I thought you might like to listen to something relaxing while viewing these photos. Do you like it? All these photos have been taken in the last two months.
Relax and breathe
Tag: music
London Music – NaBloPoMo – Day 23
Some songs about London. Now, that’s novel, isn’t it?!
Music (NaBloPoMo – Day 16)
This is my recording studio! Basic, yes. Actually I was trying to record a voice part for a virtual choir, and here you see my laptop (ear pieces plugged in to listen to the track) and my Tablet hanging from the top of the laptop to record the video and voice. On the left is the scribbled words to the song.
This was all done in my bedroom, the only room I could record in. I had to wait for the downpour of rain to stop as it was very loud on the window and would have interferred with the recording. It took several goes, but I got there in the end.
I don’t get to much live music, but I do love it. I’m not keen on musicals, but I do enjoy a concert, including classical. I’m not keen on huge venues, I prefer smaller ones that are more intimate. I can remember seeing The Eagles at Wembley back in the day. More hearing and seeing. Then we had to leave before the end to make sure we could catch a tube home.
You might wonder what this has to do with London, but all the venues I visited have been in London – Wembley, Fairfield Halls (Croydon), The Rose Theatre (Kingston), Wimbledon Theatre, Royal Festival Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Shepherds Bush Empire. I’ve also enjoyed some nice musical evenings in pubs. I’ve never been to musical festival like Glastonbury. The nearerst I got to one of those was when we all went to Cornwall for the Eclipse back in the 90’s. Across a field there was a music festival. We could hear the thump, thump of the music. from the caravan site. Apparently my nephew was there!
I enjoy taking photos at the concerts I do get to, though in those early days my camera wasn’t as good, or I was too far away. I’ve been through a range of cameras over the years. My first attempt was with my dad’s Box Brownie (that ages me!), but my first camera was a Kadak Instamatic with two settings (sun and cloud) and a place to stick the flash bulbs on! I think it cost me around £6. Wow, hasn’t the world of photography moved on?
NaBloPoMo – Day 10 – About me
Today I thought I’d talk about some of my preferences, you know the sort of thing – cat or dog? You’ll soon get the idea.
Cat or dog? Dog
Tea or coffee? Tea
Season? Summer
Favourite city (other than London!)? Winchester
Colour? Cerise and pinks to violet
Books or ebooks? Books every time
Sunrise or sunset? Sunrise
Musical era? 1980’s
Favourite meal? Veggie sausages, baked beans, fried onion and mash!
Alcoholic drink? Vodka & lemonade
Christmas or New Year? Christmas
Era to visit? 1920’s
Favourite instrument? Guitar
Childhood dream job? Car mechanic!
Most famous person met? Geoff Hurst (English World Cup footballer 1966)
Favourite country? Italy
Mode of transport? Train
Star sign? Gemini
Profile song? Music by John Miles
Design Museum/Holland Park
I suppose it was the 1980’s when I first realised that a lot of music I was listening to had electronic overtones – OMD, Flock of Seagulls, Gary Numan – but really it was when I came across Trance in mid 2000 that I became hooked. I heard a version of William Orbit’s Adagio for Strings (Samuel Barber) in a Trance mix by Ferry Corsten. That’s when I bought my first Trance CD (‘Pure’ Euphoria Vol 4 mixed by Matt Darley) The rest is history.
So, when I saw the Design Museum advertising their Kraftwerk to The Chemical Brothers exhibition, I just had to go along. What I loved was seeing the electronic equipment, but I hadn’t realised the origins of electronic music, how many decades it spanned, and the range. Going through the exhibition there was a chance to listen to sounds from across the years. Here you could plug in your own earphones or headphones (you need to take your own due to Covid 19 restrictions) and listen to the first attempt to record electronic sounds right through to club music of today. There are lots of screens and music pumping out generally across the exhibition.
My favourite place was the light display, a room with strips of changing lights moving to the rhythm of the music. In the final room you can have the whole experience with The Chemical Brothers song Gotta Keep on Makin’ Me High. There is a warning here due to the flashing lights/strobe lighting, and you can miss this out should this not be something you want to/should not experience for health reasons. Wow! Even I had to close my eyes near the end as the white light was so bright, but what an experience.
I don’t profess to like all electronica, but I love Trance especially the chill-out, classic, uplifting and some progressive. I am addicted to music in general and my taste is very eclectic. I listen to anything from the 1960’s to the present day, including classical, but if I had to pick an era, it would be the 1980’s.
If you like electronic music, then this exhibition is for you. If you are bored rigid now then maybe a quiet time in Holland Park is more to your liking. Do read on!
Holland Park is lovely any time of year, but with the trees turning colour I couldn’t resist popping in. Conveniently there is an entrance right alongside the Design Museum. Being midweek it was quiet. The Kyoto Gardens were beautiful and peaceful, a complete contrast to the thumping beats of techno. It was a chance to unwind and be with nature.
While the large cafe was shut, the kiosk by it was open and I was able to grab a hot chocolate and sticky peach tart. I sat under cover just in time because the heavens opened. It was rather soothing watching the rain fall. Luckily, the worst had cleared by the time I was ready to leave.
A day of contrasts for sure!
My London+ 