One of the problems with having lots of things to blog about is having no time at all in which to blog them. It’s been an incredibly busy time, and I’ve been moving around a lot…
Graz
I’m actually writing this in an airport in Munich, on my way back from Graz in Austria, where I’ve been meeting with my colleagues from the Rhythm Changes European jazz research project I work on. We have partners in a bunch of different places, and so over the course of the three year project, we get together in each other’s towns (Amsterdam, Manchester, Lancaster, Copenhagen, Stavanger, Graz… though not Birmingham yet, curiously) – and it was Graz’s turn this time.
It was really great to hang out with those guys, as it always is, but especially great to do it somewhere I’ve never been before, and get a chance to go sightseeing and experience some great food and local culture along the way.
Dancing at the Copacabana salsa club in Manchester
Friday night, after our last day of full rehearsal for Aftershock, a few of us went to dinner at the home of one of the organisers, then out for a drink afterwards. We ended up at a Salsa club, which was pretty cool. I was by far the least competent dancer in the entire place, but it was still a lot of fun.
Day 8 of 10 in Manchester for the Aftershock Project. It’s pretty full on and everyone’s pretty tired – but we have a final set list, and the musicians pretty much know what they’re doing across the board now. Best of all, the gig is sold out.
So now it’s just a matter of them rehearsing until it’s really tight, and for me to start to make a note of some of the things I’ve learned along the way in doing this project and putting it all online.
The stats are interesting, if you like that sort of thing. A slow growth curve but really starting to pick up. The interpersonal dynamics have been really interesting, as well as the different responses to the technology.
I’ve got a few more interviews up on the site now. Tomorrow I want to try a couple of different approaches. Perhaps even film and upload a whole runthrough. We’ll see.
I’m also going to try and get out of the venue a bit tomorrow and take photos of something other than musicians.
Listening to the Safires album with David and Kirk
A big football night in Manchester, so I chose to stay in, listening to the freshly-mastered album by the Safires. David (left), with whom I’m sharing an apartment for the duration of the Aftershock Project, is the bass player and producer/engineer for the band. Kirk, the guitarist, came around to listen to the album in its finished state, and to talk about the final order of the songs.
They asked me for my opinion, and we ended up spending the evening moving the songs around. I think the new version really works and holds together well.
I quite like the sheer concentration and obvious close listening that’s going on in this photo, despite the fact these guys have heard this record hundreds of times.
Here’s a track off the album:
We’ll be putting the whole album up online shortly (I sort of did a sales job on Bandcamp) and you’ll be able to listen to it here.
Today the Aftershock musicians were given a task that involved them going out into the city and collecting sounds to inspire and incorporate into a new song.
Above (L-R) are Marika the percussionist, Roberto the singer, Eoghan (pronounced ‘Owen’) the drummer, Denis the guitarist, singer and electronic noisemaker, and Nick the bass player.
I went with them and documented some of that. Here’s a video:
I'm an author of books about technology, culture, music and radio. I'm also an award-winning broadcaster and filmmaker, a public speaker and lecturer, record producer and festival director. I am closely following developments in emerging technologies and the cultures and ethics surrounding them, and my projects typically focus on issues of justice, inclusion, and sustainability.
Most of my work involves surrounding myself with incredibly smart and talented people who would have no other reason to ever be in the same room as each other. That's when amazing things happen.
I tend to talk a lot about music (often jazz-adjacent and particularly on vinyl, but also playlists and mixtapes). I'm enthusiastic about food and cooking, the intersection of art and science, new technologies, vintage technologies, education, social progress, silence, innovation, narrative, data commons, culture, sound art and the spoken word. This blog will continue to reflect those diverse and shifting enthusiasms. I may also digress.
I'm from Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland in Aotearoa New Zealand, I have Scottish ancestry, I've spent a decade in the south of Birmingham UK, and another in a forest in the north of Sweden.
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