music and sound for tv, film and radiomusic and sound for tv, film and radiomusic and sound for tv, film and radiomusic and sound for tv, film and radio
Just wanted to let you know about an event that I will be appearing at this Saturday at the BFI in London. Earlier in the year I (under my The Simonsound guise) was invited by Musicity to create a composition inspired by a London landmark. I chose the Skylon, a futuristic structure created for the Festival of Britain in 1951. Sadly the Skylon never got to see the future it aimed to represent; it was torn down shortly after the festival ended and its ultimate demise is a confusion of myth and mystery. Did it end up in the Thames or was it broken up and turned into ash trays??? Anyway, my piece ‘In the Shadow of the Skylon’ celebrates its short optimistic life. So that’s the background - at this Musicity event I’ll be speaking on a panel alongside Paul Morley, Fiona Talkington, Maija Handover and Melodie Leung, and I’ll be playing a selection of records, including ‘In the Shadow of the Skylon’ too.
Musicity is an ongoing, city by city curated music program that explores the intersection of music and architecture created by DJ and broadcaster Nick Luscombe (BBC Radio 3/Flomotion) and Jump Studios co-founder Simon Jordan. Recording artists are commissioned to compose original music based on an aspect of the city that inspires them. Through a purpose built app, people can visit these locations to hear and download the music. The idea is to inspire people to explore and discover the city, musically, architecturally and experientially.
The latest episode of The Tone Generation explores experimental (and library music in the form of Roger Roger/Cecil Leuter) music created on the Moog range of synthesisers. Don’t be expecting the usual Switched on Bach and Keith Emerson fare. As usual with The Tone Generation, its all about sharing some of the lesser known early electronic material from Ian Helliwell’s vast collection.
Music from Walter Sear, Cecil Leuter, William S. Fischer, Paul Beaver, Bernie Kraus, Andrew Rudin and Nik Raicevic.
I also want to take this opportunity to tell you about Ian Helliwell’s new film. Practical Electronica tells the story of unsung British electronic pioneer, Fred Judd. Full details at Ian’s website, but the world premiere is in Cork on the 9th of November 2011, the UK premiere is in Brighton as part of the Cinecity film festival on the 20th of November, and the London premiere is at the Barbican on the 25th of November. A very exciting Practical Electronica exhibition will open on November the 18th at the Phoenix Gallery in Brighton, bringing together machines and sounds created by Ian and used in the making of the documentary, alongside items of Fred Juddrabilia, including books, magazines and records. Together with collages, and modified television, there will be new interactive stereophonic sound generator Hellimatic, a remodelled 1960s exercise machine.
I’ve been doing a number of live performances under my The Simonsound guise, but one of the highlights was playing in the Clore Ballroom at the Royal Festival Hall. In support of a screening of 2001: A Space Odyssey, with live soundtrack by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, we played in the cavernous ballroom to an appreciative crowd. See more pictures here.
Part one in a series of long over due updates. Our new single with Laura J Martin, with whom we have been doing loads of great live shows, is now available in stores and online. Download or get the limited 7″ vinyl while stocks last. Jumbo Records in Leeds is a good bet.
Here is the blurb from Battered Ornaments Records, the label behind the release.
Finders Keepers’ fitful pocket empire Battered Ornaments Records rears its head one again with another bespoke vinyl release featuring the unlikely but essential partnership of Liverpudlian chanteuse Laura J Martin and The Simonsound - a sonic partnership consisting of Simon James and Matt Ford (DJ Format).
Analogue synthesizers, tone generators, and reel to reel tape machines buzz and whirr amongst the roots of Laura J Martin’s homegrown supernatural siren song as folk traditions merge with The Simonsound’s science fiction fantasies for this hauntingly progressive/regressive experiment.
This strictly limited edition (500 only) vinyl release is the eighth release from Battered Ornaments Records, an independent label with a DIY asthetic producing lovingly made limited vinyl runs of off-kilter independent music housed in jaw dropping sleeves created by top artists and graphic designers.
The latest episode of the ongoing electronic music history series The Tone Generation, is now available here. Focusing on music composed on the legendary Buchla range of electronic music boxes, Ian Helliwell plays and discusses tracks by Morton Subotnick, Ernst Krenek, Michael Czajkowski, Warner Jepson, Bulent Arel and Arthur Krieger.
For those that delight in the old fashioned wireless transmissions, London’s Resonance FM will be broadcasting programme’s 19, 20 and 21 starting on February 23rd at 5pm then the next 2 Wednesday’s following that.
<a href=”http://thesimonsound.bandcamp.com/album/reverse-engineering”>Tour De Mars by The Simonsound</a>We were lucky enough to be invited to record a session at the famous Maida Vale studio for Gilles Peterson’s BBC Radio 1 show. It was a real treat to visit the studio that used to be the home of the Radiophonic Workshop, especially since so much of the material on the album is inspired by the golden age of experimental electronic music. Maida Vale is full of history and I’d have happily paid an entry fee to wander around its strangely quiet corridors, daydreaming about Desmond Briscoe, Delia Derbyshire, Daphne Oram, John Baker and co. winding lengthy tape loops all over the place.It also made a nice change to be on the other side of the glass….
The session, which includes an exclusive medley of ‘It’s Just Begun’ and ‘Tour de Mars’, and an interview with The Simonsound was played on Tuesday 25th May and you can download the full show here.
We just took delivery of finished vinyl copies of ‘Reverse Engineering’, the first Simonsound album which is due for release in May on First Word Records. Emily at iamstanley has created the perfect visual representation for the space age, science fiction and strange sounds contained within. We are forever indebted! Look out for limited edition prints and t-shirts featuring the album artwork.
Gilles Peterson has been featuring tracks from the album on his BBC Radio 1 Worldwide show and even included a track on his ‘All Winners’ programme which features his pick of the year so far.
Head over to the official Simonsound website for more info and to listen to tracks. Its worth pointing out that ‘The Simonsound’ and this Simonsound website are two separate but slightly confusing things! This website is for my commercial music and production work and ‘The Simonsound’ is my music project with Matt Ford. Still confused? Me too……
I’ve been doing a bit of synth programming for UNKLE over the last few months (some of which features on their upcoming album) and in return I’ve been lucky enough to borrow a bunch of really nice synthesisers. The best of these has to be the Synthi VCS3 which was created by London based EMS (Electronic Music Studio) in the 60’s. The first commercial synthesiser to be used by the highly influential BBC Radiophonic Workshop, it went on to be used by bands such as Pink Floyd, Hawkwind and The Who. But it is the work of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop that really made the most of this experimental electronic FX machine. Used by composers such as Delia Derbyshire and John Baker who coaxed other worldly rhythms and textures out of the little box of magic, its sounds turned up in many television programmes from the late 60’s onwards, the best known of these being Dr.Who.
Futuristic doors sliding open and closed, sonic screwdrivers, Dalek ray guns and many more futuristic sounds were created by this machine and its perfectly suited for such things. The Battleship style pin matrix system allows any of the VCS3’s different sound generation, modulation, control or treatment elements to be routed in a multitude of different ways which make for an almost unlimited number of sounds.
I have created a pack of EMS Synthi VCS3 ring-tones that will be launched around the release date of The Simonsound album in May. Everytime your phone rings you can imagine its The Doctor calling or that you’ve just been exterminated by a Dalek or that rather than your mum calling to see what you want for tea its an interplanetary message of goodwill from an unknown galaxy.
My music project with Matt Ford is moving along very nicely towards our first album release in May on First Word Records. Our first two self released singles have been met with much praise and support in the form of DJ’s such as Cut Chemist, DJ Muro, Edan and Florian Keller, and our cover of ‘It’s Just Begun’ was even reportedly cut up by legendary Bronx DJ Rockin’ Rob at a B-Boy event in NYC last year prompting Grandmaster Caz to run to the turntables and excitedly demand to know the identity of the mystery version.
Most recently we’ve had support from Strictly Kev/DJ Food and DJ Spinna, the latter hooking up Gilles Peterson with a copy of our forthcoming album, ‘Reverse Engineering’. This has led to BBC Radio 1 play and an invitation to do a Maida Vale session which should hopefully be broadcast around the release of the album.
Other exciting things to look out for around the album release are a series of EMS Synthi VCS3 ringtones, a bank of 127 MiniMoog Voyager sounds, a Solid Steel radio mix and video and hopefully some prints and t-shirts featuring the amazing artwork created by Emily Macaulay for our album cover.
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.
Is the home of Simon James who has nearly twenty years experience producing music, creating and manipulating sound and a passion and excitement for sonic experimentation.
Simon lectures on the subjects of electronic music history and radio production.
He is also one half of the group The Simonsound. www.thesimonsound.com
Entries (RSS)