When I was a kid I didn't know anything about Delia Derbyshire or the BBC as I grew up in Italy. But, I knew for sure that I was intrigued by the Doctor Who theme track and still I am.

Delia Derbyshire was a genius. She had a knack for both mathematics and music and her career has been consistent and in line with her aspirations, but with many difficulties for the same old reason: she was a woman. Delia was born in Coventry, England, in 1937.

Her early education at Coventry Grammar School and Girton College, Cambridge, where she earned a degree in mathematics and music, set the foundation for her illustrious career.

In 1959, she was denied a position at Decca Records because of her sex.

She didn't give up, so Delia took a detour to work for the UN in Geneva before returning to London to work for music publishers Boosey & Hawkes.

In 1960, she joined the BBC as a trainee studio manager. Her talent and dedication saw her excel in this role and joined the fledgling Radiophonic Workshop.

This marked the beginning of what is still referred to as the Golden Age of the Radiophonic Workshop.

Delia's contributions at the Radiophonic Workshop were revolutionary. 

As the sole member with advanced music qualifications, she brought an innovative approach to sound and music production, leaving a lasting impact on her colleagues. Her iconic creation, the Doctor Who theme, remains one of the most recognisable TV themes to date, crafted in 1963 in collaboration with Grainer. However, bureaucratic hurdles at the BBC hindered Grainer's attempt to credit Delia as a co-composer, as the workshop's anonymity was preferred by the organization.

Delia's Style at The BBC Radiophonic Workshop

She blended both tangible sounds from real objects and recorded sounds through the use of 

techniques. Delia harnessed real-world objects like bells, bottles, and clocks from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop's eclectic collection. One standout discovery was the resonant chime of an old industrial metal lampshade, a cherished found sound.

Beyond physical objects, Delia explored the electronic test equipment inherited from other BBC departments. In the absence of synthesizers in the early 1960s, the Workshop ingeniously crafted a "keying unit." This contraption comprised calibrated signal generators tuned to musical notes and an octave keyboard fashioned from keys salvaged from a dismantled piano.

Delia's resourcefulness extended to magnetic tapes, where she expertly synchronised machines manually during mixing or used a remote control box for simultaneous starts. The recorded sounds, once captured on tape, became the building blocks for her compositions. Delia's creativity soared as she manipulated these sounds, employing techniques such as cutting and splicing the tape to unlock a myriad of exciting possibilities.

1965: How DELIA DERBYSHIRE made the DOCTOR WHO theme I Tomorrow's World I Music I BBC Archive

Her on-screen credit finally came with Doctor Who's 50th-anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor. Delia's initial arrangement remained the main theme for the first seventeen series, spanning from 1963 to 1980. However, subsequent re-workings over the years didn't sit well with her, as the only version she approved of was the original composition.

Delia's talent extended beyond the confines of the Radiophonic Workshop. She was called upon to create music for drama and documentary programmes, science, arts and educational programmes, and her abstract style was well-suited to these tasks.

Her work with Barry Bermange 1964–65 on the four Inventions for Radio is perhaps the best instance of her intuitive way with soundscaping. It was a series of collages of people describing their thoughts on dreams, belief in God, the possibility of life after death, and the experience of old age, voiced over an electronic soundscape.

She also collaborated with renowned composers such as Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Roberto Gerhard, and Ianni Christou, doing sound treatments of their orchestral music. She was also an assistant to Luciano Berio at the 1962 Dartington summer school.

Despite facing criticism at the Workshop, (she was told that her music was 'too lascivious for 11-year-olds' and 'too sophisticated for the BBC2 audience) Delia found other avenues to express her creativity. She worked in film, theatre, 'happenings', original electronic music events, pop music and avant-garde psychedelia. She also encouraged the establishment of private electronic music studios like 

She left the BBC in 1973 and worked briefly at Hodgson's Electrophon studio where she contributed to the soundtrack to the film The Legend of Hell House.

She also composed a score for Yoko Ono's short film Wrapping Event, but unfortunately, the copy of the film with the soundtrack got lost.

She stopped creating music in 1975 and worked, in different places such as a bookstore and an art gallery.

She then back to music in 2001 providing sounds used as source material to 

Sychrondipity Machine (Taken from an Unfinished Dream

), a 55-second track for the compilation Grain: A Compilation of 99 Short Tracks, released by Dot Dot Dot Music. She died before the release and was credited in the compilation.

Sadly, her latest years were difficult as she struggled with alcoholism. She died of cancer, in July 2001, when she was 64.

Delia Derbyshire's talent still resonates and influences the music industry. Her works are still broadcast on radio and TV, and she is often credited and covered by many bands from Add n, Sonic Boom, Aphex Twin, The Chemical Brothers and Orbital.

Here at Artcore, we strongly believe in inclusivity and we value female and non-binary talents; upload your music 

Female Pioneers of Electronic Music - Delia Derbyshire

We continue our learning journey about the female pioneers of electronic music with Delia Derbyshire, the great British trailblazing composer.

In our staff picks series, we'll be highlighting tracks that stood out to us, either because we loved them, they introduced us to something new or they pushed a boundary that needed pushing.

This is our selection for February. We hope you find something in the list that resonates with you. 

Hard techno with rapid-fire vocals and acid reece synths.

Deep, glitchy psy-trance, full of distorted stabs and disorienting burbles.

Soulful chillout electronica. Just beautiful.

UK garage as seen through the eyes of Frank Zappa - Moody vocal samples from the man himself, and a progressive, experimental feel.

I'm a sucker for good original breakbeat music, and this track has a bit of everything

Bouncy tech house with an old-skool vibe.

Crunchy, downtuned progressive metal with orchestral elements. Slayer guitar riffs over Fear Factory-style drumming.

Soulful liquid drum and bass combining echoing vocals with driving breaks and synthy leads

Artcore Picks February

A selection of hand picked tracks from our editorial team  - this month curated by Dan Howe.

We felt a profound disappointment upon learning that Iklectik had been forced to close its doors on January 20. Every visit was greeted by the warm smiles of Isa and Eduard, the wonderful hosts who cultivated a community centred around experimental music.

Located in the heart of Waterloo, Iklectik was not only a hub for outstanding experimental artists and live performances but also a haven where people of all ages gathered in its beautiful garden chatting and sharing their passion for sonic exploration.

The venue's closure is a stark reminder of the homogenisation process that is sweeping across London and other major cities worldwide, where generic chains, new buildings and supermarkets are replacing unique cultural spaces. And that's very sad.

Over its ten-year existence from 2014, Iklectik hosted an impressive array of events, including over 1700 shows, 21 festivals, and 23 fundraisers, drawing in more than 60,000 visitors. It transcended from being merely a venue, evolving into a nexus where education, research, and creativity converged. Isa and Eduard are proud of their collaborations with both emerging and established international artists, universities, record labels, and technology organizations.

While Iklectik may have closed its doors, hope remains. Isa and Eduard refuse to yield, embarking on new and promising ventures despite the setback. They have two new projects on the horizon: THE ART LAB and THE NOMADIK PROGRAMME.

THE ART LAB aims to establish a unique, purpose-built creative hub, fostering collaboration among experimentalists from diverse disciplines.

This hub will serve as a home for artist residencies, R&D programmes, and workshops, becoming an incubator and accelerator of creative partnerships. The goal is to leverage the ART LAB to broaden opportunities for artists of all levels, offering essential access to AV tools, listening resources, shared workspace, a library, and a specialized bookshop.

THE NOMADIK PROGRAMME, on the other hand, will see Isa and Eduard hit the road, collaborating with various venues in London, the UK, and beyond, to organise events and host live performances.

However, these ambitious projects come with a cost. Isa and Eduard have launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise 

 to cover rent and deposit for the ART LAB space for the first six months, soundproofing and building setup costs, running costs, production costs for the NOMADIK programme, and residencies and workshops.

As Isa and Eduard put it "This is more than a fundraising campaign; it's a call to action. Your contribution will not only help save IKLECTIK, it will be a vital asset in the future of experimental art, preserving a cultural legacy for generations to come."

So, let's rally behind Iklectik and help bring these projects to life. Every donation, no matter how small, can make a difference!

Let's ensure that the spirit of Iklectik lives on, fostering creativity and pushing the boundaries of experimental music.

Iklectik Closed: A Loss for Experimental Music; But is There Still hope?

The iconic hub of experimental music in London, Iklectik, has shuttered its doors. Join us in supporting its creators through their crowdfunding efforts. Click here to find out how you can contribute.

Founded by Russ AKA Cellar, after 2 decades of love for the Drum & Bass scene and finally taking the dive into realising a long time dream to be part of the scene Interstellar Audio was born, with great support from Twelve Step Audio, Zante, Vibe, Jinbu and more, Interstellar has grown into an emerging force dedicated to the soulful and deep sides of Drum & Bass.

Nottingham U.K but our mission is global, our core team includes people from 3 corners of the U.K, New Zealand & Sweden.

One of the main goals of IA is to form a global community of creatives and friends all supporting and pushing each other to reach their goals, if our artists have dreams of releasing on top tier labels then we will do everything we can do to help them realise those dreams. IA is also committed to recognising the value of artists and our processes are all geared with the belief that Artists should be the first to get paid, not the last, and we are walking a long and challenging road to ensure we realise those ambitions.

Our charity release, Frontiers Volume 1, just out recently which has received an incredible amount of support from the scene and even been included in the Hospital Records Podcast as well as played on GeorgeFM in New Zealand. Frontiers is a diverse compilation featuring artists from around the world, united in the mission for peace.

It’s a compelling compilation featuring an eclectic mix of artists, each contributing their unique sounds to support the Ukrainian Red Cross Society's mission to protect lives and alleviate human suffering. The artists on this record share a common goal – to break down barriers and borders through the power of music. Frontiers Vol. 1 is not just a collection of tracks; it's a collaborative effort to bring solace in troubled times and places.

Frontiers will be an annual project supporting various causes and we are already planning Volume 2!

In our first year we have released over 70 tracks from more than 35 artists all across the world, spanning from the most deliciously soulful liquid all the way up to hard hitting and high energy tracks. We use a distributor to reach all the mainstream stores and streaming sites but we also independently publish to Artcore and similar platforms as we believe in as short a supply chain as possible.

We ran 3 events in 2023, including a summer celebration, the IA Garden Party which was a free event that showcased IA artists and Resident DJs. The focus for 2024 is to create a recognised brand that people know will be an intimate event with immaculate vibes no matter where we throw it or who is on the bill. We have 3 events in the works for Q1 2024 and some big plans for later in the year.

Where would you most like to put on a show?

To host an event outdoors on a mountain top would be my dream.

People that push the scene forward and are just nice people, particularly Steve BCEE of Spearhead records, Degs of the Hospital Podcast, Peter Piper from Overview and many more.

Rizzle! Doing his own thing and I'm here for it.

Receiving plays on GeorgeFM's liquid lowdown show of Jinbu's release with us earlier this year was a total honour and real nice surprise. We also had plays on the Hospital Records Podcast and 4 of our tracks made it to BBC Introducing in 2023.

So many artists, but to name a few of my top priorities right now, Inigma, Maykors, Archangel, Thread, Rizzle.

We took IA to Mountain Bass festival earlier this year to play on the mountain tops supporting artists like Keeno, Degs & Etherwood and also play our own events with our label team, artists and residents on line ups.

How does DJing fit into your production world?

I think these days they have to go hand in hand, to be a professional DJ you must be a successful producer also, particularly in the DnB scene.

I made a bootleg of Toca's Miracle that's an Amen break riot and never disappoints.

It's an artist first platform that's poised to pick up where Bandcamp will leave off


Visit Interstellar Audio's Label Page on Artcore

Frontiers Volume 1 - proceeds to Ukrainian Red Cross Society,

Interstellar Audio

Nottingham based Drum & bass label Interstellar Audio talk about their ambitions and their recently released Frontiers compilation, the proceeds of which will go to the Ukraine Red Cross Society.

Time is running out to join the Artcore Early-Bird program!

Early-Birders get a discounted commission rate of 7% until AT LEAST the end of March 2024.

There will also be additional surprise perks for so we highly recommend that you join now!

You've got until 20th December to 

Time is running out!

Become an Early Bird member and get a discounted commission rate of just 7% until AT LEAST the end of March 2024. 

On the 13th and 14th of April, the iconic Rich mix will host the Crux AV Festival. This weekend-long event promises a diverse programme of audiovisual performances, workshops, and jam sessions that will leave you inspired and captivated.

As the sun sets on Saturday and Sunday evenings, the stage comes alive with a lineup of both emerging and established artists showcasing their audiovisual talents.

During the day, the festival offers a range of workshops and talks for those looking to dive deeper into the world of audiovisual arts.

Whether you're a seasoned artist or a curious beginner, there are opportunities to participate in open-mic-style electronic music performances or join in on Sunday jam sessions.

The festival truly caters to all levels of interest and expertise, making it a must-visit event for anyone passionate about the intersection of music and visuals.

's show, there is something for every art enthusiast to enjoy.

 will lead a workshop on Immersive Sound. Renowned for her electrifying performances, she has become a prominent figure in the electronic music scene, captivating audiences worldwide.

 a project by the Disability Music charity Drakemusic.org will be hosting a "taster session." Designed as a platform for both Disabled and non-disabled musicians, technologists, and makers to share practices and delve into innovative accessible instruments, this event offers a unique opportunity for collaboration.


The one-hour DMLab session will feature a performance by award-winning artist 

, followed by a panel discussion on accessibility in music. Joining Elizabeth for the discussion will be artists John Kelly and Andre Louis.

Don't miss out on the chance to attend the Crux AV Festival, a hub of creativity and inspiration.

https://richmix.org.uk/events/crux-festival-of-audiovisual-performing-arts/

Trip Through Audiovisual Arts: Discover the Crux AV Festival

Mark your calendars for April 13th and 14th to experience the Crux AV Festival. We list our picks and how to get tickets.