simonsound journal
This is our space to let you know what we’ve been up to; whether it’s updates on current projects, dates for your diary, a cool website we want to shout about or just some thoughts on sound, this is the place to find it.
14th May 2007 - Heineken Green Synergy sonic branding I completed this last week but didn't have time to post about it. The package is finished, save for a couple of radio ads, and I'm really pleased with it. The main branding has a gladitorial theme with sword chings and foreboding music and this theme will be continued in the radio ads with scripts to match. The rest of the package is a mixture of different beats to tie in with the strap line 'Different Beats, One Vibe'. The branding will be used across all radio and tv promotion for the event which takes place in October. Listen. |
 |
8th May 2007 - The warmth of tape I've been wanting to install a reel to reel tape machine in my studio for a while now. Some things just sound much warmer recorded to tape before being recorded into whichever digital audio workstation you use. I'm also interested in exploring tape editing and looping for my more experimental projects. Well a couple of weeks ago I was using a studio and I noticed they had two Studer A80's (70's workhorse reel to reel on which many classic albums were mastered and a mainstay at the BBC for editing). I got chatting to the engineer about them and he mentioned that they had a couple more in storage that they wanted to get rid of. You can imagine my excitement and it wasn't long before I was struggling to move the A80 up the stairs and in to my car. I should point out that the A80 is BIG and weighs about as much as a washing machine. So it is now sitting in my studio and next week I have the engineer coming round to clean and calibrate it. Will keep you updated and as soon as it is working I'll post some recordings. |
 |
2nd May 2007 - Sounds from the kitchen Just stumbled across this great (free) sample series whilst reading CDM's brilliant blog. It features over 600 sound recordings from the kitchen; pots, pans, cheese graters, kettles, glasses and a lot more. I'm always listening out for new interesting sounds and on more than one occasion have set up my mic in the kitchen to capture something different. Available from the same team who bought us Welsh's Synthesizer Cookbook, the brilliant universal synth patch book. BTW - the image on the right is the cover of Bob Moogs first wifes cookery book 'Moog's Musical Eatery'. If anyone has a copy they want to sell please let me know. |
 |
26th April 2007 - Welcome to Mars... the book! Don't want to give too much away this early as I know it hasn't been officially announced, but Ken Hollings is currently putting the finishing touches to the Welcome to Mars book due to be published around November this year. Now, this news alone is enough to get excited about, but even more exciting is that there will be a limited run of 200 that inlcude a cd containing music from the series. So if you enoyed the show and would like to get the music on cd, keep your 50's cold war radar on high alert around November.
|
|
25th April 2007 - Library music track with DJ Format Have been working on a number of new tracks with DJ Format over the last few months but there is one in particular that deserves a mention here. Library music, sometimes known as mood music has been used since the 60's by producers of animations, radio shows, commercials, film and tv programmes. Most of the musicians played annonymously or under a number of different pseudonyms and the records were never released commercially and only pressed in small quanities. I first started exploring library music when I was a producer looking for loops and musical phrases to sample. I wasn't the only one - library albums from the 60's and 70's have become highly collectable and extremely hard to find. Its hard to put my finger on why I love library music so much. There is just something about the mystery of it and it sounds so fresh. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of really poor library music, in fact the majority of it is terrible, but if you can hunt down tracks by Jack Arel, Roger Roger, Nino Nardini, Basil Kirchin, P Avray, or Johnny Hawksworth you won't be dissapointed. There is a great book called The Music Library which I would highly reccomend. Anyway, BMG recently aquired the rights to the Chappell music library and wanted to celebrate some of these great 'unheard' pieces of music. They have approached various producers including DJ Format, who invited me to work with him, and given full access to the library. This is extra exciting for me because Chappell supplied much of the music for The Prisoner television series of which I'm a big fan. We've finished the track and I will keep you posted as soon as I find out about release dates etc. |
|
24th April 2007 - Heineken Sonic branding I'm currently working on a sonic branding package for Heineken Green Synergy. Every year Heineken put on a high profile DJ competition in the Caribbean and the branding and music will be used across radio and tv, including MTV, leading up to and during the event. Some of the dj's might even use branding within their sets! The sound is hip hop and RnB and I'll be using my old hip hop production skills to ensure the elements are authentic and reflect the music currently being played on the islands. I will add some clips to the sonic branding page when the package is finished. |
|
23rd April 2007 - Short erotic plays Just finished a commission to compose music for 2 short erotic radio plays. I was a little hesitant to get involved at first as getting sex right on radio can be really difficult, though I have to say I am really glad I did as the plays have turned out to be amazing. The actors have done a great job and delivered real believable performances. In terms of music, one of the plays required a mix of pumping house tracks and background bar music and for the other play I created a textured soundscape using harp, flute and subtle electronics. I'm really happy with how it sounds. |
|
22nd April 2007 - Expo '67 radio feature After unsuccessfully pitching the idea of a radio piece celebrating Montreals Worlds Fair in 1967 to BBC Radio 3, I have decided to produce the feature anyway. The back story to this is that towards the end of 2006 Ian Helliwell, electronic composer and builder of electronic music machines, approached me to suggest that we make a sound piece celebrating the anniversary of the expo. The expo featured some of the greatest experimental composers of the time; Raymond Scott, Tristram Carey, Tod Dockstader and Iannis Xenakis amongst others. Tristram composed music for the British Pavilion at the fair and also worked for EMS, one of the UK's greatest synth producers and makers of the coolest synth in a suitcase. He was involved in the BBC's Radiophonic workshop and created music for Dr.Who. The Piece will be a montage of recordings from the fair spliced with interviews from Tristram and hopefully more of the composers who worked on the Expo. I don't even know where this will be broadcast but I'm not going to stop making radio programmes just because of the lack of broadcasters who can afford to buy spoken word content. Good work will always find a home! |
 |
16th April 2007 - Simonsound update After a bit of a break from updating my simonsound journal I thought I'd better explain what I've been up to, should you be concerned. Firstly Audemos the podcast production company I setup last year has gone from strength to strength with some really cool clients including Discovery Channel and Heineken. I can't go into too much detail on the Discovery project but I can say it is a 38 part series that should be launched soon. It has been a full production job including scripting, research, sonic branding, music, production and post. The Heineken production is really exciting and I'm just about to start the sonic branding package. Its really fun as I get to play with hip hop beats and basically make music I really like. Will keep you updated on this one. Delivery is early May so might post some sounds soon. I've also been studying music theory through a Berklee college online course. I've never felt handicapped by a lack of traditional musical training, in fact I believe its what makes my sound distinctive. But sometimes getting that distinctive sound takes time and a lot of experimenting. With some clients I don't always have that time, or in fact the need to create something so distinctive, so I wanted to get a better understanding of the theory to speed up my writing process. Lots of other cool projects going on including early planning of a Welcome to Mars sequel, provisionlly titled Conquest of the Universe 1960 - 1969. We are thinking of lots of cool ways for listeners to interact this time and of course it will sound great. I've also composed music for 2 short erotic radio plays produced by Pam Marshall. Pam is a really switched on producer who undertands sound and music and how best to use it in radio. I've really enjoyed working with her and as soon as the plays are available I will let you know where you can hear them. |
|
21st August 2006 - Bob Moog Foundation Well it has been a year since Bob Moog passed away and in that time his close friends and family have been busy setting up the Bob Moog Foundation. As it says on the site - The goal of this Foundation honoring this unique and special man is to foster innovation and curiosity in electronic music. And it plans to do this in lots of interesting ways. If you've ever played on one of Bobs instruments or even seen him speak you will know that he was a pretty special guy. Winner of two Grammys, though he'd never tell you, Bob Moog was renowned for his humility. The foundations aims are
I think this is a great foundation and so fitting with the way Bob worked. I hope it is a success and lots of people benefit from it. Other things worth checking out at the website are the moogcasts; documentory radio shows highlighting Moog music from around the world. There is an invitation to send in a piece of music created on a Moog instrument (yes mine is already submitted) and if you don't have an instrument you can just talk about your Moog experience. Just after Bob passed away last year I created a radio show to celebrate his life. You can listen to that show again by going to totallyradio. Also don't forget my Moog ringtones at the one40five store and Welcome to Mars which features the Minimoog Voyager throughout. |
|
24th July 2006 - My Noisy Matchbox - Players If you are in Brighton, UK between the 22nd and 28th of July, look out for our Noisy Matchbox players, as seen on the right. Go to the My Noisy Matchbox website for more details. |
 |
22nd July 2006 - My Noisy Matchbox phase 2 launch The Celebrating Age phase of My Noisy Matchbox had its low key launch today. The first 'matchbox' is installed at the Brighton University gallery and sits alongside the 50 Over 50 art exhibition. Filled with the sounds and memories of 10 older Brighton and Hove residents, it offers a unique insight into other peoples lives. A further 5 boxes will be installed in venues around Brighton on Monday and will be in place for 5 days. A series of radio features which tell the stories behind the sounds are being broadcast by BBC Southern Counties radio at 12.40PM from Monday the 24th till Friday the 28th. If you live outside of Brighton and Hove you can listen to the sounds and radio features at the My Noisy Matchbox website. Venue details are also available here. |
|
9th July 2006 - Deptford Green School soundscape launched You can now listen to the Deptford Green school soundscape by going here. simonsound worked closely with 10 students to help them create a soundscape that reflected their school. It features the sounds and voices of the school and was alot of fun to work on. We spent many sessions with the 10 students, running workshops to stretch their ears and to aid their exploration of sound. They learnt how to collect sounds using portable recording equipment and they also kept audio diaries using dictaphones. The soundscape itself is made up of 7 sound pieces created by the core group of 10 students. These 7 individual works are woven together with the voices of Deptford Green; recorded over the course of one day, every pupil had the chance to add their own word or phrase. The soundscape was created alongside Tony Stallards light sculpture and a cd containing the soundscape is held within a time capsule. You can see the sculpture by following the link above. |
|
9th July 2006 - Sound Transit - new simonsounds Still love this site. You can hear everything from sound walks around abandoned womens correctional facilities through to night time weddings in an old town square of Cairo. Book your journey and see where the sound takes you! I added a new sound yesterday - a binaural recording of a 17th century water mill. A blacksmith at work will follow. Enjoy. |
|
Welcome to Mars - series finale Well it is almost impossible to believe that the series has come and gone. Well it hasn't really gone completely, you will still be able to download it for free here. I am going to put together an instrumental episode featuring all the best bits of incidental music, so keep your ears peeled for that. The series was a pleasure to produce and I hope you enjoyed it. Simon. |
|
simonsound update - Arts Council Funding for My Noisy Matchbox We are pleased and excited to announce that our application for Arts Council Funding has been successful. This enables us to produce phase two of My Noisy Matchbox as part of Brighton and Hove Councils Celebrating Age Festival in July 2006. |
 |
Basil Kirchin in conversation As promised, we have a downloadable interview with experimental composer Basil Kirchin. I interviewed Basil in 2003 but as Basil himself would say, things got in the way and the recording sat on my shelf for nearly three years. Kirchins work with found sound really inspired me and this is refelcted in many of the projects I am currently involved in. S The programme is available as a podcast. To find out more about Basil Kirchin and to buy his music go to Trunk Records.
|
|
Welcome to Mars on Resonance FM 104.4FM Ken Hollings presents a live twelve-part series of unscripted reflections on the fantasy of science in the early years of the American Century
Between 1947 and 1959, the future was written about, discussed and analysed with such confidence that it became a tangible presence. This is a story of weird science, strange events and even stranger beliefs, set in an age when the possibilities for human development seemed almost limitless. Programme Eleven: 1958: Battle for the Mind Weird scenes from the Spook Pit, inside Eisenhowers atomic bunker, and whatever happened to Leika the space dog? History like it's never been before! 3.30pm, May 10th, 2006, Resonance FM 104.4 FM Repeated Sunday at 11.30pm All programmes are also available as podcasts. |
|
29th March 2006 - New Moog keyboard I couldn't let the news of a new Moog Music synthersizer pass without a brief mention. Whatever you think of the name 'Litlle Phatty' (I happen to think it is awful), the synth itself looks pretty good. A scaled down Minimoog Voyager that should retail at under £1000 in the UK is worth getting excited about, especially since it was the last product that Bob Moog worked on before passing away. |
 |
29th March 2006 - simonsound update part 2 Too much to fit into one post so here is part two of the update. Series two of the Baby Cow comedy Ideal is currently screening on BBC3 at 10.30 every Tuesday and contains a number of simonsound mucial cues. Keep checking the podcast page for a downloadable interview with experimental composer Basil Kirchin. I interviewed Basil in 2003 but as Basil himself would say, things got in the way and the recording sat on my shelf for nearly three years. Kirchins work with found sound really inspired me and this is refelcted in many of the projects I am currently involved in. The podcast should be available within the next few days. As always there are lots of other projects still in their early stages which means I can't really talk about them here, but they are very exciting and as soon as they are confirmed I will tell you all about them. |
|
29th March 2006 - simonsound update part 1 Lots to report on since the last update. The Deptford Green School sound art project is going really well and we have completed three workshop sessions with one more remaining after the Easter break. All the pupils have really embraced the idea and it is shaping up to be something special. I've just returned from producing show five of the Welcome to Mars series and I'm really excited with how it is going. Ken Hollings continues to amaze me with the huge amount of material he fits into the 30 minute slot, not forgetting that apart from the odd quote, his delivery is completely un-scripted. I'm really enjoying creating the incidental music too - I try and create at least two new pieces for each show and I'm building up quite a collection. During the show itself I'm arranging and mixing live, reacting to Kens text. The idea with this show has always been to create all the material ourselves thus retaining complete ownership of the finished production, thats why we can offer it as a podcast. Look out for the Welcome to Mars Sensurround version coming soon to a radio station near you. A condensed version of WTM with our favorite space music as the soundtrack. |
|
4th March 2006 - M-Audio Trigger Finger I recently took delivery of the M-Audio Trigger Finger and have been setting it up for the Voices sound art project we are working on at Deptford Green School. It works really well with Ableton Live for triggering lots of different sound clips and controlling start points, filters, tempo, pitch and just about every parameter you can think of. I've also used it to control the triggering and mixing of clips on Welcome to Mars, the new 12 part radio show I am producing for Resonance FM. I always loved the idea of the MPC series of samplers from Akai but after owning a MPC2000xl a couple of years back I was disapointed with the sound shaping capability (no LFO's, limited modulation). With the addition of the Trigger Finger I've just turned my laptop into the most powerful MPC ever! |
 |
3rd March 2006 - Rapture soft synth Just got my boxed copy of the new softsynth from Cakewalk after being involved in the beta testing. It is pretty similar to their sampling software Dimension Pro but uses wavetable synthesis which is less CPU and memory intensive. Rapture adds ring modulation and an extra string to its modulation bow in the form of a step sequencer. It sounds great and just like Dimension Pro, offers versatile sound design functionality. |
 |
16th February 2006 - simonsound update Things have been really busy for simonsound over the last few weeks - as you might have read below we just won a sound art commission at Deptford Green School in London which we are really excited to be working on. We are also preparing for the upcoming Resonance show (read more about this above) which starts in the first week of March. I will be providing a live electronic soundtrack for this twelve part series and I'm currently working on the signature tune that will open and close each episode. Other production work includes preparing a 'Best of Ken Hollings' mix for an upcoming presentation at Central St Martins at the end of February, additional sound design work for I Deal, a radio spot for local IT company Tag4 and we've also been adding the finishing touches to some funding applications. There are lots of other exciting things in the planning stages and I'll report on them here as soon as I can. |
|
15th February 2006 - Voices simonsound have won a commission to create an exciting piece of sonic art using the sounds and voices of Deptford Green school in south east London. The school has just been awarded specialist status in Humanities, which covers English, Drama and Citizenship, and they wanted an installation that would reflect these areas of study. Using an approach similar to the My Noisy Matchbox project, we will help the students gather sounds from around the school and then manipulate those sounds to create a finely crafted soundscape. In addition to the soundscape, a layer of voices will fade in and out of focus, offering every student and member of staff the opportunity to share their opinions with others. We will also be producing a short radio feature to accompany the installation. This feature will be offered to local radio stations and will also be available as a podcast. Our aim with this commission is to explore the aspects of communication which lie at the heart of the schools specialism in Humanities, oh and also to create something that sounds absolutely amazing. |
|
27th January 2006 - Best NAMM announcement Last year Edirol released the R-1 portable recorder, a great compact flash based USB device with built in stereo microphones. M-Audio followed close behind releasing the slightly smaller Micro Track. Both units were a real step forward in terms of affordable high quality location recording, and offered a much needed alternative to the budget minidisc option. For a while R-1's were impossible to purchase here in the UK with rumours that the BBC had purchased huge quantities for its production staff. Fast forward to NAMM 2006 and the latest device to hit the market is the Edirol R-09. With many of the same features as the R-1, this unit adds rechargable batteries, SD memory card format (instead of flash), added recording options, phantom power (probably) and a smaller form factor. The easily jogged record level dial of the R-1 also seems to have been replaced with more substantial buttons. It lacks some of the built in effects of the R-1, but seeing as I'd only be using this to gather the sounds for later manipulation in Pro Tools or Ableton Live, it isn't such a big loss for me. The R-09 looks great and I can't wait to try one out. |
 |
19th January 2006 - NAMM 2006 and Dave Smith
NAMM 2006 starts today in Anaheim, USA and we can expect lots of exciting new music gear to be on show. Dave Smith will be launching his new Keyboard Mono Evolver and there are rumours of a new Moog synth. For up to date news check Create Digital Music who are reporting from the event. |
 |
18th January 2006 - Buddah Machine sound box The Buddah Machine is like a lo-fi iPod with a built in speaker. It contains nine lo-fi audio loops created by the mysterious group FM3 and takes the stress out of choosing your portable soundtrack by limiting your choice! The loops are very haunting and it is easy to imagine this radio like device is actually picking up a transmission from another planet. The Buddah Machine is based on a gadget used by Buddhist's that plays musical chants to pray along with. Apparently Brian Eno bought eight. Available from Rough Trade for £15.99. |
 |
14th January 2006 - Honda Civic Power of Screams commercial - AMAZING! Try and catch the new Honda Civic ad currently gracing TV screens in the UK. It features a group of singers re-creating the sounds of driving and is both visually and sonically stunning. The creative team behind the commercial were keen to include the more subtle sounds of automobiles like rain on the roof and a biro rolling across the dash board alongside the big, fast, powefull sounds, with the aim being to express the human experience of driving. See how they did it here. This advert is extremely powerful and really underlines the important role sound plays in everyones lives. It's great to see it used in such a creative way. [Note - The full 120 second spot will only run for one week before being chopped up into smaller edits] |
 |
13th January 2006 - I Deal Started work on another musical cue for I Deal this week and it is coming along very nicely. I don't want to give any of the story line away but I will say that the central character Moz will be having some ghostly plumbing problems. Sound strange? It is! |
 |
8th January 2006 - Bob Moog web site Bob Moog's personal web site is now online featuring lots of great archive photo's and articles. Conceived by Bob as a way of sharing info about himself with people around the world, he sadly passed away before the site was launched. Moog Music continue to sell high quality analogue synthesizers, pedals, track suits and Minimugs. Rumours are rife that they are just about to announce a new synth at NAMM in January. Will it be a poly version of the Voyager synth (unlikely) or will it be a micromoog? I'm sure we'll find out by the end of January. Whilst we are on the subject of Moog, check out these photo's from the Remembering Bob Moog exhibition in Binghampton, NY. |
 |
7th January 2006 - Synthesizers.com It's my birthday today and one of my gifts is a envelope generator for the synthesizers.com modular. Sadly it is still in transit from America but as soon as it arrives I will create and post some sounds on the sounds page for you to enjoy. |
 |
31st December 2005 Peter Kirn at Create Digital Music is inviting visitors to his wonderful blog to send him a one second sound clip. In celebration of timekeepers around the world inserting a 'leap second' on New Years Eve to keep clocks in sync with the Earth's rotation, Peter aims to join all the clips to create one giant 'ode to the leap second'. [UPDATE 05.06 - Create Digital Music's 'Ode to the leap second' is now online. Featuring sonic seconds from award winning composers, piano tuners and a couple from simonsound, check it out here.] [UPDATE 08.06 - People continue to send in their 1 second sounds including Brad Fuller, they guy responsible for creating music for the classic arcade game Marble Madness. More here.] |
|
30th December 2005 The sound transit website offers you the opportunity to plan and make a sonic journey through various locations around the world. A collaborative online community dedicated to field recording and phonography, Sound Transit is a perfect way to discover the world in sound. Use the search function to find some simonsound recordings. |
|
9th December 2005 - simonsound update Whilst suffering with a horrible cold I've been pretty busy over the last week. I completed one of the Ideal tracks and got really good feedback from the writer who was more than happy. I'll also be going up to Manchester in Febuary to work with the foley artist to create a piece made up of pipe sounds. I don't want to say much more but I think it will be a lot of fun and will certainly appeal to my love of working with found sound. I produced a two hour classic hip hop show for Heinekin Music which will be broadcast accross the Caribbean. Using Ableton Live 5 to seamlessly mix tracks and branding was a lot of fun. I'll be delivering a two hour mix every month. Lots of other bits and pieces going on such as preparing for a possible show on Resonance FM in the new year and funding application for My Noisy Matchbox. I also want to make some time for working on my own music. |
|
| 30th November 2005 - Monsterism Compilation Just wanted to tell you about this great compilation put together by Pete Fowler. The Sound of Monsterism Island features exotica from Martin Denney, electronica from White Noise which features Delia Derbyshire of BBC Radiophonic workshop fame, and plenty of other sonic masterpieces. Each track reflects a different area on Pete Fowlers imaginary Monsterism Island, and from the sound of this CD it must be a magical place. It was released in September but I only heard it at the weekend, I strongly suggest you order yourself a copy. |
 |
30th November 2005 - Green Synergy post production - thankyou Ableton We are nearing completion of the post production phase of the Green Synergy project. (Follow the link for background). Over the last six weeks we have spent two evenings every week fine tuning the musical sketches which were started in St.Lucia with the Caribbean DJ's. We originally used Propellorheads Reason with Pro Tools but I have become increasingly frustrated with Reason's user interface. At times it can be fiddly and the file management system is very un-helpful. I am a recent convert to Ableton Live and during a Green Synergy session last week I suggested we load it up and see what it could add. WOW, Ableton Live 5 is amazing! It is so quick and effortless to use and the supplied library is fresh with a good range of sounds. Within minutes we were auditioning loops in sync and quickly adding synth lines from the Minimoog. Pro Tools is brilliant for audio editing and crafting complicated sound pieces but it's not great for composition and song writing - Ableton Live 5 on the other hand is inspiring and allows you to quickly form musical ideas and arrangements. Oh and no I don't work for Ableton. |
|
| 29th November 2005 - Pink Floyd I felt priviledged to attend a talk last night given by Nick Mason, who plays the drums in that Pink Floyd band that you might of heard about. Held at Central St.Martins in London, the talk explored the way in which Pink Floyd's artwork had as much to do with their success as the music itself. The audience were treated to some interesting Pink Floyd anecdotes, many of which are well known, but to hear them told by one of the band was much more fun. I especially enjoyed hearing about Pink Floyd's light shows where I found out that it's not the power of the laser (though it's nice to have power), it's all about setup time and placing as many little mirrors around the venue as possible. That is when the real magic happens. Nick also talked about how the band learnt to use recording equipment themselves, enabling them to experiment more freely, using portable recorders to collect found sounds to use within their music. I'm not a big fan of all of Pink Floyd's music but you can't deny that they were true innovators in the studio and on stage. Thanks to Ken Hollings for sorting the ticket! |
|
| 19th November 2005 - Dimension Pro software I was lucky enough to be involved in the beta testing for this fine software from Cakewalk audio so have been playing with it for a while. I just received my complimentory boxed version and wanted to tell everyone how cool it is. Dimension Pro is a software sampler/synth with huge 7GB library of high quality sounds. Straight out of the box it will offer you a huge pallete of rich sounds to use immediately, from evolving sound scapes through to piano, woodwind and choir, but its the awesome editing power that really makes this a sound designers dream. The envelopes offer unlimited amounts of break points, the filters are rich and warm, the built in effects really worth using and the whole package is stable. I will try and upload some audio to the sounds page to give you an idea of what this software is capable of. |
|
| 18th November 2005 - My Noisy Matchbox/Connecting showcase It's the morning after the My Noisy Matchbox showcase performance and I'm still feeling really excited about what took place last night. It was an inspiring night for everyone involved and alongside the My Noisy Matchbox performance there were many other great pieces. The dancers from Portslade Community College were fine tuning their moves right up till the last minute, and when they appeared on stage they were completely focussed on the sound and movement. The soundtrack, made up of found sounds collected by Portslade Community College pupils, sounded great in the venue - the subtle textures and washes of sound leading into chaotic sonic jumble and then back again, weaving the manipulated everday sounds into something magical. One audience member said she was 'blown away'. This was my first project to involve dance and it certainly won't be the last. Thanks to all those involved for making it such a success and of course a special mention to all the pupils for their enthusiasm and commitment. S |
|
| 16th November 2005 - My Noisy Matchbox/Connecting I just got back from the final rehearsal of the dance piece that has been choreagraphed around the My Noisy Matchbox sounds. The students at Portslade Community College are really enthusiastic and excited about their performance tommorow night which takes place in front of an invited audience, and I can't wait to see the final show. Brighton and Hove Council should be applauded for their Connecting (not to be confused with the BBC radio feature of the same name) project which has seen artists of different disciplines coming together to work with schools. I have been lucky enough to work with both a great school and a great artist, Justine Reeves. I will report back tomorrow on the Connecting Showcase. I will also try and get some video online. S |
|
| 14th November 2005 - Good Vibrations When I tell people that I play the Theremin, I am usually met with blank faces and the question, 'what is a Theremin?'. I usually respond by waving my arms around and saying, 'you know that sound at the start of Good Vibrations....?', knowing full well that that isn't entirely true and that the actual instrument used on Good Vibrations is called a Tannerin, which is a variant of the Theremin. This guy makes Tannerins for Brian Wilson. |
 |
| 14th November 2005 - Trunk records simonsound are crazy about Trunk Records. Run by Jonny Trunk, a recording artist in his own right, the labels past releases have included the soundtrack to U.F.O, strange abstract recordings from Basil Kirchin, the theme music from Kes and a host of cool library recordings. Jonny has recently been very busy taking his Dirty Fan Male project on the road. Dirty Fan Male is a series of readings made up of letters sent to UK Porn models and is very funny. It was the word of mouth hit at Edinburgh Festival. Trunk Records have a host of great recordings including Music of the Future, Abstractions of the Industrial North by Basil Kirchin, The Tommorow People theme and incidentals, and a very exciting Bod project that will include words, music and pictures. If you like your music collection to contain something a little different, then Trunk is the label for you. simonsound reccomend it. |
 |
| 14th November 2005 - Remembering the Cassette I've got fond childhood memories of creating pause button remixes on cassette tape; recording the top 40 chart on a Sunday evening and trying to re-create Mantronix style edits. It was my first foray into the world of sound manipulation. These days most of my sonic tinkering is carried out in the digital domain and its easy to forget a time before affordable hard drives, iPods and flash drives, when the humble cassette took care of all my sound and data storage. Check out this site to see a pretty comprehensive collection of cassette designs. Thanks to CDM for bringing this to my attention. |
 |
| 20th October 2005 - The best robot to invite to your party Are you having a party? Well if you are you might want to consider inviting this chap. At first glance he looks like a typical robot, but take a closer look..... This looks silly and over the top and its a well trodden path, but with Ipods and music players getting smaller and smaller, how long will it be before entertainment technology really does become a part of our bodies??? Sign me up for a Moog synth built into my thigh. Thanks to Music Thing for another great one. |
 |
| 29th March 2005 - The Mellotron is back RL Music, specialists in classic synths have joined forces with Mellotron to bring you the Mellotron Mk VI. Before digital samplers came along, the Mellotron enabled musicians to take any sound and play it on a keyboard. Each key would have its own independant tape strip that was triggered every time a key was hit. Famously used by the Beatles on Strawberry Fields, the Mellotron features on a host of other classic tracks. Read the history here. The new Mellotron is available in classic white, black, plexiglass (simonsound's fav, you can see the workings!), standard mahogany and MkVII Mahogany which features 2 keyboards. Each Mellotron comes with sounds (tape sets) from an extensive library. Choose from strings, brass, choir/voice and even Black Sabbath or Tangerine Dream sound effects. RL Music are also UK dealers for Buchla, Macbeth and Metasonix, and specialise in selling top quality rare analogue synths. |
 |
| 20th March 2005 - iPod Hatred simonsound loves the IPod because it can be filled with hours and hours of strange sounds. It is simple to use and works without a fuss. This guy hates your IPod, he really loathes it. The power of this hatred fuels him to write a daily blog on the subject. Check it out, it is funny. |
 |
