Audio
Please listen on headphones or good quality speakers, if you can; mobile phone, tablet & laptop speakers won’t tell you much.
Tracks marked * were composed by me; instruments marked † are played by me.
* Prog rock coda – sample
Multi-tracked viola, violin and ‘cello, mixed to give a full, lush, reverberative sound. Recorded as a coda to a lengthy rock song.
melancholic, drifting, orchestral, strings, emotional, symphonic, classical
viola, violin, ‘cello, †synth
* Video game ambience [sample]
Indie game game ambience, setting a peaceful and suspenseful mood to intrigue the player.
ambient, synthesiser, electronic, video game, soundtrack, suspense, chiptune
†synthesiser
* Bouncy commercial [sample]
Wonky, fun electronica, written as soundtrack to a hectic mobile phone commercial.
fun, goofy, electronic, synthesiser, silly, bouncy, energetic
†synths, †electronic drums, †ukulele, †glockenspiel
* 7/4 instrumental post-rock [sample]
Classical strings, electric guitars and drums.
rock, aggressive, angry, noisy, driving, rhythmic, classical, intense
viola, violin, ‘cello, double bass, †electric guitar, drums
* Ambient guitar [sample]
Played live and recorded in one take – electric guitar played through a series of effects pedals.
ambient, electronic, synth, dreamlike, drifting, melancholic, suspenseful, chilled
†electric guitar
* Piano & ‘cello nocturne [sample]
Shifting, unpredictable harmony and wide intervals in melody and harmony keep the listener guessing.
dreamlike, sombre, melancholy, elegant, wistful, unexpected, tense, classical, melodic
†VST piano, ‘cello
* 16mm B&W film score [sample 1]
Written as soundtrack to 16mm film / art project about a cinema, bombed in WWII. Mixed to suit the restricted frequency range of optical sound.
strings, classical, emotive, melancholic, uplifting melodic, triumphant
viola, violin, ‘cello, †synth
Live musical saw [sample]
Improvised musical saw solo and accompaniment; recorded live from radio session.
songwriting, instrumentalist, improvised, radio, melancholy
†musical saw
* Victorian-era comedy [sample]
God save the Queen and All things bright and beautiful, mixed to sound as if being performed by aristrocratic amateurs. Written to accompany a tongue-in-cheek Victorian, imperialistc play.
strings, jaunty, silly, imperialist, nationalist, colonial, Victorian, amateur, melodic
viola, violin, ‘cello, double bass
* Theatre atmosphere [sample]
A background atmosphere for a theatre production; real-world field recordings processed to sound more electronic and abstract. To be played so it’s barely audible to an audience.
abstract, atmosphere, wind, bitcrush, electronic, theatre, ambient, soundtrack
†field recordings & effects
* Improvised acoustic guitar solo [sample]
Improvised, contemplative acoustic guitar; recording live in one take.
wistful, flowing, contemplative, suspenseful
†acoustic guitar
* Experimental theatre ambience [sample]
The full piece is an hour long, and moves between many permutations of four notes, across four instruments, mixed with field recordings and rehearsals sounds.
ambient, peaceful, wistful, melancholic, drifting, foreboding
†electric guitar, †piano, †synth, ‘cello
* Avant-garde rock [sample]
Semi-improvised accompaniment to recorded Sellafield emergency alarm descriptions.
wistful, melancholy, apocalyptic, noisy, experimental, voiceover, electroacoustic
†electric guitar, viola, violin, ‘cello
* 16mm B&W film score [sample 2]
Written as soundtrack to 16mm film / art project about a cinema, bombed in WWII. Mixed to suit the restricted frequency range of optical sound.
strings, classical, emotive, melancholic, uplifting, violin, cello, viola, minimalism
viola, violin, ‘cello, †synth
* Improvised vocals & cello [sample]
Improvised vocals (with nonsense sounds) and cello; intended to give an austere feeling, reminiscent of unaccompanied religious singing.
vocals, monks, religious, cello, sombre, singing, melancholy
†vocals, †fretted ‘cello
* Coronation [sample]
A nightmarish version of a coronation theme, to accompany an unwelcome royal procession.
coronation, nightmare, noise, regal
†fretted cello, †electronics
* Rhythmic vocals & nyckelharpa [sample]
Cut-up vocals and rhythmic nyckelharpa, intended to combine modern electronic processing with traditional folk instrumentation.
folk, glitch, beat, rhythm, electronic, folktronica
†vocals, †nyckelharpa, †Cecilia
* 11/8 electronica [sample]
An unusual time signature and suspended harmony gives a slightly off-kilter feeling and a feeling of suspense.
electronica, unsettling, beats, IDM, glitch, remix, suspense, tension
†synths, †electronic drums
* Atmospheric post-rock [sample]
Atmospheric, tense instrumental on classical strings and electric guitars.
tense, atmospheric, suspenseful, classical
viola, violin, ‘cello, double bass, †electric guitar, drums