Over the years, in between working on other artist’s music, I have worked on various projects of my own. Here are some of them:
My first attempt at actually being a singer / songwriter myself, rather than working with other singers. I’ve started to really enjoy writing lyrics in recent years and this project is exploring the electronic / cinematic / downbeat shadowlands that the songs seem to demand:
https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/879018616&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true twilight i · Cold Night AirForty Thieves Orkestar
In 2002 I started listening to the sounds of Balkan Gypsy music and Klezmer music as well as coming across some fantastic 1970’s Belly Dance records from the Middle East. I wanted to combine the spirit of this music with other things I loved (electronica, dance music, dub, etc) to make something really original.
This started as a purely studio, sample – based project but I soon started recording musicians as well, notably ace clarinetist, Idris Rahman and violinist Joe Townsend.
By 2005 the first album (‘Forgotten Tales‘) was completed and I released it on my own label; Crafty Music and it is distributed by Sterns music.
The second album (‘Last Band Standing‘) was completed in 2008 and finally released on Enja in 2011.
The third album ‘Seven Wonders’ was released in 2016. Here is a short version of a track from it:
You can find out more at the Forty Thieves Orkestar website.
Doppl Gang
For this project I hooked up with Yan Murawski and we then involved various vocalists, especially Kyle Chandler, and even a guest slot by Maxi Jazz from Faithless. We were influenced by the rich diversity of sounds from South London, where we both lived, and the emerging underground UK garage scene of the time.
Armchair Travellers
My Project with Dom.T and various other collaborators. Inspired by the 1950’s exotica sounds of Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman, and the like, we set out to make a contemporary record informed by the spirit of those artists. We brought in singers Julie Hicklin and Sophie Barker.
Slice
My Drum and Bass project from the late 90’s – I released a couple of 12″ Vinyl Ep’s on DJ Rap’s ‘Low Key’ label
Lustre
The first time I collaborated with a singer, the singer being the talented Mancunian Amanda Jones. After working on a few tracks as a duo, guitarist and songwriter Mark Constable joined us.