SND

SND is a glitch and minimal techno duo from Sheffield, United Kingdom, made up of Mark Fell and Mat Steel. Formed in 1998, the group remains active and is associated with electronic music, minimal, glitch and IDM.

Sound and approach

The duo develops a stripped-back digital style linked to new minimalism. Their work appears on their own SND label as well as on Mille Plateaux, and is described as combining the linear minimalism associated with Ryoji Ikeda and Oval with the rhythmic structure of techno artists such as Thomas Brinkmann and Derrick May. Their approach treats sound, space and form in a way compared with origami, with pieces that fold and unfold, contract and expand, and shift into parallel or opposite versions of themselves.

Releases and label work

SND issue a series of influential releases on their own label, SND, and on the Frankfurt label Mille Plateaux. Their recorded work is presented as an exploration of musical data and structural transformation rather than conventional song form.

Performances and recognition

The group performs internationally and appears at festivals, clubs, museums and performance spaces including Sónar Festival of Advanced Music and Multimedia in Barcelona, Mutek in Montreal, ZKM in Karlsruhe, Anchorage in New York, The Barbican in London, Schirn and Mousonturm in Frankfurt, Liquid Room in Tokyo, All Tomorrow’s Parties in the UK, New Forms in Den Haag, Volksbühne in Berlin, Videotage in Hong Kong and Zouk in Singapore. They also tour extensively and complete a European tour with Autechre. SND is nominated for awards including Ars Electronica, the Asia-Europe Award and the Quartz Award for research in digital music.