The Future Sound of Exeter is a genuine non-profit collective promoting local music, specialising in the innovative and the exotic. Many commercial organisations profess to be "only in it for the music" but with us that's absolutely the case The money made by our gigs and CD releases is ploughed back into the FSOE collective to sustain and improve our activities - and we've had a lot of fun establishing ourselves as one of our city's foremost musical forces whilst staying true to our principles. Our events always combine a range of media to enhance the music and promote local talent: we use DJs, decor, dancers, lights and projections to maximum effect and the friendly, excited atmosphere we create is second-to-none. Our nights are often described as 'mini-festivals'; please come along and judge for yourself… now for a bit of history:
The St David's Ambience Society was founded in March 1996. Our first gig featured DJ Ambiessence playing an eclectic ambient mix and Jerry Cahill's "indo-ambient blues guitar" at Exeter Community Centre on St David's Hill, Exeter, UK - hence our name (which also arose from our sense of humour).
During 1996, 1997 and 1998 we held over thirty sessions at the Community Centre, along with a variety of gigs in other venues. The music covered was diverse, and included ambient techno, improvisation, treated guitars, weird electronics and even poetry.
Shortly after starting the Ambience Society, we also launched our more "commercial" and dancey persona, The Future Sound of Exeter (another joke...). Under this name we put on a series of fundraising dance nights at Exeter's Cavern Club - and some other venues.
In 1997 we secured a grant from the National Lottery and released The Future Sound of Exeter CD, showcasing 14 diverse local artists with 78 minutes of music for a mere £5 a copy. Album sales, gig profits and part of the Lottery grant enabled us to buy some lights, a small, clear PA and a mixing desk. When added to our recycled projectors, FSOE banners, parachutes and tie-dye sheets, it meant we were set up to put on gigs at will.
In 1999 we decided to put on gigs at Exeter's new arts centre, The Phoenix - presenting big names with local support acts. This has proved a successful way forward and the money raised was ploughed into releasing our second compilation CD, Isca to Avalon, which features artists from across the south west.
We now put on regular shows at Exeter Phoenix and have been responsible for some of the most spectacular events in the city, if not the south west, including sell-out shows by The Asian Dub Foundation soundsystem, Hawkwind, LTJ Bukem, Zion Train, Eat Static and many more - all with a wonderful range of local support acts and other contributors, including our in-house VJ capacity. We have released no less then twelve CDs and there are more in the pipeline, just as there's an ongoing programme of successful events… |
