Beatrice Dillon

On her debut album, Workaround, Beatrice Dillon finds new ways to unlock electronic music’s often rigid parameters. Danny Turner learns about the process behind its creation

- Danny Turner

Exploring the cracks between bass, house and experimental music, Beatrice Dillon brings a distinctive approach to production. Influenced by UK club music from her time spent working in record stores, the ambitious DJ/producer has a history of merging the organic and synthetic, creating rematerialized compositions for a number of sound art commissions.

The former NTS Radio DJ is currently resident at Somerset House Studios, where her small but focused studio belies the complexity of her solo debut LP, Workaround. An early contender for experimental electronic album of the year, it shows Dillon’s inventive fusion of acoustic samples and groove-driven modular permutations – a breath of fresh air for the UK electronic scene.

Has your background in the visual arts-informed your approach to music-making?

“In terms of having a curiosity about art, sound design and film, it definitely all feeds in. I once mentioned that attending art school was a waste of time, but I didn’t mean that to be disrespectful to the college. It’s just that most people think that if you go to art school you’ll spend all day life drawing but, because art isn’t routed in the traditional methods it was, it teaches you more about thinking, history and concepts than techniques. I really enjoyed that, but I wonder if that was a good use of my student loan.”

You worked as a BBC Radio 3 researcher…

“I started off doing internships at different radio programs and worked for a production company that made jazz and world music for Radio 3. It was unpaid, but if you stuck around long enough jobs became available.”

Sampling appears to be a strong tenet of your music-making discipline…