We had a great time headlining the Thomson Holiday Reps’ big reunion at the Irish Cultural Centre in Birmingham.
All photos by Waltham UK Photography.
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Recording samples of real analogue bass synth sounds from the iconic Moog Voyager and Moog Little Phatty synthesizers in the studio last night, for use in live shows and sample packs.
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Pictures from Saturday night’s sold-out gig at The River Rooms in Stourbridge – on keys and vocals with Ultra ’90s, in preparation for the launch of Ultra ’90s Jam this coming weekend…
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10 Years Of Keyboard Camp! · Will Jones The first time I’ve got ’round to sitting down to write about it, even though it was now three weeks ago… (After Keyboard Camp finished, it was straight into four gigs over three days that weekend; an exhausting four-day studio refit; another weekend of gigs right down in the toes of Cornwall; and a day of PA system setup in readiness for new ventures this summer… More on all of that soon enough!) But I am delighted that the tenth anniversary of the (by now) famous NKO Keyboard Camp was such a success!
With music drawn from the material we have learnt as an orchestra over the previous nine residentials (plus some new music thrown in especially for this year) – as well as party games, birthday cake, a nostalgic photo slideshows from Keyboard Camps gone by – and culminating in an evening performance showcasing all the hard work and preparation over the past four days, the tenth Keyboard Camp was a true celebration of what makes it special, and exciting.
Sectional Rehearsals In The Big Room At How Hill I have always been proud to be associated with a residential music course which is always evolving and improving, and where the students keep coming back year after year (for nine years in a row, in some cases!),
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March 2017 is something of a landmark for me, so here is a short piece of writing (and a few old pictures) all about it.
Cardiem live on BBC Radio Norfolk, 2009. It was back in March 2007 that I officially declared myself ‘a professional musician’. Nothing materially changed for having said it, of course – I was still doing one gig every few months, teaching two or three private students, and earning very little – but it meant something to have said it, to have ‘made it official’. It was a line in the sand.
‘Loading’ the van – on tour with Axel Loughrey, 2010. I registered myself officially self-employed not long later (although it would be another couple of years before I was earning enough for that to have any real tax implications), and I joined the Musicians’ Union. And I resolved not to give in to any of the pressures to get a ‘real job’ (even just while I was building up my income from music).
In the ten years since then, I have gone from intermittent gigs and two or three students to having a thriving business gigging, recording, teaching, writing and arranging music (and – yes – doing actual tax returns).
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A few pictures from last night’s awesome Ultra ’90s gig on keys and sax at The Harlington in Fleet.
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’90s Reloaded Weekend -
Latest photos from Ultra ’90s rehearsals on keys and vocals at Thatspace in Rochdale.
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I have played drums for Ultra ’90s almost since the show’s inception in 2008 – and more recently, I have played percussion with the new Ultra ’90s Fresh lineup as well. However, with the popularity of Ultra ’90s expanding quicker than ever, I am very excited to have been offered the chance to take on a new role, leading yet another lineup as an MD, keys player and vocalist.
So despite playing hundreds of Ultra ’90s gigs on drums, I am spending four days this week at Thatspace in Rochdale with Chris and Kelly from PX Productions, relearning the set on keys and programming my synth rig with the correct sounds and samples – plus developing new skills, including working in Chamsys to patch and programme lights, and rapping!
For The Gear Nerds… Synth rig With Ultra ’90s: Nord Stage2, Nord Wave, And Moog Little Phatty The rehearsals are long days – there is a lot to get through in a ninety-minute show packed with high-energy ’90s dance classics – but I am relishing the chance to push myself to be better and become and more versatile, more well-rounded musician with a plethora of skills to offer.
I will still being gigging with Ultra ’90s and Ultra ’90s Fresh as a drummer and percussionist this coming year as well, but I am enjoying seeing the show from a new angle, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to gig a set I know well in a totally different way.
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Spending a lot of time in the studio, working with the Nord Sample Editor to get my Nord Wave synth ready for some new upcoming projects this year.
Nord Wave In The Studio 
Nord Sample Editor In The Studio
