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Biography
 
 
 
 

Introduction


Mike is a leading UK DJ, Producer and Sound Designer with 18 years industry experience and established links to academia having completed a Sound Design MSc at The University of Edinburgh. He is now Executive Producer & Lead Sound Designer for a media company based in Edinburgh composing and designing for Film & TV Advertising. Mike also part-time lectures degree students at the University of Edinburgh & Edinburgh College of Art.

Since 1988, Mike has gained universal respect for his productions, sound designs and DJ skills. He has performed in over 25 countries & 109 different cities.

He is the first DJ Producer to get sponsored by the Arts Council of Great Britain and the National Lottery.His works are often used for educational purposes and a selection is part of the prestigious Music Performance Research Centre (MPRC) collection at the Barbican Centre, London. UK. http://www.musicpreserved.org.

The publication ' The Rough Guide to Techno', described Mike as “The Jimi Hendrix of the 303” and “Full on Acid Genius”.
 

© m.c.cullen 2004 ,2005
 


As well as presenting new developments in electronic and computer music, Mike has also given lectures on Sound Design and Synthesis.

Mike is the inspiration behind Electroacoustic Music being represented on a more popular level. His works with Peter Green dating from 1995 educated & inspired the likes of Richard James a.k.a. The Aphex Twin to discover the genre culminating in the signing of LP's by Robert Normandeau, Senior Lecturer in Acoustics and Electroacoustics at the Universite de Montreal, Canada and experimentalist Pierre Bastien from France. This helped further establish Rephlex Records as the premier UK electronic label.

Mike and Peter Green’s early sonic experiments prompted Dave Robinson, Editor of Future Music (November 1995, Issue 37), to write: "We boldly call ourselves Future Music. But how often do we bring you something so forward-looking, yet at the same time so contemporary that it might - just might set the agenda for the next post-techno, post-analogue phase?"

Mike is on the SPNM composer short list for 2005 to 2008.

 

Innovations

2005 http://www.sonic-art.com A unique resource presenting a history of the synthesized beat utilising Flash programming sourced from acclaimed Digital Artist Jared Tarbell. http://www.complexification.net/

2001 Native Lab. Commission for the Sonar Festival, Barcelona as part of a Native Instruments show case. Demonstrating innovative use of Reaktor 3.

1999 EA Research published in the format of 10 audio tracks. 'Virtual Farmer' LP - Rephlex Records CAT 070.

1997 Further research & development defining the hybridisation of Electroacoustic and club composition.

Work included for Peter Green's successful post-graduate (MMus) degree.

1995 Mike teamed up with Peter Green. Together they pioneered the fusion of Electroacoustic and Electronic Club music.
The initial work is entitled '105 Cornucopian' and was released on Machine Codes CODE D early 1995.


1995 Featured in Future Music (37) along side Vince Clarke. '105 Cornucopian' is on the cover CD.

1993 DJ Magazine named Mike Dred the best techno DJ in the country. He featured in the Top 100 worldwide list.

1992 R&S Records, Belgium, established the independent 'Diatomyc' record label especially for his music.

1991 Mike helped establish the REPHLEX label, as it's first artist, together with Richard James a.k.a. The Aphex Twin.

1991 Kiss FM, London featured his mixing skills in the Master Mix Series on the Colin Faver show.

1990 Mike founded the Machine Codes record label.

1988 Founded the ‘Future Sound of The Underground’ Events and Radio Station.

 

Awards /Commissions /Academic Performances


2005 EPIS Scholarship 2005 - 2006. Hosted by The University of Edinburgh.

2005 SPNM Shortlist Composer. 2005 - 2008.

2005 History of the Synthesized Beat. Dialogues Festival. Edinburgh, UK. Presentation of Web Site & Performance. http://www.sonic-art.com

2004 Dialogues Festival. Edinburgh, UK. Live Performance.


2003 Belgian Ministry of Culture commissioned Lecture. 'Sound Design, Synthesis & The Future of Computer Music'.


2002 Brussels Belgium. Ministry of Arts & Culture Commission - Outdoor performance 'Grand Place".


2002 'Open Air' Festival. Nantes, France - Acousmatic DJ performance


2001 Musica 90' Festival. Turin, Italy - Electroacoustic and Technological 'Hybridisation' performance.


2001 WMF Records & Komfort Lab, Berlin commissions the sonic sculpture 'Soutiner Un Feu Roulant'.


2001 Native Instrument's showcase 2001 Sonar Festival, Barcelona. Spain.


2001 'SOMA' Festival. Cologne, Germany.


2001 Commission from Nova Cinema Brussels, Electroacoustic performance with Peter Green.


2000 'Alive' Festival. St. Vith Belgium.


2000 Virtual Farmer 'Technocoustic' showcase - Brussels, Belgium.


1999 Sound design for a successful Graduate (BA) Media candidate documentary, "Titanic".

1999 Australia - Melbourne, Sydney & Byron Bay, Electroacoustic and Club music hybrid performances.


1999 Miami & Puerto Rico. Commissioned by Beta Bodega Recordings to perform hybridisation showcase.


1998 Tokyo Japan - Laptop Performance of Electroacoustic works by invitation of Sony Records Japan.


1997 'Arts for Everyone' (A4E) award from the Arts Council and Lottery Board.


1997 FUTURA International D'Art Acousmatique Festival in Crest, France. Acousma-Rave festival. Following works included: Cornucopian 105, Nautilus 110, Grrearra Falcon.


1997 EPNOM BYMON (EP) Machine Codes CODE E won 'Sound On Sound's 'TOP TAPE' award.


1997 Radio 3 'Here and Now' broadcast of RASP.


1996 Sonic Arts 'X-Static!' RASP diffusions; including Royal Festival Hall, B.E.A.S.T, Norwich Arts Festival.


1996 The 'Sonic Arts Network' commissioned the work RASP.


1996 'Nautilus 110' diffused by renowned Acousmatic composer Trevor Wishart, in Gothenburg Sweden.


1996 Sound on Sound publication - Top Tape award.


1995 Future Music magazine ISSUE 37 recognises the significance of the hybridisation research. 'Cornucopian 105' is one of the featured works on the cover CDROM.


1994 Further Festival. Wisconsin USA.


1994 N.M.E Single of the Week - Machine Codes CODE C.



Performances / Guest Speaker

1988 - 2005.

Australia: Melbourne, Sydney, Byron Bay.

Austria: Vienna.

Belgium: Brussels, Gent, Liege, Bruges, Aalst, Antwerp, Namur, Leuven, Izegem, Moorslede, Oudenaarde, Lokeren, Mechelen, Ostend, Roeselare, St.Vith, Zelzate.

Denmark: Copenhagen.

England: London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds, Bradford, Brighton, Norwich, Newcastle, Portsmouth, Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth, Ipswich, Reading, Cambridge.

France: Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nantes, Strasbourg, Orleans, Marseilles, Montpellier, Toulouse, Annecy, Nancy, Nice, Menton.

Germany: Berlin, Bonn, Cologne, Dresden, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Mulheim, Mannheim, Munich, Osnabruck, Ulm.

Greece: Athens, Salonika.

Holland: Eindhoven, Nemegen, Rotterdam, Utrecht.

Ibiza: San Antonio.

Iceland: Akureyri, Reykjavik.

Israel: Tel Aviv, Dead Sea.

Italy: Rome, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Siena, Turin, Cuneo, Genoa, Imperia, Ventimillia.

Japan: Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo.

Monaco: Monte Carlo.

Northern Ireland: Belfast.

Poland: Warsaw, Gdansk.

Puerto Rico: Old San Juan.

Republic of Ireland: Dublin, Cork.

Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow.

Spain: Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao.

Sweden: Gothenburg.

Switzerland: Basel, Geneva, Bern, Lausanne, Zurich, Lucerne.

Turkey: Istanbul.

USA: Chicago, Wisconsin, Los Angeles, Miami.

© M.C.Cullen 2005