One small step for man; one giant leap for electronic musicians with a fax machine. This month, twins Klive & Nigel Humberstone of soundtrack duo In The Nursery.

ITN news

The writing nucleus of Klive and Nigel Humberstone was launched as In The Nursery in 1981, with a debut album When Cherished Dreams Come True following in '83. A unique sound was based around a backbone of orchestral percussion and military snare drum. Further classical influences, integrated with sampling technology, were unveiled with the release of Twins in 1986.

1989 saw the group move to Third Mind Records, who released L'Esprit, Sense and Duality amid acclaims for the 'filmic' nature of ITN's music - borne out by the recent release of their first feature film soundtrack: An Ambush Of Ghosts.

1 What was the first synthesiser you ever played?

"A Yamaha DX7 was the first that we played and hated ever since - but the first synthesiser that we bought and loved was a Logan String Machine, shortly followed by a Roland S-10."

2 Who is your favourite musical pioneer?

"Has to be Mr MIDI for allowing us to realise the music in our imaginations without being tied to the technicalities of reading and writing music."

3 What's the difference between Bela Bartok and Mr Blobby?

"Bartok is one of the great originals among 20th Century composers, whilst Mr Blobby is composed of pink latex rubber."

4 What's the difference between a drum kit and orchestral percussion?

"A drum kit is OK for your average 'couch potato' of a musician - but playing and incorporating orchestral percussion is just a tad more interesting and challenging."

5 Playing live: why bother?

"Nothing quite matches the instant feedback from a live audience. You can spend days in a studio environment and never come close to it."

6 Which record says most to you about music technology?

"Let's be obscure here - 'Walk On Gilded Splinters' by The Flowerpot Men, for the powerful fusion of experimental cello and programmed heavy beats - sadly missed."

7 What does the phrase 'multimedia' mean to you?

"'Expression', an artform for artists - a means to an end, a desire to communicate."

8 How do you react to hearing a sample of your music on someone else's record?

"I've yet to hear anyone use our material, but Ian Price from 808 State admitted to trying once. The closest we've been to being sampled was collaborating with Andrew Weatherall on the Sabres Of Paradise single 'Smokebelch', where on the David Holmes remix he used the military snare drumming of Q, our percussionist."

9 What is the next piece of equipment you would like to buy?

"An Alesis BRC and a second ADAT to keep our first one company."

10 Will technology become invisible?

"Only in the sense whereby 'invisibility' means that the machine is not ruling the mind, where ideas come first, and technology offers access to a wealth of different textures."