simonsound

This just in from Ken Hollings -

Welcome to the Virtual Battlefield…
My feature on the ‘military-entertainment complex’ goes out on BBC Radio 3 this Sunday, February 21, at 9.30 pm.

From Gameboy to Armageddon features some amazing contributions from Tim Lenoir, Ed Halter and Tom Chatfield on the relationship of games and simulations to Past and Future War; P W Singer of the Brookings Institute on current deployments of UAVs and robots; some vintage archive material from RAND’s Tom Schelling on the Cuban Missile Crisis as a game; plus Michael Macedonia and Jim Korris on the founding of STRICOM and the Institute of Creative Technologies, the amazing Jim Dunnigan on Clausewitz and Kriegspiel, Skip Rizzo on ‘Virtual Iraq’ and a rare interview with the legendary Jack Thorpe –  responsible while seconded to DARPA from the USAF for devising SIMNET, the first real-time, practical version of cyberspace. Acronyms totally rule on this one.

I just finished sound design and post production on the 4th episode of Lance Dann’s mysterious radio drama The Flickerman.

Praised by The Guardian as “new and amazing”, “fashionable compulsiveness”  and ” a strange and exhilarating project”, The Flickerman tells the story of Cornelius Zane-Grey as he tries to unravel the strange events that have seen his girlfriend go missing and moments in his life captured and uploaded to photo sharing website Flickr.

Episode 4 is an exhilarating ride with new characters, further plot twists and turns and lots of intricate (and some over the top) sound design that I’m very happy with.

The first transmission is on the 12th January 2010 on Australia’s ABC radio network. I’m pretty sure it will be available at the Flickerman website shortly after. Episodes 1, 2 and 3 are available now, also at The Flickerman website.

The latest Tone Generation explores electronic compositions created using the British based EMS range of electronic synthesisers. As always Ian Helliwell has picked out some excellent recordings including some great archive material - of particular note is Tristram Cary introducing the EMS range on a promotional flexi disc.

THE TONE GENERATION
Programme 17: EMS
Selecting tracks as usual from his record and cd collection, Ian Helliwell explores electronic music generated with EMS equipment, including the Synthi A, VCS3 and Synthi 100. Featuring pieces by Tristram Cary, Pink Floyd, Andrzej Dobrowolski, White Noise, Harrison Birtwistle and Priscilla McLean.

Listen

Ian Helliwell

I’ve just been lent this fantastic semi-modular synth (thanks Pablo). The Macbeth M5N was designed by Ken Macbeth and  came out in limited numbers a few years ago. Ken is currently building a new keyboard synth and some modules for the eurorack format of modular synthesiser.

Thanks to Emily @I am Stanley for a great label. Buy the single here.

DJ Food took my original video for Tour de Mars and has added some extra clips and given it an overhaul. The Single is out on 7″ vinyl/digital on Monday (Nov 2nd) and you can get it at lots of different retailers. Go here to find a list.

Very excited about this release and so far feedback has been really good. I won’t say any more as I prefer to let the music speak for itself. Here is a very simple video I made so I could put the track up on youtube. It is out on vinyl and digital download from the 2nd of November. More info here.

This week I start production of an audio tour for 2009’s White Night in Brighton & Hove. More info will follow soon.

Note - I’ll also be performing live at White Night with Ian Helliwell using his multiplayer Helisizer. Venue to be confirmed.

For some random iPhone recorded audio snippets go to audioboo. It’s a bit like Twitter but with audio and thus all the better for it! I often record bits and pieces when I’m out and about or working in the studio. Listen.

Things are very busy right now - lots of interesting little projects going on. I’m working on a package of branding for an online radio station, creating a guided musical tour for White Night in Brighton & Hove, preparing to release the latest Simonsound single, getting ready for some upcoming lectures at Ravensbourne college and playing with my latest electronic sound module, ‘The Wogglebug’. Enjoy.