http://www.vimeo.com/2415490

*still* a tune...

:o)

Had an interesting discussion over on the ninjatune forum this week about electronic music. Those that know me will know that I've been somewhat obsessed with the question of whether or not what I've been doing in music has been worth the effort, money and time that it has taken (and in particular whether or not to continue).

This is a complete subjective and personal question for me. It's not really meant to stimulate debate but is more of a way of me dealing with things myself. Nonetheless, I'm the kind of person that likes to vocalise and debate these things, often in public, to try and get to the result that's going to work for me.

So my question to the ninjas was: Are more people now making electronic music than buying it?

I get bombarded with messages from myspace and beyond from the global electronica massive every day. Normally along the lines of "buy my album", "check out my free download", "new trax" and the likes. It's frightening how much is out there (and much of it is very good indeed). But without the infrastructure of labels, record shops, venues and a "scene" per se, it all just feels like pissing in the wind these days. I've never been the best self-publicist (I don't think i've sent out a proper newsletter for months), but I feel almost embarassed to add my feeble offerings to the global electronica hotair.

I suspect that the future of music for many of us will be a return to the bedroom and the concept of music as it's own reward. Since I am considering how I wish to approach my next album, this will be a very pertinant question in the coming months.

Yesterday I had a truly magical moment - thanks to my workplace and their program of sponsorship, I got to take a conducting masterclass with the ENO orchestra. It was absolutely thrilling and I suspect that I may have missed my calling in life. My hands were still shaking hours afterwards. It was almost as cool as getting married :o)

Andy.:

Apologies for a lack of updates. I'm getting married in two weeks so things are a bit manic as you can probably imagine.

Potentially lots to talk about, like the absolultely awesome stag weekend I had up in Matlock a couple of weeks ago, the inexorable fall of the recorded music industry and my usual complaints surrounding that and the joys and politics of getting married. Which really are quite funny sometimes...

Anyway, more on those when things calm down. For now, here's what I'm rocking.

Stylus Dust

A band that I first met at our Notting Hill Arts Club gig a couple of years ago...they were doing similar things and they've now got a band and a demo together and sounding really good. Similar to The Shadow Orchestra in places, and with a proper decent chilled vibe to them, I shall be looking forward to seeing them live.

Kettel

He's been around for a while, but Kettel's Myam James pt 1 album on the fabulous Sending Orbs label is my album of the year. Awesome acid-infused melodic electronica with glorious moments. Church in particular is just outstanding. Josh and I played with him recently and he's a geezer to boot.

Old one this, but someone's just alerted me that this mix I did earlier this year for our ill-fated Yuri's Night trip is still knocking around online. I thought that it had gone when mixdownloads.net shut up shop.

Here is is: http://postbocks.com/uploads/digitonal-soundtrack-space

an hour of lush ambience and one of the things that I'm most proud of doing this year.

I may try and get some cdrs done of it when I get this bloody shop up and running.

Tracklisting:

* B12 - Soundtrack of Space
* Future Sound of London - Ill Flower
* Alexei Zakharov - Peace 3 (X3: Reunion)
* Future Sound of London - Everyone in the world is doing something without me
* Low Profile Society - Example 10
* Vangelis - Rachel's Song
* Global Communication - 14.31
* The Black Dog - 18 4 3s 555 [Part 2]
* Yasume - Rengoku Condensed
* Mr Projectile - Underneath the Evening
* Abfahrt Hinwil - The Light
* Elegi - Despotiets Vesen
* Cliff Martinez - Wear your Seatbelt
* Bola - Pfane Pt. 1
* Posthuman - Beautiful Beast
* Miles Tilmann - Through the Tubes
* Flotel - Untitled (Norberg live)
* Michael Land - The Madness of the Crystals
* Biosphere - Warmed by the drift
* Digitonal - Antares (Yuri's mix)

I'm still amused to be described as an "IDM survivor" in the Boomkat review of Save Your Light...". It makes me sound like I'm an old jedi or something - a relic of the old days and survivor of some kind of electronic music clone war.

Truth is, I only just caught the end of the "IDM" wave and was really fortunate to have been on the cool label at the right time. I suppose this makes Aphex Twin Yoda, the early warp people the jedi council and the likes of me the young padawans that went into hiding....maybe it's time we came out and started our rebellion.

Still, things are looking up at the moment. First you've got the frankly amazing Sending Orbs, a dutch label which strongly reminds me of the Toytronic, deFocus and Neo Ouija glory days. I bought Kettel's Myam James pt 1 a few weeks ago and it's barely left my car since. Indeed last week I was driving through horizontal rain in Chelsea and rocking the album when track 5, Church, came on. I was literally shouting at the stereo for it to break out in the way I was hoping it would and when it did, I was screaming with delight. Can't remember the last time a tune did that to me. Secondly, Uncharted's lineup is looking very strong at the moment and, what with Yimino, Maps and Diagrams, Octavcat and many

In other news, I'm obsessed with The Wire at the moment and keep talking like a Baltimore cop/gangster.

Gotta change this shit up yo.