Been contemplating the sound of bells. Not the whiskey (not a fan) the big things that hang from churches… Now I am not someone who is a fan of campanology. I am fascinated by the role that church bells have played within certain communities. These seems to be three purposes for the bells. A time-keeper,...
So the biggest fake fight for number 1 is thankfully now over. Rage Against the Machine is the Xmas number 1, instead of the X-Factor winner Joe something or other. We can all pat ourselves on the back to show how democracy and the power of crowds can overcome the establishment. Power to the people?...
Since citizensound set up, we have been providing more and more help to artists: From old school A&R services to fanbase management, from songwriting help to brand sponsorship and revenue generation ideas. Which is why we set up our Artist Development division. Then we met MIA ROSE, a talented singer/songwriter and a youtube phenomenon. Besides...
DIY culture is throwing up some interested new record labels, that are more than just labels, but are building on the relationship with the visual arts. Home Tapes, based in Portland, Oregon is home to a group of bands and musicians such as left field Hip-Hop stars CYNE and the excellent Slaraffenland, and a bunch...
Robert Wolf, London musician and drumming teacher to my son, is finishing up his album right now. Getting noticed is a big challenge for every musician, but there was something he said to me today that really resonated. He said is is going to make his music sound irresistible How many musicians aim for that?...
Once upon a time, artists struggled with the perfect running order of the songs for the LP (that’s a big round flat bit of plastic that sound came out of when it came in contact with a needle, and often came packaged in hideously/beautifully designed cardboard). Which songs should be on side 1, which on...
…Speech Dabelle. Wish I’d had the common sense to put a few quid on this, the citizensound favourite for this year’s Mercury Music Prize. And YES once again we got it right! Former Mercury Award winner and fellow citizen Paul Martin, who won it with Roni Size Reprazent in ’97 (famously beating Radiohead’s OK Computer)...
I admit to being a teenage vinyl junkie. The way the sleeves looked and felt, the way the vinyl sounded, and even smelt, made it a truly sensory experience that became almost a life long obsession. But in the late 80’s, like so many, I was lured by the portability and ease of use of...
Been around for a while but still the concept of a restaurant that shuts off your ability to view food is a splendid thing. The Nocti Vagus restaurant in Berlin provides an experience of food that demands you to depend on your sense of smell, taste, sound and touch. Much like Gordon Ramsay goes on...
Spending some time in Lisbon recently. A city that could be defined sonically by the cars rumbling over the bridge, the sound of the Tram bell, or this, the sound of a man calling out for people to buy the lottery ticket near to the fantastic Santa Justa lift… Lotteria man in lisbon by...
I have been experiencing the highs and lows of easyjet recently. The Easyjet Low: A 1950 flight from Madrid to London Gatwick gets delayed for 70 minutes because the guys checking the tickets at the Gate let on a passenger who was heading to Luton, not Gatwick. It took a while for the ‘extra’ passenger...
So I woke up and I am supposed to go and check out the nominees for the Mercury Prize, at The Hospital Club, at 11am..do music industry people even wake up before 11am? Kasabian played live right in front of me, while I was still trying to have my morning dose of caffeine, then comes...
