Maddie Ashman
Microtonal avant-pop for voice, guitar, cello and unstable harmonies
Based in London, United Kingdom
Ashman sets clear, close-miked vocals against microtonally tuned guitar, cello, synth hooks, choral layers and sudden breakbeat-weighted drops. Expect songs from Her Side alongside the brisk 5/4 pulse of “Amber,” with familiar pop cadences bending into buzzing, queasy or glass-pure harmonies.
More about Maddie Ashman
Raised in Berkshire and now based in London, Ashman studied music at Goldsmiths before moving from orchestral, session and touring work into her own tuning research. Youth Music’s NextGen Fund supported her Three Microtonal Lullabies project, while collaborators including Leo Abrahams and Gus White helped translate that research into detailed pop production.
A story
Her microtonal fixation began during a rehearsal when her cello harmonics would not match the piano, sending her into a tuning-research rabbit hole.
Playing
- 2026-11-05 · Pitchfork Avant-Garde · Café de la Danse · Café de la Danse
Start here
- Her Side (2026) · AWAL Recordings
Seven-song statement where microtonal theory becomes tense, intimate pop. - Amber (2026) · AWAL Recordings
A fast, wonky 5/4 route into her more rhythmic side. - otherworld (2025)
Voice and classical guitar stretched through custom just-intonation tunings.
Worked with
- Leo Abrahams co-produced Amber; mixed and produced vocals across Her Side
- Gus White co-produced Her Side and recorded otherworld
For fans of
Björk, Caroline Polachek, Mica Levi, Michael Harrison, La Monte YoungOfficial links
Pitchfork ParisBandcampSoundCloudInstagramSpotifyYouTubeWebsiteDiscogs
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