Locust

Under the name Locust, Mark Van Hoen has, since the early 1990s, developed an electronic body of work born in England, balancing ambient, drone, IDM, and a more introspective melodic writing. Born in Croydon, in south London, he began releasing this project after signing with R&S in 1993, and later on Apollo, where several records appeared that established a language made of hazy textures, discreet rhythms and a precise focus on memory and repetition. The early milestones of Locust include Skysplit (1993), In Remembrance of Times Past (1994), Natural Composite (1994), Weathered Well (1994), Truth Is Born of Arguments (1995) and Morning Light (1997). By the late 1990s, Locust's sound opened more to the voice and coexisted with releases published under the name Mark Van Hoen, notably on Touch. Locust then returned with Wrong (2001), followed by You'll Be Safe Forever (2013), After The Rain (2014), The Plaintive (2020) and The First Cause (2023). In parallel, Mark Van Hoen also collaborated with Neil Halstead in Black Hearted Brother, shedding light on another facet of his work, situated between electronic experimentation, contemplative atmosphere, and song-like forms.