Her Presence
I had been listening to a piece of music called "Her Presence in Flowers" by Bill Nelson (Bebop Deluxe / Red Noise) and had admired how the guitar and various electronica had been combined to create a soundfield that felt as though it meant something.
The title too was very inspirational and led me to recount how my brother Pete had invoked Mum's memory at his wedding. "She is here in the daffodils; the breeze through the trees and the bubbles in the champagne."
I wanted to create a short soundscape that reflected that mood and was presented with the opportunity when Simon Wright asked me to write an accompanying track for a short film based on timelapse photography.
The film " a place in time" is one summer day in Plymouth (Devon UK) that has been compressed into just a short time frame. Although the action on screen appears frenetic, the music is tranquil in order to emphasise that the observer is detached from the hurly-burly taking place around them. They are merely a voyeur given time to "stand and stare", much in the same way that William Henry Davies implores us to be in his poem "Leisure"
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare."
The music is composed using a variety of computer-based synthesisers including Native Instrument's Metaphysical Synthesiser and Absynth, mixed with live acoustic guitar and sound effects .