Wow. Journey from hell.
My last post, back in January actually feels like a lifetime away, as opposed to the four month gap between the then and the now…so many things have changed. I'm now living next to work after moving from to save money, which led to a botched attempt to live with some members of my family in Harlesden (if you don't want to get bitten, don't live with snakes is all I can say about that) a brief stay in Green Lanes, (a most wonderful part of London) and a few days in Highbury (w'sup Dave!). I'm sure most people ain't heard of Harrow, but like I keep telling folks, this is MY city. I have lived, and been all over it. It ain't a thing.
The long and short of it is that I now live by myself. For the first time since '08, I don't have to listen to anyone telling me anything about anywhat. Thank the lord. I've lived in some beautiful places; I've lived in some places that I still have nightmares about but I wouldn't replace anything for the complete piece of mind that I have spent the last few months (and years) chasing and have now achieved.
Also, living so close to my place of employment has freed up about 2 hours of my day, everyday. For the first time since I left uni, I do not have to commute anywhere. I can see my office(s) from out of my window. The absence of a 'journey' to work has had an interesting side-effect. Commuting, now I realise has forced me to engage my brain properly long before I reached work in the past. Runnning for the train, reading timetables and figuring out alternative routes was always a hassle but it always left me switched-on. Without this, my brain lags behind the rest of me slightly...
I had this conversation with colleagues yesterday morning at about 9:10:
Girl 1: 'I've just come back from A&E, where was a patient was walking around naked'
Girl 2: 'Oh dear! Did you tell someone?'
Me: 'Boy or girl?'
Girl 1: 'Girl'
Me: 'Was she good looking ?'
Ouch. the final comment was not appreciated. Personally, as those of you who know me well will testify to, I don't care. I will literally say anything to anyone. I don't give a toss about discretion or social conventions, but I was at work. A comment that would have normally been filed away under 'Do NOT say' wriggled out of my mouth like a worm in a hot frying pan. I wish I worked with more dudes, amongst which a comment like that would have been at worst ignored and at best appreciated as quite funny.
In fact, it's good the Sunsplash festival has come round now because it means I can do research without having to go too far! (Lucky boy). I'm totally looking to have my musical DNA rearranged over this whole week, meet some of my all-time heroes (although, all the important ones, Louie Vega, Gilles P, Norman Jay, Kon & Amir, I've already met) and generally just party for a week whilst listening to some proper music!
Anyway back to the trip. 3 hours 20 mins to go before we take off. Bitch. Funnily enough, my journeys to Antalya have never gone smoothly. There was the mad dash to Stansted Airport in '09, the epic six-hour journey from Antalya Airport to Hillside Su which involved more walking than I care to remember and asking directions from folks who didn't speak English in '10 and now this.
Wow. Double Wow. Ok so I'm on the plane now, after having had to throw some of my personal items IN THE FUCKING BIN due to my baggage being too heavy. Every time I've flown to Antalya, my baggage has been under limit. so this year I threw in a few more items (first time I'm taking a bird there, must have some stuff to wear out and about!). My suitcase cam in at a whopping 27 kilos! A bunch of white Hanes vests will need to be replaced when I get home. Was it a mistake to bring so much vinyl? And why are the majority of DJs no longer using vinyl? Maybe it's because vinyl weighs a fucking ton. In my defence however, I don't compromise this shit for anyone. People have paid good money for this festival and, as the one of the DJs who has started off the festival for the last three years, I intend to put on a show! Will have to remember to pay for extra baggage allowance in future….
Total time from plane to hotel room, 45mins. A record. Knowing the terrain from my previous trips has certainly helped this stage of the journey.
Sunday.
A fun-filled day. Spent most of it on the beach chilling with MissV. During the evening, I played in the hotel lobby, a huge imposing space with six of the largest glitter balls I have ever seen in my life. I was once told that the one in Koko was the biggest in Europe…not sure that's true anymore.
Quick shower and a bite to eat before my set for the Sunsplash Warm-Up Session.
It went well, no mess ups, all love, I also had a few DJs in the crowd checking out my set…got respect for my selections, all good (' the fuck 'you expect? I'm Qualified!). Unfortunately, I couldn't record my set, but have replayed a small portion of it at home and you can download it here.
Monday.
Where the real business started. Two very different sets in one day. I was totally focused on doing a good job here. Last year, I was the first DJ to play on the beach. It was a mess. I couldn't find the two tracks I wanted to start with and the third track I played skipped viciously. It completely threw me and I was annoyed to say the least.
So this year, I needed to press reset. Since the last Sunplash, I have actually 'programmed' a couple of my gigs, planning them tune by tune, with varying levels of success but this time, I was taking no chances. I started a week or two ago, selecting tunes, putting together an order. I had my laptop open with the tracks and spun them off CDs and vinyl. Easy. You can check out the fruits of my labour here.
Also, living so close to my place of employment has freed up about 2 hours of my day, everyday. For the first time since I left uni, I do not have to commute anywhere. I can see my office(s) from out of my window. The absence of a 'journey' to work has had an interesting side-effect. Commuting, now I realise has forced me to engage my brain properly long before I reached work in the past. Runnning for the train, reading timetables and figuring out alternative routes was always a hassle but it always left me switched-on. Without this, my brain lags behind the rest of me slightly...
I had this conversation with colleagues yesterday morning at about 9:10:
Girl 1: 'I've just come back from A&E, where was a patient was walking around naked'
Girl 2: 'Oh dear! Did you tell someone?'
Me: 'Boy or girl?'
Girl 1: 'Girl'
Me: 'Was she good looking ?'
Ouch. the final comment was not appreciated. Personally, as those of you who know me well will testify to, I don't care. I will literally say anything to anyone. I don't give a toss about discretion or social conventions, but I was at work. A comment that would have normally been filed away under 'Do NOT say' wriggled out of my mouth like a worm in a hot frying pan. I wish I worked with more dudes, amongst which a comment like that would have been at worst ignored and at best appreciated as quite funny.
'So what the UFCK has this all got to do with the blog?',
you may ask OK, OK, I'm building up to it. Towards the end of 2010, After I found the stats page and discovered how many people were actually reading this on a regular basis. It was then that I realised the blog would have to get so much better. Better writing, more pictures, just better all round. I didn't have the capacity to do that, which I found quite frustrating. I wanted it to have the cool, casual, conversational feel of The Hundreds, the leftfield appeal of Moovmnt, the fashion-forward savvy of HighSnobiety (which I was on first, by the way) and the attractive simplicity of The Sartorialist. Of course, I haven't been doing this for as long as some these cats, but at the end of the day, that should not be an excuse or a barrier to progress. Blogs are just collections of opinions, I just need to improve how I transmit mine (and the bloody speed at which I transmit them).
In fact, it's good the Sunsplash festival has come round now because it means I can do research without having to go too far! (Lucky boy). I'm totally looking to have my musical DNA rearranged over this whole week, meet some of my all-time heroes (although, all the important ones, Louie Vega, Gilles P, Norman Jay, Kon & Amir, I've already met) and generally just party for a week whilst listening to some proper music!
Anyway back to the trip. 3 hours 20 mins to go before we take off. Bitch. Funnily enough, my journeys to Antalya have never gone smoothly. There was the mad dash to Stansted Airport in '09, the epic six-hour journey from Antalya Airport to Hillside Su which involved more walking than I care to remember and asking directions from folks who didn't speak English in '10 and now this.
Wow. Double Wow. Ok so I'm on the plane now, after having had to throw some of my personal items IN THE FUCKING BIN due to my baggage being too heavy. Every time I've flown to Antalya, my baggage has been under limit. so this year I threw in a few more items (first time I'm taking a bird there, must have some stuff to wear out and about!). My suitcase cam in at a whopping 27 kilos! A bunch of white Hanes vests will need to be replaced when I get home. Was it a mistake to bring so much vinyl? And why are the majority of DJs no longer using vinyl? Maybe it's because vinyl weighs a fucking ton. In my defence however, I don't compromise this shit for anyone. People have paid good money for this festival and, as the one of the DJs who has started off the festival for the last three years, I intend to put on a show! Will have to remember to pay for extra baggage allowance in future….
Finally! That magic happened. I smiled for the first time today.(Song: 'Ladies First' by Kaidi Tatham) Now it feels like I'm going on holiday. This particular song always makes me think of flying. Slept for most of the flight and are about to touch down, kinda 9pmish …landed and was called almost immediately by MIssV who thought I had been bagged by the rozzers for having trees in my baggage. She should know that I'm Qualified for these types of missions.
Total time from plane to hotel room, 45mins. A record. Knowing the terrain from my previous trips has certainly helped this stage of the journey.
Sunday.
A fun-filled day. Spent most of it on the beach chilling with MissV. During the evening, I played in the hotel lobby, a huge imposing space with six of the largest glitter balls I have ever seen in my life. I was once told that the one in Koko was the biggest in Europe…not sure that's true anymore.
Quick shower and a bite to eat before my set for the Sunsplash Warm-Up Session.
It went well, no mess ups, all love, I also had a few DJs in the crowd checking out my set…got respect for my selections, all good (' the fuck 'you expect? I'm Qualified!). Unfortunately, I couldn't record my set, but have replayed a small portion of it at home and you can download it here.
Monday.
Where the real business started. Two very different sets in one day. I was totally focused on doing a good job here. Last year, I was the first DJ to play on the beach. It was a mess. I couldn't find the two tracks I wanted to start with and the third track I played skipped viciously. It completely threw me and I was annoyed to say the least.
So this year, I needed to press reset. Since the last Sunplash, I have actually 'programmed' a couple of my gigs, planning them tune by tune, with varying levels of success but this time, I was taking no chances. I started a week or two ago, selecting tunes, putting together an order. I had my laptop open with the tracks and spun them off CDs and vinyl. Easy. You can check out the fruits of my labour here.
Preparing to take over from Ahmet Gunes.
I then chilled out to the sounds of my home team, DJ Soulprovyder and The Emperor, aka Mr. Cengiz Ulusahin. I have to say we opened the festival very well, gave people a good indication of things to come.
My home-team. Lebz, Cengiz and DJ Soulprovyder.
Go on son, hurt 'em!
moving onto Siyah for Benji B's set. Simply put, the guy is brilliant. Seamlessly moving through a so many styles, he is a top, top DJ and if you haven't heard his shoe on Radio 1 or seen him play live, fix that.
I've just spent the last few minutes listening back to the mix I did on the beach yesterday. I have to say that I'm very pleased with it. It's the first time that I have had access to a recording of one of my sets, it's nice to be able listen back and give myself a through critique. The first portion of the afternoon beach session was controlled by two Russian boys, Ilya Rassakov and Dimitry Studinsky from Headz FM (Moscow). Two very talented boys, who have their own radio show and club night over in Moscow. From what I hear, they're pretty much running the scene over there. Shout out to Dimar, Dimitry's son.
The second DJ was an utterly beautiful man from Kazakhstan called Rustam Ospanov. You know, it's funny, people will always say "Oh, I met this really cool DJ the other day' and whatnot, well I'm glad to say that Rusty and his gorgeous wife Alma are actually the real deal. A beautiful couple from the inside out. We began chatting after my set on Monday, but watching him do his thing on Tuesday afternoon was impressive to say the least…I hope to work with him again real soon.
The club session…'Big Daddy' Phil Asher. One of my all-time favourite DJs, and from my neck of the woods too. I have been lucky enough to know him since my uni days and he has been a constant source of inspiration, information (see what I did there?) and of course, a source for great music, both as a DJ and as producer. Lots of drinking, lots of dancing. Perfect. This years' Sunsplash is kicking off in a fine style. Really enjoyed hearing him take it back.
Wednesday.
Was starting to feel it this morning for sure. That's one of the things they never tell you about Sunsplash. There is no let up. Ever. Beach sessions from 12pm - 7pm, dinner at 7pm, evening sessions from 8pm till midnight. Sessions @ Siyah from 12:30 till 4am…ish. It is an exhausting schedule. But there's no rest for the wicked, so on we go with day three. The Mysterious Ahu kicked things off on the beach with her trademark, deep boss nova grooves, and was followed by Lefto.
Although he's well known for his radio show, the man is a very, VERY serious proposition behind the decks. Unfortunately, he only got to play for about 30 mins before it started raining :o(
Then came the evening session. Kon & Amir. They absolutely KILLED it! I've seen them do great sets before but I suspect they were rather impressed, and as a result inspired by the surroundings on the Turkish Riviera. Amongst the highlights were Amir playing an original signed 7" copy of 'Los Chocolate Conquistador' by Johnny Hammond, and Kon absolutely killing it by scratching up 'Good Times' by Chic and then mixing in 'Love Thang' by First Source…. Check the pics on my FB here. There is also a small vidclip of Kon doing his thing, but the sound quality is poor so turn it down dagnabbit!
Amir, doing his thwing, and doin' it well.
Kon getting ready to smash the set.
Lefto, Rustam, Gilles and Rainer.
Norman Jay MBE, Serkan (Sunplash Big Cheese), The Brother Kon Fucious
Now, earlier in the day after coming back from the beach, I received a letter under my door informing us that due to bereavement, Theo Parrish had to cancel his trip to Sunsplash. Very sad news and I would like to take this opportunity to send my condolences to the Parrish family. Next year homie.
However, as a replacement, we were given a bit of a treat. Kon and Amir Vs Gilles Peterson and Rainer Truby down in Siyah. (Song of the night: Rolling In The Deep (The XX Mix) by Adele)…wow. I have to say, it's rare that you'd get this kind of line-up anywhere else. If you're looking for a music festival next year, I cannot recommend Sunsplash Antalya enough.
Me & Derrick McKenzie from Jamiroquai. Top, TOP geezer.
Bwoy, this post has gotten LONG! more when I get the rest of the pics! More to come soon.
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