Simon Webster discusses his music and art (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Simon Webster discusses his music and art

10:43am Thursday 28th January 2010 in

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Most musicians use music as a tool to reflect themselves and search their identities. And, Chelmsford-born composer Simon Webster, is no stranger to producing art for art’s sake. On no account take this as a slur against his work, by far his debut EP – eponymously titled The Simon Webster EP which can be listened to on iTunes and his website simonwebster.net – is a very beautiful, strange, comforting and at times haunting.

Using the warm, mellow tones of a piano, Simon’s music has a cinematic soundscape to it, in all it’s rich textures and layers. It doesn’t follow fashion, genre or style, yet it has the intrinsic capacity to move the listener’s mood. It’s something to be admired from a 25-year-old that has largely been self-taught.

“I struggle to express myself,” states Simon, who is a web designer and illustrator by day. “It’s why I’ve turned to art and music – that’s my language.”

Born two months premature, with a high percentage chance of permanent brain damage, Simon was fortunate to overcome the odds. This talent for making music began at an early age when he was at St Pius X Catholic Primary in Chelmsford. “My dad played the guitar in a church choir and my mum played the flute and recorder. But it was Mrs Harrington, my music teacher, who inspired me to take up the guitar.” Nothing extraordinary there, except when this young prodigy went home he would write out the chord sequences from the guitar and then transpose them onto the piano.

Although his three older sisters had piano lessons, 25-year-old Simon insists he taught himself the piano.

“I just sat down and taught myself by ear,” he states. Which is probably why Simon’s innate talent has more freedom in his compositions despite not knowing the theory.

“Composing can be an introspective and lonely thing to do,” adds Simon. “Music is my passion. I don’t write the songs in a specific way. It all begins from a feeling or mood. Somehow they exist in some form and it finds its way out and I develop it from that.

“This EP is a collection of my favourite ideas from my mid-teens until a year or so ago.”

Simon found his strength in composing and production while at Kent Institute of Art and Design (now University Of Creative Arts) where he studied art, design and illustration.

“I had fellow students who would ask me to compose for their short films or multi-media packages. Working with someone else’s idea was a great training ground for me. You have to look out for the themes, the story... it becomes more of a science rather than my usual spontaneous way.“ When he’s not composing Simon plays bass, guitar and keyboards for a punk band called Yeah Those Animals with his friend Ollie on drums.

For more information visit www.simonwebster.net