Despite the fact that my nads feel like they're about to drop off, we've been getting that warm summery feeling today with the official announcement that we're going to be booked for The Big Chill.

This gives us a bit of focus that we've been lacking lately. It's bloody hard this outfit sometimes. People in different cities, or with different priorites (usually quite rightly as well). It'll be good to have a major event to work toward.

I don't know much about where we're playing, but I imagine it'll be on the new outdoor santuary stage. I'm hoping this is a return to the days of the first Eastnor festival where I lay down and watched Bola under the stars. If we can do something even a small percentage as moving as that was, i'll be a happy camper.

The only Michael from Animat has just finished his remix of Maris Stella which I'm going to pop onto my brand new iAudio mp3 player and listen to on the way home. If it's anything like their other stuff, it'll be beautifully produced and quite different to everything else out there. Looking forward to it.

Lets start with some vitriol. Just what I need the day after turning 31.

Huxley from the medialounge recently leaked a copy of the DVD of The Shining rescore we did last year out onto the internet. The response to it has been less than good, albeit from a couple of very vocal Kubrick fanboys. It's funny. I've read loads of internet hate mail on things like maddox but i've never borne the brunt of it until now. Here's a wee quote:

WARNING this is not the shining! Let me summarise the contents of this file before you download it.. this is a shorter version of kubricks film, it's only an hour long. The ENTIRE film is overlaid with amateur sounding techno music. The only dialouge you can hear in the film is mixed with the music and covered in echo and delay effects. There is no film here, it's like a long, amateur techno music video. The film is not complete enough to sit down and watch. Go download the original version of the film then watch it. If you want to, turn the sound down and play bad techno music over it because that will achieve exactly the same effect.

Also note that the bbc have never endorsed this film. Never! they wouldn't be able to because it was done without the consent of the copyright holder so to endorse it would be liable.

Wonderful isn't it? A guy surfing a torrent site to steal commercial work is pissed off at the fact he couldn't read a description properly and cries into his keyboard. I was a bit speechless when I first read this cause it's so totally off the mark. I mean since when have we ever made anything remotely like techno? Can people really not tell the difference? It's made me rethink a lot about perceptions of our band outside the electronica scene. I've always thought we've crossed over well at festivals etc, but it's amazing to witness how far off the mark someone can be.

Whilst i'm not about to lose any sleep over an internet troll, it's still interesting to see such a wildly divergent viewpoint to the positive reviews that we've so far had.

you can't please all the people all the time i guess.

as for this blog, we'll be trying our best to keep it rolling. I'm notoriously unreliable at correspondance so I might need the odd nudge now and again.

cheers for listening,

andy.: