Morning in Monterey – the view from breakfast…
I’ve just returned from a blast of pure inspiration & friendships courtesy of the e.g., hosted in Monterey.
It’s very hard to articulate how much this annual get together means to me. Suffice to say, I’ve tried to put it into the music. Hope you like it.
Another stunning photo from Trey Ratcliff
A piece of music dedicated to Trey Ratcliff whose work I’ve loved for years.
He is a master of HDR Photography and I met him for the first time last year in Monterey.
This piece is recorded using tuned glass instruments and is an attempt to play with refraction, colour and shade in music.
I’ve no idea if it’s successful but it’s a new direction for me…
Distant Hills by Cole Rise
Here’s a piece I’ve just written inspired by a fabulous photographer I know called Cole Rise. I love his air of magical realism… hyper-dreamy landscapes where gravity doesn’t quite work in the way it should…
The Wind across the Downs by Philip Sheppard
Here’s a cue from a film I wrote earlier in the year.
I’m using Pinterest to collate images to help me write and the above, haunting picture is on a board I’ve made to combat writer’s block (not something I’ve suffered from.. yet!). It seemed to chime with the mood of a piece I was remixing…
Or does it? Let me know what you think!
My cello looping setup
My solo performing setup generally includes loop pedals, pitch shifters and reverb units.
I’m doing a lot of experimentation at the moment with my live setup, using acoustic & electric cellos, new custom built units as well as some exciting new effects pedals from Boss, Boomerang & Line 6. Before I plan a programme I always draw a new circuit/ wiring plan and however much I try to simplify things around my feet, they always end up verging on the complex..!
The sketch above is the setup I have in my studio at the moment… Looking a little tangled for my liking…
Here’s a short improvisation from a set I performed in Mexico a couple of months ago. The guest speakers prior to me had mentioned whale songs, volcanos and one of my favourite pieces, La Folia. Needless to say, all of them found their way in.
It’s been great to see Andrew Bird storming Sundance with a live set where he built songs up from live loops on violin using a parallel setup of Line 6 delay modellers, one tightly locked, the other more for floating ambient lines. You can watch it here.
Andrew Bird
The great thing is that the gadgetry he’s using is rendered unimportant by the emotional punch of the songs. It’s easy to get hung up on gear for its own sake, but if you’re not making someone laugh, cry or get the chills, it ain’t worth it…
TDNRE5PHSP2N
Evelyn Glennie (Photo by Julian Macedo @PowderPhotography)
Winter Wonderland is a new album I’ve recorded with my friend the brilliant percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie.
It’s released today on iTunes and it’s rather Christmassy…! Here’s a track called Dalbergia…This one features an amazing Halo DrumHere’s just one more for now called Frost Flowers…
Hope you like the tracks. They’re all on iTunes here.
By the way, the photo above was taken at the weekend when we performed together at my Not So Silent Movies… series at Kings Place.
Whilst everyone’s looking skywards for stray fireworks… (it’s Guy Fawkes night tonight!) here’s a little piece I wrote for Inside the Milky Way. It’s called skysong. If you like it – you can download it by clicking the arrow on the right!
The amazing violin solo is my friend David Le Page. Total genius musician…
Lots of you have been writing in about my soundtracks to Moon Machines and the score to Inside the Milky Way. I really enjoyed writing the music for those shows and if enough of you want it… I’ll get a digital release underway. Let me know though…
Please share this if you like it or look at my other albums on Bandcamp & iTunes!
Thanks… Philip
Philip Sheppard 4/11/2011
There are few places in the world more beautiful than Cornwall, early in the morning, far out at sea…
Here’s a new album I’ve just recorded for Universal, produced by Roberto Borzoni.
The players are:
