Category Archives: Music Production

The Bog Standard EP

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Ah yes, The Bog Standard EP.  This post is all about my very first release by that very title, The Bog Standard EP.  I originally decided on that title as a kind of play on words what with all the toilet jokes that come with being called ‘Lav’.

At this point in time my main up and coming project is my debut album Lord of the Dead.  I’m really excited about this project especially with it’s completion edging ever closer.  That being said I decided to spare a thought for my very first project.  The Bog Standard EP. Continue reading→

To Sample Or Not To Sample??

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To sample or not to sample?…… That is the question??

Sampling has long been considered the bedrock of hip hop production.  Not to mention an integral part of a lot of dance music, drum & bass, and trip hop.

The vast majority of hip hop classics we love have used samples of other people’s work.  Yet it seems there is an ever increasing threat of a lawsuit being brought to an artist that chooses to use samples of other peoples work without clearance. As a result, it is becoming more and more difficult to produce hip hop in this sample based manner.Continue reading→

Call Yourself A DJ?

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In this day and age with music technology being what it is, can you call yourself a DJ when all you do is simply press play?

I found an excellent article written by DJ and producer A-Trak where he talks about the validity of DJs that perform sets by basically pre-recording it, then just pressing play once it gets to the live stage.

I recommend reading the whole article as I think it’s a very fair and well written response to this fairly new phenomenon that is emerging on the DJ scene.  You can read it here.  With A-Trak being the DJ that he is, he is far more qualified than I am to comment on this subject but I am a DJ myself and I have DJ’d at numerous places for numerous events from clubs to weddings and private parties. I feel the need to comment on this subject because I have worked on both sides of the DJ spectrum as a DJ that strictly used vinyl to a DJ that has just used a computer.Continue reading→

Cider Rap!!

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Here’s a song titled ‘Cyder Attack‘ a cider rap if you will, combining two of my favourite things cider and rap!

This is actually a song I wrote a long time ago. It certainly isn’t new and is one of the first songs I ever wrote and recorded.  I decided to post it here as it is one of the songs I get requested to play most when I’m performing live.

There might be some confusion as to what I mean by cider or ‘cyder‘ as I spell it.  I’m sure the majority of people reading this in the UK know what I mean by cider but people in other parts of the world don’t necessarily know it as the messy alcoholic beverage that it is in my country. I’ve heard that cider in America is actually a non-alcoholic beverage and is more like apple juice which sounds ridiculous to me but here we are….Continue reading→