'Amber Dawn (Twilight Mix)' was great fun to do. I was playing the original version one day last year, and out of nowhere this bubbling sequence line popped into my head. It wouldn't leave me alone, that sequence line. It kept gnawing away at my brain until I was forced to sit down and do something with it, just to shut it up. Of course, bubbling sequence lines don't usually fit too well with ballad-style rhythms, so that had to change as well... and as that changed, so did quite a lot of other bits.

'First Light (The Awakening)' was written relatively recently. It was a beautiful Spring morning and I was standing by the river at the bottom of my garden, literally overflowing with happiness because I was watching a truly incredible sunrise with a really good friend at the time. I have a 'thing' about watching sunrises and sunsets, especially when the experience is shared with someone I care about.

'Firewalk', 'Ephemeris' and 'Where Times Collide' were all originally supposed to be part of a game score that I started to compose whilst simultaneously working on Innersense. The game got scrapped but the music didn't. I'd considered expanding these tracks, as they're all quite short due to the purpose for which they were written... but then I realised that maybe their very brevity is the reason why I like them and the reason that they work.

'The Azmara Variations' is in fact the very first version of 'Azmara' that I ever wrote (there were several!) For some unknown reason I decided that it needed to be longer on 'Shadow of the Wind'. I prefer this version though, mainly because it has an introduction and because it concentrates almost exclusively on the main melody. This is usually the version that gets played live.

'Ever-Changing Calm' could equally have been entitled 'Bekki goes mad with a sequencer'. This was another one which was plain fun to do. It was conceived just after I wrote 'Elysian Fields', but it got shelved for ages because I got sidetracked by composing 'Shadow of the Wind'. I forgot all about it until I found it on my computer earlier this year. Writing this one made a change from composing orchestrak-style bits and pieces.

'Xanthe's Garden' is a track which pre-dates 'Elysian Fields' in a way, because it was inspired partly by an oboe melody which I wrote as one half of the synth/vocal duo 'The Pleasure Principle' many years ago. So many years ago in fact that I was still in my teens at the time (yes, THAT long ago!) my long-time friend and musical partner of those days, Paul Bromley, deserves a mention for this track too, because the original version benefited tremendously from his input. Oh, and for those who may be wondering, yes, we derived our moniker from the Gary Numan album of the same name.

'The Human Edge' was originally meant to be a companion track to 'A Breath Away' and 'Torn' on 'Innersense', under a different name. It was originally supposed to slot in somewhere between those two pieces. Unfortunately however, I didn't manage to complete it in time. I'm actually kind of pleased about that now though, because it's ended up on this album instead.

'Amber Dawn (Original Version)' was written in between 'Shadow of the Wind' and 'Innerense', when I commissioned by BBC Radio Derby's Ashley Franklin to compose a track for the charity compilation album 'The Sky Goes All The Way Home'. The melody that I came up with for this piece has always been one of my personal favourites, and as such I always thought that this track deserved a place on a solo album as well. My only regret is that back then I didn't have the facilities to play a real flute on it. Still, no matter. I like this one regardless. Incidentally, this one was also inspired by a sunrise.

This album is dedicated to my mum, Kris. She's not just my mum, she's also my best friend, not to mention my guiding light and my tower of strength - and she's been that way for as long as I can remember. Truly a lady in a million, she's one of those people whom it is a real privilege to know. So this album is for my 'sweelo' - because sometimes, the words 'thank you' and 'I love you' are quite simply nowhere near enough.

'The Human Edge' is dedicated to my dad, Derek, who passed away in October 2005 following a brave and lengthy battle with cancer. I'm so glad that my family has always been unbelievably close, because at the end, there were no words left to say, only cuddles to give. Wherever he is now, I know that my dad can hear this one, and feel the love within it".