With a recent update to my website, I thought it would be a good opportunity to reflect back on the past nearly 30 years of my website. Even writing that statement now seems quite extraordinary – THIRTY years of maintaining an online presence is quite a commitment for anyone, let alone an independent artist.
Back in the early 1990s, the internet was still finding its feet. Dial up modems were the only way to connect to this mysterious new world. I had been exploring Bulletin Boards (BBS), posting under the alias ‘Shadow,’ on the Black Dog board. These were only text-based communications. Images appeared via text art or ASCII which meant you used your keyboard to create images with text symbols.
Internet connections were painfully slow. The joy of being able to download an MP3 via an online service meant that a very low-quality digital file could easily take 30 minutes to complete. Patience was most definitely essential in these times. And, if your telephone happened to ring whilst you were downloading, the line would be cut, and you’d be forced to start all over again.
Scannerdot V1 Obsolete
As such, developing a web presence was a challenge and well, how should it look? There was little to compare it to and how would you even begin creating this ‘thing.’ Step in Dorian Moore of Obsolete, based over at London Bridge in a complex shared with the Ninja Tunes label and others. Social events would regularly take place there with live music, DJs, accompanied by inspired conversation.
Dorian is a web designer and multimedia designer, who developed his skills in interface design in early web applications in the early 1990s, and joined web boutique Obsolete in 1995. He created my first website that told you very little about my work, offering more of an art experience than a standard biography and promotion.
Launching in 1995 the website extended from Obsolete itself, as you can see in the screengrab. My site sat comfortably alongside those of B12, Warp, Test Dept, Source Records, backspace, Ninja Tune, and remained in this state for five years. Viewers could press buttons on a keypad, watch abstract videos, listen to sounds and read quotes. Like all strong design, it was using the tools of the time, especially given the limited technology and bandwidth.
Interestingly, the website was also reflective of a late 1990s innovation too – Flash by Macromedia, which introduced the ability for websites to offer animation and video. So, they became flashier, quite literally, with improved ways to navigate and present ideas. Ironically, the development of such technology for all its good, also means the next stage in my website development is sadly missing. You can no longer view the old website as the media is now defunct.
Scannerdot V2 Friendchip
A conversation with friends a few years later led to the next developments. Friendchip, otherwise known as graphic artist Anthony Burrill and Kip Parker, worked mostly with clients in the creative arts from 1999 to 2002, designing sites for Kraftwerk, Kontakt, Antoni+Alison, Powerpoint and others.
They had the skillset to combine playfulness with positivity, creating websites that used analogue craft skills translated to the digital realm. My website with Friendchip offered a very light touch, using countless photographs of cuddly toys to display my discography for example. Again, it was a reaction against more traditional website designs and encouraged visitors to scroll through on a journey of discovery.
Scannerdot V3-5 Day for Night
Around 2009, my good friend Eric Scott in LA, offered to create a new website for me, and it felt like a good time to do this, especially given the recent developments in mobile technology. Eric runs a creative digital studio, Day for Night, which is a marketing and consultative studio. With the advent of iPhones, iPads, Android and so on, he was able to ensure that visitors could finally also enjoy my site on these devices.
In addition, his strategy included a comprehensive e-Commerce page, improving all shopping and downloading options, developing an exhaustive discography providing fan access to all matter of rich Scanner releases and downloadable media as possible, and, most significantly for me, offering access to my vast archive of newsletters.
I’ve been mailing out a monthly newsletter since late 1994, on the first day of every month. As yet, I’ve never missed a date, and so, to be able to offer a comprehensive archive of these to visitors, was essential. Even for myself, they continue to offer reference points for dates and projects. It’s never too late to sign up either. Join up here.
Eric very soon became known as the ‘Doc’ for his ability to fix website issues with great efficiency, and always stepping in to save me when something had gone radically wrong when I tried messing with the site, or updating a plugin.
Eric continued to regularly service and tend to the website over the years, and in 2018 created another entirely fresh look for it. Simpler, more accessible and faster than before too, and with ever increasing demands for content, images, videos, this felt increasingly important.
Scannerdot V6 – 2023
Beginning 2023, I decided it was time for a change again. It was partly about the psychology of change, offering a fresh experience might encourage viewers to view content they might otherwise have missed before, as well as ensure it could be found through search engine optimisation. This time Zarina aka Dutch Girl in London stepped in to assist with the transition, teaching me about SEO tactics and the performance of pages.
I also migrated my website from a bloated American company, who apparently as of December 2022 has around 21 million customers, to a smaller, friendlier British based company Lyrical Host. Remarkably, their tech team can assist almost immediately at times when I need help, and it runs just as efficiently as ever, at a significantly reduced price too. And, even better, they offer good things back to the world, planting trees, supporting education for girls in Mozambique and much more.
Despite everything I’ve learnt, I still tend to write longer sentences that are meant to be acceptable for web posts but heck, I come from a literary background, and enjoy the immersion of language. There’s still quite some housework to complete on the site, but as we all know, it’s like painting a bridge. Reach one end and you need to start all over again! I just hope that you will continue to enjoy exploring it.
