I would be forced to buy everything.
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.
A bit live at WOMAD
This is from way back in the summer, but we did manage a couple of songs on one of the open mic stages at WOMAD, which was great fun actually. In fact, we should do it more often I think.
Re-listening to Concreted0g
I have known Concreted0g for a while now and I really do like his music, so when I was looking for some CDs and stumbled over this one again, which was the first CD of his music I ever heard, it was like bumping into an old friend again. It’s good to hear it again, and just as fresh as ever.
Of course, this is an electronic / circuit bent release, and is really only once facet of his musical talent. His more recent work is just as impressive but in a very different direction. He’s a talented chap you see, and I’m glad to know him.
If you get a chance to listen to his music, or indeed see him live, I’d grab it.
Molecule Synth
30 years of WOMAD
I sort of wish I hadn’t folded this programme in half, but I did, and I probably won’t keep it. It was one of the best programmes for WOMAD I’ve seen in years.
Lo’Jo at WOMAD
This was an interesting band that I ended up watching late night at WOMAD. Quite a cool live presence. I’ve located them on spotify now and so I plan to give them a proper listen.
DS Homebrew applications
My friend Concreted0g (Jo) sent me this GB adapter for my DS Lite, and I’ve been looking at some of the apps on there. I’m hoping to spend a lot more time with some of these as they are a part of the history of the early days of mobile music.
The Manganiyar Seduction by Roysten Abel
This was certainly one of the most visually stimulating shows at WOMAD this year. Even if you didn’t enjoy the music (which I did), just the set design on it’s own was really impressive. As you can see, all of the musicians were sitting or sometimes standing in these cubes with lights around them, and as they performed the lights around their box came on. When they weren’t performing their lights went off. There were 40 musicians involved in this performance which lasted about an hour and a half.
Aside from the visual spectacle the music was amazing too and included some really incredible performances. But the thing needed to be seen and heard as a whole really. It was made to be experienced as a package, and so I think it’s difficult to explain or convey just how good it was.
The Arboretum at WOMAD
One thing that I perhaps don’t mention to much about WOMAD is about what a lovely location and environment it is. The Arboretum at WOMAD is a good example of this. It is probably most impressive at night when the installations and displays are lit up and really make the environment come alive.
Though even through the day it’s a lovely place to amble through in between watching great music and finding interesting food. I think I spent more time there this year than in past years. Perhaps I had to spend more time reflecting this year.
The Correspondents at WOMAD
I did really like this band. They were a bit of a revelation and also in some ways a bit of an oddity from a WOMAD perspective. From a live perspective they were both amazing and somewhat pedestrian at the same time. The front man had more energy than you likely to see on most stages, but the chap driving the sound was really just a laptop operator. Not that there’s anything wrong with that at all, but I thought it was an odd contrast.
After WOMAD I looked them up on Spotify and listened to some of their stuff, which was good on the whole, it’s just a shame that there isn’t very much of it available.
I am Ashley Elsdon 