One of the things I like about using the long delay and reverse reverb is it forces you to take the music slowly, and ask yourself the only question which matters in music: which note do I play next?
JD Roberts
@jdroberts.bsky.social
Musican, historian and biologist. Melodic ambient soundscapes and parasitic worms. He/him Researching hookworm, guinea worm, environmental history, parasitology, ecology, and Caribbean & Cornish history.
A poem I wrote on a very quiet bat survey last night: Above silver stars shine serene Nor is aught else to be seen Save shadowed trees and streetlamp glow Illuminating weary ecologists below
Maybe I'm just underslept from working nights at my non-history job, but the question of whether AI can do historical research (it can't) seems a bit secondary to me when so few trained historians are doing history because there's no jobs in it
One thing I think environmental historians need to shout about is that we see dramatic effects on the course of history arising through climatic shifts *which are tiny in comparison to those we are now beginning to experience*
Some people meditate when they need to relax; I get the instruments out
Did I mention I had a new track out? And that it's about a dragon living in an ancient burial mound? jdrobertsmusic.bandcamp.com/track/the-dr...
The Dragon is not a Metaphor, by JD Roberts
track by JD Roberts
jdrobertsmusic.bandcamp.com
New single! It’s time for some minimal fantasy ambient, blending deep, calm drones with an air of mystery. Sit back, relax, and descend into the dimly-lit barrow… jdrobertsmusic.bandcamp.com/track/the-dr...
The Dragon is not a Metaphor, by JD Roberts
track by JD Roberts
jdrobertsmusic.bandcamp.com
I'm not quite sure whether ambient reflects the peace and calm of the natural world, or prefigures a calmer, more reflective human world which we're yet to build
I still say the Greater Manchester Combined Authority was a poor choice of name: we should have called it the Mancunian Union
I've just updated the Ambient Leeds spotify playlist with some of the wonderful artists we've had so far this year! At some point I need to figure out how to copy playlists over to a less evil platform, but one thing at a time open.spotify.com/playlist/6IG...
Ambient Leeds
Playlist · Jon · 67 items · 5 saves
open.spotify.com
The hills are burning; my house smells of smoke. I'm trying to channel my grief for my land, its people, its animals, its plants, into my music, but I'm also grappling with a deep uncurrent of rage at the shills who turn a blind eye to their country burning to repeat their mindless talking points
Large skipper. The patterning on their wings always puts me in mind of a stained-glass window
My one-line manifesto for Extinction Studies: It must never be possible for someone to say "yes, it's a study of extinction, but is it Extinction Studies?"
Yay, a new paper on the history of one of my favourite parasites! And a long overdue English-language summary of the medieval Islamic sources too! jcpres.com/storage/uplo...
jcpres.com
Soldier beetle. When I was looking back through my photos from yesterday I found the compositional simplicity of this one very satisfying!
What is a parasite? Why are they so important for ecosystems and hosts? And what can we do to protect the 1000s of species at risk of extinction? A few weeks ago I spoke with a BBC Science Focus podcast about why parasites are awesome and you can listen HERE: open.spotify.com/episode/5864...
How parasites play a vital role as caretakers of Earth’s ecosystems
Instant Genius · Episode
open.spotify.com
Tune into this episode of the Edges of Extinction podcast @extinctionleeds.bsky.social to hear about insect extinctions, what these might mean for the world, and how they can be averted. 🎙️ media.leverhulme.ac.uk/podcast/wonk... #InsectWeek
A Wonkier World
In this first episode of the Extinction Studies Doctoral Training Programme podcast series ‘Edges of Extinction’, Sicily Fiennes and Diane Nelson talk to Chris Hassall about insect extinctions, what…
media.leverhulme.ac.uk
Took a trip to Stavanger in Norway last week: here's one of the things I made whilst I was there Most of my music is about place, so I always like to take the chance to improvise in situ, and respond to the place and the moment I'm in
I think there's a moral case for public transport, which is that driving makes you a worse person. No-one's a bigger arsehole than when they're behind the wheel
Tracey Hayes reflects on the cultural inflections of extinction in her latest PhD chapter. If the role of the archive is to preserve cultural traditions, what can they tell us about extinct creatures & what are the challenges of seeking out the extinct in the archive? www.york.ac.uk/anthropocene...
People always say phrygian modes sound dark, but I'm not so sure
The British political class: Why are so many young people out of work? This is deeply mysterious! All job ads rn: Minimum 3 years experience required
Took me a while to get round to reading it, but this is a very interesting paper, and a good example of properly interdisciplinary research done well! doi.org/10.1111%2Fel...
Black Death Land Abandonment Drove European Diversity Losses
Our analyses reveal rapid declines in floristic diversity at timescales coincident with the Black Death depopulation event, followed by a diversity rebound over subsequent centuries that mirrored the...
doi.org