b. Alan Bryden, Reading, Berkshire, England. Classically trained cellist Bryden makes chilled-out, jazz and funk influenced electronic music, with his tracks frequently appearing on compilations such as Back To Mine mixed by Groove Armada and The Chillout Session: Summer Collection 2003 on the Ministry Of Sound label. Signed to the influential Scottish dance music label Soma Records in the UK, his tracks have also been licensed to various labels in Europe and the USA, notably the respected US labels, Naked Music and Guidance. Bryden is also an accomplished left-field DJ, playing regularly in the UK and Europe. Bryden grew up playing the cello, achieving Grade 8 level and playing in an orchestra. While studying at the Glasgow School of Art, he met future Fenetik artist Daniel Ibbotson and began experimenting with electronic musical equipment. A Glaswegian DJ and club promoter set up Soma’s offshoot label, Fenetik and Bryden’s Sidewinder project found a home in 1998. A number of singles and EPs followed before his album debut, Resolution, was released in the UK in November 2003 to positive reviews. Critics noted its lush, melodic content and influences ranging across jazz, fusion, deep funk, and Detroit techno. In 2003, Bryden travelled to São Paulo, Brazil as part of a collaborative contemporary music project organised by the British Council. The project brought together a group of 16 musicians from both Scotland and Brazil. The collective then wrote a 90-minute composition that they performed at sell-out concerts in São Paulo and Curitiba.