London, 2026​

 

During this interview, I change seats, place myself in front of another artist and ask him the questions I wish people asked me. Today, I meet with British duo Ultima Canticum, who has just released its latest project, Psychopomp.  

 

Paul, Tim, tell us a bit about yourself.

 

P: I am an architect, researcher and musician. 

 

T: I am a production designer, artist and noise maker.

 

Tell us about what Ultima Canticum is.

 

P: Ultima Canticum is a collaboration between two old friends, who have been on the same musical page since 1989 when we first met. 

 

T: We have absorbed, interrogated and created music together since we were teenagers, mostly in complete agreement.

 

What about your latest release, Psychopomp?

 

P: Psychopomp is an album of soundscapes that emerged from live jamming and file sharing. The sounds were not conceived as music per se, but a reaction to the physical properties of sound and time. The sound sources of the work from my part, were all acoustic instruments put through looper pedals, its important that core signature of the instrument, the wood and metal, remains. I used ukulele's and mandolins exclusively. 

 

T: The themes within the narrative are based on a loose idea of what passing to the afterlife might look like. I visualised a physical energy rising from a field of reeds on the banks of the Nile and tried to perform in sound what I saw.

 

What are some of the influences and models you have used to develop Ultima Canticum?

 

P: Sounds and rhythms of nature, and the long held tones of Eliane Radigue, Pauline Oliverios and Alvin Lucier. 

 

T: Also artists (among others) Sarah Davachi, Ellen Arkbro and Laurie Anderson.

 

How do you approach creating music together?

 

P: This is a predominantly online collaboration, as we live apart, but I would love to do this live one day. We very rarely talk about our contributions, and let the music do the talking. This is refreshing, and intellectually stimulating. 

 

T: Predominantly the work is discovered through improvisation and experimentation.

 

How does collaborating on a duo setting differs from your works as solo artists?

 

P: Going solo is more of a challenge as you have no feedback or suggestions as to what works and what does not. Having a response drives the work away from a moment of indulgence, into part of a wider conversation that can ebb and flow. 

 

T: Hear hear…

 

So after Psychopomp what’s next?

 

P: Last year was incredibly fecund, and we have a lot of material to sift through, and develop. 

 

T: Psychopomp was a study of an exterior space, we want the next phase of our work to develop that view to the expansive...

 

Thanks very much Paul and Tim. A last one for the road — one book, one album, one film —, tell us about your latest cultural findings?

 

P: Book: Tale of the Heike; Album: Duvet Ida Urd & Ingri Hoyland; Film: Sinners 

 

T: Book: Sum by David Eagleman; Album: Bendik Giske; Film: Rose of Nevada.

 

Bouncing on Ultima Canticum’s words, Psychopomp emerges not simply as a collection of experimental soundscapes, but as an exploration of sound, space and perception, shaped by two artists who continue to discover where their shared musical language can take them. Read my review of Psychopomp.