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john b robot drum & bass diary
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> Pictures from Dresden <
Hi there folks. Apologies for lack of thinkings from my brain on here lately, it seems to have decsended into more of a photo-gallery than a personal chatty blog. Will have to make more of an effort to be interesting - sorry! It's not like the good 'ol days where I would recount my stories of Pooing in every airport on my way through Australia, or the pigeons attacking me while I jogged. Maybe this is better, who knows? Anyway, the last few months have been really pretty busy so I haven't had much time to sit down and just muse online. Been DJing somewhere-or-other pretty much every weekend, and now its getting like 2 foreign gigs instead of one, which is great, but a bit more knackkering. Last night I had a good session catching up on the backlog of video I filmed while in various places, so have a look on the VIDEO section of my www.john-b.com site for that... I put the video from Poland and Mannheim up last night, and have more to come from the big USA tour in Sept, Oxford, Dresden, and a few others probably. Tis just a rather mind-numbing task going through them all and trying to edit 30 minutes of random drunken footage into something succinct and amusing. And I'm not sure if that's really been acheived either - but judging from the number of hits the videos get someone out there must dig them. What else? Well, I've been going back and finishing off tracks for the Album - finally polished off 'Hey Micky' last week - got some great new guitars in there recorded by my mate Doug 'The Chug' - and I replaced the sample in the breakdown with a sound-a-like the mighty Exile did for me - so we don't have any sample clearance hassles... Will probably have to do a radio mix of this too, as its potential single material, but I don't really feel like it today. Also finished off "Stalking you on Myspace" which I think has the potential to be massssssive - am having a meeting 2moro with some people to see how to move on it. WOuld be great fun to do a video and act all indierock and jump about. (I've been practicing in some emo clubs I won't mention.) Also did some re-edits for my DJ sets that went down well at the weekend, a remix of a new Ladytron track from their album that's DnB Speed, really happy with it - but is hard to do a good job when you don't actually have the samples, I jstu had to improvise chopping up the main track and making my own new parts. I emailed them, and myspaced them last week - but had no response - not exacly a suprise. They'll probably get fucking Aphrodite or someone totally unsuitable to do a mix if it ever comes to that. Although I'm gona do my best to track someone down to try and make it happen officially. Did a little re-edit of a track by a band I really like called 'the Rakes' - that I've been playing too - smashed it in poland and everyone was rockking out - but I played it in Reading on Sunday, which is a pretty rockkky place, esp the venue I was in, but everone jsut stopped dancing and looked around a littledazed-like. Never mind. OH! hahaha, the funnniest thing I did last week in the studio was a kinda random bootleg mashup of Chase and Status' "Duppy Man" track, Digital's "Deadline" and a Scissor Sisters acapella on top (to counteract the massively homophobic ragga-idiot capleton vocals) played it in Krakow and the club jsut went nuts - I'm not sure they got the irony of the scissor sisters on the same track as capleton though. Might make a few more tweaks to it this week for the gig in Glasgow on Friday night. I was trying to find some kind of sample that was super ultra gay, or jsut get the mic and and say 'Capleton is a Homophobic twat' or something - think putting a scissor sisters acapella on is a bit more subtle. Tangerine Dream is mysteriously getting shuffled too ofen on my iTunes. So is Phil Collins, but I don't mind that so much as long as its from 'No Jacket required'. I Still dislike EasyJet intensely, but I'll cover that later. I just think sheep being transported across europe in Lorries get better treatment, and the sheep are probably more inteligent and used to travelling than most of the easyjet passengers these days - likE-OMYGODTHEYANNOUNCEDTHEGATELETSRUSHANDLINEUPFOR1HOURINCASEWEDONTGETASEAT!!! OF COURSE YOU WILL GET A F**KING SEAT YOU MORON - YOU CHECKED IN - CHILL OUT! OK, anyway, time for me to go to the gym and drop by to see my parents - here's a bunch of photos (that I didn't take) from when i played in Dresden a couple of weeks back. Check out http://www.kingbeatz.de/ for the promoter's site...                               
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2.11.05 15:42
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> Date with Grandma <
Hello all. Just got back from an afternoon out with Grandma, she's down again visiting for a couple of weeks so I took her to the big John lewis store in High Wycome for an excursion. We used her disabled parking permit for some proper RoCkStar parking out front. I bought a garlic crusher, a lanyard/headphone thingie and armband for my iPod nano, salt and pepper shakers for Mum and I got a wikkid new set of cutlary, proper brushed stainless steel pimpinbiznizzz, Grandma bought me some swanky steak knives to match for Christmas... BOH. We had a cup of tea at the cafe in the store too. I wore my new Dior sunglasses. Joy.  Been working on an electrohouse remix of "Stalking You on Myspace" for the B-side, and just to get some decent club support hopefully - and OMG it's turning out to be a proper killArrrr. I forgot how much fun it was making 4/4 stuff, really must get on it and do some more in time for Miami superstardom. Or not. I think this year I won't actually go to any parties, I'm jsut going to sunbathe and jog on the beach and go on dates with girls in bikinis. And play pool at lost weekend. And drinnk too many espressos at the starbucks on the beach. Had some great gigs at the weekend but I can't remember where I was. Oh, Glasgow. Yeah it was ace. Rammed, biggg and great fun. I remember them giving me wine in those little bottles you usually get on planes. I'm used to them. The toilets got blocked up in the club too. And I watched people getting arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct from the safetly of my hotel room. Anyway, here's all the photos I've been lovingly editing for you for the last hour - they will probably help show what's been going on lately. Apologies for the usual style - me pulling a 'whoooooo' face with a random club scene in the background... as usual. With the guys from Chesterfield (yes they drove all the way down!) at the gig in Oxford   Me posing in Oxford.  In the 'Tour Bus' with Andy C and MC GQ on the way to Vienna Airport  A club somewhere  My new "Andy Warhol Stole All my ideas" shirt. Big up to my seamstress mother for the assistance...  I think he liked me...  Auf Der Autobahn  Girl inspecting armpit and hot girl looking at me, but I can't do anything about it because I'm busy DJing. ArG.  A resident DJ playing in Austria, I think.  German girls...  Front row of the crowd in Oxford at Po Na Na - and yes, I got to sign those boobies later... :-)  Caught on camera on the NYC subway  Got my timing a bit wrong, but managed to catch 1 of them flashing - woooharrr!  On the decks in Dresden  Various crowd shots        Some fool in Oxford who eventually got thrown out and arrested - he was shouting crap at me and standing about and being moody by the stage, having a go becuase I was playing CDs and not vinyl. Twat.  More of my amazing club photography... (Right...)               In the hotel in Vienna, couple of glamour shots.. RRRRawrrrrrr   Ok, well I wanted to go out for a jog, but its too dark now. I'll go to waitrose and buy some wine instead. Ah yes. Hope I can get this remix finished tonight. Hope you like the photos - and don't be shy, leave commments so I know people are actually looking at this stuff! xxx JB *EDiTTT* Didn't make it to Waitrose - found some more pics from Poland, so here ya go! None are from my camera though, I can't claim responsibility for the photographic skilllzzz - have a look at www.drumandbass.pl for the forum discussion and links to more photos and stuff - oh and remember to check out the videos on my videoblog site VIDEOS HEREOK, so here's the pics from the AMAZING party I played at in Krakow 2 weeks ago. Mental.                                      
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9.11.05 18:45
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> Weekend in Germany/Austria <
Whoah, I'm recovered now, but that was gruelling. It took me longer to get to Bremen than it would to get to Arizona! Left the house at 11, after only about 5hrs sleep, got a 1pm flight to Munich, then had to wait there for 5 hours for my connection to Bremen (even though there were 2 flights to Bremen in the meantime, but they were full - Booooo) got to Bremen at 1030pm, hotel by 11pm, shower/change/make-up and at club by 1230pm time for a quick drink and chill at cluub, then played from 130-4am - AND PREMIERED THE NEW ELECTROHOUSE RMX OF 'STALKING YOU ON MYSPACE' which totally KILLLED it! I played a few more electrohouse tracks for fun and they loved it, then back to dnb to smash the end up... Got a wierd kebab thing from the place next to the club, back to hotel, totally knackkered and a bit drunk, had 20 mins to eat kebab thing and pack bags, cab picking me up at 5am to go to airport. Had no time to change so had to go to airport covered in Rave-dirt, with raved-out hair and smudged make-up all over me. Also feeling as tired as death itself. Temporary saviour in the form of free coffee machines that Lufthansa have at the gate. Falling asleep at gate and waking up when i snore. Get on plane. Screaming kid behind me kicking seat, again, but slept for 40 mins. ARrived at Munich 8am-ish - picked up by the promoters/drivers - very nice lads, got a bottle of water from the gas station. 2 Hour drive to Innsbruck now. Put on my old Grannie Cataract-protektor huge sunglasses over my regular glasses to block out light. Slept about 1 hr. Got to innsbruck and passsssed right out in the hotel. Slept 5 hrs. Went to 'gym' in hotel. Weird couple came in and I saw them naked going into sauna. Left. WEnt back to room. Had posh dinner in the 5 star hotel. Man at hotel bar (drunk) took the piss out of me in Germany to the bar man. I understood it and let him know I had. Drunk posh wine in a posh winetasterman stylee. Had pan-fried goose liver and the best WienerSchnitzel evAr. Had bath. Went to club. RRRrrrinsed it. Lovely team down there, they had special wine and sushi for me, had a little suchi party backstage. Got back to hotel about 5am, slept 3 hours, left hotel at 1030am in taxi for 2 hrs to Munich airport. Had comical broken-English chat with driver, think i slept for about an hour but he kept tryign to talk about me and had the radio on. Had crying baby next to me this time on the plane back to Heathrow. Slept about 30 mins i think. Got home finally and had dinner with my Grandma and Family - tried to explain how my weekend had been. Gigs were reallly good indeed, both v rammed and a pleasure to play at, but ohhh myyy gawdddd, sleep deprivation and extended airport waiting about it hardcore. Thank god for my iPod. I think I spent a total of 8 hours in Munich airport this weekend, that's longer than I spent in Bremen, and that was one of the destinations. Mad. I can now advise anyone on the best cafes, or quiet corners or extensive array of perfumes and electronics stores. Oh and they seem to let people take huge knitting needles through security now, and have big knives and scissors at the bars (easily stolen by potential terrorists presumably) and all the cutlary is metal, not plastic like everywhere (easily sharpened in the bathroom and then used to hijak planes etc). Not too impressed. I guess Al-QueeeeedaR don't hang out in southern Germany so it must be ok. I'm still going to write Munich Airport a stern letter though... Oh, I also saw 2 George Galloway lookalikes this weekend, one at heathrow, and one at the Post Office yesterday. And I had a dream I was an unwilling gangster's assistant in America and was trying to get money out of a well known DnB Label boss (wont mention names) and we were doing car chases and being shot at cos the DnB guy owed this gangster, and me money. Was really weird, we ended up in a shootout at the Amaco Gas station in Miami on Collins Ave. Went to Trash at the End last night to check out Tiga and give him some records and CDR. Wore my new customised Madonna jacket and met up with Danna from Frabric, and Anna who did the vox on "Hey Mickey" and "Russian Bride" - went up with my mate Doug in his supadupa BMW. Resisted Pork Pies on the way home in favour of a Pasty. Can u beleive a pork pie is 550 calories? Arrrrrrrg! Going to the gym now. Hope I can beat the post-work office crowd. Although there's usually some gorgeous girls come in around then... Here's the pics i took from my camera, then the posh ones at the bottom are some sneak-previews taken by the mighty DROIDY in Innsbruck...                      At trash with Anna & Danna last night:  Oh, and here's an updated list of my livedates coming up:  Also some links to photos from Munich a few weeks back, grabbed various people's links from a thread on DOA... Munich Pics 1Munich pics 2Munich Pics 3Munich Pics 4
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15.11.05 15:58
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> Mountain Biking Last Weekend <
Had a free weekend for the first time I can remember in aggggges, so hooked up with my mate Greg, who's a mighty mountain bike instructor extra-ordinaire, and we went on a major off-road 20 mile hill-ridden expedition. Was the best fun I've had in ages, loads of ace scenery, all woods and trees and big fields and stuff. Saw huge groups of wild deer, got chased by an angry doberman and nearly froke my nuts off. Oh, and if you happen to be out walking in the woods and find a ten pound note on the floor of the woods, it's mine - fell out of my pocket when I was getting my cameraphone out but fingers were too cold to feel it! ErG, Here's the pics:         In other news, I just got back from 3 gigs in the USA last week, all pretty good, did NYC the night before thanksgiving, Chicago the night after, then York, PA on Friday night - probably had the best time there, but all the parties were good. Played with Junior Sanchez in NYC which was nice, he played some phat remix of Franz Ferdinand I need to get my hands on... NYC was fun, nice to meet up with my friends there, but was pretty wierd being there and not being with my Ex-GF anymore. Was like I was back to being a random tourist again, instead of a sometime-habitante of the East Village. I went to the apple store as usual though, was nice. OK, time to unpack...
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28.11.05 21:30
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john b robot drum & bass diary
