LATEST RELEASES
New album released December 2024: "Black Nest Road"
Martin Pyne (percussion, vibraphone, composer) and Victor Nicholls (bass guitar, synthesizer), have created a unique collaboration, fusing art-rock, jazz, and dream-like improvisation into a spellbinding soundscape. From intricate rhythms to ethereal textures, their music invites you on an immersive journey of creativity and emotion.
Available on Bandcamp and all streaming platforms.
Absolutely lovely album
William McGiven, Constellations Radio Show, SoulandJazz
New single by The Difference Engine.
Their first new material for twenty years, Jo Freya and Victor Nicholls have recorded two new songs due for release in June 2025. The two new songs combine Jo's deep knowledge of English and European traditional music with Victor's guitar and electronics. Watch this space…
The tracks will be available on Bandcamp and all streaming platforms
ABOUT
Using electronics, Victor Nicholls has developed a unique approach to the fretless bass and electric guitar, creating abstract soundscapes that are often beautiful and violent. An experienced improviser, he has challenged preconceptions about the instrument, expanding the musical colours used in ensembles in free improvisation and traditional music settings.
Victor has many years' experience working with an eclectic range of musicians including theatre orchestras, military and brass bands, and post-punk groups.
Victor has many years' experience working with an eclectic range of musicians including theatre orchestras, military and brass bands, and post-punk groups.
Victor's most recent releases are "Black Nest Road", an album with jazz composer/improviser Martin Pyne on drums, percussion and vibraphone, and he contributed a track to "Au Coin Perdu", the latest album by Paul James, showcasing a wide range of contemporary European traditional musicians.
Victor was a member of Anglo-French group, Scarp, whose fiery, rhythmic and contemporary take on traditional music earned the World Music Album of the Year in France and one of the Bands of the Decade for Radio 3’s “Mixing It”. He was a part of the Pandaemonium and Mandragora bands, led by Tim Hill (Tongues of Fire) playing Albert Ayler/Ornette Coleman-influenced noise.
Victor was a member of Anglo-French group, Scarp, whose fiery, rhythmic and contemporary take on traditional music earned the World Music Album of the Year in France and one of the Bands of the Decade for Radio 3’s “Mixing It”. He was a part of the Pandaemonium and Mandragora bands, led by Tim Hill (Tongues of Fire) playing Albert Ayler/Ornette Coleman-influenced noise.
Victor is one half of duos Big Hair with Harry Dawes of Tongues of Fire and Pram (trombone and theremin) and The Difference Engine with Jo Freya (voice). Currently he is a member of Paul James and the Drowned Lovers, Evening Star with bouzouki player Carlos Beceiro (La Musgaña), accordionist Luke Daniels, and hurdy hurdy star, Patrick Bouffard (La Chavanee, Giles Chabanat), Gigi Biolcati (Ricardo Tesi, Banditalia). and Paul James (Blowzabella)
It's very important to me to play with other musicians, many of whom are among my closest friends. I don’t want to have to choose, but I’ve played with Victor Nicholls (Scarp, Evening Star) for 25 years pretty much non-stop and he’s the go-to guy when I have any kind of idea or project in mind. An amazing musician.
Paul James, Living Tradition magazine
"Transcending time, culture and genre, Paul James and the Drowned Lovers stretch folk music to the edges of definition; fusing samples, blistering rock, prog, jazz, indie .. and traditional song in a white-hot melting pot of songs about death, love - and death caused by love."
Newbury Weekly News
Victor Nicholls deserves particular mention for his robust electric guitar on the instrumental Once There Was a Lone Wolf, which summons up the decaying corpse of 80s Jethro Tull and drags it into uncharted experimental territory
Peter Shaw, FolkRadio
MUSIC
Martin Pyne (percussion, vibraphone, composer) and Victor Nicholls (bass guitar, synthesizer), have created a unique collaboration, fusing art-rock, jazz, and dream-like improvisation into a spellbinding soundscape. From intricate rhythms to ethereal textures, their music invites you on an immersive journey of creativity and emotion.
Martin Pyne is a versatile percussionist, vibraphonist, and composer with a wealth of experience as an improviser. Leading an array of bands, his work spans diverse musical genres and includes silent film accompaniment and a significant focus on contemporary dance collaborations. Victor Nicholls brings a rich musical history playing fretless bass guitar and synthesizer. His background is rooted in free improvisation, jazz, wind bands, European folk music, and post-punk groups. Together, they create music that transcends boundaries and invites exploration.
The music was recorded as a series of exchanged improvisations, with each track building in complexity over time.
Martin Pyne: drums, percussion, vibraphone
Victor Nicholls: fretless bass, electric guitar, synthesizer
Mixed and produced by Victor Nicholls
Released 6 December 2024.
Available on Bandcamp, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, YouTube and all major streaming platforms.
Martin Pyne is a versatile percussionist, vibraphonist, and composer with a wealth of experience as an improviser. Leading an array of bands, his work spans diverse musical genres and includes silent film accompaniment and a significant focus on contemporary dance collaborations. Victor Nicholls brings a rich musical history playing fretless bass guitar and synthesizer. His background is rooted in free improvisation, jazz, wind bands, European folk music, and post-punk groups. Together, they create music that transcends boundaries and invites exploration.
The music was recorded as a series of exchanged improvisations, with each track building in complexity over time.
Martin Pyne: drums, percussion, vibraphone
Victor Nicholls: fretless bass, electric guitar, synthesizer
Mixed and produced by Victor Nicholls
Released 6 December 2024.
Available on Bandcamp, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, YouTube and all major streaming platforms.
VIDEO
LOOPING
I ran some looping workshops at the Halsway Manor European Music weekend. Students asked about good effects boxes to buy. Here's what I use.
LOOPERS
Recently, I started using Line 6 HX Effects to replace my separate pedals. Line 6 have provided free updates every year, adding to the range of sounds available. Highly recommended.
Before getting the HX Effects, I used three loopers regularly - they are still great:
My main box is a Line 6 DL4. It's an old design and was updated to version two recently. My original only records a little chunk of sound, but I find it the most flexible, for hands-free use. It is also a brilliantly versatile delay box, with great models of lots of classic echo units.
I can recommend buying one from Andertons in Guildford. I'm not on commission but they do a good deal with great customer service and a 14-day return policy if you don't get on with the gear.
https://www.andertons.co.uk/line-6-dl4-mkii-delay-modeller-pedal/
For longer loops, I use a discontinued Digitech Jamman. The current version is pretty affordable, and looks good although I haven't used it.
https://www.andertons.co.uk/p/DIG0155/looper-pedals/digitech-jamman-solo-xt-looper-pedal
For weirdness, I use the Electro Harmonix Stereo Memory Man with Hazarai. Frankly, the odd name says it all… It's great for speeding things up/slowing down/flipping direction etc
https://www.ehx.com/products/stereo-memory-man-with-hazarai/
To dip your toe in the water, there are lots of simple, cheap loopers on the market by TC Electronic, Boss and Digitech, but none of them let you manipulate your sounds as much as the Line 6 box.
The other way to try looping is to play with some iPad apps:
Loopy HD is cheap and there are YouTube videos of people using it to do some amazing things, although I haven't got to grips with it yet.
https://loopyapp.com/
PITCH SHIFTER
I'm on my fifth Digitech Whammy. Very much an instrument in its own right and massively extends the range of the bass guitar (or anything else plugged into the box).
It works really well with so many instruments. At the Halsway Manor workshop, we put a cornett through it. Very beautiful.
https://www.andertons.co.uk/digitech-whammy-5-polyphonic-pitch-shifter-pedal/
E-bow
I've enjoyed using these for nearly thirty years. They work really well with fretless bass (particularly with the tone-shaping unique to the Wal bass that I use). And with a Digitech Whammy.
I used both on this track "Wakeful Air" by Evening Star. The e-bow bass comes in at 2.18 and out at 3.50.