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Jazz

Finding Joy in A Broken World

by Baileigh Jane (Wilks)

Baileigh Jane (Wilks)
credit: Sydney Tate

It feels ironic to be releasing my song ‘Better’ at a time where it appears the world is, in fact, doing worse. Civil rights and liberties are being rolled back while our governments flirt with the idea of World War III, and yet, when I finished this song several years ago, I thought to myself, “I’ll release this when the world is better”. But as I’m getting older, I’m learning life is more nuanced than that. You can’t wait for the world to be better, you can’t wait for the world to give you permission to find your joy.

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The Birth of “Don’t Mean to Hurt You”

by Poli Nika

POLI NIKA


I look into his eyes and remain silent. I know my silence wounds him, but I can’t utter a single word. My throat tightens, my head spins with the darkest thoughts I’d never dare say out loud. “What would he think of me then?” These are the monsters inside me, and I’ll never let them destroy what we have. I’ll never let them out, because then…

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Living in the Now

by J V W N


JVWN — which stands for Just Vibing With the Now — is more than just a name; it’s a whole vibe, a way of life, and a philosophy that defines how we make music. We’re all about being present in the moment, letting the energy around us guide what we create, and finding inspiration in everything happening right now. Each of us brings something unique to the table, but together, our approach to music is one of freedom, expression, and constant growth.

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Unused Songs And Their Potential To Make You Sick

by Loic J Tuckey

Loic J Tuckey


Whether you’re professional or amateur, tour-famous or bedroom-idle, every musician has them. They hover around like a foul scent and rear their ugly heads each time you’ve forgotten they exist. If you’re a music type, I’ve no doubt you’ve got a batch lying around, too.

I’m talking about unused songs and recordings you have no idea what to do with. A jam you tracked one night but never finished. A memory you should probably try to let go. Move on with your life, buddy!

Yet, now and then, you pull one out and give it a listen. Each time, the reek of unfulfilled potential makes you sick to your stomach. You like the tune enough to vouch for it, but know it’s never getting uploaded to Spotify. It’s regrettable because, given the right resources, you believe it had the potential to be an absolute belter.

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30 Years of Originals

by Pedro Alsama


My mother used to say that when I was 2 or 3 years old, I was a little pest, but when music was on the television, it was silent; it was peaceful at home. I was absorbed in what I was wanting to do forever. Music.

I started my sound adventure learning sounds; I created them around me with a k7s recorder. I walked around the house reporting where I went, something like: “And now this is the sound of water, and let’s all listen…” turned on the bathroom faucet “listen, it’s the water singing…”

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Lock In That Rhythm!

by Torsten Jensen of Hexcut

Hexcut


Hi, my name is Torsten, I play piano and synth in an instrumental band from Bristol, UK called Hexcut. Also in the band are Chris Dreher (electronics), Dominic Fludger (bass guitar) and Rick Entwistle (drums). Our sound is somewhere between rock, modern jazz and electronic dance music and is hard to put into any one genre! It comes from the collective influences of all of us, and we write music together so it comes out as a blend of all our tastes: I am particularly into jazz acts like Gogo Penguin and Mammal Hands as well as alternative electronic acts such as Bonobo and Jon Hopkins, Chris is into hip hop and trip hop such as Blockhead and Portishead, Dom is into progressive rock and metal and Rick is into heavy rock and metal as well as house and drum’n’bass.

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Gan Focal

by Mark Wilkins

Gan Focal by Mark Wilkins
Life during the lockdown and one finds oneself turning to the online world for community, support, and solace. The pandemic is a global phenomenon after all, and it would seem by the swell of blogs and posts on social media that millions of people the world over are doing the same. Social media explodes with information, disinformation, misinformation, distraction, and instruction.

One of the most shared posts by the online artistic community tells me ‘use the pandemic and the new reality to write that song, that novel, that screenplay you’ve always wanted to’ but this merely serves to impose a feeling of guilt -after all learning to adapt to the restrictions is difficult enough without the added pressure of trying to summon the muse and create new music.

What if I have no new ideas at my immediate disposal to inspire new tunes or fresh ideas to share with other musicians, let alone an audience?

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The Value Of Music

by Rob Sheppard

The Value Of Music by Rob Sheppard
As somebody who enjoys making music, I often find myself getting lost in a series of questions when writing and producing. The overriding thought being “What value does this have?”.

It is easy to deter ourselves from creating art, and putting ourselves in a vulnerable position, simply by talking ourselves out of finishing or sharing a creation in fear that it doesn’t add anything of value to the world, or worse; detracts value.

Due to these thoughts and conversations within my own mind, I haven’t shared an entire song or idea for many months, perhaps even years now.

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