Robin Guthrie

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Robin Guthrie (born 4 January 1962, Grangemouth Stirlingshire, Scotland) is a musician best known as co-founder of the Cocteau Twins. During his career Guthrie has played guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums and other musical instruments, in addition to programming, sampling and sound processing. Guthrie also works extensively as a producer and engineer.

Following the break-up of the Cocteau Twins in 1998, Guthrie released his first solo record, Imperial, in 2003 on Bella Union Records.

Guthrie's next release, which was co-written with Harold Budd, was the film score for Gregg Araki's Mysterious Skin. The soundtrack was released in June 2005 by Commotion and consists of fifteen complete songs based on the short pieces used in the film.

In 2006, Guthrie signed a four-album solo deal with Darla Records, the first product of which was the LP Continental. He subsequently released two four-track EPs, Everlasting and Waiting for Dawn, and the track "Argenta" on the compilation Little Darla has A Treat For You v.24: Endless Summer Edition.

Two more collaborations with Harold Budd (who had previously announced his musical retirement) were released simultaneously in 2007. Before The Day Breaks and After The Night Falls were both co-composed, co-produced and played with Budd. Like the soundtrack to Mysterious Skin, both albums are slow, drifting pieces primarily utilising treated guitar and piano.

Guthrie's most recent release is 3:19 Bande Originale du Film, the soundtrack to the Dany Saadia-directed film 3:19.

Guthrie has also collaborated with singer Siobhan de Maré (formerly of Mono) as the band Violet Indiana. Their first full-length LP, Roulette, was released in 2001 to much critical acclaim. A second album, Russian Doll, followed in 2004. In March 2006 Guthrie reported on his weblog that the group had started work again on new material. A new solo LP Carousel was released on Darla Records on September 28th, 2009. Additionally, Guthrie issued the Angel Falls EP in the Spring of 2009, and will release the EP , Songs To Help My Children Sleep on November 17, 2009. A further EP Sunflower Stories has been recorded but a release date has not yet been given.

Guthrie currently works and lives in France with his wife Florence, their daughter Violette, and Lucy Belle, his daughter with Liz Fraser.

Instrumental works

• 2003 Imperial (Bella Union)
• 2006 Continental (Darla)
• 2006 Everlasting (Darla) (4-song EP accompanying Continental)
• 2006 Waiting for Dawn (Rocket Girl)
• 2006 "Argenta" (Darla)
• 2008 3:19 Bande Originale du Film (Darla)
• 2009 Angel Falls (RocketGirl) (4-track EP)
• 2009 Carousel (Darla)
• 2009 Songs To Help My Children Sleep (RocketGirl) (4-track EP)
• 2009 Sunflower Stories (RocketGirl) (4-track EP)

Collaborations

Guthrie's musical collaborations are extensive, and focus primarily on production and engineering, although he has been featured as guest musician a number of times. The following list are his collaborative efforts to-date, from the earliest to the most recent.

1984

• This Mortal Coil, It'll End In Tears: "Song to the Siren" and "The Last Ray" (Instrumentation)
• The Wolfgang Press, Scarecrow (Producer)

1985

• Dif Juz, Extractions (Producer)
• The Wolfgang Press, Water (Producer)
• The Wolfgang Press, Sweatbox (Producer)
• The Wolfgang Press, The Legendary Wolfgang Press And Other Tall Stories (Producer)
• Harold Budd, Lovely Thunder (Instrumentation)
• Harold Budd, Simon Raymonde, Robin Guthrie & Elizabeth Fraser, The Moon and The Melodies (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Felt, Primitive Painters (Producer)
• Felt, Ignite the Seven Cannons (Producer)

1986

• Felt, The Ballad of the Band (Producer)

1987

• A R Kane, Lollita (Producer)
• Dif Juz, Lonely Is An Eyesore: "No Motion" (Producer)
• The Gun Club, Mother Juno (Producer)
• The Gun Club, The Breaking Hands (Producer)
• Felt, Final Resting of the Ark (Producer)

1988

• Edwyn Collins, Don't Shilly Shally (Producer)
• Harold Budd, The White Arcades (Instrumentation)

1989

• Big Hard Excellent Fish, The Imperfect List (Producer)
• AR Kane, Remixes, (Remix)

1990

• Chapterhouse, Whirlpool (Producer)
• Lush, Mad Love (Producer)
• Lush, Gala (Producer)
• The Veldt, Marigolds [Never Released] (Producer)

1991

• Lush, Black Spring (Producer)
• Shelleyan Orphan, Burst (Producer)
• Chapterhouse, Whirlpool (Producer)

1992

• Lush, Spooky (Producer)
• Lush, For Love (Producer)
• Ian McCulloch, Mysterio (2 tracks - Producer)

1993

• Peace Together: "Be Still" (Remix) (Producer)

1994

• The Veldt, Afrodisiac (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Fuel, Timeless EP (Producer)
• Medicine, Sounds of Medicine: "Time Baby 3" (Producer)

1996

• Frente!, What's Come Over Me? (Producer)
• Spooky, Found Sound: "Hypo-Allergenic" (Instrumentation)
• The Bitter Springs, Absence, (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Definition of Sound, Child (Remix)

1997

• Yu-Ra, Innocent Time (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Simon Raymonde, Blame Someone Else: "Muscle and Want" (Instrumentation)
• Autour de Lucie, Chansons Sans Issue (Remix) (Producer)
• Yu-Ra, Beyond The Pale (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Guy Chadwick, This Strength (Producer and Instrumentation)

1998

• Republica, Speed Ballads (Producer)
• Guy Chadwick, Lazy, Soft and Slow (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Mandalay, Flowers Bloom (Remix) (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Lucybell, Invisible Sun (Remix)
• Guy Chadwick, You Really Got a Hold on Me (Producer and Instrumentation)

1999

• Aether, Half Light (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Yu-Ra, Snow Doll (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Moonshake, Cranes, (Remix)
• Sneakster//Robin Guthrie, Fifty-Fifty (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Superstar, Superstar, (Remix)
• Drifting A.F.U., an album-length D.J. mix by Guthrie of his own sounds and those of such artists as Labradford, Sonic Youth, Silo, Tony Conrad, Chris & Cosey and Pan American, among others (Producer and Instrumentation)

2000

• Guy Chadwick, This Strength EP(Producer)
• Yu-Ra, Kumo EP (Producer)
• Olive, Trickle (Instrumentation)
• Russell Mills & Undark, Pearl & Umbra (Instrumentation)
• Violet Indiana, Choke (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Yu-Ra, My Cosmic Wave (Producer)

2001

• The Wave Room, Love Medicine, (Instrumentation and Mixing)
• Violet Indiana, Roulette (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Lift to Experience, The Texas Jerusalem Crossroads (Mix)

2002

• Violet Indiana, Killer Eyes (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Violet Indiana, Casino (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Aerial, So Warm (Producer and Instrumentation)

2003

• Violet Indiana, Special, (Producer and Instrumentation)

2004

• Mobil, Rayons, (Remix and Instrumentation)
• Ulrich Schnauss, On My Own, (Remix and Instrumentation)
• Violet Indiana, Russian Doll (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Violet Indiana, Beyond the Furr (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Sakurai Atsushi, "Märchen" (Music Composition)

2005

• Mitsuo Tate with Miki Berenyi, Smile, (Remix and Instrumentation)
• Sophie Barker, Earthbound (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Robin Guthrie & Harold Budd, Mysterious Skin Original Soundtrack (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Ulan Bator, Nouvel Air (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Amber Smith, RePrint (Mix)

2006

• Robin Guthrie, "Argenta" (Instrumental solo piece)
• Broaddaylight, The Bell Jar EP (Mastering)
• Annie Barker, Debut Album (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Mahogany, Connectivity (Producer and Instrumentation)
• School of Seven Bells, My Cabal (Remix and Instrumentation)
• Colour Kane, Seaside Dream (Remix and Instrumentation)
• Mark Gardener and Robin Guthrie, The Places We Go, (Producer and Instrumentation)
• Alsace Lorraine, Tall Grass, (Remix and Instrumentation)

2007

• Harold Budd & Robin Guthrie, After The Night Falls CD (Producer & Instrumentation)
• Harold Budd & Robin Guthrie, Before The Day Breaks CD (Producer & Instrumentation)
• Apollo Heights White Music for Black People CD (Producer & Instrumentation)

2008

• Resplandor, Pleamar (Producer)
• Halou featuring Robin Guthrie, Halou: "Professional," "Evensong," and "Seabright"

2009

• John Foxx & Robin Guthrie, Mirrorball (Instrumentation)

External links

• OFFICIAL Robin Guthrie Website (www.robinguthrie.com)
• Robin Guthrie's MySpace page
• Official Cocteau Twins Fan website (cocteautwins.org)
• Official Cocteau Twins Forums (cocteautwinsforums.com)
• Official Cocteau Twins Festival (cocteaufest.com)