AV's Q & A with JaN PuLSForD

JaN PuLSForD: Bringing Ambient Music Home to Woodbridge

AV:  Looking back to your earliest musical experiences, what first pulled you toward atmospheric and immersive music rather than more conventional musical paths? 

JP:  At school in Bournemouth on the south coast of England (a long, long, time ago) I got to know Tim Wheater who went on to become a well known sound healer and artist. http://www.timwheater.com/

He was a virtuoso flute player, and me, I was an inevitable teenage girl singer-songwriter of the time, with 12 string guitar and plenty of
dreams . He introduced me to Vaughan Williams and the Thomas Tallis Theme for strings. It changed the way I listened to music and minor 9ths - I knew deep down there had to be more than three chords and “Where have all the flowers gone?”

Don’t get me wrong, I was brought up learning violin from seven years old and then classical piano and then flute. Lots of grades and all read, written and “properly played”. I went to college and explored a lot of different music and was introduced to electronic music by a friend at York University but it never made much sense - I could never quite understand how a keyboard could sound different to a piano!

I was aware of the BBC Radiophonic workshop but thought that was only for “clever” people. Electronic music for me was a mysterious world full of boffins and I hardly understood the difference between a sine and a square wave. Daphne Oram and Delia Derbyshire were names seen in the BBC Radio Times and completely out of my league.

But we have to allow our minds to expand and never say never. Over the next 10 years I learned to really understand and embrace electronic music. My real passion for it started in the early 80s when I found an Oberheim OBXa in a studio where we were recording jingles and library music. At the time I was like an odd-job session person - I could play piano and sing and write and read, so I was brought in when needed. 

I remember buying my first OBXa from Manny's in New York - it was cheaper to buy one over the phone and ship it to London, where I was living. It was also a lot easier to purchase, as the guys in Rod Argent's in Denmark Street had a habit of ignoring me. I remember walking out of the shop with a wad of cash in my pocket that I’d saved for months because no one would bother to talk to me, let alone take me seriously. I got the bus home and phoned up Mannys and bought my beloved OBXa, which as I remember cost around £2,500! 

I remember the eureka moment when I was experimenting with the brand spanking new OBXa and realised I was just telling a built in computer/circuit board what to do and what sound to play. I was no longer playing a piano which hit strings to generate sounds ...

So then I embarked on a great period of writing “Library Music”. I was a one man band so it was perfect for me to record and experiment with all the new technology and work with some great session musicians. We recorded onto 2” tape and released to film and TV post-production studios on vinyl. Who knew that anyone would be interested in the future? Years later I found a load of my library records on eBay and started buying them – back then if you were a session player you rarely got sent an album you played on. Then I started working with people like the Thompson Twins and went on a world tour of the aptly named “Here’s to future days” This was music that had to be re-created on stage every night so not much room for creativity but plenty of room for technological know how. I quite enjoyed that. It reminded me of all those years spent in the school orchestra . 

It was the same when I met Cyndi Lauper. She wanted everything played just as the record - even the solos - so I learned a lot from doing that. Obviously when I started writing and recording with her I made sure my parts were a little more fluid. But playing in backing bands and session work you weren’t booked for how you played rather who you could sound like and most importantly in pop music, if you looked the part . . . oh and all those long journeys and hours in the studio meant you had to get on with everyone and acquire a musicians sense of humour! 

AV:  Was there a particular artist, album, or moment that opened the door for you into ambient and electronic music? 

JP:  Obviously being around in the 80s in London was an amazing time for technology - I was very fortunate to be in the middle of it all and being able to learn my craft in the studios of London. I augmented my OBXa with the DSX and DX and set about programming on what they called “The System” No midi, I wrote everything on score papers and entered the parts into the DSX sequencer. Drums were programmed on the DX drum machine. It was working with the Oberheim system that I realised this is what I wanted to be doing. 

I admired anyone who had the technique to back up their bravado - people like Geoff Downes of the Buggles, who incidentally introduced me to the drummer of the Thompson Twins when they were looking for a female keyboard player so he certainly helped open a door! 

I remember going to a MIDI forum in LA around 1985. MIDI was still fairly new. A company gave me an Atari 130XE and a copy of their software. I scratched my head and took it round the world with me on the Thompson Twins Tour, determined to learn how to make it work, whilst on tour. I set it up in every hotel room and by the end I had a decent idea of how it worked and what an incredible tool MIDI was.

After the Thompson Twins I moved to the USA on a whim and a prayer and my typical up for an adventure. I’d always loved American music so it made sense to me to move to where it all began. 

In 1990 I progressed to an Atari ST when I read the review of Logic, then called C-lab and based in Hamburg. That was it, like the OBXa I fell in love and set about learning to program and record with this amazing box of magic, housed in a dongle you plugged into the Atari which had a midi port provided! 

In Nashville I met a completely different tribe of electronic musicians. Tony Gerber, a space music artist, along with Aashid Himmons, Giles Reeves, John Rose, Kirby Shelstead and others - their musical freedom inspired me although, I have to say I missed the discipline of studio life but there was something about sharing the moment, warts and all, that I found interesting. It took a lot of courage to play completely in the moment. Diving off without a parachute. Completely improvised with very little outward structure.

Tony has now broadcast over 800 shows of live ambient space music. He was the one who introduced me to the concept of ambient music. I always admired his belief in the worth of his music. 

AV:  Ambient music has changed dramatically over the decades. What first fascinated you about the genre, and what has kept you connected to it all these years? 

JP:  For me the feeling evolved out of music like Erik Satie, Vaughan Williams, etc. but it was also the electronic sound and textures that drew me in. I loved making new sounds from synths and soundscapes out of wave files and recordings. I found generative music fascinating.

I wasn’t a fan of “New Age” music or what became known as “neo-classical”. I liked the intimacy of ambient music but not self-indulgence. I like music that connects with its listeners. 

AV:  Your work seems to blend technology, visual imagination, and emotional atmosphere in a very natural way. Did those elements evolve together for you, or did they emerge separately over time? 

JP:  I’ve always been aware of the spirit of place and wherever I’ve been that has inspired me since growing up in South Wales, where I would look at the mountains and dream of living up there, making music.

I love walking and imagine the people who walked the path before. The river is a big force in my life, walking along the banks with the tides, the thoughts, hopes and dreams of those who walked before. The washing away of the negativity and the washing in of the new energy. It’s a magical place. 

AV:  Many listeners still think of ambient music as purely background listening, but longtime fans often experience it much more deeply than that. What has ambient music meant personally to you throughout your life as an artist? 

JP:  It might sound simple but I think it is one of the hardest art forms to embrace and play.

It’s very brave to lay yourself bare and play so minimally. The choice is playing three notes that count or dazzle with thirty, to listen to each note and not be in a hurry to play the next. It’s about slowing down and slow sessions. You are the listener and the player. You connect with the listener by reaching out and playing what comes from deep inside. 

AV:  You’ve worked across several artistic disciplines including composition, broadcasting, visual art, and performance. Do you see those as separate creative outlets, or are they all connected through the same artistic vision? 

JP:  I believe all arts are connected. Everything I do connects especially with the computer and that magical land that lies “Behind the Monitor” Life is art and art is life! 

AV:  One especially fascinating part of your story is your long involvement in virtual performance spaces like Second Life. What initially attracted you to that world creatively? 

JP:  Well before that I was involved with Rockit Network which was the first global midi link. We would meet online in virtual studios and transfer files via midi using an early version of Logic. This was in the 90s. They introduced an audio codec so we could also transfer sound, it was the nearest to instant collaboration of the time. We used iChat to write our lyrics and chat. This is where I met jazz saxophonist Chico Freeman and many other brilliant musicians like Roger Harmar, Dave Eager, Dave Holloway who were looking into the future peering over the cutting edge of technology. 

AV:  You were exploring virtual performance and online musical communities long before livestream concerts and digital worlds became mainstream conversations. Did it feel experimental at the time, or did it already feel like part of the future of music culture? 

JP:  Yes, it felt like we were splitting the atom - no one else was doing it and of course we were viewed as weird outsiders - there was a lot of suspicion and misinformation about how virtual worlds were being used especially in the trashy tabloid papers! 

AV:  How did performing in virtual environments change your understanding of audience connection and musical space? 

JP:  The thing back then was the computer was all-consuming so you would have total concentration from your listener. When you were writing with someone it was the closest you’d get to mind melding as there were no distractions. 

AV:  Ambient music seems uniquely suited for immersive digital environments. Did you find that listeners interacted with the music differently inside those virtual spaces? 

JP:  You could get lost in the amazing visuals that people would create to go with the music and the venues. Basically you could build or find somebody to help build whatever you imagined. You could also be whoever you wanted to be. I had several avatar names including JaNa KYoMooN and aTHeNa BLue. 

AV:  Looking back now, do you think those online communities helped preserve and nurture ambient music during years when it still felt very underground? 

JP:  Absolutely. It was a great place to perform to a ready-made audience and combine the visuals with the music and experiment with collaborations all over the world. Again I met like-minded people who were really pushing the digital boundaries.

Virtual worlds still exist but everyone and the platform is older and with the advent of Facebook and Socials, it got left behind. I do miss it - I hope someone is out there developing the next amazing collaborative online platform. I would love to be part of it. 

AV:  Community seems to be a recurring thread throughout your work. What is it about ambient music that encourages such strong creative communities and collaborations? 

JP:  I didn’t realise how niche ambient music was. Despite working in pop music for many years I never realised how many people thought of pop as being “normal” music and electronic/ambient as a bit weird. 

The album I had downloaded was “Finding Shore” by Brian Eno and Tom Rogerson. There was something hauntingly familiar about the music and as I looked at the titles I realised it must be about this area of East Anglia.

Dan the Miller told me a young pianist had moved in next door to him and I somehow got the feeling it was Tom Rogerson. Dan introduced me over coffee and the rest, as they say, is history in motion.

Fast forward to the pandemic and a way of lifting people’s spirits after that awful time. I conjured up 7 monthly events celebrating the Spirit of Place and was so delighted when Tom Rogerson agreed to play. He said he needed quiet to perform and I will never forget the car park of the Angel, which had been turned into a mini post-COVID festival area, being silent for his entire performance.

Later Tom and I chatted about putting an annual festival together celebrating ambient music. We decided to put it on the autumnal equinox at the end of all the summer festivals. A lovely way to celebrate the end and beginning of the seasons. And here we are getting ready for the fifth Woodbridge Ambient Music Festival Weekend! 

AV:  Woodbridge itself seems deeply connected to the spirit of the festival. What made it feel like the right place to create something centered around ambient music? 

JP:  Well, with Brian Eno being from here it made sense to brand Woodbridge as the home of ambient music. When I moved here I had no idea of the Eno family connection. It just felt right to live here. And what an absolute delight to have Brian introduce the very first Woodbridge Ambient Music Festival saying how glad he was that ambient music had come back to Woodbridge. 

AV:  One of the most interesting aspects of the festival is how it brings together music, visual art, landscape, conversation, and shared experience. Why was it important for the festival to embrace more than simply live performance? 

JP:  My life is all about music and the arts. Everything I do has that as a backdrop so it makes sense to mix it all together. The arts feed off each other. Woodbridge has a special feeling. The river and light inspire many artists and musicians and wordsmiths. Brian Eno, known as the
‘Father of Ambient Music’ and his brother Roger grew up here. 

AV:  The Ambient Label Hub is a particularly intriguing idea because it highlights the independent ecosystem behind ambient music. What inspired that part of the festival? 

JP:  This came about through meeting Andrew Heath online through my radio show. Gary James is a fantastic musician who also broadcast on Radio Mothership. He played one of Andrew’s pieces and I added it to my ambient music world playlist and then we got in touch. Andrew is part of the Ambient Label Hub with his label Driftworks along with Harry Towell and Whitelabrecs, James Osland with Elm Records, and Adrian Newton with Evergreen music. It was wonderful meeting them all when they came to Woodbridge last year for the festival. They set up in the historic Shire Hall. Everyone was so impressed with their organisation and outstanding quality. It was a truly magical afternoon 

AV:  Independent ambient artists and labels often operate outside traditional music industry structures. Do you think festivals like Woodbridge are becoming increasingly important for helping these communities connect in real life? 

JP:  Yes - I’m not sure what the 'traditional' music industry is anymore, in fact I often think it was all a myth anyway. You’ve always had to work hard to be successful in any kind of industry. If it is your hobby you can do it on your own terms. People have a false sense of expectations - when they realise we are all basically tins of musical baked beans on the shelves hoping to get opened it’s often a shock to people with so many dreams and possible misunderstandings of the workings of art as a money making machine. 

AV:  For readers outside the UK who may not yet be familiar with the event, what do you feel makes the Woodbridge Ambient Music Festival unique within today’s ambient scene? 

JP:  It’s a small community festival which draws people from all over the world. You can browse over the 5 years on https://WoodbridgeAmbientMusicFestival.com 

AV:  What kind of experience or emotional feeling do you hope people carry home with them after attending the festival? 

JP:  Slowing down and feeling inspired. 

AV:  Finally, when you look toward the future — both for the festival and for ambient music itself — what gives you the greatest sense of optimism right now? 

JP:  The internet for me was the greatest thing that happened in my lifetime. In 1993 I felt I was living in Encyclopedia Britannica. The possibilities were endless especially the sharing of technology and being able to listen and share music from all over the world.

Sadly, It also seems to be developing into possibly the worst thing. I really hope people will reclaim that spirit of adventure and connection. Look up at the stars and grab the soul of the universe and bring it back into mankind through music and technology.

AV:   I’d like to thank Jan for taking the time to share so much of her musical journey with Ambient Visions and for the thought, detail and personality she brought to these answers. From her early encounters with electronic music and technology to virtual worlds, collaboration and ultimately the creation of the Woodbridge Ambient Music Festival, she’s given us a wonderful look at the experiences that have shaped both her music and her belief in the importance of community. We’re grateful for her generosity in telling those stories and wish Jan and everyone involved with the Woodbridge Ambient Music Festival continued success as they bring artists and listeners together in celebration of this music we all care so deeply about.