Wednesday 14 August 2013

for those unable to get to Tate Modern to hear my headphone piece, it's now available online also:




highly recommended website featuring field recording focused video of the Finnish coast:


Monday 12 August 2013


digital reissue of out of print releases, inc. from the 8cm cd reviewed in The Wire:

review from 'The Wire' (December 2008 issue):

'two pieces comprising untreated field recordings of Yorkshire waterways, recorded with the composer's self built hydrophones. He insists that it's not the technical perfection of a location recording that he's after, but a sense of emotional interaction with the landscape. That's not to say that he's slapdash with his methods - both tracks have a fabulously evocative tactile quality that clearly demonstrates the composer's attention to, and delight in the most minute details of sound. The result of such open-hearted diligence is a brief, captivating mini-cd, beautifully packaged (Richard Skelton's work comes to mind), and which reminds us that listening is the most important part of composition' - Keith Keith Moliné

Tuesday 6 August 2013

recently the artists Sebastiane Hegarty and Dr. Simon Park attempted to dissolve one of my hydrophones in sulphuric acid - an experiment that not only resulted in some interesting sounds but also in the surprising fact that the hydrophone survived !

here's the post from his website, where you can also listen to a sound sample:


I recently visited the chemical abode of Dr. Simon Park with the nefarious intention of immersing a hydrophone in Sulphuric acid and listening as it recorded the sound of its own dissolve into silence. I provided the hydrophone and Simon provided the acid (also known as oil of vitriol), along with the appropriate protection of gloves and goggles. We decided to conduct the experiment outside on a garden table, its surface protected from harm with a copy of the Sunday Times supplement, featuring Princess and sprout.
Unfortunately, this vitriolic and potentially expensive experiment failed, the Jez Riley Frenchhydrophone quietly surviving all attempts at chemical destruction. However, we were able to conduct other experiments into the sonification of chemistry. Simon has recently been encasing deceasedbumblebees in the blue sarcophagi of copper sulphate crystals. Knowing the anhydrous properties of the compound, Simon suggested we listen to the compound (also known as blue vitriol) quenching its thirst for water. As he dropped the white powder into a plastic container of water, we could hear the exothermic reaction, as energy was released in a short, but deep blue fug of sound. Using a pipette we dripped precisely measured droplets of water onto a hydrophone covered in the compound, producing sonic eruptions of blue like tiny burns in the surface of audition.

Sunday 4 August 2013



a short extract from the on-going teleferica project & forthcoming release

Friday 2 August 2013

120+ minutes of audio + 60 page pdf book of photographs


5 tracks - 91+ minutes of audio + 61 page pdf book of photographs