This time the spotlight falls to iLiKETRAiNS, or more specifically their cornet player/animator/projectionist, Ashley. I posted a few months ago about the DVD that iLiKETRAiNS brought out to accompany their debut album Elegies to Lessons Learnt. This DVD was soley the work of Ashley or his animating alter ego Broken Pixel. I always thought that the animation brought something unique to iLiKETRAiNS, and the addition of the projection screen to their gigs was always very interesting. I remember the first couple of times we were lucky enough to see iLiKETRAiNS live, Ashley was using an old slide projector and one of the most haunting but beautiful things I have ever seen was BEFORETHECURTAiNSCLOSE (Part i I think) being shown with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing to the beat on the projection screen. The projections were then upgraded to digital versions, and videos animated by Ashley accompanied the songs, making for a truly unique live experience.

However, Ashley announced at the end of July that he would be leaving the band. It seems to have been a mutual decision in the end and I think it was mostly so that that Ashley could have more time to pursue his animating and further the success of Broken Pixel. I personally wish him the best of luck, and hope that the unfortunate break with the band can open up new doors for him and he can continue to do what he loves.

His website can be found here and YouTube channel here. Hopefully there will be a future collabiration with iLiKETRAiNS but we can only see. For now we are told that iLiKETRAiNS are working on their second album so there is good news to be found somewhere in the music world at least.

Here is what I consider to be one of the best examples of Ashley’s work with iLiKETRAiNS. Enjoy.