Each year I do a mini 'review / appraisal' of how ATP has done over the last year against the hopes / aims I set the year before.
This time last year I wrote a 'reflections & aims' post and the general aims I set out where to successfully release ATPLP2, play more gigs and do a tour. I managed to do 2 of 3.
ATPLP2 was released in April 2012 and was a success, it spawned 3 singles - all of which got national airplay. It sold well and although I would have liked more reviews, the ones I got were very good.
I did no gigs from Jan-June 2012 - this was so that I could re-work the live set and also spend time promoting the album. But from June onwards I had a pretty good run of shows. A lot of them were in odd venues or settings but it all added to the experience.
I also got to play at some excellent festivals like Blissfields, SoCo Fest and Southsea Fest.
Alas, no tour - but all in all - a good year.
Now onto 2013 .....
New Music
I am planning on having a slightly different year in 2013. There wont be a new album, I cannot see that coming out until 2014/15. But I have got a new 4 track EP which is waiting in the wings.
It's having the final mixes done at the moment and I hope to have it mastered before the end of the year with a release around Feb - March time.
Following that I am going to release 2 or 3 'one-off' singles. All are in the demo stage at the moment and they will only be released as singles and not appear on any albums. The current aim is to have them out in Summer - Autumn and Winter and ideally I would like someone else to release them, but I shall see what happens there.
The other thing that may or may not happen is me doing a soundtrack for a film ... ;)
ATP:Live
I am really hoping to do more and more live shows in 2013. The overall hope is to get out to towns & cities I have not played in before, maybe as a tour. As a side to this I would love to get a support slot for a tour.
The other hope (as always) is that I get to play at festivals. My music works really well outdoors - I used to think it was best tucked away in a dark club, but being on a stage outside (even in a dance tent) is the perfect setting.
The live set will continue to evolve with new material, more improv elements and hopefully new kit during the year. I may also start doing a few DJ sets again.
Conclusion
So there are my aims for next year - they are simple - a few successful releases, more shows, tour, festivals, new fans and a hopefully general step up the old musical ladder.
To see how I do - check back this time next year :)
Dec 10, 2012
Oct 31, 2012
New Release - Full Fancy (free EP)
Happy Halloween Folks.Today I am releasing a new EP called 'Full Fancy' featuring 8 tracks which you can download for free from my Bandcamp page.
The tracks were all recorded over the last year and most of them were previously released as either B-Sides or One-Off tracks.
I wanted to collate them all together as one release, as I like to keep things nice and tidy. I have listed the full track-listing below with a little insight into each track and where it originally appeared.
1. Throwing Nightmares (no more room mix)
The original version of 'Nightmares' appeared on this years Get Amongst It album. I decided to give it a bit of a rework and an extra special Nightmare/Halloween feel for this release.
2. Smokey Joe
This track was originally released last September. It was a dedication to my cat Smokey who sadly died after being hit by a car. It was a track I was working at the time he passed away so I finished it and released it in his honour.
3. Summer's Over
The B-side to 'The Inherent Racism of Doves' which was released earlier on this year. In a rare instance it features my voice on it.
4. An Afternoon In The Gardens
On an Autumn afternoon in 2011 I sat in the Pavillion Gardens, Brighton after work and whilst there I started recording the local buskers. A few beats and melodies later this track was finished.
5. RSD2012
On Saturday 21st April I woke up at 3am and headed into Brighton to get into the queue for the 2012 Record Store Day. I arrived in the queue at 4am and this song was made in those cold early hours whilst waiting for the record shop to open.
6. BOOM!
The Summer single 'Jaffa Clown Dog' featured BOOM! as a B-side. It almost ended up on Get Amongst It but in the end it just did not sit with the rest of the tracks there.
7. Dark Forest
Dark Forest is in essence a remix of the Frank Turner track 'English Curse' which appeared on his 'England Keep My Bones' album. Frank's track is an acapella track and the lyrics are based around the New Forest and Rufus The Red.
I made this remix whilst I was camping in my camper-van in the New Forest which felt very apt.
8. Jaffa Clown Dog (Live @ Blissfields 2012)
One of my favourite gigs of the year was this years Blissfields Festival. This is a live version of JCD recorded there.
So there you go .... Hope you enjoy the tracks and as always please spread the word.
Download 'Full Fancy' for free from Bandcamp
Oct 12, 2012
ATP:LIVE - October (London,Brighton,Portsmouth)
There is a small flurry of ATP:LIVE activity coming up over the next week or so and I wanted to tell you about this in the hope that you will come along to a show or if you can't make it, tell your friends and loved ones to come along.
Listed below are the details for London, Brighton & Portsmouth.
These are likely to be the last few shows for a while. There may be a special show in December but largely (unless anything amazing comes along) this is it for 2012. I will then be spending winter working on new material and destructing and rebuilding the ATP:LIVE show for next year.
LONDON > THURSDAY 18TH OCTOBER > 93FT EAST
I am playing as part of a 4 band bill - I have listened to all the other artists and this is a really good line up. I am on at 20.30 and the best thing about this night is - it's free to get in.
Also playing are Glass Diamond, Helium Robots & Olivia Louvel
Facebook event link | Venue Map | (tube: Shoreditch High St / Aldgate East)
BRIGHTON > SUNDAY 21ST OCTOBER > RIKI TIK
This gig is part of the Oxjam Takeover event which is a full day of live music in Brighton venues and it's £8 for a whole day ticket. There are 42 artists playing and I am on early (6pm ish) in the Riki Tik venue - which should be very good fun.
Full details can be found on the FB event page listed below, including ticket details and full line up.
Facebook event link | Venue Map |
PORTSMOUTH (Southsea) > SUNDAY 28TH OCTOBER > DRIFT BAR
Still waiting on the full details for this one - but it will be a 4 act line up in The Drift Bar in Southsea.
It's being put on by Trash Arts In Session and will be £2 entry.
Facebook event link - coming soon! | Venue Map |
Listed below are the details for London, Brighton & Portsmouth.
These are likely to be the last few shows for a while. There may be a special show in December but largely (unless anything amazing comes along) this is it for 2012. I will then be spending winter working on new material and destructing and rebuilding the ATP:LIVE show for next year.
LONDON > THURSDAY 18TH OCTOBER > 93FT EAST
I am playing as part of a 4 band bill - I have listened to all the other artists and this is a really good line up. I am on at 20.30 and the best thing about this night is - it's free to get in.
Also playing are Glass Diamond, Helium Robots & Olivia Louvel
Facebook event link | Venue Map | (tube: Shoreditch High St / Aldgate East)
BRIGHTON > SUNDAY 21ST OCTOBER > RIKI TIK
This gig is part of the Oxjam Takeover event which is a full day of live music in Brighton venues and it's £8 for a whole day ticket. There are 42 artists playing and I am on early (6pm ish) in the Riki Tik venue - which should be very good fun.
Full details can be found on the FB event page listed below, including ticket details and full line up.
Facebook event link | Venue Map |
PORTSMOUTH (Southsea) > SUNDAY 28TH OCTOBER > DRIFT BAR
Still waiting on the full details for this one - but it will be a 4 act line up in The Drift Bar in Southsea.
It's being put on by Trash Arts In Session and will be £2 entry.
Facebook event link - coming soon! | Venue Map |
Oct 9, 2012
Monkeys VS Pigeons
It is called 'ShoWery matter' and is a bit unique in that it features remixes by and for TOGM.
I remixed their track 'Sylent Winter' and then, they in turn did a remix of 'Sanity? Check!' taken from Get Amongst It.
There are also 3 other tracks on there and I very much recommend having a listen and downloading it.
You will find it residing on The Organ Grinder's Monkey BandCamp page on a 'name your price' basis.
Oct 2, 2012
Hello Autumn Falling Leaves
I am currently sat at a desk watching the sheets of rain storm across the city and feeling very glad I am inside. I think it is fair to say that Summer is over and Autumn has kicked in.
My last blog post about 'Where I belong' was one of the most read posts I have ever done and I wanted to say thanks to all the people who read it and contacted me with their views. It made me realise how important your views are and it's always good to have third party advise.
I am working on a few things at the moment and just wanted to 'think out loud' about a few things.
Firstly - I just wanted to say keep an eye out on the ATP Facebook & Twitter feeds around the time of Halloween. Also if you have not yet 'liked' or 'followed' why not do do now?
Next up is a little update on the next proper release - I am working on a new EP and really hope that this will be released before the end of the year. Originally I thought it would be a 6 track, then a 5 track release ... But it now looks like it will be just 4 new tracks.
There is a reason for this and it largely involves my plans for next year .... I've talked about this a bit so far, and will again, but in short - my aim and focus for 2013 is to release a series of singles only.
No new album - no new EPS - Just 3-4 singles .... Most likely released in Spring - Summer - Autumn and Winter.
Three of these are already well in progress and the plan is to spend longer on each individual song than I ever have before and then work my arse off promoting each one to the best of my abilities.
I am always thinking ahead and planning & plotting for the future .... I know it's easy to say this now (and in a way I say it every year) but I really have a good feeling about 2013 and everything it holds for ATP.
My last blog post about 'Where I belong' was one of the most read posts I have ever done and I wanted to say thanks to all the people who read it and contacted me with their views. It made me realise how important your views are and it's always good to have third party advise.
I am working on a few things at the moment and just wanted to 'think out loud' about a few things.
Firstly - I just wanted to say keep an eye out on the ATP Facebook & Twitter feeds around the time of Halloween. Also if you have not yet 'liked' or 'followed' why not do do now?
Next up is a little update on the next proper release - I am working on a new EP and really hope that this will be released before the end of the year. Originally I thought it would be a 6 track, then a 5 track release ... But it now looks like it will be just 4 new tracks.
There is a reason for this and it largely involves my plans for next year .... I've talked about this a bit so far, and will again, but in short - my aim and focus for 2013 is to release a series of singles only.
No new album - no new EPS - Just 3-4 singles .... Most likely released in Spring - Summer - Autumn and Winter.
Three of these are already well in progress and the plan is to spend longer on each individual song than I ever have before and then work my arse off promoting each one to the best of my abilities.
I am always thinking ahead and planning & plotting for the future .... I know it's easy to say this now (and in a way I say it every year) but I really have a good feeling about 2013 and everything it holds for ATP.
Sep 17, 2012
Finding where I belong...
The weekend is over and it was enjoyable. I did two very different gigs on Saturday and Sunday and it has left me thinking where exactly do I fit into the live music world.
I'll rewind 48 hours and I was preparing for my set at this years Southsea Fest. A one day music event in Southsea, Portsmouth.
My slot was at 1pm in the Social Club, not the normal time or place for a electro-dance set, but I had fun. Although it was a tough crowd to play for I gave it my all and came of stage sweatier than I have ever been before.
At the end of my set there was at least a dozen people who came up and talked to me saying how much they enjoyed the show and went away with CDs.
I give my all to my live shows - I lose myself in the music, dance around stage like a madman and even if one person appreciates what I have done - I leave happy.
Then last night, Sunday - I played at The Green Door store in Brighton as a musical interlude as part of the Brighton Digital Festival. It was a 'flash fiction' night and I played to a room of people who were sat down and largely there to hear short stories.
Again I had fun and before I played the compare read my press release which states 'ATP defines a sound that only they fit into'. This made me think about my music and where I do belong.
At heart I am an electronic music producer who loves playing live shows and taking my sound out to as many people as I can reach.
In my mind I should be playing as support to acts like Orbital, The Chemical Brothers and other such acts. I should be playing in late night clubs and dark rooms where people come to dance.
I want to be on festival line ups after the midnight hours and allowing my beats and swoops to fly through the night sky.
I want to make people dance and have as much fun as I am having on stage .....
I plan to keep working towards this dream .... I will never stop. I don't sit in my shed for hours on end to just make tracks, I want them to be heard LIVE on stage.
I would play any gig, anywhere and happily sit on a line up with rock bands, acoustic artists and electro acts alike.
I'll rewind 48 hours and I was preparing for my set at this years Southsea Fest. A one day music event in Southsea, Portsmouth.
My slot was at 1pm in the Social Club, not the normal time or place for a electro-dance set, but I had fun. Although it was a tough crowd to play for I gave it my all and came of stage sweatier than I have ever been before.
At the end of my set there was at least a dozen people who came up and talked to me saying how much they enjoyed the show and went away with CDs.
I give my all to my live shows - I lose myself in the music, dance around stage like a madman and even if one person appreciates what I have done - I leave happy.
Then last night, Sunday - I played at The Green Door store in Brighton as a musical interlude as part of the Brighton Digital Festival. It was a 'flash fiction' night and I played to a room of people who were sat down and largely there to hear short stories.
Again I had fun and before I played the compare read my press release which states 'ATP defines a sound that only they fit into'. This made me think about my music and where I do belong.
At heart I am an electronic music producer who loves playing live shows and taking my sound out to as many people as I can reach.
In my mind I should be playing as support to acts like Orbital, The Chemical Brothers and other such acts. I should be playing in late night clubs and dark rooms where people come to dance.
I want to be on festival line ups after the midnight hours and allowing my beats and swoops to fly through the night sky.
I want to make people dance and have as much fun as I am having on stage .....
I plan to keep working towards this dream .... I will never stop. I don't sit in my shed for hours on end to just make tracks, I want them to be heard LIVE on stage.
I would play any gig, anywhere and happily sit on a line up with rock bands, acoustic artists and electro acts alike.
Sep 3, 2012
Empties - New Video
Empties is the third single to be released from 'Get Amongst It'.
It features the very excellent Chris T-T on vocals and will be released on 17th September.
You can buy the single from -
iTunes - single track - 79p
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/get-amongst-it/id503601578
Bandcamp - featuring 3 extra tracks - £1
http://amongstthepigeons.bandcamp.com/album/atplp2-single-3
It features the very excellent Chris T-T on vocals and will be released on 17th September.
You can buy the single from -
iTunes - single track - 79p
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/get-amongst-it/id503601578
Bandcamp - featuring 3 extra tracks - £1
http://amongstthepigeons.bandcamp.com/album/atplp2-single-3
Aug 3, 2012
September Shows ... with an Olympic twist
I am largely taking August off from doing any ATP work. But will be returning in September with a few shows for your to come along to. Both shows are in Hampshire (where I seem to be spending a lot of time at the moment).
01.09.12 - So Co Music festival, Southampton, Urban Stage - 5pm / £free
15.09.12 - Southsea Fest, Southsea, Hong Kong Gardeners Stage - time TBC / tix
There will be more ATP:LIVE shows coming up in Autumn so keep an eye out.
Also - I can't not mention the London 2012 Olympics - and in particular the opening ceremony last Friday which featured Frank Turner opening the whole show.
As most of you are aware Frank did some vocals on my first album for a track called 'Larkin About' - based on a Philip Larkin poem called 'Pigeons'.
It was a prod moment watching Frank sing away to 80,000 in the stadium and a worldwide audience of billions - he has worked his arse off over the last 6 years and it's great to see it all paying off for him :).
If you are new to ATP and have not heard the track below ... Here it is:
You can buy the track from my Bandcamp site
Jul 19, 2012
Blissfields - full set on Youtube
This is the FULL 1 hr set I did at this years Blissfields Festival.
In reality I don't really expect anyone to watch the whole thing - But if you do, let me know.
Enjoy ...
Jul 6, 2012
ATP:LIVE Video of Brighton gig
Here is a little video with the opening half of my Pav Tav gig from last week. This is the first 4 songs of the set before the sound went bad.
I will also be editing together footage of my set at Blissfields over the next week, so keep an eye out for that.
Jul 2, 2012
Post-Bliss Come-Down
Wow - last week was amazing. It all kicked off on Monday with the release of 'Jaffa Clown Dog' which you can still download for free from Band Camp.
Then on Tuesday I did a set at The Pav Tav in Brighton with the excellent Tanka & BitBin - great chaps and you should check out their sounds. Sadly the Pav Tav PA was not really up to scratch and the speakers died during my set.
Move on to Thursday and I played at the amazing Blissfields festival. I kicked things off in the Hidden Hedge at 8pm. It was early, it was still light but I had a great time and managed to get some of the early evening ravers to dance madly.
I stayed for the whole weekend and got to see some excellent acts over the festival. Really enjoyed a lot of new music and meeting a whole host of random people.
I recorded both sets on video and will be editing together some of the footage over the next few days and getting that up online for everyone to view.
I was updating my 'past gigs' page on my site earlier and it occurred to me that I have only done 16 Live gigs as ATP ... Not bad considering some of them have included The Great Escape, Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party, Blissfields and some excellent support slots.
If you are reading this and book bands for shows (or know people that do) - please do get in touch as I am looking to book more gigs from September onwards!
The other thing I wanted to let you all know about is a remix I did last week. In between everything else going on I made a remix for Decadnids. This is actually something that came about via Twitter.
The remix I did is available via Pathmusick as a free download. The label has a whole host of excellent tunes on the site and I thoroughly recommend you having a listen.
So that was last week. This week I will be editing together footage from the gigs and continuing to work on the next ATP EP - I already have a title and 4 nearly finished tracks ... It will most likely be a 6-7 track release.
Then on Tuesday I did a set at The Pav Tav in Brighton with the excellent Tanka & BitBin - great chaps and you should check out their sounds. Sadly the Pav Tav PA was not really up to scratch and the speakers died during my set.
Move on to Thursday and I played at the amazing Blissfields festival. I kicked things off in the Hidden Hedge at 8pm. It was early, it was still light but I had a great time and managed to get some of the early evening ravers to dance madly.
I stayed for the whole weekend and got to see some excellent acts over the festival. Really enjoyed a lot of new music and meeting a whole host of random people.
I recorded both sets on video and will be editing together some of the footage over the next few days and getting that up online for everyone to view.
I was updating my 'past gigs' page on my site earlier and it occurred to me that I have only done 16 Live gigs as ATP ... Not bad considering some of them have included The Great Escape, Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party, Blissfields and some excellent support slots.
If you are reading this and book bands for shows (or know people that do) - please do get in touch as I am looking to book more gigs from September onwards!
The other thing I wanted to let you all know about is a remix I did last week. In between everything else going on I made a remix for Decadnids. This is actually something that came about via Twitter.
The remix I did is available via Pathmusick as a free download. The label has a whole host of excellent tunes on the site and I thoroughly recommend you having a listen.
So that was last week. This week I will be editing together footage from the gigs and continuing to work on the next ATP EP - I already have a title and 4 nearly finished tracks ... It will most likely be a 6-7 track release.
Jun 22, 2012
Fun with Titles - single, gig, festival, demos
Next week is quite a busy one in the ATP Camp.
The new single 'Jaffa Clown Dog' is released on Monday with an exclusive B-Side called 'BOOM!' - You can download both tracks for free from Bandcamp.
Then on Tuesday I am doing a gig in Brighton with Bitbin and Tanka - It kicks off about 9pm and is free to get in. This takes place at the Pav Tav - details are on Facebook.
Following that I head off to Blissfields on Thursday where I am playing on the Hidden Hedge stage between 8-9pm. I am really so excited to be playing there, it's going to be a great weekend.
After that - things will go a bit quiet until September .... But fear not!
I have been starting work on some new songs - the plan is to release a new EP by the end of the year / or early in 2013. This will be the first of a few stop gap releases until the 3rd ATP album is released.
As a special treat to those who read this blog I am going to put up a secret link to hear 3 of these new tracks. Two of the songs are already in the latest live set! Please remember they are demos and will most likely change a lot before they are released properly.
To listen to them - simply click here.
The new single 'Jaffa Clown Dog' is released on Monday with an exclusive B-Side called 'BOOM!' - You can download both tracks for free from Bandcamp.
Then on Tuesday I am doing a gig in Brighton with Bitbin and Tanka - It kicks off about 9pm and is free to get in. This takes place at the Pav Tav - details are on Facebook.
Following that I head off to Blissfields on Thursday where I am playing on the Hidden Hedge stage between 8-9pm. I am really so excited to be playing there, it's going to be a great weekend.
After that - things will go a bit quiet until September .... But fear not!
I have been starting work on some new songs - the plan is to release a new EP by the end of the year / or early in 2013. This will be the first of a few stop gap releases until the 3rd ATP album is released.
As a special treat to those who read this blog I am going to put up a secret link to hear 3 of these new tracks. Two of the songs are already in the latest live set! Please remember they are demos and will most likely change a lot before they are released properly.
To listen to them - simply click here.
Jun 1, 2012
Jaffa Clown Dog - Video
The second single to be taken from 'Get Amongst It' will be 'Jaffa Clown Dog' and it is released on 25th June 2012. To view the video just click on the Youtube clip above.
The single is available as a £free download from My Bandcamp Page along with a new track called 'BOOM!'.
Alternatively you can download the track right now from iTunes.
In the week that JCD is release I am also playing a couple of live shows :
- 26th June - Brighton @ Pav Tav. 8pm
- 28th June - Winchester @ Blissfields festival, Hidden hedge stage : 8pm
May 25, 2012
This time next week ....
... I will be premiering the video for my next single; 'Jaffa Clown Dog'!
Come back midday on 1st June to view it!
Come back midday on 1st June to view it!
May 14, 2012
Aye aye - Cap'n
There won't be all that many ATP:LIVE shows in 2012 (for one reason for another) but the ones I am doing are going to be excellent.
I've already announced that I will be playing at this years Blissfields Festival. Where I will be playing on the Hidden Hedge stage on the Thursday night.
Now - I am pleased to announce another show for later on this year...
I will be playing on the Hong Kong Gardeners Stage at this years Southsea Fest.
If you have not heard of SSF before - go take a look at their website - it is an excellent one day festival in Southsea (nr Portsmouth) and there are 100s of excellent bands playing. Tickets for this are £18 for the day and it is well worth the money. There is a Facebook event for this which you can 'attend' - click here
I will be announcing the stage times etc nearer the time - but for now put this in your diary as one of the rare ATP:LIVE gigs this year.
Also - on the topic of gigs, fear not .. I am looking into doing a tour later this year or early 2013 and I plan to get out to as much of the UK as possible to bring beats, dancing and joy to your Pigeon lovers.
I've already announced that I will be playing at this years Blissfields Festival. Where I will be playing on the Hidden Hedge stage on the Thursday night.
Now - I am pleased to announce another show for later on this year...
I will be playing on the Hong Kong Gardeners Stage at this years Southsea Fest.
If you have not heard of SSF before - go take a look at their website - it is an excellent one day festival in Southsea (nr Portsmouth) and there are 100s of excellent bands playing. Tickets for this are £18 for the day and it is well worth the money. There is a Facebook event for this which you can 'attend' - click here
I will be announcing the stage times etc nearer the time - but for now put this in your diary as one of the rare ATP:LIVE gigs this year.
Also - on the topic of gigs, fear not .. I am looking into doing a tour later this year or early 2013 and I plan to get out to as much of the UK as possible to bring beats, dancing and joy to your Pigeon lovers.
Apr 17, 2012
GAI - Review on Room 13
I had a lovely review on the Room 13 website ... you can read it > here
Or if you prefer, I have pasted it below...The album got 11/13 which I am chuffed about!
After releasing a well acclaimed debut album in 2009, receiving rave reviews from the festival circuit and spending a year further honing their craft, electro-party rockers Amongst The Pigeons seemed to have picked up the rave-shaped ball where they left off with new album Get Amongst It .
Upon the first immediate listen, you feel like you've been thrown onto the set of an old school sci-fi TV series being directed Gary Numan, the glitchty beats that make up good percentage of Amongst The Pigeons' sound loop in and out and over each making some crazy patterns in one's head. Dizzying? Yes but beautiful at the same time.
The use of up and coming British folk talent providing the vocals is a clever move, adding more dimensions and warmth to something that could potentially sound cold and soulless. The likes of Chris T-T lending his dulcet tones to the Mike Skinner-esque narrative of Empties
For a sound that has been so well established over the years, it is refreshing to hear a progressive and relatively new take being thrown into the mix. Every track jumps from tempo to tempo with shadowy samples appearing from almost out of nowhere; it certainly keeps you on your toes which seem to be a rarity these days.
In a scene that has been seemingly dominated by dubstep, it is cool that electronic music is able to push boundaries without resorting to the wobbling bass now seeming slightly main stream. After the success of SBTRKT, the next potential wave of forward thinking electro-heads has seemed to have landed fast and firmly into the consciousness of the party animal masses. An album that bends and melds genres to its own will with such ease and that creates a million pictures in your head. Roll on summer as the soundtrack has arrived.
Or if you prefer, I have pasted it below...The album got 11/13 which I am chuffed about!
After releasing a well acclaimed debut album in 2009, receiving rave reviews from the festival circuit and spending a year further honing their craft, electro-party rockers Amongst The Pigeons seemed to have picked up the rave-shaped ball where they left off with new album Get Amongst It .
Upon the first immediate listen, you feel like you've been thrown onto the set of an old school sci-fi TV series being directed Gary Numan, the glitchty beats that make up good percentage of Amongst The Pigeons' sound loop in and out and over each making some crazy patterns in one's head. Dizzying? Yes but beautiful at the same time.
The use of up and coming British folk talent providing the vocals is a clever move, adding more dimensions and warmth to something that could potentially sound cold and soulless. The likes of Chris T-T lending his dulcet tones to the Mike Skinner-esque narrative of Empties
For a sound that has been so well established over the years, it is refreshing to hear a progressive and relatively new take being thrown into the mix. Every track jumps from tempo to tempo with shadowy samples appearing from almost out of nowhere; it certainly keeps you on your toes which seem to be a rarity these days.
In a scene that has been seemingly dominated by dubstep, it is cool that electronic music is able to push boundaries without resorting to the wobbling bass now seeming slightly main stream. After the success of SBTRKT, the next potential wave of forward thinking electro-heads has seemed to have landed fast and firmly into the consciousness of the party animal masses. An album that bends and melds genres to its own will with such ease and that creates a million pictures in your head. Roll on summer as the soundtrack has arrived.
Apr 5, 2012
Get Amongst It - available to buy
I am pleased to say that the new ATP album 'Get Amongst It' is now available for you to buy.
You can order it from my Bandcamp page, iTunes or if you prefer you can listen to the whole thing on Spotify.
I really hope you enjoy the album, as I have said before - I am very proud of it and would love to know what you think.
You can order it from my Bandcamp page, iTunes or if you prefer you can listen to the whole thing on Spotify.
I really hope you enjoy the album, as I have said before - I am very proud of it and would love to know what you think.
Mar 6, 2012
GAI - Track by track (pt 2. - the B-Side)
OK - So last week I wrote about the opening 6 tracks on my new album 'Get Amongst It' and now this week I continue with the B-Side of that album.
GET AMONGST IT - Track by track
(pt.2 - the B-side)
7. Spoilers
Being a sci-fi fan I am well into the concept of Spoilers - I have an addiction to finding out what is going to happen in a film or TV series. Even though in many ways I would rather watch and be surprised.
The idea for this track came about whilst watching the latest series of Doctor Who in which the word 'Spoilers' was uttered a number of times by River Song.
I got a few people I know to shout 'Spoilers' which are all layered in the middle of the track.
8. Empties
This track features the very lovely Chris T-T .
Chris and I had talked about doing a track together ever since my first album came out - this track was one I had done the backing for a while back and kept tweaking it - always with a view of Chris singing on it.
The title is inspired by the Empties series of photos Chris takes - if you have not seen the site yet, please do go and take a look as its brilliant.
Chris came over to my house one Sunday morning last year and we recorded the vocals in Beat Shed Studio. Chris had a basic idea of the empties in this song being related to pub glasses and the lyrics all came about very quickly.
9. Throwing Nightmares
The working title of this track was 'sci-fi theme tune #3'. The song is one of my favourite ATP tracks. Again the title came about from something someone else said and upon hearing it I knew it would suit this track.
This track went through a good 4-5 drafts before I was happy with it - Nearly all of ATPLP2 was finished over a year ago - I then spent the time constantly tweaking the tracks - re-recording them. Starting new ones.
The first ATP album all came about very quickly and I did not spend enough time reviewing it - on reflection I wish I had spent more time on it and made it more concise. That is what I did with the new one. My aim was to have an album in which every track could happily stand alone and the whole album worked from start to finish.
I was originally going to have vocals on Throwing Nightmares - but in the end I think the song works perfectly without them.
10. The Return Of The Red-Eyed Raver
Last summer (2011) I was kindly invited to play at The Secret Garden Party by Eddy TM from XFMs The Remix show. I sent a random tweet to Eddy saying 'do you fancy booking me' and he did. It was one of those right time / right place moments and made my summer.
He wrote back to me saying 'You will be perfect for the Sunday red-eyed ravers' and I stole that title.
This track is just a bit of fun really - its a dance tune that goes down a treat when I play it live. I sent out a demo version to Steve Lamacq last year and he played it on 6music saying 'I dont know how to describe that, but I like it'.
11. Send Out The Search Party
I wrote this song whilst staying at a cold damp gloomy B&B in Lincolnshire - Whilst there I was on twitter and one of my followers wrote back to me saying "do we need to send out the search party".
I think out of all the songs on the album this one took the longest to finish and went through over a dozen versions.
It also features vocals from the very excellent Barry - or as most people know him 'Oxygen Thief' - I know I keep saying that a lot of these songs are my favourite but this one in particular is one I really like. I hated it for such a long time - but towards of recording the album it all came together ... I also made this rather trippy video for the song using lots of little clips I recorded last Autumn. Most of the footage is from the Brighton 'White Night' event.
12. Within Frozen Time
So the last track on the album. This one takes its title from another TLB forum members post.
I was originally just going to have this as a hidden track on the album but did not like having 6 tracks on one side and only 5 on the other :)
The track was recorded on a number of train journeys. In my view the whole of ATPLP2 is the perfect album to listen to on a train or whilst driving - there is a lot of 'motion' in the tracks.
And there you have it - my track by track run through of my new album ... I am currently waiting for the reviews to come in and really hope people enjoy it
After reading this track by track run down I hope you are excited to hear the album - well now you can.
I have set up an exclusive Sound Cloud set where you can hear the album up until it is release and then you will be able to keep listening on my website. To hear it just click the link below.
Please listen and share this link - I am so proud of this album and really want as many people as possible to hear it.
http://soundcloud.com/amongst_the_pigeons/sets/atplp2-get-amongst-it
Thanks ....
GET AMONGST IT - Track by track
(pt.2 - the B-side)
7. Spoilers
Being a sci-fi fan I am well into the concept of Spoilers - I have an addiction to finding out what is going to happen in a film or TV series. Even though in many ways I would rather watch and be surprised.
The idea for this track came about whilst watching the latest series of Doctor Who in which the word 'Spoilers' was uttered a number of times by River Song.
I got a few people I know to shout 'Spoilers' which are all layered in the middle of the track.
8. Empties
This track features the very lovely Chris T-T .
Chris and I had talked about doing a track together ever since my first album came out - this track was one I had done the backing for a while back and kept tweaking it - always with a view of Chris singing on it.
The title is inspired by the Empties series of photos Chris takes - if you have not seen the site yet, please do go and take a look as its brilliant.
Chris came over to my house one Sunday morning last year and we recorded the vocals in Beat Shed Studio. Chris had a basic idea of the empties in this song being related to pub glasses and the lyrics all came about very quickly.
9. Throwing Nightmares
The working title of this track was 'sci-fi theme tune #3'. The song is one of my favourite ATP tracks. Again the title came about from something someone else said and upon hearing it I knew it would suit this track.
This track went through a good 4-5 drafts before I was happy with it - Nearly all of ATPLP2 was finished over a year ago - I then spent the time constantly tweaking the tracks - re-recording them. Starting new ones.
The first ATP album all came about very quickly and I did not spend enough time reviewing it - on reflection I wish I had spent more time on it and made it more concise. That is what I did with the new one. My aim was to have an album in which every track could happily stand alone and the whole album worked from start to finish.
I was originally going to have vocals on Throwing Nightmares - but in the end I think the song works perfectly without them.
10. The Return Of The Red-Eyed Raver
Last summer (2011) I was kindly invited to play at The Secret Garden Party by Eddy TM from XFMs The Remix show. I sent a random tweet to Eddy saying 'do you fancy booking me' and he did. It was one of those right time / right place moments and made my summer.
He wrote back to me saying 'You will be perfect for the Sunday red-eyed ravers' and I stole that title.
This track is just a bit of fun really - its a dance tune that goes down a treat when I play it live. I sent out a demo version to Steve Lamacq last year and he played it on 6music saying 'I dont know how to describe that, but I like it'.
11. Send Out The Search Party
I wrote this song whilst staying at a cold damp gloomy B&B in Lincolnshire - Whilst there I was on twitter and one of my followers wrote back to me saying "do we need to send out the search party".
I think out of all the songs on the album this one took the longest to finish and went through over a dozen versions.
It also features vocals from the very excellent Barry - or as most people know him 'Oxygen Thief' - I know I keep saying that a lot of these songs are my favourite but this one in particular is one I really like. I hated it for such a long time - but towards of recording the album it all came together ... I also made this rather trippy video for the song using lots of little clips I recorded last Autumn. Most of the footage is from the Brighton 'White Night' event.
12. Within Frozen Time
So the last track on the album. This one takes its title from another TLB forum members post.
I was originally just going to have this as a hidden track on the album but did not like having 6 tracks on one side and only 5 on the other :)
The track was recorded on a number of train journeys. In my view the whole of ATPLP2 is the perfect album to listen to on a train or whilst driving - there is a lot of 'motion' in the tracks.
And there you have it - my track by track run through of my new album ... I am currently waiting for the reviews to come in and really hope people enjoy it
After reading this track by track run down I hope you are excited to hear the album - well now you can.
I have set up an exclusive Sound Cloud set where you can hear the album up until it is release and then you will be able to keep listening on my website. To hear it just click the link below.
Please listen and share this link - I am so proud of this album and really want as many people as possible to hear it.
http://soundcloud.com/amongst_the_pigeons/sets/atplp2-get-amongst-it
Thanks ....
GAI - Track by track (pt 1. - the A-Side)
When I released my first album I did a track by track run down which seemed to go down really well with you; the humble public.
As the new album is released next month I felt it was time to do the same thing for 'Get Amongst It'- So here we go ....
GET AMONGST IT - Track by track
(pt.1 - the A-side)
The first thing I wanted to say about this album is that all of the song titles and the album title itself are all things I borrowed from what other people have said.
The majority of these were phrases on twitter, facebook and forums. None of the song titles were made up by me - something I enjoyed at first but ended up missing.
1. FutureDeadRockStars
The opening 'noise' on FDRS is the same as the closing 'noise' on the first album.
I really liked the idea of having continuity between the albums in the way that you could listen to ATPLP1 and then ATLP2 straight after and hear the join. I may well do this on ATPLP3 too ;)
The title for FDRS was inspired by my friend Simon Clare who said that "we should all inspire to be Future Dead Rock Stars" - I loved the sentiment behind this so stole it as a title.
In my view the song only works as an album opener - the beats and noises build up to the middle of the track where it then breaks down and disperses into floating noises and melodies.
The original demo version had an additional minute in it - but was cut out as it just plodded too much and made the opening of the album less punchy.
2. The Man Who Smiles When Things Go Wrong
TMWSWTGW is the oldest of the tracks on ATPLP2 and was made shortly after ATPLP1 and even before the 'Repeat To Fade EP' but it did not fit well on there - so it became an album track.
The title was inspired by something a former work colleague said in response to a customer who seemed to take delight in everyone's failures. This was the first title I 'borrowed', before deciding to do the same for the other songs.
The track contains a sample which I made myself - in fact the whole of ATPLP2 is sample free - which is something I was really keen to do as there were a lot of samples on the first album and generally getting clearance is a real pain.
3. The Inherent Racism Of Doves
'Doves' is the first single taken from the album and features my friend Piers on vocals. Piers used to be in a rock band that I managed and is not the lead in folk outfit 'Stick in a Pot'.
One evening Piers sent me a text message saying "you should call a song the 'inherent racism of doves' " - so that evening I began working on it.
I was actually staying in Birmingham at the time so started recorded the backing of the track in a hotel room and on the train back to Brighton. By the time I got home the main part of the song was done.
I then sent the first draft of the track to Piers who wrote and recorded the vocals and added the lovely backwards guitar part in the middle of the song. Then there was a final bit of tweaking and hey presto.
Piers and I also had fun recording the video for this one lunchtime in Brighton ....
4. Campervan Sex
Campervan Sex was also recorded on a train and took less than 2 hours to complete from start to finish.
I had originally finished the 1st draft of ATPLP2 but after reviewing it I wanted to drop one of the songs which I was not happy with - I wanted to have something more upbeat and groovy and this song was born.
The working title was 'Cosmopolitan' as I was sat opposite a girl reading said magazine as I was recording the track.
I later talked to my friend Guy who was talking about getting songs noticed in Google and said "you might as well just call a track 'sex' " - The campervan part was later added as I am an owner of a 1973 VW Campervan and am a member on a forum called The Late Bay.
5. Jaffa Clown Dog
The title for JCD was inspired from one of the members on TLB so fits nicely in terms of telling the story.
On the forum it would do certain things if you typed the words 'orange' 'clown' or 'dog' - and putting the words together gives this song its title.
I think out of all the songs on the album this is one of my favourites and will be the second single released sometime in May / June. I have already recorded the video for this but you can't see it just yet.
The vocals are provided by Mr Mark Rogers - a true mind of hip hop knowledge!
6. Sanity? Check!
4/4 beats and a sample of people on a roller coaster.
I was not sure if this song was any good so one day asked Anna Madeleine to have a listen for me - she replied saying "I am probably not the best person to sanity check a song" - again another title in the bag.
I thought for a long time that this song was the weakest on the album - but subsequent listens have actually made it one of my favourites. It has a real punch that runs through it and I'm looking forward to playing this one live.
I really wanted to have a the concept of a proper A-side & B-side on this album - as if it were a vinyl release ... so when track 6 ends the vinyl would stop and you'd have to flip it to listen to the next part.
The sample at the end of this track says 'it is over' ....
So there is the track by track run for for the A-side - The 2nd half will follow next week with an exclusive first view of a new ATP video.
You can pre-order 'Get Amongst It' now by clicking this link.
If you use the code 'pre25' you will get a 25% discount on the price.
As the new album is released next month I felt it was time to do the same thing for 'Get Amongst It'- So here we go ....
GET AMONGST IT - Track by track
(pt.1 - the A-side)
The first thing I wanted to say about this album is that all of the song titles and the album title itself are all things I borrowed from what other people have said.
The majority of these were phrases on twitter, facebook and forums. None of the song titles were made up by me - something I enjoyed at first but ended up missing.
1. FutureDeadRockStars
The opening 'noise' on FDRS is the same as the closing 'noise' on the first album.
I really liked the idea of having continuity between the albums in the way that you could listen to ATPLP1 and then ATLP2 straight after and hear the join. I may well do this on ATPLP3 too ;)
The title for FDRS was inspired by my friend Simon Clare who said that "we should all inspire to be Future Dead Rock Stars" - I loved the sentiment behind this so stole it as a title.
In my view the song only works as an album opener - the beats and noises build up to the middle of the track where it then breaks down and disperses into floating noises and melodies.
The original demo version had an additional minute in it - but was cut out as it just plodded too much and made the opening of the album less punchy.
2. The Man Who Smiles When Things Go Wrong
TMWSWTGW is the oldest of the tracks on ATPLP2 and was made shortly after ATPLP1 and even before the 'Repeat To Fade EP' but it did not fit well on there - so it became an album track.
The title was inspired by something a former work colleague said in response to a customer who seemed to take delight in everyone's failures. This was the first title I 'borrowed', before deciding to do the same for the other songs.
The track contains a sample which I made myself - in fact the whole of ATPLP2 is sample free - which is something I was really keen to do as there were a lot of samples on the first album and generally getting clearance is a real pain.
3. The Inherent Racism Of Doves
'Doves' is the first single taken from the album and features my friend Piers on vocals. Piers used to be in a rock band that I managed and is not the lead in folk outfit 'Stick in a Pot'.
One evening Piers sent me a text message saying "you should call a song the 'inherent racism of doves' " - so that evening I began working on it.
I was actually staying in Birmingham at the time so started recorded the backing of the track in a hotel room and on the train back to Brighton. By the time I got home the main part of the song was done.
I then sent the first draft of the track to Piers who wrote and recorded the vocals and added the lovely backwards guitar part in the middle of the song. Then there was a final bit of tweaking and hey presto.
Piers and I also had fun recording the video for this one lunchtime in Brighton ....
4. Campervan Sex
Campervan Sex was also recorded on a train and took less than 2 hours to complete from start to finish.
I had originally finished the 1st draft of ATPLP2 but after reviewing it I wanted to drop one of the songs which I was not happy with - I wanted to have something more upbeat and groovy and this song was born.
The working title was 'Cosmopolitan' as I was sat opposite a girl reading said magazine as I was recording the track.
I later talked to my friend Guy who was talking about getting songs noticed in Google and said "you might as well just call a track 'sex' " - The campervan part was later added as I am an owner of a 1973 VW Campervan and am a member on a forum called The Late Bay.
5. Jaffa Clown Dog
The title for JCD was inspired from one of the members on TLB so fits nicely in terms of telling the story.
On the forum it would do certain things if you typed the words 'orange' 'clown' or 'dog' - and putting the words together gives this song its title.
I think out of all the songs on the album this is one of my favourites and will be the second single released sometime in May / June. I have already recorded the video for this but you can't see it just yet.
The vocals are provided by Mr Mark Rogers - a true mind of hip hop knowledge!
6. Sanity? Check!
4/4 beats and a sample of people on a roller coaster.
I was not sure if this song was any good so one day asked Anna Madeleine to have a listen for me - she replied saying "I am probably not the best person to sanity check a song" - again another title in the bag.
I thought for a long time that this song was the weakest on the album - but subsequent listens have actually made it one of my favourites. It has a real punch that runs through it and I'm looking forward to playing this one live.
I really wanted to have a the concept of a proper A-side & B-side on this album - as if it were a vinyl release ... so when track 6 ends the vinyl would stop and you'd have to flip it to listen to the next part.
The sample at the end of this track says 'it is over' ....
So there is the track by track run for for the A-side - The 2nd half will follow next week with an exclusive first view of a new ATP video.
You can pre-order 'Get Amongst It' now by clicking this link.
If you use the code 'pre25' you will get a 25% discount on the price.
Mar 5, 2012
Reminder - Single out today
My new single is out TODAY - you get 3 tracks for £1.50 and a discount off the album which is out next month.
The lead track was played on 6 Music by Tom Robinson over the weekend and you can listen again on the link below. (12 mins in).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b01cz0wp
If you should desire to buy the single you can click the link below.
http://amongstthepigeons.bandcamp.com/album/atplp2-single-1
The lead track was played on 6 Music by Tom Robinson over the weekend and you can listen again on the link below. (12 mins in).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b01cz0wp
If you should desire to buy the single you can click the link below.
http://amongstthepigeons.bandcamp.com/album/atplp2-single-1
Feb 7, 2012
ATPLP2: Single 1
My new single is out in a few weeks time and I wanted to give you all a bit more information about it.
The single features two tracks that are on the new album 'The Inherent Racism of Doves' and 'The Return of The Red-Eyed Raver'. Alongside this there is also another new ATP track called 'Summer's Over' which will not be on the album.
The single is available as a download and costs £1.50 - which works out at 50p per track. Also as an added bonus you get a discount which means you get money off the album too ;)
You can buy it now by clicking this link here!
Jan 15, 2012
The Inherent Racism Of Doves - Video
So here it is - the new ATP music video for the single.
Thanks to Piers & Sean for being the Pigeon.
Jan 12, 2012
DoVidEoS
I spent an hour yesterday walking through the streets of Brighton town with Piers from Stick in a Pot.Piers sings on the forthcoming single 'The Inherent Racism of Doves'.
The two of us were recording a video for the single and I am pleased to say it went really well.
I have a bit of editing to do over the weekend and hopefully will have a new video to share with the world in the next week or so.
Jan 9, 2012
It's time to > GET AMONGST IT
The second Amongst The Pigeons album 'Get Amongst It' will be released worldwide on 23rd April 2012.
The album features 12 brand new tracks and will be preceded by a double a-side single released on 5th March 2012.
Get Amongst It was recorded over the last 18 months on various trains, planes, hotel rooms and finally finished and mixed in my very own Beat Shed Studio. I am really happy with how it sounds and cannot wait for you to hear it too...
The track listing is :
- FutureDeadRockStars
- The Man Who Smiles When Things Go Wrong
- The Inherent Racism Of Doves (feat. Piers Blewett)
- Campervan Sex
- Jaffa Clown Dog
- Sanity? Check!
- Spoilers
- Empties (feat. Chris T-T)
- Throwing Nightmares
- The Return Of The Red-Eyed Raver
- Send Out The Search Party (feat. Oxygen Thief)
- Within Frozen Time
There will be many more blog posts over the next few months with details about each track, the video for the single and other delights.
Jan 4, 2012
Two Thousand & Twelve
Hello Pigeon Lovers,
Hope you all had a great festival holiday period and enjoyed the last few weeks. I did.
I have however been very busy over the last few weeks writing press releases, making promo cd's and updating mailing lists galore.
I am almost ready to send out the promo copies of ATPLP2 > SINGLE 1 to national and local DJs and am really hoping for good things with this release.
These should all be send out by next Monday which will then lead me onto the album promotion.
The single is released on 5th March and the album is out on 23 April. Still seems a while off but believe me that's no bad thing considering how much promotion work I have got ahead of me.
Keep checking out the ATP website for news regards buying the single/album over the next few weeks.
Happy 2012 x
Hope you all had a great festival holiday period and enjoyed the last few weeks. I did.
I have however been very busy over the last few weeks writing press releases, making promo cd's and updating mailing lists galore.
I am almost ready to send out the promo copies of ATPLP2 > SINGLE 1 to national and local DJs and am really hoping for good things with this release.
These should all be send out by next Monday which will then lead me onto the album promotion.
The single is released on 5th March and the album is out on 23 April. Still seems a while off but believe me that's no bad thing considering how much promotion work I have got ahead of me.
Keep checking out the ATP website for news regards buying the single/album over the next few weeks.
Happy 2012 x
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