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Hi there!
I was born on the 19th of February
1967. I am originally from the United Kingdom but currently live in
Lincoln, Nebraska USA.
Why do I live in Nebraska? I met
my wife Susann online, and after what must have been thousands of
emails and communiqués and a two-week visit that turned into a
three month visit we decided to marry. We married February of this
year, and as you can probably imagine my life has changed beyond all
recognition, for the better I may add!
I have had a number of different
jobs over the years but count photography as my main vocation. For
several years I was a cruise photographer, which was an experience to
be hold! Contrary to common belief this was not a cushy number, far
from it! It was a very intensive job with lots of working into the
late night to get the latest batch of photographs up on the display
stands for the next morning. One of my last “tours of
duties” was on a ship called the “Sun Viking”. This
ship cruised the Far East and to me I had reached the pinnacle. It
was a photographer’s paradise and I spent much of my spare time
photographing the peoples and places of such countries as Thailand,
China and Vietnam.
My interest in Electronic music
goes back to about 1981 when I first heard groups such as OMD,
Depeche Mode Ultravox and of course the Godfathers of the then
Futurist movement Kraftwerk. The torch had been lit and I continued
to listen to these “synth-pop” bands for a number of years,
until I heard Jean Michel Jarre’s “Equinoxe”blasting
over my next-door neighbors fence! I proceeded to buy all of his
available albums, but I wanted to hear more synthesizer music that I
knew had to be out there. I discovered a magazine called
“Electronic Soundmaker” and inside I found an Electronic
chart that mentioned names like Tangerine Dream, and Klaus Schulze.
Who were these guys? I found
Schulzes “Trancefer” in a local record shop and I found
myself even more impressed with Schulze than Jarre. I remember
sitting with headphones on being absolutely knocked out by what I was
hearing. I count this release as my first “proper” synth
album. More investigation revealed that there was to be an electronic
music festival entitled UK Electronica.I had not heard of any of the
acts but I was determined to go, to see and hear this music live.
My first taste of live electronic
music consisted of hearing acts like Wavestar, and Ian Boddy names
that a lot of you reading this will no doubt know. It was at this
event that I met Mick Garlick of Sequences magazine. We have been
musical friends ever since and his passion for the “scene”
knows no bounds. I often write for his magazine.
Over the years my taste in
Electronic music has altered slightly and I find myself listening to
more esoteric ambient music, none the less I still have a penchant
for the more rocky realms of electronic music. This is a taste that
probably comes from my English routes which tends to favor more
robust and rhythmical music. Why that should be I do not know, but
the difference is there for sure.
I am indebted to Michael for
allowing me to become a part of Ambient Visions. My aim is to write
fair and well-written reviews and in doing so “help spread the
word” about this wonderful and underrated music. If you like you
can write to me at visionon80@hotmail.com
I will look forward to hearing from you. |
