Marcus O'Dair is an English writer, musician/

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

, broadcaster and lecturer. He is most notable for his work as part of the band

Grasscut Grasscut are a musical group featuring composer/producer Andrew Phillips and musician/writer Marcus O'Dair. Phillips writes and produces all Grasscut music; he also sings and plays various instruments including guitar and keyboards. O'Dair manag ...

, described by '' Clash'' magazine as "genuinely daring electronica artists". He is also notable for his 2015 biography of musician

Robert Wyatt Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945) is a retired English musician. A founding member of the influential Canterbury scene bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, he was initially a kit drummer and singer before becoming para ...

, a book described in the ''

London Review of Books The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published twice monthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews. History The ''London Review of ...

'' as "fascinating".

Career

O'Dair works as both a music lecturer and journalist. He is also the author of ''Different Every Time: the Authorised Biography of Robert Wyatt'', which was published by Serpent's Tail and features a foreword by Jonathan Coe. The book was described by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' as "exhaustive and affectionate", and as a "meticulous and vivid account". He co-compiled the accompanying compilation, released by Domino Records. As a writer, he has written for publications including ''The Guardian'' and the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

''. O'Dair is a regular studio guest on The Freakzone (BBC 6 Music) with

Stuart Maconie Stuart Maconie (born 13 August 1961) is an English radio DJ and television presenter, writer, journalist, and critic working in the field of pop music and popular culture. He is currently a presenter on BBC Radio 6 Music where, alongside Mark ...

, and in 2015 recorded an essay about swimming in the Lake District for BBC Radio 3. Along with the songwriter Andrew Phillips, O'Dair is one half of

, who have previously released two albums on Ninja Tune (''1 Inch: 1/2 Mile'' and ''Unearth'') and a third on Lo Recordings, 2015's ''Everyone Was A Bird''. The band have been described as building their reputation on "writing about situations and places, rather than standard pop songs", with ''

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quiet ...

'' reviewing ''Everyone Was A Bird'' as "that rare slab of post-rock that uses the genre's textures and general ethos of exploration to create new sounds instead of rehashing old ones". O'Dair is also a lecturer in Popular Music at

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries ...

. In 2016 O'Dair co-authored a report on the use of blockchain technology within the music industry titled ''Music On The Blockchain''.

References

External links

http://www.marcusodair.com/

https://twitter.com/marcusodair
{{DEFAULTSORT:ODair, Marcus Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Electronica musicians English keyboardists English journalists Academics of Middlesex University