31/03/2008 by Andy C.

What can I write about yesterday, not a lot really one of those mundane days. Went food shopping in the morning really exciting that was driving for 20 Min’s to shout at the kids in public for half a hour, why do they do it? As soon as you on a bit of a mission to get something done they start to kick up big time, I was tempted to ask if they (the shop)would give us some coco pop’s and a tin of beans as part exchanged for them both. In the afternoon I cant quite remember it was that eventful, did the shop, wrote a few emails checked in a few forums that was it tea time! We all went to bed early as well I was in bed by 9 I was on my knees considering the clocks went forward as well that is really early but I needed it. Today has been a nice day sunny and a definite feeling of spring in the air, spent the morning catching up on some course work. I had a visit from my bird friend again this time the window was open I could hear his little cheep’s. If I have not said before the other day while I was working on some music stuff about 4 times this little great tit flew up to the window perched on the window frame and looked in at me for like 30-40 seconds at a time, how cool is that? Spent the afternoon trying to get the kids out to enjoy the sunshine while I stayed in the cupboard under the stairs sorting out the bit pixel myspace page, some thing not quite right with that. well I had to open up another account as I cant get into the old one, so I now have a official myspace page (get me!) at www.myspace.com/bitpixelofficial not quite got round to uploading any music yet give a chance. I have found out what has been wrong with our heating all winter it’s the pump in the boiler it is burning out and sticking it did this again this afternoon so i decided to fix it. A quick whack with a rolling pin later we had heat. Must get onto the plumber the inside of those things look like rocket science and I don’t think a quick whack with a rolling pin is quite what I should be doing. Still that’s about it for today I am of to lounge in the bath for a hour, that’s a image to haunt you all night

music played:

Labradford - website streams

Bit pixel - the all clear

Mike Oldfield - tres lunas

John Foxx - the golden section

Matmos - the civil war

Macondo - myspace streams

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29/03/2008 by Andy C.

Had a great day yesterday got the kids to school dropped off a birthday card at work and then spent the rest of the day well till 3pm working on the new live set. I am trying to do some music that maybe would not be considered improvisation but has a looser structure about it. Knowing me it will end up all multi layers and solid structure but for the time being i am enjoying the challenge, don’t sound to bad either :). Did a load of planing for the live stuff with OJ on Thursday eve down the castle maybe a bit to long judging by the beer head I had Friday morning. The show last night was a triumph! Fern played really well you could see she was very nervous she made me well proud. You could tell she was not to keen on being a cat, i thought she looked quite cute but could never tell her. This morning I wandered to the high street to get some more Cd’s off to CD Baby, I am nicely surprised just how many they are managing to sell I have not done much by way of promoting them yet, still waiting on I tunes to start sales reporting that will be interesting. Had Ros and Pete up for tea today always great to see them nice quiet time as well watched the boat race for the first time in years, Oxford won I backed Cambridge ain’t it always the way? Both Fern and Ash have some how managed to pull out a tooth today going to cost me a fortune, Fern did it on purpose as well because she needed just £2 to have enough money for the build a bear ds game, hope she never finds out you can sell your kidneys! I am going to have myself a early night clocks go forward today (spring forward and fall back just for you Jane)

music played:

Mooch - 1967 1/2

Mister Midi - i should have learned to play the guitar

pink Floyd - dark side of the moon

Mick Oldfield - light and dark

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27/03/2008 by Andy C.

been a funny few days after what was a great weekend. Midge started to get distressed every time he was left alone on Tuesday so we bit the bullet so to speak and took him to the vet to be put down. even though I was ready for it i was completely gutted he has been my shadow for 13 years always there. Now it’s Thursday and I am feeling a whole lot better, not sad, angry or guilty just a bit empty and noticing all those things i took for granted that are not there any more, little things but things all the same. last afternoon at work today then off for two weeks :). going to sort out a whole load of stuff with the a-frame site and the glimmer room site. I have got to organise a proper mailing list out as well as a download shop. also i have got the bit pixel album release to organise. Fern has got here school production today and I am really looking forward to that she is playing her clarinet on stage as well as being a cat (bad timing on that one!). been a bit flat last few days not doing anything out of the ordinary and working through stuff so there is not much else to write. tomorrow will be a happier post i am sure, until then.

Midge/Lion edd 1995-2008

 music played:

Ulrich Schnauss - far away trains passing

Tim Blake - crystal machine

Mooch - radio special

The Glimmer Room - new album mixes

Nick Robinson - my-space streams (must get more of this)

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25/03/2008 by Andy C.

caught up with Paul on Saturday first time in like 10 years, we had completely lost touch as our lives took on very different paths at the same time. it was fantastic to see him he looked so happy with his lot in life. meet his wife and children too Ros his wife seemed to be a real good laugh, so full of life, i felt instantly conferable with her they do make a great couple. i am so glad i managed to pluck up the courage to get in contact as it really was just like picking up where we left off we had so much to talk about, well ten years is a long time. i really hope we do meet up again and maybe become good friends again he was like a breath of fresh air. then i headed back to earls for dinner with mum and dad a Easter roast! as always it was great to have the family together time went quick for me as i was later getting there felt like i just pigged down my dinner and left! Sunday was a complete disaster maria was working in the morning and then Ros and Pete where due to come up to us for a Easter tea, then the snow happened not that much but enough to give some folks a lame excuse not to got to work and maria had to stay on all day, understandably not a happy bunny. so i  had to call it all off till next week i could tell Pete was disappointed which made me feel kinda bad for a while. ended up having a 3 hour monopoly extravaganza with fern and ash, ash won big time! Monday was another cool day we all went to my sisters and got the whole family together all 11 of us, these are always very special times and i love em! you cant have it all though midge the chilling cat is on his way out and in a bit of a sorry state, i really cant see him making the rest of the week. he is content enough and can still manage a purr when you make a fuss of him, but does not move from a blanket next to the radiator. sad to see and i will be gutted when he does die but cant complain he has had a great life with us and made my days more worth while on many occasion. he always was a bit of a dude! lunch with the girls from work got canceled again today i was looking forward to my bowl of chips and pint, in a way i am also glad as it is nice to just be a home today and quiet.

bit of a change to the last shot out of my window isn’t it?

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21/03/2008 by Andy C.

had a great night last night wayne is always good company, went to the castle for a beer i think we where in there well late because we got in had a cuppa and a yarn and went to bed at gone 2 in the morning. not so great this morning big old beer head on me, but i got through it with the help of a few pill’s. we where, well wayne was very busy sorting out the art work for the new bit pixel album. i must say it has worked out a treat better than i had hoped for. if your reading this mate thanks again there is no way i could have got the same results by myself, the boys done good! got my old sk20 back as well so i have had to rearrange my music set up to accommodate the beast. it is way heavier than i remember and did not got where i had planed so the whole lot had to be moved about. it is nice to have it back it has got some wicked sounds been enjoying playing it again. ashes play went just fine him and charlie looked like they where both having so much fun, proper comical to watch. fern announced today that see has got a  double A in her clarinet report i was well chuffed for her, she enjoys it so much good to see her reap some rewards as well. totally knackered tonight and am off to bed, going the meet up with paul tomorrow paul is someone i always considered a true friend and we lost touch about 10 years ago. so it will be great to see him if a little strange been a very long time and so much has happened to both of us, i know i am a different person now then i was for the better i think. then it is round to mums for a nice easter meal. should be a great day looking forward to it.

music played:

bit pixel - the all clear

mister midi - i should have leaned to play the guitar

tangerine dream - cyclone

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20/03/2008 by Andy C.

missed yesterday was out late doing the shop and then just wanted to hit the sack. it is ash’s school play today he was feeling a bit nervous this morning you could tell as he was acting up hope it goes ok, fern said in the dress rehearsal his trousers nearly fell down. should be interesting hope he manages to avoid the comedy classic! with a busy weekend ahead and i still feel rotten with this cold hope it wont spoil anything, i dont think i am getting any worse so can live with this. my ole comrade in arms is coming up tonight for a beer happy daze and tomorrow we are going to sort out the art work for the bit pixel album, will be great to get that out, done and dusted. he is also bringing me up my old yamaha sk20 cant wait to get my hands on that again really missed it, in all it’s cheesy glory found the user manual as well so i can hopefully get more out of it. found a great new electronic artists called ’sickmoth’ today really good sounds i have downloaded his albums and cant wait to get a good listen to them. why is there so much good music just tossed out for free these days not even for a token payment? beats me people should be able to at the very least cover their web site costs, mine cost over £100 a year and i have a basic setup.

 music played:

imogen heap - speak for yourself

omd - arcitecture and morality (classic!)

sickmoth - myspace streams

bit pixel - safe as houses/protect and survive (not quite decided yet)

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18/03/2008 by Andy C.

been a funny few days i can tell thee, yesterday up early did some coursework then off the pre-school, was a nice morning no major mishaps or strop’s, in fact a lot of the children where quite subdued. as long as they are not ill or getting ill this is cool with me, easy life! car went in for it’s MOT today i was dreading it, this could quite easily have well and truly sunk me and maria financially but it passed and whats more did not need any work done bar a pair of wiper blades, how much of a relief that was i cant tell you. in fact i didn’t realise just how much i was secretly worrying about it till it was all over. been working on some music today for the coming gig’s, i started it yesterday but i somehow managed to crash the laptop which is weired as it never does that. plugging socket error or something but it managed to corrupt the file so today was back to square one. i am really liking it better today than yesterday so maybe the crash was a bit of divine intervention or some such. will be programing the sequences live i saw tom dolby doing this and it looked quite good, then again i aint exactly tom dolby so it might just sound like a car crash! maria is not to well today and did not go to gym which is not like her she has been working really hard and i think it is catching up with her. her chest is really bad today and i find it really frustrating as she has very bad Asama but insists on smoking, i do find it hard to be sympathetic, to tell the truth makes me a bit angry. it is easy for me to judge she does find it hard i was very lucky and was always able to stop smoking at the drop of a hat, in fact it was always harder to start again, mad eh!

time for bed:

music played:

talk talk - the spirt of eden

headshock - music for peak experience

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16/03/2008 by Andy C.

been on a bit of a downer past few days got up early to do the shop and take some nice sunny pictures and woke to find it chucking it down. then spent all day yesterday running around after my two and both of them where in a foul mood. really hard work i was glad to get into bed. first thing this morning it all kicks off again happy daze. fern went out this afternoon with her friend to see a film ash settled himself down in front of the pc maria crashed in front of the box, me i slipped upstairs to work on some music. one of those flat sessions no music came through ended up programing up a few new sounds on my ion, so not a complete loss of time. going to have a hot choc now and then off to bed early start in the morning going to get back on track with the course work.

music played:

enya - watermark (forgotten how much i liked this, really fresh ideas on this album).

eno - ambient one (music for airports)

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14/03/2008 by Andy C.

been a absolutely lovely day today warm and still blue skies all day till now when i think i know i will take some pic’s for the blog look out side and it is starting to cloud over, i have got to get up early tomorrow to clean the shop so i will get out and about to take some then. it is really getting spring like so many trees are pushing out blossom and more and more flowers are opening up. been a long winter this probably due to the crap summer but it is so welcome to see these things. had in the studio planed to day well till 8:30 when just as i was about to leave to take fern and ash to school the phone went, i came so close to not picking it up as well i knew who it was. so i ended up at work but in a way i am glad i did it was a really nice morning for me, caused my usual chaos doing craft. finger painting is fun but you pay for it, takes a while to clean the children up after woods fingers tend to become whole hands in the paint which then gets rubbed over arms and any thing or body who is in reach, big smiles all round still feeling full of cold so not really achieved much in the last few days apart from keeping things running. got a bit of course work done this week but not as much as i would have liked, i have the Easter hols coming up so i am planing on getting a whole stack done then. had a great conversation today on the ole modulator forum which sort of made me stop and take stock and realise just how great my life is at the moment the work life balance is heavily life biased at the moment, good stuff. got the gig confirmed as well so on the 27 sept the glimmer room will be once again playing live at a awakenings gig, this time in burton on trent. OJ has agreed to jump in and help out on bass/guitar looping and anything else i can get him doing. looking forward to this one a lot the venue looks great and the folks organising it are really into promoting electronic music. still working away on the websites for a-frame almost done now, i have had to sort out a myspace for the jupiter 8 and reverb nation sites for both of us. the players look great and can be cut and pasted into any site, i might even put one in here!

off to cook tea now, get every one bathed and then i plan on at last switching on the synths for a few hours.

music played the last few days inc :

ultravox - rage in eden

ulrich schnauss - goodbye

BOC -the campfire headphase

the glimmer room - tomorrows tuesday (might do some more of this live)

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11/03/2008 by Andy C.

cant believe it has been four days but there you go, bust times with family at the weekend shopping and just doing stuff. Ash decided to empty his guts at 4 in the morning so a very early rise for me on Monday. Thought i was coming down with a cold yesterday and was right! I have been ill with one thing or another for ages now getting quite sick of being sick. No work today Ash off school so got a stack of work done on the new a-frame website, i think it is looking a bit fresher but maybe not better than it did. i am beginning to learn what you pay for when you have sites built for you. It is all new knowledge maybe stuff that will come in handy. Been a bit slow on the course last few days got to get back into it i will give myself tomorrow to get on top of this cold then Thurs morning i shall get a good few hours in. In talks about a possible gig for the glimmer room later in the year which is really welcome, will wait till i get the green light before posting just in case. well early to bed again for me again.

music played last few days:

not a lot really.

Klang Garten - Xan Alexander

Web Streams - Ion

1967 1/2 - Mooch (again)

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