I’m very grateful that I’ve never had any doubt about what I wanted to do in my life, and I’m also grateful that I started out very much in the same direction that I find myself on today. My true purpose in life has been to develop artists, and to help artists unlock their creative potential. I’ve never wanted to be the kind of person who dances around on the stage, or sings in front of a massive audience (although I have done these things, it’s never been my true calling). When I was 18, I had a small bed sit. I offered my services to people, helping make music using a computer, a sequencer, a sampler, and a little mono synth (my trusty Yamaha CS-10). As I look around my big studio today, with all these rooms attached together - all these synthesizes and recording equipment at my disposal - I can see that, even though the location and equipment has changed, my actual main purpose hasn’t. I'm still working with artist's doing very much the same thing that I did when I was 18 years old. I help artists find themselves because, like I said at the beginning of this post, I’ve been grateful of the gift of never doubting what my purpose in life is. My purpose is to help people find their sonic fingerprint and artistic identity. Really it’s about doing what you love... because if you do what you love, people will love what you do. So, it's my pleasure to welcome you to this community of artists all looking to build a life around a love of creation. I would like to encourage you now to introduce yourselves to me and each other, show pictures your workspace, share stories and give advice. Vibey vibes, James

Working with Brian Eno was fantastic, but I very nearly didn't get the chance because of an awful experience-- I suppose this is the time I'll have to lay it all out there--> I almost seriously F'd it up!!! And in the end I snatched victory from the very jaws of defeat to get that gig… This is what happened… You see, years ago in about 1998 I was already working as a programmer for Bryan Ferry after he heard my single ‘Spikey Message’ on BBC Radio One. He said he liked my weird vibey programming, and he asked his management to track me down and invite me to his studio… It was the same single that received viral interest with my Alien Stunt (but that’s another story for another day!) While I was there, Brain Eno was invited to come and do a session, and that’s how we met. In fact, when Brian Eno came to the studio he had with him a Yamaha DX7 keyboard replete with the sought after Grey Matter ‘E’ expansion card… I must admit I was quite starstruck, Brian Eno was my idol after all, an ambient music guru and all-round cool ethical person… He arrived, and I plugged the DX7 into my midi interface, as I did with every other keyboard… but to our mutual horror the keyboard just went completely absolutely nuts!!!! All the keys seemed to be playing weird crazy notes at completely odd pitches, and the user programmable sound patches (all of his presets) bank 7 and 8 were gone! Brian was… understandably more than a little concerned! Of course, I was totally crestfallen… I had somehow broken his favourite DX7!! I was terrified that from now on I’d be known as the professional idiot who destroyed Brian Eno’s celebrated DX7 and lost all of his sounds!! I was absolutely beside myself. I just wanted to dig a little hole, pull leaves and a bush over myself and tell people to ‘go away I’m hiding!’ Bryan Ferry made me feel even worse by saying in a whispered voice… “Erm James this is really bad…embarrassing… you’ve let the studio down…” …and my hero Brian Eno was well, quite rightly a bit p*ssed off! He kept pressing - hitting, really - the keys of the DX7 saying“Oh My God, all my sounds… 20 years of work gone! I can’t believe it!”