Photo courtesy of Quiet Husband.
Multi-disciplinary artist and DJ Quiet Husband (Richie Culver) makes music that transports you into the unfamiliar.
That’s particularly true in his own production — such as on his latest album The Architecture Of Perception —, as well as his mixes, which lure the listener into a state of timelessness where sounds blend and unfurl in hypnotic circles.
His music’s textural specificity and overall lived-in ambiance is reflected in his visual art, like his latest show The Builder’s Daughter (curated by PASSAGE in Sofia, Bulgaria), where collage and abstraction merge into paintings which feel as if they were found amidst the rubble.
Culver has found his way into all sorts of nooks and crannies in both the under and over ground. His art, which often features expressive text scrawls, has been shown around the world and has earned a fan in Drake; the Canadian rapper cheekily used a 2021 painting by Culver that reads “huge fan of your old stuff" in a 2022 merch drop. In addition, he’s scored a LOEWE runway show, and taken his murky techno expressions to clubs and venues such as Berghain, Atonal, Tresor, The White Hotel, Carlos/Ishikawa, and Camden Arts Centre.
Culver describes his FADER Mix as both a “tribute to and an investigation of” techno. “Drawing on artists such as Floid and Spekki Webu, alongside other producers operating in that space, the mix unfolds as a seamless, otherworldly passage through dense textures, hypnotic rhythms and shifting atmospheres,” Culver tells The FADER. “There’s a swamp-like quality to it: murky, organic, and constantly evolving.”
Listen to Quiet Husband's FADER Mix at Soundcloud, Mixcloud, and Youtube, and check out its tracklist and an interview with him below.
Quiet Husband’s FADER Mix tracklist:
Quiet Husband - "Dull"
Archypness - "Mahagon"
Floid - "Zoona"
Wild Moss - "Abo Abo"
Feral & Speck Webu - "Exitude (Floating Version)"
Archypness - "Drakhön"
Gui & Adhi - "Desiran"
Raär - "Edge Trigger"
Archypness - "Duh"
Spekki Webu - "ceism.iii"
The FADER: What led you to start DJing?
Quiet Husband: My path into DJing emerged alongside the gradual realization that my ambition of becoming a professional footballer was not going to materialise in the way I had hoped. After leaving Hull City and spending a brief period at Doncaster Rovers, I found myself increasingly drawn toward a passion that had been developing for many years alongside football.
My interest in DJing began when I was around twelve or thirteen years old, after receiving a pair of turntables as a Christmas present. I was captivated not only by the technical challenge of learning to beat-match, but by the entire culture that surrounded it: visiting record shops, borrowing and exchanging records with friends, and spending countless hours searching for sounds that resonated with me.
Part of the appeal was the sense of mystery and immersion that surrounded the culture. As a child, I had been exposed to elements of nightlife and dance music culture through local fairgrounds, Waltzers/MCs, and traveling rides — experiences that left a strong impression on me. Although I did not consciously connect these influences at the time, I believe they resurfaced when I began DJing.
What’s the first set you ever played?
If we exclude the countless sets I played in my bedroom, the first real audience I ever played to was at my friend Jamie’s house. Jamie was the first person in our small seaside town to own
a pair of decks, and he had completely transformed an upstairs bedroom into what felt like a genuine club environment. He called it “Hectic Rooms,” and getting invited to play there felt like receiving a golden ticket. For a handful of local kids who were obsessed with dance music, it was our equivalent of a legendary venue. I played at Hectic Rooms several times, usually to no more than five or six friends. Looking back, it sounds insignificant, but at the time it felt incredibly important. It was a place where we could immerse ourselves in the music, experiment, and imagine ourselves as part of a much bigger world. Jamie, who created Hectic Rooms and introduced so many of us to that world, has since passed away. Looking back on those early days, it is impossible not to think of him. In many ways, those first sets belong as much to him as they do to me. Rest in peace, Jamie. This one’s for you, mate.
What DJs or artists inspire you?
In terms of contemporary DJs and producers, I’m particularly inspired by figures such as Woody92, Spekki Webu, Floid, Archypness, Medlock, and Feral, among others. What interests me about their work is not simply their technical ability, but the way they continue to challenge and expand the language of techno itself. Their approach feels exploratory and inquisitive, constantly questioning the boundaries of the genre rather than merely operating within them.
How has your local scene shaped your mixing and curation?
I’ve never felt rooted in one particular place or community in that sense. I live in London, but I’m from Hull. I spend a great deal of time working in Middlesbrough, and I play in Berlin and other spots in Europe as often as I do in the UK.
One of the most formative periods came when I left Hull and moved to Leeds. At the time, I realised that if I wanted to continue buying records and pursuing music, I would need another source of income. I began working in retail, and quite quickly I discovered that retail culture was, in its own way, one of the closest things to club culture that I could access on a daily basis. Working in fashion retail provided an unexpected entry point into the underground world I was fascinated by. The job came with a uniform allowance, which meant I could wear clothes that reflected the culture I wanted to be part of. More importantly, the social networks surrounding those stores overlapped with nightlife. The guest list person from local clubs such as Back2Basics and HARD TIMES would regularly visit the major fashion stores and offer staff entry to events. I quickly realized that this was a genuine route into the wider creative community that surrounded music, fashion, and nightlife.
How would you describe the relationship between your visual art and your work in electronic music?
I’ve never really seen a distinction between my visual practice and my work in music. For me, the discipline is making itself. Whether that’s painting, photography, sculpture, performance, techno or something else entirely, I see them all as different expressions of the same creative impulse. My medium is not one particular form; it’s the act of creation. I also think it’s increasingly important for artists to be multidisciplinary within the contemporary cultural landscape. Years ago, Jamie’s cousin gave me a piece of advice that has stayed with me ever since: "Be the kind of artist who can design the flyer, play the show, DJ the afterparty, take the photographs and create the cover artwork."
What’s the most memorable set you’ve ever played?
There are two sets that stand out above all others. The first is my debut at Berghain, which was important to me on a level that goes far beyond DJing. It wasn’t simply one of the best sets I’ve played; it was one of the most significant experiences of my life. As someone whose childhood ambition of becoming a professional footballer never quite materialized, walking into a space like that and playing to a packed room at 1pm on a Sunday felt, in some ways, as close as I was ever going to get to the feeling I imagined footballers experience when they step out in front of a full stadium. The second would be playing on the Waltzers at Hull Fair on a packed Friday night as part of Unthinkable Festival.
What DJ trend needs to die?
Old DJs criticizing new DJs.
How would you describe your FADER mix?
Like every DJ, I could call this mix a journey, but for me it was about exploring the outer edges of what contemporary techno can be. I wanted to work with a faster pace that occasionally
pushes beyond straightforward dance floor functionality into something more disorienting, immersive and even unfathomable. The result is something that feels both propulsive and dreamlike or sleep paralysis … inviting the listener into a strange and immersive sonic landscape.