Music

The 4th Candle Lit Vigil Against Hate Crime

It’s that time of year again: Trafalgar Square in London becomes a sea of candles, comedy and choirs. Originally held in remembrance of Ian Baynham, a man who was kicked to death for holding his boyfriend’s hand in public, the Vigil is growing in prominence and has backing from celebrities, police and the Prime Minister. It’s the most uplifting and life-affirming experience, and if you’re in London, please go down and show your support. Thousands go each year, but the more people who attend, the more the world will listen. This is hugely important in the week that rabid right-winger Nick Griffin calls for homophobia to be decriminalised.

I made this short clip in 2009 and it shows you just how magical the Vigil can be. The soundtrack is an exclusive remix of a poignant Flaming Lips track, The Stars Are So Big, I Am So Small…Do I Stand a Chance? (It Overtakes Me) which I produced specially for the clip. I’m especially proud that this video was used to help secure funding and charitable status for the 17-24-30 No To Hate Crime organisation who campaign tirelessly for justice, human rights and equality.

Categories: Music, Random, Video | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

XY Outro – The Found Sound Orchestra

I made a video! The Found Sound Orchestra make songs out of bits of other songs, and I used the same technique here with found footage to make the movie. I chose some of the most stunning time-lapse clips I could find, made by some very talented photographers from Vimeo. My video is in HD and I tried to create an atmosphere of sheltering from a storm, huddling around a campfire with autumn shivers down the spine, while the cosmos cartwheels above.

Hope you like it!

UPDATE: We’ve been visited by the FSO! Check out the comments section…

Categories: Music, Photography, Random, Video | Tags: , , , , , , | 16 Comments

The Olympic Games Closing Ceremony

Olympic-Games-Closing-Ceremony-2012

Take your seats please, ladies and gentlemen because the party’s nearly over. But not until The Fab Lady sings.

Kate Bush Olympic Games Closing Ceremony Mark Wallis The Vibes

Kate Bush is rumoured to be performing Running Up That Hill at the Olympic Closing Ceremony. If it’s true then let me tell you, the top of my head will blow off and all manner of fantasmagoria will erupt like the cover of Never For Ever. The astonishingly inept Amazon might have accidentally posted the Running Up That Hill 2012 remix too early and spoilt the surprise…and then removed it again – so I’m taking that as confirmation that she’s on the bill.Kate Bush Never For Ever Album Art

The last time she performed live was 1987 (apart from a mere cameo vocal in 2002 with Dave Gilmour of Pink Floyd), and her last tour was in 1979! This a monumental event for British music and Kate’s vast fandom. It’s been a fantastic fortnight of sporting achievement, but this really is the cherry on the cake. I hope she jumps out of one!

We’ll be celebrating in Manchester with Boots’ Chocolate Gold medals and mucho Absolut.

Kate Bush Running Up That Hill 2012 Remix cover art

+ + + UPDATE: track available on iTunes, click image to preview + + +
+ + + UPDATE2: Kate Bush no show + bunting taken down + + +
Main picture based on original motion graphics created by Anthem and Mammoth Graphics. Closing ceremony Sunday 21:00 GMT on a TV screen near you, unless you have NBC and then you’ll have to wait for an edited version.
Categories: Design, Music, Random | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Magical Mystery Tour

The Vibes About Page Collage preview Image

It’s a magical mystery tour! My new About page has been completely redesigned as a visual map of my blog. Just click on the goose, it’s the best way to explore…

Categories: Art, Design, Music, Photography, Travel | Tags: , , , , | 4 Comments

The Cosmic Jukebox – Digital Art

The Vibes Cosmic Jukebox Gramophone Mark Wallis

For some strange reason I woke up with a head full of gramophones and bass-bins, and a vague smokey idea formed in my mind’s eye. Combining my fascination with retro-tech, mandalas and nixie-clock neon, a rather bold-looking music machine emerged from Photoshop in all it’s steampunk glory. This is a collage of about ten separate images, all wrangled into place.

The Cosmic Jukebox is here, and you can hear my remixes, edits and original tunes on my dream-pop music page. Expect “shooting stars and astral choirs, summer flutes and sitars.”

Categories: Art, Design, Music, Vibe Monitor | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blog at WordPress.com.