In our latest Alumni Spotlight, we turn to Jamie Hamilton, a New Voices 2019 alum whose adventurous work in sound, multimedia, and performance technology has carved out a distinctive voice in contemporary music. With his latest album Versionland releasing on 29th November 2024, Jamie continues to push the boundaries of genre and performance.
Jamie’s creations explore the intersections between sound, technology, and perception, often blurring boundaries through collaborative projects and immersive installations. His pieces have been performed, exhibited, and created in many contexts, ranging from an abandoned grain silo to concert halls and opera houses, reflecting the broad range of his creative explorations. Jamie’s broadcast credits include BBC1, BBC2, BBC4, and BBC Radio 3, amongst others. He lives and works in London.
New Voices Journey
Sound and Music’s New Voices was an artist development programme that ran from 2018 to 2022 which supported composers at pivotal stages of their careers to explore new sounds, ideas, and practices. Participants, including Jamie, received mentorship, coaching, and a financial grant to create and share new works.
Reflecting on his time in New Voices, Jamie recalls:
“Sound and Music’s New Voices scheme opened a lot of doors for me. Among the many benefits was that it acted as a seal of approval that allowed me access to a lot of wider funding opportunities and fruitful interactions with other arts organisations. This was huge for me, allowed me to successfully fundraise, which expanded the scale, ambition, and professionalism of my work.”
For Jamie, New Voices provided both the artistic space and institutional support to deepen his multimedia practice, allowing him to take on larger, more ambitious projects that have defined his career ever since.
Versionland: A Satirical Sonic Exploration of “The Hum”
Versionland, is Jamie’s new album, a collaboration with Phaedra Ensemble that dives into the curious phenomenon of “The Hum” – an inexplicable, low-frequency noise reported in various parts of the world and often associated with mysterious or supernatural causes. In Versionland, Jamie uses this phenomenon as a springboard for a satirical exploration of modern anxieties, conspiracy theories, and internet-age mythologies.
The album, a prismatic collection of compositions, combines instrumental music, sound design, and texts pulled from thousands of pages of online theories, conspiracies, and re-enactments surrounding The Hum. Jamie employed early neural network technology to reinterpret these sources, weaving them into scored pieces, improvisations, and experimental recordings. Through a process he describes as “machine listening,” he transformed these recordings into surreal soundscapes, creating a genre-defying, maximalist experience.
Versionland was released via Don’t Look Back Records on 29th November 2024. The ensemble for the recording includes mezzo-soprano Rosie Middleton, accordionist Christopher Preece, violinist Emma Smith, violist Rich Jones, and cellist Laura Moody, each contributing vocal and instrumental layers that give life to Jamie’s complex, abstract sonic world.
Current Projects: Expanding Boundaries in New Works
Alongside Versionland, Jamie is also working on a new string quartet for Phaedra Ensemble, which will premiere at the Music In The Round concert in Sheffield in January 2025. This piece further reflects his commitment to pushing the boundaries of genre and performance, blending acoustic and electronic elements to create a compelling sonic landscape.
Jamie has also been involved in several high-profile projects since his time in New Voices. His work Nattsong, a collaboration with poet Caroline Bergvall featuring new music by Gavin Bryars, integrated his sound design with live performances by mezzo-soprano Rosie Middleton. Additionally, his recent EP Three Fragments, released on October House Records, includes field recording collaborations with artists Mira Calix, Love Ssega, and Bishi Bhattacharya, performed by Phaedra Ensemble. Each of these projects exemplifies his dedication to multimedia-driven, collaborative processes.
Beyond his personal projects, Jamie also collaborates with other artists and musicians, creating bespoke electronic environments – integrating light, sound, animatronics, interactivity, and coding – to help bring their creative visions to life. He has curated performance events through the London Topophobia collective and remains an active member of Phaedra Ensemble, continually pushing the boundaries of experimental music and multimedia.
Jamie’s journey exemplifies the transformative power of artist development programmes like New Voices and In Motion. With the mentorship, resources, and support he received, he has expanded his practice, connected with wider audiences, and continued exploring the rich intersections of sound, technology, and belief. We’re thrilled to witness his evolving career and can’t wait to see where his innovative ideas will lead him next.
Join us in shaping the future of new music
As the UK’s national charity for new music, Sound and Music is proud to have supported Jamie on his artistic journey. If you believe in the power of new music to inspire change, please consider supporting us. Your donation makes projects like Jamie’s possible, helping composers innovate and share their voices with the world.
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