I have worked in music since leaving school at 18 in 1979.
My first band, The Cast, played many medium sized gigs around the South of the UK for a couple of years then released an album 'In Order of Appearance' before promptly splitting up in true rock n roll fashion in 1981. Two years later in 1983 I represented the United Kingdom at the Yamaha 'World Popular' Song Festival at the Budokan in Tokyo, winning a Performance Award from Yamaha as half of the duo Small Talk.
For the next 7 years I wrote and recorded as an individual, signed to manager Patrick Williams from Hit and Run Music (Genesis/Peter Gabriel etc).
I met my wife Claire during this time, and suddenly my life got expensive. To bolster my pathetic income I started writing media music, originally for corporate training films, then moving up to films and documentaries for, amongst others, Channel 4 (UK terrestrial) and The World Health Organisation.
Together with my wife Claire and long term colleague Nigel Vargeson (drummer from The Cast) I formed band UK Heights a.k.a ukay hytz. Over the next 15 years we released five albums and a clutch of singles and EPs. We were one of the first UK bands to release music on the internet - reaching the top twenty in early MP3.com charts and garnering a loyal following online.
When I moved out of London I started teaching music to adults with learning disabilities, increasingly using technology to enable those who would not normally be able to make music (www.musical access.com).
My writing of media music had now grown to include Production Music for libraries and publishers including Universal, Connect Music, Zomba, Kristannar Music etc. I was told at the time that a successful library track would go on producing an income for about 5 years - I am amazed that some of it is still being used, all around the world, fifteen years later.
I joined another band - 7 piece outfit Ltd Company, who after a busy 18 months of gigs released an EP and promptly, you guessed, split up. Bands, eh?
I now write Digitiphonies (www.digitiphony.com) - a newly defined long-form genre, as well as the occasional song.

 

Here's when what and how -

1961 Born in Chidham, Near Chichester, on the South Coast of England.

1978 Whilst at school in Bournemouth, began to write music and started recording in studios under the guidance of Tony Arnold.

 

1979 Co-wrote musical "Expotition/The World is yours" with Allan Mottram.

 

1980 Wrote for and performed with band The Cast. Album "In Order of Appearance" released 1982.

 

1983 Performed and recorded with duo "Small Talk". Represented United Kingdom at Yamaha Song Festival, Tokyo. Won performance award.

 

1987 Wrote music for musical "Rag Doll". (Libretto by David Chandler).

 

1989 Became a member of Performing Rights Society.

 

1996 Wrote for and performed with band Ltd Company. EP "LTD Company" (1998)

 

1998 Won Radio Victory Song Competition and gained certificate of achievement in Unisong World Song Competition with song "River" (performed by Clare Begley).

 

1999 Became a member of British Academy of Composers and Songwriters.

 

2004 Awarded Diploma in Media Composition (Music for the Media/Film Institute of Los Angeles)

 

2008 Resigned from British Academy of Composers and songwriters

 

1991 to 2012 Wrote for and recorded with band U.K.Heights/U.Kay Hytz
12" single "Immaculate" (1991)
Albums - "So Far" (1995) "Ambients" (1998/2003) "Welcome to Life" (2005) "An acute sense of the absurd" (2006) "Digitiphony" (2009) "Reap" (2010)
EPs - "Mackeral Skies" (2001) "Love's where your heart lies" (2006)

 

1988 to 2007 Wrote production/media music for TV, Film and Video projects; (Channel 4,
World Health Organisation, Living Tapes/Videotel, Hourglass Pictures, NHS, ICI, Oxford University Press, Walport International, PTV Ltd, Stella Artois/Queens Tennis Tournament, Kristannar Music Library, Connect Music Library, Zomba/BMG/Universal production music libraries, AKM Music, Looplibrary.com, Focus Music, Plan 8 Music etc..)

2007 Invented the concept of Digitiphony (Electro Orchestral Symphonies) and wrote Digitiphony 1 for U. Kay Hytz

2011 Wrote and produced "Digitiphony 2", followed by "Digitiphony 3" in 2013

2014 Composed and produced "Digitiphony 4". Suffered a stroke whilst starting work on Digitiphony 5

2015 After a successful rehabilitation completed "Digitiphony 5"

2016 Completed "Digitiphony 6"

2017 Completed "Digitiphony 7"

2018 Completed "Digitiphony 8"

2019 Completed "Digitiphony 9"

2021 Completed "Digitiphony 10 - A Quantum Mass" and completed the series, after 13 years.

2022 Completed Digitiphonic version of R. Strauss' Metamorphosen, and wrote and released First String Quartet