This series of films was made between 2006 & 2009 and document processes and activity in the studio.
Screened as a series in Aberystwyth in 'The Box', they provide a nostalgic look at found and faulty hifi equipment, questioning sentimentality and reverence towards both music and past technology.

Tying Tone Arms (02:42) wach here

(This film was made in response to a call for short films on the theme of restriction and was first shown as part of the Real Institutes 'Really Restrictive Shorts' event, Llangollen, 13/01/07. Subsequently it has also screened at various events and locations nationally including Shunt Vaults, Mission Gallery, and Aberystwyth Arts Centre.)

Restrictions are fundamental to my work. This film focuses on the most obvious physical restriction. My work generally uses found objects, and my aim is to use them, as much as is possible, in the state in which they are found. Basic repairs are made merely to achieve some sound, with any problems leading to their being discarded playing an important part of the composing process. With turntables I often then intervene further by tying the tone arm back in order to interrupt normal play. The work is then produced live without headphones or post-production, using randomly selected loops from often randomly selected records. By making work in this way I hope to reassess the nature of the objects and their useful life, explore memory and notions of musical consistency and examine the ontology of recorded sound.

This study of a fundamental part of my composing process is accompanied by a mix of randomly selected loops from randomly selected records.

Shaky (03:22) watch here

Looks at a particular fault of an old Alba hifi found by a friend some years ago. The audio is from the camera mic.

Panaround (05:14) watch here

A single long pan around the studio, cutting to details on the beat of the loop. The a udio is the stuck record shown playing, Bauhaus 79-83 Side 1 (a 'natural' loop, ie not tied) recorded on camera mic.

15 Fragments (02:36) watch here

15 fragments of webcasts in one short.
The duration is dictated by the lower middle screen, a Sony PS-212A playing a Calibre record. Calibre records are unique recordings made in public recording booths. The audio is a digital remix of all the individual webcast soundtracks.