MAST is a symbol of communication. They are springing up everywhere. Isolated yet connecting people. Based in Ramsgate, Kent, I started MAST about a year ago as a solo project of original songs and music. It celebrates new methods of communication enabling people to share their music with a potentially large audience.
 

Musical Influences

I have always loved serious orchestral, choral and chamber music and have listened to and performed loads of it: ancient and modern. I particularly like the symphonies of Mahler and the late chamber music of Beethoven. When I first started to listen to Rock music, I liked bands that had a symphonic approach to creating music such as ELP, Yes, early Genesis and Rush. Later on I got into Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and The Doors. In recent years, I've been influenced by the Dance scene, in particular: The Chemical Brothers, Moby and Prodigy. I also like The Verve, Radiohead, Robbie Williams and Coldplay.
 

Biography

I was born in Birmingham in 1964. At school I played keyboards in a Punk band but they were awful and they never took me seriously because I had piano lessons. I also played with a Rock band but they were total guitar freaks and I always felt like a fifth wheel. My musical strengths, at school, were playing clarinet in the school orchestra and singing in the choir. After leaving school, I got a job. I have never made a living from totally playing or writing music.

I started writing music in the 1980's with a 32K computer, drum machine and a 4-track recorder. This stuff cost more than £1000 back then but at last I could start making music the way that I wanted it to sound. I decided that I wanted to become a composer and, after quitting my job, I moved to Bath and studied for a degree in music. However, events overtook me and, after graduating, I got married and became a school teacher. I carried on writing music using an Atari computer and produced a few decent tapes but I didn't really want to invest a lot of time and money chasing elusive record deals. After all, I had a career and a family to consider.

Over the last few years I have been busy performing in local clubs and pubs around Kent as a solo performer and with various Rock and Pop groups. This work is very enjoyable and has funded the latest collection of recording equipment for my studio. Most of the music I play in clubs is basically MOR. It's what people like to hear and, when it comes to performing, I guess it's what I'm good at. However, my biggest thrill comes from producing my own music. That's why I created MAST.
 

The Idea Behind MAST

Like so many people, I have a desire to create music. Through technology, I have the means to produce this music to a high standard. To buy the technology I have to work. I am very proud of my work as a teacher and performer and have no desire to be on Top Of The Pops. However, I want to share the music with an audience otherwise there is little point in creating it. Through technology, I have a means to do this and , like so many others, have signed up with a dot.com distributor.

I don't really see any big profit coming from this venture. Take a look at the home pages of the sites on my links page and you will see that the acts number in their thousands. Who will hear all this music? Like I said: "they are springing up everywhere". Even if a lot of my CD's are sold, my "cut" won't enable me to retire before I go bald. However, that's not the point. My music is "out there" in the public domain. Every time someone downloads one of my free tracks, I am pleased. It's a little bit like having it played on the radio. That is what MAST is celebrating.
 

Listen to MAST
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