skioakenfull's blog

Out now on digital platforms, ‘Fifths’, originally released in 2000 as a single from my debut album ‘Life Changes’. It features the incredible Jazzanova nu-jazz ‘6 Sickht’ mix 😍

I’m delighted to announce that the song 'Where Did The Love Go?’ which was originally released as a single by Columbia France in 2000 is reissued today (9th February 2024) on all digital platforms.
The release is part two of a set of remixes by myself, La Plage and the late great Phil Asher (aka Restless Soul)

I’m delighted to announce that the song 'Where Did The Love Go?’ which was originally released as a single by Columbia France in 2000 is reissued today (2nd February 2024) on all digital platforms.
The release is part one of a set of remixes by myself, Bruce Keen and EDP (aka my K-Creative bandmate Jim Carmichael)

I’m delighted to announce that the track ‘Undercover’ which was originally released as a single by Columbia France in 2000 is reissued today (29th December 2023) on all digital platforms.
The release features the original version from my debut album Life Changes, alongside excellent remixes by Silicone Soul and The Phunk Master.

I’m delighted to announce that my debut album ‘Life Changes’ is being re-released digitally on the 8th December 2023. Originally released back in 2000 by Columbia France, it features a whole host of amazing guests. I’ll be posting some more clips and memories over the next couple of weeks. Many thanks to Johnny Chandler for making it happen, all the kind folks at Sony France, Guy Trezise my manager at the time, and Marie Gomis-Trezise who signed the album!
There’ll also be further rereleases in 2024 🤩
Links to stores here: https://legacyfrance.lnk.to/LifeChanges

I’m delighted to announce that my second album, ‘Rising Son’ is available today on digital platforms. Originally released in 2005 on Bluey’s ‘Rice Records’ imprint, the record marked an important moment in my career and is a project I hold very dear to my heart. My first album ‘Life Changes’ had come out five years earlier, and in the years after, I was very busy with production and remix work, as well as writing and playing keyboards with 2 Banks of 4. Since the mid-nineties I’d built up an amazing working relationship with Bluey from Incognito, which meant that I regularly found myself at his studio, The Blue Room, writing and producing on various projects. Bluey’s son, Daniel (aka Dokta Venom) was often there too, and in 2001 I was lucky enough to work on the ‘Para:Diso’ project (a Bluey/Venom production). Dan and I shared a lot of musical influences such as David Sylvian, Johnny Marr, and Theo Parrish, so when Bluey asked if I wanted to make an album with Daniel for his label, I jumped at the chance. 

Primaudial Records are excited to announce the release of ‘Sound Travelling’ which is Ayota’s fourth album, and follows the 2015 release of ‘Floating Worlds’. Ski Oakenfull wrote and recorded the album over five years, and it features many field recordings from Japan, as well as collaborations with vocalists Chihiro Butterfly and Rei Usui

Listen and download on all digital platforms
Or purchase directly on Bandcamp

In this video tutorial series by Computer Music Magazine, Ableton Certified Trainer Ski Oakenfull shows you how to make a track from scratch with Live Lite. Once you’ve watched part one about downloading and installing the software, check out these five videos to learn how to use it to compose, arrange, and finalize a song.

Alongside the 6-part series of tutorial videos about Ableton Live 11 Lite I made for the Feb '22 issue of Computer Music Magazine, I also did an interview. The one that was published was quite radically cut down, so here's the interview in full:

Can you give me a biog about yourself, how and why you got into music production?

My two main obsessions growing up were music and computers, so I suppose it was inevitable that I would end with a career producing music on a computer! I started learning the piano from six years old, as well as singing in the school choir. I was an 80’s kid with home computers in their infancy, so the first sequencer I used was called ‘MIDItrack Performer’ using an EMR interface on a BBC B computer. I connected my Yamaha DX-7 and Roland S-10 sampler, and together with a Yamaha 4-track cassette recorder (borrowed from my uncle), I was making early demos in my teens. At the same time, I was in a band at school, and we used to spend weekends rehearsing and playing gigs whenever we could. Our school friends were really supportive, making flyers and turning up to our small gigs.

Once I left school and went to University in London, I continued to get together with my school bandmates to work on demos. We were called ‘The K-Creative’ and influenced by Hip Hop, House, and Jazz. It led to us being signed to Gilles Peterson’s Talkin’ Loud label in 1991, and this was officially the start of my music career.

After releasing our debut album ‘QED’ we ended up going our separate ways, but I started to work more on my production skills, writing with other artists, making radio jingles, and playing at jam sessions to build up my network of contacts. This eventually led to a record deal with Columbia France in 2000, and I went on to release three solo albums, ‘Life Changes’, ‘Rising Son’ and very recently ‘Short Circuits’. Throughout my career, I have also played keyboards with bands and artists like Galliano, Raw Stylus, Two Banks of Four, and Kylie Minogue, remixed over 50 tracks, and worked at Xenomania. I currently release music on my own label, Primaudial Records, continue writing and producing with artists such as Incognito, Dave Lee, Duke Dumont, and Valerie Etienne, as well as having an ambient electronic project called Ayota.

And how did you go from there to become an Ableton Certified Trainer?

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