Oops

Still obviously carrying some of the holiday vibe, having missed doing my Friday blog.  Sorry about that.

My first week back was uneventful.  Things have not fully picked up yet, so it was a steady and relatively uneventful week.

On the home front, we are still all in shock not to be on holiday any more.  This holiday was so good that it is going to take longer than usual to recover.  We did not win the Euro Lottery on Friday, so we are yet to be the owners of a Mallorcan villa, but the general feel-good vibe is still fizzing away.

We have even continued to play games sometimes in the evenings.  Texas Hold'em is our current favourite.  The basic rules are understood - though it still vexes Maggot 2 that three of a kind beats two pairs - but I think the poker faces are gonna take some time to develop.

My home mixing is going quite well.  One single was released on 5th August, a New York label, for a song called Shapetracer - Scobi New York Mix.  Of course it goes without saying that it will not be to everyone's taste, but I am proud of it none the less.  I had to provide some details about the song, so wrote this piece of waffle, which is both pretentious and true, both at the same time:

The sound is urban, the growl of people and traffic, of machinery and life.  Suddenly you turn a corner and the noise is dimmed.  You look through a window to see a ballet lesson, or a choir rehearsing, the growl of the city still audible.  As turn another corner, you are back in the noise and the heat and the energy.

I also have two other singles which are original mixes that have been signed up by a Florida label (Del Sol Records).  In contrast to the New York mix, which is gritting and a bit industrial just like the city, the two that Del Sol have taken up are more deep house - mellower, as befits a place where the sun shines quite a lot.

I actually think I am finding my niche now with the music.  I have joined a closed Facebook group called Mix Critique, where you can post remixes for feedback, and where you can also provide feedback on other people's mixes.  I have been doing a lot of You Tube learning on various aspects of music making, most of it technical stuff, and am probably now at the stage when at least I know what I don't know.  Nevertheless, the whole subject is very daunting.  Being on the Mix Critique site, I suddenly feel like I know something, which is nice.

One final comment.  Yesterday, for the first time in about a month or more, I work both socks and long trousers.  It was a momentous occasion and one that I hope not to repeat for a long time to come.

Have a great week, and (hopefully) will speak again Friday.