Lawrence Casserley has established himself as one of the most stimulating composers and performers in the British music scene. Sprung from the avantgarde and experimental circuit of the 1960s, his musical output has grown steadily over the past 36 years, covering a wide range of instrumental forces from orchestra and chamber works through to electroacoustic. It is however in the latter medium that Casserley has managed to maintain a distinctly uncompromising profile throughout the years. And when so many composers embraced the safety of the tape medium, he courageously continued to choose the more risky and adventurous path of live-electronics.

Unlike many other musicians working in this field, the electronic medium is for Casserley a physical extension of the musical mind and body - Marshall McLuhan's claim that 'technology is the natural extension of man' finds here an admirable example. There is always a natural cohesion between, say, a guitar and its electronic counterpart: one may be the transformation of the other, but the two sources are always one instrument. It is this unity that makes Casserley's performances so intriguing. And in the hands of the wizard, electronics become powerful means of expressivity and lyricism taking the listener through labyrinths of sound.

Much of his work has crossed media boundaries, particularly with his multi-media group "Hydra", and Peter Donebauer's "Video and Music Performers" in the 1970s; "Tube Sculpture" and the "Electroacoustic Cabaret" in the 1980s; and "Colourscape" from the 1990s onwards. More recently, he has collaborated with Colourscape artist Peter Jones on sound and light installations. He is best known for his work as an improviser, and he has performed and recorded with many of the leading European improvisers.


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