DIVIDE BY TEN

My last musical project, as commissioned by Bowers & Wilkins for the 2004 Bristol Hi-Fi Show. Having designed a number of exhibition spaces for them (the first being a full-on jungle), they asked me to fill-in for a lesser soul who had come up blank for their own 3d sound installation.

“Sure – I can do that, but it’ll be ten-point-zero (i.e. 10 channels, full range), last over an hour (and looped), feature SFX, music (sourced and original), spoken voice, each sound and/or track being manipulated within, through and around the soundspace.”

“Sounds great – has anyone done such a thing before?”

“Um, no… plus, this will possibly be the most complex piece of aural/musical programming ever achieved.”

And, as far as we know, it still is.

After the event, which was an unmitigated success, we offered B&W a host of developments for them to sponsor: fashion and launch installations, live input versions, nightclub performances, stereo and 5.1 mix-downs. They said yes.

Three months later, they said no.

I set-up a travel agency instead.

A severely chopped-up 18 minutes’ worth.

You’ll hear: animal funk, relentless raga, birds singing tunes, a funky souk, an audience’s coughing overwhelming Shostakovich, gyrating gypsies, and the sublime Sandy Denny with a little extra something.

Nothing could substitute the live experience, but you’ll get the idea …only if you put it on the hi-fi and turn it up.

Some images featuring B&W bits ‘n’ pieces…