Editing Boards of Canada

{{Short description|Scottish electronic music duo}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name             = Boards of Canada
| image            = Boards of Canada Warp Lighthouse Party 1999 (cropped).jpg
| landscape        = yes
| alt              = Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin performing live
| caption          = Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin performing in 2000
| alias            = Hell Interface
| origin           = [[Edinburgh]], Scotland
| genre            = {{hlist|[[Electronic music|Electronic]]|[[downtempo]]|[[Psychedelic music|psychedelia]]|[[Ambient music|ambient]]|[[Intelligent dance music|IDM]]|[[trip hop]]}}
| discography      = [[Boards of Canada discography]]
| years_active     = {{Start date|1986}}–present
| label            = {{hlist|[[Warp (record label)|Warp]]|[[Skam Records|Skam]]|Music70|[[V/Vm Test Records|V/Vm]]}}
| website          = {{URL|boardsofcanada.com}}
| current_members  = {{unbulleted list|Mike Sandison|Marcus Eoin}}
| past_members     = [[Christ. (musician)|Christopher Horne]]<ref name="matador">{{citation|url=http://www.matadorrecords.com/boards_of_canada/biography.html |title=Boards of Canada Biography |publisher=Matador Records |access-date=4 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418002006/http://www.matadorrecords.com/boards_of_canada/biography.html |archive-date=18 April 2012 }}</ref>
}}

'''Boards of Canada''' are a Scottish [[electronic music]] duo consisting of the brothers Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin, formed initially as a trio in 1986 before becoming a duo in the 1990s.<ref name="allmusic-boc-bio">{{citation | url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/boards-of-canada-mn0000758999/biography | title=Boards of Canada Biography | publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[Rovi Corporation]] | access-date=31 January 2014 | last=Cooper | first=Sean | archive-date=4 May 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140504181702/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/boards-of-canada-mn0000758999/biography | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=pitchfork>Hoffmann, Heiko. "[http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/6151-boards-of-canada/ Pitchfork: Interviews: Boards of Canada] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306060433/http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/6151-boards-of-canada/ |date=6 March 2016 }}" (September 2005)</ref> Signing first to [[Skam Records|Skam]] followed by [[Warp (record label)|Warp Records]] in the 1990s, the duo received recognition following the release of their debut album ''[[Music Has the Right to Children]]'' on Warp in 1998.<ref name="allmusic-boc-bio"/><ref name="Pitchfork">{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/838-music-has-the-right-to-children/ |title=Boards of Canada: Music Has the Right to Children |publisher=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=26 April 2004 |access-date=28 October 2014 |last=Richardson |first=Mark |archive-date=18 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318102630/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/838-music-has-the-right-to-children/ |url-status=live }}</ref> They followed with the acclaimed albums ''[[Geogaddi]]'' (2002), ''[[The Campfire Headphase]]'' (2005) and ''[[Tomorrow's Harvest]]'' (2013).<ref name="allmusic-boc-bio"/>

The duo's work, largely influenced by media and [[electronic music]] from the 1970s, incorporates vintage synthesiser tones, [[Sample (music)|sample]]s, [[Analog recording|analog]] equipment, and [[hip hop]]-inspired beats. It has been described by critics as exploring themes related to nostalgia,<ref name="listening">{{cite book|last1=Demers|first1=Joanna|title=Listening through the Noise: The Aesthetics of Experimental Electronic Music|date=October 2010|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|pages=49–50|isbn=9780199774487|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CRFCgjPWF6gC&q=boards+of+canada+bio+nostalgia}}</ref><ref name="fact"/> as well as childhood memory, science, environmental concerns and esoteric subjects.<ref name="pitchforkMHTRTC"/> In 2012, ''[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]'' described them as "one of the best-known and best-loved electronic acts of the last two decades".<ref name="fact">{{cite web|last1=Morpurgo|first1=Joseph|title=The genius of Boards of Canada in 10 essential tracks|url=http://www.factmag.com/2012/05/20/the-essential-boards-of-canada/|website=Factmag.com|date=20 May 2012|access-date=31 May 2017|archive-date=25 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525074016/http://www.factmag.com/2012/05/20/the-essential-boards-of-canada/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==
===Early years (1986–1994)===
The brothers Mike Sandison (born Michael Peter Sandison, 14 July 1971)<ref name=" discogs ">{{cite web |title=Boards Of Canada – Boc Maxima |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/15290-Boards-Of-Canada-Boc-Maxima/image/SW1hZ2U6NTc2OTczODE= |website=Discogs |access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Michael SANDISON |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/w_6MIeDh7u4_jtdtQ1RxzwsBEm8/appointments |website=Find and update company information |access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref> and Marcus Eoin (born Marcus Eoin Sandison, 27 May 1973)<ref name="discogs" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Marcus SANDISON |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/YgQ1Uhf7RG2CDqB1H7EsRN--vSs/appointments |website=Find and update company information |access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref> were brought up in [[Cullen, Moray]], on the northeast coast of Scotland.<ref name=theface>
{{Citation
 | last= Warren
 | first= Emma
 | title= Breaking Into Heaven
 | magazine= The Face
 | volume= 3
 | number= 48
 | date= January 2001
 | pages= 94–98
}}
</ref> From 1979 to 1980, they lived in [[Calgary]], Canada, while their father, who worked in construction, took part in the project to build the [[Scotiabank Saddledome|Saddledome]].<ref name=pitchfork/> They attended the [[University of Edinburgh]], where Michael studied music and Marcus studied artificial intelligence. Marcus dropped out before completing his degree.<ref name=theface/> The duo did not reveal that they are brothers until a 2005 interview with ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'', as they had wanted to avoid comparisons with another electronic sibling duo, [[Orbital (band)|Orbital]].<ref name="pitchfork"/>

Growing up in a musical family, the brothers first played instruments at a young age. They experimented with recording techniques from around the age of 10, using [[tape recorder|tape machine]]s to layer cut-up [[sampling (music)|samples]] of found sounds over compositions of their own.  In their teens they participated in a number of amateur bands. However, it was not until 1986 when Marcus was invited to join Mike's band that Boards of Canada was born. The band's name was inspired by the [[National Film Board of Canada]] (NFB), the government agency whose award-winning documentary films and animation they had watched as children.<ref name=pitchfork/>

The duo self-financed the limited release of the [[Twoism]] EP in 1995. After a copy was sent to Sean Booth of [[Autechre]], Booth suggested contacting Skam Records, leading to the release of [[Hi Scores]] in 1996 on the label.<ref name=jockeyslut>
{{Citation
 | last= Hector-Jones
 | first= Richard
 | title= Board Clever
 | magazine= [[Jockey Slut]]
 | volume= 2
 | number= 13
 | date= 1998
 | pages= 20
}}
</ref><ref name="pitchfork-hiscores">{{cite web |last1=Sherburne |first1=Philip |title=Boards of Canada: Hi Scores EP |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19832-boards-of-canada-hi-scores-ep/ |publisher=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |access-date=9 January 2025}}</ref>

Their first known release was ''Catalog 3'', in 1987 on [[cassette tape]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.boardsofcanada.com/discog_catalog3.html | archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20010619002459/http://www.boardsofcanada.com/discog_catalog3.html | archive-date=19 June 2001 | title=Boards of Canada - Hi Scores }}</ref> on the brothers' own label, Music70, while Boards of Canada was still a band (it was later re-pressed in 1997 on CD on the same label). By 1989, the band had been reduced to Mike and Marcus, and they released Acid Memories in the same year.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010609171731fw_/http://www.boardsofcanada.com/discog_acid.html | title=Boards of Canada - Acid Memories }}</ref> Both albums have only been heard by the band's friends and family, except for a 24-second excerpt of "Duffy", released on the EHX website in the late 1990s. Acid Memories is the only early album the brothers have mentioned in interviews. Later, in the early 1990s, the band had a number of collaborations and the band put on small shows among the [[Hexagon Sun]] collective, along with the releases of albums ''Play By Numbers''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010609171731fw_/http://www.boardsofcanada.com/discog_play.html | title=Boards of Canada - Play by Numbers }}</ref> and ''Hooper Bay'',<ref>{{cite web | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010609171731fw_/http://www.boardsofcanada.com/discog_hooper.html | title=Boards of Canada - Hooper Bay }}</ref> both in 1994, which, similarly to Acid Memories, were only released to friends and family and had sub-1 minute excerpts of two songs ("Wouldn't You Like To Be Free" from ''Play By Numbers'' and "Circle" from ''Hooper Bay'') released from both albums on the EHX website.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ednet.co.uk:80/~ehx/boc/sounds.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000301021317/http://ednet.co.uk:80/~ehx/boc/sounds.html | archive-date=1 March 2000 | title=EHX - Artists - Boards of Canada - Sounds }}</ref>

===''Music Has the Right to Children'' (1995–2002)===
Between 1995 and 1997, the duo started recording what would become their debut studio album, ''[[Music Has the Right to Children]]'', which was finally released in April 1998. The album was joint-released by both [[Skam Records]] and [[Warp Records]].<ref name="pitchforkMHTRTC">{{cite news|last1=Reynolds|first1=Simon|title=Why Boards of Canada's Music Has the Right to Children Is the Greatest Psychedelic Album of the '90s|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/why-boards-of-canadas-music-has-the-right-to-children-is-the-greatest-psychedelic-album-of-the-90s/|publisher=[[Pitchfork Media]]|date=3 April 2018 |access-date=3 April 2018|archive-date=26 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926052247/https://pitchfork.com/features/article/why-boards-of-canadas-music-has-the-right-to-children-is-the-greatest-psychedelic-album-of-the-90s/|url-status=live}}</ref> The cover of the album is a family photo that was taken at [[Banff Upper Hot Springs|Banff Springs]], with each person's face digitally removed.<ref name="pitchforkMHTRTC" /> The album consists of longer tracks mixed with song vignettes. It also includes one of the duo's most popular songs, "Roygbiv". ''Music Has the Right to Children'' received widespread acclaim upon release, with it being featured at No. 35 on [[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]]'s "Top 100 Albums of the 1990s" list.<ref>{{citation |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/5923-top-100-albums-of-the-1990s/ |title=Top 100 Albums of the 1990s |date=17 November 2003 |publisher=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |access-date=16 June 2023 |archive-date=7 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307193701/https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/5923-top-100-albums-of-the-1990s/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===''Geogaddi'' and ''The Campfire Headphase'' (2002–2009)===
The duo began recording their next studio album, ''[[Geogaddi]]'', between 1999 and 2001. It was described by Sandison as "a record for some sort of trial-by-fire, a claustrophobic, twisting journey that takes you into some pretty dark experiences before you reach the open air again."<ref>[http://fredd-e.narfum.org/formerboc/interviews/#oor] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727112740/http://fredd-e.narfum.org/formerboc/interviews/#oor|date=27 July 2011}}</ref> ''Geogaddi'' was officially released by Vivid on 8 January 2002 in Japan,<ref>{{cite web |title=Geogaddi - Boards of Canada |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/geogaddi-mr0000884937#credits |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=6 November 2024}}</ref> and by Warp Records on 18 February 2002 in Europe. Critics noted a shift in mood within ''Geogaddi''; Mark Richardson of ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' commented that "the atmosphere on this album is a shade darker than on previous releases, and comparatively tense with a noticeable thread of paranoia."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Richardson |first1=Mark |title=Boards of Canada: Geogaddi Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/837-geogaddi/ |access-date=6 November 2024 |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=21 February 2002}}</ref> It was later noted by the duo that the album was a response to the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chapman |first1=Hamish |title=Boards of Canada's Geogaddi at 20 |url=https://epigram.org.uk/20-years-of-geo/ |access-date=6 November 2024 |work=Epigram |date=13 February 2022}}</ref>

As early as 2002, the duo began working on sketches for their next studio album, ''[[The Campfire Headphase]]'', however studio work didn't begin until 2004.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hutton |first1=Erin |title=Emotional ABUSE |url=http://remixmag.com/mag/remix_emotional_abuse/ |access-date=6 November 2024 |work=Remix Magazine |date=1 December 2005|archive-date=1 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070601190625/http://remixmag.com/mag/remix_emotional_abuse/|url-status=live}}</ref> After releasing two singles from the album exclusively onto [[Bleep (store)|Bleep]], and a music video for the track "Dayvan Cowboy",<ref>{{cite news |title=Top 25 Music Videos of 2006 |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/6505-top-25-music-videos-of-2006/ |access-date=6 November 2024 |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=12 December 2006}}</ref> ''The Campfire Headphase'' was released on 17 October 2005. When writing about the album for ''[[The Observer]]'', [[Simon Reynolds]] noted that "blurring the boundaries between [[rock music|rock]] and [[techno]] is a smart move, because BoC have always made music that deserved to appeal beyond the electronic audience", and praised "the stereophonic delirium of their production."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Reynolds |first1=Simon |title=Boards of Canada, The Campfire Headphase |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2005/sep/18/shopping3 |access-date=7 November 2024 |work=[[The Observer]] |date=18 September 2005}}</ref>

===''Tomorrow's Harvest'' (2013)===
After the release of their previous studio album and an EP named ''[[Trans Canada Highway (EP)|Trans Canada Highway]]'', Eoin and Sandison "took some time out, and spent some time travelling".<ref name="guardianinterview">{{cite news |last1=Pattison |first1=Louis |title=Boards of Canada: 'We've become a lot more nihilistic over the years' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/jun/06/boards-of-canada-become-more-nihilistic |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=6 June 2013 |access-date=4 November 2024}}</ref> The two also expanded their recording studio at [[Hexagon Sun]], which is near the [[Pentland Hills]] in Scotland. In February 2012, a [[BBC Radio]] personality noted that a new album from Boards of Canada was "on the way".<ref name="nprboc">{{cite web |last1=Yenigun |first1=Sami |title=Boards Of Canada Tap A Devout Following To Push New Album |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2013/06/13/190753152/boards-of-canada-tap-a-devout-following-to-push-new-album |website=[[NPR]] |date=12 April 2013 |access-date=4 November 2024}}</ref>

On [[Record Store Day]] 2013, a vinyl record containing a short clip of music and a distorted voice speaking a six digit code, which was believed to be [[------ / ------ / ------ / XXXXXX / ------ / ------|the work of Boards of Canada]], surfaced at the New York record store [[Other Music]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Sean Michaels |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/apr/22/boards-of-canada-clue-new-album |title=Does Boards of Canada's record-store clue point to new album? &#124; Music |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=22 April 2013 |access-date=15 June 2013 |archive-date=10 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110135000/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/apr/22/boards-of-canada-clue-new-album |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="guardianinterview" /> Shortly after the release, Warp Records vouched for the record's authenticity.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/news/50420-boards-of-canada-released-a-mysterious-12-on-record-store-day/ |title=Boards of Canada Released a Mysterious 12" on Record Store Day &#124; News |publisher=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=21 April 2013 |access-date=15 June 2013 |archive-date=27 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627140436/http://pitchfork.com/news/50420-boards-of-canada-released-a-mysterious-12-on-record-store-day/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Other codes were hidden through various websites and online communities, as well as being broadcast over [[BBC Radio One]], [[NPR]], and [[Adult Swim]].<ref>Minsker, Evan. "[http://pitchfork.com/news/50506-boards-of-canada-commercial-airs-on-cartoon-network/ Boards of Canada Commercial Airs on Cartoon Network] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430160536/http://pitchfork.com/news/50506-boards-of-canada-commercial-airs-on-cartoon-network/ |date=30 April 2013 }}" (April 2013) Pitchfork. Retrieved on 28 April 2013.</ref> After much speculation, the official website for the band redirected users to another website<ref>Pelly, Jenn. "[http://pitchfork.com/news/50525-boards-of-canada-mystery-continues-with-new-password-protected-website/ Boards of Canada Mystery Continues with New Password Protected Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501074756/http://pitchfork.com/news/50525-boards-of-canada-mystery-continues-with-new-password-protected-website/ |date=1 May 2013 }}" (April 2013) Pitchfork. Retrieved on 28 April 2013.</ref> which prompted the user to enter a password. Once all six unique codes were entered, a video was shown announcing ''[[Tomorrow's Harvest]]'', their fourth studio album. The website showed the cover art, the month and year of release and a short snippet of music. The album was released on 5 June 2013 in Japan, 10 June 2013 in Europe, and 11 June 2013 in the United States to widespread critical acclaim.

===Remixes and ''WXAXRXP'' (2016–2021)===
In 2016, Boards of Canada released two remixes. The first, a remix of [[Nevermen]]'s "Mr Mistake", was released on 12 January 2016,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS1lMn42l04| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/cS1lMn42l04| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|title=NEVERMEN – Mr Mistake (Boards of Canada Remix)|last=NEVERMEN|date=12 January 2016|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and was followed shortly after by a remix of "Sisters" by [[Odd Nosdam]] on 22 February 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzjoArxwW2E| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/yzjoArxwW2E| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|title=Odd Nosdam – Sisters (Boards of Canada remix)|last=LeavingRecords|date=22 February 2016|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> On 17 February 2017, an instrumental version of the "Mr Mistake" remix was released.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0sNLKMJAoQ| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/b0sNLKMJAoQ| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|title=NEVERMEN – Mr Mistake (Boards of Canada Remix Instrumental)|date=17 February 2017|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> On 29 July 2017, Boards of Canada released a remix of "Sometimes" by The Sexual Objects.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/The-Sexual-Objects-Sometimes-Remixes/release/10681671|title=The Sexual Objects - Sometimes Remixes|website=Discogs.com|access-date=1 December 2019|archive-date=26 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226170621/https://www.discogs.com/The-Sexual-Objects-Sometimes-Remixes/release/10681671|url-status=live}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=November 2024}}

In 2019, Warp Records kicked off the celebrations for their 30th anniversary, entitled WXAXRXP, with a 100-hour takeover of online radio station [[NTS Radio]], featuring mixes, radio shows and unreleased music from a number of artists on their roster. This included a 2-hour mixtape from Boards of Canada<ref>{{cite web |title=WXAXRXP |url=https://www.nts.live/projects/wxaxrxp |website=NTS |access-date=21 July 2019 |archive-date=30 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630071318/https://www.nts.live/projects/wxaxrxp |url-status=live }}</ref> titled ''Societas X Tape'', aired on 23 June 2019 at 9:00 PM BST, and featured music from other artists such as [[Grace Jones]], [[Devo]] and [[Yellow Magic Orchestra]], spliced with spoken word samples and music that is rumoured to be unreleased work from the group itself.<ref>{{cite web |title=Boards of Canada - Societas x Tape |url=https://www.nts.live/shows/wxaxrxp/episodes/boards-of-canada-23rd-june-2019 |website=NTS |access-date=21 July 2019 |archive-date=23 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623120344/https://www.nts.live/shows/wxaxrxp/episodes/boards-of-canada-23rd-june-2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Christian |first1=Eede |title=LISTEN: WXAXRXP Highlights |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/26697-warp-nts-highlights-boards-of-canada-autechre |website=The Quietus |date=24 June 2019 |access-date=21 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Young |first1=Alex |title=Boards of Canada debut new two-hour mix Societas x Tape |url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/06/boards-of-canada-debut-new-two-hour-mix-societas-x-tape/ |website=Consequence of Sound |date=24 June 2019 |access-date=21 July 2019 |archive-date=28 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628040243/https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/06/boards-of-canada-debut-new-two-hour-mix-societas-x-tape/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On July 3, 2021, Boards of Canada released a remix of a second Nevermen song, "Treat Em Right".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Strauss |first1=Matthew |title=Boards of Canada Share New Remix of Nevermen's "Treat Em Right": Listen |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/boards-of-canada-share-new-remix-of-nevermen-treat-em-right-listen/ |access-date=3 July 2021 |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=3 July 2021 |archive-date=2 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702184412/https://pitchfork.com/news/boards-of-canada-share-new-remix-of-nevermen-treat-em-right-listen/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Style and methods==
The music of Boards of Canada has been described as "evocative, mournful, [[sample (music)|sample]]-laden [[downtempo]] music often sounding as though produced on malfunctioning equipment excavated from the ruins of an early-'70s [[computer lab]]."<ref name="all">{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/geogaddi-mw0000218904 |title=Geogaddi – Boards of Canada |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=2 December 2015 |last=Bush |first=John |archive-date=10 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210183457/http://www.allmusic.com/album/geogaddi-mw0000218904 |url-status=live }}</ref> Critic [[Simon Reynolds]] described their style as "a hazy sound of smeared synth-tones and analog-decayed production, carried by patient, sleepwalking beats, and aching with nostalgia" while crediting them with "reinvent[ing]" elements of psychedelia through the deliberate misuse of technology.<ref name="pitchforkMHTRTC" /> Their distinctive style is a product of their use of [[Analog signal|analogue]] equipment, mix of electronic and conventional instrumentation, use of distorted samples, and their layering and blending of these elements.<ref name="hmv">Pytlik, Mark. "[http://fredd-e.narfum.org/formerboc/interviews/#hmv The Colour & The ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081024125949/http://fredd-e.narfum.org/formerboc/interviews/#hmv |date=24 October 2008 }}" (Feb 2002), HMV magazine. Retrieved on 20 February 2007.</ref><ref name="remix2002">Micallef, Ken. "[http://fredd-e.narfum.org/formerboc/interviews/#remixmag Northern Exposure] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081024125949/http://fredd-e.narfum.org/formerboc/interviews/#remixmag |date=24 October 2008 }}" (Jul 2002), Remix magazine. Retrieved on 20 February 2007.</ref> To achieve their evocative and "worn down" sound, the duo have made use of outdated brands of recording equipment, such as tape machines manufactured by [[Grundig]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://emusician.com/remixmag/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=19 January 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150117201337/http://emusician.com/remixmag/ |archive-date=17 January 2015 |df=dmy-all }} Vol. 7 No. 12 (December 2005), pp26-30</ref> They also make use of [[music sample|samples]] from 1970s television shows and other media prevalent in the era of the brothers' shared childhood, especially the nature-inspired documentaries produced by the [[National Film Board of Canada]].<ref name=pitchfork /> The duo's preoccupation with memory, past aesthetics, and [[public broadcasting]] presaged the 2000s electronic movement known as [[Hauntology (music)|hauntology]].<ref name="pitchforkMHTRTC"/> Theorist and music critic Adam Harper described their work as "a simultaneously [[Arcadian ecology|Arcadian]] and sinister musical hauntology based on cut-up samples, vintage synthesiser technology and a faded modernism arising from mid-twentieth-century television, science, public education, childhood and spirituality."<ref name="poetics">{{cite journal |last1=Albiez |first1=Sean |title=Sounds of Future Past: the Poetics of Electronica |journal=Bath Spa |date=2013 }}</ref>

Interviews with the Sandison brothers have variously provided insight into their creative process: they have cited several acts that have influenced their work including [[Joni Mitchell]], the [[The Incredible String Band|Incredible String Band]] (saying "we have all the String Band records […] our rural sensibilities are similar"), the [[The Beatles|Beatles]] (saying "[they] really became enthralling to us through their psychedelism") and [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]] (saying "even if we don't sound like them, there's a connection in terms of the approach to music").<ref name=pitchfork /><ref name="oor">Poolman, Koen. "[http://fredd-e.narfum.org/formerboc/interviews/#oor Play Twice Before Listening] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727112740/http://fredd-e.narfum.org/formerboc/interviews/#oor |date=27 July 2011 }}" (Mar 2002), OOR magazine. Retrieved on 20 February 2007.</ref><ref name="virgin">Kyrou, Ariel & Leloup, Jean-Yves. "[http://fredd-e.narfum.org/formerboc/interviews/#virginmegaweb Two Aesthetes of Electronic Music] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081024125949/http://fredd-e.narfum.org/formerboc/interviews/#virginmegaweb |date=24 October 2008 }}" (Jun 1998), Virgin Megaweb magazine. Retrieved on 20 February 2007.</ref> They have also named [[Meat Beat Manifesto]] as a chief influence, citing their synth sounds.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sato |first1=Joe |last2=Hiroyuni |first2=Nakamoto |title=The Last Unexplored Area of Boards of Canada |url=https://bocpages.org/wiki/Interviews-all |website=Buzz |pages=12–16 |date=March 2002 |access-date=28 November 2021 |archive-date=28 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128214601/https://bocpages.org/wiki/Interviews-all |url-status=live }}</ref>

Brief interludes or vignettes feature prominently in the duo's music, often lasting less than two minutes; Sandison has said that "we write far more of [these] than the so-called 'full-on' tracks, and, in a way, they are our own favourites".  Boards of Canada have written an enormous number of such fragments as well as full-length tracks, most of which have been held back from release, and it does not appear that their music is made exclusively for commercial release; rather, albums seem to be the result of selecting complementary songs from current work. For instance, ''[[Geogaddi]]'' allegedly involved the creation of 400 song fragments and 64 complete songs, of which 22 were selected (possibly 23, if the final track of complete silence is included).  Eoin has said about the duo's discography that "the idea of the perfect album is this amorphous thing that we're always aiming at […] the whole point of making music is at least to aim at your own idea of perfection."<ref name="oor" />

The duo have expressed interest in themes of [[Subliminal message|subliminal messaging]], and subsequently their work has incorporated cryptic messages, including references to [[numerology]] and [[cult]] figures such as [[David Koresh]] of the [[Branch Davidians]].<ref name="brown">Brown, Colin. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20060519060341/http://www.speakeasy.org/~adbrown/boc.html What the hell is up with Boards of Canada? Shorter analysis of ''Geogaddi'']". Retrieved on 23 March 2006.</ref> When questioned about their aims in making such references, Boards of Canada have expressed themselves in neutral terms (saying "We're not religious at all [...] and if we're spiritual at all it's purely in the sense of caring about art and inspiring people with ideas.")<ref name="oor" /> while remaining fascinated with the ability of music to influence the minds of others (saying, with irony, that "[We] do actually believe that there are powers in music that are almost supernatural. I think you actually manipulate people with music...").<ref name="xlr8r">Nicholls, Steve. "[http://fredd-e.narfum.org/formerboc/interviews/#xlr8r Big Country] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081024125949/http://fredd-e.narfum.org/formerboc/interviews/#xlr8r |date=24 October 2008 }}" (March 2001), [[XLR8R]] Issue 47. Retrieved on 21 February 2007.</ref>

==Discography==
{{main|Boards of Canada discography}}

'''Studio albums'''
*''[[Music Has the Right to Children]]'' (1998)
*''[[Geogaddi]]'' (2002)
*''[[The Campfire Headphase]]'' (2005) 
*''[[Tomorrow's Harvest]]'' (2013)

==See also==
{{Portal|Scotland}}
* [[List of ambient music artists]]
* [[List of intelligent dance music artists]]
* [[List of Scottish musicians]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{official website|1=http://www.boardsofcanada.com}}
* [http://warp.net/records/boards-of-canada Boards of Canada] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929044329/https://warp.net/records/boards-of-canada |date=29 September 2019 }} at [[Warp (record label)|Warp Records]]
* {{AllMusic|id=boards-of-canada-p224179}}
* {{discogs artist}}
* {{IMDb name|3161045}}
* [http://bocpages.org/wiki/About Boards of Canada] – unofficial wiki at bocpages.org

{{Boards of Canada}}
{{authority control}}

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[[Category:Boards of Canada| ]]
[[Category:1986 establishments in Scotland]]
[[Category:1986 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:British ambient music groups]]
[[Category:British male musical duos]]
[[Category:Downtempo musicians]]
[[Category:Electronic music duos]]
[[Category:Intelligent dance musicians]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1986]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Scottish electronic music groups]]
[[Category:Scottish musical duos]]
[[Category:Sibling musical duos]]
[[Category:Trip hop groups]]
[[Category:Warp (record label) artists]]