Welcome to sofacom
Great TV Masts of the UK, Great Lift Journeys of Norwich and more...
alpha seven (Pete Roberts) is an electronic musician and occasional ambient DJ. He combines field recordings with hardware and software synths (including 'home-made' Reaktor ones). Sofacom is the record label.
New album 30 October 2020
Clear Skies and Satellites
Available from online stores/streaming platforms such as: SpotifyLimited edition CD available from Bandcamp
Mostly recorded during lockdown, ten tracks in total:
- Watching for satellites
- Perugia mini metro
- Crystal Palace
- Cat-like typing detected
- A socially-distanced arrangement of chords
- Letting go
- Under a Norfolk sky
- Horology
- Call sign
- Lasdun
Says Pete:
This was recorded mostly during 2020 - in those strange time-distorted months in lockdown - less pollution and clearer skies, weird dreams, people finding nature and open spaces, looking out for each other, video calls largely sabotaged by cats - it seemed unreal, bizarre, terrifying yet hopeful.
Some tracks are inspired by memories of Norfolk - the beach at Thornham, or the ziggurats at UEA. And some by infrastructure, architecture or the high-energy antics of Reg the studio cat.
And some started from short samples from old cassette demos I found in a box - just doing my bit for recycling.
I've gone way more ambient towards the end of the album, I think in search of something calmer, possibly seeking a musical antidote to pandemic stress.
Comments on previous alpha seven releases
- "Beautiful, beautiful stuff" - Gideon Coe BBC 6 Music
- "It's lovely" - Full album review from Electronic Sound
- "Warm, quirky and strangely moving" - The Musician magazine
- "Stone cold classic" - Electronic Sound
Take a look around...
On this site you can browse the back catalogue, find out about the ambient SOFA club and the sofacom project and a little about Testcard F. We also host the A-Z of Norwich bands which Pete set up in 1994.