Day 24: Wizardry

My eyes are stinging from all the Abletoning I have done today. The shitty windy weather (that was blowing the mad heavy chairs around outside) was a good enough excuse to indulge in some hard core tune making.

Well I say making... I really mean fucking around. I got my hands on some awesome stabs... not going to say much more at this point, but I nearly exploded when I heard them.

My midi controller was giving me some jip tho, took me hours to work out what was going on. Then magically just started working, almost as if to spite me.

I'll be an Ableton Ninja before you know it.

I even managed to have a sly mix, I mean this was meant to be about DJing after all.

So the bad weather was to my gain. Despite again having a hangover. I probably shouldn't get used to working like this.

p&&l

bang!

Day 23: Grrr it's those Bloody Beetroots

Ok, in all fairness this week has been one of the more stressful ones of late. Just day to day shit, but it builds up doesn't it.

Time to blow off some steam (and maybe make a fuck off curry just for good measure).

Also I am pleased because the Bloody Beetroots are playing in Barcelona in February, so I thought it would be rude not to pop up and see them.

If you don't know them... they are possibly my favorite DJs right now... mainly cos they do it how I like it... big, brash, don't give a fuck. You wont see any beard stroking here that's for sure... And they have it when they DJ too... which quite frankly if you DON'T freak out to your own music... what the fuck are you playing it for.

Bloody Beetroots at Dim Mak Tuesdays
Cargado por eddie-v

Love that shit.

I nearly missed raving the first time round (only really starting going late 93, early 94). Now that it's back in fashion I don't want to miss it again... especially in today's current 30second lifespan climate.

See you at the front mate.

p&&l

bang!

Day 22: Hangover progress.

Ok, so after my super long and tense day at work, I was itching to blow off some stream last night (which was probably evident by my abrupt post). I managed to get hilariously drunk in a very short space of time.

I enjoyed meeting José and Rocio, and can definitely see me jamming with Jose in the future.

Today I have been maxing out Ableton like there was no tomorrow, and although it was just one long uber jam... and basically we recorded and saved nothing, my knowledge of the software is growing fast, and I definitely feel that I might dip a toe in the production waters very soon.


Have even been doing a little bit of old fashioned DJing, what are the odds of that. I might even try and be clever and merge in a DJ set with an Ableton jam... tho I probably need to grow a bigger beard before I am allowed to do that.

ttfn p&&l

bang!

Day 21: Man....

G'ah super long day at work. THANK GOD it's a bank holiday tomorrow.

Gonna have a right raving mix-up, and sesh out the Ableton with my amigo. So all about the practice tomorrow.

Tonight I am with the Sandwich Maker...

Sorry time for a beer.


p&&l

bang!

Day 20: WE B MP3

Afternoon...

After yesterdays unprecedented mid-week flurry of pro activity, I though I would try and keep the momentum going. I was going to write a full press release and start firing it out, but then I decided I wanted to dedicate a proper afternoon to that, so tonight was all about the quick fix.

An easy way of getting my mix out I decided would be to upload it to The Mixing Bowl, which if you don't know, is easily the best place for DJ sets online.

Bang the DJ's mix, so hot it melts away clothes.

Also, I am lucky enough to be affiliated with datatransmission and have updated my profile on there with my BTDJ credentials. I am long overdue contributing some articles to them, and it's a great contact to have so, definitely something to keep in mind.

5 People leeching my mix already... not bad.

p&&l

bang!

Day 19: Bah

The decision to blog everyday, while I knew it was an ambitious one, the thinking behind it was simple. If everyday i can at least do something, no matter how small towards becoming a DJ legend, then by default come the end of the year, I should at least be SOME way towards that goal. Even if its just 365 tiny steps nearer.

I mean even if those steps were really REALLY small, multiplied by 365 and its gotta be at least measurable.

Pic by Mad Hatter

The more astute readers amongst you however will have noticed that not everyday am I making progress. To a degree this can be balanced out by other days when I make bigger steps... but the enormity of my undertaking is starting to dawn on me.

Though as always I am using this to motivate me rather than deflate me. The playing field is level enough that it has to be worth a pop.

So today's small step, I emailed Annie Mac, Kissy Sell-out, Annie Nightingale and Mary Anne Hobbs @ Radio 1. All great DJs mad into the scene, and always full of great tunes. If anyone can spot raw talent it's them :D

Till tomorrow,

p&&l

bang!

Day 18: Pretty it up

Sunday... bloody Sunday.

Despite breaking my (short lived) abstinence from alcohol, surprisingly I have managed to get some shit done. You will remember I was looking forward to Jo and Luke's visit yesterday. Well it was great, not only a lovely evening, but we actually managed to have a bit of a Jam on Ableton.

To be honest I am quite excited about the possibilities. Last time I tried making music, it was madly complicated, very counter intuitive, and just generally frustrating. Well it seems that things have come a long way, and the whole experience is a lot friendlier.

I wont say it's easy, as that makes it sound like its drop and drag game like e-Jay (which I must admit I played with once and enjoyed!) however it has become LOADS more work flow friendly. As is the case with a lot of new web-sites etc "it just works" seems to be the mantra.

So when can we expect my first floor filler? Well ok so that still might be some time away, but I am definitely in love with it at the moment, and really can't wait to get stuck in after seeing what's possible.

As well as that... ( I know.. can you believe there's more) I have dusted of my photoshop cap, and muddled up some jazzy images.


Pretty aren't I.

The more observant of you will have noticed that I have given the BTDJ logo here a lick of paint too. I've even been proactive enough to add it to my myspace, which I have to say was surprisingly difficult to do. And that's from someone who works on the internet for a living.

Right, I've clearly exerted myself this weekend, so am probably due a cup to tea and a bit of a sit down.

p&&l

bang!