I think I like the description of the interactive process even more than the produced art itself. That's an awesome idea guys!!! Keep on with the good work :)

Petrol Blue

Ta-daa! here's the first public thing from a brand new and v. exciting project: a collaboration with Poppy Porter, painter and jeweller, who has synaesthesia. We met up at the London Bass Guitar show (she's a bassist too!), and Poppy commented that my music triggered a lot of strong images in her synaesthetic brain... 

So I did what I always do and suggested we collaborate on a project. The idea for a live show with art and music happening simultaneously and influencing one another was an easy one to conjure, but the logistics of it are a little more tricky, as well as the exploration into what else this might mean, what it makes possible, the bigger story it tells... 

So we met up for a play (I was SO tired having had a v. late night the night before, and Poppy was v. patient with my general wobbliness) and quickly saw that there was a) LOADS of potential in the project, and b) a huge open playing field of exploration to dig around in. 

Straight away, it became apparent that I play v. differently when I'm thinking about 'triggering' images. The back and forth conversation about what sounds look like shaped the way I played, the way I brought ideas in and out... not a usual compositional path. Seeing the way that patterns and shapes formed, how pitch, timbre and even surprise affect the images that Poppy is capturing - it all feeds back into the music. 

The music here is definitely a co-creation between Poppy and I... there's a whole fascinating exploration here about the nature of authorship, and the degree to what real time interaction changes our understanding of influence vs co-creation... 

For Poppy, there’s a whole other area of ‘woah!’ - that of being a ‘private producer of finished work’ suddenly getting (having?) to view her process as performative. There are time constraints, spacial considerations, interaction... myriad layers to consider that haven’t previously been factored in. 

We’ve got a whole load more things we’re talking about, discussing, experimenting with, and I don’t want to give away all the magic now - the sketch in the image here is the beginnings of one of the drawings from that first session (I don’t actually think it was from this piece, which will mess with poor Poppy’s head no end!) 

This is a really exciting experiment for me, and I can’t wait to do more of it :) Please do check out more of Poppy’s work at http://www.poppyporter.com 

Steve Lawson + Poppy Porter: Synaesthetic Journey Pt 1

An ambient improvisation on solo fretless bass (5-string), using three Source Audio Soundblox2 pedals: Manta bass filter, Multiwave bass distortion, and Dimension reverb. Lightly edited in Reaper.

Orion

A short improvisation on a Sigma (5-string EADGC fretted) acoustic bass, plus various effects. I was experimenting with adding a loop while editing in Reaper (by taking a short section of the solo and looping it).

Falling

A rough cut from the New Standard project with Steve Lawson

The New Standard

Don't Want to Know

All this Time is from the compelling new album by veteran songwriter Lobelia Lawson takes a fresh look at heartbreak; exploring themes of hope, renewal and confidence. Love Or Something Like It, produced by Juno award winning producer Rob Szabo, is modern, fragile and at times intense, with the witty tongue-in-cheek songwriting that Lobelia is known for. Releasing on Valentines Day as an album for the romantically disenfranchised.
Pre-order now at:
www.lobelia.bandcamp.com

All This Time

Producer: DA
https://soundcloud.com/010da

Corbyn Riddim (Prod. DA)

Written by me and produced by James Delin

Overlay

Lullaby for Eniola - Kit Downes & Ruth Goller
remotely recorded, May 2020

Robert Stillman - saxophone
Aaron Parks - piano, keyboards
Adam Robinson - viola
Ruth Goller - bass
Seb Rochford - drums

edited and mix by Kit Downes, master by Alex Bonney

Lullaby for Eniola (feat. Aaron Parks, Robert Stillman)

Solo bassist (solobasssteve on most of the internets), improvisor, looper, social media experimentalist, lecturer, writer of blogthings. I use Soundcloud less these days, and am uploading new stuff for my Bandcamp subscribers. Check that out :) 

This music is brought to you by the words bass, looping, live, cinematic, ambient, jazz, improvised, electronica.

Steve Lawson + Poppy Porter: Synaesthetic Journey Pt 1

solobasssteve

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