As before, the music is spacey, progressive, rock and electronic. Covering eight tracks over two disks, the album invites the listener to travel through a pagan year, starting with the ancient festival of Imbolc, passing through two equinoxes and the summer solstice, and the pagan festivals of Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain, then finishing at the midwinter solstice, Yule.

Also featured: Bridget Wishart (Hawkwind), Alex Pym (Dream Machine), Chris Gill (Band Of Rain), Cyndee Lee Rule, Jez Creek, John Sherwood and Linda Harlow. Erich Z. Schlagzeug is the drummer.

The album is available from AmbientLive

Combs Creek Haller - Singularity The recording of the stillstream concert I performed with Jim Combs and Kevin Haller is now available free from Earth Mantra here's the somewhat gushing blurb: As we've written many times, one of the great pleasures of running a netlabel is to meet new artists and release their music. A related pleasure that is in many ways even cooler is to be able to release something for the first time by folks you already know and love. It is precisely that honor that we have today, with this majestic new release called Singularity. This magnificent two-disc album was recorded live the evening of November 6 and into the morning of November 7, 2009.

It so happened that Jez Creek, who calls Nottingham in the United Kingdom home, was visiting in the Atlanta, Georgia area as part of his USA tour, in order to perform at the City Skies electronic music concert on November 7. Kevin Haller, whose house Jez was staying at, was also performing at the same concert. And Jim Combs, being the organizer and founder of the concert series, was of course going to be performing as well. So just for fun, the three decided to do a live concert on StillStream.com the night before the big show. And the results were so good that they decided to release the recordings as this album.

Amazingly, given the quality of the pieces, the music was completely improvised. The musicians had never performed together as a group before this set and no preparations were done prior to the broadcast except for choosing keys and tempos. Somehow these three artists who had never played together at the same time, and had done almost nothing to prepare, immediately found a zone in which electronic ambient music of the highest order started pouring forth. Needless to say, the audience that night was blown away by the set, and we think that our listeners are going to be similarly impressed by what they hear in Singularity.

For indeed, this is some of the most beautiful live ambient music we have heard in quite awhile. Earth Mantra has long been a fan of all three of the artists' solo work, but we were dumbfounded by the synergy the three artists found so effortlessly as they sat down to play. Improvising live ambient music can be a challenging task, and to do it really well, with the right balance of patience and activity, is surprisingly hard. The fact that these three artists could hit such a bullseye, with zero preparation and without the benefit of knowing each other's live playing styles, is in our eyes nothing short of miraculous.

We could attempt to describe this music to you, but ultimately we would fail. Suffice it to say that it is beautiful, it is well constructed, very competently performed, and it just plain rocks. Better yet, why not download a copy of this album right now and give it a listen for yourself. We are certain that any fan of ambient music will be very happy they did.

it is a companion piece to my Adventures In Sound set from the previous night:

Adventures In Sound - Episode 15

Here's a couple of pics from the studiocam:

Adventures In Sound - Episode 1

Further Adventures In Sound by myself and Rob will be posted at electro-music.com

here's my modular patched up ready for my set:

The Ambient at the Gallery gig went well, a 10 minute clip from my performance has been added to the video page. Thanks to Phil for uploading this. The set worked out really well and I'm hoping to give this a proper release at some point.

Some more live dates, posters to come:
I will be playing live on radio.electro-music.com on Saturday 19th September as part of the Autumnal Equinox streaming event, details here: http://electro-music.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=36091

US Tour 2009: 
I am playing at electro-music.com 2009, 29th-31st October at Star Lake Camp, Bloomingdale, New Jersey, USA. I will be performing a solo set on Thursday and taking part in collaborations on the Friday and Saturday nights. Details from: http://event.electro-music.com/

Whilst I am in the US I am also playing at City Skies in Atlanta on Saturday 7th November 2009, with Burning Artist(s) Sale, 84001 and Sensitive Chaos. Details from: http://cityskies.com/

The Rammel Club gig went really well and I really enjoyed the whole thing. the place was full as loads of people had come to see Emeralds.

I was on second, after Gareth Hardwick who did some droney/ambient guitar looping stuff, joined on stage by Dan Layton aka Apalusa, who I'd seen before an rather enjoyed. Their set was plagued by technical difficulties at the start and took quite a while to get going, but ended up much as I'd hope from hearing them soundcheck, as a wall of chiming, droning guitars

I went on shortly after they finished, after a speedy equipment change and played 30 minutes of improvised space music 'to help propel you into the outer reaches of the cosmos', or something like that

My set was improvised live using a Nord G2, Electrix Repeater and SP-404 through a couple of Boss pedals, a DD-20 Giga delay and an RC-20 Space Echo. It was my first gig using the Repeater to build up loops and layers and it worked really well, I cam up with some stuff that surprised even me and at one point I got a loop going that just made me grin

I tried to keep things changing, playing live stuff over loops from the Repeater and layering in some stuff from the SP-404, at one point I even went a bit Vangelis, just for the fun of it

Recording of my set is on rapidshare here:

Modulator ESP - Rammel Club #2

After me came Birds of Delay who started out with a single bass note drone that didn't change much for four or so minutes, when it was joined by something that sounded like metal blades being sharpened and then this all dropped out to be replaced by several different versions of the word 'snap' repeated and layered in ever so slightly out of sync loops for about 20 minutes. I stayed for a few minutes but decided this was a good opportunity to retire to the bar

Emeralds were on last and they were what everyone had been waiting for, myself included. They are three young chaps from Ohio, two with synths (Korg MS10 and Moog Microomoog) and one with a guitar, all three with lots of pedals. They played a set with huge walls of synth/guitar drone interspersed with sections of spacey melodic guitar and even a section of sequences. It was all very loud and noisy but still kind of cosmic and was over far too soon after only 30 minutes.

lots of people I knew turned up, so many thanks to:

Alan Walker
Pete Challoner
Rob Johnson & Jon Poole
Dave Davies
Susi O'Neill
Suzie and Ian from work
Dave Buxton and Geoff Kemm

Below, a couple of photos by Johnny Scarr, showing me playing with the SP-404

Modulator_ESP - Time_Dilation_Effect

Happy New Year

Studio set-up for New Year's Eve below:

There are some wise words in the Wikipaedia entry for artist Mark Rothko "It forces one to approach the limits of experience in the post-Kantian sense of the categories of space and time and awakens one to the awareness of one’s own existence." I would stick that label on the front of Zeta Reticuli v1.

http://www.landschaft.co.uk/other_pages/reviews.htm

The system is known thanks to a legend (for want of a better term) that says that there was once a humanoid race living on one of the planets that orbited one of the suns, but the planet was later destroyed by its own dwellers. Therefore, these creatures started looking for a new home. The legend also says that some of them reached the Earth, but the information concerning the aliens was conspired by governments. There's a group of people who claim to be the descendants of this alien race or maybe even aliens themselves which of course can hardly be trusted. 

Anyway, the music is suitably spooky, out-there and cosmic in a mysterious and menacing kind of way. Not any sort of Berlin School by a long shot, stylistically it comes as close to Dark Ambient drone music as it probably can. Sometimes the drone is augmented by high-pitched sonic elements but overall the sound is deep, hollow and intense with several layers of drones making up for a very thick miasma of sound. All the changes on this album are subtle but they are quite discernible if you listen closely. Did Jez create his best work so far? It could be. In any case, if you enjoy Dark Ambient music and especially Dark Space or long-form Drone Ambient - you will find lots to enjoy here. This is a work that needs to be heard. Well done!  

Modulator ESP, Emkah, DJ?, Formication: Sat 13 Jan 2007, Orange Tree, Nottingham, England.

It's a while since I last saw Jez aka Modulator ESP play. His sound has matured beyond recognition. He is in control of the machines – and there are a lot of them. Jez has scoured the planet in the quest for his racks of vintage instruments. This performance gave us a dense wall of interweaving Phaedra era Berlin School. Lots of flutey, choral mellotron and huge chunky analogue 8 step sequences. Jez – this is no criticism, just my preference – I would have liked a build into a classic Blade runner end-titles sequencer blow-out to produce that tingly scalp perfection.

Emkah was not my reason for attending the gig. But a very accomplished set. Just not my cup of tea – a bit too drum machiney for me.

Followed, by a DJ that destroyed the mood and demolished the build up that the two preceeding acts worked so hard to achieve. Why did the DJ leave a ghastly sample loop playing for about 15 minutes after he left the stage???

This left Formication with a lot of work to do. Coupled with a PA and room acoustic that could not cope with the sonic complexity of Formication's latest beat driven dark sample synthesis, the performance did not reach out and captivate - the potential to do so was clearly there. I had to leave half way through the set so this review is very much qualified by a number of downer factors. I would like to hear this performance again at high volume in an acoustically balanced auditorium and then I would love it.

Finally, a plea to Modulator ESP and Formication – try and find an esoteric venue that does your respective genius credit – you've both moved beyond playing in pubs full of a reluctant captive audience. How about this for an idea – look for sponsors that stump up investment capital and save up for a bigger splash venue/PA – you are both ready for the next step up. I would chuck an unconditional 20 quid in the hat to get things started.

From http://www.landschaft.co.uk/other_pages/blog.htm

Orange Tree 13th January 2007 gig report

Well, I think that all went rather well. I got a good response to my set, which was quite dar, with plenty of nasty drones and some pounding sequences, with some nice ambient interludes as well.

The other two acts were also great, Emkah was doing fairly commercial stuff, but with mad theremin and MS10 all over it, Formication were kind of industrial ambient, with the occasional ambient vocal courtesy of Kingsley and even a few nice sequencey bits thrown in. I enjoyed this set a lot more than the one last year, probably because I didn't get the wing mirror ripped off my car and I didn't get a parking ticket. Oh and free beer and getting paid helped 

I also gave out a fair few of the neusonik samplers and got talking to quite a few people, so hopefully I've made a few contacts who might be able to help out with promotion..

I might even be doing some collaborations with both Emkah and Alec of Formication as they both wanted me to make them some stuff to mangle.

One of the high points of the night was when some girl came across whilst I was playing and asked me if I'd be doing what I was doing for much longer as she couldn't stand it, to which my reply was, 'I'm afraid so'. I was not unduly worried, actually I was quite pleased as I was trying to do something a bit 'edgy' and 'dark' as the gig had been advertised as 'a grand musical evening of cacodaemoniacal dissonances; an exhibition of power and other unimaginable experiments in acabre audio stimuli.'

One of the Formication guys had a similar experience, some guy came up to him near the end of the night, shook his hand and said 'you've ruined my evening'. Job done

But I sauppose that's one of the perils of playing a pub on a Saturday night, lots of people who really didn't know WTF we were playing. Having said that a few people I spoke to said it was great because it was so different that it was refreshing.

Gear used: 3 keyboards (VS, P600 and NM), 2 sequencers (P3 and XL7) one sampler (SP404) one drum machine (ER-1) and my racks (MWII, WSSR, M-VS1, MS6)

"Tronic Pulse" starts with warbling & rasping synthesizers coupled with mysterious Mellotron flute. After a while a sequence builds and we are immediately in mid-70's Tangerine Dream territory. Not bad!

"Beyond the Sun" has excellent deep intro. Jez made an excellent job of synthesizing really out-there sounds on this one. This is cosmic EM of the highest order. I just have to wonder why they don't use this stuff in movies about cosmos these days, going for some boring orchestral drek instead. Excellent sequence starts and what a great sequence it is! Coupled with a super-punchy bass sound it really has a bite to it! The Mellotron flute appears in this track as well, combining to great effect with synthetic textures. This is Berlin School with a fresh attitude - top notch stuff!

"Quadratic", once again has quite an aggressive intro, with harsh, raspy sounds and echoing clangs. After a while a slow sawy bass sequence appears. Another sequence joins the flow, making this a real wall-of-sound experience. This is stark, dark and decidedly un-commercial Electronic Music. The sequences are excellent while the overall nature of the track remains absolutely otherworldly. I think if you're into geometry - you will enjoy this. Jez has really managed to express the beauty of simple geometrical forms with this one - sort of a dry, naked beauty wrapped in intricate forms. And where one would be without that Mellotron flute? There's a bit of that too, but it only appears for the last several seconds of the track.

Next is "Eos Flight" that initially sets the stage with deep and mysterious effects & pads. A rhythmic pulse starts but never dominates. Looks like it's the most laid-back track so far. Various lead sounds and additional sequences play on top but overall the track retains that relaxed, jamming feel.

The title track starts with echoes of unknown origin but after a while we hear some whooshing sounds and very deep bass throbs. Various other sounds can be heard and this is easily one of those effective intro's you don't want to end. However, as we are closing the 10 minute mark, a slow bass / rhythm combination starts and takes us to the next section that is dominated by ever-so-slightly shifting and morphing rhythms, all of them of the laid-back variety. This is an unusual track indeed and it's unlike anything I've heard from Jez so far. A great lead line is heard around the 16 minute mark. Another sequence appears as the lead line continues its play. Some heavier rhythms can be heard after 20 minutes into the track that has turned into quite a journey by now. Superb analogue-sounding solos add a pleasant warmness and really make me go "wow!" This is quite simply some of the best neo-prog EM I've heard in a while. Fans of Berlin School will be delighted, especially those who favour complex, long-form compositions with great rhythms, lots of sequences, atmospheres and a sparkling solo or two to boost. One thing to add is that Jez' sound is now much more refined (compared to previous efforts) and supplied with a good dose of reverb, adding the pleasant "spaciness" to his compositions. He seems to have put much more effort in his songs which are now better thought-out and composed with a level of precision and feeling that many would be jealous of. The last part of the title track lets the sequences to shine in all their glory and adds a new bell-like sequence that sounds very organic. A mournful pad sound is all one needs to complete the mental picture of traveling through space & time. The journey's over and we want more.

But wait, Jez serves us a little dessert in the form of "Chromium". It consists of typical "Modulator ESP" atmospheres - all in a mysterious and a bit claustrophobic setting. Interesting little track.

"Time Zero" is the best Modulator ESP album so far and a real must for fans of Berlin School / sequencer music. Excellent!

by Artemi Pugachov - Encyclopedia of Electronic Music

Today I took delivery of his fourth album,Time Zero.A very different beast and a move to the dark side of the force, but the same brilliance permeates this album too.These days Jez produces music and i quote,"with ambient,
berlin school and progressive influences", and man does he do this well too This has to be one of the best albums of this type I have ever listened to.Jez is a hugely skilled and talented musician and when he adds some of his
melodic touches to the mix from time to time, well it just blows the top of my head off. The word genius comes to mind, he's that good in my opinion..

I really do highly recommend this album to all lovers of ambient, berlin school type music. Don't expect sequencers cranked up to level 11.There are sequencers here but they are used as part of the overall texture of the music, and rarely dominate, and this is right up my street. Superb!!!

If you fancy getting a copy of this album you'd better hurry as he's initially released it as a 25 copy limited edition,of which i'm lucky enough to have no 3. Don't say you weren't warned.

Review posted by Roy Jackson on Beyond EM 05.04.06 - I think he liked it

Thoughts on "Time Zero":-

Well, a very nice album indeed. Listened to it yesterday and shall certainly be listening again. Anybody who has seen a Jez set will recognise the character of these studio solo pieces. Really well recorded, too. The lengthy title track is the superb centrepiece of the set, but the standout track for me is the gorgeous "Eos Flight", with its sequence, faux-percussion and a wonderful solo over the top. Beautifully judged. Nice one Jez, this is great stuff. "Eos Flight" should be appearing on "The Best EM 2006" if there was such a thing!

Posted by Steve Palmer (Mooch) on the Modulator ESP Forum

Been listening to this since I got home.

Tronic Pulse - Great Flutey Tron sounds
Beyond The Sun - Very dark and brooding
Quadratic - Great sequencing and more fab Tron sounds at the end
Eos Flight - The most orchestral track on the album. Another great sequence lurks in the background with some cool spacey sounds.
Time Zero - Epic Ambient Fantastic
Chromium - Rounds the album off as perfectly as Sequent C completes Phaedra.

I have 3 other Jez albums but I think thia is going to be the most played one. Considering the tracks were recorded over a 3 year period, they all fit together perfectly as though they were all recorded at the same sessions. Up there with The Lambda Variant as my favourite EM release so far this year.

Posted by Gus on the Modulator ESP Forum

Well, I played it once and immediately hit the "Play" button again once it had finished - a good sign. All in all, a really enjoyable album from start to finish. Highlights so far for me are "Eos Flight" and also "Beyond The Sun" especially the patient way the sequencers are introduced into the track. "Time Zero" title track is aptly named as I just float off and lose all track of time in the process, it is a meandering epic with vast distances and moods being covered over the course of its thirty six and a half minutes.

Rather like the works of Ken Martin, this is an album that demands your total immersion to fully appreciate the nuances and depth. Mr Creek firmly has his finger on the celestial pulse with "Time Zero".

Posted by Steve Streeter (Endorphin) on the Modulator ESP Forum

www.modulator-esp.co.uk has now been online for one year. 
I have just upgraded my hosting account and now have much more web space so will be adding lots of stuff over the coming months, including some older music and some more experimental stuff. 
Astrogator, my joint EM project with Steve H (Create) now has it's own site at www.astrogator.co.uk. 
Thanks to everyone who has been supportive over the last year, let's hope 2005 is equally successful. See you at Awakenings
Thanks, Jez C

Another Modulator ESP album review by Artemi Pugachov has been added to the: Encyclopedia of Electronic Music (review copied below for convenience, typos corrected)

Random Fluctuations (self-released, 2001)

'Random Fluctuations' is a two-part electronic suite composed and recorded by Jez Creek in 2001. Each part is divided into several sections that all have their own subtitles, so in the end it's kind of a musical story. By listening to Jez' music, I'd venture that he has Prog rock background - there is a sense of thematic development and multiple part transitions typical of classic Progressive Rock works and also some classic EM albums like Tangerine Dream's 'Tangram' or 'Logos'. So, if you like early 80's Tangerine Dream or the music of Mark Shreeve, then this CD is for you. It's also quite symphonic sounding, with great dynamics and rhythms.

Dark sounds get the first part underway. Soon subtle bass textures are introduced as the soundscape becomes even more intense. This is brooding music - very good stuff. After the 6 minute mark the rhythms are deployed full-time as well as some solos and sequences. I found my head nodding as I listened to this. Great themes and melodies! All is quite and mysterious again after 9 minutes into the track. Of course this section is a transition to the next part that has some warm flowing pads and is surprisingly gentle. Very, very good! Slow rhythm keeps things tight, while the melodies do soar in the sonic ether in a soothing and comforting way. There's even a hint of solemnity in there. The rhythm becomes faster and there are some symphonic textures that strongly remind of 'Tangram'-era TD. This is uplifting EM at it's best. And, oh, those solos...! It reminds me on EM from the days gone by. The track ends rather abruptly. 

The second part starts with dramatic string/ drum section. Pretty suspenseful stuff. Some e-drums are introduced along with a melodic sequence and we have a rhythmic section that's halfway between sad and mysterious. The dramatic strings and drums return after a while, sounding like an orchestral movie soundtrack. This time the string sounds are combined with the electronic rhythm and piano playing. Some great synth soloing is also welcome. There's a short intermission after which we get upbeat sequencer lines and a fast theme depicting the war I guess (according to the subtitle). Some very 80's electronic drums (Simmons-like) are used to great effect here. A piano theme comes next, with the sounds of wind in the background. The rhythmic elements do not take long to appear and take control of the proceedings. It's a mysterious and somewhat reflective part. Some processed voices are heard as the screaming solo takes over after 17 minutes into the track. Everything fits perfectly - from voices, to rhythms, to sequences, solos and atmospheres. It all calms down and all we hear for a while are phased / processed synth pads along with some recurring effects. But after a while another excellent melodic motif appears. I loved this part - very complex, even reminding a bit on some of Klaus Schulze material from the 80's. The final section starts with bleeping synths and upbeat rhythm. This is a bit techno influenced (mainly in the rhythms department). I loved the urgent electric piano motif although the main theme is a bit too "techno" for my taste. 

'Random Fluctuations' is a darn fine album of melodic thematic Electronic Music, that those into most of vintage EM will enjoy, be it early 80's Tangerine Dream, the less sequenced Mark Shreeve, some 70's Vangelis or even Dave Greenslade's 'Pentateuch of the Cosmogony'.

Not a bad review, well I'm happy anyway, the only shame is that he likes the old stuff more than my more recent works. It looks like I'm going to have to try to combine the new with the old. In fact on reflection this is much better than I could ever have hoped for

Modulator ESP is Jez Creek who makes sequencey, largely improvised music. Both albums from 2004 are live minidisc recordings from concert performances. All tracks are improvised using pre-prepared sequences, vaguely in the Berlin School mould. The sound quality is nice but I'd prefer more reverb - the sound is a bit dry to my ears. 

Reality Excursion Sequences starts with 'Dark Star Voyage', which is a lengthy suite with multiple parts. The structure is a bit loose, so you kinda know this is a live recording when you listen to it. Some nice textures, but as I've said earlier I prefer a more spacey, reverbed sound. Nice sequencing and solos, though. 'Silent Planet' is a nice mysterious track (that also includes rather cheerful sequences towards the end) with repeating bass motif and good sequences / rhythm combination. 'Chaos Theory' is a chaotic (pun intended) and busy sequencer track (which initially makes use of sequence similar to that on the previous number). 

The second live album starts with 'Time Clouds' that has an atmospheric introduction with pads and soundscapes, but after a while melodic motifs and, subsequently, rhythmic sequences are introduced that drive the rest of the track along in a relaxed, unhurried mode. You will encounter some pretty tasty solos along the way. The second track is called 'Astral Dreams'. There's an abstract beginning with noises, soundscapes and stuff, but the sequences ought to appear sooner or later, and voila! - they do as we are nearing the 3 minute mark. Low threatening chords are heard as we are propelled forward at a pace faster than usual with Modulator's recordings. I think it's the best of his live tracks (despite some use of preset choir sounds)- the sequencing is very competent here - pure New Berlin School, a bit trancey and yet more like prog EM. The title of the last track is 'Dark Star Voyage' - the same as the first track on Reality Excursion Sequences, but it's a totally different version. It starts with a reflective piano part that gives way to rhythmic notes and in the end it's another mid-paced sequencer track, in typical Modulator ESP style. 

They're not bad reviews are they, my sequencing is 'very competent' and there are some 'pretty tasty solos', though it looks like I'm going to have to buy a reverb processor and sort out some new choir sounds. It was a different sequence for Chaos Theory, but probably quite similar rhythmically.