Category: Music

Music is a huge part of my life so it’s almost certain that this category will have a lot of stuff in it.

WOMAD memories 1: Mitsoura

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As I was thinking about WOMAD I started remembering some of the high points over the years and I thought I’d share them. One such high point was when WOMAD was back in Reading, before it moved to Charlton Park in Wiltshire. I remember seeing Mitsoura for the very first time there. They were amazing. Something truly new and completely different from anything I’d heard before.

I went to see them again after that and bought their only two albums. I was disappointed that they didn’t do more. It was a shame that they only made those two albums, but that’s how it is. Even so, I’m glad I know their music. Glad I had the chance to see them live a couple of times. That was all down to WOMAD.

Back at the Liberty Festival with SoundLab

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SoundLab at the 2015 Liberty Festival
SoundLab at the 2015 Liberty Festival

So this is the second year I’ve been at the Liberty Festival with SoundLab. This year was a bit damp and wet, but fun nevertheless. We still had a lot of people come along and play and enjoy themselves, so it was a good day all in all. I’m glad that I was able to be a part of it.

iPads at SoundLab Liberty Festival 2015
iPads at SoundLab Liberty Festival 2015

Even though it was wet we had a steady stream of people wanting to try out new ways to make music, and experiment.

A bit of Theremini and AlphaSphere
A bit of Theremini and AlphaSphere

A day at WOMAD

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Obligatory WOMAD flag picture
Obligatory WOMAD flag picture

I wasn’t able to spend the whole weekend at WOMAD this year, I was only able to go for the day this year. Which was ok. The weather was pretty awful on the Friday, so the Saturday was a good option in the end.

So as always here’s the obligatory photo of the flags. I think you have to take one as part of the terms and conditions of the ticket. I heard a few interesting things on Saturday. Possibly the most interesting was Hannah Peel, who I’ll be listening to some more of soon enough.

It was also good to see Hossam Ramsay doing a workshop at WOMAD this year. Quite a while ago I did a workshop where Hossam taught for a day, and that was excellent. I really enjoyed it.

Hossam Ramsay at WOMAD
Hossam Ramsay at WOMAD

So I’m glad I went. It was good to meet up with some old friends and see how the festival has come on in a year. I’ve been going for a long time now, not as long as some of my friends though, and it’s sort of become an annual tradition.

I like WOMAD, but this year it felt a little crowded. I’m not sure why. It was good to go for the day, this year that was enough for me.

So I’m trying out Apple Music

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So Apple’s new ‘Spotify killer’ service is here. I’ve decided to try it out to see how good it is. So far, I’m not sure I particularly get what all the fuss is about. However, One thing I’m not sure I quite like is the fact that everything is now in iTunes. My library and everything else all in one place. I’m not sure I’m going for that quite.

We’ll see how it goes, but for now I’m actually preferring Spotify a lot.

Considering going to WOMAD this year

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Obligatory flag shot
Obligatory flag shot

I think I’ve been going for about 10 years now, so in some ways it would be a shame not to go, but the line up isn’t inspiring me this year, which is a shame. I’m thinking about it, but not convinced as yet. I may just go for the day. I’ve done that a few times before and it’s ok. Not the same as being there for the weekend, but if the weather forecast is bad then it’s a viable alternative to a damp weekend.

I’ll keep thinking about it for now.

IMG_2350

What started me thinking about it was listening to this box set from last year, which has got some excellent tracks on it.

Audio Unit Extensions on iOS, yes, that’s coming

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So it seems that we’re getting audio units on iOS, and more than that we’re getting audio units that go across both iOS and OSX. All in one go. Now that will be interesting, or at least it could be. The down side from my perspective is that I think it makes mobile more and more like desktop computer music. I’m not entirely sure that’s a good thing.