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Live at Festival of the Mind 2024

Posted on 4th October 2024 in Gigs, Releases

A live recording captured in the Spiegeltent at Festival Of The Mind 2024 in Sheffield. Available to download for free.

The music was produced entirely in custom software developed by Sheffield University, and designed to introduce the concepts of coding, while allowing you to program music. The web-based software is free to use and includes tutorials and our demos.

Read more about the project here:
https://bleep.sheffield.ac.uk/artist/seclusion

Download the live recording at:
Bandcamp
DustStore.com

Many thanks to Guy, Sam, Nikki, Chris and Nick.

tBd @ No Bounds Festival 2024

Posted on 30th September 2024 in Gigs

We’ll be at the No Bounds Festival again in 2024, this time playing two special live shows on the 11th of October at the Hallamshire Hotel. It’s not a big place, so make sure you’ve got your tickets. You’ll need the “Opening Concert Only [Friday]” ticket or a weekend pass for entry.

Tickets: https://ra.co/events/1607259

Live Coding Software For Music

Posted on 24th September 2024 in Gigs, News, Studio & Production

In September 2024 we took part in a Live Coding Workshop and Showcase at the Festival of the Mind 2024 in Sheffield. Together with the School of Computer Science at the University of Sheffield, we spent the afternoon making bleeps with code, before heading out for a live demo at the Spiegeltent in the city centre.

And now, the software is publicly accessible and free to use, along with the tutorials and a set of music demos from us:
https://bleep.sheffield.ac.uk/artist/seclusion

It’s a web-based live coding environment, designed for generating noise and music, and it’s intended to introduce the basics of coding, while making some interesting noises. It’s not as scary as it sounds, the simplified code lets you jump straight in and make some noise with just a single line of code. The tutorials will guide you through the basics, so it shouldn’t matter whether or not you have any coding experience.

This system and the code used is based on Sam Aaron’s Sonic Pi project, only now, it’s entirely web-based. It’s very much a work-in-progress, so may be a little rough in places, but that shouldn’t stop you getting stuck in.

And as you might have noticed, we’ve avoided referring to the software by name, mainly because it hasn’t actually got one. All suggestions welcome!

The demos we produced for the festival are at:
https://bleep.sheffield.ac.uk/artist/seclusion

The tutorials created for the workshop can be accessed via:
https://bleep.sheffield.ac.uk/artist/tbd

Download the tutorial PDF:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1glIlPp00SJi_gMVX8bZ5fwLNumnrlVyy/view?usp=drive_link

Want to dig deeper? More information is available in the Wiki, although this too is a work-in-progress:
https://github.com/guyjbrown/bleepmanual/wiki

Want to start from a blank project?
https://bleep.sheffield.ac.uk/user

Let us know what you get up to!

Techno Music Programming – Festival of the Mind 2024

Posted on 3rd September 2024 in Gigs, News, Studio & Production

On the 21st of September 2024, we’ll be joining with the School of Computer Science at Sheffield University for a couple of special music programming events, all as part of Festival of the Mind 2024.

Techno Music Programming Masterclass – The Diamond
This free 2-hour workshop will explore the basics of computer programming through the lens of techno music creation. Led by renowned musician and live coding expert Dr Sam Aaron, participants will use software specifically developed for this workshop, teaching the basics of coding and exploring music composition. We’ll be there to share our knowledge of techno music production, sharing our own code and examples to illustrate. Places are very limited and can be reserved at:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk

Techno Music Programming Showcase – Spiegeltent
At 5pm we’ll head down to the Spiegeltent in Barkers Pool where we’ll introduce the concepts of live music coding, demonstrate the unique software and perform some of the music that we’ve created, including pieces from our new Seclusion EP. The event is free but the Spiegeltent has limited space, so get down early to get yourself a place.

Full details for all of the events at this year’s Festival of the Mind can be found at:
https://festivalofthemind.sheffield.ac.uk/2024/

My Brutal Life – Exhibition, Live Show and New Album

Posted on 6th September 2023 in Gigs, Releases

In October 2023, we’ll be launching a special exhibition in Sheffield featuring a carefully curated selection of artists from a wide range of artistic disciplines. The event, called “My Brutal Life”, will be held over two weeks in the striking Moore Street substation.

As part of this exhibition, we’ll also be launching a new album and performing a one-off live show on the 7th October at Sheffield drama studio.

“My Brutal Life delves into the profound aspects of our artistic endeavours encompassing brutalism, the environment, and humanity. Throughout our ongoing creative journey, we consistently gravitate towards these themes, documenting and exploring the human experience within these environments.

Our unwavering fixation on Symmetry, Synchronisation, and Repetition are the driving force in our artistic expression. Moreover, we strive to peel away superficial layers to expose the underlying emotional strata of the human aspect, unearthing the often overlooked beauty within the ordinary.

Although frequently disregarded, the human aspect resonates with echoes from the past, enlightening and guiding our artistic process. Even the failures encountered serve as poignant reminders of the delicate structures we construct.

My Brutal Life constitutes a pivotal component within an enduring exhibition, meticulously crafted to delve into the aesthetic and human facets of brutalism.”

Exhibition Bookings:
https://www.sensoria.org.uk/events/my-brutal-life-exhibition/
https://my_brutal_life.eventbrite.co.uk

Live Show Tickets:
https://www.sensoria.org.uk/events/the-black-dog/
https://THEBLACKDOG.eventbrite.co.uk

Album Pre-Orders:
https://www.duststore.com/pages/my-brutal-life
https://www.duststoredigital.com/album/my-brutal-life

Exhibition Catalogue:
https://www.duststore.com/products/my-brutal-life-exhibition-catalogue

Little Sheffield

Posted on 4th August 2022 in News, Photography

Martin’s new photo book, “Little Sheffield – The Changing Face Of Sheffield S3”, is now shipping!

Buy Direct: https://www.martindust.photography/store/p/littlesheffield

Having previously focused on the fading modernist landscapes of Brutal Sheffield and Brutal Yorkshire, photographer Martin Dust now zooms in on Sheffield’s former industrial heartland to capture details hidden among the dereliction and development – before they disappear for good.

For decades, Martin’s creative life has revolved around a portion of central Sheffield that straddles the River Don – a once dense district around the Wicker and West Bar whose fortunes have undulated over the years just like the rise and fall of his beloved city’s hills. Having been invited by 5Plus Architects to document the area’s transformation as some of its few remaining factory buildings bite the dust, he embarks on a mission to dig into its physical history while also excavating some Sheffield evocations of his own.

From skeletal pubs and half-hidden bridges to musical echoes and workshops that once rang with industrial noise – the kind made with hammers, not drum machines – Martin Dust’s Little Sheffield is a book that brilliantly connects them all.

“Martin is an urbanist, offering us a view of Sheffield that we will never witness again. Part autobiography, part psychogeography, part documentary, here we are witnesses to the spirit of a city that constantly reinvents itself, captured beautifully in photos and words.”
Robin Rimbaud – Scanner

“Martin’s curious lens seeks out romance in the ruination and detail in the decay. A pause in time and reflection on a place of flux and changing fortunes. Never a picture postcard place, S3 is finally ready for its close-up.”
Roger Quail – The Box/My Life In The Mosh Of Ghosts

“Martin’s forensic approach draws on the past in a neglected present, illuminating overlooked parts of the city during a time of transformation. Exploring place and memory, he brings ruins and rubble to life, documenting details and unmasking the stories behind them via his own unique urban schemata.”
Nick Bax – Human

“A look at Sheffield that is almost certainly going to be lost in time if it wasn’t for this book. Brilliant.”
Claire Reynolds – Smile Magazine

“Brutal Sheffield” Released 23rd March 2021

Posted on 23rd March 2021 in Photography, Releases

Martin’s new photo book “Brutal Sheffield” is officially released today and is available to order directly from martindust.photography.

“Brutal Sheffield is a photographic study by Martin Dust. It’s a record of the architecture and brutal nature of his home city, and a tribute to the influence its changing landscape has had on his life.”

The book is printed on heavy stock with a classy, silky feel and features 90+ photographs over 104 pages. And if that’s not tasty enough, all orders come with a free 8″ x 8″ photo print.

Order Direct: martindust.photography

No Bounds, Heeley Swimming Pool, Sheffield – 13/10/2019

Posted on 5th October 2019 in Gigs

An unusual pair of live gigs coming up this week, Heeley Baths in Sheffield for a “deep, immersive listening experience”!

“We are proud to present two unique immersive deep ambient performances at Heeley Swimming Pool with The Black Dog. We have commissioned Sheffield’s legendary techno pioneers and WARP records veterans to do two performances in the pool area while you, the audience swims in the pool, guided through a deep listening journey under mood lighting and sonic mastery. As part of our focus on the intersection of well being, science, technology and music we are slowing the pace of Sunday evening with this perfect way to end the week and to end the festival. Each Session will be 30 minutes long and will never be repeated. Come and truly be in the moment with The Black Dog (Live) in Heeley Pool!”

Session 1:
Tickets at EventBrite
Facebook Info

Session 2:
Tickets at EventBrite
Facebook Info

No Bounds Festival 2019
http://noboundsfestival.co.uk/
Facebook

Barry Cant Arf Weld

Posted on 10th September 2014 in News, Video

A short film by Shaun Bloodworth about large scale forging of special steels at Firth Rixson in Sheffield, for which we provided the soundtrack. Part of the Steel Stories project in collaboration with Arts and Humanities, The University of Sheffield.

http://www.shaunbloodworth.com/
http://vimeo.com/user7517473