music, led to me interviewing one of the festivals organiser’s, Martin Noble-James, earlier this month.
I’ve been a fan of this genre for a decade or so, ever since I listened to the Folke Rabe track ‘What??’ (after seeing a video of folk singer-songwriter Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy raving about it). Since then, I’ve discovered that there is a huge variety of compelling music that can fit this label. Martin does an excellent job of explaining what drone music actually is, and what it’s appeal might be, below - so I’ll leave it up to him to elaborate.
At the end of the interview are links to tickets/further information about the festival - hopefully see you there!
TOM: What is drone music?
MARTIN: Drone is primarily about the sustained note. It’s about subtle variations in texture and harmony and often it prioritises atmosphere over melody. It takes many forms and crosses many genres. It’s not always just one endless note – although it can be. It also includes folk music (think hurdy gurdy and Northumbrian pipes), Indian folk and classical music (tanpura) and choral music. (eg. Gregorian chant).
In the electronic or metal world it’s often focussed on a single slowly evolving tone, but it’s many different things and we’ve done our very best to cover a wide range. So it’s something that has always been with us and will probably be here forever.
There’s definitely something very hypnotic about it. Concentrate on the sound or just let it soak in. Drone is a mental space to completely lose yourself.
T: How did you first discover drone music? Was there one piece of music that first got you interested in this?
M: I built a modular synthesizer in lockdown (I can’t remember why), basically from youtube tutorials (I have very little experience of electronics) and it made me listen to sound in a completely different way. For quite a while I stopped being interested in melody altogether, and started to just focus on sound itself – listening to it slowly change and modulate. I didn’t really know there was a thing called drone. I was kind of aware of it through elements of folk music and I’d been listening to lots of pretentious stuff where very little happens for years (from Brian Eno to Sunn 0))) to Ravi Shankar) but discovering and creating it for myself was incredible. Norwich has a pretty healthy scene and you’ll find plenty of it at Electronic Music Open Mic night at the Rumsey Wells, and at the Holloway.
T: What prompted you to organise a drone music festival in Norwich?
M: The Spring Bank holiday is when World Drone Day happens. There are small and large drone festivals all over the world. I was alerted to this by the Norwich Synthesizer Club FB feed and a few of us got together and decided we should have a go.
T: How did you choose the acts?
M: While all of the organisers are primarily electronic musicians we were keen to showcase the diversity of drone, so we also wanted some folk, some guitar-based drone and we wanted some choral music too. When a friend tipped me off about Embers Choir I couldn’t believe my luck – they are deeply moving to hear and quite overwhelming at times. We’re also mixing up the genres – for example I’m providing a synthesizer drone backing for Megan Parry & Alex Hobbs - a brilliant folk singer and cellist duo. It’s an interesting and surprisingly cohesive combination. We would’ve liked to do much more - it’s our first year and hopefully we’ll build on what we’ve got, but we really think it’s a special lineup.
T: What three pieces of drone music would you recommend to someone curious about the genre?
M: This is an impossible task! Here’s what I’m listening to at the moment:
Laura Cannell – “The Medieval Drone Society II”. I love a bit of string drone, that’s why I’m so pleased to be working with Alex at the festival. Some this is hypnotic, some of it is a bit disturbing. She’s playing in Norwich soon and I’m very upset that I’m away that weekend. Try Alison Cotton too – her gig with Goat at UEA a couple of years ago was incredible.
Sleep – “Dopesmoker”. Full on drone metal, extreme, and not for everyone, but give it a few minutes and you’ll get helplessly lost in this. Despite the title you don’t need to be stoned.
Stars of the Lid – ”The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid”. Is it drone? Is in ambient? Well, it’s a bit of both but that just backs up my earlier point about genre crossing. One of my favourite albums to listen to in the bath.
Tickets/further info:
https://zerobpm.live/
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580646155460&name=xhp_nt__fb__action__open_user
