The Prospectors are a 12-strong band of disabled musicians who’ve been meeting once a week in Heaton Moor near Stockport for over 6 years to take part in creative music-making sessions and jams led by Drake Music. They blend live bass, guitar and keys with assistive music technology to create unique versions of pop and dance classics.
Ableton Live is at the heart of the Prospectors’ arrangements. Samples within Ableton are triggered using a range of switches, including hacked Playstation controllers. This breaks down the barriers the individuals face so they can create music.
The Prospectors were recently invited by Manchester District Music Archive to work with dance music pioneer and experimental artist Graham Massey on a short set celebrating both Greater Manchester music and some of Graham’s wider musical inspirations.
The results were performed at the city’s legendary Band on the Wall venue as part of the ‘Defining Me — Musical Adventures in Manchester’ project on Feb 24th 2014 and this video captures some of that work, along with views from the people involved with the project.
