Chris is a Birmingham-based bass player, improviser and composer whose work explores the space between composition and improvisation through sound, electronics and collaborative performance. As bandleader of Gonimoblast, he has worked with Arve Henriksen, Maja Ratkje, Mark Sanders, Leafcutter John and Dan Nicholls, with releases on Stoney Lane Records. He also leads stillfelt with Thomas Seminar Ford and Percy Pursglove.
A central figure in Birmingham’s improvised music scene, Chris has collaborated with UK and international artists including Rachel Musson, Ken Vandermark, Paul Dunmall, Jan Bang and Erik Honore, and performs with the trio CollapseUncollapse. His artistic practice combines written material, improvisation, electronics, spatial sound and visuals, where written themes serve as departure points, destinations or fragments of group interaction.
This practice informed his PhD research What kind of music do you play? (2022), which examined meaning in improvised music through the interplay of writing and playing.