http://improvizone.comnoen-gb© 2009 Andrew BookerAndrew BookerLive ambient/chillout recordings from Improvizone gigsRecurring live music evening of electronic/ambient/chillout beats and soundscapes by people with amplified instruments and bits and pieces of technology.Improvizonecontact@improvizone.com© 2009 Andrew BookerMusicAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Simon Laffy, OsRhythmically ambiguous fast-paced ambient lushnessFrom somewhere in the middle on 07 Oct 2008 at Switch. Once this gets going I regard this as a true gem. For much of the time I am in fact trying to play a 5/8 over 4/2 structure, but you wouldn't know it, thanks to a sublime Laffsta bassline. He really has fun with this towards the end. A multi-seamed feast of fast percussion, lithe bass and lush layers from Mike and Os. And I came away from this thinking it wasn't a great gig. What a nonce.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=102Podcasts2009-01-03T14:53:06+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Simon Laffy, OsRe-sampled yee-haw power trio dropping into half-tempo melancholiaUptempo thigh-slapping begins this extract from the latter half of our 07 Oct 2008 set at Switch in South Woodford. Mike carries the main body of the first half, while Os and I decorate the skittering pulse with offbeats, to the Laffsta's funk slapping. There was a part Mike played that I liked so much, I repeated it a bit later on in the track. Go on, see if you can spot it. After that, as always, we then cut the tempo in half, Os samples Mike, and it ramps up, or down, into a massive warehouse-sized ambient rock sweep.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=101Podcasts2008-12-30T21:34:17+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Simon Laffy, OsSpanish/jazz guitar and bass into freewheelFrom immediately before the previous upload, ie near the end of the 07 Oct 2008 gig at Switch. When I wrote about this gig recently I reported that the rhythm section weren't firing on all four at this gig. But the Laffsta does brilliantly here, carrying along a Spanish-style groove that's almost 50% of what's going on here. And almost the other 50% is Mike's guitar, beginning with Spanish jazzy phrases and then exploring elsewhere. The Laffsta goes with him, while Os and I mainly do the percussion. I especially like the ending, where Os chips in some samples of the other two. Totally different from the way the piece started. And that is as good a reason as any for improvising during gigs.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=100Podcasts2008-12-27T00:19:46+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Simon Laffy, OsAmbience over heartbeating footAn extended fadeout from the very end of our 07 Oct 2008 gig at Switch in South Woodford. We had dropped down to a fraction of our normal volume by this point. For the mix, everything is boosted so much you can hear chattering and glassing clinking through Mike's guitar pickup. Os spurs us on with some ambient drones at the beginning, and then that's him sampling a bit of Si's bass from another section I edited out. Finally the Laffsta rolls in some bass carpet towards the end. Mike swells up and down, and I just about maintain the hearbeat pulse all the way through.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=99Podcasts2008-12-23T23:44:52+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationMichael Bearpark, Simon Laffy, Osedgy but sweet ambient guitar loops with bass grooveFrom a little way into our last gig at Ember to date, on 28 May 2008. Mike, Os and the Laffsta carry this one. I was probably rebooting my laptop at the time, and while I do play on this one (you can just hear my heavily phaser-effected synth pads towards the end), what the trio does here needs no percussive embellishment. We did this in the height of summer, yet it has quite a nice wintry feel. Ginger wine with a dash of whiskey please, I'll be sitting over by the fire.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=98Podcasts2008-12-20T11:16:36+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Nick Cottam, Os, Steve BinghamFidgety jam ends with an utterly sublime second halfThe very beginning of the 06 Aug 2008 Plough gig, a mediocre jam until about 3:10. The drums eventually shake off the fidgety patter, and at 3:26 Nick moves to a different bass note and officially turns this into a gem, elevating into the absolute sublime in its second half, when the rest of us realise what's going on and settle into a beautiful relaxed moving soundscape. Improvizone with live music in Walthamstow at its best. BTW, if you listen to the ending of this one, and the beginning of the previous download from this gig...http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=97Podcasts2008-12-01T22:31:23+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Nick Cottam, Os, Steve Bingham5 guys explore guitar sample with uptemp but controlled workoutFrom the 06 Aug 2008 gig at The Plough. An example of improvisation working really well. Os finds the perfect Mike sample and loops it, Binksy begins with rhythmic tension before breaking into more florid soloing that was just as much fun to watch then as it is to listen to now. Nick and I take the rhythm section for a walk, then break into a jog. We drop the intensity but keep the pace while Mike inimitably sweeps guitar over the temporary calm, before the whole thing ascends into organised chaos, with Os perfectly placing octave-shifted violin in the final ramp-up.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=96Podcasts2008-11-26T22:51:19+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Nick Cottam, Os, Steve BinghamChillout musicians express melancholyFrom somewhere in the middle of the 06 Aug 2008 gig at The Plough. Steve Bingham is absent for most of this, as he was offstage replacing a broken string. The rest of us have settled into full on pessimism, a doleful soundtrack to hard times, steered by Mike's filtered guitar swells, stretched out by Nick's expansive bass chords. Binksy joins in agreement towards the end.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=95Podcasts2008-09-26T22:32:15+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Nick Cottam, Os, Steve Binghamlengthy but beautiful downbeat gig endingFrom the very end of the 06 Aug 2008 gig at the Plough. This feels like it's going to end about half way through. Then it carries on with more of the same until you start thinking it never will end. Then it slips into something slightly funky and quietly tries to go off somewhere weird, before going off altogether. All of which is a very crass summary that belies the lovely passage of music from the trio of Mike, Steve and Nick here, while Os and I fill in around the sides. It's a whole 10 minutes but I don't get bored at all. Rhythmically rambling and ambiguous, harmonically smooth and sorry-sweet. A fine if slightly blue (as in unhappy) alternative end to a gig from our usual upbeat major key thing.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=94Podcasts2008-08-24T16:20:30+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Nick Cottam, Os, Steve BinghamStandard jam deflating into calm rampdownFrom about an hour into the 06 Aug 2008 gig at the Plough. Though it pains me so to say, some of this feels like a jam, edited down from 17 minutes, with standard descending chords. We find Steve Bingham in full florid violin soloing mode, as he was throughout quite a lot of the gig. But here, he also fits in some rhythmic and melodic embellishments that work really well, and, as ever, when the drums stop, lovely things happen. Not the highlight of the gig, but a good spot all the same.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=93Podcasts2008-08-21T00:11:00+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Nick Cottam, OsExtended intro/outro with chugging, burbling and clatteringFrom near the end of the 04 June 2008 gig, sounding like an extended intro morphing into an extended outro, without worrying about a middle bit. The lightly distorted drums don't settle until at least 2 minutes in, then calm down quickly after that, before going off for a few splashes towards the end. Os's ambient processing and rhythmic chugging work as well as ever, and it's always great, just as the rhythm section change gear eg at 5:14, to hear Mike come in with another new sound. Especially when you have to remind yourself it's coming from a guitar.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=92Podcasts2008-07-24T17:08:43+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Nick Cottam, OsFunk bass with ambience and subtle guitar pickingThe same tempo as the previous download from the Plough on 04 June 2008, because this one ends about a half a minute before that one starts. Besides Nick's steady funk bassline carrying the whole thing along, not a lot appears to happen here. But I like to focus on Mike's subtle guitar picking, especially a few minutes before the end, as the busy drums tail off. Good things always happen when the drums tail off...http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=91Podcasts2008-07-19T18:28:57+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Nick Cottam, Osambient guitar phrase with rock undercurrentFrom about half way through the 04 June 2008 gig at The Plough. Carried along by another classically simple but superb Mike Bearpark repeated phrase, with Os drifting in and out in the background. I love my 80s pitch-bend sounds, but the drums/bass don't really gel here, probably my fault. So I shut up 3/4 of the way through, and Nick finishes the piece with an arpeggiated bit that I thought would sound nice through a tremolo.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=90Podcasts2008-07-13T23:06:40+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, OsDrum clattering with ambient loopsNarrowly avoiding the first ever Improvizone drum solo, Os joined in when Mike and Nick left the stage for a break during the 04 June 2008 gig at the Plough. I carried on because the DVD with the visuals was still had a good half hour left. Os pitched in with some great accompaniment and could have created a piece of music if he'd had some less random and circumspect drumming to work with. I have fun flapping my arms about to a metronome. At least I assume I had a click, otherwise Os wouldn't have been able to aim his semi-quaver bass artillery so well. I'll have to find the video.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=89Podcasts2008-07-09T11:32:00+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Nick Cottam, OsLaid back major-key balmSomething I remember enjoying during the 04 June 2008 gig at The Plough, about half an hour in. Occasionally a track comes along that is such a pleasure to mix, the delight is listening to it again and again as I audition and edit it. This almost one of those. I say almost, because although it is essentially wonderful, it does have a few hairs, is not completely organised harmonically and needed a little editing. No matter, to me the first little-practised secret to success in a piece like this is the slow tempo. For us, it's always when the best music happens, because the players have time to think, and time to relax. Another reason I like this is that it's a great advocate against playing solo. Mike's fluid guitaring, Nick's calm bass support, and Os's alert reprocessing all took three heads. Four if you factor the percussive pattering which I'm glad I kept reasonably under control.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=88Podcasts2008-07-03T22:18:53+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Simon Laffy, Osambient drum-n-bass soundcheckFrom the beginning of the 28 May 08 gig at Ember. And I mean the very beginning. The soundcheck. The wire-up. We didn't even know Os was recording, and this is pretty much from the moment he pressed the button. As such, there was never going to be a great deal of musical meaning here, as we (particularly I) checked levels and settings, but it's worth a listen all the same. Os provides the general air conditioning, Mike makes sure stamping his feet in various places does the right thing, and I drift in and out of amusing the Laffsta with drum-and-bass clatter and patter. The drums are fun, but as is so often the case, the beauty is when they stop.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=87Podcasts2008-06-11T23:47:09+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Os, Jim Lampiend of evening mystical sweepdownFrom the very end of the 30 Oct 2007 gig, possibly its highlight, and one of the finest gig endings so far. Some excellent audio processing here by Os, and Jim slips in some lovely sliding bass punctuation. Mike as ever strikes up one of his trademark simple melancholy cyclical phrases, then the whole thing submerges itself in its own sweetly scented washes.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=86Podcasts2008-05-23T23:18:40+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Nick Cottam, Peter Sellars, Oli Mayneslow rock hammering with psychedelic violinFrom 15 Jan 08 at the Plough. This gig is unusual in that it is the only guitarless gig to date, and the only one where I did not upload anything from it afterwards. I wasn't necessarily going to, we were due to play the next day, and we were trying out a couple of new people at this one. The gig was fun and musically not bad, but had a higher-than normal proportion of driving up-tempo stuff, aided and abetted by Nick and Oli, rather than the ambient chillout direction we advertise. This is one section where we play a bit more slowly at least, even if we still don't get to the pleasant chillout bit. Oli is doing the swirl noises, Nick rumbles several metres down in the Earth's crust, I bash around on distorted drums and long-release midi notes, and Peter scatters his heavily processed melancholy violin towards the back of the mix. It's got something. In fact listening to this encourages me to revisit this gig and get some more material out of it.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=85Podcasts2008-05-22T22:00:20+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Michael Peters, OsSlow stabs, crackles, musical box and crunch guitarsFrom the end of the 14 Nov 07 Ember gig. The quality is not great, there are glitches from somewhere, probably my laptop. But where they might have spoilt a smoother ambient textural piece, between the stodgy thwacks of the drums, and Michael P's solid bass-note stamping, they almost sound intentional. Listen to the track about 20 times like I've done, and they won't bother you :) A good end-of-evening, empty-room, emotionally ambiguous piece. Such is the value of recording, I don't remember us playing this at all (and I'm completely sober at my gigs).http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=84Podcasts2008-05-21T15:22:35+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Captain, Simeon Harrissmooth fast ambient rockNice to hear Simeon back in the downloads list. This is one of the only fragments from his first gig with us at Imbibe on 29 May 07 that we have not yet used. Everything else is either already up, or went onto the SE1 CD. One reason for leaving this out might have been that I didn't exactly call it chillout, although compared to some of our less accessible improvisations this is full-on commercial. Another reason is that I hadn't got Simeon's levels right yet. The clipping that spoils his beautiful ambient stereo is my fault. Also, I remember having a hard time maintaining the unfaltering up-tempo pace, and boy can you hear it. The rhythm section is not tight here. Despite those, it's mellow and easy on the ear without being too cheesy.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=83Podcasts2008-05-20T21:52:43+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Os, Jim LampiDark sweeps and swirls then ambient delay funkFrom about an hour and a half in to the 30 Oct 2007 gig at The Plough, E17. Not the highlight of the gig, but a good section, that didn't make it to the downloads at the time because the next gig was only a fortnight later. The sweeps and swirls near the beginning are Jim, before he drops down to playful funky stick-bassing. Apart from me, the rest of the track is Os sampling Mike's guitar, and it all starts to pile up from about 5:30. Mostly good stuff though. Nice gradual climbdown at the end.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=82Podcasts2008-05-19T22:47:41+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Nick Cottam, Achilleas Sourlas, OsIndustrial (as in estate) with a lot of hi-hatFrom about 40 mins into the 05 Dec 2007 gig at the Plough. The drums are so frustratingly understated at times, I had to loop up one of the more assertive bits. The truth is we'd been going for five minutes on this idea already, and I'd got a bit bored with funking out the typical snare that only appears fleetingly here. Even if I'm flagging, the others are just warming up by the time this starts, and more than compensate, especially Os, who creates the lovely bubbling arpeggiated riff you can hear at beginning, before supplying those sinister distorted swells that give the first two minutes an industrial factoryscape feel. Nice ambient chillout? Some other time...http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=81Podcasts2008-02-10T21:46:42+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Nick Cottam, Achilleas Sourlas, OsBoth sides of Improvizone, the rough and the smoothThoroughly enjoyable epic stretches from Mike dominate the first few minutes of this, typically veering off the path of nicety at the Plough (05 Dec 07, almost at the end of the gig) compared to our usual bar gigs. Then it slips down into the more relaxed ambient mode we have written on the tin. Os takes over the rhythm with recorded drum loops, leaving me to clatter along ineptly, or shut up. The latter preferable.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=80Podcasts2008-02-05T21:39:58+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Nick Cottam, Achilleas Sourlas, Osmelancholy and slightly tense mid-tempo funkFrom a section that begins immediately after the previous download from the 05 Dec 2007 gig at the Plough, though I've begun this edit a little way in. Did I say edit? No, this lineup doesn't need much editing, and this is exactly as it was played. Great stuff from everyone here, especially Nick, who with his simple 1-4 changes later on injects a lovely melancholy undercurrent.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=79Podcasts2008-01-28T22:27:45+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Nick Cottam, Achilleas Sourlas, Ossweeping 6/8 shuffleFrom 8 or 9 minutes into our last gig of 2007 (5 Dec at the Plough). This is a shuffle-type groove, the beat ambiguously subdividing into 3 or 2 depending on which bit of the drums and bass you listen to. In fact the metronome in my ear was still clicking around 96bpm in 4/4. Sorry, you've nearly gone to sleep I know, but that may also be a result of the soothing flutterings from Achilleas, or the gentle picked phrases Mike coaxes from the guitar. Or Os's ambient underlay, which you can hardly hear unless you button out all the other instruments, but if you took away would leave a huge hole.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=78Podcasts2008-01-24T23:35:27+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationMichael Bearpark, Simon Laffy, OsImprovizone has a quiet ChristmasFrom the middle of the 28 Nov 07 gig at Ember, while I was amongst the audience dishing out the last remaining copies of our free SE1 CD. A lovely wintery soundscape formed out of Os's muted musical box and Mike's picked phrasing, with the Laffsta gently steering from the bass.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=77Podcasts2007-12-21T11:02:23+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Simon Laffy, OsLight funk with heavenly extended descentFrom about half an hour into the 28 Nov 07 gig. It opens with some light ambient funk, all good and well for a few minutes, then just as it sounds as if it's going to stop, slips into a superb quiet passage, stunningly beautiful from 4:42... if I really wanted, I could solo all the parts and find out what everybody's doing, but it would spoil it if I did. What I can hear is Mike's subtle but stellar inventiveness and control, supported by Os's textural manipulation, who may be looping, but it's all constantly changing. The Laffsta and I sit back in an unintrusive rhythm section and enjoy. Absolutely brilliant.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=76Podcasts2007-12-20T11:00:14+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Simon Laffy, OsSlow happy gig climbdown in A MajorThe very end of the 28 Nov 07 gig at Ember. We always finish with something slow in a major key (this is in A). Although this is the end of almost 2.5hrs of playing, we all seem to be pretty functional and accurate with the playing still. No lightweight amateurs us, oh no. A very happy ending to a very happy gig.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=75Podcasts2007-12-19T19:29:35+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Simon Laffy, OsRamp-up ramp-down in D MajorFrom near the beginning of the 28 Nov 07 gig at Ember. Maybe it shows, as the playing got a bit tighter later on. The gig intro was all good, but fairly 80s U2ish up until this point. You can kind of hear it still in the first minute or so, after which the Os processing and electronic drums help to lift it out of the ordinary, as does Mike's typically inventive wobbly guitar sound towards the end. Before that, we just about keep control of the buildup in the middle, then it has a nice climbdown. The oddly abrupt ending is genuine.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=74Podcasts2007-12-18T19:53:15+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Simon Laffy, OsSwamp explorers on adrenaline. For a bit.From near the end of the 28 Nov 07 gig at Ember. Dark, murky and ominous to begin with, with sub-bass from Os (go on, ditch the earphones, bring on the woofers), it's worth hearing how it develops, always managing to be not entirely unpleasant, dropping down into loitering guitar and persistent rhythm section, closing after Os joins back in with layers of reverse-guitar samples. Mike sources a lot of the interest, but notice the Laffsta's understated but playful bass towards the end. Not quite sure this would be everyone's idea of chillout, but hey. Light and shade, light and shade...http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=73Podcasts2007-12-17T13:34:26+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Simon Laffy, Osmechanised ambient wallpaperThis grows into a nice bit of ambient machinery, from somewhere near the middle of the very successful 28 Nov 07 gig at Ember. Mike triggers some chord changes, otherwise not a lot happens, such is the whole point of this stuff: various people sitting around having a drink and a chatter, not quite realising why they're having a better time than usual, when suddenly it dawns on them... the band are playing something really nice... whatever it is...http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=72Podcasts2007-12-12T00:25:52+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Michael Peters, OsRelaxed ambient chillout goes for a walkReally going for the ambient chillout here. Mike B in the middle, Os panned towards the left, and towards the right is Michael P mainly on MIDI washes, in the closing section again demonstrating exemplary adeptness as a bassist, and with an unconventional sound too. This is not as involved as what we usually get up to, but nice even so. We have often ended gigs this way in the past, in fact we were barely a third of the way through (Ember 14 Nov 07).http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=71Podcasts2007-11-27T21:54:55+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Michael Peters, Osswirling uptempo build-upHalf an hour from the end of the first Ember gig (14 Nov 07). Lovely section from about 1:50, thanks to a fantastic phrase from Mike B (L) and some great ghoulish accompaniment from Michael P (R) on his MIDI sounds, before he moves onto picked guitar. Loses its way slightly in the middle, suffering a bit from some lurching drumming (having to re-sync with the click track), but recovers towards the end, when it reminds me why I don't like to describe what we do as jamming. Shame to fade this out, it becomes another section, as hinted by Os's sub-bass in the last few seconds. It was all pretty good right till the end of the gig... maybe another free CD :)http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=70Podcasts2007-11-27T01:57:09+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Michael Peters, Osuptempo ambient funkA little unsure of itself at the beginning, but settles into an enjoyable medium fast groove, one of the bits of the gig that was really cooking. Difficult to tell who's doing what, but the low frequency rhythmic rumble is Os, the busy rhythmic low end guitar panned right is Michael P, the sweeping guitar panned left is Mike B.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=69Podcasts2007-11-24T15:39:46+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Michael Peters, OsRough soundscapes and crunchy broken funkI rarely find cause to compliment myself in these downloads, but I quite like the infectious drum pattern that settles by about 1:00. If only I stuck with it all the way through. The rough ambient clouds from the trio are lovely, the groovy yet elusive bottom end comes from Michael Peters. As to why I have cruelly faded this out prematurely... like a dipstick, I had forgotten to plug in the laptop power supply. At exactly the moment this download ends, the battery went under. I looked down, saw a blank screen and hastily plugged in, whereupon recording miraculously resumed, but it had missed a section. Could only ever happen in a good bit.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=65Podcasts2007-11-18T22:30:50+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Michael Peters, OsUnsteady bass stamping on a musical boxThe first gig without a bass player (Ember 14 Nov 07). Those bass noises at the beginning are me, followed by Michael Peters swelling and picking on the guitar and a muted muffled musical box loop from Os. Mike B joins in later on, and you can hear the two halves of the band taking up their respective rhythmic (MP, AB) and textural (MB, Os) positions, coming together with something really nice in the middle. Some very light drumming comes in half way, truth is it was going down to disk quietly. Plus playing bass pads and a kit was pretty much beyond me.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=64Podcasts2007-11-15T23:55:16+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Os, Jim LampiSoupy swirl with stabsWeirdness and fun from somewhere near the middle of the 30 Oct 07 Plough gig, just before the interval. Jim's semitone upward modulation to his stabs near the end demonstrates the not-very-seriousness of it (I am happy to believe that he did it deliberately), while Os and Mike conjure their typically indeterminate sounds. I've got the multitrack here and I can button everyone else out and check what they're doing. You all get the big soup.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=63Podcasts2007-11-09T00:45:30+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Os, Jim LampiAutumnal ambient stompFrom about 15 minutes into the gig at the Plough on 30th Oct 07. Os spreads some lovely keyboard stokes around, Mike drops in a few phrases, and Jim has fun walking around on his wiry bass sounds. Although it doesn't go very far harmonically, the eight minutes have plenty of variation and interest. Gawky one-two stabs and random patterns from the drums keep it striding along.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=62Podcasts2007-11-02T12:31:06+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAchilleas Sourlas, Simeon Harrisambient looped guitar flute duoIt would have been tough to come up with something like this in a noisy bar. Terrific duo from Simeon and Achilleas at the Plough gig on 28 August 07. Effortlessly beautiful, and a fully formed piece of music, from two people who had met only that evening. Brilliant.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=61Podcasts2007-09-22T16:33:45+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Nick Cottam, Achilleas Sourlas, Simeon Harrisslow tempo sublime ambient mashOnly the second thing we did in this spur-of-the-week first gig at The Plough, E17. Nice little calming trip overall, but the real nectar oozes in the last two minutes, with Simeon building up his delay washes, me joining him on the sustained organ-type pad sounds, Nick pinning down the low frequencies and Achilleas sedately contouring with the flute. Absolutely sublime. This is exactly why this gig is worth bothering with.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=60Podcasts2007-09-13T23:34:45+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Nick Cottam, Achilleas Sourlas, Simeon Harris80s rock noises from somewhere inside the air conditioningFrom just before the interval of the first Plough gig. Some vintage Simeon in here, soaring sliding guitar, plus some more gritty ambient loops than his normal sounds. Most of all I love the 80s lead sound he brings in half way through, clean but souped-up. Achilleas simultaneously demonstrates the ambient, percussive and textural sides to the flute. I flap about on some dubious cheap e-kit sounds. It all works.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=59Podcasts2007-09-11T23:08:25+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Nick Cottam, Achilleas Sourlas, Simeon Harrisunsettled ambient jazz funkEven though it has a nice pleasant feel and sound, this piece never settles into a groove. None of the natural cycles and patterns that normally make this kind of thing work are maintained. You get the drums stopping in the middle of a phrase, because my internal clock says I've done a nice round 16 bars, yet I'm completely out with the others. Simeon's background loop doesn't give many clues either, swelling between chords with an indeterminate cycle time, probably meaningful to start with, but the band has now left it behind. And Nick, possibly as a result, never settles into a groove, although I suspect this has more to do with him not having any idea where the first beat of the bar is. And listening back, I must confess it is a bit obscure occasionally... :)http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=58Podcasts2007-09-09T16:02:21+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationNick Cottam, Achilleas Sourlas, Simeon Harrisflute, ambient/lead guitar and driving bass engineTotally awesome atmospherics from the drumless trio during this impromptu gig in NE London. This is about half an hour into the gig and I had just left the stage for a break, Nick assuming the role of rhythm provider, while Simeon and Achilleas swap phrases. Oddly, just after 4:40 it begins to slow down. If the drums had being playing it would have sounded crap. Here, it all makes sense. I looked and watched and instantly knew we'd done well with this gig in this venue.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=57Podcasts2007-09-06T23:15:33+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Tibo Remy, Nick Cottam, Simeon Harris, Osflute overture with plinky toys and vacuum cleanerFrom the second half of the 31 July 07 gig, with a few drops of the avante-garde sauce tipped into the ethnic/ambient/beat formation. Simeon does some discreet ambient decorating and Nick and I stamp out a sparse shuffle. Meanwhile, Tibo complements the electronics with flute and thumb piano, and Os completes the off-the-wall sonic textures with some kind of... erm... electromagnetic surface polisher... thing.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=56Podcasts2007-08-13T17:16:26+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Tibo Remy, Nick Cottam, Simeon Harrisambient swoops with beats and jazzy guitarFrom the 31 July 07 gig, after I had rebooted the laptop. This is almost unedited, except for a couple of snips at the beginning and the end to get it moving (and squish the file size under 10MB). It starts with superb lush ambient swoops from Simeon, with Tibo's subtle jazzy doodles sprinkled over the top. Later, Nick starts to drive it along in the second half, and I like the four-on-the-floor pace change that follows. To me this was stable, bang-on-the-money ambient bar music, but as a listening experience, stable becomes static... I could have cut it down a bit, but nobody did anything crap, so I left it. what do you think - too long?http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=55Podcasts2007-08-08T12:32:29+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Tim Williams, Simeon Harris, Simon Laffyrock fusion in warehouse with flamenco passers-by15 minutes into the first section with everyone playing at the 26 June 07 gig, my innards turned as I looked down and saw I wasn't recording. One short pause and some emergency mouse-clicks later, this happened. I didn't think much of it then, but with a bit of souping-up in the production it's more fun. Harmonically a bit ordinary, and not quite together in places, then it undergoes a nice gear change at about 3:50, which I didn't edit, it happened exactly as you hear it. The drums drop out and a soloing Simeon swaps with Mike, who is now making arena-sized audience chanting noises with his guitar. As the piece dies down, Tims Spanish-style flourishes are a nice contrast to the concrete drumming and atmospherics of the rest of it.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=54Podcasts2007-07-29T19:30:22+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Simeon Harris, Simon LaffySoundscapes go for a spinAnother from 26 June 07, and a prequel to the previous upload from that gig. Tim (Williams) was also playing acoustic on this one, but was so completely overwhelmed by the two electric guitarists, the cleanest thing to do was to take him out of the mix. I guess we don't get any less chillout than this, probably my fault for picking up on Mike's intro with a fast rock beat. Then again, you can't appreciate the chillout if you don't throw in a little turbulence occasionally for contrast. That's not was I was thinking at the time, of course, I was just having a bit of fun.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=53Podcasts2007-07-27T00:30:44+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Tim Williams, Simeon Harris, Simon Laffydownbeat rainy summer ambient rockThis one takes its time and deliberately tries not to do much, but it is full of atmosphere. Taken from somewhere in the middle of the second bit with everyone playing at the 26 June 07 gig. The effects on the kit make it sound like it was raining, which it wasn't on the night, though this has been the story of our entire summer, if I may mention the weather for a second. Mike is cheerfully experimental in this one, the rhythm section keep the whole thing tense and unsettled, Simeon mimics Tim's earthy twang with a repeating melancholy phrase. This is really good ambient music, you can tune in and out without missing the plot. For me it also has enough to make it fully listenable, though I wouldn't use it to entertain record company executives in the lift. Actually, can you imagine this as lift music...http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=52Podcasts2007-07-21T23:45:51+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Tim Williams, Simeon Harris, Simon Laffyambient bayou jangle rockFrom the 5th gig (26 June 07), straight after the interval. It's taken some editing (difficult when you're recording washy ambient audio), but I quite like this now. It's got really nice moments of harmony, and the sounds that Mike and Simeon develop are exactly what these gigs are about. Although Tim's gentle plinking on the acoustic is low in the mix, I think he triggered the C major/A major change that develops, not an obvious choice, but which the others play off brilliantly, and shapes the whole track in the end. I love the beginning and the end. Good bits in the middle too.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=51Podcasts2007-07-16T23:35:47+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Simeon Harris, Simon Laffyplanar ambient groove with Mt Guitarsolo (5632m) towering on the horizonFrom the 26 June 2007 gig. After modest ambient bar music beginnings, Simeon breaks into an incendiary guitar solo. Either he's feeling pretty good about something by this point, or is totally arsed off with the whole shebang. Clearly we must do our best to make him feel that way more often, whichever. And then we're back down to the linear ambient-with-beats groove we started with. Two of our three video recording devices were operative at this point (anyway the third would have been pointing in the wrong direction)... I'll see what I can do:)http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=50Podcasts2007-07-09T21:39:14+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Tim Williams, Simeon Harris, Simon Laffyleisurely rock dipped in bossa shavingsThe very end of the last gig (26 June 07), a typical slow major-key stretch to finish up with. I like the occasional chink of glasses coming through the mic inside Tim's nylon acoustic while he plucks bossa-type chords. Simeon provides most of ambience, plus he and Mike put in some forceful solos. Over Si's smooth bass underlay, the drums push and pull at the tempo a bit. Just to prove it's all live. As a recording this is nearly nine minutes of not all that much, but at the gig this was great piece of ambient bar rock to close the evening.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=49Podcasts2007-07-05T18:55:44+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Simon LaffyHorizontal moodscapeFrom the beginning of the 5th gig. Mike and I do guitar and drums first, then beckon Si over for low frequency additions. I wouldn't exactly call this uplifting. I like the no-hurry melancholia, the general sound is good, and I don't mind that harmonically it doesn't go very far. But this is near the beginning of the gig, it's only 8pm, and we're trying to win people over. Would have been great about 3 hours later.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=48Podcasts2007-06-29T00:17:51+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Michael Captain, Simeon Harris, Osrocky ambient funk without the groovesFrom the last gig on 29 May 2007, towards the end of the bit with everybody playing together for the first time. There is a little build-up to get through before this gets going, but the tingles begin for me with Simeon's picked guitar phrase at about 2:40, backing up Mike B's swells, then later Simeon's shimmering organ-icicles at about 4:40. It's great to hear the two guitarists working well together, filling each other's pauses, complementing each other's phrases and sounds really well. All the while, Mike C leads the harmonic structure, skittering around over his simple 1-3-4-5 line, with Os providing those indefineable background noises. I say all that listening back to it, but I remember this part of the gig well too. Let it not stop, I was thinking. For me, this is exactly why I bother with Improvizone. I don't think there is any other way I could get to be involved in something like this. For others looking at this objectively it may not sound great, and it may yield a dull points score, but as far as I remember, if you were there watching us you were pretty glued by this point. I can hear why.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=47Podcasts2007-06-13T02:29:30+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Michael Captain, Simeon Harris, Osambient with solid backingFrom near the beginning of the first everyone section from the last gig (29 May 07). I particularly like the way Mike C falls into a lovely stumpy bassline as soon as the drums drop down, and the way the whole thing adopts 4-bar cycles of phrases everywhere. Almost like a real piece of music. The general sound of this is really nice, we were all enjoying ourselves. Well, I was!http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=46Podcasts2007-06-07T16:37:37+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Captain, Simeon Harris, Osrefined unearthly chaos in 5/4If I'm trying to promote accessible improvisation in these lists, what am I doing posting this? I love it, that's why :) This is the beginning of the second "everybody" section from the 29 May 2007 gig, and is basically Simeon having a lot of fun, with the rhythm section trying to keep it together and providing Os with mashing material for the mac. About half way through this I woke up and realised we were heading somewhere mental, then quickly took confidence in it being actually pretty good. We played for 37 minutes in total, all one seamlessly presentable recording. I was about to use the whole thing on the forthcoming free CD, but chickened out of using this section at the last minute. At least here you get to score it badly and say what you think.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=45Podcasts2007-06-06T00:21:26+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Michael Captain, Simeon Harris, Ossublime washesFrom the 29 May 07 gig, where we slid neatly into an interval of loops that Os and Simeon left running, which you can hear a bit of here. Simeon is a major contributor to the beauty of this piece, a tiny fraction of the all the great stuff that happened at this gig. Through entirely my fault, for some this one may be spoilt slightly by a little unintentional distortion in places. Having admitted to that screw-up, I do like the slight edge it gives it.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=44Podcasts2007-06-02T02:58:25+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationMichael Bearpark, jeremyI really like Mike's playing on this, particularly in the light of the potential altercations at the bar.... not so much an out of body experience, more a preparatory state for a get-out-of-the-way experience. I think we'd both gone into a trance watching the suits dissolve from inside. The playing has a meditative/distracted feel depending on your point of view. Probably the first recorded instance of a mantra under the influence of drink. It was fun. http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=41Podcasts2007-05-09T03:18:58+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationMichael Bearpark, jeremy070424-070508-0857-0888Looped pint glass chink. I think it works! Although probably unpleasant at the time to have to play to, the disembodied background clamour sits sweetly at the back of Jeremy's vocal treatments.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=40Podcasts2007-05-08T23:34:52+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationJames Hender, jeremy, Simon Laffy070424-070508-0510-0560live from gig 24th April 2007http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=39Podcasts2007-05-08T22:36:44+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearparksawmill in warehouse with beatsOpening the 2nd gig (28 March 07) with the usual MB/AB duo. If what we get up to in the larger Improvizone groups tends towards a smoother funky ambient blend, this is where you hear the harder industrial touches creeping in. It's good to lay down a bit of this kind of noise to start the evening with kick, like downing a couple of shots of badly blended whiskey, before mellowing out later on with the single malts. It also highlights Mike's versatility - must do a feature one day on the five-foot arc of effects at his feet.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=38Podcasts2007-04-23T23:02:58+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Tim Williams, Michael Captain80s electronic folk funkAbout half way through this we are properly in the 80s retro section of the second gig (28 March 07). Just as the punk revolution of 1976 was to topple prog, so the indie movement in 1989 was probably looking to bulldoze precisely this variety of sleek, white linen suited, sunset-in-Miami gloss. I think of the number of times I use the word "industrial" for Improvizone, while this is hardly Jean-Herve Peron. Phil Manzanera/801 more like. But, just as any old alcohol at a party will shed people's inhibitions and make them sociable, so all sorts of dreamy wash will do the job as unintrusive ambient-with-beats bar background music. I like it. I don't care what it is, and I think it does what Improvizone says, depending on which bit of the tin you're looking at.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=37Podcasts2007-04-22T01:28:41+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Scott Davitt, Tim Williams, Michael Captainspace disco in the evergladesFrom the 28 March 2007 gig. This was everyone playing, and had been for getting on 20 mins. We were going to stop, but Mike B brought in that weird 60's electronica noise, an offer I couldn't refuse. Mike B is on the left, Scott in the centre and Tim on the right, all underpinned by Mike C's funky Karn-esque bass. Something I was thinking all the way through, and that shows up really well here, is how distinct the playing of the three guitarists is, each adding something completely different and equally good, each clearly discernible. And because we're not wall-of-noise apROCKalyptic death metalheads, at least not on a Tuesday evening at Imbibe, this is good thing.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=36Podcasts2007-04-16T00:10:42+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Scott Davitt, Michael Captainrelaxed warm-weather funkThe final six minutes of the second gig. Sometimes it's nice to listen to stuff without the drums. The beat picks up when Scott brings in the distortion. If you're wondering what all that squelchy guff is in the background, it's me, and I wish there was less of it, but I'm stuck with it in the drum mix I recorded. I took the kit out completely at the beginning because there was too much delay at the wrong speed. From now on I'm recording a dry drum signal as well as the effects. It's basically Mike leading this one all the way through, with his busy but relaxed funky bassplaying providing the harmonic structure.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=35Podcasts2007-04-09T18:19:33+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Tim WilliamsRelaxing in the intrastellar bathtubFrom the second gig. One of the earliest settings I put into my drum module. I made up the pattern during a HiD gig almost two years ago, and later tried it with a few different people. Of all of them, Tim is by far the best fit for this. We could achieve perfection by sorting out our majors and minors. In other words, with me listening to what Tim's doing right from the beginning, rather than from only about halfway through as I was here, bringing in and taking out the A natural on my left foot (the piece is basically in B). The slight shift in ambience for a minute or so is where I had to edit out some rumbly sounds I was making by mistake that were spoiling it. See, I still don't know what I'm doing. This is one is the sound of wallowing and reclining amid the cosmic lather. I'd be happy playing this music for the rest of my life.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=34Podcasts2007-04-04T23:26:20+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael BearparkFrom pretty much right at the beginning of the first gig. The drums let this down a bit, I seem to be losing the momentum in a couple of places and not flapping about as much. Nonetheless the excitement of the beginning of the opening night comes across here.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=33Podcasts2007-03-27T22:56:16+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearpark, Tibo Remy, Tim Williams, Nick Cottamfeelgood jazz-rock chilloutIf you can tune out the crackles, this is from the very end of the first gig. Mike and Tibo exert their completely different styles in the first bit, then Tim puts some quiet rhythm guitar during the dropdown while I'm tapping on drum pads that play string pads. I had a vague idea the pads were in some kind of compatible key. Only Nick is represented badly here. I had almost no bass signal on his channel, so we're listening to him through the room mic. From the next room, it sounds more like. Muddier than an a rock festival in a ploughed field. Shame, because he plays a really solid, no-nonsense groove, and does exactly the perfect thing in the dropdown. Listen out for Tibo's vocal processing in that bit too.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=32Podcasts2007-03-21T00:34:56+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisationAndrew Booker, Michael Bearparkambient lead guitar with exploratory beatsFrom the end of our duo set, opening the first Improvizone gig. There are glitches all over this, like we pressed a mix onto shellac and then cleaned it with sandpaper. Upsetting to begin with, now it just sounds like the scratchy old vinyl that got me into doing music in the first place. More to come from this piece in due course, it went on for nearly 23 minutes when we were only supposed to play for 15. By the way this is completely live, in case anyone has been listening to the recordings thus far and is thinking "yeah, right". All those little bubbly whirly noises... such is the fun of playing through electronics.http://improvizone.com/_audio.mp3?id=31Podcasts2007-03-06T00:02:40+00:00alternative,chillout,ambient,electronic,soundscapes,improvisation