los

tom rowland

bristol

the electronica scene, more than any other area of contemporary music, is at an exciting stage in its history. although folk and ‘classical’ music are still developing healthily, they do not show the vigour and expansiveness, daresay ambition, of electronics. in bristol we are specially fortunate. there is a glut of talented electronic musicians, with whom i have been privileged to work and play, a medley of different styles of electronica in development, and a unifying sense of pride in what we are all doing in bristol.

los

for each song i spend a lot of time programming synths, sampling drum sounds, writing melodies and planning their development. looking back on my musical progression, i seem to have shifted from primarily sampling to synthesizing sounds. the difference is one of principle as well as technique. sampling, or redistributing captured organic and synthetic soundforms, can yield really beautiful tonal textures, exemplified by knowledge of bugs amongst others.

but for my music, synthesis of musical textures, weaving together the different pathways through a synthesizer’s circuitry, is one of the most deep and strangest opportunities for sub-creation i have found.

i am currently working closely with three musicians, especially for live performance:

holly gough has a voice like an angel and beautifully adorns the music with her lush tones

rich thair needs no introduction. the drummer of red snapper is one of the most successful and respected live drummers in british electronic music, and boosts live sets with rhythmic pyrotechnics

yoav segal is immensely talented in many creative areas, not least so on alto and soprano sax. it was a pleasure to watch his spectacular solo on alabalm mesmerizing the packed crowd at the croft

i am currently in the final stages of archangel, a long piece of music (featuring all of the above).

alabalm

despite everything i was just saying about synthesis, one of my tracks, alabalm, which you will find on cut your teeth and this website, is based upon the introductory phrase of john coltrane’s incredible alabama. coltrane played his song in response to the murder of two black little girls by white racists in a school-bombing, and bridged the gap between musical form and desperate expression in a way few have ever managed. there is still a lot of the same sadness around nowadays.

“leaf-style melodies coupled with a simple rhythm structure sit together simply in this stunning piece of work.”

– decode magazine, issue 5, dec – jan 2003

sontex

sontex is evidence of the relocation of my music into the synth racks. i remember that i was thinking about combining a persuasive melody with thick, dark pad textures and bass, all driven by a furious beat. the song is about bristol at night.

“an excellent slice of atmospheric mood”

- decode magazine, issue 5, dec – jan 2003

discography
individual releases:
none

remixes:
CCT003 - remix of the knowledge of bugs' "chasing paper butterflies"

tracks on compilations:
CCT001 - "alabalm" & "sontex" on "cut your teeth" on clean cut records