Whatever happened to

Posted on March 9, 2015 by virginia

The experimental music studio?

You may recall all the drama around Christmas with deliveries of yet more equipment with fantastic names (moowoosher, minisomething or other the force and a huge keyboard with stand in it’s own special metal case). Well it is now March and the studio is almost clear. It was an experiment and, mmmmh, it became a loadstone of wires. The Synth Lover was not inspired and the beautiful music he had intended to make never flowed. However as with all experiences in life, if it doesn’t work, let go and move on. Or in this case find all the boxes and packaging and get on ebay. Ebb and, flow, in letting go of the need for an entire room devoted to synths and their accessories a Sound Force station with beautiful live accessory (cat) has meant an outpouring of amazing tunes! So that’s all good then (ref. to 2012 UK comedy).

On the island, the Season has begun.

It was with great amusement that I watched the arrivals streaming out of the wee airport and being met by a Saga (hols for oldies) Representative. Upon leaving school I did not want or qualify to go to University and so thrust myself into the ‘workforce’ with a series of part-time jobs whilst doing a Youth training Scheme in Travel and Tourism on the South Coast of England.

In those days airline and boat tickets were written BY HAND, you had to go through a travel agent in order to book anything. Package holidays by Intasun and Thompsons were offering affordable foreign holidays to the masses! We learned to issue train tickets (whose time tables were massive books reissued each year), work as a travel agent and over one week in Benidorm, how to be a ‘rep’. The only thing we did on a computer was to learn how to make a spreadsheet in the second half of the course for one day!

Being the gregarious big mouth that I am I was naturally drawn more to the meet and greet aspect rather than the 9-5 Travel Agency employee number. Handy really, as a few years later the internet blossomed. The middle man (travel agent) was cut from the equation and now most of it is done online – even checking in and printing boarding passes. My people skills honed from years of doing seasons of Sand followed by Ski as a rep gave me the public speaking skills that have provided for my creative expression and spondoolies too!

In fact one of my most lucrative season was for Saga’s American wing, Globus Gateway. We would collect the people from the airport, flog them excursions, take them to the theatre and get lots of tips. I was able to finance 6 months in Australia from 3 months work in London. Nice.

Anyway back to the Island, I was seeing off a friend and had prepared a little on board healthy breakfast tray. She was ever so pleased and snuffled the lot before we even got to the departures area! What a nice compliment for my ‘thrown together from whatever is to hand cake’.

This months recipe is from a real food blog, in case anyone is taking a plane journey and is looking for nibble inspiration….

from peacefuldumpling

Leave it to an English major to find recipe inspiration in the diary of a poet’s sister. Dorothy Wordsworth, sister of Tintern Abbey poet William Wordsworth, was an avid diarist–and a poet herself. She wrote of life in the Lake District of northern England where the natural landscape infused day-to-day life with quiet beauty.

Oat cakes are among the food items mentioned in Dorothy’s journals. Made with simple oat flour and goose fat, they could be easily packed along a trip outdoors. The recipe-adapting English major mentioned above was not me, but my mother. She experimented with blender-churned oat flour and different nut butters (not goose fat ;)) to create her own version of these delightful, healthy snacks.

Vegan Oatcakes

Ingredients:

(Makes between 10-12, depending on thickness of cakes.)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 cup oat flour (can be made by blending old fashioned oats until they are a coarse flour)

1 tbsp. almond butter or coconut oil

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin spice blend

1/3 cup non-dairy milk or water (I used a blend of almond and coconut milk.)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp. coconut nectar

cinnamon and almond slices for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.

2. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients.

3. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients then add to dry ingredients and stir thoroughly.

4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Flatten dough between 1/4-1/2″. Cut into circles using a biscuit or cookie cutter. Press almond slices onto oat cakes (optional). Garnish with cinnamon (optional).

5. Bake for 15 minutes or until oat cakes easily lift off the parchment. Allow cakes to cool on a wire rack. Serve, and enjoy!

On the video front, this month I have chosen the Emoto water walk for your enjoyment!

Musical Dilettante

Posted on February 9, 2015 by virginia

On being a musical dilettante

‘We are lovers, yet I’ve always had the feeling he thinks me a musical dilettante and that he likes it that way.’

When I was growing up music did not play that great a role in our house. My parents favoured Cohen, the Stones, the Carpenters and classical as background noise. We stopped watching Top of the Pops when my father requested I refrain from singing along! So, on my Ipod I have the Big Chill film soundtrack, the music from Weeds, The Who and The Clash, aerobics 4by4 dance tracks and one ton of relaxation music.

In the mid 80’s, when I first started going out in a small seaside town on the pebbly coast of England I was around fifteen years old. At my friend’s house, who had very liberal parents, we would don our Punk outfits and head off to Brighton or the Brixton Academy, to see the likes of the Virgin Prunes. I was not really into the music but I was very attracted to the ‘scene’, of being different and ‘out there’.

This was followed by a few years of Reggae. I was at Sixth Form and had just discovered the pleasures of Mother Natures Herbal Medicine. The music fitted perfectly and I loved the idea of Rastafarianism as it appealed to my veggi sensibilities. Oh, and then of course there were the Rastas themselves! I was even taught to cook by a five man Reggae band.

Then came the underground Rave Scene during the late 80’s to early 90’s and what a ride that was. From hearing Soul to Soul playing on the radio, to listening to A Guy Called Gerald in a South London railway arch. In those days we did everything ourselves. We sourced the location, painted the backdrops, hired the lights and sound stuff and had our DJ friends play for our posse. It was brilliant, magical, lovely and definitely not just because of the music! It could not last forever. Thatcher’s Criminal Justice Act prevented anyone playing a repetitive beat with more than four persons gathering from 1994 onwards.

Having changed musical genres for a few decades, I remained with ‘house music’ upon moving to Berlin in my 30’s. However it was never about the music itself for me, the Dilettante. I was there for the vibe, the atmosphere, the people and just ‘being there’. Berlin was amazing, we were in the East and the nightlife was fantastic. Yes, sure there were drugs flying around but some people did not even drink. This was a different attitude to the purely hedonistic angle I’d been used to. It was so very interesting to go out all night completely straight and still not come home until the sun had risen over the Fernsehturm. All of this to the boom boom boom of Techno music.

These days I prefer to listen to audiobooks and use music for exercising and meditating. The years have taken their toll, I am deaf in my left ear from too many nights on loudspeakers (I shadow danced for Kruder and Dorfmeister)! This means I can no longer tolerate loud ambient noise, so no more all nighters por moi.

On that note here is the worlds most relaxing piece of music. Sound therapists were able to rate ten of the most relaxing songs, with Marconi Union’s 8 minute trance-inducing tune, “Weightless”, coming out on top thanks to its continuous rhythm of 60 BPM, an ideal tempo for synchronization with the heart and brainwaves,

My Synth Lover first became turned on by electronic music when hearing Kraftwerk. As a schoolboy he saved up and saved up to get a ROWLAND SH09 in 1981 and he has not looked back since. He was able to turn his passion into a career in his mid twenties (full time only after royalties started to come in from library music – not to be sniffed at, as it allows for financial freedom and makes for excellent practise at learning the craft). Thanks to years of study (at home twiddling knobs), trial and error, constant updating, learning, taking constructive feedback, tons of hard work, budgeting, good money management and believing in himself. Having started in Drum and Bass he is now much more of an Eno (Brian) man in his musical tastes.

Here is someone else inspired by music. This is moving and touching, especially as he died shortly after giving the speech……….

For this months recipe I give you the easiest soup in the world!

Zucchini Soup

Take one medium zucchini,

Chop into smallish pieces,

Bake in a hot oven drizzled with oil, sea salt and pepper.

Make one cup of hot water with a stock cube.

Place zucchini and stock in a blender, blend. DRINK!

Wanna make it ‘cream of’, drizzle a bit of non dairy cream on top.

Bet it tastes yummy, if you like zucchini that is!

We are loving our new improved healthy lifestyle and are feeling brilliant. The ‘regime’ or holistic approach, if you will, incorporates exercise (trampoline, walking), relaxation (meditation, chi machine), positive outlook (affirmations, creative visualisation) and, of course, the ‘green’ eating regime (Nutribullit juices, 70% raw).

Oh and of course doing something you are passionate about for a living and surrounding yourself with loving friends, family and positive peers. I also recommend some form of altruism. Just Perfect!

: )

synth pics

Synth Porn Art

Image | Posted on October 10, 2014 by virginia

Last night a DJ…

Posted on September 11, 2014 by virginia

gave me his Superfood Salad Recipe!

Having hosted a fair few dinners over the past several months (Ibiza in full swing), it was with great delight that I joined my Synth Lover (hubby) and a few of his DJ buddies (and Sarah) for dinner at the recently opened Wild Beet Restaurant in Santa Gertrudis before waving my hands in the air (literally) to their delightful sounds at Pike’s Hotel till the wee hours.

What do you call a ‘group’ of DJs, surely they should have a collective noun in honour of them – a gaggle, nope, a flock, mmh, a collective. Yep . The collective of DJs were amassed around the table ready to order. A collective of DJs were gathered together to sup before play(ing) was due to commence.

Anyway, I digress, it was a hot summer night on the white isle. The moon was nearly full and the stars were twinkling just for us. A real treat was in store for our little ‘collective’. We had decided to go for the degustation menu and were blown away by the delicious, varied and oh so tasty yet healthy vegan and raw food we ate. Well if you are going to try this kinda stuff it really should be in the right setting, no point in eating gaspachio on a wet winters day, eh!

From lime and lentil soup, to beetroot ravioli, raw sushi, through to raw baby sunburgers and finishing off with raw cheesecake and almond pralines, all washed down with organic cava. It was a filling yet energising meal.

Over dinner one of the collective of DJs, leaned over and reminded me of the meal I’d made for him on his last visit (yep, it was vegan and pretty ‘raw’). He said he had felt inspired to search the web for more healthy recipes. His new favourite being Kale and Quinoa salad with maple syrup and cranberry dressing. It sounded great, but the best bit was his description of how much better he felt after eating all that yummy goodness and the delight and appreciation his ‘lady’ showed upon being served it. He promised to send me the recipe and here is the link:

http://www.thefirstmess.com/2013/09/12/the-everyday-superfood-salad/

All the men at the table would be taking it in turns to play my favourite music in one of the most atmospheric places on Ibiza – the Freddy Mercury Suite at Pikes Hotel! That is apart from Brett, wearing the drinks band for our rider. With humour and grace he acted as ‘compere’ and waiter!

On Pike’s Hotel a quote from The White Island Book by Stephen Armstrong (Bantam Press);

“In reception photos of the fabulous festooned the walls: Freddy Mercury, Kylie, Sade, Naomi Campbell, Jon Bon Jovi, Grace Jones, Van Damme – all in family album holiday snap poses, grinning by the pool, or in the bar. In one corner there was a young George Michael. Tanned and topless, sharing a joke with a man sporting a huge moustache (the hotels owner).

Tony Pike is probably the closest thing to royalty Ibiza has. It was his hotels ability to entertain that kept the rich and famous coming to the island after Sandy’s acting set had fled. Pike himself arrived on Ibiza in 1978 after a nineteen year adventure that involved shipwrecks, bobsleigh accidents, military service, hard dinking and three marriages.”

Having put down roots for the first time in his life. He proceeded to build a hotel out of a derelict old finca (farmhouse). He designed it himself, with the help of his wife and the locals.

“When Pike’s Hotel was just about ready to open, the goddess (Tanit ancient love goddess of Ibiza) must have smiled upon him. Pike’s first guest was an American by the name of Bo Palk – the managing director of MGM Studios. Palk was supposed to be with a house party near Santa Eulalia, but the house was full when he arrived and he needed somewhere to stay. And pronto. Pike’s wasn’t quite ready, but Palk showed up anyway. Tony was just finishing the bathroom when Palk checked in, so they asked him where he wanted his toilet.

Palk clearly knew a few people because the next thing Tony knew a guy called Andrew Napier Bell came out to his place scouting for a video shoot. Bell loved Tony’s hotel and decided to film the whole thing there. His band was an up and coming English duo called Wham! and the video was for their single ‘Club Tropicana’.”

The other most famous, of the many famous, regulars was of course Freddy Mercury, who first sang ‘Barcelona’ at Pike’s on his birthday, in his suite. Today Pike’s Hotel hosts a Freddy Mercury night on his birthday each year. Needless to say dressing up is obligatory!

Pike himself has retired now and the hotel is run by some of the old Manumission crew, who organise ‘Ibiza Rocks’.

We arrived just before midnight and were immediately enveloped in the atmosphere. The hot summer night and such a magical beautiful bohemian setting. After having snuck to the famous pool for look around and being shooed off as it was closed for a private party, I proceeded to dance like no-one was watching! The DJ ‘collective’ spun 6 hours of magnificent tunes, interspersed with a live set by up and coming artists from the UK (what a gig!), every moment and beat much appreciated by the eclectic audience.

In stark contrast to the huge mega clubs with the thousands of punters, we were treated to what felt like a private party with friends old and new. As if we had, indeed, stumbled across a happening whilst wandering around soaking up that very special magical feel of Ibiza (perhaps from Es Vedra 3^rd most magnetic place on Earth just off the southerly coast).

A good night out has to have many factors contributing to the whole. This one had the right tunes, vibe, décor, ambience and people.I had a grand time and certainly waved my hands in the air, thank you all who made it possible.

SeJUICEd

Posted on September 9, 2014 by virginia

2^nd Article

13 August 2013

Se’juice’ing The Help

A few weeks ago our house nearly collapsed (figuratively speaking). It took two weeks and the mobilisation of technical help from Mac to Ableton, forums and some very angry calls to technical (un)help(ful) lines to rescue the situation.

It all began when my beloveds MBP/laptop took ages to come on. A naturally cautious man (he always backs up!), he did not just ignore the situation and hope it was a momentary glip but went online to forums to see if there was a thread on the problem. During this time the Mac had started playing up all the time, HILFE. We use our computers for lots and lots of stuff (technical term) and simply put – need them, daily.

By now the 2011 MBP/laptop was taking over an hour to restart. Shoulders became hunched, faces strained due to the many hours on that one thread with thousands of comments. Do this, try that – all to no avail. Then a lead from Australia, people with the same problems were taking their computers to the Apple Store and getting them replaced. The UK stores would not do this, offering a new logic board, though it is the discreet graphics chip which has been attached to the logic board with unleaded solder (which degrades over time) that had been causing the problem, thus solving the situation for only a month or two. Apparently the new European regulations mean only the army can use thermal leaded solder. No good results, despite a magnificently eloquent call to a senior Apple executive, asking for the ‘free’ thinking of Mr Jobs original values, the computer ‘could’ not to be replaced.

Drastic action was called for, with the computer being used sparingly, a replacement was bought and shipped, its journey vigilantly tracked on every plane and through each country along the way. With the arrival of the new computer came the technical ‘call guys’. As I am not that challenging with the demands I place on my computer I have never had need of a technician. As eloquently shown when Mr Mac arrived and I asked him to figure out why I could not access facebook after 1^st of July – he simply ‘updated’ me (which I have not done since getting the computer as a hand me down several years ago)!

Anyway, it was smooth data transferring from there on in. Three days later and several thousand pounds (sterling) lighter the new Mac was ready to receive its musical input. For this, the services of an Able-ton Man were required. Who duly arrived and was enthusiastically welcomed – to the studio! At this point the boys/men lost me. What they did in the many hours they were huddled over those computers I know not. Nor do I wish to know (bought another synthesizer for one, I later found out!!!!!!!). For the synth lovers reading this – there was a lot of turning of knobs and rearranging and showing one another pictures of studios and synths – the rest I leave to your imagination.

Whenever guests, workmen or friends are at our house I love to give them freshly prepared fruit and vegetable juices, usually containing superfoods of one form or another. It gives me immense pleasure to see someone drinking ‘Blood’ (carrot, apple, beetroot, tumeric and ginger), being ‘SeJUICEd’ (banana, honey, oat milk, cinnamon, walnut) or going ‘Green’ (spinach, almond milk, cacao, goji berries, banana, chilli).

Just as the programmes one chooses to use and which synth sounds to inject into the music being made, what you put into your mouth is 100% your decision. That being said (please note I make NO judgement on any style of eating) it is a personal choice. So, personally, I eat ‘nothing that had a mother’. Having been shunned at school for eating rabbit food, it amuses me no end, to find that I am now in demand for my wide variety of tasty, beautiful and healthy vegetable dishes. It is currently fashionable and that suits me fine! Not only that but I enjoy excellent health and wish others to do so too. If I get the opportunity to feed someone a zuccini oat muffin and it broadens their taste horizons, then I’ll make raw Banoffi Pie for desert. The visitors seem to enjoy it and so it is a win-win experience all round.

Our guests, once they have felt the Zen tranquillity of our set up, been placed on the chi machine, fed correctly combined food and learned handy hints tips for saving health and money, have been known to write thank you emails containing praise such as “you could charge a fucking fortune for an all round health injection weekend like that” and my culinary skills have even been mentioned and complimented in the press by one guest who happened to be a journalist. Synth Lovers, their co-dependents, music industry persons or indeed plumber or gardener all getting ‘seJUICEd’ with a little bit of green (spirulina, chlorella, spinach or kale), lovely jubbly.

As we are not in the actual business of running health retreats (it is all about the music!) here are three of the hints that constitute my favourites for you to add to your ‘studio’ life. All are natural, cheap (as they are giving you prevention from disease), easy and most of all, effective. Give them at least 21 days before you quit the new habit to see how much better they make you feel. Enjoy…….

Note 1 Drink Apple Cider Vinegar in water every day.

Note 2 Walk barefoot on grass/sand or use a grounding mat every day.

Note 3 Drink plenty of pure water.