The company was conceived by Simon James in collaboration with Raymond Denham and incorporated in August 1987.

From the beginning, the emphasis was on the use of original music, exclusively designed to fulfil the requirements of our clients in TV, Film, Theatre and Corporate Video, whilst retaining the freedom to develop new and exciting projects.

Designer Music has been involved in a wide range of activities, from experimental recording techniques (see `Home and Studio Recording' - July 1988) to contemporary settings of Shakespeare's songs; from music for Lancia, Suzuki, and London Zoo, which included a specially commissioned piece for the visit of the Chinese delegation to the Panda enclosure (1992), to the theme music for Channel 4’s series the Complete Skier (1990) or Sky One/Mainline TV’s 13 part documentary The Serial Killers (1995/96). In theatre we have provided all the music, through arrangements and original works, for Sylvia Syms show ‘Mothers and Daughters’ which has been touring for over ten years and contributed to Sir John Mortiner’s ‘Mortimers Miscellany’ and Louise Jamieson’s new show ‘Sex Wars’. We have even written music for Playboy TV.

Our own projects include the recording of Oscar Wilde’s Fairy Tales with original scores and celebrity readers. Fundamental support for the chamber opera written by Simon James entitled Colour Of The Wind (1994/96), including a series of live workshop performances at the Actors Centre in Covent Garden and the creation of the contemporary latin jazz band Kymaera in 1998 in which we were intimately involved.

We remain committed to the best of musical composition, whatever the style, and its integration into recording, broadcasting and the performing arts.