Roger Doyle, a native of the town of Malahide in north Co Dublin, discovered his passion for piano at just eight years old, creating music at his neighbours’ home. Unforeseen to his family, who had no musical background, he requested his parents to buy a piano and organise music lessons. By the age of nine, Doyle was crafting neurological connections akin to learning how to ride a bike.
Now nearing his 75th birthday, Doyle has significantly progressed from his young, stolen moments at a borrowed piano. He has built an impactful career as an avant-garde composer in the fields of composition and electronic music, with a portfolio touching operas, soundtracks, experimental albums, and multiple collaborations.
In the late ’60s, the concept of pursuing a music career was alien to Doyle’s parents, even when he secured a spot at the revered Royal Irish Academy of Music. Reminiscing with a smile, he remembers being an 18-year-old with long hair, playing drums in a band at weekends, much to his father’s dismay.
Winning numerous scholarships opened doors for him in the UK and the Netherlands, ultimately positioning him as a pivotal figure in Irish electronic music. Despite being a pioneer in the Irish electronic music scene since the ’70s, Doyle’s name isn’t widely known beyond those circles. Despite earning prestigious honours like being made a Saoi by Aosdána, he remains modest and unaffected by the wider public’s limited acknowledgment of his work.
“Perhaps one can never gain enough recognition,” he suggests nonchalantly. “However, I continuously rebound and make sporadic appearances. I certainly haven’t vanished. Do I believe that’s satisfactory for me? Not entirely, but it’s remarkable that I continue to perform more concerts than ever, release copious amounts of records; reaching 35 so far. I have no real complaints,” he assesses.
With a humourous tone, he recollects a critique he received from a prestigious Irish music publication at the inception of his career. “The critic stated, ‘If Mr Doyle has any influence over it, may God protect the future of music.’ Although harsh, I still find amusement in it. I take immense joy in the music I produce, and that erases any negativity. Whether that reflects ego, I can’t tell. But in relation to my music, I’m overjoyed that I chose the path of a composer, and I believe I’m decent at it,” he admits, switching to a solemn tone. “Is it acceptable to suggest that I’m tethered to composition by my own faults? After all, I am a composer.”
A certain episode from Doyle’s prolific occupation yet haunts him. It goes back to the mid-’80s, when Operating Theatre- the experimental music and theatre ensemble he founded with the artist, vocalist, and entertainer, Olwen Fouéré, joined the U2-owned Mother Records. They released a double-A-side single, Queen of No Heart/Spring Is Coming, with a Strawberry in the Mouth. Despite the project’s failure, Doyle has come to terms with the missed opportunity.
“I harbour no lingering anxiety regarding past happenings,” he declares, nonchalantly. “The lack of promotion did trouble me greatly at the time. I even fell ill due to severe mental stress and disappointment. However, I refrain from dwelling on that incident. I have transcended it, much like other unfortunate events which didn’t break me,” he admits. Indeed, he experienced a brush with immense success. He proudly recalls, “Our singles were phenomenal – but they missed a golden chance to advertise them, given their affinity with the times. Spring Is Coming was particularly noteworthy.” He added, “Have you listened to both the versions? They maintain their novelty.”
In recent years, the reference of musician Caroline Polachek to a different iteration has potentially introduced a fresh group of listeners to Doyle’s extensive repertoire. Consequently, his decision to launch a vinyl version of his masterpiece, Babel, on its 25th anniversary is well-timed. This grand scheme, which took nearly a decade to create, is a modern interpretation of the Tower of Babel, and boasts a whopping six-hour runtime. However, the vinyl medium pares this down to a more manageable 80 minutes, and comes with a download code to access the full-scale piece.
Doyle began mulling over the idea of Babel in the early 80s when Operating Theatre was still in operation. He embarked on this lengthy journey by creating what he believes to be the stalwart piece of the composition, The Room of Rhetoric. Just seven minutes in, he was struck by the various tones the project embodied, ranging from fantastical sci-fi elements to an eerie room equipped with squeaking doors and flooring. The space, entwined with the essence of a troubling dream and an odd sense of virtual reality, seems to communicate to the listener.
His ambitious endeavour, a five-CD release in 1999, was considered ahead of the curve in various ways. A cursory glance at Doyle’s Bandcamp bio that states his preference for extensive projects and collaborations barely does justice to the magnitude of this work. The creation of Babel drew nearly 50 professionals on board. Regardless of the decade-long commitment the project demanded, Doyle never felt overwhelmed by its scope. Instead, his ambition kept growing. He had originally envisioned it as a double album spanned across five years, but it mushroomed into five albums over a period of a decade. He recalls strolling down a road in Sandymount, pondering how five albums were now in the works, and deciding to embrace it, regardless.
He has left the door open for another reunion of Operating Theatre, whose last collaboration took place in 2008. “I can’t refuse outright, as our collaborations always create a spectacle,” he remarks. “Olwen featured in my Finnegans Wake album and her contributions are nothing short of brilliant – flawlessly executed. She even appears in Babel a good amount of time. Indeed, you could argue that Babel was a primary factor leading to the hiatus of Operating Theatre as creating Babel in 1988 consumed most of my time.”
Doyle, who has lectured on the subjects of music media and technology at esteemed institutions like Trinity College Dublin and Maynooth University, is well-equipped to evaluate the current state of electronic music. He found teaching to be an enjoyable experience, admitting that he gained as much knowledge from his pupils as they did from him.
“However, I think it’s crucial for musicians to be aware of the era they are in – there’s a surplus of music claiming to be of the 21st century but it feels like 1980s synth-pop,” he observes. One of the few modern pop artists who intrigued him was the late Scottish musician and producer Sophie, who passed away in 2021. “Also, you can find a heap of experimental music echoing the electro-acoustic vibes of Montreal’s scene from 1990. Therefore, it appears as though some perspective is going astray. Consider the radical changes between 1900 and 1924 in music: the fundamental elements of music completely transformed.
“So, now whenever I listen to music from others, I’m on the search – where’s the evidence of the 21st century? I still can’t detect it. That might seem harsh, but it’s certainly a consideration when I’m assessing my own music, and the works of others. ‘Interesting, you employ technology… but it’s so 20th century!’ I genuinely want to discern the essence of the 21st century in the work of up and coming artists. Or anyone’s work for that matter.”
Doyle remains as motivated and driven as ever; his daily music composition is a testament to this. An influence that can be felt in his recent works is his admiration for James Joyce, another Irish artist who perhaps wasn’t as recognised as he should’ve been in his era. His latest album, Shylit Beaconings, features 21 musical works, each carrying a title derived from a phrasing in Finnegans Wake; the peculiar yet poetically beautiful names are only halfway comprehensible. Inspired by Joyce and his boyhood idol Debussy, his another new album called In the Dreemplace is also available on his Bandcamp page.
There’s no sign of Doyle slowing down; the constant surge of ideas is proof of his unfading ambition.
“One distinctive thing about myself is the intense pride I take in my work.” He stops for a moment, possibly reminiscing all his creative pursuits over the past five or so decades. “I always thought to myself, ‘The quality hasn’t dipped,’ and I believe Shylit Beaconings stands shoulder to shoulder with Babel. Of course, others may disagree and think I’m deluded,” he comments light-heartedly. “At the time when Babel was released, I thought ‘I’ve accomplished what I wanted: Babel is out.’
“But since Babel, I’ve concluded 20 albums – 20 albums in two dozen years! And I’ve never been a hard worker: typical nine-to-five isn’t my thing! It’s so unlike my natural inclination. It’s completely shaped my existence.” His face lights up, he shakes his head in awe, “A part of me remains the teenager who smoked cigarettes and woke up late. That’s the reason I stand by the statement that music was my salvation. The idea of what could’ve transpired otherwise is rather unnerving.”
Doyle announces the 25th anniversary re-release of Babel with a live gig at the Complex in Dublin 7, scheduled for Thursday, June 20th.