Discovery 5 - Cockney Alchemy - Bidgie Reef and the Gas

Love this. Thanks to Pete Brookes for sharing. Enjoy!

Do You Hear The Sound? - Christmas Song

Using the backdrop of The Oxford Carol f-ed with to the nth degree, this is an improvisation that I may or may not develop. I have gone for ethereal... what do you think?

Do You Hear The Sound - A Chrismas Song by Music for Zombies

Discovery 4 - Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight

Happy Metal Christmas!

The first Saint Mary's Project - A write-up from 2010 - Spark

Sports Day of the Dead - Colouring from 2009! Found whilst tidying my desk...

Anyone got a messier desk than me?

I was tidying and finally got to the bottom of the pile of papers, bank statements, junk mail etc and came across these...

In August 2009 I DJed at the London Fields "Sports Day of the Dead".

As part of that great day, (click on the above link for pics and sounds) I ran a colouring competition.

I meant to scan and put these up on my website in September 2009 it is now December 2011.

These have been sitting here for over two years.

Surprised by the lack of decay to be honest...

They are now shredded and in the compost but for your delectation I did scan them.

Enjoy!

THE Movember Video - It really really doesn't get any better than this...

Thanks to Ben Leyburn for his exemplary filming of this masterpiece.

Movember Video - Watch my Moustache grow, to the sound of MFZ!

Deadman's Lane - Act 2

Act 2 of Deadman's Lane

Deadmans Lane Radio Play - Act 1

New page on Bandcamp for MFZ - the first title up is the epic Deadman's Lane.

First Act Below!




For Bandcamp click here...

Discovery 3 - Movember - The Sound Of My Moustache - Bobby Lambert (MFZ Records 1967)

Whilst trying to find a great song to celebrate Movember I happened across this classic track while trawling through a second hand record shop in East Reading.

This is one of the few tracks released by MFZ Records in the 1960's. While making very little impact on the UK or US hit parade, the song was a success in a few territories and was a number 1 hit for 17 days in Yugoslavia in June 1967.

Sadly there is little known about Bobby Lambert, this crooner who followed in the footsteps of Bobby Darin and Andy Williams had a very short lived career and since 1973 very little has been seen of him. After his career failed to take off he went back to his work as a Redcoat at Butlins in Minehead but left his job in January 1973 and hasn't been heard of since.

(This might not be true)

Scary Introduction for an 8th Birthday Party

The opening for my Son's Treasure Hunt for his 8th Birthday...

Discovery 2 - The Hobbits - Daffodil Days (For my Son's Birthday)

I found this when I had to find flower based songs for a Primary School workshop.
My son had a very Hobbitty Birthday Party Yesterday of which this formed the backbone of Musical Chairs.
It is being deliberately hippyish isn't it. But I love it.
If you dance to it jump up and down - I believe this is called pogoing.

Discovery 1 - Merry Clayton - Southern Man

Was listening to some Don Ellis - Turkish Bath and saw this at the top of the recommendations column.

Thank you You Tube oh and Dolly Dolly too, I hadn't heard Don Ellis either since this morning.

I don't know much but I be learning...

More discoveries soon.

We are what we love

How a Tape Recorder Works

Flipping Science.

I thought it was magic.

My Pumpkin Family

I would explain but you can probably guess...

Song 3 - Halloween 2011 EP - Rosemary's Baby

Written over ten years ago I resurrected this cheeky little number and rerecorded it for the Halloween 2011 EP.
The EP has been great fun to make.
Only one piece left to go.
This song was inspired by Polanski's classic. The video uses the trailer and the final shot from the film so if you ain't seen it....

Poltergeist Music Video - Whispers in the Static - Chris Lambert vs. Music for Zombies

The second track from the Halloween 2011 EP - this time inspired by Poltergeist - the Tobe Hooper/Steven Spielberg horror classic.

Halloween 1978 - Opening Sequence to "Michael's Lament" a new piece by Chris Lambert and Music for Zombies.

Horrific, disturbing and quite nice.

Deadmans Lane 3 - Patrick Weeps

This is the final projection of the play.
As Patrick sees his family swallowed up by Deadman's Lane, the sun rises and sets again and again quickly as the Soldier foretold...
The Music is the theme of Deadman's Lane (Patrick Weeps). Enjoy.

Sounds from the Comedy Laboratory

Created for a Comedy workshop I am running with Exiled Theatre and James Campbell next week.

Whispered Hopes Part 2 - Extract 1

Recording the whispered hopes of the community in Reading.

You are listening to an extract of the ongoing project "Whispered Hopes"

Recorded by students from Theale Green Community School and people from Reading.

These hopes for the future span what people want for themselves, for others, for the community and for the world.

The background sound is a soundscape extrapolated from one person's whisper. The tempo has been greatly lengthened, the noise removed and various other elements stretched and affected to create the ethereal atmosphere that you hear.

This will form part of a larger exhibit at Reading Minster as part of the Whitley Arts Festival 2011.

Whispered Hopes Part 1

Starting a new project for The Whitley Arts Festival.
Keep checking this page and click on the banner for updates!

Deadmans Lane 2 - The Priest becomes a Gargoyle - A Projection - Nightmares are Cool

A projection from earlier in the show. This played behind and over the priest transformation scene. The unfortunate Reverend is cursed by a witch (who he has buried alive in Aldermaston Cemetary, and finds him self turning into a flesheating gargoyle (or more correctly "grotesque" if I remember QI correctly!)
The video was created from many jpegs, during the filming process the actor was gradually made-up.
The video was then heavily manipulated in Adobe Elements.
The sound is created by Music for Zombies.
In the show we added in a further scream to help with cueing for the actor.
Enjoy and do have nightmares!
Nightmares are cool.

Deadmans Lane 1 - The Burning of the Woman in White with a Terrible Smile - A Projection

This was filmed on the Theale Green Community School Field.
It is part of the play "Deadmans Lane" which was based on local legends and ghost stories around Theale in Berkshire.

The play contained a mix of live action and film, inspired by Forkbeard Fantasy and their ideas of "Crossing the Celluloid Divide" this scene saw the actors leave the stage and simultaneously appear on screen. The reason for the three piano shrieks on the soundtrack is that they act as cues for action. The third strike cues the entrance of The Faceless Man and the Priest. This meant that we could do a witch burning on stage without contravening health and safety (we had to be careful when we filmed of course!)
The witch is put into the crate on stage and then the crate is burnt on screen!
The music is by Music for Zombies.
The play was produced by Exiled Theatre.

Night of the Living Dead - For Kids!

This is the next project I am working on with my school.
This is a page from the school brochure I am designing.
I have spent the last couple of days transcribing the text and redesigning it as a stage show.
I used the original text available on line but my goodness it's different!
It finishes with Barbara still alive (this isn't the 1990 version) and McClelland apologises for shooting Ben (who in the earlier version was a hick truckdriver not a suave black guy) - so all the radical racial politics must have come from Duane Jones' casting. Fascinating.
As part of the prep for this, I will also be working on a soundtrack which hopefully I will be able to perform as a unique show away from the stage production.

The Doubledotbash Set - Radio Vincent - An MFZ Recording

This is a one take recording of my MFZ set that I created for Reading's Doubledotbash in July 2011.
It combines sound effects, spoken word, soundscape and song to create an atmospheric and apocalyptic vision.
I recorded it in one take as performed at the Festival to give a clear record of how it sounded.
The mixing is done live as is the looping, this means that I'm switching betwen playing the guitar, adjusting levels, picking the guitar up, putting the guitar down, recording, playing and stopping loops, starting soundscapes, effects and spoken word on Jingle Pallette and singing!
This is the first part of a larger set.
The second act will follow soon...
Enjoy!

Radio Vincent - Live Mix For Doubledotbash by Chris Lambert Mfz on Mixcloud

Music Inspired by Close Encounters of the Third Kind - Follow the Toys

I have been inspired by a free album available for download that itself is inspired by CE3K.

Get it here . 

Very cool, I have made an atmospheric piece called "Follow the Toys" that takes this key scene from the film as a starting point. The main theme of CE3K (you know the one) forms the backbone of the piece (but it is slowed and effected to the nth degree)...

Enjoy!

Follow the Toys CE3K by Music for Zombies

 

ALL HAIL FILMFACE!

Been working on this for a few months now.
Very simple, sum up a film with your face!
Quick snappy reviews, nearly at 200!
Dave Yates of Dolly Dolly has kindly joined the mission, more to come.
Click for Filmface goodness!

I will upload favourite reviews soon!

Gig Poster for Sunday...

Here Come the Dolls!

Over the last few months I have been working for Hogarth Productions supporting their MASSIVE PUPPET project through sound...

Ed Harcourt approached me following our collaboration on the Spirit of Saint Mary as part of the Whitley Arts Festival  and asked me if I could make a soundscape for these massive puppets from Kensington Palace that were part of an installation there.

I met the puppets first in Kensington Park (strange coincidence) in Reading. Took some photographs and recorded sound on my mobile phone. They gave me the names for each of the puppets and I established that they were a family once trapped in a palace now given free reign, I started considering their characteristics.

 

First is Fauna, the smallest and youngest - dainty... a ballerina. You can see her here with the chief puppeteer.

Flora is senior to Fauna, once a successful ballerina but faded and bitter. And here she is with two former students of mine that I got this gig for... Bradley and Carl.

Aurelia - the big sister, bossy and a gossip. Carl was inside her at this point.

 

Lillio - the mother, creaky (the puppet is big and heavy so will have to be carried in a rickshaw)...

The first thing I did was create a base sound which was a combination of ticking, a distorted sound of a fireplace and the strange creaking I recorded (from the inside of Lillio - her creaking bamboo joints) on my mobile. And here it is...

Base extract by Music for Zombies

I then looked for music box music for Fauna (which would be clean and beautiful)

Fauna by Music for Zombies

...and for Flora (which would be distorted and scratched)

Flora by Music for Zombies

This is the sound for the older sister puppet, because I imagined her as a nag bag  from the dark distant past I took a scathing review of Mr Bensley's performance as Glanville from "The Devil's Copybook" (1789) as quoted in No Turn Unstoned , read this in the style of an over the top Miss Haversham. Then upped the speed pitch, added echo, played it backwards to get this.

Aurelia by Music for Zombies

Finally Lillio, creaky and old she speaks through her joints...

Lillio by Music for Zombies

The point of making these is that when they played on a longer soundscape it would give the puppeteers an impetus and inspiration to move. I added these to the base soundscape and before each puppet sound also added a cue sound,

Fauna=Windchimes (again a sweet sound)

Flora=A sad choral sound

Aurelia=A cockerel

Lillio=A Foghorn

The short extract below gives an idea of how it would all work together.

Mix extract by Music for Zombies

This short video gives an idea of how the puppets worked both at the Caversham Festival and as part of the Outside Inside Festival - I used this and the sounds at school to help explain devising in drama.

Did any of you see the puppets in Reading, give us a shout and tell us what you thought.

Ed is now thinking of moving on with this into a more stationary show for the Whitley Arts Festival - so watch this space.

This has been an invigorating and exciting project and I hope to work with Lillio, Aurelia, Flora and Fauna again.

Watchman Day 4 - Final Prep

This might take a while to write-up so final prep first

This is my lunch - please note script on the left. I was working. Thursday is Curry day at The Monk's Retreat.

Set dressing compared to the previous watchman there is much more for the audience to do.

We now have wind-chimes, a rainstick a whirly thing, a flute organ thing...

 

Look an atmospheric shot of the script!

Okay this is a scene in which the Watchman imagines a romantic meal (but there's no-one there!)

Spooky Watchman in face mask about to go outside.

And there he is up a ladder!

Right, the way the play worked (or was it an art and sound installation with some guy poncing in and out now and again?) was thatin the room were various objects that the audience needed to use (these objects would make a noise) when I hear the noise it acts as a cue for an action or a scene - this means that the audience control the flow of the narrative, they can also cause sections of it to repeat.

I had worked out the scenes and practiced the next element was for it to be seen. That follows next...

Second post - The amazing throwing skull!

Ah this is how I feel! Trapped in a room, putting up polythene! But you know what working on your own you tend to get a lot done and it cuts down on the arguments.

Of course I forgot the string and so had to go into town and get some.

So that took more time.

But how did I get that polythene up there?

Did I use a ladder?

Well maybe.

But mainly I used...

An AMAZING THROWING SKULL that I bought from the 99p Store last year for Halloween and the Lovecraft think in December.

I attached the string to the throwing skull and threw it over the rafters.

It's amazing, I should go on Dragon's Den.

Anyway over the course of an hour and a bit (taking a break to nurse a cut finger - remember scissors are sharp)

I managed to construct the polythene room.

It does look a bit like one of Dexter 's murder rooms.

As you can see the more that goes up the more atmospheric it gets.

Eventually I made a corridor to the "room".

At lunchtime over a delicious Beer and a Burger from The Monk's Retreat , I wrote three speeches.

Now the thing is this show has boomeranged from pure installation where the audience bring their own narrative...

...to a play with a fully constructed narrative...

...and now back in the control of the audience...

...sort of...

There are various objects/letters/sound making devices for the audience to engage with some of these will act as cues for either other sounds or for scenes...

Therefore these scenes could be played in any order.

I need a few more scenes but I'm happy with what I have so far...

Should have a couple of people to see it tomorrow, it needs a very small audience as it's a small space.

 

First post - Making the Watchman...

The riots in London are so depressing and weirdly chime with all the bizarre end-times reading I've been doing. So to cheer us up take a look at this Chick Tract Parody on Lovecraft. Genius (taken from rationalwiki )...
I was thinking of having some Lovecraft in this and now I am certain! Work it out tomorrow!
Another exciting thing I have found is "I wish we'd all been ready" by Larry Norman, there are loads of versions of this including one by Sir Cliff. I loved this song when I was a kid, weridly I still do, when I was a kid it was all about being chosen whilst everyone else died! Mu ha ha ha! Now it's the beautiful and weird apocalyptic imagery it leaves us with. Also we'd get the place to ourselves!
Check out these two terrifying videos!
Larry Norman (with a really scary video!)

Sir Cliff (Wants us to die!)

I've taken a groovy instrumental break from Cliff and turned it into this (reminds me of a Shamen track "Scientas " off Boss Drum, remember that 90's kids?



I Wish We'd All Been Ready - Soundscape by Music for Zombies