A biography for Jon Hopkinshasn’t been written yet.
“You can't allow your creative sessions to be dominated by miniscule editing processes.”
“I always liked the idea of shaving the back of my head and getting a tattoo of my own face there so that, whichever way I was looking, I could freak people out.”
“When you've got hardly any equipment, very little money and no access to any information, your sound is very much dictated by you, your setup and what you're listening to. Nothing more.”
“I'm a bit snobbish about breakfast: eggs benedict, or eggs royale, or something like that. Or just some really amazing, proper brown toast with smoked salmon, lemon, and black pepper. That's a great start to the day.”
“Music has always been so integral to my life. It's always been my work and my passion.”
“I was guided into piano lessons and 'guided' is a nice way of saying 'forced.' I don't regret it, but I think music theory as a concept doesn't work.”
“I really don't use that much stuff. I think it's good to know a few pieces of equipment very well, rather than learn new ones every time. I think it distracts from the writing process.”
“I don't want to make an album which is full of brutal and jarring techno.”
“It's extraordinary to hear from people who are bereaved, or gone through a divorce, and they still take the time to tell me how a certain track or album helped them through tough times, or kept them sane.”
“I think I took eight or nine months to make 'Immunity.' I just focused on mainly that, and it felt amazing.”
“Ever since I got a job in Imogen Heap's touring band when I was 17, there have been moments in my career that I can't quite believe really happened.”
“As soon as I finish meditating, I get a beautiful feeling of expanded consciousness. When I'm in this headspace I can make so much progress in my writing.”
“I like to have an album arc that comes from an experience rather than a story.”
“I have always been interested in incorporating real places into the music I make. Bringing the outside into the controlled world of recorded sound just gives life and physicality.”
“I learned over the years to trust that the subconscious is going to provide guidance.”
“Sometimes you can just record anything and slow it down hugely and you'll find all these hidden notes and frequencies that match up really nicely.”
“I love truly forward-thinking music, and I'm not even sure I'd describe my work as that, even.”
“Well, I don't really use MIDI that much. But I do record audio around me a lot, and just layer it up and see what effect it has, without any aforethought.”
“I've always been obsessed with contrast in records, and using harsher elements to make the quieter ones more powerful.”
“Overall, 'Singularity' has a certain lightness to it compared to 'Immunity.' It's less closed off; it doesn't have that claustrophobic sound.”