September 12th, 2009 by ollspin
I have finally had enough of spending hours and hours sorting through my tunes and burning off loads of CDs every time I play a gig, so decided to bite the bullet and go with a laptop and controller setup.
After seeing it in action and having a fiddle about with it I decided to go for an M-Audio Torq Xponent. Managed to get a b-stock unit from the lovely helpful people at Digital Village for under £300, which is nice.
So far I am pretty impressed with the unit and software. The jog wheels feel similar to the Pioneer CDJ 100. The buttons are a soft and spongy but responsive. The faders are ok, good enough for my style of mixing. There are loads of knobs to twiddle and flashing buttons to press, although at the moment I haven’t got a bloody clue what any of them do!
Over the next 4 to 6 months I won’t be taking on any gigs (other than the few events I already have booked in) or putting out any fresh mixes whilst I take my time getting to grips with the new controller and software. I’ll be back gigging proper and recording plenty of mix tapes in early 2010.
September 12th, 2009 by ollspin
What an awesome weekend Aeon festival 2009 was! Although the festival has grown from last year it has still kept the magical charm and lovely chilled vibe that makes it such a beautiful event. The dance tent was a big improvement on last year, up-scaling from a small marquee to a proper big top style festival tent, with fantastic decor and a stomping bass heavy soundsystem.
Highlights of the weekend for me were DJ sets from Ben & Lex, Elite Force, Break, Dicey, DJ Chamber and Full Melt DJs. Was good to randomly catch the Thujones again this year whilst wandering past the live stage. Saturday was loads of fun, starting the day with a Swedish massage, followed by finding classic Fighting Fantasy book Forest of Doom from the Book-Cycle free bookshop, then dressing up like a NASA space cadet and raving like a crazy monkey all night long. I slept pretty much all day on Sunday and felt refreshed and invigorated all through the following week, which was a nice change from the usual festival comedown.
Watch this space for download of my set from the Jam the Channel dance tent coming in the next week or so. Also I’ll also be sifting through some photos taken by various mates and uploading a selection of the best.
Massive respects going out to Gilly and crew for sorting the dance tent, plus of course Niki the main organiser and everyone else involved.
Roll on Aeon 2010!
August 22nd, 2009 by ollspin
Aeon Festival will be taking place over the 3 day August Bank Holiday weekend at Shobrooke Park Estate, Crediton, Devon on the 28th-30th August 2009. Now in its 4th year, Aeon has grown growing organically, initially a small event attracting 400 curious people now a full weekend festival with over 2500 people attending.
Small and intimate with neither corporate funding or sponsorship, the festival offers a huge amount over the August bank holiday weekend. A whole host of emerging exciting talents from across the South West and beyond gather for an end of summer party before the leaves start turning gold. It’s all about live music and DJs, fantastic film, poetry and comedy as well as plenty to do for children and families. There are all sorts of art workshops, forest school, new parents and toddlers chill space, healing things, buskers corner to raise money for their chosen charity, gorgeous food and market stalls as well as 4 stages, a cinema tent and a well stocked bar selling fine local beverages.
This year the lineup on the Jam The Channel dance music stage includes Elite Force, Break, Hijack, Skitz, 2 Bit Thugs, Roland The Bastard and Mike Lennon. I’ll be playing on the Friday evening. There is also a main stage natural amphitheatre featuring live punk/ska/indie/rock, Cabaret Voltaire funk/jazz/comedy/poetry tent, Sika Studios circus/graffiti/breakdancing workshops and much more!
Further information can be found at the official Aeon Festival website
August 19th, 2009 by ollspin
All good things must come to an end!
Click here to download the last ever Sunday Roast radio show
After 6 years of broadcasting a weekly show, 2 of those on Brap, I have decided to call it a day. My last Sunday Roast show on Brap was on 16th August 2009. The reason is simple, I unfortunately no longer have the time or energy to dedicate to broadcasting a weekly show.
This will not effect my efforts with Void Brap parties in Bristol planned for 2009 and 2010. I will remain dedicated towards these parties, working closely with Voiders from the South Coast, Brappers from Bristol, and other Brappers from across the country to help promote the station and raise funds for Oxfam.
I’ll be taking the rest of the year off from radio broadcasting. Maybe in 2010, depending on my situation, I may be able to return to broadcast less often (possibly some sets on Void Radio), although thats just a brief idea at the moment, nothing is currently confirmed.
I’d like to say a big thank you to the Brap management and all the people who have tuned into my shows over the years. Big kiss for you all.
August 19th, 2009 by ollspin
Click here to download a brand new jumpup tearout mix from PurpleHazer recorded live at Malfunction at Timbuk2 (Bristol) on Friday 7 August 2009.
