Double Piano

There are some musical instruments that just give me goosebumps and the piano is one of them. It is simultaneously one of my regrets that I never learnt to play it and one of my ambitions that I will one day change that. Visually, a piano is a thing of absolute beauty. Just the keys on their own are design perfection. So many references have been made throughout music to the physical attributes of those keys. Combine that with the incredible curves of the grand piano and you are in the world I refer to as the shape of music. The QWERTY reference is as much a contrast as it is a respectful nod to the world of electronic music. I am as happy listening to Chopin as I am Massive Attack.

Trombone Shorty

This piece is dedicated to the undeniable musical genius of Trombone Shorty, who has been a very recent discovery for me. There are things he can produce with a trombone that shouldn’t be physically possible. He has an amazing control over energy, movement and balance within his music and as with many of the artworks in the exhibition, there are characters to be found that represent that mood within the image. If you find yourself in New Orleans and looking for a reason to smile, be sure to look him up.

Clockwork Roots

This is the entire percussion kit of a good friend. As the piece developed and we spoke about what I was creating, the conversation was about percussion being the rhythm and the roots of the music. Layer after layer of drum foliage was added. Waveform created the landscape from which it grew. Lyrical rain texture was even added and eventually it took on it’s tree shape. It was only when the final two snare drum edges created the sense of clockwork, that the extra dimension of time was added and the piece finally came to life.

Perseverance

Picture the scene if you will. A fateful Christmas morning in a snowy household in the hills of northern England. The tree is decorated, the turkey is in the oven and your older brother has just unwrapped his worst and most expensive present of his life. Once the cracks of his feigned mock gratitude had worn off, what was left was the knowledge that his next 5 years would be spent persevering with a truly difficult instrument in which he had, at best, no interest whatsoever, in order to be respectful to the sacrifices that had been made to provide it. The French Horn has a dubious but humorous history in the Cash family and as irony would have it, he has been living in France for many years now. He absolutely does not play the French Horn. But the fact still remains, it is a beautiful looking instrument. It stands prouder and bolder now than it may have back then.

Do Not Disturb

This one is all about the girls... Nina, Ella, Billie, Etta, Aretha and Little Esther. Not just truly inspirational musicians, but strong, stubborn and powerful women who, against all odds, paved a future for a world of female talent. And this is where I indulge myself in vinyl. The crackles, the jumps and the beautiful voices make this an experience, not just background music. Do not disturb.

Blue In Green

Three things that balance very well in my musical world are Miles Davis, vinyl and the colour blue. Whether or not you’re a fan of jazz, Miles Davis defines cutting edge. Once you’ve determined that, there’s not a whole lot more to say.

MODern Classic

Classical music was a very big part of my childhood and has stayed with me ever since. It has a wonderful balance of simplicity and complexity and I find myself drifting into other worlds very quickly and with ease. I’m forever mesmerized by the talent of classically trained musicians, as I am by the beauty and craftsmanship of the instruments they play. I’m also fascinated by how much of that talent has transformed the world of modern music. The divide between the two is getting narrower every year and amazing projects are bringing classical music more and more into the limelight again. The random selection process of shuffle has thrown up some very interesting musical twists in my own collection, firmly stamping classical music authority amongst some pretty diverse artists.

iCon

In the common debate of analogue versus digital... I’m both. No need to choose.

In a world where an 8 year old piece of digital technology is already nearly vintage, this piece is about celebrating and amalgamating the nostalgia of crackly old vinyl, the spontaneity of digital shuffle, the atmosphere of live music and the timelessness of iconic design. We carry our entire life’s music collections around in such small boxes, I wanted to create something that also carries the memories of the music, where and when I bought it, listened to it, saw it and the people with whom I shared it. Love it or hate it, this little box changed the way we listen to music forever.

Bon Accordian

I have many fond memories of the accordian from an early age. There was my fabulous Scottish Aunt, who could knock out a serious shanty and thanks to my older brother, my early musically influential years under the spell of Tom Waits. Admittedly, their styles were slightly different, but the sound was the same. It’s the sound of the streets of Paris and the gypsy music of Eastern Europe. It’s also one of those instruments that just look better the older they get. Make of this piece what you will, but as long as you can picture it sat on the bar in a ramshackle pub near a port, then you’ll be pretty close to the vision I had for it. The lyrics are from an old Russian folk song called Two Guitars.

Two guitars behind the the wall began playing mournfully,
oh my heart, a familiar tune.
Darling, are you there?