Biography
While Simon Scott achieved prominence through his drumming in dream pop pioneers Slowdive, he has also built a substantial body of work as an experimental ambient musician. Functioning as a sound ecologist, his independent projects integrate environmental recordings, acoustic instruments, and digital manipulation, prioritizing attentive auditory engagement. Releases including the 2009 album Navigare, Bunny from 2011, and Insomni in 2015 merge shadowy ambient drones with ragged shoegaze layers. His collaborations extend to sound artists such as Taylor Deupree, Dag Rosenqvist, and Marcus Fischer.
Born in Cambridge, England, Scott first attracted notice as drummer for the Charlottes, a female-fronted indie pop band assembled in the late 1980s. He departed that ensemble to replace original Slowdive drummer Adrian Sell in 1990. Following contributions to Just for a Day in 1991 and Souvlaki in 1993, he exited Slowdive before the third album sessions. A brief association with Chapterhouse occurred during the decade, after which he established the short-lived noise pop outfit Inner Sleeve in 1997. Joining Lowgold in 1999, he performed on their 2001 debut album and joined tours supporting Coldplay and Grandaddy. His departure from the group in 2002 led to the formation of Televise, which developed ideas first explored in Inner Sleeve. The debut Televise album, Songs to Sing in A&E, surfaced in 2006; subsequent efforts leaned toward experimental solo directions that foreshadowed his later independent path.
Also in 2006, Scott launched Kesh Recordings as a platform for experimental acts including Finland’s Hannu, whom he supported with production and instrumentation, alongside Lorenzo Senni and Kane Ikin, in addition to his own Televise output. During 2007, Scott and ISAN’s Antony Ryan issued a 7" single under the Seavault name, featuring covers of Ultra Vivid Scene’s “Mercy Seat” and Altered Images’ “I Could Be Happy.” Two years afterward, he delivered his debut solo album, the largely drum-free Navigare, via Norway’s Miasmah label. The active year 2010 brought the sixteen-minute work Nivalis on Secret Furry Hole, the four-track EP Traba for Immune, the half-hour piece Silenne on Slaapwel, and Conformists, the soundtrack to Juriaan Booij’s film of the same title, recorded jointly with Dag Rosenqvist. Additional work included contributions of guitar, treatments, and electronics to the Sight Below’s It All Falls Apart alongside Rafael Anton Irisarri. Bunny, a further Miasmah release, arrived in 2011 together with a 7" single for Sonic Pieces.
Following an appearance on Kompakt’s Pop Ambient 2012 compilation, Below Sea Level emerged on 12k, as did Between, the self-titled album by a quintet comprising Scott, Taylor Deupree, Marcus Fischer, Corey Fuller, and Tomoyoshi Date. After taking part in Slowdive’s reunion tours in 2014, Scott resumed solo activity with Insomni on Ash International in 2015. The live recording FloodLines appeared via Touch in 2016, and the STUK cassette came out on The Tapeworm in early 2017. That same year he performed on Slowdive’s self-titled reunion album. Shape Memory, a joint project with Fischer, surfaced on 12k in 2018, followed by the solo EP Grace on Touch.
Born in Cambridge, England, Scott first attracted notice as drummer for the Charlottes, a female-fronted indie pop band assembled in the late 1980s. He departed that ensemble to replace original Slowdive drummer Adrian Sell in 1990. Following contributions to Just for a Day in 1991 and Souvlaki in 1993, he exited Slowdive before the third album sessions. A brief association with Chapterhouse occurred during the decade, after which he established the short-lived noise pop outfit Inner Sleeve in 1997. Joining Lowgold in 1999, he performed on their 2001 debut album and joined tours supporting Coldplay and Grandaddy. His departure from the group in 2002 led to the formation of Televise, which developed ideas first explored in Inner Sleeve. The debut Televise album, Songs to Sing in A&E, surfaced in 2006; subsequent efforts leaned toward experimental solo directions that foreshadowed his later independent path.
Also in 2006, Scott launched Kesh Recordings as a platform for experimental acts including Finland’s Hannu, whom he supported with production and instrumentation, alongside Lorenzo Senni and Kane Ikin, in addition to his own Televise output. During 2007, Scott and ISAN’s Antony Ryan issued a 7" single under the Seavault name, featuring covers of Ultra Vivid Scene’s “Mercy Seat” and Altered Images’ “I Could Be Happy.” Two years afterward, he delivered his debut solo album, the largely drum-free Navigare, via Norway’s Miasmah label. The active year 2010 brought the sixteen-minute work Nivalis on Secret Furry Hole, the four-track EP Traba for Immune, the half-hour piece Silenne on Slaapwel, and Conformists, the soundtrack to Juriaan Booij’s film of the same title, recorded jointly with Dag Rosenqvist. Additional work included contributions of guitar, treatments, and electronics to the Sight Below’s It All Falls Apart alongside Rafael Anton Irisarri. Bunny, a further Miasmah release, arrived in 2011 together with a 7" single for Sonic Pieces.
Following an appearance on Kompakt’s Pop Ambient 2012 compilation, Below Sea Level emerged on 12k, as did Between, the self-titled album by a quintet comprising Scott, Taylor Deupree, Marcus Fischer, Corey Fuller, and Tomoyoshi Date. After taking part in Slowdive’s reunion tours in 2014, Scott resumed solo activity with Insomni on Ash International in 2015. The live recording FloodLines appeared via Touch in 2016, and the STUK cassette came out on The Tapeworm in early 2017. That same year he performed on Slowdive’s self-titled reunion album. Shape Memory, a joint project with Fischer, surfaced on 12k in 2018, followed by the solo EP Grace on Touch.
Albums
Migrations
2020
Time Waits for No One
2020
Touch Live in California 2019
2019
Soundings
2019
Stepping Stone
2018
Shape Memory
2018
Rhythm Guitar, Shakers & Tambourines
2016
Bunny
2011
Om for love
2010
Give Them Away
2010
Traba
2010
Navigare
2009
Singles
