Phil: I come from a musical family, my sister played the organ at the local church, my brother played organ and guitar in a group and my mother played the piano accordion in a dance band. When I was 9 years old she encouraged me to take up the accordion and join the band. By the time I was 14 I was getting interested in rock music ( The Who, Jimi Hendrix etc..) and so I started playing guitar, trying to get a group going and do my first gigs. A couple of years after this I heard music by artists such as - Genesis, Tomita, Pink Floyd and Gentle Giant. I fell in love with the sound of the mellotron an early sample keyboard based on tapes!) and soon found a way to make a similar sound on the cheap! (an elka rhapsody with modifications and old guitar pedals!)

By the time I was 17 I had got myself into my first full time band, playing a type of progressive rock influenced by the above groups, for the next 3 years I learnt how to survive on the road and write original music with the rest of the band ! ( there is some more info on my web site about this group, look for 'Glow Pony')

Phil: By 1980 I had become frustrated by the limitations of life in a rock group, and so I set about forming a new type of group or 'collective'.

The result was 'Expandis' formed with John Wilde on vocals and Dave Miller on guitar, both of which I had played with in previous bands.

The idea was to concentrate on recording and writing but also create a strong live act. I was becoming more and more interested in electronic music at this time so we decided to use synthetic sounds for the drums and bass which kept the size of the band down and concentrated the creative energy into new directions. The result was a formula which was suitably open ended and experimental!

Our recordings ranged from pure synth pop through to some very strange sound sculpting! As soon as we had enough material for an album, we put together a cassette (I'm not waving I'm drowning) which we sold at gigs. This album was later released by underground music.

I had an interest in the pyramids long before I knew anything about modern Egypt. I have always been intrigued by the stories of energy being trapped in this shape. This interest led me to the discovery that the 'tetrahedron' (3 dimensional triangle with equal sides and angles) is not the same as the shape of the Egyptian pyramids. This shape however is the strongest form possible with all lines of force meeting in the centre ! This is the shape represented on the web site, and continues to be a great source of inspiration through the use of guided meditation and visualisation.

The first thing which really inspired me with Egypt was the music! I had been interested in stories of ancient Egypt and the pyramids before this but when I heard music such as 'Songs from the victorious city' by Anne Dudley and Jaz Coleman and 'Passion' by Peter Gabriel I became a real fan. There are so many sounds in their music which are unique. The scales used can create a mood which takes you beyond minor or blues and into a rich alien vocabulary.

When I had the chance to stay in Cairo while recording for the Immortal Egypt album I fell in love with the people and culture of Egypt.

Hossam had been recording with James Asher, so when I was working at James's studio in London his name came up in conversation. As a result James was able to introduce me to Hossam.

At first I approached him with the idea or asking him to come and do a session for me but when we got together to discuss this, the idea of writing together became a better choice!

Hossam was on a major world tour at the time so while working with him on Eternal Egypt I became inspired with the Pharaoh concept which turned out to be a less 'Egyptian' sound. This album was released first which became a good introduction for Eternal Egypt. A couple of years later we were offered a better budget to record a follow up, the result was 'Immortal Egypt' which I think is my most adventurous world music album collaboration to date.

The New World artist I know best would be Asha, we have worked together on most of his albums, sometimes working in my studio and sometimes working at either James Asher's studio or at Anthony Phillips (ex Genesis guitarist ) studio.

I have also recorded two albums with Steven Cragg, 'Initiation' and 'Tibetan Horn'.

A couple of years ago I was invited to perform at the 'Simply Relax' festival in Amsterdam where I had the chance to meet up with New World artists Philip Chapman, Serge Douw and Stuart Jones as well as many other musicians from across Europe including a great didgeridoo band 'Circular Breathing' from Berlin.

I keep in contact with most New World artists via e-mail and telephone but, as gigs are so rare, most musicians I know tend to stay in their studios.

I have been involved with a Brighton band (Mandragora) for many years as producer and occasional synth player. They enjoy bringing world influences to their music so they have become a great source of new contacts for me. When I am able to join them at festivals the inspiration becomes even stronger as I then have the input from other acts as well. Mandragora have just started a new venture called 'Organic Audio', inspired by Peter Gabriel's 'Real World' ethnic recording sessions, it is a way for exotic musicians around the south of England to work together and do some networking.

I am looking forward to developing this venture over the coming months.

I think my favourite New World artists would be - Medwyn Goodall, Stuart Jones, Terry Oldfield, Asha and James Asher.

I have great memories of the 'Pink Pop' festival in Holland, playing keyboards for Sinead O'Connor in front of 80,000 people! The shared atmosphere when she played a solo version of 'Troy' was electric to say the least!

One of the strangest jobs I have ever had as a musician was playing keyboards for the 70's pop band 'Bay City Rollers', this was long after their superstar phase, calling themselves the 'New Rollers'. The gigs were usually at a university or night club, packed with fanatical supporters! On one occasion I got quite scared as there was little security and the audience were about 90% mad as hatters, trying to storm the stage and rip the band to pieces! We had to escape via the toilet window in the dressing room!

Some of my favourite memories of gigs are of the 'performance art' variety, Arthur Brown appearing on stage with Mandragora and creating a powerful energy with the audience would be one, or an improvisation with Tete Espindola at a seminar in Brazil, where the audience (of around 1200) had such a look of surprise as the music became a bit more 'experimental' than they expected!

After working on the album 'Initiation' with Steven Cragg, I was inspired by the musical possibilities that were opening up. As we were both keen to try a full scale collaboration and he had acquired a Tibetan horn at a second hand shop in Brighton this became a natural starting point. His keen interest in Tibetan culture led the way with creating the various atmospheres on the album. Using carefully selected samples of chanting monks, percussion sounds and a session from a Tabla player the album was built up in sections and then pieced together. In the end the album was 2 years in the making ! no stone was left unturned in finding the right path for the music to follow. I have a particular passion for albums with a 'journey' theme and this album remains a firm favourite. Steven is away travelling at the moment (having got fed up with the dull weather !) so if I do a follow up to 'Tibetan Horn' I will probably be working alone.

The paganistic roots of Solstice should not be confused with an even older and more basic feeling of respect for the never ending seasons cycle and the rising of our Sun. The marking of the longest and shortest days of the year would seem to be the most natural way to show our respect for this wonderful living and breathing planet. My own experiences of Solstice at Stonehenge indicate to me that the monument continues to be a focal point for a not dissimilar spirituality to that which it was created to celebrate. The fact that now it is celebrated in a non-conformist way, would seem to me to be very healthy.

Although I count several confirmed Pagans and Druids as close friends, neither they nor I would consider me Pagan or Druid. What we do share is a vision of a living planet and the need to celebrate its beauty and power.

As I write this I can look up at a testimonial hanging on the studio wall. It was presented to my Grandfather in recognition of sixteen years service to his local Druidic chapter (a Victorian revival) Although I did not know my Grandfather well, my awareness of his testimonial led me to inquire about the Solstice at a very early age.

My first experiences of live playing (original material) was on the free festival circuit of the mid '70s. At this time the Stonehenge / Solstice festival was the highlight of my musical year.

Likewise I've been taking part in the Lewes (cliffe) and Battle (battel) bonfires since the late sixties. These events are connected to many local traditions but the connection with the Celtic festival of Samhain is to my mind only just below the surface!

In my daily life, my love of nature is constantly affirmed by my surroundings - walking my great Dane on the local beach and surrounding woods and marshland.

Plus the odd spot of stargazing!

I am very interested in all these subjects, especially Science and Astronomy, E=MC2 is more than enough for me to try to understand fully never mind so called 'mysteries'. Although I am a fan of good science fiction, I find most comments made about the paranormal hard to take !

I think it is true that as we learn more about the Universe we are confronted with even more questions! but when people say things like - 'the Earth was created 6000 years ago, and fossils / geology are God's trick to test the faithful' I find it very difficult to take seriously. As for spiritual techniques, I would say these disciplines are also of great interest and I have great respect for people who have a chosen spiritual path, but any act of faith that requires one to blindly follow a leader is not for me! I do use my own techniques in meditation and visualisation ( for help in relaxation and creativity ) such as the tetrahedron visualisation mentioned earlier but how this would relate to any specific formal techniques I could not say.

When I was first asked to record the album 'Alien Encounter' I had the feeling it would be an easy project ! (This was after all not the first time I had come across the subject).

However when I began working on the music it became apparent that there were a lot of subtleties which would need attention. I'm particularly pleased with some of the effects I ended up using, for instance I have been told the 'clicking' sounds resonate with people who have experience in this area ! finding 'other world' type sounds without resorting to cliches or too many gimmicks was a challenge to say the least ! I did however use some backwards talking at one point ! ( my 7 year old son talking about 'watching the skies').

The whole of the first half of the album has a 'flow' which, as a listener I find very evocative of the sort of 'inner journey' which is a constant source of inspiration for me.

track 3 - 'another blue light' was built up around a sample loop taken from the song of the same name from the Expandis album 'The Complete Home Expandis' written by Dave Miller. The original track is a very haunting but positive ballad which is concerned with the loss of a friend or loved one through death. I remember playing this track at gigs where so much energy was created that it was almost too much to continue! Strong emotions being carried to the surface! Somehow the atmosphere produced transcended any feelings of loss.

Hopefully a small hint of those emotions have been distilled into a positive feeling of hope that we are not alone.

I am very pleased that people are able to hear my music in your part of the world and I am very grateful to you and Alexander for helping to achieve this.

My father in law was Polish / Russian so as you can imagine its an area that has been of great interest for many years, I have never had the chance to travel to your part of the world although my friends Mandragora came to Kharkov and Kiev in the Ukraine in 1995 - 96 (appearing on 'Simon tv' and 'Radio 50') I was not able to join them as I was in Brazil at the time.

The stories and music they brought back with them have been a great source of inspiration and I hope one day to visit and become more involved with the wonderful music I am beginning to hear from the East.
 
Phil Thornton