Synaptic Counterpoint

My most recent project for Audio Network, co-written with composer, sound designer and all-round sonic genius Chris Warner. Written as a remote collaboration during the COVID lock-downs of 2020 and 2021, these dark and moody soundscapes were made without using any presets, with much of the synth work built from scratch using Native Instruments Reaktor.

 I played bass, guitars, keyboards, cello and percussion and mixed the project, and it was an absolute pleasure to collaborate with Chris as the project developed.

Since release, it's been sync'd on BBC News, BBC Travel Show, The Science Channel, Hollyoaks, Welt, Channel 5, France 24, the National Geographic Channel's "Life Below Zero" natural history series and many other documentaries.

Released June 21st 2018 for Motor Neurone Disease Awareness day, a new piece for saxophone quintet and Bütone percussion.

100% of all proceeds are being donated to the Motor Neurone Disease Association, reg charity no 294054. Please see the home page of this website for details.

Horror scores, doom-laden drones and other nastiness for Audio Network. Recorded in Chislehurst Caves, the first of the Caves Sessions album series.

Chislehurst Caves date back to the 12th century and are a 20 mile network of man-made underground tunnels, thought to have been dug by the Romans, Saxons and Druids. It has an incredible acoustic with a reverb of approximately 30 seconds.

The album features low brass trio, drums, percussion, baritone guitar, soprano, bagpipes, duduk, waterphone and Tibetan mountain horn.

Client: Audio Network

Genre: Horror / Drama /  Experimental

Available here

The second of my Caves Sessions albums for Audio Network, recorded in Chislehurst Caves.

More ambient and groove based than Chamber of Horrors, this album features waterphone, tulum (Turkish bag pipes), drums, low brass trio, soprano, Bütone tank drums and strings on Silvia's Spy Theme recorded in Abbey Road studio 2

Client: Audio Network

Genre: Soundtrack / Ambient /  Experimental

Available here

The third of my Caves Sessions albums for Audio Network. recorded in Chislehurst Caves.

Features low brass trio, sound design made from tuba multi-phonics, Theramin, soprano, waterphone and what i'm  confident is the first music written for double-tracked German wah-wah kalimba, modified propane canister, second world war subteranian septic tank and pretend vibraphone.

Client: Audio Network

Genre: Soundtrack / Ambient /  Experimental

Available here

Folk music inspired score for a short natural history film about the wildlife on the island of Hilbre, situated at the mouth of the Dee Estuary.

Written for a small ensemble of guitar, mandolin, clarinet, bass clarinet, 'cello, Bütone percussion and electric bass, additional textures made with analogue synth.

Clarinet and bass clarinet performed by Rebecca Millward. I play all other parts.

Directed and produced by Andy Shonfelder and Alistair Dicks, shot using a combination of Red Epic Digital Cinema camera 4K and time-lapse footage

Available to view below on or Vimeo here

4K trailer and download on Vimeo

Director: Andy Schonfelder & Alastair Dicks

Client: Light & Time Ltd.

Genre: Nature Documentary - Folk / Acoustic

Zuul is an experimental recording, cooking and eating project.

The brain child of my friend, composer, chef and multi-instrumentalist  Dan Waters; I write, produce, play and eat things for it.

I co-wrote / arranged, recorded, mixed and produced our first EP There is no Dana only Zuul.  Recorded in Giant Wafer Studios in Wales and mixed at Strongroom, I play synths, and  the bass on  Angry Penguin. We are making a second EP due for release mid 2018.

Zuul are:

Dan Waters - bass guitar, synths, drums on 'Penguin'

Rob Kelly - producer / engineer -  synths, bass on 'Penguin'

Phil Kelly - percussion

Greg White - drums & percussion

Ellis Mordecai - piano & keys

Andy Day - guitars

Tom Briers - tuba, euphonium & Hammond organ

Additional Players:

Claire Wickes - alto flute

Jenny Greig - tenor sax

Josie Simmons - baritone sax

Available on Bandcamp , Spotify,  iTunes / Apple Music, Amazon  and other streaming services.

Balkan Beats & Gypsy Remix

Cinematic Minimalism

I co-wrote 5 tracks, played bass and produced this compilation of 70s funk and disco for Strongroom Productions Ltd / KPM / EMI Production Music.

Composers: Guy Bus, Seymour Milton, Rob Kelly,  Ben Dixon, Dan Waters, Chris Hardman.

Client: KPM / EMI Production Music

Genre: Funk and Disco

Available here

Co-write with Seymour Milton for KPM Cinematic Beauty album - I play 'cello, fretless bass and percussion.

Composers: Seymour Milton & Rob Kelly.

Client: KPM / EMI Production Music

Genre: Documentary / Drama

Available here

An album of  'ambient prog' from The Jellyheads, a dormant but not quite dead band for whom I write and play the bass. There are rumours of another one on the boil to mark out 25th anniversary.

Written and recorded at various points over about 15 years starting from when we met on the Tonmeister course at the University of Surrey in 1993.

UF Rob (much inspired by The Orb) was my first ever studio recording made in 1994. Made with an Akai S900 sampler, VCS3 synth, analogue vocoder, 4 track Pro Tools 3 system, Soundcraft Saturn 2" tape machine with Dolby SR and a Nagra 1/4" tape machine stuffed up my jumper in Burger King.

I play bass guitar, 'cello, marimbas, hand percussion and analogue synths.

Composers: Rob Kelly, Ben Holland, Chris Hardman, Richard Lewis, Jes Sadler, Sam Wansborough, Michael York

Genre: Ambient / Prog Rock

Available on Spotify & iTunes

Two electronic tracks for 'Adrenaline', the first release from Strongroom Productions on the Music House Label for EMI Production Music

Client: KPM / EMI Production Music

Genre: Electronica

Available here

Africa In Motion

I co-wrote' The Valiant Ones' with Dan Waters  (used BBC Horizon "Death of the Oceans" doc presented by Sir David Attenborough), and 'Sun City' with Ruth Barrett & Ruskin Williamson for this Strongroom Productions / KPM album on EMI Production Music.

Composers: Rob Kelly, Dan Waters, Ruth Barrett, Ruskin Williamson

Client: KPM / EMI Production Music

Genre: Rock and Pop

Available here

Filthy Mechanoid

Wild Bill

I wrote one incidental piece for this British feature directed by Dexter Fletcher.

Composers: Rob Kelly

Director: Dexter Fletcher

Client: Pindrop Post

Genre: Feature

IMDB

Comedown

Three additional cues for the score of Comedown, a British horror / thriller.

Director: Menhaj Huda

Client: Rod Berling / Pindrop Post

Genre: Feature - Thriller

IMDB

I co-wrote this decidedly silly track with DJ Yoda, Mark Ross and Isabella Fletcher for DJ Yoda's 2012 album Chop Suey. A collaboration with The Trans-Siberian March Band for whom I played percussion - 'Happy Hardcore' meets Balkan Brass.

I also directed and produced the video for the track, even more silly.

Writers: DJ Yoda, Mark Ross, Isabella Fletcher, Rob Kelly

Client: DJ Yoda / Get Involved

Genre: Electronica

Available here

Music and sound design for this beautiful animated short by Little Nobody.

Director: Liam Brazier & Karen Penman

Client: Little Nobody

Genre: Animated Short

Composed in 1997 during my final year of studies on the Tonmeister Course in Music and Sound Recording at the University of Surrey. I wrote 'Concrete Building Blocks' for the Joyce Dixie composition competition, in which it won second prize.

Composed from scratch during the course of the same concert in which it was first performed, it was made entirely from live sampling and processing of audio from all the other original compositions in the concert as they were also being performed for the first time.

I did this by running tie-lines from the classical studio in which the concert was held (and recorded) to a second studio where I did the sampling, processing and arrangement using an Akai S3000 XL sampler and Atari MIDI sequencer running Cubase software, a Neve V console and outboard reverbs and delay units.

This is a live recording in the main room from playback through the PA system, mixed with a feed from the desk in the second studio. It includes 'audience reactions' and some dialogue at the end from Professor of Music Sebastian Forbes who's processed dialogue is also used as part of the composition.

Unfortunately I don't know the names of the other pieces that I sampled or the identities of my fellow student composers, but think I owe  them all an apology. Ironically, the prize was sponsored by the Mechanical Copywriter Protection Society.

The copyright in this recording and accompanying image is owned by The University of Surrey Music Department.

Genre: Musique Concrète / Contemporary Classical

Short film made for the OTT Halloween competition 2009, I wrote the music using just my 'cello and processing the recordings through Native Instruments Absynth software.

Director: Gary Askham

Client: Gary Askham

Genre: Short Film - Horror

Africa!

I wrote the track 'Serengeti Sunrise'

Composer: Rob Kelly

Client: Juice Music / EMI Production Music

Genre: World Music

Available here

A.L.E.R.T. - African Lion And Environmental Research Trust

I composed several cues for this documentary and DVD produced by Andy Evans.

Composer: Rob Kelly

Producer: Andy Evans

Client: A.L.E.R.T. / Andy Evans / The Pavement

Genre: Documentary