Rough ass live extract, straight from the desk. (Not quite set-up at this point).

Throwing Shapes: Just A Little Rough

legolab has focussed on the composition, production, and performance of electronic music since the earliest 1990s. We have often collaborated with other individuals and organisations to generate musical spaces, some purely auditory, others more broadly sensory. Almost all of these spaces have been intentionally transitory, relying on the immediate and liminal aspects of experience, rather than attempts to record and reproduce those experiences. 

Some highlights of the last 30 or so years:

Touring the UK as Desert Storm’s (https://www.facebook.com/desertstormsoundsystem/) live PA and resident DJs, with Rob Blackburn and the original Rogue Trooper, Keith Robinson, R.I.P old friend. As well as putting on parties at concrete crescents, fields, reservoirs and urban arches, we played live from the DS truck at protests across the UK, against the Criminal Justice Bill and other injustices. We also released a 12” (https://www.discogs.com/Desert-Storm-Desertstorm-EP/release/654092).

Performing live (with Rob Blackburn) as support for the legend Carl Cox, at the legendary Manchester club night, Herbal Tea Party (https://www.facebook.com/HerbalTeaParty23/?ref=br_rs). And performing, as one head of the “four headed acid beast” live at the 23rd and 24th reunion parties in 2016 and 2017 (as Throwing Shapes).

Improvised performances in unusual spaces with small string ensembles and soloists from the Royal Northern College of Music, utilising various electronic techniques and processes. 

Resident DJ and organiser of the other room at another legendary 90s club night in Manchester, Havok (https://www.facebook.com/Havokarchives/). In contrast to the sea of sweat and searing acid techno downstairs, upstairs we delivered everything from Hip Hop and Drum and Bass, through Electronica and Electro, to Coil and Zoviet France. 400 of us celebrated our 21st anniversary with a reunion in 2015. At our last reunion in 2018, we played live as Throwing Shapes. 

Collaborating with SKAM (https://www.discogs.com/label/344610-Skam-Records) and Gescom (https://www.discogs.com/artist/49-Gescom) as Schizm. Bringing live acts such as Squarepusher, Black Dog, and Pole, as well as special DJ performances from Autechre and many others to a dingy basement in Manchester (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squarepusher).

Releasing a ‘laptop DJ’ mix, slapperspackerpop, as Volume 8 of Boomkat’s Selected Mixtapes (https://www.discogs.com/Various-Boomkat-Selected-Mixtapes-Volume-8-Slapperspackerpop/release/442796), collaged together from 100 tracks over a year in Bangkok.

Other musical projects include cornuTe (https://soundcloud.com/cornute), an ongoing exploration into more esoteric spaces, and Kids Love Acid (https://soundcloud.com/kids-love-acid) live laptop DJing (with Gary Naylor) using early musical touchscreen technology (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHbGyHO-c40).