I wrote the first version of this piece of music a very long time ago. A friend had recently introduced me to the music of Satie and the Gymnopedies in particular.

I was learning to play keyboards at the time and played around with a similar feel on various pianos, including a glorious baby grand. This was later destroyed in a fire, it was a great loss.

The piece kept evolving and developing, far away from the original Gymnopedie feel. It really began to come together when I got a Casio CZ keyboard and created the “Pluck Sound”. This is what you hear at the beginning and comes and goes throughout. It's played on my trusty CZ1!

I was also influenced by the evolving nature of Philip Glass' music

My brother bought one of the first affordable drum machines, a Boss Dr55, often known as the Doctor Rhythm! Sadly that machine died a long time ago, but I have recreated it using samples and this provides the simple ¾ rhythm for the track.

I even did a live version with my band, Satsuma Nightmare! That was fun!

The first time I tried to record it properly, with multiple tracks, was when I got my Atari ST, with Cubase. I was learning how to use the software and it was only when I was well into the project that I realised the reason it didn't sound right was that I'd set it in 4/4 time. I couldn't figure out how to change it! After a lot of tinkering I abandoned it.

I return to it every so often and this is another in a long line of versions! I was discussing the Boss Dr55 Doctor Rhythm with my brother and we were remembering it fondly and how it helped us both as we were learning to play and compose. It was a quirky machine, with limitations, but it allowed us to program our own rhythms. I still love the sound it made.

That's when I decided to rebuild this piece and create a virtual version of the Dr55!

This one harks back to it's beginnings with the actual Pluck Sound, played on my real Casio CZ1, a recreation of the Doctor Rhythm and a guest appearance by my original Electronic Dream Plant Wasp Deluxe at the end, as a coda.

I always wanted an orchestral as well as electronic feel and couldn't have dreamed of getting close to that when I first composed it! I wanted a Glass/Satie feel to it and orchestrate it with Spitfire Audio instruments, including their BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover, as well as some electronic and synthesiser elements, not least the Casio CZ1 and EDP Wasp Deluxe. It's a very simple chord sequence and I use it a lot. This probably isn't the final version, but I hope you enjoy it!

Sadly my brother died before he heard it.

Here it is as a tribute to my brother Anthony Hickey - 1962-2020. The rhythm of life goes on.