Biography
Jayne Dent channels her multi-disciplinary practice through the Me Lost Me project, fusing British folk storytelling with experimental electronics to link heritage and innovation. Her integration of sampled textures, layered loops, and ageless vocal lines and melodies underscores the interplay between eras, a connection further reinforced by her interweaving of centuries-old material with original compositions on the 2018 debut album Arcana. Subsequent releases grew more thematic, as heard in the post-apocalyptic scenes of 2020’s The Good Noise and the parallel-universe settings of 2023’s video-game-inspired RPG, both confirming Me Lost Me’s readiness to propel folk forward while remaining rooted in its lineage.
Dent’s affinity for folk emerged in childhood: her father played concertina and other instruments, and her parents escorted her to regional folk performances and gatherings. During those years she also danced in folk ensembles and sang with choirs. As a teenager her listening broadened to encompass emo and metal alongside the more experimental wing of indie, drawing in particular from Owen Pallett and Tune-Yards.
After relocating to Newcastle to pursue fine art, Dent immersed herself in electronic and experimental practices. Exposure to the work of Laurie Anderson, Meredith Monk, and Pauline Oliveros, together with her participation in the experimental vocal ensemble Noize Choir, prompted her to merge her folk foundation with her interest in technology and non-traditional approaches. She christened the resulting project Me Lost Me and captured January 2017’s Demo/n, a set of atmospheric recordings featuring electronic layers produced on an Octoloop and supported by a small vocal choir. That methodology expanded on the official debut album, November 2018’s Arcana. Self-funded through crowdfunding, the record presented a hypnotic blend of traditional and original pieces built from Dent’s vocals, loop station, and concertina.
In addition to an extensive U.K. tour, Me Lost Me released the ecologically focused The Lay of the Land EP in May 2019. Dent’s second album, The Good Noise, followed in November 2020. Also crowdfunded, it incorporated field recordings from the Pyrenees and Newcastle Town Moor into atmospheric reflections on capitalism and nostalgia. Building on the acclaim for The Good Noise, Dent undertook a residency at Sage Gateshead, where she developed material that became the October 2021 EP The Circle Dance. Her first release featuring clarinetist Faye MacCalman and double bassist John Pope, the EP conjured the coastal scenery of Blast Beach. A remix EP containing reinterpretations by Jen Mac, Jennifer Walton, and additional artists appeared the next April. Live highlights that year included Me Lost Me’s appearance at the 2022 BBC Proms.
Me Lost Me opened 2023 with the January single “A Painting of the Wind” before issuing the album RPG that July. Drawing from the invented terrains of video games and paintings as well as the interplay of narrative and technology, Dent, MacCalman, and John Pope tracked the album’s exploratory pieces with Sam Grant of Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs.
Dent’s affinity for folk emerged in childhood: her father played concertina and other instruments, and her parents escorted her to regional folk performances and gatherings. During those years she also danced in folk ensembles and sang with choirs. As a teenager her listening broadened to encompass emo and metal alongside the more experimental wing of indie, drawing in particular from Owen Pallett and Tune-Yards.
After relocating to Newcastle to pursue fine art, Dent immersed herself in electronic and experimental practices. Exposure to the work of Laurie Anderson, Meredith Monk, and Pauline Oliveros, together with her participation in the experimental vocal ensemble Noize Choir, prompted her to merge her folk foundation with her interest in technology and non-traditional approaches. She christened the resulting project Me Lost Me and captured January 2017’s Demo/n, a set of atmospheric recordings featuring electronic layers produced on an Octoloop and supported by a small vocal choir. That methodology expanded on the official debut album, November 2018’s Arcana. Self-funded through crowdfunding, the record presented a hypnotic blend of traditional and original pieces built from Dent’s vocals, loop station, and concertina.
In addition to an extensive U.K. tour, Me Lost Me released the ecologically focused The Lay of the Land EP in May 2019. Dent’s second album, The Good Noise, followed in November 2020. Also crowdfunded, it incorporated field recordings from the Pyrenees and Newcastle Town Moor into atmospheric reflections on capitalism and nostalgia. Building on the acclaim for The Good Noise, Dent undertook a residency at Sage Gateshead, where she developed material that became the October 2021 EP The Circle Dance. Her first release featuring clarinetist Faye MacCalman and double bassist John Pope, the EP conjured the coastal scenery of Blast Beach. A remix EP containing reinterpretations by Jen Mac, Jennifer Walton, and additional artists appeared the next April. Live highlights that year included Me Lost Me’s appearance at the 2022 BBC Proms.
Me Lost Me opened 2023 with the January single “A Painting of the Wind” before issuing the album RPG that July. Drawing from the invented terrains of video games and paintings as well as the interplay of narrative and technology, Dent, MacCalman, and John Pope tracked the album’s exploratory pieces with Sam Grant of Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs.
Albums
Singles
