Fire on the Lifeboat places Zeynep's music for piano under the spotlight.

Claiming her influences arise from every piece of music she has ever heard, Preston's Zeynep has clearly been listening with attentive ears. The pieces displayed on her myspace account show a clear understanding of the processes of composition and she seems to revel in the simplicities of melody that piano predecessors such as Michael Nyman have laid down throughout the classical genre.

There are certainly shades of Yann Tiersen and James Horner with all of her tracks; Zeynep professes to being a massive film fan and tracks such as 'Magic' and 'Ready To Fall' have enough atmosphere and ease within their phrases to perfectly soundtrack a whole host of movies. Yet, there is none of the anonymity that can be found in many composers who simply deal with scores. Each song takes up its own initiative and can be listened to within its own right, on its own terms.

Zeynep's most popular, and arguably most accomplished track is 'Empty Ballroom' whose swells and passages of gentle repetition take us through a spectrum of changes and movements, as the intricate melodies and flourishes are sustained and driven by the rhythm of the lower registers. Zeynep is a young musician with a great deal of talent and enthusiasm and her willingness to embrace other mediums beyond music, such as film-directing and performance, will also surely ensure a successful future.

Contributed by Fire on the Lifeboat.

Fire on the Lifeboat investigates free music on the web.

The psychadelic quagmire of myspace is no secret. Anything can be uncovered here. Diamond quality psuedo-electro gabba remixes of Christina Aguilera; veritable opal-and-topaz singer-songwriters baring their hearts for your broadband connection; the deeper echelons of Norwegian black metal complete with razor costumes and dwarf-train; lumps of militant militant feminist Grrrl power groups covering Enya on their Casio banks. The mine of internet music is deep and dark and the shop just ran out of head lamps.

All the more reason to get to it. Host your breakfast vocal creations, your orchestral manoeuvres in the bath, your stadium bedsheet rock on the internet. Reach an apathetic audience, attract unstable fans, rebuff record label advances… the world is your sitar.

Start getting the word around by sending your music sites to noisefestival@hotmail.com and wait, just wait, for them to be featured here.

In the meantime, here is some music that deserves to be let out into the sunshine, for these bands are embracing our medium and letting you download tracks from their websites for free. You have no excuse.

Wu-Tang Clan - 215 tracks, productions, demos and collaborations.
Dangerdoom - MF Doom & Dangermouse (of Gnarls Barkley fame) EP available.
Deerhoof - Noisy, eclectic, sonorous, melodic, unhinged rock.

“If music be the food of love, play on” wrote William Shakespeare in Twelfth Night.

In my opinion Mr Shakespeare was bang on the mark with that one. Music and love are often interchangeable, even in the impersonal, dog eat dog world of 21^st century

Britain. Music feeds love and love feeds music.

With such an important influence on the well-being of our hearts, it therefore seems criminal that it is only now that I am considering the talented musicians Britain has to offer, and for that I apologise.

Without further delay, I present to you K8, a 24 year old Londoner who has been making sweet music for 4 years.

K8’s incredibly unique sound lays catchy pop melodies over a combination of rock and dance music. The additional electronica element which features in most of her songs further enhances her originality.

The release of her latest tune Splash brings her total number of singles to 4. Splash is a toe-tapping little gem, with catchy lyrics and hair raising guitar riffs. K8’s pleasantly rocky singing style makes this number and must for your CD collection.

As if that’s not enough, her other 3 singles are equally memorable and I guarantee you’ll be humming the melodies after just one listen.

I know It’s You, her first release, is incredibly infectious. It contrasts soft, lilting, dido-esque melodies in the verses with a strong, electronica chorus. The result is a refreshing and original track which is crying out for clubland.

The net is teeming with talented music makers and I apologise, (again) for not including more of them. However, I was so impressed with K8 that I decided to dedicate an entire blog to her. But I promise to return to music very soon.

K8, you go girl! Get yourself involved in Noise, and let the rest of Britain share your wicked sound.

Chloe x