“Robin Guthrie: Round Robin”

• By Robert Harris
• Electronic Sound
• 20-Nov 2024

Ex-Cocteaus man Robin Guthrie gives the scoop on his unique approach to music, and how these days he’s just as likely to make an album in the back of a camper van.

Renowned guitar-scape architect Robin Guthrie is best-known as a founding member of pioneering ethereal pop act Cocteau Twins. However, since the trio disbanded in 1997, he’s continued to produce music at a prolific rate. With a canon that includes multiple collaborations with minimalist composer Harold Budd, a few soundtracks, plus stints in the production chair for folks as diverse as Lush, Heligoland, and Jay-Jay Johanson, Guthrie has largely focused on an ongoing series of releases under his own name. The latest of which is titled Astoria.

Having worked with the major labels Universal and Capitol Records, as well as indies such as 4AD, Darla and Rocket Girl, Guthrie founded Soleil Après Minuit in 2005 to manage his own catalogue. Along the way, he’s started using Bandcamp as a direct connection to his fanbase.

“As an artist, it’s nice to have so much control over what I release,” he says. “I could have an idea on Thursday morning and it could end up in the store on Friday.”

An avid photographer, Guthrie also designs all the artwork, stating that “I really enjoy creating these series of interconnected things.”

On the surface, Guthrie’s music may seem unchanged from his days with Cocteau Twins, but he has a more nuanced view.

“My music does evolve, but just very slowly,” he says. “I don’t really try to force evolution—that’s what experiences in life are for. I interpret what I feel, but often using very different techniques.

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