London, 2026

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Tim Blazdell is an English designer, digital artist and composer, well known for his technical design and video projection work across the entertainment industry, particularly through his long-standing career with the National Theatre. His work spans many fields, from touring productions to major worldwide events and commercial projects. His collaboration with the London-based digital boutique label NOOX began with Ultima Canticum, a project created alongside architect and composer Paul Bavister. Remarkable Procession is Blazdell’s first solo project and is, in the words of the musician, an auditory response to Remarks on Process by Mark Fell with Studio Dan.

 

Approached with a touch of rationality, exemplified, for instance, by the methodical naming of each track — allowing the listener not to be distracted by titles or suggestions of interpretation — Remarkable Procession is best enjoyed when listened to from start to finish, like one would experience a journey.

Blazdell does not approach composing in the traditional sense, and this becomes obvious from the opening “C02”. The musician is more interested in exploring textures and how sounds interact with each other, at times independently and at others in coordination. For the untrained ear, it can even be difficult to understand how some of these sounds exist in the first place. There is a constant sense of uncertainty, as familiar sonic references appear only briefly before dissolving into something more abstract. In the words of Blazdell, inspired by the recording, composition, and presentation of the piece, the musician felt compelled to respond with music of his own. he used randomly selected excerpts from the cassette release of the Studio Dan recording as the sole source material for THE compositions. No additional sounds were introduced. Using this material, Blazdell created patches on my Polyend Tracker+ and performed a live improvisation, which was recorded in a single take.

A real journey through electronic abstraction and through his creative mind, Blazdell is able to use unconventional techniques to create musical illusions. At times, he reproduces the warmth of the cello, the airiness of the flute (“D01i”), or the brightness and shimmer of horns (“A01”); at others, he recalls some of the avant-garde and musique concrète works of the 20th century. Elsewhere, the music appears both steamy and liquid, as in “D01iii”, or almost gamelan-like in “C06”. There are textures and sounds (“C04” and “C05”), as well as what could initially appear to be sound experiments (“A02”, “A04”), with sounds that seem borrowed but are, in fact, entirely original within the context of Remarkable Procession.

The album alternates electronic collages with sound explorations, creating a sense of movement and dynamic progression throughout Blazdell’s tribute. His music is always layered, but never robotic. In fact, he makes a point of using the sequencer as a natural instrument, improvising through it in a single take rather than experimenting endlessly on a workstation. This approach is what makes his music so organic and, despite its extremely modern grammar and vocabulary, incredibly human. His music is also full of spontaneous events and what appear to be musical glitches: unexpected sounds and interruptions that momentarily disrupt the experience without ever disturbing its flow, as in “B04”.

Blazdell’s musical language has become a signature, and through his works and collaborations, he has created music that is instantly recognisable. Remarkable Procession is a deeper immersion into the sonic world of the composer and a real voyage into his creative process. The fact that all the music is improvised emphasises the direct connection between process and finished work, while also providing a wonderful illustration of the creative use of technology at the service of artistic expression.

 

If Remarkable Procession is entirely based on the music of Mark Fell and Studio Dan — and, in a sense, a sort of musical collage of it — the result is nevertheless entirely original. More importantly, it sounds like Blazdell, first and foremost. Rather than simply reproducing or transforming the source material, he reappropriates it, processes it and makes it his own. In doing so, Remarkable Procession becomes not only a response to another work, but a demonstration of how technology can be used as an instrument for listening, interpretation and, ultimately, creation.