Orb Podcast 040: Future Beat Alliance

Electronic composer Matthew Puffett AKA Future Beat Alliance crafted his reputation in the late ’90s with a string of sought-after releases on Void Records under the aliases Mode-M and Soul Electrik before settling on the Future Beat Alliance handle. Notching up releases with the likes of Delsin, Rush Hour, and Versatile as well as with the storied Tresor imprint, both as a DJ and an artist

The last 10 years have seen Puffett working closely with James Lavelle’s UNKLE project. The resulting body of work includes co-writing and programming UNKLE’s 5th studio album, The Road Part I. During this period UNKLE were winners of the MPG Remixer Of The Year award in 2016, 2018, and 2020. Puffett during this period also worked on various film projects and advertising campaigns, including Paul Bettany’s directorial debut Shelter, H&M’s winter fall 2012 campaign, and scoring music for the short film Erebus. While remixing high profile bands including Queens Of The Stone Age, Bombay Bicycle Club, London Grammar, Mark Lanegan, The Duke Spirit & Ten Fe.

Puffett’s widescreen sonic craftsmanship alongside his irresistible rhythmic sense is a key part of what makes Future Beat Alliance music so alluring. In 2019, Matt also started his new imprint Reward System to launch the long-running album project Beginner’s Mind and as a platform to self-release new creations.

For this week’s episode of Orb podcast, Future Beat Alliance tells us his idea behind the mix: “I’m always heavily inspired by the moving picture, especially documentaries, science fiction films, etc, and wanted to document that into some kind of soundscape, collage, weaving through some recent favourite film scores (scenes) accompanied with obscure spoken word film quotes, which I regularly collect and archive, most of the tracks chosen for the mix are new favourite discoveries with a couple of classics which are always on repeat in my flat.”

Tracklist
01. Introduction
02. Jonny Greenwood – Tree Strings
03. Warren Ellis – This Train I Ride
04. Divide and Dissolve – We Are Really Worried About You
05. Michael Banabila – In A Language I Can Understand
06. Ishai Adar feat. Maurice Sarfati – Ana Belephoneq
07. Disasterpeace – Detroit
08. Artefakt – Half Speed Tape
09. The Clientele – Bonfires on the Heath
10. Clint Mansell – In The Earth II
11. Sarah Davachi – Dominions
12. Emanuele Parrenniin – Detlef Weinrich – Caltec’s Dance
13. Plaid – Wallet
14. Arovane – Elangt
15. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Resolve