Radioland

Computer Echoes

These are improvised piano pieces played over 11 years ago. They became part of a collaboration with a close music friend of mine Andrew Janik (aka Soundpainter). Andrew added some wonderful textures, layers and atmospherics to these pieces. This became a release called Illusions in Retrograde in 2013. It has now been re-released and remastered in 2025. https://burythejar.bandcamp.com/album/illusions-in-retrograde-remastered

The River Knows

Lost Protocols

These tracks were recorded during a holiday spent on the Norfolk Coast in July 2018. The pieces contain recordings of waves coming into the beach (which have a beautiful resonance of their own). Mixed in with these sound are existing synth/piano samples of mine which have been blended in with chorus, delay and reverb effects. 

The tempo of the pieces are deliberately low to create a drone like and peaceful atmosphere and ambience.

Bandcamp

The North Sea

The first in a new series of tracks - Radioland.  This track makes use of my Behringer Neutron synth and Arturia Keyboard. plus some long wave radio samples from free sound.org. The  sounds mixed/layered up in Audacity and FL Studio using delays and filter effects.

Radioland I (Vilnius 550MHz)

A mix of old samples of mine and the Sounscaper app and using BLEASS Slow Machine - all mixed in AUM

Radioland  II (Teufelsberg 394 MHz)

A new Radioland track. This uses synth sounds from my Behringer Neutron synth recorded into FL Studio. Sounds were also recorded using the Koala Sampler app on my Android phone.

Radioland III (Telč 398 MHz)

The final Radioland track, This has some sounds that were created on my Behringer Neutron synth which were then managled with various Bleass effects on my iPad in AUM with additional tones from the ID700 app.

Radioland IV (Sullom Voe  444 MHz)

Recorded in AUM using apps WebDSR (which lets you play online radio stations across various wavelengths), Stria (a synth), Beatcutter (creates lots of crazy glitch sounds). Effects came from Dubstation 2, Bleass Slow Machine and Barricade (a limiter/compressor).

Music For Schools Vol 2 (2 - Nuclear Reactors)

A collaboration with a new music friend Didier de la Rose. Didier sent me some stems from one of his tracks and here is the result!
The track was mixed in AUM apps such as Eventide Crystal, Bleass Delay, Kosmonaut, Bleass Chorus, Rymdigarre, Eventide Blackhole and Barricade.

You can find Didier's excellent work at:

Journey Through The Event Horizon (with Didier de la Rose )

This is the third track of a new collaboration with my music friend Pete Swinton. I will be re-working some of his tracks from his excellent Project Drone Adzan Maghrib album.
peteswinton.bandcamp.com/album/projec…dzan-maghrib

This track is a re-work of the Project Adzan 6. It was mixed in the AUM app on my iPad and used the excellent apps VHS Synth, Stria, Eventide Blackhole, Kosmonaut, Bleass Reverb, Bleass Chrous, Eucliden and Barricade.

Project Adzan (with Pete Swinton) -3- Ghost Nebula

This track was played in the Trinitatis Kirke in Copenhagen. At the time there was a wonderful organ recital in progress, so I felt compelled to create this track. It was played on the Moog Model 15 app. Effects from Eventide were added later on.

Themes From Copenhagen II - Trinitatis Kirke

This track was recorded in AUM ans used apps such as AOX02,auDSPr and Noises - all going through the effect Rymdigare.

Themes from Copenhagen IV - Øresund

This track was recorded and played in AnimoogZ.

Sonic Installations IV (the far tower)

This is second of the four tracks of a new collaboration with my music friend Pete Swinton. I will be re-working some of his tracks from his excellent Butterfly and Ship album.

peteswinton.bandcamp.com/album/butterfly-and-ship
This track is a re-work of his track - 05. Two Ships

It was mixed in the AUM app on my iPad and used iPad effects apps such as OtherDesertCities, MoogeFooger MF104s Delay,Speakers and Grnad Finale.

Butterfly And Ship (with Pete Swinton)  2.Dysphasia

This track was composed in AUM using apps such as Hida (going through a Rymdigae effect) and Hillman (going through a Nembrini Delay effect). Notes/MIDI came from Chordjam with additional sounds coming from Fluss Recorder (going via a Speaker effect), All mastered in Grand Finale.

Sonic Installations VI-The Cove

This track is influenced by  a recent visit to the National Museum of Computng at Bletchley Park here in the UK. The track was created in AUM and used apps such as Stria and ID700 with MIDI notes from Harmony Bloom and effects from Bleass Motion EQ, Bleass Delay and Otherdesertcities. Here is where to find out more about The Bombe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombe

Computer Echoes:0001<> The Bombe

Another track inspired by a visit to the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park. Colossus was the world's first digital computer.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus_computer

Computer Echoes:0010 => Dreams of Colossus

Another track inspired by a visit to the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park. W.I.T.C.H was the one of the world's first digital computers.
https://www.tnmoc.org/witch

Computer Echoes:0011 # The W.I.T.C H

Another track inspired by a visit to the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park. EDSAC was the one of the world's first digital computers.

https://www.tnmoc.org/edsac

Computer Echoes: 0100 & EDSAC

Another track inspired by a visit to the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park. The IBM1130 was one the first IBMs developed for the office.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_1130

Computer Echoes:0101!=IBM1130

Another track inspired by a visit to the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park. The Transistorised Automatic Computer was designed in 1958 as compute
rised early-warning system.
https://www.tnmoc.org/marconi-tac#:~:text=The%20Marconi%20TAC%20(Transistorised%20Automatic,rattling%E2%80%9D%20during%20the%20Cold%20War.

Computer Echoes:0110 == Transistorised Automatic Computer

Another track inspired by a visit to the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park. 
The DEC PDP 8 was the first commercially successful minicomputer, with over 50,000 units sold during the model's lifetime
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDP-8

Computer Echoes:0111(^) DEC PDP 8

Another track inspired by a visit to the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park. 

The Altair 8800 had no built-in screen or video output, so it would have to be connected to a serial terminal (such as a VT100-compatible terminal) to have any output.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altair_8800

Computer Echoes:1000!Altair 8800b

Another track inspired by a visit to the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park.

The Commodore PET (Personal Electronic Transactor) was one of the first personal computers, released in 1977 by Commodore International. It was an all-in-one machine with a built-in monochrome monitor, a keyboard, and a cassette drive for data storage. It ran on the MOS 6502 processor and was one of the first widely available computers designed for businesses, schools, and hobbyists.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_PET
https://www.tnmoc.org/adopt-artefacts/adopt-a-commodore-pet

Computer Echoes:1001&orCommodore Pet

The last of the Computer Echoes track and another track inspired by a visit to the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park.

The ZX80 was an early home computer released by Sinclair Research in 1980. It was one of the first affordable personal computers, designed to be accessible to hobbyists and individuals interested in computing at home

Computer Echoes:1010<->ZX80

A synth jam in Synth One J6 - the first in a new set of Themes From Forgotten Films. This is part of the Sountrack for the 2014 film Tamsus Kodas by Lithunanian director Kajus Kalvis. The film explores the day in the life of hacker Danielius Banis who gets dangerously  involved in the Vilnius underworld. 

Themes From Forgotten Films Vol2:Tamsus Kodas

A tune recorded in WaveMapper. This is from the soundtrack to the 1988 film by Japanese director Akari Ito. The film explores the how a young boy called Hinta as he dreams of a world of mystic castles, ravens and ghosts in dunes. 

Themes From Forgotten Films Vol 2:Ghost In The Dunes

This is from the soundtrack to the 1994 film by director Sam Norton. The film is set on a space station on the edge of the solar system orbiting Pluto and suddenly all communication is lost with the home world.

Themes From Forgotten Films Vol 2: Lost Signals

Themes From Forgotten Films Vol 2:Vilniaus Arkikaredra

Themes From Forgotten Films Vol 2: The Reactor.wav

slowworldmusic - a remaster from 2013 release
Andrew Janik is awesome at:- https://soundcloud.com/soundpainter
Illusions In Retrograde Remastered -4 tracks out now:https://burythejar.bandcamp.com/album/illusions-in-retrograde-remastered
available on all other streaming services in the coming weeks

Soundpainter & The Oxford Ambient Collective - Illusions In Retrograde - 01 Illusion 1 Odyssey

The first track of a new album - Lost Protocols....

Lost Protocols I: X.25

The second track of the Lost Protocols album. Basically a jamming session in Thor/iMini and LayR :)

Lost Protocols II:  NIFTP (Blue Book) Parts 1 and 2

A new track in the Lost Protocols series. No Ipads were used or harmed..played on my Korg Kaossilator and mixed in Floops (my old  DAW of choice FL Studio).......it has been years since I have done a a track like this in Floops ..I kind of want to do loads more tracks this this way (My Ipad..called Archie.. will be used  again..just need a break from hom so please excuse me) :)

Lost Protocols III: UUCP

Contains recordings of the North Sea from July 2018. These sea sounds were morphed in the grnaular synthesis app SpaceCraft and then mixed with some existing synth samples of mine in the app AUM and utilising effects such as Freezeverb, Duplicat and FAC Chorus.

The North Sea Part I (Meri)

Contains recordings of the North Sea from July 2018. These sounds were mixed with some existing synth samples of mine in the app AUM and utilising effects such as Freezeverb, Duplicat and FAC Chorus.

The North Sea Part II (Lained)

The North Sea Part III (Kalasadad)

I am not a religious person but there is something about Hermann Hesse's novel Siddhartha that moves me.

From - http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/siddhartha/canalysis.html
Vasudeva, the enlightened ferryman, is the guide who finally leads Siddhartha to enlightenment. Siddhartha first meets Vasudeva after leaving Gotama and Govinda and immediately notices Vasudeva’s serenity. Although Vasudeva lives within this world, his presence seems to transcend it, and all who meet him feel his divine, enlightened energy. He does not boast about his power or wisdom but simply credits all knowledge he has to the river. His primary action, other than ferrying passengers across the river, seems to be listening to whatever wisdom the river imparts to him. He is such a powerful figure that when a desperate, suicidal Siddhartha, convinced he’ll never reach enlightenment, encounters Vasudeva a second time, he asks to become Vasudeva’s apprentice. In a way, Siddhartha relies on Vasudeva to save his life.

Vasudeva does not teach Siddhartha a complicated philosophical belief system, only that he should learn from the river and allow it to explain its wisdom. Throughout Siddhartha’s spiritual progression, Vasudeva keeps him moving in the right direction by prompting him to listen to the river whenever he has questions or doubts. In a bittersweet ending to their time together, Siddhartha’s achievement of Nirvana coincides with the end of Vasudeva’s time on the river and on earth. Vasudeva, who has literally and figuratively ferried Siddhartha to enlightenment, can now leave the earth, with Siddhartha taking over as ferryman. Vasudeva will live on in Siddhartha’s own enlightenment and teachings.

Vasudeva is a name for Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, one of the powerful gods in a Hindu trinity, and means “he who lives in all thoughts, and who lives in all people.” He is the most godlike figure within the book, yet he acts with surprising humility. 

Vasudeva - The River Knows

I am not a religious person but there is something about Hermann Hesse's novel Siddhartha that moves me.

From - http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/siddhartha/canalysis.html
An earnest spiritual pilgrim, Siddhartha is totally consumed by his quest for spiritual enlightenment. Though in his youth he learns the wisdom of his Brahmin heritage and masters the skills of the Samanas and the teachings of Gotama, the spiritual explanations that satisfy those around him are inadequate for Siddhartha because they do not lead to enlightenment. No matter how many others accept a particular religious explanation, Siddhartha will refuse the explanation if it rings false. Siddhartha seeks spiritual enlightenment at any cost, even when the search complicates other areas of life. Friends, lovers, and family members fall by the wayside when Siddhartha believes they are not compatible with his quest. Further, he believes no leader or philosophy is beyond questioning. Guided by a strong belief in his convictions, he argues with the head of the Samanas and even with the enlightened Gotama the Buddha himself. Siddhartha does not argue for argument’s sake, nor does he question wisdom out of a sense of pride or superiority. He finds logical flaws in the teachings put before him, and he seeks the truth.

Siddhartha possesses an incredible degree of patience, which proves to be important since his quest takes a lifetime to fulfill. He progresses through successive spiritual explorations, experiences failure numerous times, but persists until he reaches his goal. The instantaneous, magical transmission of Nirvana from Siddhartha to Govinda demonstrates that Siddhartha has found the transcendent understanding they have both sought for so long. He has finally reached his goal.

Siddhartha is the Sanskrit name of the Buddha and means “he who is on the proper road” or “he who achieves his goal.” Hesse is not attempting to directly portray the life of the Buddha himself through Siddhartha but to use Siddhartha as a means of discussing a path to enlightenment. At the same time, many striking similarities exist between Siddhartha and the actual Buddha. For example, both left promising lives in their pursuit of knowledge. In Siddhartha’s case, he leaves Kamala when he becomes disillusioned with the material world, while the Buddha left a wife and son to become an ascetic. Both studied with ascetics, and both spent many years in study by a river, finally achieving enlightenment. Siddhartha has succeeded in his own arduous quest, and at the end of the novel, he is poised to take on followers of his own.

Siddhartha - The River Knows

The last of three loosely related tunes. My nerves are a bit wracked at the moment as I am due to apper on stage tonight in my drama group in a production of The Goverment Inspector  - playing this has calmed me down al little.

Govinda - The River Knows

Astrophysique 4

A track the Audiokit Synth One App making use of of the in-built presets called BB Aquatica Arp,  as well as the awesome app Spacecraft.

The Inner Light I

A reworking of "Eine kleine elektronische Meditation" by Marco Lucchi for his "Elektronische Meditationen" project. Marco is a music friend from Modena in Italy. Marco has many fellow Soundcloud and music friends and his music output is immense and  truly wonderful.

https://soundcloud.com/marcolucchi
https://soundcloud.com/musichevirtuali

The Oxford Ambient Collective and Marco Lucchi - Eine Kleine Elektronische Meditation

Another collaboration with @peteswinton. Pete are working on album together where we are reworking/remixing each others tracks.

This piece manipulates an original piece from Pete that he called "Hiss Over Me". I took this track and placed into into an app called Borderlands (which is a wonderful granular synth app - of sorts). I then added some drones using two apps, one called Hillman and one called D1. A couple of Eventide Delay and Reverb effects were added to the mix as well.

RNA Spectrum (with Pete Swinton) (Original Unmastered Version)

The Oxford Ambient Collective (OAC) is the solo musical alter-ego of David Smith, an artist who began his compositional journey in his early thirties using software such as Buzz, FL Studio and Reason. He has a  focus on a aesthetic of crafting immersive "ambient drones and ethereal soundscapes." Intentionally grounding his work in the history of the genre, Smith’s creative output reveals a clear artistic lineage, with albums like Berlin Vol. III acknowledging the "subtle German EM influences" and paying thematic homage to the pioneering Berlin School of electronic music. While deeply reverent to this historical lineage, Smith's methodology is aggressively contemporary, positioning him at the vanguard of mobile sound design by relying on a sophisticated suite of iOS applications to perform complex sonic morphing and generate his signature textures; his advanced workflow employs Soundscaper as an "experimental sound mini lab" for textural manipulation, with all audio professionally routed through the AUM mixer and hosting application. This innovative approach powered his self-proclaimed "proudest achievement"—a 90-minute live performance at Oxford's prestigious Ashmolean Museum, an opportunity secured through his affiliation with Oxford Brookes University as part of its 150th Anniversary celebrations. To solve the inherent challenge of engaging an audience with long-form ambient music, Smith transformed the event into an immersive audio-visual installation, pairing his soundscapes with curated visuals from sources like The Internet Archive to command "active listening." The project's visibility expanded significantly beyond this institutional context through a pivotal relationship with the independent Focussed Silence label, which was instrumental in securing national airplay on BBC 6 Music. This success highlights a versatile appeal, with OAC's work finding a home on highly experimental programs like A Duck in a Tree on Resonance FM—hosted by the influential group :zoviet * france:—as well as on sophisticated global platforms where his work was programmed alongside compositions by genre progenitors like Brian Eno and Vangelis. While OAC remains a solo endeavor at its core, Smith actively engages in digital collaboration with a network of sound artists like Encym via platforms such as SoundCloud, effectively transforming the solo project into a decentralized creative hub, thereby giving true meaning to the "Collective" in his moniker.

TheOxfordAmbientCollective

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