1 Giant Leap

1 Giant Leap is a UK electronica group and media project led by Duncan Bridgeman and Jamie Catto. Active from 2001, the project is built around multimedia work rather than a conventional band format, combining music, digital video, images, rhythms and spoken word into a single artistic statement.

Project concept and format

The pair set out to make a work that spans CD, DVD and cinematic presentation. Their approach involves filming and assembling material over a long period, with footage shot across six months forming part of the project’s wider structure. The project is framed around the idea of “Unity Through Diversity”.

The work also includes live presentation, with performances featuring a 10-piece band and cinema screens. The project has been presented as a collection of films and tracks exploring different aspects of human life and behaviour, including themes such as money, faith, sex, death, confrontation, time, blasphemy, unity, masks and happiness.

Collaborators and contributors

1 Giant Leap features a wide range of contributors from music, literature and film. Among those involved are Dennis Hopper, Kurt Vonnegut, Michael Stipe, Robbie Williams, Tim Robbins, Brian Eno, Baaba Maal, Speech, Asha Bhosle, Neneh Cherry, Anita Roddick and Michael Franti. The global journey behind the project takes in Senegal, Ghana, South Africa, Uganda, India, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, America and Europe, bringing together musicians, authors, scientists and thinkers.

Notable work

The song “My Culture”, featuring Robbie Williams and Maxi Jazz of Faithless, receives extensive airplay. The project’s DVD is described as a double-Grammy-nominated release, and the related film material includes a broadcast version titled The Making Of 1 Giant Leap, shown on National Geographic Channel.

Later project

A later 1 Giant Leap project, titled What About Me, is developed after nearly four years. It is described as a collection of twelve films and twelve tracks focused on the many ways people make themselves unhappy.