Update

Its been a while since my last entry... a common start to many blogs online I would imagine. Although its not been for lack of material to populate these pages that have seen this page collect dust. Far from it in fact, as it has been an eventful past couple of months. Peaks and troughs all over the 'gaff'. Theres been good times and bad, but luckily for me, that is what makes life interesting. I can tell this blog is going to be a long one...

Most recently I've had the pleasure of spending every weekend rehearsing with DJ Phat at his new home studio in south east london, at the same time picking up the local vernacular, being introduced to 'turbo' kebabs and shandys whilst getting paid doing the thing we love best. Making music. This preceded a week in the studio with the guys from Dragon Tongue Squad and their entourage coming up with some 'dope tunage', introducing them to the British Curry, teaching them to 'chat shit' and generally causing havok.

The gig at the Royal opera house was a real memorable experience. Whilst being used to gigging in flea-bitten, dingy, badly lit basements venues for £2 entry, the Linbury Studio Theatre was a world apart. The stage and venue was truly manificent, even if it was only the smallest theatre (still in the basement mind) at the ROH. The staff and crew were friendly and very professional, although I must say, they were a little under equipped for such a gig... but through no fault of their own as they're probably not used to a marauding group of rappers, DJs with laptops, serato system, kaoss pads and a guitarist with a Marshall Stack...

To be honest, our set on the first night was a bit disappointing. We didn't really play as well as we could and we had a lot of problems with the sound. But fortunately we had the second night to redeem ourselves which I feel we did to the most extent, bar a few mistakes from myself... but hey... thats all been edited out of the video....

DTS themselves were a group of true gentlemen, professional musicians, talented and most of all true and passionate about their music. 'We rap about daily life, daily struggle...' Kirby eloquently puts its. 'No guns, its all organic..emotions' says J fever.

Now.. THE PRESS. Its a love hate thing isn't it? At the end of the day they served their purpose and produced plentiful amounts of publicity for us; not always through the veins we would have liked, but we're grateful nonetheless. Thats the nature of the beast I suppose. The novelty value of DTS proved to be the biggest topic of discussion, second only to the text-book journalism of asking about the controversialism of it all being from a communist state. Yawn. But hey, they're just trying to do their jobs I suppose... but have people really nothing new to say? 'Hey get a load of this... a bunch of funny chinese fellas rapping in chinese... don't they get shot or stoned for saying stuff like that from where their from?... ' was the rather juvenile and uninformed impression I got from the response of some of the journalists covering and reviewing the event. One review from Times Online which trashed DTS was filled with inaccuracies, false assumptions and seemed to be written by some ill-informed rookie journo who just got 2pac greatest hits double disc set for xmas from his aunt and thinks all rap is about hoes, guns and getting the benjamins... I sound bitter and middle class. Shit. But it was disappointing to see such a review from such a respected publication from someone who was so obviously ill-informed about the subject. Some journalists on the other hand were very supportive and focused on other topics such as the music and cultural identities etc...

DTS admitted themselves they are not up to par with the west, that the scene is still in its embryonic stage and they have a lot to learn. They were all very humble about it and thats what impressed me the most about them. Their knowledge about hip hop was second to none and would put most people who think they know about hip hop to shame. There have been far worse rap/hip hop rip offs from other countries in the past... Theres a common pre-conception that all people from China are somehow detached from the world, un-educated, un-worldly, work in factories for pennies making cheap electronics and do not understand the true nature of the world outside China. I myself admit that I have thought that at times... I think people need to wake up and realise that is not the case anymore. Beware of the dudes from China is all I can say... you think the polish are taking all the jobs?... 'wait til you get a load of us..' (is probably what they're saying)

Ok, rant over.

Chinatown arts Space who organised the event have done a great thing in putting the subject in the public eye and deserved praise for raising its profile. Many thanks, congratulations and kudos to David Tse, May Yung and Jih Wen... We've got a few possible gigs lined up as a direct result of this event, so watch this space for further news!

Its 4am. There will have to be a sequel folks... stay tuned for the next instalment of MTVs 'The Real World - thru the eyes of Suki'....

Posted at 04:00 in Blog | Comments (0)

In Koln

Just walked out of a sushi place called Bento Box in Koln, Germany, just after watched our second film, Planet Terror at the nearby english film showing Metropolis cinema (kinda like the prince charles in leicester sq)

Its been about 4 weeks now we've been on the road with our trusty motorbikes around the continent. What an experience. Seen so many places and met so many people. So many stories and anecdotes to tell when I get back. Been writing a blog, but I never really have the time to say everything I want. So will be spending no doubt a few weeks (cos I'm a slow writer) writing a waffley, disjointed short story with bad grammar when i get back.

Off to Holland tmrw I think. Only a week to go now. Might head back to the Sushi place one last time tmrw before I head off... didn't get to try their mango mousse...

See you all back in Blighty soon. Look after yourselves and each other... peace

Suki

Posted at 00:48 in Blog | Comments (0)

website going live...

Its been probably about 4 years since I bought this domain to showcase my work. Since then it has seen many many different designs and permutations, all brilliant in their own ways. I sincerely apologise to those generous enough to help design a site for me, only for me to change my mind and not use it. I have realised I am a very fickle about designs, hence this plain white design. This way, I have nothing to pick on!

Please feel free to offer any critique, leave a comment or put an entry in the guestbook. I hope my work is up to scratch. I will continue to work hard and persevere to produce music that hopefully, will move people and maybe even make a little difference in the world.

suki

Posted at 01:42 in Blog | Comments (0)

I used to be into photography too...

Recently, everybody around me has been getting excited about photography. Maybe its a shift in technological advances which have made cameras, or more specifically, digital SLRs more accessible to the general layman or amatuer photographer. Its seems almost everyone is into or has been into at one point, photography. Be it in the form of old 35mm SLRs, the more avant-garde 'lomo' trend or the more recent digital SLRs.

During my archi days I used to lug around my pop's old manual Canon SLR form the seventies. It had two lenses. A standard fixed 55mm lens and a 150mm telephoto/macro lens. It weighed a ton. But I managed to drag that thing (with a tripod) around Italy, Switzerland, the US, France, The Netherlands, Japan and other countries. I also used it to take more abstract/sexy shots of architectural models with all kinds of lighting, long exposures, model scopes etc...

So, after being inspired by some of my friend's excellent photos and the fact that nearly everyone around me had already purchased a digital SLR, I decided the take the plunge. I got myself a great deal on a Nikon D40, which has come highly recommended. Lets hope my renewed interest actually produces some worthwhile results and doesn't dissolve into another short-lived and ill-conceived fad. Watch this space for potentially useless photos of my own feet, the sky, my bike, my mum etc etc...

Posted at 04:29 in Blog | Comments (0)

Motorcycle diaries - Part 2

One of my best mates and I are planning a couple of weeks touring and camping around europe in september. So, for a test run, we decided to ride out to somewhere in the UK and camp for a few days. Initially, I suggested the John O' Groats to Lands End run, but unfortunately, time restraints meant that I will probably have to conquer that on my own one day. So we eventually decided to ride up to Snowdonia in north Wales as we've heard theres some great biking roads up there, and the scenery is some of the most stunning in the UK.

That said, we were not disappointed. The highlight of the ride was negotiating the single country lanes lined by waist height welsh slate field walls, flanked either side by the beautiful and grand snowdon mountains enveloped in a fine mist. It was truly breathtaking, so much so, that it made it difficult to concentrate on the roads, thus resulting in one or two hairy moments! Being on a motorbike, your senses are heightened. You can feel the speed in the wind, smell the aroma of the native foliage, hear the air rushing past your ears; you can sense the change in temperature and experience every little bit of relief in the roads. There not another feeling like it. Unlike being in a car or a train, you're connected to the surroundings. Its why bikers do what they do.

Of course, being a 'control' experiment trip, we naturally came across a few obstacles. After about 10 mins on the motorway, we both realised the two-way radios we had borrowed were useless. Our waterpoof boots were in fact made of sponge and my battery kaput! The most memorable incident was when Dan's alarm fob stopped working (resulting in bike being immobilsed) and then the same thing happening to mine the very next day! Theres a short video at the point of realisation with a synchronised look of 'fuck' from both of us.

Other than the fantastic scenery, some of the people we met along the way were great too. I guess people take kindly to a pair of travelling motorcyclists. They're usually curious about where we'd come from, where we were heading and why the hell are we riding in the rain. I must admit, we were the only bikers that were camping. I assume all the others that we'd met along the way were smart enough to stay in hotels and B&Bs. (as Dan emphasised repeatedly)

It was good to be away from the city for a bit. There was no mobile phone reception in the valleys, which in a way sealed the fact that we were somewhat detached from civilisation. We had no internet. The village post offices were someone's front room, and people were 'friendly'. They waved and everything. It wasn't until the last day when I came across a telly, that I realised that during our trip, the rest of the UK had seen the some of the heaveist downpours and floods in recent decades. We came back to the tune of 'you guys chose the worst time to do the trip!'. But in my opinion, it was the perfect time.

Posted at 02:30 in Blog | Comments (0)

Cambridge

A good friend of mine back from the architecture days has recently bought a house in cambridge with his wife of 2 years. It had been a while since wehad seen each other, so while the weather was still good, a buddy and I decided to ride up to cambridge to visit their new love nest.

We walked around looking at buildings old and new, picked cherries from the trees and jammed a few tunes on the guitar. Cambridge is a beautiful place; rich with history, tradition and rustic character. What spoilt it was the huge crowds of tourists and every other git with a sign asking if you would like to go 'punting'. Although it was not enough to spoil the time we had there and seeing Tony and Emily happily building a life together.

Posted at 02:42 in Blog | Comments (0)

Motorcycle diaries...

5.45pm outside Piccadilly HMV. Piece of piss. 20 mins on the bike, no probs. .That was the time and destination I was supposed to meet Kev for an urgent meeting with a fella about a potentially huge gig (more on that as it develops). So I get home about 4.45pm from digital village after picking up my new trakmaster pro preamp, and theres still time for a quick shower before I leave. Weathers been beautiful today, so much so, that I was even contemplating on just jeans and T. 5.10pm, I'm walking out the door and it happens. It rains. I contemplate. I HAVE to be at this meeting. Tube takes 45 mins. Car would be a joke. No choice. I have to brave it. So, I go back in and change into my full battle gear and run back out to the bike. Alarm and immobiliser off, key in ignition, check for neutral, clutch in, press ignition. The bike splutters for 2 seconds, then instead of the usual roar of my blue flame race can, the 'machine gun-like' ticking sound of doom, piercing little bullets of fear into my chest. the battery was dead. Shit.

So seat off, unscrew battery cover, push the bike over to the car and rummage through the crap in my boot to find my jump leads. Found. (I always thought to myself as a kid, my boot will never be as messy as my dads... but I guess some things just can't be avoided). Hook my baby Susie up and 'Roar'... ah that beautiful tone... No time to stand and admire like a horny teenager, screw battery cover, seat back on, bonnet down and off we go. 5.20pm. Riding up the A4 towards past Chiswick, theres traffic. I think to myself calmly, no problem. Phew. Followed by 'eh?' Why am I not moving? Shit. The bike stalled and it wouldn't start again! I resign myself to defeat and push the bike with my head bowed across 3 lanes of traffic on the A4 to the kerb side. Sit on the bike and contemplate how the hell am I gonna get this thing home. I lift my sunken head to see a ray of light penetrating through the clouds, reflecting from a giant sign. My savior was here! and it came in the form of 'Porsche'. I had broken down outside the Porsche garage! I've never been so happy to see so many of these fuel-guzzling yuppie mobiles. Will they help me? I think to myself as trudge up to the swanky office in my wet leathers. Luckily, the lady at the desk was very friendly and called for one of the mechanics as apparently a whole load of them were bikers as well. A little asian fella came out and asked what was the problem. Is it fuel injected? he asks. No, it has carbs. 12V battery? Yes. Under the seat? Yes. Then we have no problem! he smiles. Grabs a starter battery and heads to bike. As he starts it up he tells me he once had the same problem whilst riding in the mountains of Spain on his '02 GSX-R1000. What a dude. After a few grunts, we're off again.

Ok, this time, leave the headlight off to reserve battery and keep revving to charge it. No more problems I think to myself. No wait. Gods thinks he's a comedian today. Riding up the Hammersmith flyover I begin to lose power and the bike starts to splutter again. What the hell could be the matter now?! In the few precious seconds have, I rack my brains to think what I can do. I CANNOT get stuck on the flyover. Then, I remember a time when this had happened before. Fuel. I was running out of fuel! For the love of... No petrol station until Earls court. I'll never make it. If the bike stops, theres no way its gonna start again on such a low battery. Great. On older model bikes like my bandit, instead of a simple fuel gauge, or even warning light, the only way you can tell you've run out of petrol (short of looking inside the tank) is to actually run out of petrol. But fear not. The Japanese came up with a clever little idea to counter-act such a ridiculous situation. Theres what is known as a reserve tank! A little reservoir filled with enough juice to get you another 10 to 15 miles. BUT, the only way to use this reserve is to switch on a valve located somewhere on the engine. So, whilst travelling at about 50 mph uphill on the Hammermsith flyover during rushhour, losing power, fuel and precious time, I hold the handle bars with one hand whilst the other fumbles about the engine looking for the valve which is gonna save my sweet ass. The bike is on its last legs, and just about to die as I gentley rev it to try to keep it alive. Got it. 'Roar' goes the engine again. 'Rah!' I go as I gloat over my triumph.

I make it to the meeting only 5 mins late. Kev buys me a ice cream cake for my troubles and I go home like a hero. Rah.

Posted at 03:14 in Blog | Comments (0)

What does blog stand for?

This is my first blog. What is a blog exactly? Its quite narcissitic to think that anyone other than my mum cares enough about my life to read this. Even so, if no one reads this, I guess it it will serve as a journal of my life for myself as my memory begins to deteriorate... it will probably also provide some much needed therapy...

Been so busy recently. But of course, thats a good thing. Since the showcase theres been a lot of media interest and there may be a possiblity of something coming out of the publicity. Will keep you posted. At the moment I'm working on some music for a short film for RTHK in Hong Kong. Client wants something in realm of Morricone... should be interesting. Working on another of Kevin's tunes which should be a little more upbeat. I'm remixing one of Mae's recordings, summer breeze. When I say remix, I mean re-record and mix the tracks again, not create a trance anthem. Im also going to record some guitar demos and a few of my own tunes.

Need to find a preamp groove tube for my Fender Blues deluxe after it was damaged at the showcase gig. Seem quite difficult to get hold of at the moment as they are specific to the blues deluxe. I hope thats all thats wrong with it. All I can see is that one of the tubes isn't glowing like the others so I assume this is the problem. I'm a tube amp 'noob'.

One question on my mind recently about guitars/guitarists. Since some of us spend years finding the 'right' guitar and customising our setups etc. But... is it a mark on your ability when you can't play something on someone elses guitar or is it the guitar? Some people say its down to the ability of the player, but I reckon it sometimes really does depend on the guitar. Could Andy Mckee still play as well on a 60 quid jobbie from argos?!

Posted at 12:53 in Blog | Comments (0)