Well the first thing to note is that I don't add blogs much! I'm not entirely sure why this is but I suspect it may have something to do with not wanting too - based on the notion that if every business was blogging away all the time, there would surely be an overload and not much would be read - so I think a little bit of substance every now and then is better than tons of bull$**t blogs all the time!!

Last year I did a heap of work with a musical journalist who is compiling, restoring and remastering works from a couple of very distinguished church organists.  David Lepine and Robert Weddle were fantastic musicians and it's been a very interesting ride so far finding out about their lives/works/journeys and of course making heaps of CDs.

Hip Hop and Base and Freestyle rap Music - I do a lot of work with rappers and it's always high octane, high speed stuff which tends to not go very far.  It's a shame but I do think a lot simply isn't thought out enough.  My advise to rappers is to edit and rework and rethink what you're saying.  Like any music - it takes time to craft it well - simply free-styling a whole bunch of info is not enough - it's very good of course it is but if the content is a bit wooly then can you expect others to like it? - make it so people can relate to it not just repeat it. 

Video work - Last year saw a big increase in this which is nice.  Making videos for people is an absolute pleasure and I have invested in more equipment to facilitate the production of videos even better and easier to film,  like appropriate Lavalier mics, additional lighting/reflection screening and the green screen room has been repainted and upgraded with sound panels making the area even larger with better sound reproduction.  It's amazing what has been filmed in this room now.  If you have products you want to show off or talk about, or want to make a professional video for your website then let me know.

Demos of singing excellence - last year saw about the same level of this and i had the pleasure of working with lots of new rising stars as well as some very well honed experts.  Working with vocalists is a big part of any studio and I spend a lot of time on vocals in any project.  Knowing how to push for the best in someone without bringing them to tears is an art in itself.  Knowing when not to push is also something i know!! 

The studio is constantly evolving - there are 7 main rooms (plus the loo and outside areas) to maintain and believe me this can be a large task.  Towards the end of December I threw a big party for some friends and decided to rework the Live room a little to show off my unnecessarily big drum kit which had been hidden for far too long - I actually polished it all and the cymbals which took hours.  So let's end on that - if you have read this, get back in touch and let me know what you think to the new look of the Live Room with drums set up and piano moved over to accommodate it. Cheers.