So friday turned out to be a rocker. It was one of those nights when you really have to work to create and maintain an atmosphere. The boys did a sterling job with almost every tune hitting that ‘offbeat block party’ vibe we try to aim for.

You can see pics more here or if you want to see them in a funky slideshow stylee here.

I’ve been illing it up at for the last couple with a bit of a cold (that’s what happens when you get drunk in whitby all weekend)-but I will be posting a longer and more thorough explanation of the whole ’smash hits incident’ later in the week.

word up (like your mama says).

jaksouldier

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The bar was pretty busy and we stayed open longer than we have for a while but there remains a severe lack of vibe in the place. I don’t know if it’s the size of the place or the crowd that’s usually there but it never feels like we really connecting with the majority of people. Despite our best effortd it feels (and has felt for awhile now) that we the right people, playing the right tunes in the wrong place. We are committed until the end of the year (two more gigs) and then we will need to sit down with the bar and work out what to do next.

On the positive side we got some really positive feedback from some sections of the crowd and we had a crew of people down who really enjoyed it. Also we dropped some more ‘basilika exclusives’ and our own re-edits are playing a bigger and bigger part of defining the night. The brubeq xmas specials sounded wicked (check the site next week to hear for yourselves) and we got some cool feedback from people who are diggin the site (where’s your comment emily?).

It’s was Angel’s last shift with us last night, which only added to the feeling of things drawing to a close. He’s going back to mexico and being the person most into our music he will be sorely missed. Adios Amigo, from all the basilika crew and if your reading this leave a comment and your email and we can keep in touch (and maybe sort out firemusic.mexico).

ps-sorry about the wham reference in the title, I’m running out of lyrics featuring the words ‘last night’, if you’ve got any suggestions leave a comment below.

peace

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So December 9th is the basilika christmas special, which is sure to be a storming night. To celebrate the festive season me, jez and Ian are dressing up as the ‘three wise men’ and bring gifts of gold, insense, and mur-der on the dancefloor.  Also I will get the opportunity to play my favourite festive track -’Christmas in Hollis’ by Run DMC (not many parties you can drop that nugget) so it should be a wee bit special.

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Talking of making myself feel better there were a couple of highlights. At the end of the night a girl, who had been sitting next to the decks all night, came up to me and said ‘your doing a good job, keep on going, you’ve got a beautiful face’.

You’ve got a beautiful face !?1-how nice is that ?

Also, and this is probably gonna make me sound a wee bit bitter, Ian (part-time illiod) went on to the Salmon and Compass up the road for a couple of ‘nightcaps’ with the ‘french connection’ and found himself in the company of the mighty Andy Smith. Here was Portishead legend/funk mixer extroidaire playing to five(count’em) five people. At the end of the night the bar manager came up and gave him £xxx (an undisclosed but very insultingly small about-cheers illiod *)   and said sorry mate we haven’t taken enough on the bar.  All of which sounds hauntingly familair and makes me a feel loads better, but at the same time a bit depressed.

Thank you to the wisdom of the illiod for reminding me of the unwritten ‘dj’s code’ which clearly states never to disclose the amount of money be paid to dj’s who are far better than you.(it makes you look expensive)

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In my daydreams I assumed a receptive, hungry audience anxiously waiting for the next record, but instead basilika (angel branch) has been a slow burner. Last week was the highlight, a good crowd and an excellent mix of music providing a tentative glimpse of things to come. It’s not like we are just the cherry on top of an already buzzing Thursday night venue, but we’re the eggs and the flour. As such the night needs time to gain a reputation and a life of it’s own.

So good things but also challenges.

Musically though it has been great. Just the kind of soul/funk/hiphop/house/disco/latin/are we trying a bit too hard to be the unabombers selection i always imagined.

Also having a focal point has proved creatively fruitful and loads of possibilities and ideas have been sparked in all of us.

(you’ll here about them soon)

In the meantime posting will be increasing again soon (when I escape job-hunting purgatory)

viva the revolution

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Yeah that’s right-some mother has nicked our basilika poster.

I guess it’s the start of term and there are lots of empty dorm walls to fill but that is twenty quids worth of print there. Looking on the bright side-

1) it’s gonna look cool on someone’s wall

2) hopefully he/she will be really popular and loads of people will check it out and come down

3) I bet coke would love it if their branding was so strong people stole their advertising

4) At least we didn’t pay for it

Although I joked about it the other day, we are looking at ways of making the posters cheap enough to sell.

There’s gold in them there hills.

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Popped down to the brb in angel last night to drop off flyers and pick up some of the A0 posters. They had one in the doorway as I walked in and it looked amazing. It was cool seeing this idea that has been bouncing round between us become a real object and finally take on a life of it’s own. The girl behind the bar was really feeling it-she made some crack about accidently ripping the corner of one so she could take it for herself.

Maybe we should get into the poster making business ?

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