Example 1. Ghoßt Assembly – I Miss Your Love
In July my debut single as Ghoßt Assembly , ‘I Miss Your Love’, was released via the small boutique Manchester label, Rüf Kutz. The EP received support from Roísín Murphy, JD Twitch (Optimo), Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy, Bill Brewster and Mary Anne Hobbs. It was dance single of the week at Piccadilly Records and a Phonica ‘Essential’. It was also featured track in Bandcamp’s Best Electronic Music for July ’23 and on BBC 6 Music’s New Music Fix Daily (see below).
Example 2. Trauma Social – I’m Really Sorry I’ve Got To Go
In 2022 I was invited by percussionist Howard Jacobs to contribute a spoken word poem to an instrumental track by the collective Trauma Social, featuring Graham Massey (808 State) and Paddy Steer (Homelife/Yargo).
The Trauma Social project was a series of improvised jam sessions led by Howie aimed at healing and exploring the trauma that some of his closest musician friends had experienced in recent years.
Vocalists, poets and refugees were invited to overdub stories and experiences of trauma, be it as a result of war, or through illness, grief or otherwise.
A double vinyl will be released later this year with all profits going to refugee charities supporting victims of trauma and forced migration.
Here is my contribution to the project. (Please note, this track is UNMASTERED.)
The instrumental players were: Graham Massey, Paddy Steer, Richard Harrison, Howard Jacobs, Shaun Matthew, Ben Heaney, Biff Roxby, Christian Weaver, Snella, Geoff Leigh
Example 3: Remixing Katy Rose Bennett
In March ’23 I was commissioned to remix the folk artist Katy Rose Bennett by Drake Music, a charity working at the intersection of music, disability and technology.
Dissolution II from the album Dissolution is the ‘anger’ section of Katy’s fascinating song cycle exploring the five stages of grief. Below is my remix of it.
Example 4: DJing
I love being on a station platform when the sun is going down. I made this DJ mix for those special moments. It contains samples of trains and journeys I have recorded at various times.
Luke Una
‘She’s like a young Mancuso. Her selections are insanely magical. She’s got that thing. You can’t contrive that or buy or replicate it. It’s deeply esoteric and natural and perfectly balanced. One of the unsung heroes.’
Example 5: Queer Noise – The History of LGBTQIA Music and Club Culture in Manchester
In 2018 I curated the Queer Noise exhibition at People’s History Museum, Manchester. The show explored the lesser known aspects of the city’s queer and trans club culture from the 1950s to the present day. I exhibited photos by Linder Sterling, Kevin Cummins, Jon Shard, Al Baker and more. Here are some screen shots from The Guardian‘s coverage of the exhibition.
