I am Ashley Elsdon

someone who's doing some things

Full Blog

So many projects

Posted by on in MusicLeave a comment

And so many of them only half completed. Going through all my old tapes uncovered so many unfinished pieces. Projects started either on my own or with friends that never got off the ground.

Listening to some of them brought back good memories. Listening to others made me wonder what the hell I was thinking when I record them, and others still I had no recollection of whatsoever.

Whilst in many ways it is interesting to hear all this stuff, I’ve dumped probably in the region of 70% of the material I’ve made over the years and I’m still not sure about some of the stuff I’ve kept.

It has made me want to take a few of these old projects forward again, and perhaps that’s a good thing. Time will tell. Hopefully in a few years when I’m going through a similar process of review I won’t have the same experience. Who knows?

Sutton Environmental Fair

Posted by on in FestivalsLeave a comment

I thought I’d posted about this before, and whilst clearing a load of magazines and paperwork I came across the programme.

I went to the Environmental fair at the end of August. I hadn’t been to it in a while, but it was just as good as I remembered. The fair is a relatively small event, but it is a local event and has a real character to it, which it hasn’t lost at all.

There were 3 stages and some really interesting acts played, from the larger traditional band type format, to solo musicians and people doing some fairly experimental stuff for a local event.

I was so glad that I went to this fair, it always feels good to support local events and the stages were all powered by solar energy too. I don’t think many events can make that claim.

I’ll have to make sure it is in my diary again for 2011.

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Bro Ar Men at Beyond the Border

Posted by on in Festivals, MusicLeave a comment

I saw this band at Beyond the Border in the summer, and I really enjoyed them a lot. The guy playing the Mbira was a real character and really funny. He was also a great Mbira player amongst other instruments he played.

I wish I’d got their CD now.

More about beyond the border

Here are a few more posts about the Beyond the Border festival if you’re interested.

If you have never eaten one of these then you’ve never lived

The last time I went to Beyond the Border I discovered these. That was back in 2014. I’ve waited two years to have the pleasure again, and it was worth the wait. I’d hoped that these would be available again at Beyond the Border, and they were, possibly one of the best foods I’ve ever…

ashleyelsdon's avatar by ashleyelsdon

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Old tech

Posted by on in Creative ProcessLeave a comment

This is what I’ve been using to retrieve my old songs from often crumbling cassettes. Sadly it too is somewhat past it’s best and I’m not sure how much longer it will last.

I’m considering getting an old cassette 8 track. Probably not immediately, but in a while I think.

Some more about old multitracks

If you’re interested in old multitrack stuff then here’s a few more posts on the subject.

Look what I found

Posted by on in StuffLeave a comment

I haven’t seen one of these in ages, but in unearthing loads of old cassettes you can find some real treasures. This is a TDK Metal tape with an aluminum body. A great find, and I think they were pretty expensive when they first came out.

I wonder what else I’ll discover?

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Four Track Futures

Posted by on in Creative ProcessLeave a comment

Since I started going back over my old tapes and retrieving them I’ve been thinking about the process of recording to tape, or if not to tape in a linear way and not wholly sequenced.

I liked that way of doing things in the past. There was more room for error and because of that more room for inspired accidents. I miss that. You just don’t get that so much with sequencing.

So I am giving serious consideration to tape again. I might even consider getting a tape 8 track at some point!

  • Tascam Cassette Multitrack
    Tascam Cassette Multitrack
  • Teac Blue Reel to Reel Cassette
    Teac Blue Reel to Reel Cassette
  • TDK Metal Cassette
    TDK Metal Cassette
  • Teac Black Reel to Reel Cassette
    Teac Black Reel to Reel Cassette

Autumn

Posted by on in Thinking, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I took this picture while I was out yesterday. It felt truly autumnal, in fact, far more like autumn than it does today.

I like autumn. It is perhaps my favourite season. I love the leaves coming down off the trees, the fact that it starts to get colder and and that there is a sense that renewal is on the way for everything.

Some more thoughts …

I’ve been looking for a long time

Back in the 80s I used to listen to John Peel’s show. It is where many of my musical tastes were formed and a lot of the artists I first heard on his show are people I still listen to now. But there are still one or two things that I have never found. One…

ashleyelsdon's avatar by ashleyelsdon

Hello 2016

So, here we are in 2016. I often think it is strange that we somehow cross this imaginary boundary into a new year, but today is a day very much like yesterday in many ways and for many people. It is just a day, and yet we like to make it special, a new beginning,…

ashleyelsdon's avatar by ashleyelsdon

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.