Ben McCarthy

Ben McCarthy is a sound artist, and experimental electronic producer based in Toronto, Canada. Blending layers of re-purposed, processed and archival sound, McCarthy is not content to sit still in a single genre. His output spans ambient and electroacoustic compositions, sound design for theatre and art video games, blown out DJ assemblages, sound installations, and improvised multimedia performances.

McCarthy has been recording music for 15 years as a solo artist and collaborator. His first album recorded under the moniker Archivist, Learning to Live on Poison, featured collaborations with members of The Dears, Sunset Rubdown, and Land of Talk. His subsequent pop music project Pale Eyes reached the electronic top 10 on Canada’s college music charts for the 2013 release sweatshop. In 2018, alongside Indigenous Canadian RnB singer Iskwe, McCarthy was nominated for the SOCAN Songwriter Prize. More recently, his collaborations with Ah-Mer-Ah-Su were featured on Democracy Now and in her live stream for Grammy.com TRANScendant Sound Fest 2020.

Despite having been weaned on forums and YouTube tutorials, McCarthy won the Dora award for Outstanding Sound Design and Composition in Independent Theatre in 2019. His work with art video game collective SpekWork has been shown at the Venice Biennale, Amaze Berlin, and Mayworks’ Nightshift. Recent digital and interactive works have been included in the Social Distancing, Vector and Cluster Festivals.