From a Bell & Howell cine projector in 1978 to four-speaker VCR cinema, from records and tapes to internet radio and spatial listening. James’s constant curiosity about how music is recorded, moved, shared and felt runs through every era.
1978◎TODAY
Dates follow James’s account where supplied. An early surround-sound interest is recorded without assigning an unconfirmed date to his first ambisonics experiment. Music release dates and the dates he discovered it are different things.
1978 → EARLY VCR YEARS
The room becomes part of the sound.
James recalls receiving his Bell & Howell Super 8 projector for Christmas with Animal House and a German-dubbed Bruce Lee film, Todesgrüße aus Shanghai (Fist of Fury). His early cine projection was followed by a VCR cinema setup with four speakers. He remembers that quadraphonic home-cinema experience as an early step in a lasting interest in sound around the listener. The VCR model, exact upgrade year and decoding method have not yet been specified.
Four-speaker home cinema · projection → videotape
Animal House · 1978 film artworkThe Christmas films · theatrical poster, not the Super 8 box.Reference →Todesgrüße aus ShanghaiGerman 1977 re-release poster for Fist of Fury.Reference →
EARLY 1980S / THE 48K YEARS
Records before the network.
Northern Soul, Motown, mod music and The Monkees were part of James’s early listening. The music’s original release dates often came before the time he discovered it. Records, sleeves and tape sat alongside the Spectrum.
Record collecting · vinyl · cassette
The Monkees · the sleeve James remembersDaydream Believer / Last Train to Clarksville.Reference →Mods Mayday ’79The 1979 edition listed in James’s collection.Reference →
LATE 1980S → 1990S
Longer mixes. A wider musical world.
Deep Heat compilations, house and dance expanded the collection. Tom Moulton’s tape-and-mix craft and Frankie Knuckles’s musical influence form part of the story James names. The Chemical Brothers later changed his direction in music.
Extended mixes · dance compilations · electronic music
Deep Heat · 1989From James’s Discogs collection.Reference →Deep Heat 5 · 1990Feed the Fever · period compilation sleeve.Reference →The Chemical Brothers · Surrender1999 album sleeve · another turning point.Reference →
1994–1999 / HOME CINEMA
LaserDisc nights. PlayStation roads.
James’s Pioneer LaserDisc years brought action films, science fiction and U2 concerts into the cinema room. In 1995 he added a PlayStation, with Ridge Racer among the games he remembers.
Pioneer LaserDisc · film collection · PlayStation
1998–2001 / STREAM
The listening room goes on air.
James recalls streaming over the LAN in 1998, then internet radio as jimthedj65 through SHOUTcast and Icecast. The collection became something he could share through a player, a server and a connection. His Burst work explored the delivery side of online media.
SHOUTcast · Icecast · Winamp · BurstWare
Winamp on the deskFrame from the locally preserved desktop film; a recreation of the period interface.Reference →PopMart · the media-delivery yearsFrame from James’s supplied concert collection.Reference →
2001–2016 / OPERATOR
Music becomes a service.
DMBG (Digital Media Bank Global) was James’s own company and vision for online media. In his account, Peter Gabriel picked up that vision from him. The next phase joined telecoms and media: Hutchison, then the December 2004 Wanadoo paid-MP3 launch across four countries with OD2 as music partner. Listening continued alongside the delivery work, including Armin van Buuren’s A State of Trance.
Music platforms · MP3 services · distribution
The click-wheel eraFrame from this site’s iPod film · a modern period-device illustration.Reference →The Chemical Brothers · Galvanize2004/2005 recording in the local listening collection.Reference →
2010S → TODAY / THE ONGOING BENCH
Keep the machines playing.
Reel-to-reel, cassette, DAT, MiniDisc and CD equipment remain part of James’s ongoing experimentation. His locally preserved films show the Revox and Technics equipment, the Sony DAT deck, spectrum displays and the physical pleasure of music technology. This is a continuing interest across career eras.
Restoration · recording · level meters · light and visualisation
Revox B126James’s own recording of the continuing hi-fi bench.Reference →Technics SV-D1100 DATHardware from the collection · frame from James’s local film.Reference →
2020S / NETWORK EXPERIMENTS
Sound out of the home, across the network.
James recalls streaming spatial audio from a home server through Diode, followed by video work across authenticated nodes. Music remained a reason to experiment with routing, delivery and keeping control of the system.
The current listening room brings the supplied recordings, track histories, original references and visualisations into this site. Both house mixes and the Chemical Brothers dedication connect the record collection with the technology that carries it.
Local playback · stereo analysis · archive preservation
THE CONTINUING CURIOSITY
Music, all around you.
James’s early four-speaker cinema setup grew into an interest in ambisonic technology and the wider experience of sound surrounding the listener. He connects that curiosity with the music now promoted under labels such as 4D, 8D and 12D.
Quadraphonic
Four-channel surround places sound around the listener. James remembers four speakers in his VCR cinema setup; the exact encoding or decoder is not yet documented.
Ambisonics
A way to represent a sound field, decoded for playback. It can be rendered binaurally for headphones; it is not simply another name for a moving stereo mix.
Binaural & “8D”
Binaural processing uses cues for the two ears to create a sense of direction. Popular “8D” mixes often move a source around the head. “4D”, “8D” and “12D” labels alone do not identify an Ambisonic format or a physical channel count.
Six local spatial mixes from the existing collection. These later recordings illustrate the listening experience; they are not recordings of James’s early cinema system.
Choose a track. Headphones reveal the stereo movement.
THE LOCAL LIBRARY / HISTORICAL ORDER
Every record has a place.
All 112 unique local audio-library items, ordered by the earliest year in their existing historical reference. Dates can refer to an original song, album or single rather than the supplied remix. Approximate dates remain labelled; undated mixes and desk recordings appear last. The six spatial-video mixes above are a separate collection.
112 recordings
1987
Suzanne Vega, DNA — Tom's Diner90's Club Dance Hits
1989
Black Box — Ride on Time90's Club Dance Hits
1989
Soul II Soul — Back To Life (However Do You Want Me) ft. Caron Wheeler90's Club Dance Hits
1989
Technotronic — Pump Up The Jam90's Club Dance Hits
1990
Black Box — Everybody Everybody90's Club Dance Hits
1990
C+C Music Factory — Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)90's Club Dance Hits
1990s
Le Click — Tonight Is the Night90's Club Dance Hits
1990
Madonna — Vogue90's Club Dance Hits
1990
Robin S — Show Me Love [1993]90's Club Dance Hits
1990
SNAP! — The Power90's Club Dance Hits
1991
Black Box — Strike It Up90's Club Dance Hits
1991
C+C Music Factory — Just a Touch of Love (Everyday)90's Club Dance Hits
1991
CeCe Peniston — Finally90's Club Dance Hits
1991
Crystal Waters — Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)90's Club Dance Hits
1991
K-klass — Rhythm Is A Mystery90's Club Dance Hits
1992
Bizarre Inc — I'm Gonna Get You90's Club Dance Hits
1992
KWS — Please Don’t Go90's Club Dance Hits
1992
SNAP! — Rhythm Is A Dancer90's Club Dance Hits
1992
The Chemical Brothers — Song to the SirenThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
1992
Utah Saints — Something Good (Original 1992 Official Video)90's Club Dance Hits
1993
2 Unlimited — No Limit90's Club Dance Hits
1993
Cappella — U Got 2 Let the Music90's Club Dance Hits
1993
Culture Beat — Mr. Vain90's Club Dance Hits
1993
Energy 52 — Cafe Del MarUntitled List
1993
Haddaway — What Is Love90's Club Dance Hits
1993
Real McCoy — Another Night90's Club Dance Hits
1993
Reel 2 Real feat. The Mad Stuntman — I Like To Move It90's Club Dance Hits
1994
Crystal Waters — 100% Pure Love90's Club Dance Hits
1994
Everything but the Girl — Missing90's Club Dance Hits
1994
JX — Son of a Gun90's Club Dance Hits
1994
Real McCoy — Run Away (US Version)90's Club Dance Hits
1994
Scatman John — Scatman (Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop)90's Club Dance Hits
1994
The Chemical Brothers — Chemical Beats (Extended Mix)The Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
1994
The Prodigy — No Good (Start The Dance)90's Club Dance Hits
1995
Ace of Base — Beautiful Life90's Club Dance Hits
1995
Diana King — Shy Guy90's Club Dance Hits
1995
La Bouche — Be My Lover90's Club Dance Hits
1995
Planet Soul — Set U Free90's Club Dance Hits
1995
The Bucketheads — The Bomb [These Sounds Fall Into My Mind]90's Club Dance Hits
1995
The Chemical Brothers — Leave HomeThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
1995
The Chemical Brothers — Life Is SweetThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
1995
The Outhere Brothers — Boom Boom Boom90's Club Dance Hits
1996
Amber — This is Your Night90's Club Dance Hits
1996
Ghost Town DJ’s — My Boo90's Club Dance Hits
1996
Gina G — Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit (Eurovision Version)90's Club Dance Hits
1996 / album 1997
Jocelyn Enriquez — Do You Miss Me90's Club Dance Hits
1996
Mansun — Wide Open SpaceUntitled List
1996
Quad City DJ's — C'Mon 'N Ride It (The Train)90's Club Dance Hits
1996
The Chemical Brothers — Loops of FuryThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
1996
The Chemical Brothers — Setting Sun ft. Noel GallagherThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
1996
The Prodigy — Firestarter CD VersionUntitled List
1997
Daft Punk — Around The WorldUntitled List
1997
Jai — I Need Love90's Club Dance Hits
1997
Jocelyn Enriquez — A Little Bit of Ecstasy90's Club Dance Hits
1997 / album 1998
Rockell — In a Dream90's Club Dance Hits
1997
The Chemical Brothers — Block Rockin' BeatsThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
1997
The Chemical Brothers — ElektrobankThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
1998
Alice Deejay — Better Off Alone90's Club Dance Hits
1998
ATB — 9 PM (Till I Come)Untitled List
1998
Eiffel 65 — Blue (Da Ba Dee) (1999)90's Club Dance Hits
1998
Faithless — God Is a DJUntitled List
1998
Jennifer Paige — Crush (Original Version)90's Club Dance Hits
1998
Mansun — Being A GirlUntitled List
1998
Mansun — LegacyUntitled List
1998
Sonique — It Feels So Good90's Club Dance Hits
1998
Stardust — Music Sounds Better With YouUntitled List
1998
Vengaboys — Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!90's Club Dance Hits
1998
Vengaboys — We like to Party! (The Vengabus)90's Club Dance Hits
1999
Armand Van Helden — You Don't Know Me (feat. Duane Harden)Untitled List
1999
Basement Jaxx — Red AlertUntitled List
1999
Cassius — Cassius 1999Untitled List
1999
Darude — Sandstorm90's Club Dance Hits
1999
Fatboy Slim — Right Here, Right NowUntitled List
1999
Moby — Bodyrock90's Club Dance Hits
1999
Moloko — Sing It BackUntitled List
1999
The Chemical Brothers — Hey Boy Hey GirlUntitled List
1999
The Chemical Brothers — Let Forever Be ft. Noel GallagherUntitled List
1999
The Chemical Brothers — Out Of ControlThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
1999
The Chemical Brothers — Under the InfluenceThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
1999
Underworld — Shudder / King of SnakeUntitled List
1999
Zombie Nation — Kernkraft 40090's Club Dance Hits
2000
A Touch Of Class — Around the World (La La La La La)90's Club Dance Hits
2000
Daft Punk — One More Time90's Club Dance Hits
2000
DJ Jurgen — Higher & Higher90's Club Dance Hits
2000
Ian van Dahl — Castles in the Sky90's Club Dance Hits
2001
Dirty Vegas — Days Go By (Original version)90's Club Dance Hits
2001
Kylie Minogue — Can't Get You Out Of My Head90's Club Dance Hits
2001
Pulsedriver — Cambodia90's Club Dance Hits
2002
The Chemical Brothers — Galaxy BounceThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
2002
The Chemical Brothers — Star GuitarThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
2002
The Chemical Brothers — The TestThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
2003
The Chemical Brothers — Get yourself highThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
2004 / 2005
The Chemical Brothers — Galvanize featuring Q-TipThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
2005
The Chemical Brothers — The BoxerThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
2006
Nelly Furtado — Say It Right · desk recording excerptDesk recording
2007
The Chemical Brothers — A Modern Midnight ConversationThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
2007
The Chemical Brothers — All Rights ReversedThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
2007
The Chemical Brothers — Battle ScarsThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
2007
The Chemical Brothers — Das SpiegelThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
2007
The Chemical Brothers — Do It AgainThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
2007
The Chemical Brothers — SATURATEThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
2007
The Chemical Brothers — The Salmon DanceThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
2007
The Chemical Brothers — We Are The NightThe Chemical Brothers - Greatest Hits (Album)
2009
Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina — Stereo Love90's Club Dance Hits
