Tag: ultra ’90s

  • Lack Of Updates

    Lack Of Updates

    I don’t generally make ‘New Years resolutions’ – but one thing I did want to do as of the start of this year was to update this page more, and be more active here. So far, not so good…!

    So what has been going on? Lots of work with Sistema in various local schools, which I am still enjoying and finding really rewarding. And lots of gigs with Ultra ’90s – in all it’s various flavours (Original, Fresh and Jam), both on drums/percussion and as a keys player and MD.

    And in between all of that, we have had the eleventh annual Keyboard Camp this year, just one week ago. (More on that in a later post…) And I have been trying to get my studio setup and fully functional at my new house!

    Beginnings of the new studio
    Beginnings of the new studio

    Having moved house at the end of summer last year, it has taken a little while to move all my gear across and start to get myself familiar with the new studio space. The big plan for this year is to get my recording work properly up-and-running, so I am going to try and start pushing that online a little more as I get everything finalised. Expect pictures and sound clips from the new studio sometime later this year!

    Soundtrack recording session on marimba
    Soundtrack recording session on marimba

    There are also a few other exciting gigs and other opportunities coming up soon, which I shall be writing more about due course. I am currently writing this in a Costa just off the M5, on my way to another run of gigs in Devon on drums with Ultra ’90s – I’ll be home on Thursday night for a day or so, before heading straight back out on the road.

    And as the year goes on, I hope that I’ll be able to stick to my ‘non-resolution’ of writing here more – and uploading ‘on-the-go’ a bit more! And, most importantly, that I’ll keep playing, keep teaching, and keep learning.

  • 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.

  • 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…

  • Ultra '90s Jam
    Ultra ’90s Jam

    It has been a pleasure to play drums and percussion for Ultra ’90s – the hugely popular, one-of-a-kind ’90s dance tribute show show from PX Productions – for several years now; and when the show expanded in 2015 to include two lineups, I was delighted to be included as the original percussionist for the new incarnation of the show, Ultra ’90s Fresh.

    Now, with demand for a good, healthy dose of old-fashioned ’90s dance music still outstripping supply, PXP are expanding the lineups once again…

    As well as continuing to gig on drums with Ultra ’90s, and on percussion with Ultra ’90s Fresh, I am proud to say I shall be taking on the running of the third new lineup – which has been dubbed Ultra ’90s Jam – as the musical director, keys player and male vocalist.

    Ready To Jam! · Chris Wade
    Ready To Jam! · Chris Wade

    I am very excited to have the opportunity to further expand my work with such a highly professional and well-regarded outfit as PXP – and I am always grateful for the chance to develop new skills (such as learning to program DMX lighting in ChamSys MagicQ), to learn to work with new equipment in different environments, and to push myself further as a performer.

    It is an honour for me to have been trusted with this important role, and to continue to be such a central part of the ongoing success of Ultra ’90s.

    Patching Lighting In ChamSys MagicQ · Michael Latham
    Patching Lighting In ChamSys MagicQ · Michael Latham

    I am looking forward to the first show under the Ultra ’90s Jam banner, at Hopton Holiday Village on Saturday 6th May – and to many more successful gigs beyond that… As ever, keep an eye on the Calendar for gig dates, so you can catch Ultra ’90s Jam at a venue near you.

    Keys rig With Ultra '90s Jam · Kelly Borkertas
    Keys Rig With Ultra ’90s Jam · Kelly Borkertas
  • A few pictures from last night’s awesome Ultra ’90s gig on keys and sax at The Harlington in Fleet.

     

  • '90s Reloaded Weekend
    ’90s Reloaded Weekend
  • Latest photos from Ultra ’90s rehearsals on keys and vocals at Thatspace in Rochdale.

  • 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!

    Synths with Ultra '90s
    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.

    There will be ‘official’ publicity shots for the latest incarnation of Ultra ’90s online soon, and I will be posting the dates of my first shows as MD when I can – so keep an eye out for all of that… In the meantime, here is a gallery of shots from the first couple of days in rehearsal.

  • A few pictures from my gigs with Ultra ’90s this July.

  • Ultra '90s Fresh
Kit Marsden // Musician