Simon Wickhamsmith | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Simon Wickham-Smith |
Born | February 2, 1968 |
Origin | Rustington, England, United Kingdom |
Genres | Experimental, digital, |
Occupation(s) | Musician, translator, academic |
Instruments | Vocals, computer, various |
Years active | 1987–present |
Labels | Disposable Thumb, Pogus, Tape Drift VHF Records |
Website | www.wickhamsmith.net |
Simon Wickham-Smith (born Rustington, East Sussex, 2 February 1968) is a British musician, translator, academic and sometime astrologer. He first came to the attention of the experimental music underground with the release of Lake, a collaboration with Richard Youngs issued under the moniker R!!!S!!!. He and Youngs would go on to make many more albums including Ceaucescu, Pulse Of The Rooster and Metallic Sonatas for labels such as Forced Exposure, Majora and VHF. He has also released a handful of solo albums, including Love & Lamentation. He is an occasional member of the Helsinki Computer Orchestra, an indication of his move towards computer-based music during the late '90s and early part of this decade. A new collaboration with Richard Youngs was released in 2006, the product of a five-year plan in which the duo recorded just 10 minutes of music each year. The album was titled 5 Years.
In 2006, with Pekka Kumpulainen, Wickham-Smith began the Inari Festival of Experimental Music (iFEM) in northern Finland. This small scale musical festival is thought to be the world's most northerly music festival.
In addition to his musical activities, Wickham-Smith is a member of the Association of Professional Astrologers and, since 1998 has been researching the astrology of transgender and intersex people. He intends to publish a book on this subject.
In the early 1990s, while living in Davis, California, Wickham-Smith began studying Tibetan and Mongolian as a hobby. Towards the end of that decade, he decided to concentrate on Mongolian literature, and although without an academic degree in this field embarked upon a translation into English of the complete poetry of Danzanravjaa, the fifth Noyon Khutughtu of the Gobi (1803–1856), which was published in 2006. In 2005 he spent several months in Leipzig, Germany at the department of Central Asian Studies to publish a book about Tibetan folk Tales with the help of students. He has since published translations of many works of contemporary Mongolian literature, including Golden Hill (Altan Ovoo) by Mend-Ooyo Gombojav and The River Flows Gently (Gol Us Namuuhan Ursana) by O Dashbalbar.