ABOUT
Live with Prolog (aged 17) at the Bier Keller, Blackpool 1984. Photo: Blackpool Gazette
One of the many benefits of being part of a big family is that I grew up surrounded by an eclectic mix of music; Frank Zappa, The Beatles, Jess Roden, Pink Floyd, Climax Blues Band and prog-era Genesis, to name just a a few. Blondie's 'Heart of Glass' in 1978 first stirred my interest in electronic music before Tubeway Army's Top of the Pops appearance in 1979 with 'Are friends electric?' was probably the moment that sold me on synth music.
Armed with a Casio keyboard from Argos and a used Jen SX1000 synth bought through the local classifieds, I started to write my own basic songs from around 1983 before forming the synth duo Prolog with college friend Dave Holt, who I performed a small number of gigs with between 1984 and 1985.
As a solo artist from 1985 onwards, I started recording demos in various local studios in the hope of generating record label interest but my synth-based music was out of favour. I carried on writing new songs into the nineties (such as ‘Forever’ in 1998) but also started focusing on instrumental tracks and media compositions. Around this time, I composed some music for the Brian Barnes short film '8 million reasons not to die' and numerous other media projects.
Armed with a Casio keyboard from Argos and a used Jen SX1000 synth bought through the local classifieds, I started to write my own basic songs from around 1983 before forming the synth duo Prolog with college friend Dave Holt, who I performed a small number of gigs with between 1984 and 1985.
As a solo artist from 1985 onwards, I started recording demos in various local studios in the hope of generating record label interest but my synth-based music was out of favour. I carried on writing new songs into the nineties (such as ‘Forever’ in 1998) but also started focusing on instrumental tracks and media compositions. Around this time, I composed some music for the Brian Barnes short film '8 million reasons not to die' and numerous other media projects.
Album 'Parallel' released 2006
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Album 'Slow motion pictures' released 2008
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Album 'Tomorrow is another day' released 2020
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My last - and probably final - live gig, Tower Lounge, Blackpool, 2009 with old friend Tony Bell on synths. Photo: Blackpool Gazette.
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In 2006, after spending a few years getting my head around the latest computer music technology, I recorded the album ‘Parallel’ at home. This resulted in some airplay on BBC 6 music. Two years later in 2008, I recorded a second album, ‘Slow motion pictures’, which achieved some airplay (including on BBC 6 Music again including from Tom Robinson) and a few favourable online reviews.
Retro synth-music was finding popularity again circa 2009 with the likes of La Roux and fellow Blackpool artist Little Boots in the charts. My style of music 'almost' felt relevant again. I also performed live again for the first time in 20 years - albeit just one gig - and composed the track 'Can you hear the waves?' for the Glam Rocks art installation on South Promenade in Blackpool. I started working on a new album in 2010 but - for various reasons - I had to put this on hold. |
Between 2010 and 2020, life-stuff - happy and sad - happened and time whizzed by. My kids grew up, I had to establish a whole new career as a self-employed voiceover artist following two redundancies, and we moved house in 2014. I was still composing but very slowly. Spending every day in my studio recording voiceovers meant the last thing I wanted to do was go back in there at night. Frustrating. Then along came Covid 19 and the big lockdown in 2020. With little work coming in for a few months, I went back to the songs I'd recorded or started in 2010 and decided to finish the album. I think I needed to write four new songs and tidy up the other five, as well as get used to recording vocals again for the first time in ten years. 'Tomorrow is another Day' was completed in the summer of 2020 and even enjoyed some airplay on a few internet radio stations and on Radio Lancashire. Also in 2020, I worked on a demo of a song with Dave Holt called 'Find a Way'. Sadly, Dave passed away in 2022.
Since 2021, I've once again concentrated on more instrumental and experimental tracks, this time under the name Storms Over Oceans with an eye on media usage and within installation art projects. Some of these tracks have received airplay on various BBC programmes including the Sleeping Forecast and Ambient Focus. In the near future, I intend working on more experimental pieces and would love to collaborate with an equally experimental visual artist.
Since 2021, I've once again concentrated on more instrumental and experimental tracks, this time under the name Storms Over Oceans with an eye on media usage and within installation art projects. Some of these tracks have received airplay on various BBC programmes including the Sleeping Forecast and Ambient Focus. In the near future, I intend working on more experimental pieces and would love to collaborate with an equally experimental visual artist.
