BLOG
Making Irrealis
May 27th, 2022DÉBUT FRIENDSHIP, COLLABORATION, AND THE UNREAL These pieces were made barely moments after recording a piece for another project – caught impulsively, but also on the precipice of velleity from which much of my work seems to emerge. There is a liminality to these proceedings, but on the conclusion of each piece, there seemed an READ MORE
Studio Build Part I // Not making a brick but building a wall
December 16th, 2020What follows is a sort of photo blog, chronicling the period between April-December 2020. This was time spent neither making any new music, nor being particularly creative.
Be ready, always: on working with Keith Tippett
April 9th, 2020ENTÊTE This blog is a mixture of personal reflection, thoughts on process, on how working with Keith Tippett has helped reshape the topography of my piano/performance practice, and deserved praise for the work and pianism of one of the most significant musicians of our time. BACKGROUND Since discovering Keith Tippett’s music (Mujician I, II, III / Dedicated READ MORE
Help the grand piano to stand on its own (four) feet for the very first time
October 6th, 2019Not so long ago, I visited Sarah Nicolls at her studio in Brighton, and was introduced to her ‘inside out’ piano: a grand piano with its frame and interior displayed on the vertical plane, opposed to the traditional, horizontal position. There are many benefits to such reorganisation – not least for the opportunity to become READ MORE
Mike Westbrook’s Letter
April 22nd, 2018On discovering the work of various figures from British Jazz, I quickly came to the Music of Mike Westbrook – albums such as Metropolis, Marching Songs Vol. 1 & 2, Love Songs, Release, and Citadel/Room 315 (composed in the old Leeds Polytechnic building; now part of Leeds Metropolitan University), were the ones always leaning against my READ MORE
Twenty-Seven Areas of Contention: celebrating the life and work of Basil Kirchin
October 26th, 2017Twenty-Seven Areas of Contention is a piece I was commissioned to write by Serious, for Mind on the Run: The Basil Kirchin Story, and was premiered at Hull City Hall on February 19 2017. Devised using two of my favourite electrically-powered musical instruments: the LAMM and my beloved Roland Re-201 Space Echo tape delay, Twenty-Seven… is READ MORE
Paul Bolderson
December 22nd, 2016Paul Bolderson 21/03/48 – 21/12/16 Paul Bolderson lived an extraordinary life Affectionately known as ‘Peebs’ or ‘PB’, Paul’s larger-than-life persona was infectious and inescapable – and he never failed to leave a lasting impression on those who came into contact with him. I was introduced to Paul via Sam Hobbs, way back in 2001 – READ MORE
MOOGMEMORY PLUS
September 29th, 2016During the preparation for the moogmemory live show with Michael England, earlier this year, a number of new pieces came out of our collaboration together. moogmemory plus brings these new tracks together, along with reworked versions of Daniziel and Sam; reflecting how these pieces have changed through live performance. In addition, there is a homage READ MORE
moogmemory
April 21st, 2016moogmemory is a forthcoming album for The Leaf Label, recorded entirely on a Lintronics Advanced Memorymoog (LAMM) – a standard Moog Memorymoog that has been specially modified by engineer Rudi Linhard . moogmemory is also taking the form of a live, audio-visual show, touring from March-April 2016, where I will be collaborating with filmmaker and READ MORE
RADIOLAND: Album Release
December 1st, 2015As I began to write this post, I was en route to Luxembourg, and to the Philharmonie, where, together with Franck Vigroux and Antoine Schmitt, we performed another Radioland show. Hopefully this will be the beginning of another series of live performances abroad. And, as I now continue to write, several weeks later, the album versions of this READ MORE