An album of recordings of studio improvisations of electronic music.
Electronic music, and electronic sounds in general, have played an important role in forming my sense of self. I am of the generation who grew up with the original proliferation of electronic sounds being used as an identifier of modernity in all forms of popular culture. From the BBC Radiophonic Workshop’s contribution to 1960s and 1970s TV, to 1980s synth-pop, my formative years were shaped by a soundtrack of experimental and innovative electronica. Teenage curiosity about how such sounds are generated led to a life-long fascination with synthesisers and their use as instruments of self expression.

Acquired by the British Library Sound Archive, December 2021

1. Research Question
Can responses to compositions of synthetic and unnatural sound textures be attributed to simple nostalgic conditioning, or are they also a product of fundamental audiological effects? How do we explore the ratio between biological predetermination and cultural imprinting when attempting to unravel our invention of self?

2. Methods
Each track was constructed by a process of initially improvising and developing a series of motifs. These were then repeatedly rehearsed and refined before finally being recorded direct to disc, as a single take with no overdubs, editing, mixing or other post-production techniques. These are all recorded live studio performances. In this respect, my music practice shares a very similar methodology to the majority of my performance to camera video work.

3. Context of Contribution
‘The Sound of Tomorrow: How Electronic Music was Smuggled into the Mainstream’ by Mark Brend. Bloomsbury Academic, 2012.
‘Fear of Music: Why People Get Rothko But Don’t Get Stockhausen’ by David Stubbs. Zero Books, 2009.
‘Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain’ by Oliver Sacks. Picador Books, 2008.
‘Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer’ by Trevor Pinch and Frank Trocco. Harvard University Press, 2002.

• Publisher