Songs on synths, sometimes with geographical settings. #lofi production. Albums ‘Home Sounds’ and ‘Further Verses’ out via #MonochromeMotif https://voltagepoetryproject.bandcamp.com/https://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mlh7nkcoc22kIt’s been #EuropeDay today and, without my realisation it was coming up, the last three #FeelsLikeTheFuture posts have all been somewhat adjacent - day 7 was even on the Maastricht Treaty! I actually went to the building where it was signed, as a student (not during the actual summit though!) [contains quote post or other embedded content]09 May 2026 21:43 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlh7nkcoc22khttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mlamjtdh422gIn a moment of happenstance, I will add that once - whilst working in CLLD - I went to meet a few folk involved in running a programme / suite of community projects in the Scottish Borders, at a place called #CarlopsVillageHall. @sarahmcquaidmusic.bsky.social is playing the venue tomorrow evening! [contains quote post or other embedded content]07 May 2026 06:45 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlamjtdh422ghttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mlaljb7hec22There’s a song (‘Cardboard Coliseums’) on my @hartshornmusic.bsky.social debut #HomeSounds related to this. It asks why so many football grounds are effectively just tin sheds (or worse.) McDiarmid looks like an agri-shed in some ways, but never felt that way to me. [contains quote post or other embedded content]07 May 2026 06:27 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlaljb7hec22https://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3ml2cs75vh225In case my last post looked too off topic (not much #lofi #synth accompanied song content!) here’s the @wsdot.wa.gov “road-eating” thread, with a few fun replies. The organisation also operates the Tacoma Narrows Bridge(s) & has a great web page on all three - including #GallopingGertie. [contains quote post or other embedded content]04 May 2026 18:35 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml2cs75vh225https://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3ml2c3uk7t225Extra info. The #SevernBridge inspired my collab with #Loopingstar (aka @showhomebrew.bsky.social host.) I have a @stadiumprints.bsky.social mug featuring the #HumberBridge (North Ferriby FC); @gragrabeck.bsky.social is from not far away. @wsdot.wa.gov has dealt with folk asking about eating roads! [contains quote post or other embedded content]04 May 2026 18:22 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml2c3uk7t225https://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mkzs62lgqs25Thought I would start a second mix of #synthbraska and, three hours later, have ended up recording another song for it (one that will improve the album IMHO.) Ho-hum; Bruce Springsteen recorded ‘My Father’s House’ later than most of the material that made up ‘Nebraska’, so I feel in good company…04 May 2026 13:37 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkzs62lgqs25https://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mkrinluwes2sThe “10 things that felt/feel like an upbeat look to the future” thread will start later today. Off to the #WordsChangeThings festival, in Margate, for my day job first. #FeelsLikeTheFuture is the hashtag for the thread… 🧵 [contains quote post or other embedded content]01 May 2026 06:25 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkrinluwes2shttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mkq2lj7nn22uFascinating / inspiring posts by other folk (3): @sulkrooms.bsky.social. I’ve been making some field recordings (to see if I can create a credible album based on them - it won’t be ready for quite a while!) but they don’t involve the actual soil or the worms that make it home. [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Apr 2026 16:41 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkq2lj7nn22uhttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mkq2bsf7is2uFascinating / inspiring posts by other folk (2): @kaylapainter.bsky.social. I’ve not reached a personal conclusion on the question she poses but have enjoyed thinking about it. I’ve long found putting Cocteau Twins’ records on results in a happy state though. [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Apr 2026 16:36 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkq2bsf7is2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mkq23jixfk2uFascinating / inspiring posts by other folk (1): @warringtonruncorn.com. I’m tempted to post a thread on 10 things that felt, or still feel, like an upbeat look to the future. Perhaps tie each one to a song and/ or tag some pertinent accounts? Might start tomorrow… [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Apr 2026 16:32 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkq23jixfk2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mk4aykjt2c2zGiven some of the agendas in my day-job, it’s quite nice to get home and see #EarthDay is also the 4th birthday of @hartshornmusic.bsky.social. My intro was hearing a track by @nwcalhoun.bsky.social & I’m thrilled to release material via the label now. Thanks to everyone supporting monochrome motif. [contains quote post or other embedded content]22 Apr 2026 19:42 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk4aykjt2c2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mjpfhowpts24Today is #WorldPublicTransportDay and so an excuse to say again that the first ever @voltagepoetry.bsky.social release opened with a song - ‘The Subway Set’ - inspired by the #GlasgowSubway. There’ll be a ‘sister song’ on the #synthbraska album too! https://voltagepoetryproject.bandcamp.com/track/the-subway-set-217 Apr 2026 16:58 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjpfhowpts24https://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mjpeupk55c24There’s a song on my next album (it’ll still sound like me tapping a Casio & whispering into a 4-track, in a garden shed) part-inspired by the #52albums series; a catch up with an old schoolfriend (now living in France) is the “personal story” side. The #KinderTrespassers get a nod too! #synthbraska [contains quote post or other embedded content]17 Apr 2026 16:47 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjpeupk55c24https://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mj5zje4b7c2pAnother find from my non-Voltage Poetry Project #BlueSky account… watch out for a reference to the #BuresDragon in one of the #synthbraska songs, and how its pose is akin to those of many a Wessex white horse (Hackpen, Cherhill, Westbury etc.) [contains quote post or other embedded content]10 Apr 2026 19:09 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj5zje4b7c2phttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mj3ocyupq224This is nice to see. I’m of the generation for whom ‘Blue Bell Knoll’ & ‘Heaven Or Las Vegas’ were “the” LPs (and saw the band at #Barrowlands on the latter tour, supported by the stupendously fine #FrazierChorus.) My top 20 would be different, and that’s fine :-) https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/apr/09/dream-pop-at-its-most-divine-cocteau-twins-20-greatest-songs-ranked09 Apr 2026 20:43 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj3ocyupq224https://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3miwgjyjqks24Came across this via my non-Voltage Poetry Project #Bluesky account… anyway, there’s a song about visiting tidal islands (like #Osea) that will be on the #synthbraska album. These images from @eurostarjustin.bsky.social capture something of what I’ve tried to convey in the lyrics :-) [contains quote post or other embedded content]07 Apr 2026 18:41 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3miwgjyjqks24https://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mi6xr64cac2gAs the music was mostly recorded over one weekend last November, and my lyrics are quite reflective, an autumn release for the #synthbraska LP seems apt. Some hashtag hints, for now, include: #Sheep #BarbaraHepworth #AHouseForEssex #GreekThomson #HenryMoore #Bilbao #Spireites #Causeways #CR78 #LoFi [contains quote post or other embedded content]29 Mar 2026 10:45 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mi6xr64cac2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mhzns623lc2tWent to this yesterday. Good to see a photo of #HenryMoore working on the Underground HQ included - he’s referenced in one of the #synthbraska LP songs :-) #ArtDeco #LondonTransportMuseum27 Mar 2026 08:03 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhzns623lc2thttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mhpkficcbs2uLook out for something related to this on the #synthbraska album - both in terms of its actual title (which won’t be ‘synthbraska’) and the most musically upbeat song on it… #lofi #AlmostPortastudio [contains quote post or other embedded content]23 Mar 2026 07:36 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhpkficcbs2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mho37kpt2s2kFirst playback of the initial #synthbraska mixes today. There are a couple of vocal stumbles and I’m both tempted to keep them in, given the nature of the project, or break the 24-hour recording limit to re-record the singing in one song. The #synths squelch & bubble nicely in places :-) #lofi22 Mar 2026 17:31 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mho37kpt2s2khttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mheg7hrad22wAll nine #synthbraska songs now have an initial mix. This album is going to be quite concise, coming in at 28 minutes as a result of those recordings across the final weekend of November. #lofi #AlmostPortaStudio [contains quote post or other embedded content]18 Mar 2026 21:22 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mheg7hrad22whttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mh4ionq7hs25Made the first mixes of the opening quartet of songs that will appear on the #synthbraska album this afternoon. It’s #lofi even by my standards, and I seem to have delivered some vocals lending themselves to very upfront positioning. Back to #FieldRecordings news soon, I promise…15 Mar 2026 17:44 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mh4ionq7hs25https://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mgnnllyc4c2kEvoking the personal stories woven through @lippykidmusic.bsky.social’s ‘52 Albums To Shape A Soul’ series, this article by @grindrod.bsky.social in @thequietus.com is a brilliant read; as an aside it even mentions ‘Song’ by #ItsImmaterial (one of my favourite LPs) & the glorious #FrazierChorus! [contains quote post or other embedded content]09 Mar 2026 20:02 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgnnllyc4c2khttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mgjxdthtt22w#FieldRecording on a Bunnymen Street, yesterday (IYKYK.) #Bath #LoFi #ToShareTheseSongsWithYou08 Mar 2026 08:46 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgjxdthtt22whttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mg6m7fes322rAs it’s #303Day here’s another link to ‘303 Tone Poem’ - as featured most recently on the #FurtherVerses anthology. There isn’t a #TB303 on it, despite all the sounds being synths. It’s a road trip along the #A303 :-) https://voltagepoetryproject.bandcamp.com/track/303-tone-poem-203 Mar 2026 20:28 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mg6m7fes322rhttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mfu5gim3qs2sThanks to everyone who liked this post. I suspect it was more to do with the photo I took, on a Broadstairs to Margate coastal walk, rather than the bit about my #FieldRecordings! @comshorelines.bsky.social work looks really fascinating; that might even inspire the title of a composition or two… [contains quote post or other embedded content]27 Feb 2026 16:37 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfu5gim3qs2shttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3mfrxivcdl22zStarted work, in earnest, on my first #FieldRecordings album this week (one of the locations is show here)… already, I would suggest, it is quite a different creative process to that of songwriting. Looking forward to seeing where the sounds take me :-)26 Feb 2026 19:45 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfrxivcdl22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3meyoq76yxk2kKingsgate Bridge isn’t the only piece of iconic engineering featured on #FurtherVerses. The Finnieston Crane gets a nod too (in ‘Tall Tales’) and is also mentioned in this #BBC article (i.e. the #crane, not my song!) from today. More #GeorgeWylie than #synthsky ;-) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3dzezr4477o16 Feb 2026 18:32 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3meyoq76yxk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/voltagepoetry.bsky.social/post/3meymx67kqc2kDelighted that ‘Over Up’ - from #FurtherVerses - was played on @showhomebrew.bsky.social @madwaspradiomwr.bsky.social. A song about two people dancing in celebration of the Kingsgate Bridge, designed by #OveArup. Yes, all the instruments (other than my voice & drum-machine) are synths. #synthsky [contains quote post or other embedded content]16 Feb 2026 18:00 +0000at://did:plc:7obrmypugruwp5ka3p7wt5si/app.bsky.feed.post/3meymx67kqc2k