wee beautiful pict

happy new year - new music & saints urban survival guide

happy new 2009 one and all

aye it's been a while I know- but I've uploaded a new music track and mad christmas photo selection box

I thought I would dedicated the music/slideshow to ma wee bruv james - check it oot here 

new tracks uploaded -fresh from the studio

Just uploaded the following tracks: 

1. feel the granite

2. hard sparkle 

3. Lambs R Us 

4. Torry kids shine - highland psalms meets asian meets guitars meets soaring orchestral

10 new tunes just uploaded from the studio

  These new songs I'm working on for a new album: GRANITE - and I'm going to blog on it and post stuff as i go.   It is about my growing up in aberdeen in 70's  it's about my own personal experience -  for me it had great hardness -even cruelty-  but at times flashes of great courage and beauty.  Both are needed to communicate it's reality honestly.  Granite is hard but in certain light shimmers and sparkles.  It's nae fer nithin - aeberdeen is ca'd i granite city ye ken. 

It's just at idea stage - these are first 2 are:

1. granite
2. granite (broken mix)-  where the above idea is then broken down and remixed to poduce fragments and chaos at beginning weaving into a pattern at end. (you can listen to both these tracks on right >)

funky universe part 6: latest music upload from ma studio

I've just uploaded latest piece of music done for play called: funky universe part 6 - play or download from music player on the right of the blog - enjoy! 

funky universe part 1 was uploaded a few weeks ago.   Part 1 is day 1 of genesis - woman's scream (trinity breaking opening herself open to birth the universe)  into a mix of gritty uplifting orchestral arrangement and marching band percussion - with a driving bass & beat sprinkled with funk.  I wanted to capture the sheer mad exuberance, generosity and courage of a God willing to jump and taking that gigantic risk of getting out there and creating bigtime.. the cross wasn't the first time God gave herself completely and madly for sheer desire and crazy hope - like those screaming for the chance to have children.

funky universe part 6 - uploaded now - finally the coming of humans into the mix - God has got her baby - at long last!  what a day for a doting God and excited creation!
I've made it an highland 'call and response' style piece of electronica ...

kickstarting a regenerative GIFT economy: give and you shall be given

A new breed of small, innovative, open source, giving, sharing companies recognises that their 'future depends on their ability to support and maintain a local regenerative economy.'

In other words: a GIFT economy.

for example :: monome , who I have quoted above links to an article, citing Nepal's Anil Chitrakar's big 3 for a regenerative economy:

Invest in local capacity.
Hiring western firms to build a huge dam would take the place of smaller hydroelectric projects that Nepalese firms could build, bypassing and ultimately destroying Nepal's existing industrial capacity.

Maximize linkages to the local economy.
Making borrowed funds work both backward and forward, the influx of capital     builds existing local capacity to generate power and creates new capacity for economic growth. Small local firms build capacity as they grow.

Use natural resources wisely.
In a mountainous country with yearlong runoff, energy needs can be effectively met with smaller, less invasive hydroelectric systems.

taken from article :: how much can we give for all we get

more on public innovators, social entrepreneurs and sustainable economy and ecology :: sustainability institute ashoka

'give and it shall be given to you..'  Jesus of Nazareth 33AD (ish)

there are a number of dreams already launched that in various ways are kickstarting some of this 'gift economy' here in Edinburgh - check out: network edinburgh

wedding (full electric highland mix) now uploaded

Aye! abody, due to global demand ((;-)) just uploaded the 1 hour long version of some stuff ~I wrote, spun and remixed for fin and lora's wedding  for listening/download - check out the blackpod right.   

It gets repetitive at the end, was designed to be played out in a tent under the stars: i won't be offended if ye trim it.   Did anybody pick out the 'angels' sample? or guess the film the operatic singing came from?  I've got everything but the kitchen sink in there; more info on content on previous entry below..

latest music: wedding

latest: wedding (wee electric highland mix)
12 Min. TASTER

LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD FROM THE IPOD>>
The original mix: wedding (full electric highland mix), for Fin and Lora's wedding, is 1 hour long; this is a 12 min taster, if enough people request I'll upload it (it's quite a big file).

includes some of my older tracks, monks, field recordings, beats, my old synths, film clip (see if you can guess which one), opera singers and a sample i took off an old 70's recording of some 'real angels singing' captured when a tape was accidently left running in the basement of a building used for writing and recording worship material (see if you can detect them in this short mix)

includes several of my own new pieces and I've remixed a few others.  Thanks to: Speedy J, deadbeat, martyn bennett (managed to knock up a remix of his wonderful 'blackbird') and the waterboys (i've also remixed their 'peace of iona').

mama popcorn @ the Bongo club

mamapopcorn: Edinburgh's 16 piece funk gospel choir phenomenon- purveyors of kickass beats and angelic harmonies
have their BLOG online now!

And they are putting a live night on tae get oor butts a movin and tonsils a shakin - Bongo Club on May 13th - includes mix of Dj's and a surprise guest -aha we're not sayin! 

starts at 7pm - mama are on at 8pm, ends at 10pm

Tickets from Fopp in advance or let me know if you want a ticket (comment, email: paul@picnmix.com or phone) I have one of their ticket books: £5 each. 

LiviMS radio

I just had to post this up now- LiviMS radio - the best flippin intro to a radio show EVER! 

I'm warnin ye tho- best to hold on to something - like a lampost or summit when switchin it on (left hand top of the pagen - click on livims radio) !  Doogs keeps the show rollin with smashin banter - there's an edinburgh music shop that's been playing the show over their speaker system - Doogs addresses the punters in the shop - what a scream man! 

Doogs, Steven and Stuart - were all at dreamday : all 3 are quality! (more later). 

Kev's work on the livims website is braw!   - it's comin on great!  list and dates for all the bands and gigs they are tracking - Livi + glasgow, edinburgh, fife, west lothian... stretches right up to july on their gig calendar. 

Steven and Stuart have been working on the wakenthedead site.  Between them they have - doggedly, patiently chippin away at creating - what they hope to be a top bunch of resources in scotland for it's burgeoning local music scenes/bands;  a thick phat chunky place of  dead handy practical, creative, spiritual, emotional, social resources, life-support-survival stuff for a whole bunch of people they care about.   This is just a quick link - going to blog on and here a lot more from them in the near future -  something pretty amazing is just around the corner for these guys- their years of pain n hard work is gonna pay off.. just you watch THEIR space....

Livi ROCKS - cubed!

Boogaloo bothy, headphonaut and chocolate guinness cake

Booglaoo Bothy - (cheers phil McB, dave M and co) again was fab!  On en tering-  phil was Djing (cookie productions) and played new mix of: click clack, a track he and vocalist have been working on - one of my fav's.  Then Chrisdafunk, a one man vox percussion beat and funk machine.. steps up to the plate.  Next - the Ruffness with their new ska reggaeness - with club now filling up more - got butts a dancin.  Andy's trumpet riffs always gets to me- especially when it gets a bit spanishy and middle eastern - hairs on the back of the neck - love it!  It wasn't so heaving as the opening night in january - which was great - you could actually move this time ; ) - Djing was all good too - no fill in stuff ... Dj's (with accompanying wee posse's) did the wee crowd - proud!
I've missed quite a few of the names of others who helped promote and play here - there are so many! I'll get them from dave and phil asap.

Met loads, coming for the first time, who thought it had a brilliant atmosphere -  'crackin wee venue', 'loadza warmth', 'fun', 'different' 'refreshin' 'quality music' and you get to hang out with some nu emerging artists, bands and dj's from around scotland.  A big Shout to Elizabeth and Michelle - who I hadn't seen for ages..   
Phil says he is working on some ideas for a blog/web thing for the bothy!

Great to meet up with Thomas Mathie (headphonaut) during the day - who came to the club at night with his mates Soos, PS & Dunc.  Thomas and I had loads to talk about - we're both passionate about helping saints setup all kinds of stuff in new emerging landscape in scotland - from cafes to record labels and creating new distribution networks for saints in music, art and biz scenes... watch this space - his blog is exploding with all kinds of stuff!
check it oot!

At Phil and Dave's flat - Phil and his bro Johnny (from Northerm Ireland) had a recipe for chocolate guinness cake - it is absolutely amazin!!!  you gotta try it! I'm going to bung their recipe on this blog!