So there we are. 51 albums. 51 calendar years. And my 50th birthday on Saturday. It wasn't the year that any of us were expecting. And as a result of the minor inconvenience of a global pandemic, my options for a venue for celebrating my 50th are somewhat limited. So it's going to happen on … Continue reading 51 for 50 – The Final Countdown
Category: Projects
And so we reach the end of this project, album 51 in a series of 51 albums that chart the 51 calendar years that I've been around on the planet. As I set out at the beginning (my game, my rulz), this isn't necessarily the 51 best albums in my lifetime. There are masses of … Continue reading 51 for 50 – 2020
This week I have learned: How to use the Polyrhythm function on my drum machineThat the pauses between words are as important as the words themselves (awesome interview coming up on WB40podcast.com week after next with Liz Stokoe... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtOG5PK8xDA)Meet people before the big meeting190 people in a training event? No worries.That we've have the first … Continue reading Weeknote 510: Polyrhythms
This week I have learned: That I really can't remember quiet enough about the American constitution and electoral system, but it is 32 years since I studied it at A Level.Thirty two years.This lockdown isn't going to have any of the novelty factor.We need to think less about technology as housebuilding and more about technology … Continue reading Weeknote 509: locked down too
A sound system from Glasgow. A singer from Bristol. An opening track that's a cover of a cover. Dancehall. Reggae. Drum and bass.What's not to like? More Fyah is a wonderful little album. And the penultimate one in this collection... https://open.spotify.com/album/4gEwOC20SzNUWXTP7gs8Vx You can see the #51for50 project to date here: https://mmitii.mattballantine.com/category/projects/51-for-50/
This week I have learned: I'm so lucky to know so many great Pele who I can invite onto WB-40.I've spent the last three months writing papers rather than thinking about the future. The price of governance.It's time to start making processes in anger.We need to get our heads around this as the new normal. … Continue reading Weeknote 508: a sense of completion
Dirty Computer, Janelle Monáe's 2018 album, is an incredible work. Black Rights, Feminism, Coming out. But also science fiction dystopia where we become but computers. The tribute to Prince in the form of Make Me Feel. The feature(ish) length video. I've listened to this album so many times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdH2Sy-BlNE https://open.spotify.com/album/2PjlaxlMunGOUvcRzlTbtE?si=7HKhcIT4SIevSinFku8Ciw You can see the #51for50 … Continue reading 51 for 50 – 2018
This week I have learned: that I have an idea for a project to keep me entertained in my 51st yearGDPR is the gift that keeps on givingsometimes it's just about talking stuff throughthe football season might now have actually started Next week: half term contemplation The week in photos:
The routes by which I find music have changed dramatically in the last 35 years. It used to be occasional things on the radio and rummaging around in record shops (when you used to have to base an album on its cover). Word of mouth is still important. But there are now entirely new ways. … Continue reading 51 for 50 – 2017
Sometimes I find that a tiny element of a song can transfix me. A riff. A lyric. A voice. Here, for example, are my all-time top three snare drums in pop music: 3 - Swing Out Sister - Breakout Apparently not about the hit computer game, SOS provided a top notch bit of smooth 80s … Continue reading 51 for 50 – 2016
