Keele Music Production and Sound Design

10/02/2025

🎶 Exciting news! Our very own Dr Manuella Blackburn, a composer and passionate expert in electronic music, has featured on Radio 3s New Music Show this weekend! 📻✨

Manuella's track, Farewell Fairlight (composed using Keele's Fairlight CMI) was selected from broadcast by Tom Serivce and features in a line up witb James Tenney and Oyvind Torvund.

Follow the link to hear the full show: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0027m1v 🎵

30/04/2024

Our very own Dr Fiorella Montero Diaz, senior lecturer in music has been appointed Chair of the British Forum for Ethnomusicology (BFE).

The BFE works both nationally and internationally to speak to and for ethnomusicologists, providing a forum for engaging in debate, advancing research, promoting music education and sharing the findings and impact of investigations through many conferences and study days and through the publication of the prestigious journal Ethnomusicology Forum. The BFE offers awards to recognise outstanding scholarship, including the BFE Book Prize and grants and prizes for student members. Fiorella succeeds Professor Byron Dueck (Open University) as Chair and will hold this post for three years.

Dr Fiorella Montero-Diaz said: “I am delighted and honoured to be appointed to chair the British Forum for Ethnomusicology. I am the first BAME, non-binary Chair in its history. The BFE has been innovating in many areas of interdisciplinary enterprise, especially Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion matters, and my appointment serves as evidence of desired paths of change, which are being welcomed by the membership. I am very much looking forward to starting work with such an amazing group of colleagues.”

26/04/2024

Check out our brand new studio and rehearsal room!

Representing a fantastic addition to our existing facilities and providing students with even more opportunities to create amazing project work, we can't wait to get to work in this amazing new space. Early signs are - it sounds amazing!

This studio and rehearsal room will compliment perfectly our MacBook Lease Scheme, which sees all Music Production students receive a MacBook, loaded with all the specialist software they'll need for the duration of their studies.

23/04/2024

Manuella Blackburn (U.K.) has won the 2023 Marcelle Deschênes Prize in Electronic Music / prix Marcelle Deschênes pour la musique électronique recipient for HOME TRUTHS. Congratulations, Manuella!

This jury-chosen prize is awarded as part of the Musicworks Electronic Composition Contest to a self-identified female or non-binary composer with a piece in the contest. The prize is named after the Quebec multimedia artist, composer, and teacher Marcelle Deschênes, known for her deep interest in technology and the arts, and her role as a founder or director of notable electronic-music and arts organizations.

Manuella wins a $300 Can. cash prize, coverage on Musicworks online, and other promotional opportunities.

Manuella won first place in our 2018 EMC Contest for LANDLINE.

06/03/2024

Great KMF talk by Omnia from Loopmasters today

05/02/2024

DOLPHY FUSED

Released February 9, 2024: ‘Dolphy Fused,’ by Sarah Watts, a distinguished bass clarinet performer and Keele alumna. Featuring compositions for bass clarinet and live electronics by Miroslav Spasov, Professor in Music, and Sohrab Uduman, Keele’s Honorary Fellow and former Reader in Music. The album also includes pieces by the iconic jazz bass clarinettist and saxophonist, Eric Dolphy, and the renowned J.S. Bach. Edited by Miroslav Spazov and Sohrab Uduman. Mastered by Miroslav Spazov. Recorded at Keele Music Studios by Ian Bayliss, Technical Officer in Music.

‘Dolphy Fused’ will be distributed through Bandcamp and will be accessible on various popular music streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, among others. Album launch at the Firth Hall in Sheffield on 23/02/24. The launch will coincide with a pre-concert ceremony as part of the series of concerts organized by the Northern Light Project’s Electric Circus, featuring performances by Sarah Watts throughout February.

🎶 🎻

22/09/2023

Pluginboutique making a beat with Dr Manuella Blackburn's Instruments INDIA sample pack

19/09/2023

Plugin Boutique exploring the Instruments INDIA sample pack (collaboration between Manuella Blackburn, Milap UK and Loopmasters)

15/09/2023

The Instruments INDIA sample pack distributed by Loopmasters, made in collaboration with Dr Manuella Blackburn and as part of an AHRC funded research project, Overcoming Sonic Stalemates (https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FV010166%2F1)

have released a free taster pack: https://r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/6D38-I3Q/instruments-india-sample-pack?pfredir=1

and

production demo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CxLbkE4tV7A/

30/06/2023

The 1st Green Blade Tapes eco-friendly compilation 'POLYGON FOREST' is OUT NOW on recycled cassette tape, download and streaming - LINKS BELOW! The label was founded at Keele Music to explore ecological sustainability in music distribution and this tape is made using recycled cassettes, duplicated with our collection of repurposed obsolete tape recorders (powered w/ 50 solar wind energy generated on the Keele University campus), printing on recycled paper & all shipping materials are recycled & recyclable/compostable. The album is 100% non-profit, with tapes sold for the cost of shipping plus the lowest price allowable price on BandCamp (£0.50). All donations made for the digital download, the tape purchases and any donations above the minimum tape price will be divided between the artists. This non-profit approach has been made possible with funding from the Keele Institute for Sustainable Futures. The compilation features some amazing music from our students alongside and an international selection artists! Check it out:

Cassette & digital download: https://greenbladetapes.bandcamp.com/album/polygon-forest

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/235MQ0g55PYlAM3RxuPlAs

Apple music: https://music.apple.com/za/album/polygon-forest/1693857525

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k_VLKJdUAtqdx5dLVs0Yf7o8amgT2_yk0

More info on the Keele Institute for Sustainable Futures here: https://www.keele.ac.uk/sustainable-futures/

Extra special thanks to all the artists for their amazing music:
Deejay Metamodern / sakitto menda ( Battery Cover Missing ) / Alexis Lumière / Jeg Casete / SQUARMS / Labyrinthine Oceans / Lava Mouse / .sunsets / .arcade / Chop5 / / / / / / / Bastian Void Joe Bastardo / Rosie Sheldon / 𝕒𝕜𝕠 / Polycorp Interactive / Cakehead.
Thanks also to Cass Lamb Deejay who expertly arranged the tracks in album order
Arts Keele

16/06/2023

Cass Lamb Deejay 's show previewing the tracks from the first Green Blade Tapes VA recycled cassette tape (produced at Keele Music Production using our collection of tape recorders) is uploaded on SoundCloud now! Check it out for a first listen to the album!
Arts Keele

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16/06/2023

Sam Bloor, Producer and Sound Engineer, Lower Lane Studios

Sam joined us to speak about his journey building a career as sound engineer and producer and establishing his own music studio after graduating in Music Technology from Staffordshire University.

Sam is a record producer, mixer, mastering engineer and the owner of Lower Lane Studios in Staffordshire. He specialises in creating unique and bespoke recordings for rock, indie, emo, metal and alternative artists but has also been known to record the occasional jazz trio or 80's synth pop banger. Sam has recorded and mixed well over 1000 songs and his work has been featured on BBC Radio 1, Radio 6, Kerrang!, Rocksound, ITV and many more.

The 2023 Keele Music Forum is a series of events including cutting-edge electronic music performances (featuring MIDI pipe organs and dystopian soundscapes) and masterclasses given by music industry professionals on building careers in the music industry and inclusivity in music.

Sam Bloor, Producer and Sound Engineer, Lower Lane Studios Sam joined us to speak about his journey building a career as sound engineer and producer and esta...