User:Martin Hawks

BACKGROUND Free form, avant-garde style improvisations on piano from an early age led to a passion for progressive music (King Crimson, early Pink Floyd, Curved air, Focus, Can, Faust .. and many others) & a keen interest in the use of electronics and early synthesisers.

With piano continuing, Martin Hawks experimented with a wide range of additional instrumentation, playing conventional drums and percussion in various live band situations plus teaching himself the rudimentary skills of vibes, flute & later electric guitar and bass guitar.

After gaining an honours degree in electronics from Nottingham University, Martin Hawks studied the technological aspects of electronic music. Self taught in the techniques of recording and mixing he assisted with the arrangement and production of local pop and dance songs building on these experiences to assemble a recording studio for personal work. Whilst continuing to listen and admire mainly non-commercial progressive artists; Refugee - mh advanced his individual and unorthodox style of play.

Experimentation and improvisation of ideas composed spontaneously *on-the-fly* blend multi - instrumentation with melodic and rhythmic sequences & original chord sequences. As a composer of musical ideas, styles of work range from progressive rock to ambient music for meditation & relaxation to the avant-garde & experimental. The improvisations you hear on CDS by Martin Hawks are mainly the results of recording first-takes!!

ABOUT THE MUSIC My music is composed in the spirit of the true progressive artists who create sound from a place of beauty and hearts desire. My journey continues towards self fulfilment, yet more, a yearning to invent. Art without limit, without constraint to the imaginative spirit! A quest to capture with sound the urgency from within, mind & spirit inspired to glimpse the unreachable through (keyboard, vocal, guitar) inspiration.

MH Anthology (1995 - 1999) alaska ice house (3 : 29) / street girl smiles in the sunshine (5 : 06) / another world (5 : 00) / good time off for bad behaviour (3 : 33) / floramella fair (4 : 54) / the new frontier 2 : 17) / ocean depths & the creatures there (9 : 40) / sun dance for freedom 9 : 33) / inventing it for you 3 : 31) / dreamer on blue sea (7 : 34) / night comes in the city of dreams (4 : 33) / goodness, what's this all about? (3 : 02) / homage to the earth spirits (3 : 40) / white dove lands on black altar (5 : 30) / echoes of a world so tired (1 : 05)

and includes classic MH tracks / longitude (5 : 13) / the liberated spirit (5 : 57) / crazy holy grace (4 : 51) / airship over paris by night (8 : 50) /

A fusion of inventive rock, enigmatic progressive music with the ambient mood relaxation scene. Mood, atmospheric, synthesiser, vocal, driven ambient rock & jazz. Percussion, chants, world music, psychedelic fusion. A mix of prepared backing, written composition & free-form improvisation.

MARTIN HAWKS PLAYS.. Hammond B3 organ (Nord Electro2) Rhodes EP (Nord Electro2 + onboard effects) Grand Piano, Clavinet (Compressed, treated) Multi k/b textures (Korg Triton) Guitars & effects (Strat + Line 6 pods) Bass guitar & k/b bass (Fender jazz bass - compressed, treated) Hand percussion, congas etc (Handsonic) Programmed drum rhythms (Electribe + m-c's) Vibes, Flute, Mellotron (EMU P -2000) Tapes, backing Synthesisers (*Darkstar* + Roger Linn Addrenalinn) Vocal effects (Kaoss pad, lexicons) Nord G2 modular synthesiser

I can't play with sounds that are not my own. Creating my own sounds is what this is all about! If one person can play everything, perhaps you have a more unique and more organic way of making music. Its my favourite way to play. I don't do much thinking at all. Its just what comes out. When I improvise theres no mind. I'm just there. Its like abstract painting. It's about fantasy. Im not thinking - who is this for? Its just something I do. Mind messes everything up. When inspirational composition starts, rational thinking stops.

My sounds and compositions are based on pure instinct. Sounds, textures I create are based on the way the key feels, the way the sound feels. Compositions improvised to the point where the sound rings as if it's my voice, my language.

DOUBLE ALBUM ANTHOLOGY (2001 - 2006)

hawk flying though the years (7 : 17) / marionettes to the elevator (7 : 57) / outro (0 : 44) / yoni rides out (4 : 38) / electric waves (2 : 50) / collette's dreaming days are over *with Jorge Vasques* (2 : 26) / one fine day (5 : 41) / Launch in 3,2,1 (6 : 08) / Lake of the maidens (4 : 53) / Invocation (2 : 15) / Invocation *with Penny Langstone* (5 : 23) / first contact (5 : 11) / dizzy dizzy you pt1 (2 : 18) / dizzy dizzy you pt2 (4 : 40) / evensong (12 : 10) / eros dream space (3 : 47) / inner light (3 : 30) / spiritual heart (2 : 11) / cyber rapture (5 : 26) / stepping out .. (3 : 43) / discoteque in the alpine mountains (2 : 02) / sunday farming (3 : 04) / for the kiss of summer (11 : 21) / video streamer to the clouds (7 : 49) / my god it's full of stars (4 : 53) / silent running to the void (6 : 58) / outpost 9 (1 : 46)

Martin Hawks music may be found at:  

Martin Hawks romantic fiction & poetry may be found at: