"The ‘Oxford Hot Air Balloon’ sample was like nothing I had really heard before and I was instantly drawn to it. It had a certain tonality, colour and texture that I felt could be used as the basis for a composition. I wanted to use the sample in its entirety, perhaps as a pedal note running throughout any resultant piece of music. Along with the additional hint of ‘Autumn’ I was taken to the skies and glens of the Scottish Highlands with images of soaring Golden Eagles. I found myself thinking of a place called Loch Earn where, rising from the water’s edge during the autumn months is a forest of ever-changing autumnal colours. I really wanted to focus on this image as I wrote ‘I am the Air’ using the ‘Oxford Hot Air Balloon’ sample as a constant backdrop."

Hot air balloon preparation reimagined by Simon Holmes.