I’ve been creating in Ableton a lot these past few weeks and it’s probably one of the only DAWs where I end up recording something. It’s a vibe. Not sure if haunting tones of the synth pads, the groove pockets in the drums or the retro-futuristic feel of minimalism because nothing is ever more than 4-5 sounds.

That aside, I definitely need to write more frequently or just have a better system of finding what I’ve written when the time comes. I’m getting much better at reciting what I write over the beats now. One-take is a necessity but for this exploration, I wonder whether it’s worth re-recording parts for emphasis.

The Slammer was recorded in autumn / winter ‘03. Recorded in 1 take with another for ad-libs at Lincoln’s studio in an industrial estate in Greenwich which doesn’t exist anymore.

Mik Grimton produced the original and I paid £20 to record and have it mixed. Drips pressed it on a Dubplate at Transition Studios sometime afterwards.

The ‘Deptford’ bar is perhaps one of my most memorable as that’s when Air Max ‘95s were £110 and that’s what I used to wear (soft leather preference). Fun fact: it’s probably one of the only bars I gave my bro a shoutout.

Hearing my 17/18 year old self, full of hopes, dreams and naivety has inspired me to reconnect with my essence, allowing me to view my hobbies from a renewed perspective which now has me asking:

“With all the tools you have at your disposal right now in this era, what would Brains do and how would he utilise them?”

‘Growth’ is a funny thing because the older you get, you become like one of those trees in the rainforest: essence of why you do things and who you are is formed at the shrub level and under canopy but eventually you emerge above the canopy obstructing the light penetrating to the shrub level.

I’m not saying we disconnect, in a way we dilute, we adapt, we evolve but no matter how far we grow in search of nutrients from the sun, we remain connected through the roots of ourselves, deep into the soil of who we are.

Again, not a milestone reflection but it very well could be…

Peace

#grime #abletonlive #stemseparator

I finally used Stem Separator in a DAW. Despite having it in MPC, Logic, and Maschine, I never found an excuse or a reason to use it but then it dawned on me “Go into your archives and remix them vintage Grime freestyles”.

As someone who stopped MCing a very long time ago, this brought me back to my origins. Hearing myself at 17/18 years old with so much energy, passion and agility, inspired me in a way I can’t even describe.

This isn’t just milestone talk but genuine inspiration to test out Stem Separator across the other DAWs too.

Monday 5th February 2024, 1239 GMT

Never thought I’d be one for a mirror reflection pep talk post shower but here I am.

I was up in that mirror eye to eye telling myself that I’m going to win and reminding myself that I’m a winner repeatedly.

Disappointment isn’t easy and the feeling of being left behind that comes with it leaves a nasty taste.
It lingers.

I’ve caught so many Ls just trying to progress here which have blessed me with a lot of lessons to proceed forward but that isn’t to say that it’s hard to sit with.

I’ve spoke to Chels many a time regarding a recurring theme of observing the wins of others and reflecting on my own situation but as much as I try to rationalise it, I have this lingering feeling of impatience.
I won’t say it’s envy, it’s impatience that’s driving me insane.

The more drawn out processes become is the more it festers in my head. It’s all consuming and tends to be all I can think about. I feel like I’m deteriorating as a result of it.

I live through the scenarios, all the alternate realities and then it settles to the one of what if…
I won the lottery, would I return or disappear or remain working securing the promotion.
I didn’t get it, the feeling of disappointment would be overkill. It’s everything that comes with it: questions, checking in, masking how I really feel.
I get it, happy days and I just will begin a journey of learning and mastery, maybe considering next steps.

I suppose I’m already basking in disappointment having not have been successful and knowing what’s required to advance my steps in the process I’m in.
I should prepare for an interview.
There’s no rebuttal regarding this. I’ve had so much time. There isn’t even an excuse worthy of why I haven’t. I already wrote I have no rebuttal so I shouldn’t even write anything past that point.

I just want to enjoy life and the rewards of hard work and potential. I’ve done the prerequisites, I’m trying to cash in and advance myself and prospects.

Buss me please

It’ll definitely be my house clothes: a pair of athletic shorts and a jersey or sports tee. Simple.

If I were going out, it’ll be a pair of comfy jeans and a tee with a pair of comfy sports shoes like Nike Air Prestos.

If I were going out, it’ll be a comfy pair of trousers that are loose fitting with a loose fitting shirt.

To be honest I wear the same outfits and style of outfits all the time so I’m already doing the question.

It’s definitely a mix of train and bus. Train will take the long haul parts of the trip and maybe bus will be for short trips however it all depends on how safe the surroundings are. If the surroundings don’t feel safe, Uber or local government state authorised taxi is the way forward.

A lot of variables but then again, if it’s a city trip then train and bus. Did that in plenty of cities across Europe, España to be specific. Grab a ticket that covers the length of your stay and metro everywhere with sprinkles of bus.

A place like Netherlands, it’s a train ticket from from airport to city centre and explore. I say Netherlands but more like Amsterdam. In a city like that it’s a walking thing. That and maybe Venice which in some respects are the same type of place but in Venice you’re likely to get the river bus. Gondolers are hella pricey and also I weren’t tryna hop on them as they seemed rather unstable.

TLDR: I’d get plane, then train, then a mixture of bus, car and walking. Depending on how friendly the city is to cycling, might do that for novelty.

In my week since meeting a Hip Hop producer hero, Saint Alan The Alchemist, I wanted to test whether there was some kinda of energy transfer in the embrace. I headed home, dug out my DJ mixer from 2006, grabbed a vinyl from the shelf and tried to make a sampling vinyl banger using my AKAI Professional MPC Live 2 Retro.

As much as my Sunday sess didn’t produce anything worthy of sharing, aside from this cool picture, I did realise how powerful the sequencer on the MPC is for generating ideas. I tend lose interest once I get a loop as my other production weapons of choice feel restrictive. The MPC workflow is flexible enough to support mute, solo and editing once a sequence is duplicated. Going from a loop to a song feels so much more intuitive than others.

The following 5 days were spent exploring this box of delights pre and post shift, watching AKAI’s playlist on YouTube using the #mpc Live 2 on my lunch break and commutes to and from work. My eureka moment came on Day 4 when I finally figured out how to record vocals into the MPC Beats software, when using the Live 2 in controller mode.

On Thursday, having finished early, I raced home with the intent to record a piece of poetry I wrote, about a gloomy April morning, called Modest in Monochrome. I was going to stay in my comfort zone, which was to open a VST of the drum machine DAW in Logic Pro X, but I decided to break the pattern and stretch myself to learn something different. I’m glad to I took the 5mins to learn how because it means I can decrease my dependence on rerouting across software.

TLDR: How one chance encounter with someone can serve as a reminder to make time to explore your hobbies and interests.

In my culture #GoodFriday is the day we have fried fish with Hard Dough Bread and/or Bammy. It took me years to realise that it’s a Christian tradition to commemorate the day he fed the thousand on the hilltop with two fish and bread (correct me if wrong).

As a lover of escovitch, as you can imagine Easter is one of my favourite holidays for the fish and also bun and cheese with the lamb on Easter Sunday.

Whether you’re fasting for Ramadan, doing a Passover feast or celebrating Easter, have a great weekend and hopefully we can get to making some beats.

Peace and Love

Khalid