"Write a song using found sounds" was the challenge, so I set to work building a simple, percussive backing made from items found in my kitchen: a wok, a pot of table salt, a couple of cardboard boxes, a 1979 analogue monophonic synthesizer...

Words grew around feelings of unease about the pandemic, the environment, politics, and what may lie ahead for all of us, but ended with a note of hope for what changes we might make and the world we rebuild after the waves have receded.

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Website: www.jonnislater.com
Store: https://jonnislater.bandcamp.com 
Youtube: www.youtube.com/jonnislater
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jonnislater 
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jonnislater 
Soundcloud: @jonnislater 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jonnislatermusic

Into the Unknown

138 bpm / D minor

A fusion of electric guitar riffs to an uplifting trance driving bassline.  Breakdown features British philosopher Alan Watts over my piano solo.

Drop is at 2:20.

The Journey - Radio Mix

Cue for the opening scene of Passengers, composed by Rasmus Zwicki as part of a Sundance Film Music and Sound Design Lab at Skywalker Sound. Assignment and advice given by mentor Thomas Newman.

Rasmus Zwicki - Passengers Cue at Sundance Film Music and Sound Design Lab

The Real Story Behind my Unique version of Jean-Michael Jarre's "Robots Don't Cry" 

I was less interested in winning, if I'm honest, than in "getting noticed!" I'd seen how Jean-Michel appeared to genuinely enjoy collaborating with artists he'd never previously worked with. And, coming from an "Operatic" background - I was hoping for the chance to get noticed by my "unusual" competition entries, and maybe persuade Jean-Michel to explore his "operatic side," as a composer. While researching, I came across an interview in which JMJ says "in a world of Cats and Dogs, try to be a Kangaroo!" So - I decided to take him up on exactly that challenge! I would be an "Operatic Kangaroo!"

So, I listened to JMJ's track, "Robots Don't Cry," 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTnP6MpVXnM
And then I thought - "what's the MOST "Kangaroo" thing I can do here? 

So I decided to write my remix - for one of THE most prestigious Competitions at the time, of music by a World-wide acknowledged Icon of not just the "Pop music industry," but also an Artist who'd been at the vanguard of Electronic Music since the early 70s! -  in the style of Jean-Michel's "supposed" arch-rival from the era, the one and only Vangelis! (In reality, of course, the two are great friends and colleagues, but the media desperately tried to create this impression of rivalry between the two!)

THIS - struck me as a "VERY" Kangaroo thing to do, in this world of "les Chats et les Chiens!"

And my choice of track, was no coincidence! I went for not just ANY OLD Vangelis track! But one of his absolute classics, from his years of collaboration with Jon Anderson - "THE FRIENDS OF MR CAIRO" - a 12 minute long odyssey I'd loved since the 1st moment I heard the opening bars... I would literally listen to Oxygene one night, in bed as a teenager. And the next, I'd listen to "Friends of Mr Cairo." 

I loved both Artists equally - but for quite different reasons - because they were very different musicians. 

Synposis: A group of hapless Tech-thieves try to steal Vangelis' robots - responsible for his many great film-scores. But in the panic after the alarm goes off, steal the wrong robots, only realising the mistake when, later at Schloss Zimmer, they are met by the 'villain of the piece' Hans Zimmer, who had persuaded Simon to commit the theft - to prevent any more Oscar-winning film-scores by Vangelis. Simon admits that the robots they stole in fact belong to Jean-Michel Jarre. In the nick of time, JMJ himself appears, and saves the day, by doing something extraordinary with his laser-harp!

ROBOTS DON'T CRY

Featured in the JTBC Korean Drama 'Hello Dracula', starring Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun, Lee Ji Hyun and Lee Joo-Bin.

Listen to the full track on Spotify:
spotify:track:1yOWij8tou53Xunf4VJV22

'Something' is available to download on iTunes:
https://music.apple.com/gb/album/something-feat-aalia/1499586593?i=1499586596

Full track on Spotify

Something (Ft. Aalia) (Sample)

Eternal Eclipse - Dawn of Faith
Appeared on the Netflix show The OA (Part 2)

Eternal Eclipse - Dawn Of Faith (The OA Part II Soundtrack)

BBC News Theme | DrJkl Remix

Moment

XAIME- Moment

Lyrics:

It’s time to break it down 
Come on and break it down
All you need to do my dear 
Is catch your starry crown 
I send my spirit to you
Across the rivers and the sea
 
In times of darkness
Hope is at your side 
When people fighting you 
Let courage be your guide 
Sticks and stones
Skulls and bones 
We are standing strong 
 
Hold on tonight
Keep your loving fire burning bright 
Hold on tonight 
Rage against the dying of the light

Rage Against The Dying Of The Light

Whitewater

Whitewater - Driven Mix

SOLON - Inside Out is out now!

Get it here: https://doornrecords.release.link/inside-out!SC

Inside Out

Download / Stream

SOLON - Inside Out [OUT NOW]

https://about.me/classicalbanksy (photo by Ki Price)

2020 marked Simon Roberts’ mainstream debut as Media Music Composer, with a nomination from ITV, for a Royal Television Society Crafts and Design Award for his score for “Return to Belsen,” directed by Simon Broughton, and written and presented by Jonathan Dimbleby. Simon teams up with MultiStory again in 2021, for the follow-up, “The Cellist of Auschwitz,” featuring Anita Lasker-Wallfisch.

"Return to Belsen" - broadcast 7th April, 2020, ITV1:

https://youtu.be/UKzQm-eeSRw

An early successful Opera career, which saw him managed by Luciano Pavarotti and living in Italy, Simon was forced to prematurely retire from the opera stage for health reasons, and the enforced convalescence that followed, gave him time to consider new professional directions. 

Having worked as an opera agent for a while, he decided to pursue a career as composer, inspired by Gian-Carlo Menotti, for whom he worked as PA between 2003-2005. 

Following a year of study under Hans Zimmer, a string of media music credits followed, including film scores for Will Rogers' "Bloodline,' Rachel Kelly’s “The Colour of Torment,” alongside scores for the small-screen documentary "Tyranny and Absolute Power - How Magna Carta Happened," for the Manorial Society of Great Britain, and most recently the award-nominated "Return to Belsen” for ITV/MultiStory. 

With 5 singles so far commercially released as “Classicalbanksy,” all eyes are now on the debut album, "Transgenre." The release date has been put back to early 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and boasts a stellar line-up of guest artists. 


Simon Roberts’ Audio Showreel:
https://rcrft.co/reel/Classicalbanksy/audioshowreel
Simon Roberts’ Audio/Visual Showreel:
https://vimeo.com/291702413/45d9502ac3
________________________________________________________________________
The American Dream? features on the following compilation:
Mattrix Mixtape Vol 30 download:
https://www.slacker.com/album/various-artists/mattrix-mixtape-volume-30
Simon Roberts / Classicalbanksy website:
https://classicalbanksy.com
Simon Roberts / Classicalbanksy iTunes Page:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-american-dream-single/id1205870917 
Simon Roberts / Classicalbanksy at CD Baby:
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/classicalbanksy
Simon Roberts / Classicalbanksy on SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/classicalbanksy
Simon Roberts / Classicalbanksy on Vimeo:
www.vimeo.com/classicalbanksy
Simon Roberts / Classicalbanksy YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWJi_qgZ8FY4NLT4wTrL3Lw?view_as=subscriber
Simon Roberts / Classicalbanksy on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/classicalbanksy
Simon Roberts / Classicalbanksy on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Classicalbanksy
Simon Roberts / Classicalbanksy on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/instaclassicalbanksy/
Simon Roberts / Classicalbanksy on Google+:
https://plus.google.com/109399724123763346878