Member Since: 12/28/2006
Band Website: gavhuck.co.uk
Band Members: i am a solo artist/composer.
here's a little about me..
I started to teach myself how to play the guitar in 1991 and quickly became proficient enough to improvise and perform with other musicians. My original influences were guitar players such as John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix and Mark Knopfler. During the early 1990's i began to listen to bands from the emerging Grunge Rock scene based in Seattle in particular groups such as Nirvana, Soundgarden and Mudhoney, i was inspired by how these bands could create songs with so much energy and still incorporate intelligent melody.
As my technical ability improved i began searching for more innovative and expressive music, i began to listen to jazz music ( artists such as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Jordan ) and progressive rock music ( artists such as Yes, Genesis, Rush ). By 1993 i found the guitar was more than a hobby and that the process of music creation was to be a lifetime commitment. At this point in my life i was introduced to the album "Hot Rats" by Frank Zappa which in turn had a huge bearing on how i approached my own music. Frank Zappa's vast and varied musical works provided with me with more questions than i could ever have answers for, and helped me to realise that i should approach my own music composition through many mediums and not solely the guitar.
In the summer of 1994 I enrolled in the "Music And Technology Training Course" at Estover College in Plymouth. Here i was taught MIDI sequencing and audio recording by Alex Kristaki. In conjunction with my studies i formed an experimental jazz/rap crossover project with fellow students. The band under the name of "Grasshopper" performed regularly at venues around Devon and Cornwall during the year of study.
I began to use computer based sequencing to construct multi channel music. At this stage i had no finances to invest in audio recording equipment of my own and was limited to booking studio time. I found my guitar music and MIDI music were often separated and that i approached my guitar music with the intention of performing with other musicians in a band format, and my MIDI music as a form of technical and self exploration. Over time i began to marry my instrument work with my computer based work, learning how to play more instruments along the way and gaining a better understanding of recording and production techniques.
The early to mid 90's was a period in my life where i explored performance music across many genres, i toured with the environmentally awareness driven group "Weapons of Sound" performing at events and locations such as the Glastonbury Festivals, Plymouth Pavilions, Home Park, Royal Festival Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh. A recording session also took place at the BBC's Maida Vale studios for the Andy Kershaw radio 4 show, and TV appearances on Blue Peter and Cats Eyes. My time with the Weapons Of Sound also incorporated leading community based percussion workshops for the Estover Percussion Project. Prior to leading the workshops i spent time with the local Samba group "Jam Samba" and attended a workshop with the world music group "Inner Sense" in order to raise my own awareness of percussion techniques.
I continued to play the guitar and accompanied local musicians on a regular basis at open mic nights in Plymouth, sometimes switching to the Bass guitar or Conga's when necessary and enabling me to practice new instruments.
I focused upon my own music creation for the majority of the late 90's until i was asked to join an experimental jazz/fusion collective to write and arrange new material. The collective formed a group named "Chocoba" and performed progressive upbeat jazz/fusion at local venues in Plymouth such as the Jazz Cafe and Cooperage.
The energy and percussive dominance of Chocoba's live performances influenced my electronic music and i began to focus on creating Drum 'n Bass tracks using Synthesisers and Drum Modules in conjunction with MIDI sequencing. I took influence from artists such as Roni Size, Goldie, Aphex Twin and Adam F, and composed tracks that were lighter than the standard style and included a great deal of melodic texture. I was continuing to refine my ideas regarding electronic music and began to use samplers as well as synthesised sounds to build my music.
Between 2000 to 2003 i began to record local musicians and spent a great deal of my time intensively working in collaborative, and often conceptual projects. In some instances i provided arrangements and lyrics for artists to work with.
In 2003 i enrolled at Deep Blue Sound (Plymouth) and gained a BTEC National Diploma in Sound Engineering And Music Technology. During the two years i studied under Macedonian composer Nikola Kodjabashia, refining my composition and arrangement skills. I gained invaluable experience in the art of recording and mixing through the tutoring of recording engineer Ray Hendriksen. The knowledge, guidance, and technical skills i had learnt have enabled me to produce music that is a closer and more accurate representation of my original ideas.
A collective of Sound Engineers, Musicians, Producers and I worked together on an ongoing project named "Macedonia3" where freestyle experimental recording sessions took place. Our aim was to utilise our varying skills in an environment where it was suitable to take risks with our music, rather than experiment within the boundaries of our own more personal projects.
In 2005 i furthered my academic studies and enrolled again at Deep Blue Sound, this time on an fDA foundation degree in Sound & Music Technology. In the summer of 2006 i completed a work placement in Skopje capital of Macedonia. In partnership with the British Council i worked at Chicken Madness studios with Studio Engineer and Producer Bojan Ugrinovski. The studio is home to folk ensemble Project Zlust and rock group D.N.O., and frequented by commercial artists such as Kiril Djaikovski, Georgi Sareski, and Nikola Kodjabashia.
Through establishing links with the British Council and artists in Macedonia i currently provide my services as mixing engineer, producer, and sound designer and will be returning to Skopje i July 2007.
Music from my current project "The Narcissism Diaries" has recently been commissioned by the BBC for use within a documentary titled "Racisim".
Influences: everything that i have paid attention to, also all the things that i now realise i should have paid more attention to in the past.
cage / stockhausen / varese / hermann / kraftwerk / mrbungle / elfman / morricone / stravinsky / zappa / beefheart / eno / jarre / yes , and at present the city of Skopje in Macedonia.
Sounds Like: predominatly ambient undertones often mixed with live electronic synthesis. Additional instruments such as the banjo, mandolin, guitar, fretless bass, melodica, zimbala are used to create most of the melodic textures.
Record Label: i'm available!
Type of Label: None