The first picture is the bC16 being played using a Handera 330 running Theremini. The second picture is using BeatPad.
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.
MG – MG
I’ve been looking forward to this album since the single was released which was really good, and I think it did deliver. It’s a very cinematic album, and I’ve been enjoying that quality a great deal. But overall this album does feel like an instrumental Depeche Mode album. Not that that is a bad thing necessarily. In fact it probably says a lot about how Depeche Mode works more than anything.
Overall I liked it. I think I probably need to listen to it again though. Probably in a bit more depth.
Depeche Mode’s Delta Machine
I’ve been listening to this album again after a long time and really enjoying it all over again. Listening to it reminded me just how long it has been since they released an album, and made me wonder when they’d do that again. I realise that as they all get a bit older they’re going to make less new stuff, but I really hope that it’s not over yet.
The bC16 layout
On the theme of the bC16 I thought I’d post this very useful image of the control layout. It will be the start point for all my patches too as it is very clear and simple.
35 years as a solo artist is some achievement
And he’s still making incredible music. Even though I think I have most of the tracks on here there are a few that are new so I’ll get it anyway. I love his sound and I hope that he keeps going for a long long time to come.
And then there was another new album coming from Blancmange
Apparently this will be available at the gigs starting in May. It’s an instrumental album from Neil Arthur and I’m looking forward to hearing it.
Simple Minds at Record Store Day
This is a great track from Simple Minds and another ‘must have’ on my Record Store Day list. So I was really happy to get hold of it.
Generally speaking I preferred their earlier stuff, but actually this was a really good song and a lovely picture disc too in this version.
Blancmange at Record Store Day
This was one of the things I wanted most to get at Record Store Day this year, and I did. Although I had to get it at Sister Ray, who I thought were really good at organising themselves this year.
It was worth it too. A really good 12″.
Sylvian / Sakamoto … Bamboo Houses RSD release
This is one of the things I really wanted to get this year at RSD. I have the tracks already, in fact, I think I have multiple versions in multiple formats too, but that’s not what this is about.
The two songs are really important to me. They bring back special memories, and any opportunity to have a new version or iteration, even in just the packaging, well, I’ll take it. This edition, for Record Store Day, is rather lovely. I’ve played it once, just once. That’s enough. It’s a thing of beauty, and I’m glad to have it.
My Record Store Day experience
This is the third year I’ve been along to Record Store Day, and personally I think it’s a great idea and I’m a big fan of it. This year I thought I’d put down a few thoughts about the event and what I think could be better for next year.
I started off the day at Rough Trade East. I expected to queue up there and that is exactly what I had to do. Queuing from 8 am until gone 10 am is rough though, and it was cold and windy. But, finally I got in and was able to have a look for the Record Store Day exclusives I wanted to buy. Sadly only 2 of them were available. Rough Trade was a bun fight to be honest. It’s the same as it has been in previous years, but I just don’t think it’s very well organised, and I don’t like it.
After that disappointment I headed over to Berwick Street. It was approaching midday and they had a lot going on over there, so I thought I’d try out Sister Ray and see if there was any chance of getting any of the other items I’d hoped for.
Of course, the queue there was pretty long too. Not as long, but long enough. However, this was a much better managed queue. Sister Ray staff came out and handed out stock lists so people could see what the store had. They were also available to people in the queue to tell them if a given item had gone out of stock or not, which was very useful. As you got closer to the store itself we were asked to write down the items we wanted and given a ticket number. These were collected so that the items you wanted could be prepared for you by the time you got into the store.
Overall my experience at Sister Ray was far more positive than Rough Trade. Sister Ray were organised and prepared and helpful. I really appreciated that. I think that next year I’ll start there and not at Rough Trade.
I am Ashley Elsdon 