I created a new software program called Visual Voice Pro that turns any kind of sound from a microphone into beautiful colours and light. Famous musician and broadcaster Jools Holland got in touch about developing this software for his live shows, and of course I said “yes”!

Software that can improvise?

Because of the nature of a live music show, anything can happen, especially with Jools Holland’s big band, that love to improvise and have fun with the audience. Its never the same show twice, so using pre-prepared visuals just wouldn’t be enough.

I was able to design and modify my software so that it would be responsive enough to project huge vibrant visual effects across the stage, and have the different instruments mapped via an audio mixer to different visual effects.

Going on the road

I worked with Jools Holland’s live events team and they were really great fun to work with. They were so positive and helpful, they really liked Visual Voice Pro. I collaborated with them to make sure that the software could withstand the heavy demands of an “on-the-road” schedule.

I was very pleased to see my dynamic and interactive graphics used on the UK live tours. Jools Holland and his team are now looking at new ways to incorporate dynamic visuals into live music.

I programmed the software from start to finish, and came up with the initial concept and design. The wonderful Izaskun Arandia-Richards helped get the ball rolling with the project management, and Jools Holland’s visual effects and tour team also had a huge impact in getting it all to work smoothly with the live shows. Darren Perry provided hands on technical support once the show started its tour.

I had the wonderful privelidge of being involved with an amazing art show at top London Gallery Tate Briatin, in a collaboartion with the amazing Martin Sextin. In March 2006 Martin Sexton presented New Gothic which combines music, digital art and performance. Featuring  ‘Heraldic Unicorn Lion Grace System’ by Truth Machine, described variously as ‘the high-concept band to end all high-concept bands’ and as a cult religious group by others.

The varying members of this arts collective reportedly all work to a set of instructions cut from the text of books that vary from hermetic works, theological mediations to pulp fiction, erotica and maps. Steve Severin conducts and provides the sonic soundscape.

Ride up with the Magical Lock-down Dark Pegasus: a Harley-Davidson XL53 custom motorcycle resplendent with blue-black Scottish crow wings and ‘pimped’ with a DVD monitor as tail-plate, that echoes TE Lawrence’s quote that “A motorcycle with a touch of blood in it is better than all the riding animals on earth, because of its logical extension of our faculties, and the hint, the provocations, to excess.”

Rattus Norvegicus

Meanwhile, I was working with Korash Sanjideh, Andy Early and Mike Cobb to create new visual experiences. We unleashed  chthonic forces with atechnological multimedia film noir Rattus Norvegicus as part of New Gothic at Tate Britain.

Rattus Norvegicus is a dark digital artwork shown for the first time at “Late at Tate Britain” as part of the “Gothic Nightmares” exhibition.