Travellers on the East Grinstead line will soon have a soundtrack to their commute when the album 'Frequent Traveller' is released on 6th June. The album, the first of its kind, was made in unique circumstances, being written and recorded on the train journey from Victoria to East Grinstead and back over the course of a year.

Armed with a laptop, small keyboard and a good pair of headphones, Steve Spiro (aka Frequent Traveller) transformed the train into his recording studio, fusing soundtrack-esque electronica with traditional organic instruments, poetry and sound design.

Setting off from 'Victoria' the intensity of the music picks up as the journey does with the rhythmic drive of the train reflected in the pace of the pieces. Steve interprets the atmosphere within the train and the world whizzing by outside with a variety of electronic styles as the journey progresses from 'Riddlesdown' to 'East Grinstead'. As the city is left behind the music calms, reflecting the peace of the countryside.

Steve said:

"My inspiration for the music was the changing landscape I was travelling through, from the industrial decay of south London to the stunning countryside of west Sussex. Over one year I wrote twelve tracks, one for each stop on the line, evolving from harder industrial electronica, to blissful ambience as the album progressed and the journey neared its end. I created transitions between tracks/stops, using the carriage ambience and announcements from my journey and added poetry related to my experiences, plus the characters I encountered along the way."

The nature of the album's making came about as the two hour daily commute to and from work was the only spare opportunity Steve had. The rest of his time is spent with his family, or at his day job as co founder and Creative Director of Felt Music - a successful music sync/publishing company and recording studio in Soho.

Part of what Steve does at Felt is organise tailor-made composition and sound design, so it came naturally to him to make an album on his train journey to accompany it. Frequent Traveller is also composed to fit in real-time with the 18.23 journey from Victoria, so any commuters who want to road test this audio companion are welcome to do so!

Steve started his musical career as a record producer and remixer, working with artists including Pet Shop Boys, Talk Talk, The Farm and Imagination. Steve then went on to work with Paul McCartney's keyboard player/MD Wix and together they created the BBC theme tune for the Atlanta Olympics in '96, which was picked up by EMI & and went on to be a UK hit. They also scored the music for the clay-motion feature Hamilton Mattress, produced by the makers of Wallace and Grommet. Steve also wrote music for many high-profile TV adverts and programs including Sex and the City and Six Feet Under.

You can hear 'Frequent Traveller' online by going to http://soundcloud.com/frequent-traveller/sets/steve-spiro-frequent-traveller/s-UYje1

"Most impressive is the way the music seems to reflect the changes in the environment. The soundtrack works perfectly, providing an epic, cinematic backdrop. By the time we near our destination, I'm completely taken in. It is beautiful." The Word