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Seren
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- About Me:
- I first started making music in the late 1970's, inspired by the electronic music of Klaus Schulze (Irrlicht, Cyborg), Edgar Froese (Aqua), Tangerine Dream (Zeit), Tim Blake (New Jerusalem) and similar artists. It was great discovering these artists and realising why I had always made ‘weird’ noises, loved staring at the night sky and pictures of deep space. Other big musical influences were Hawkwind, Throbbing Gristle and the political end of punk.Using one of the early Tascam cassette portastudios and parts of the Roland system 100 synthesizer with numerous effects and reel to reel tape recorders I explored soundscapes, tape loop effects and other basic ways of treating sound -really enjoying deep ambient creation or playing around with arhythmic (or lopsided) rhythms. I loved creating sounds that took people into dreamlike spaces where their own imagination could roam freely.
Both on my own and in collaboration with others a number of tapes were released in the then new and fast growing area of self advertised tapes for exchange or sale with other musicians and listeners – a response to the control exercised by the big record companies. I suspect most were pretty awful, but we had some fun doing it! As part of the DIY ideals I helped a small number of artists begin their journeys by giving portastudio time and self taught knowledge to people who otherwise would have had no access to creating their own music for self release. I was credited on an Annie Anxiety LP for initial recordings that led to the LP. I also took part in a number of performance art projects, both performing and helping to create the 'soundtrack' for the action.
We almost recorded an LP for the label run by the anarcho punk band Flux of Pink Indians, but chose not to do this as it meant going into a studio which grated against our DIY principals, hindsight does lead to some interesting thoughts on how things might have been different if we had gone for it. In 1982 I gave all my equipment away to a women's centre to pursue a more active approach to my own developing political awareness.
In between 1982 and 2004 I jammed with friends on found objects, drummed in a band that played South American ‘folk’ music and helped the younger members of a theatre group create rhythm pieces from found objects (something friends and I had been doing in 1977 but back then no one was apparently interested in such rhythm and noise). But there was no central focus on making music in my life. I did not even listen to recorded music from 1982 until 1997, when I was given a CD and had to buy the equipment to play it on, learning about the ‘new’ technology of CDs! I searched for my old favourites and one day came across 'The Magnificent Void' and 'On This Planet' by Steve Roach. I was over the moon that people were still creating such music and have since explored, finances allowing, the variety of artists making music now.
My fingers itched for a few years and then, following a drastic change of life circumstances I bought a second hand Korg D16 studio, borrowed a cheap keyboard from work and found myself starting to make music again. I sent my first piece, called Stellar Nurseries, to a number of people looking for some constructive feedback to help me develop ideas and skills. Oophoi was one of only two people who responded and he liked it so much he released it on the Umbra Label. In many ways this was a full circle - to be given the chance to release some of my own music in a similar way that I had helped others over 20 years earlier. Since then Oophoi has released a number of discs on both the Umbra and Penumbra labels.
Since the release of Stellar Nurseries I have expanded the studio equipment (almost completely second hand) and regularly hope for enough time in the day to really explore the possibilities. I am constantly amazed at what a piece of equipment can do now compared to the 1970’s…
Since the mid 1990’s I have regularly drummed (and often for prolonged periods of time) for meditation groups and in ceremonies. Last year a singer/writer asked me to do a small gig with her, drumming along to a few of her songs - my first live gig in about 16 years.
I lived in the wildness of the Welsh countryside for numerous years and am still inspired by the depths of space, the deep dreaming of the stars and the worlds of Grandmother Earth........I still like to create music that opens up people’s imagination or dreaming, exploring this through both musical music or strange, unearthly sounds and rhythms. I’ve had a number of releases on the Italian Umbra and Penumbra labels as well as one on the Hypnos Secret Sounds sub label and contributed to a few compilations – either already released or to be released in the future.
Discography:
Albums:
Stellar Nurseries – Umbra 036. 2004.
Vajra Storm – Unreleased. 2005.
Arhythmia – Umbra 044. 2005.
Floating – Umbra 048. 2006.
Ydd Hwnt y Seren a Llygedin – Umbra 059. 2006.
Visiting Berlin – Unreleased. 2006.
Calling – Unreleased. 2007.
MooN – Unreleased. 2007. 2CDR.
Veils, Shadows – Hypnos Secret Sounds 13. 2007.
The Quiet Labyrinth – Umbra 065. 2007.
CD EP’s:
A Melancholy Light – Penumbra 018. 2005.
Aurora – Penumbra 022. 2005.
The Portal’s Dreaming – Penumbra 056. 2006.
All Umbra and Penumbra releases are now out of print.
Contributions and Compilations:
Haze – Track on ‘Foglands’, Umbra compilation. Umbra 062 .2007.
Strange Attractor – Track on ‘Sounds of a Universe Overheard’, Hypnos Compilation Hyp 2752. 2007.
Endless Whispering of Quantum Uncertainty. Track on Awakenings 2008 Vol:1.5, compilation CDR. 2008.
Incubus – Track on ‘Portal’, upcoming EMPortal compilation CD. 2008.
- Are you a musician? What instrument do you play? Type of music?
- Studio set up: technics KN1400, Novation Supernove rack synth, Sennheiser microphones, Korg D16, TC electronics M3000, Tascam MD350, Roland VP9000, Roland VS2480, Korg MR1, Sonar 5.
sound sources include - antelope horn, drums, wing bone whistles, electric guitar, ebow, violin bow, pan pipes, metal chimes, singing bowls, glass, gourds, gong, and sounds from anything I can get to make a sound....
Music is hopefully dreamy, generally very ambient, a little surreal and occasionally disturbing long form pieces.
Latest Activity
Seren's Blog
Hypnos releasing Umbra recordings.
Just had it confirmed today that Mike at Hypnos records (www.hypnos.com) is going to re-release on the Secret Sounds Imprint all the albums Oophoi released on Umbra.
go to http://www.hypnos.com/smf/index.php?topic=254.15
Oophoi gave his blessings to the idea a little while ago and I am also working on a new album to be released as the end of the series.
go to http://www.hypnos.com/smf/index.php?topic=254.15
Oophoi gave his blessings to the idea a little while ago and I am also working on a new album to be released as the end of the series.
Posted on July 10, 2009 at 2:00pm — 1 Comment
heron bone flute etc
Well it only took 3 months - mainly due to wet weather and doing other things at the weekends - but got the flute finished and it worked. It's been a long while since I made stuff like that and my eyes are not as good as they were... scraping for ages with a scalpel to cut the main sound hole and numerous attempts to get wax in the right shape.... drilled 4 holes for tuning - not to any scale but seems to sound good together. I remember making similar items in the past in a relaxed manner - perh… Continue
Posted on March 31, 2009 at 2:48am — 1 Comment
The Martian Chronicles
I've been working for a little time on a collaberation project, but coyly keeping things under wraps....but Oophoi recently mentioned the joint effort on his new MySpace page.....
http://www.myspace.com/gianluigioophoigasparetti
The album is called 'Martian Chronicles' and is inspired by the book of the same title by Ray Bradbury. Currently we are swapping sounds/music and seeing how our explorations take us into the uncertain, twisting and parallel story lines of the book.
I read the book af… Continue
http://www.myspace.com/gianluigioophoigasparetti
The album is called 'Martian Chronicles' and is inspired by the book of the same title by Ray Bradbury. Currently we are swapping sounds/music and seeing how our explorations take us into the uncertain, twisting and parallel story lines of the book.
I read the book af… Continue
Posted on November 24, 2008 at 11:21am — 6 Comments
15 11 08
15 11 08
well due to rain and other things not yet finished making the bone flutes - have taken the ends off but need a dry day outside to cook the marrow out and clean them (my wife, Glenys, won't like the smell inside the house) so still waiting to see how they end up sounding.
Solo and joint projects are going well, just taking their own time as they should.
Recently bought a 16 track mixer and working out how to do some live music....Some of my equipment does not do exactly what I would li… Continue
well due to rain and other things not yet finished making the bone flutes - have taken the ends off but need a dry day outside to cook the marrow out and clean them (my wife, Glenys, won't like the smell inside the house) so still waiting to see how they end up sounding.
Solo and joint projects are going well, just taking their own time as they should.
Recently bought a 16 track mixer and working out how to do some live music....Some of my equipment does not do exactly what I would li… Continue
Posted on November 15, 2008 at 2:59pm — 5 Comments
08 09 08
First day back at work after two weeks holiday.....brain definitely not in work mode.
Musically things were quiet for a few months. As I was preparing to leave my last job I was working every night and weekends (all unpaid of course) for about three months, creativity went into deep hibernation - I just kept checking in with imagination everynow and then to make sure the ideas had not slipped away.. Once in my new job I found there was a LOT to learn so again, creativity was very slow.
Since r… Continue
Musically things were quiet for a few months. As I was preparing to leave my last job I was working every night and weekends (all unpaid of course) for about three months, creativity went into deep hibernation - I just kept checking in with imagination everynow and then to make sure the ideas had not slipped away.. Once in my new job I found there was a LOT to learn so again, creativity was very slow.
Since r… Continue
Posted on November 15, 2008 at 2:53pm — 4 Comments
Comment Wall (2 comments)
- At 3:08pm on November 6, 2009,
Tamar Shoshana said… - thank you for the cute little "gift" :)
- At 3:08pm on November 06, 2009, Tamar Shoshana gave Seren a gift…
- From the Gift Store
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