Guest Lecture – Bill Brewster

The week’s guest lecture was by Bill Brewster AKA DJHistory.

Bill is a passionate music fan and in his entertaining and inspiring talk he described how he has managed to make a living from the thing he loves – music.

Describing himself primarily as a record collector, Bill has worked as a journalist (which took him to New York and Geneva for two years), a DJ, a record company owner, a music producer, an A&R person, a record compiler, a liner notes writer, a music consultant, a website owner and an author (Bill’s book Last Night A DJ Saved My Life is the bible of club and DJ culture).

The audience for Bill’s talk was level 3 Audio Production students who will be looking for ways in which to turn their passion (be it radio, music or film-sound) into a sustainable living in the not too-distant future.

For me, what Bill represents, is how versatility, hard work and a love of your subject can create opportunities and, if you’re ready to respond, how one opportunity can lead to another.

Next year Bill is working on a project with legendary record producer and Chic main-man Nile Rodgers. Not bad for a lad from Grimsby!

October 23, 2012 DJing, Guest lecture 1 Comment on Guest Lecture – Bill Brewster

ICE T, on Rap, Hip Hop and a new Documentary

In a nutshell- history of Rap, Hip hop & Break Dancing

This explanation caught my ear. Rapper Ice T was talking about his new documentary Something from nothing, about how when the New York state school system was being cut back, and there were no musical instruments available in schools, kids took the record player and turned it into an instrument, how using the breaks in the tracks became popular with MC’s on the decks, which in turn led to Break Dancing. The MC’s then started working with Rappers and so the story continued.

Listen to this extract of Ice T from BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, where he very succinctly explains the origins of hip-hop.
 

American musician and performer Ice-T has directed a cinema documentary Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap in which he talks to leading performers including Snoop Dogg, Dr Dre and Eminem about the culture of hip-hop. Ice-T discusses the origins of the music, and its continuing influence.

The Storyline is as follows

SOMETHING FROM NOTHING: THE ART OF RAP is a feature length performance documentary about the runaway juggernaut that is Rap music. At the wheel of this unstoppable beast is the film’s director and interviewer Ice-T. Taking us on a deeply personal journey Ice-T uncovers how this music of the street has grown to dominate the world. Along the way Ice-T meets a whole spectrum of Hip-Hop talent, from founders, to new faces, to the global superstars like Eminem, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Kanye West. He exposes the roots and history of Rap and then, through meeting many of its most famous protagonists, studies the living mechanism of the music to reveal ‘The Art Of Rap’. This extraordinary film features unique performances from the entire cast, without resorting to archive material, to build a fresh and surprising take on the phenomenon that is Rap.

see a BBC video about the documentary here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17853254

You can Follow Something from Nothing – The Art of Rap on Facebook

and on IMdB here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2062996/

July 23, 2012 break dancing, culture, DJing, featured posts, Hip Hop, Industry, MC, POP, Radio 4, sound history 1 Comment on ICE T, on Rap, Hip Hop and a new Documentary

Theo Parrish on DJing, Convenience & Artistry


In this very interesting video, Theo Parrish talks about the art of DJing and the importance of being honest in your approach. The selection process should be governed by ‘what draws you in’ and then ‘careful listening should refine what you present to a wider audience’. He discusses the impact of technological developments in terms of convenience versus artistry.

May 8, 2012 DJing No Comments on Theo Parrish on DJing, Convenience & Artistry