The plan is to meet at the White Hart, near to the Rugby ground, but there's a disco on, so we end up at The Kingsholme, a few doors down the road.

It kind of sums Project Twinkle up: they start off with one idea, and end up somewhere completely different.

Off the Record:

Simon Whitson is an affable man with a penchant for self deprecation. Sentences are forever punctuated with the phrase: "No. Don't say that. It'll make me sound really vain." I begin to wonder whether anything of this interview would get past his self-censorship.

"You know that film, Almost Famous. There's a line in it when one of the band members says to the reporter 'Just make us look cool'. I'm really tempted to say that to you," Simon says. There is no need. Project Twinkle (despite their name) really are cool, whether they say so or not.

The Best Laid Plans...

The original idea for Project Twinkle was somewhat different to the eventual outcome. The initial concept was for Stuart Smith (formerly of Ampersand) and Simon to gather around them a large group of musicians, DJs and singers, Polyphonic Spree style. Whether or not the Project would have worn quasi-religious robes is never mentioned.

Despite much advertising in the Gloucestershire and Bristol area, little came of it apart from "one DJ who said he'd like to be involved but didn't want to come to rehearsals." Surprisingly, this DJ was not called back.

And Then There Were Two:

Unperturbed, the Two S's carried on on their own. In retrospect, Simon thinks that this was probably for the best. Given the nature of what the Project was to become, it would have been difficult to accommodate anyone else.

"A lot of our time is spent sat at the computer and there would have been a lot of sitting around for everyone else. It wouldn't work. You need interaction between everyone involved. And the only was to ensure that is to keep the numbers as small as possible," Simon explains.

Collaborations:

So, for now, they seem to be happy to work as a twosome, although they are open to one off collaborations. Track Two on the Obscured by Light CD called "Enemies" was, to feature Liz Davis from Shelby.

As it happens, it didn't work out, and the track's vocal was recorded by Stuart. But that doesn't rule out future Project Twinkle projects involving other people.

Experimenting:

When talking about specific tracks on the CD, Simon explains that rather than trying to explore certain themes or convey a certain style, the just allowed themselves to be open to experiment.

"We'd both been in bands with guitars and drums: the chord of D, A and an E type of thing. So we wanted to move away from that kind of thing - to create music that was bigger."

Sounds Like...

Talk of what bands/artists they sound like is, ultimately pointless. They are so eclectic in approach that you would have to say that they either sound like nothing you've ever heard, or they sound like everything you've ever heard. There is chanting, there are computer game noises, there are pub conversations and there are Dr. Who sound effects.

So although Simon certainly would not go as far as saying that their work has been created in an airtight seal, he is keen to talk about "trying to do something different."

Never Mind the Monkey, Here's the Organ Grinder:

Simon's favourite track on the CD is "Organ Grinder". Perhaps it is because he had so little to do with its creation that he can lose his now familiar reticence. "It's been a tune that Stuart's been playing now for years. In his last band, Ampersand, he would always swap over to the keyboard and play it during breaks."

"Organ Grinder" was therefore the quickest track to produce, "only" taking three weeks. Meanwhile, the other four tracks took a year and a half to perfect between them.

Song Without Words:

Other favourite tracks include "Capaldi" due to its breadth of musical styles. It's a firm favourite of Simon's wife, Kate, who says that, though featuring no lyrics, it makes you want to sing along.

And then there is "The Return of Sun" which is all about looking forward to good weather on a miserable day. "The aim was to create the sort of feeling that a load of kids would have when they saw the sun coming out," Simon explains.

Spread the Word:

For the time being, Project Twinkle is in official Promotional mode. The aim is to get the tracks out to as many clubs as will have them.

As the music relies heavily on sampling and computer editing, performing at live venues is not an option for the Project as it would be with other acts, so they are having to rely on word of mouth to make sure they are heard.

All of Obscured by Light's tracks are freely available on their web site as well, which is sure to expose the Project to a wider audience.

"I'm past the age where I want to be in a band full time," says Simon. "Obviously, I'd love it if the project became self financing, but I think the main objective is to have fun."

Despite his modesty, he can't conceal his pride in what he and Stuart have done so far. "I like to listen to it - as a music fan, rather than just the person who made it. You've got to admit, there's some cracking hooks on it."

Yes. There are, Simon. There are indeed.

09/02/04 - First published on www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire on this link