Personal Performances
The following are extracts of complete works that are available as CD Audio:
Please see the contact / order page for more information.
Listen
The Adoration of Willow, River Trent
This is an extract from a recent work featuring a sound improvisation using
only found materials on the flood plain of the River Trent near the village of
Kneeton, Nottinghamshire.
This section of the river is only accessible on foot.
At this location a line of old Willow Trees marks the former edge of the main
water course before the river was diverted and deepened to its present position
about 70 yards away. The Willows here suffer regular drought during dry weather
when the residual trough, which used to be the old bed of the river, dries out -
on the occasion of this recording it is filled with the recent rains. The form
of the willows reflects their condition. They are slowly dying, agonisingly bent
and tortured in appearance. This is an improvisation intended to evoke the
irregular rhythm of drought and water and the agonising dryness experienced by
these old guardians of the river bank. Please note that the trees were not
damaged during the course of the improvisation. The snapping sounds were made by
using fallen twigs which had been stripped from the trees presumably by wind.
There is a quiet prelude of natural ambience for about 8 minutes as I walk
along the riverside to the location.
The Adoration of Willow, Shelford
Recorded one early morning in 1999 near the Nottinghamshire village of
Shelford It features a walk across a grassy meadow to a grove of willows at the
roadside, some extensive improvisation on fallen branches and detritus left by
the River Trent when in flood.
Subtitled "On hearing the First Note of Willow in Spring", there is a brief discovery of a dead willow twig which offered a note when plucked. The performance concludes with a perambulation across the meadow and return to the gate adjacent to the road where I started.
Hell Bay, Isles of Scilly
This awesome rocky bay to the north of the Isle of Bryher, Isles of Scilly was recorded at dawn with hardly a breath of wind. Despite the calm, the sea still surged over the rocky peninsula which I walked over, somewhat perilously, as waves crashed around me. It was an exhilarating and intense experience.
This work may either be experienced at low volume, where the moving sea has a calming, tranquil effect, or at a higher volume which can be stimulating and exciting.
Improvisation on Themes of The Hemlock Stone, Nottingham
(Valentine's Fair and Street Improvisation)
Inspired by a composition "The Devil and the Hemlock Stone" by Nigel Clarke, this work explores two sub-themes in this work of "The Fairground" and "The Church".
Recorded in the Market Square, Nottingham in February, the opening phase explores the sounds of a Valentine's fair. The listener is then led on a walk through the back streets to St Mary's Church where a sound improvisation using found objects and materials associated with some discovered roadworks leads to the conclusion of the piece.
Barra Improvisation, "Eysore", Isle of Barra, Outer Hebrides
Recorded on the Isle of Barra, Western Isles, Scotland early morning about 6am, July 2002.
Disposing of large scrap items is difficult on this remote island, so the islanders appear to have adopted an "abandonment" policy, which includes housing.
This dumping area near Castlebay, the main town on Barra, contained scrap cars, an abandoned fishing launch with "Eyesore" written on the hull, a crane, plus miscellaneous items such as concrete pipes, steel rods, plastic pipes and other detritus.
With a gusting wind blowing, my improvisation on various found objects attempted to liberate the sonic potentialities of the abandoned materials and allude to other elements of the island community in the broader context of the environment.
Bruges Street Improvisation, Bruges
Recorded in Bruges, Belgium, December 2002.
The recording documents a circular walk from our Hotel around the city and back early in the morning starting about 6 am in the dark.
The opportunities for improvisation included an encounter with roosting bats, flag poles, empty wine and beer bottles, a post box, parked bicycles, notice boards, public seats, walls and surfaces.
The two extracts featured are the bicycles and some street ambiance at the start of the walk.
Fireworks, Northampton Balloon Festival
Recorded binaurally using a Tascam DAP1 DAT recorder and DPA4060 mics, at the Racecourse park in the centre of Northampton, this three quarter mile diameter site, surrounded by housing, creates echo reflections of the firework explosions which are awesome, and by chance this was probably the best public firework display I have ever witnessed. Mastered at 24/48 resolution and downsampled for mp3, this is a high quality binaural surround experience. The full length hi-res recording is available for purchase as CD Audio or CD-ROM..
Braye Harbour Improvisation
Recorded on Alderney as part of The Alderney Sessions, as I call them � a suite of several recordings of intuitive improvisations using found objects. This improvisation was to be featured on the For Alderney CD, but has a more vigorous aesthetic and was not included. It is available separately as a signed CDR through this website.
For Alderney Incarceration / Liberation
Recorded as a single unrehearsed take in July 2000, this binaural sonic narrative was a homage to the liberation of Alderney from German occupation during WW2. The extract was recorded in a quarry entrance and features found objects. The movements, Invasion, Occupation, Liberation, Reconstruction and Incantation, are not separate tracks, but refer to concepts that flow into each other throughout the work. This CD was released in the USA by Dale Lloyd through his and/OAR label. I also have copies for sale.
Peninnis Head, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly
There are some incredible rock formations at Peninnis Head, which also provide an environment for subtle sonic seascapes. Standing at the side of the narrow inlet at the bottom of the rock face gentle wave breaks occur, whilst at the rocky end of the inlet a series of deep horizontal crevices create fascinating "gurgles" at critical heights of the tide.
