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Transcript of BWD Magazine - May 2014
More Than JusT an
‘alMosT There’ To
arTisT To WaTch!
sixinch
tamara bubble
Nikolitsa Boutieros ‘on Their Way’
sixinch
Buffalo Bitestamara bubble
Natasha Watts
noT your
Typical MeTal
overNight Collides
Buffalo Bites
Natasha Watts
overNight Collides
Nikolitsa Boutieros
May 2014
Worldwide indie Music, lifestyles, entertainment Magazine
OVER a dEcadEs wORth Of ExpERiEncE and knOwlEdgE
Monthly FeatureMonthly Feature
2 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com
FeaTures
04 Overnight collidesNot Your Typical Metal
06 new EntsMentoring A Wealth Of New Talent
10 audio kings Of the third world An Electronic Goodness That’s Incredibly Addictive
16 natasha wattsA Debut Proving To Be An Eden For The Ears
18 tamara Bubble More Than Just An Artist To Watch
21 dirty gamezThe Gravitational Force Behind The Music
22 nikolitsa Boutieros (Music Review)Imbued With A Pool Of Talents
coVer sTory
12 six inchFrom ‘Almost There’ To ‘On Their Way’
liFesTyle
08 put it On My tabWhere An Anti-Virus Must Be Considered
14 5 tips to tweet like a champA Direct Connection To Inform The World
enTerTainMenT
20 Bwd Radio (Sponsor) Your Top Indie Artist’s ‘Global’ 24/7 Non-Stop Music
Radio Station - Commercial Free - #1 in Genre Variety,
Live & On Demand Shows, as well as, Monthly
Feature Giveaways!
23 Buffalo Bites (Monthly feature) Over 20 Years’ Experience In The Creative
Audio World -- Music Production
BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 3
Editor in chief V Keach
associate Editor
J Addams
lead contributing writerJ Addams
contributing writerV Keach
art directorV Keach
graphic artist(s)V Keach, BWD Graphics
circulation/sales Officer(s)V Keach/J Addams
FroM The eDiTorBridging the gap across all media platforms BWD Magazine is dedicated
to turning the spotlight onto the figures and faces, names and in-the-knows
hitting the headlines and filling the attentions of the entertainment world.
From musicians to models, ground-breaking acts to artists and artisans,
imagination is the only limit in BWD’s ambitions in bringing the audiences of
the world to the names we feature.
With over a decade’s worth of experience in the music industry and a crowd
of millions worldwide spreading the word with each new release, BWD has
established itself as the leader in its field.
BWD Magazine- ‘Leading Whilst Others Follow’
bWDMagazine.coMbWDraDio.coM
facEBOOk.cOM/BwdMagazinE
twittER.cOM/BwdMagazinE
facEBOOk.cOM/BwdRadiO
twittER.cOM/BwdRadiO_
twittER.cOM/BwdpROMOtiOns
lasT issueFroM The eDiTor lasT issue
4 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com
When unbridled energies com-
bine and focus their attentions
on a singular point the pressure
exerted upon the area beneath
the energies dedicated scrutiny
has one of two options; bear the weight as if
nothing is amiss, or explode in a shower of
applied physics.
With the music industry slipping on its Speedos
to dance in the rain of physics-in-action it is to
Canada and specifically the capital of Ottawa
Ontario ardent audiences of aural amazement
travel to trace the cause of the disruption, the
results of their investigations revealing at its
epicenter the white hot fires burning in the
hearts and souls of the three piece hard-rock
band Overnight Collides.
With a debut EP of perhaps the greatest showing
of focused energies the bands April 2014 release
spent less than a day in the wilds of the web
before the shockwaves of its landing on their
playlists sent reviewers falling over themselves
to be the first to acknowledge what an incred-
ible and industry-changing sound awaited your
head-banging, horns up approval.
Describing the self-titled release as ‘...a strong,
well-conceived debut album which showcases the
talents of each individual,’ and how it represented
...’the collision, and subsequent fusion, of styles,
emotions, and inspiration which...is truly uniquely
their own...’ before succumbing to the overall
majesty of what they were hearing with the
simple…’not your typical metal,’ a promise more
than a preview.
Having formed as a band in what seems more
pre-destined than capricious fate Overnight
Collides began when a guitarist named Andrew
and a drummer called Melissa met for a jam in
the heady year of 2012. With the touch-paper
primed and the universe holding its breath the
talent of natural musicianship was sprinkled
over the brow of former non-bass playing and
completely unsuspecting boyfriend of Melissa
Scott.
Drenched in the downpour of sprinkled skills Scott
instantly fell into the position of bassist within the
group, his enthusiastic grasp of the subtleties of the
instrument a hitherto unknown attribute that was
equal to that of a player many years in practice.
It’s with great pleasure
and excitement that
we are able to grace
the pages of BWD
Magazine!”
BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 5
oVernighTcolliDes
An fusion of styles,
emotions, And
Twenty four hours later and Overnight Collides were a force to be
reckoned with looking for a stage to target and audience’s atten-
tions to completely overwhelm with a salvo of sounds.
Sending out music meteorites in the guise of self-released demos
and singles the mushroom clouds of acclaim caught the eyes and
ears of LA based music producer Brian Lanese (Permanent Ability).
Able to control the focus of the bands energies resulted in the real-
ization of the Overnight Collides debut, a release so powerful as to
promise to punch a hole right through the charts and directly into
the silicon and circuits of iPods worldwide.
‘BWD Magazine has given us an opportunity to share with the world
the successes we have achieved as a band in the last two years.’
The band said when informed of their feature win. ‘It’s with great
pleasure and excitement that we are able to grace the pages of BWD
Magazine.’
Looking set to be the tsunami that sends a devastating wave of
genuinely new musical direction to wash away the stagnant mire
of the current incumbents clogging up the charts Overnight Collides’
debut release is available on iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby.
Contact Information:
Website: www.overnightcollides.com
Twitter: @OverniteCollide
Facebook: OvernightCollides
Photo Credits: Alex Lauzon Photography - All Rights Reserved
inspirAtion Which... is
truly uniquely their
oWn.
oVernighTcolliDes
6 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com
may have the looks, the locale and indeed the
legends of music pouting across its stages and
parading through its streets but it’s Europe that
has the legend which underpins the history of
music; genre defining bands and artists that rep-
resent the best or boldest from all genres stand-out as inspirations
to hold, benchmarks to reach, and greater heights to be scaled than
previously thought possible.
So where better than to the very beating heart of music’s soul
should you go when looking for that next elevation in music’s evo-
lution, to the home of tea and crumpets called the United Kingdom
and up to the front door of independent record company New Ents.
Coming at a time when music is seeing a growing surge of apprecia-
tive audiences discovering retro, disco, and Northern Soul New Ents
finds themselves forerunners in the race to find and deliver music’s
next big hits and hitters.
Built around an ethos of affording unsigned artists a chance to be
seen and heard New Ents actively seeks material for submission and
a-listen, reviewing and critiquing when requested and informing the
world through the social world of the web which new bands they
should be listening to and which up and coming artist is to go see
before they’re signed and the ticket prices go through the roof.
Artists such as their discoveries in media producer and composer
Will Berger, and Contemporary classics-to-be Vici-Jo and Gaz.
With the next few weeks seeing the release of two singles from New
Ents prepared to replace your current playlist - the first of which
should already be available on iTunes right now - and backed by a
campaign to help bring you even closer to their offerings of aural
enlightenment, The ‘Man’ in ‘Many’ if you will, Martin sat down to
speak to BWD Magazine about the new company; about its artists
and interests, it’s history and future, and if the world was a stage
what would the song be.
With a new release on ITunes and Amazon by Vici-Jo titled The Fool
In The Room is already reaching the Top 100 Amazon Dance Download
AND earning a national UK sponsor!
BWD: Hello and if you’d like to introduce yourself..?Hi! I am Martin from New Ents Records. We are a new start up label in
the UK. Although this is a new venture for us New Ents has existed as
an entertainment and music company for almost ten years. Our work
has focussed primarily around producing bespoke music products plus
the development and mentoring of live artists. Creating our own record
label seemed our next logical step and we are releasing our first tracks
at the end of March.
BWD: You’ve launched into the world of bringing new music and artists out of the underground and into the spot-light, surely it’s a Herculean task given the wealth of musical talent out there… New Ents is a unique company in that we mentor a wealth of new talent
and have access to many live venues around the UK. This is a perfect
platform for the launching of new music and artists. Our ethos is to give
opportunity and advice to new artists and writers, in particular those
with no preconceptions about genre.
In our view music is music wherever it comes from and in whatever
genre it sits.
We are simply looking to promote music in all its forms to the public
and most of all to give opportunity and give the record producing expe-
rience to new artists as part of our already proven successful mentoring
of talent. Not only do we provide the means to record singles, we also
have the means to promote them through our live gig venues which, is
something we feel is fairly unique for a label.
la
exclusive intervieW
NEW ENTS
BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 7
We have carefully chosen great singers and matched them to talented writers
to produce new and at the same time retro sounds which, we believe the public
will enjoy.
Vici-Jo is a great example. A former graduate of the world renowned Italia Conti
stage school, she has just released her first single ‘Just Do What You Want’. This
is a great 70’s style disco record and perfect for any 70’s night or disco party. She
will shortly embark on a tour of various UK venues where she will be performing
her live funk disco set to large audiences which, is a great launch platform for
her new single and we are delighted that as a result of some modest chart suc-
cess has also picked up a national UK sponsor who are championing her single.
Gaz & The Groove are another New Ents Records project soon to be releasing
‘The Fool In The Room’. This track has been skilfully written to mirror the style
of 60’s soul whilst at the same time having a relevant edge. Gaz is about to
tour abroad and will be back in the UK to launch and promote his single while
on tour throughout the summer. Any fan of The Temptations or old soul will
instantly fall in love with this track when it is released in May.
In releasing these singles we are hoping to capture a largely untapped niche
market in new retro sounds.
Both tracks have been written by Will Berger, a talented new jazz musician and
media composer from House Of Noise.
BWD: What advantages do you feel New Ents has in being an independent
label that the big-boys of the industry don’t?
New Ents Records prides itself on the personal touch. There are literally 1000’s
of artists and musicians carefully playing, writing and lovingly crafting their
work only to find that a record company doesn’t even bother to listen or reply.
At the very least we believe that an artist’s work should be heard, considered
and constructive feedback given wherever possible. The same is true of anyone
that contacts us from the general public. In short, we are small enough to build
relationships between the artist, label and the consumer.
It is this personal touch that we believe will generate a desire amongst artists
and music lovers to support each other.
This approach may of course prove more challenging the bigger we become, but
if it is part of our ethos in the first instance then it will inevitably be part of our
success of The New Ents Records brand that will continue into the future.
We also have the advantage of being able to consider the niche markets in
music that large companies with large overheads and marketing costs may not
be interested in or even be aware of their existence.
Focussing on smaller consumer groups will allow us to harness the most power-
ful marketing tool of all ‘word of mouth’. We have already received many mes-
sages of support and good will from radio stations, other artists and the public
particularly in these niche areas who are constantly overlooked by new music
producers.
We have high hopes for Vici-Jo’s 70’s disco style party track ‘Just Do What You
Want’ which is already available on iTunes and Amazon.
For release details regarding ‘The Fool In The Room’ a retro soul track by Gaz &
The Groove, out in May, be sure to follow us at the links provided below.
BWD: Compared to the cookie cutter approach of the industry New Ents own
roster looks to be quite a diverse bunch..?
Yes, we do have a diverse set of artists. From Vici-Jo to Gaz & The Groove, Sophie,
Will Berger and Funky Punk. Whilst we are a new record label we have produced
music in many styles for clients for a number of years; some of which, have
achieved good download and CD sales for our clients.
These have even included children’s songs! One even made it into the top 20
iTunes children’s download chart in 2012. This has shown us that there is a
huge potential for original music sales in many genres, some with large loyal
followings such as Northern Soul here in the UK. This is why we are looking to
promote artists and writers with no preconceptions about music or genre.
Other projects and genres we are looking at include 50’s style Rock n Roll,
Country and Swing and Pop. Each project will be fronted by talented vocalists
and promoted through our live venue contacts. At the end of the day music is a
business and whilst it is important to maintain integrity in the quality of musi-
cianship and song writing, it is also important to know your market and produce
your music accordingly.
We are always interested to hear from artists on our Twitter feed and regularly
review the sounds we hear. We RT a short review and recommendation of those
we like in any genre. Our only restriction is that we don’t review or RT anything
that contains parental guidance lyrics or inflammatory content.
BWD: Penultimate question time! If the ‘whole world is just a stage’, what
would be the soundtrack?
The dream while in bed,
The scratch of your pen,
The tap of your foot,
The tune in your head.
BWD: And finally; what’s next from New Ents?
A series of singles by new artists and writers covering a wide range of music
styles and genres will be launched through 2014 written by Will Berger and
other participating writers. We are now being supported by a national UK enter-
tainment and holiday brand titled Park Dean with over 400,000 customers regu-
larly visiting their venues each year which, we hope will prove a spring board to
even greater success for our artists.
Contact Information:
Website: newents.co.uk
Twitter: @NewEntsRecords
Facebook: NewEntsRecords
Photo Credits: NewEnts -All Rights Reserved
8 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com
Getting online is now a fairly simple procedure no matter which platform or device you choose to go surfing on, and with the free
platform afforded by the web, long-lost friends need now only stay lost if they don’t accept your invitation.
With the online world being quick to change from a warm, cosy bubble to a back-alley of stank and scams with a single misjudged click,
it’s with some forethought an anti-virus must be considered, if only for the sake of your spam folder limits.
Whilst we’re on the subject of limits there’s an almost unlimited number of apps fighting for your attention and tablet’s precious
memory, intimidating the unwary and infuriating the unsure with apps that can be seen but remain forever undownladable, hopes
raised then dashed as first the promise of seeing the must-have app sends your finger to the Install image, to desolation as the App
store refuses to play ball!
So clarity and security and sharing seem to be what’s needed; and fortunately enough, we have all three below.
puT iT on My Tab
BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 9
An anti-virus on your Android should be a day-
one download, as the moment you open your
browser on your new tablet you are opening
your tablet to a world of malware, Trojans, and
the kind of hacking known only to the kind of
genius mind trapped within the body of a mis-
understood fourteen year old high school student.
With opinion putting it right up there with the best in the business Avast
Mobile Security and Internet brings more than its weight to the table in
terms of efficiency, expediency, and interface agreeability; from a full scan
of all memory both internal and external, a schedule to have it regularly
snoop around the corners and shadows of your tablets’ memory banks, an
anti-theft option that can have you locating your mobile online and then
locking or even wiping the entire contents of the device... The options
available within the free version is more than sufficient an offering to
keep the majority of tablet owners safe, secure, and suspicious sectors free.
A web shield stands between your tablet and the terrors of an untamed
internet when online, and when installing apps it will automatically scan
them for any badness before lovingly writing into the code of your tablets’
inner guts.
Buy the brains behind the brilliance of this beauty for only a few bucks and
yet further options are unlocked for your gleefully geeky digit to discover.
An app locker to protect that Pac-Man high score, a Geo Fencing so your
phone will only operate apps or perform in a pre-determined way if taken a
certain distance away, and even the wonderful caught-in-the-act unwitting
selfies of whoever it was that swiped your tablet and is right now having
their face sent through to the boys from The Wire.
Quick, simple, and with a monthly subscription to unlock all of its Pandora’s
Box of goodies, the unencumbered free version is surprisingly more than
capable of keeping your tablet in all its box-fresh tip-top trim.
Like a bridge between peoples Twitter is the
ubiquitous app synonymous with offering
everyone a platform to discuss, debate, and -
more often than not - send .JPG’s of cats with
their faces jammed into slices of bread.
What once was a fairy tale of sci-fi confection is now a realized instant
soap-box for the vocal to stand and pontificate to the masses without fear
of being stoned by objectors or the rain coming down and messing up your
new -do.
However, much like a bridge of fairy tale, just underneath the surface lacks
a breed of human, referred collectively to as trolls; argumentative nay-
sayers who will stand in the opposite corner of whatever platform you
choose JUST FOR THE SAKE OF IT, a troll of the Twitterverse is far easier to
deal with than all those Billy-Goats Gruff would have you believe; a simple
swipe or click to remove their offending nonsense from your eye and sud-
denly the world becomes a much brighter place.
Through the official app you can look-up, locate, or lurk about the timeline
of just about anyone and anything the human mind and Hollywood can
conceive.
From film stars to friends, calligraphists to crazy cat-ladies, all you need
is an email address to start stalking celebrities and sharing away to your
heart’s content; thoughts, opinions, and pictures of your cat wearing a slice
of bread.
As a way of keeping in touch with friends, following the latest happenings
and doings surrounding your most favourite of interests it is unrivalled in
popularity, and should be considered an essential download if thinking of
promoting your band or brand in a free and futuristic mini-media micro-
cosm to a global audience - more of which in this month’s 5 Tips.
What better way to test the limits of both
aforementioned apps as well as your friends’
tolerance of your rampant ‘Share’-ing skills
than with another option to the stock Android
Google Play Store app.
Featuring a fairly comprehensive lumping together of apps specifically
optimized for Tablets and the like, Tablet Market cuts the Schrodinger’s
Cat of app installation by listing applications that WILL work on a Tablet.
Upon launch you are greeted with an indexing of categories highlighted by
smart icons; dip-dip-click on wallpapers, media, tools or entertainment, or
go straight for the recently added juggernaut of fresh and new.
Swiping from one app description back and into another is a pleasure
in piggy/pixel performance, the ease of travel between screens fluid and
quick. Arranged on an un-distracting background icons and titles tile across
and down grid-like and clean, the lack of eye-catching back drop helping
draw attention to each app individually amongst its grouping, never once a
confusing mess of information overload.
The Pro option delivers the same fine selection of choice albeit advert-free
and improved speed - not much of an incentive to Go Pro, but you probably
tip your waitress more than the less-than-a-buck price the developers are
asking, and for once the freebie will be something you actually choose
and want.
aVasT
TableT MarkeT
10 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com
ake the best night of your life and add your great-
est achievement to date; multiply by the feel
good factor of every neuron and synapse firing
at the same time as if infused with pure caffeine,
mix with a healthy serving of electronic goodness
and sweet, sweet punk and the resultant wave of
complete emotional awe and enjoyment would
need to carry a Surgeon General’s Warning of contents being incred-
ibly addictive.
It is surely only a matter of time before such a label finds itself
on Philly Underground Records very own Audio Kings Of The Third
World latest release the Space Punk EP, an eclectic mix of the bands
signature fusing of beats,
loops, guitars and synth to
immerse the ears in a wall of
post punk sound and audio
authority.
Having burst out the base-
ment and broken into the
download charts this
Philadelphia band have ignit-
ed the dry fields of familiar-
ity awaiting the music lover
with an explosive eructation
of emotion fuelled fervour and fancy, expertly crafted and effort-
lessly delivered within their EP release.
Intrigued and inquisitive of this one-band tsunami of sound
who recommend you ‘Set your Rock N’ Roll Phasers to Stun’, BWD
Magazine took itself off to seek out Audio Kings’ Johnny Oates and
Jack Cannon to find out more about the band; explore the themes
behind their music and their stylistic sound, the stun within the
stunning and which Captain is their Captain.
exclusive intervieW
BWD: Greetings and the Audio Kings Of The Third World are..?Johnny O Vocals, James Hall Guitar, Jack Cannon on Guitar, Keyboards,
Bass and Samples.
BWD: From hooks that drag you in to loops that run around your head for days; how do the Audio Kings Of The Third World create such a sound? Admit it; it’s witchcraft, right? It’s more elfin magic and middle earth potions. Ok it’s more a laptop.
We decided early on that if we were really going to make music then
it was going to be something
different with our own sound.
We enjoy the mix of primi-
tive with futuristic and like
to combine the two whenever
possible, like Garage Rock with
Dance beats and Opera sound
effects. We started out using
a drum machine because our
practice space was so small
that when we were trying
out drummers they were so
loud it almost hurt. The drum
machine progressed to laptop
and samples. So we can get a much bigger sound when we play live
and not have to compete with the drummer. Listen to us loud and you
will hear all sorts of stuff.
BWD: Could you tell us a little about the Space Punk EP? It’s a five song EP we released on BandCamp. Half of our set list is
dancier and the other half is garage rock. We wanted to release an EP
of garage rock early in the year just to see what we could do with it.
Jupiter is the song we have had the longest and it’s a fun rocker with a
catchy little lead. She – did really well on a comp we were on for Garage
Punk Hideout.com, so we put that on.
t
BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 11
Sky Was Red is a song about a crazy apocalyptic dream I had. I dreamt I awoke to a red sky and aliens were running around shooting everyone
with ray guns and if they shot you, you would grow antlers. Crazy. Camera is a heavy art project of a song. It features a heavy bass riff, sonic
guitar sounds and a keyboard riff I tried to reinvent from the first Resident Evil movie. As for 8Bit Man, I wanted to write a song using sound
effects from the likes of Atari, Commodore and Gameboy. Hence the 8bit part.
BWD: Without wishing to inflate your ego’s too much Audio Kings Of The Third World music feels richer, deeper, a single listen sufficient for enjoyment but repeated plays really showing the depth of the compositions. Thanks. That’s a nice compliment. Each of us has a deep love for all things music and are very eclectic in what we listen to. So I think if you
came out to see us live you would hear all of that in our music. Whether it’s Garage Rock, Punk, New Wave, Electronica or 60’s Psyche - we try
to mesh together the primitive with futuristic.
BWD: Penultimate question time! Our Rock n’ Roll phasers are ready and set to stun, but of the two, which Captain is better; Kirk or Picard? It would have to be Kirk. Picard is getting so old he is in a wheel chair with a metal helmet on, while Kirk is young again and traversing the
galaxy with a star ship full of hot chicks. You do the math.
BWD: And finally; what’s 2014 looking like for Audio Kings Of The Third World? We have a few shows lined up this spring. There are about 4 or 5 compilations coming out that we will be featured on. Little Stevens
Underground Garage Radio Show will be playing Jupiter and 8Bit Man starting in April. So if you have Sirius XM, listen for us.
We also have an important benefit for Autism we are involved in to provide autistic children with instruments and lessons – ELEPHANTS FOR
AUTISM MUSIC FESTIVAL MAY 16-18 2014.
In addition, we are working on another EP to be released late in the year. It’s looking to have more electronica.
Contact Information:
Website: audiokingsofthethirdworld.bandcamp.com
Twitter: @AudioKings3w
Facebook: AudioKings3w
Photo Credits: Audio Kings Of The Third World -All Rights Reserved
auDio kings oF The
ThirD WorlD
12 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com
six inch
f we are to continue our evolution as human beings we
must be mindful of where our race to the future is lead-
ing us. Mistakes set to rent asunder our charging feet
can be spotted and avoided if one eye is kept on the
teachings of our past.
Decisions made in haste are often mistakes repented at leisure, and
if history shows us anything then it is how one man can make a dif-
ference. The figureheads whose passions drive the faith of their con-
victions and emotions of their beliefs into the consciousness of their
audience, enchants them to their cause with an emboldening call to
form en masses, be of one mind, follow and be led by a voice speaking
truths and integrity and certain of their step underfoot.
As if epitomizing that very thing an unassuming rock trio found that,
whilst creating music worthy of their contemporaries approval, they
were missing a certain something; ability and talent were plentiful
in supply, but it was when vocalist Andy Moisio knocked on the door,
stepped up to the microphone, and laid his vocals across the surface
of music and mind behind the direction of the band that the incredible
breakout group Six Inch went from ‘almost there’ to ‘on their way’.
Broadening the bands sound and taking it to the next level saw Andy
develop his vision of incorporating a more melodic, enriching sound to
the bands already captivating sound. Bringing a soul of sounds in the
form of keyboards and violin in 2012 saw Pinja and Nestori swell the
bands ranks, lending strings and synth respectively to the ever growing
wash of emotive engorgement.
Completely replete with an army of aural artists the band set about
refining and defining their sound through an unending slew of live
shows and appearances, touring Finland and Spain and broadening
both their sound and fan-base in equal measure.
Once home and honed the band took themselves to the studio and ap-
plied their artistry to their debut release, the single Melancholic Whis-
per of Life exposing the captivating creativity of Six Inch past its own
shores and across the world.
With a limited run of only one hundred and fifty copies of the band’s
debut album smashed through the radar and firmly into the public’s
view, earning the band the Akademia Music Award in Rock/Hard Rock
category.
Accompanying the award with the video for the track Whore of the Med-
ical Science director Arttu Talvitie revealed the images within the band’s
sound, creating a stunning display of powerful imagery as unique as
the music itself.
With the bands second video Wound Torn Bride - also directed by Arttu
- the critics fell over themselves in awarding acclaim at Six Inch’s feet,
their impact felt far and wide and furthering their worldwide grip of
audiences’ attentions.
i
Website: www.sixinchband.net
Twitter: @SixInchBand
Facebook: SixInchBand
Photo Credits: Six Inch Band - All Rights Reserved
exclusive intervieW
With bassist Risto joining the group in late 2013, and guitarist duo
Dey and Kalle coming on board with six strings ready to re-write
the rule-book Six Inch emerged from its internal re-shuffling’s
with a new-found energy and unbridled compulsion to rise be-
yond the limited horizons of their contemporaries, above all who
had come before.
Now almost Legion in number with a healthy seven members and
rumblings of plans already in the works for a follow up second
album release Six Inch took time out from leading the charge
of change to sit and talk awhile with BWD Magazine about their
music and muse; how their sound has grown and developed and
what we can look forward to hearing from their future endeav-
ours, and possibly even get a poetic ending.
BWD: As you go so shall we follow, but first; please, introduce Six Inch
to us.
Six Inch started as a talented but quite ordinary dark rock trio back in 2010.
Then Andy Moisio joined the group and with his intimate and personal voice
took the place in lead vocals.
Cover Story
six inch
BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 13
After a few demos and EP’s Andy had a vision of more unique, melancholic and
mysterious sound. For that vision Andy wanted to have a violinist and a keyboard
player so at the end of 2012 Pinja (Violin) and Nestori (keyboards) joined the
band to make it more complete. They were ready to make their first album with
dark and powerful elements combined with cinematic ambience. Before releasing
the album Six Inch took to the road and played lots of gigs mainly at rock clubs
in Finland but also a small tour in Spain which was great because the band had
always wanted to become international. Six Inch also released its first single
“Melancholic Whisper of Life” from the debut album. It was a limited edition of
only 150 copies and later it won the LA based Akademia Music Award in Rock/
Hard Rock Category.
After the single had been published and received well the band finally signed its
first record deal with Italian label “DA-Records” and the debut album came out in
the summer of 2013. At the same time Six Inch pulled out their first music video
for the song “Whore of the Medical Science” and pretty soon after that the second
music video “Wound Torn Bride” both directed by talented Arttu Talvitie, where
our audience took the album nicely and also the critiques were great. After the
first album the band hit the crossroad and as a result they had do some line-up
changes in late 2013. Andy’s good friend Risto joined to play the bass and they
found Dey and Kalle who formed a young & dynamic guitar duo. With new energy
in the band Six Inch is now getting ready to come up with album #2 full of aces
on its sleeve.
BWD: From the first opening strains to the last few refrains there’s a unique-
ness to Six Inch’s sound that defies easy comparison.
Our sound has already gone through a few revolutions. First there was a huge
change when the violin and keyboards was added to the mix for the first album
and then there was a forced line-up change where we had to have a new bass
player and new guitar players and the overall sound changed again quite a lot
and now we’re getting ready to deepen things up for the second album. I think we
have quite a unique thing going on and I haven’t actually heard people compar-
ing as so much to other bands. While there is definitely some vibes of older Korn,
mixed with some Marilyn Manson, but then we took all these main ingredients
and threw them to blender with some Danny Elfman (and other great soundtrack
composers as well), gothic influences and finally spiced it all up with hint of
Nightwish and even pop elements. In a member level we all bring our own thing
to the table. We all have different kinds of musical backgrounds and we all have
a bit different music taste but I think it’s a great thing for a band as long as we
can find the mutual note.
BWD: Your first album feels almost like a teaser of things to come, a taste of
the sublime with promises of an even greater sound on your second album..?
The Second album will be very important and we’re really working to make a
deep impact with it. I’m quite sure it will show some good results in the end.
The first album was a bit unthought-of. We had some songs and wondered why
not just record them and in the end we had an album. This time we’ve already
done demos and from those we’re starting to pick songs which will go through
a process of arrangement and producing before being recorded again. I think we
will have more thought of, more mature, and more diverse music on our second
album compared to the first.
BWD: Having already taken the band from the confines of its home-town
and out across Europe, how has your music been received by the different
audiences..?
Firstly, I’d like to say that we’re not really affected by public reaction; at least not
on a conscious level. We’re trying to focus on doing our own thing and hope that
listeners will also like it so that we could do it bigger in the future. People have
always said to me that we have such an ’international sound’. Maybe it explains
why people outside Finland have found us more interesting than Finnish people
- at least I feel like it - maybe it’s just the shy characteristics of Finns compared
to enthusiastic people in Latin America for example. Anyway, we’re happy that
people outside of Finland have found us too because we’re also hoping to tour
internationally.
BWD: Are there any future plans to take the band even further afield in the
future; perhaps across The Pond and onto the shores of the States..?
For me it seems that the US will be one of the main areas for us but it needs a lot
of work to actually come there, but we’d love that. We need to build a bigger fan
base. Hopefully we could get the second album to be released in the States also.
Meanwhile, I hope everyone gives our debut a chance. It’s available on Spotify
for example!
BWD: And finally! Finish this poem; Roses are red, Violets are blue..?
While laying on my cozy grave.... I’m not asking anything new...Within the
shattered memory of yesterday....The colors of the flowers slowly fades away
14 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com
Back in the early eighties we were encouraged to ‘let our fingers do the
walking’ and to ‘reach out and touch’, telecommunications encouraging
the people of the world to connect and converse and speak long into
the night on telephones nailed to the wall with numbers you had to
physically dial.
Now we have several laws discouraging the random touching of strang-
ers as well as the kind of freedom to interact with the people of the
world wherever and whenever we choose. Social platforms have become
the new garden fence with which to lean upon, mull over the passing of
the day on a soap box of silicon and in no more than one hundred and
forty characters.
As a direct connection to inform the world of the web en masse your
timeline is a free and wholly personal advertising space of limitless
potential, a genuine leveller of a blank canvas for anyone and everyone
to avail themselves of and proceed to start getting with the connecting.
However, where to begin winning the war of words on the web and turn-
ing missives into money, and characters into cash? Being able to see the
wood for the trees can be difficult when swamped with the potential of
the platform, so let’s take a deep breath, calm ourselves a while, and, with
a sweet tea close at hand and a selection of biscuits to dunk, here are 5
Tips to help you get started and see you Tweeting Like A Champ.
Freshly signed up and logged in and stuck with an ‘@’
name that’s sort of what you were after, sort of a com-
promise of what you actually wanted with a string of
random numbers on the end because
5 Tips To TWeeT like a chaMp
aTTracT, Don’T DisTracT
you underestimated the severe lack of imagination people show when
picking names and the random name generator actually spitting some-
thing use-able out its algorithms, it’s time to make some noise!
By adding people!
So a search of people you know adds a handful of followers; then another
search based on things similar to what your brand/product is adds several
more friends to that list. Then publications covering the area you’re cur-
rently invested in, followed by shows, YouTubers, ‘Zines and Celebrities -
because, ‘know...they MIGHT re-tweet! - and before long you should have
a healthy mix of brands you wish to have an association with and an
audience of followers interested in such brands.
Don’t just follow or add for the sake of it; a few dollars will buy you far
more followers than all your hard clicking efforts can manage with a lot
more success in growing your numbers, and if it’s really important you
give the impression lots of people like you then there’s a budget to suit
your pocket out there amongst the many, many insta-follow services.
Choose people or brands that have some connection with what you are
trying to promote, as the association and similarity will bring a better
view to your brand than having @SchoJoe332 re-tweet your advert for
Discount Friday for the third time that day.
Try to reply to any messages as quickly and succinctly as possible, and
always remember to keep it friendly but professional; a ‘Hi’ is fine. A ‘Yo,
ho!’ is not.
selecT anD connecT
1.
BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 15
A few tweets a day replying to messages and
commenting on daily events is fine - a four thou-
sand word diatribe on why the girl Cyrus has
finally cracked the secret of mediocrity to a level
as yet un-fathomed by big brained scientists and
the tattle column of the local rag is both uninter-
esting and unnecessary in drawing attention to your brand.
Comments should be kept to a level you feel comfortable in defending
should they be challenged; if the best answer you can give to the above
scenario is essentially ‘because I said so’ then congratulations! You have
successfully lost all your privileges to the world of grown-ups and people
taking you seriously.
Make a few simple adverts on Notepad or similar app to have an instant
copy n’ paste message to send out; jot down things you think may be
of interest to your followers and actually spend some time constructing
those 140 characters in Shakespearean gold. A bit of time and effort now
will save time and effort in the long run, as well as the loss of any dignity
should a misspelled word sends your tweet around the world for all the
wrong reasons.
You can set up an auto-tweeting app on your account, set it to send out
missives at precisely timed moments during the day, but a warning: If left
unchecked in just how heavily you rely on such app’s you run the risk of
having a timeline that’s nothing but automated cold selling reminding your
followers that your request for their friendship was nothing more than a
chance to sell them some new magic beans.
Used responsibly and they’re as useful as you make them, an easy way to
increase your promoting without being too over-bearing. Search up the
best for what you want it to do and get that thing set-up and working,
ready to regale the reader with informative tweets should you fail to find
anything work talking about in what’s currently trending.
Keeping abreast on current trending topics or
hash-tags and finding a way to mention them in
your posts will increase your chances of being
found through searches of a particular theme; a
sly mention of a sporting win here or an opinion
on the latest number one single in the charts will help your brand reach
new audiences whilst maintaining a contemporary and ‘current’ appeal to
your followers.
Avoid anything mourning the loss of a celebrity or a joining of forces
against negativity in the aftershocks of a tragedy UNLESS it is a true heart
felt show of empathy. Saying how sad you feel for the loss of ‘Funny Man’
Doug McCluckin’ Trukk, and how the world will be less rosy for his loss is
fine. Suggesting the bereaving fans buy a personalized heat-reveal mug
showing in painful detail just how Doug Trukk earned the honorific of
McCluckin’ from your website to commemorate the event is not.
Use some common-sense, think before you tweet, and re-read before send-
ing it out.
Remember those who re-tweet or favourite your
tweets; check-in on what they’re sending out to
their own followers edification and see where the
chance to promote may lie. If it’s a music maga-
zine or website and you have a single about to be dropped, then clearly
we’re talking a ‘hand in glove’ perfect fit situation. Messaging an abattoir
about your latest range of vegan sandals is unlikely to be of interest to the
sausage makers of the world nor be worth the cost in internet allowance
in sending it. Speaking of common-sense stuff, drop a ‘@’ name from your
connections into a tweet every now and then. Obviously, be specific; choose
a connection likely to find favour with what your message contains - don’t
overstate what you’re trying to say in your message either, as a few simple
words (with a link) will be considered easier to read and thus more likely
to be read, and likewise sent along their own timeline and out before the
eyes of your possible new audience.
As easy as it is to remember it’s easier again
to forget that every message you send out can
be read by anyone with an internet connection
and a Google close-by. Too many public figures
and celebrities have attempted to maintain
the human touch with their fans and maintained their own social media
accounts, only to fall foul of the old adage of ‘open your mouth, close your
eyes, and you will get a big surprise’. By all means, have an account for
sharing pictures of cats wearing sliced bread - what we shall call your ‘You’
account - but also have one you want the world to think of as showing you
to be the best thing since sliced bread was worn by cats - what we shall
refer to as your ‘Better’ you.
Your ‘You’ you complains about work, invites friends to join them in Battery
Farmer Online, and generally lets the world know when they get a bug up
their ass regardless of whose listening or if anyone cares.
Your ‘Better’ you is the face of your business, the representative of your
product, the image you project for the world to see and judge accordingly.
How you use your timeline will define how the internet sees and treats
you; constantly fill your 140 characters with links to where people can buy/
download/send-you-money will make you come across as an un-interactive
advert. Throughout some similar focussed info or links you think compli-
ments your own brand and you become a content generator for others to
save time looking for things to be interested in by checking-in on your
timeline and seeing what’s what.
Your ‘Better’ you doesn’t troll, get involved in arguments over their timeline,
and always ALWAYS checks any links before re-tweeting them out!
builD connecTions
TrenDing
The World Is WaTchIng
2.
3.
4.
5.
16 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com
With a voice likely to become the voice of her
genre Natasha Watts has finally revealed her
abundant talent to the masses with her long
awaited and much anticipated self-titled debut
album.
As one of the United Kingdom’s brightest new musical lights
Natasha has already caused a stirring in the circles of singer/
songwriters worldwide, her emotionally charged lyricism and
expertly crafted fusing of melody, mood, groove and gravitas
thrusting her into the attentions of her contemporaries as an art-
ist whose position in the charts is destined to be at the number
one spot.
With her first single
Show Me resolutely
washing the UK Soul
scene clean of the
ascribed styles of
her contemporaries
Natasha followed up
her debut statement
of intent with the
Summer 2012 smash
hit Back 2 U, produced
by Ric Atari and taking
her from the under-
ground and into the
charts.
Based around her
own experiences and
the culmination of
six years of focussed
dedicated effort the
Natasha Watts album is a debut proving to be an Eden for the ears,
taken from the very soul of her emotions; a desirably rich sound it
evokes the fragility of femininity whilst expressing the strength in
same, to be recognized as both powerful and precious, deliberate
yet demure.
Produced by noted Modern Soul giants Frank Ryle and Cool
Million himself Rob Hardt Natasha has already seen three singles
released from the album break through the top ten Soul Charts,
with both Born A Star and Go Slow alerting the masses to her calls
with third single Change taking the coveted number one spot.
Having rounded out 2013 with Soul Survivors Magazine Best New
Soul Act award the unveiling of her debut album looks set to
become the benchmark for those wishing to follow in her foot-
steps, a road map if you will to the very centre of expressive self-
belief and emotive illustration of life, loss and lamentation and
love.
With the industry already churning up a path to her front door
with the likes of Papa Records, Kaidi Tathum (Bugz In The Attic),
Purple Music, Josh Milan, and many, many more thundering up to
knock the wood-work and engage her talents for themselves BWD
Magazine hitched up our caravan to the donkey and set out to
the shores abroad with an ‘X’ on our map sub-titled ‘Natasha Watts
Lives Here’ and our Mr T Sat-Nav informing us it ‘...pities da fool
that don’t take a left!’ to ask about her debut album and how it all
came about; the legend behind the lady and situations behind the
soul, and even brushing on
the topic of soul.
‘Natasha Watts’ is available
through SedSoul world-
wide now.
BWD: Hello, and if you’d like to introduce us to the sensational Soul Sista herself..? Hey Guys! I am Natasha Watts.
BWD: After collaborative works with other artists and musicians you’ve finally revealed an album that is entirely Natasha Watts..? I started writing the album over 2 years ago ... I never set out with
a plan just a vision that I wanted to be my own artist with my own
sound that people could relate to. It’s been an amazing journey get-
ting to this point and the people who have helped me to get there
are all amazing in their own way. For me to be able to write the song
t
naTasha WaTTs
exclusiVe inTerVieW
naTasha WaTTs
BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 17
I did on the album… the music had to be on point, Cool Million… get
me!
I have always wanted to sing, from a young age it’s been a dream.
Sometimes in life things don’t always go to plan so you have to take a
different road to get to your destination and sometimes it takes much
longer than you would have liked but eventually you reach the goal
that you set out to do many years before.
I had a dream. I believed in myself and have so far achieved what I’ve
set out to do. I have been lucky enough to come into the world of Cool
Million and it’s been because of them that my life has changed!
BWD: With such a wide reaching depth of expression and talent how did you manage to restrain yourself to only twelve tracks on the album?What a great question. To be honest I never wanted to write a load
of songs and then have to decide which one would stay, etc. so I only
wrote 13 and 1 got dropped. I think I was pretty lucky that I liked all
the tracks so it made it a lot easier for me at the end. I do believe that
there is something for everyone on the album. I have tried to make an
album with at least 8 single worthy tracks. I hate when I buy an album
and there are only 1 or 2 tracks that I enjoy. My favourite track on the
album is called ‘Born a Star’. This track is written for my mother who
passed away 6 years ago. I wanted a track on there for her but I never
wanted it to be a typical ‘aww she left, I am sad, blah blah blah,’ so I
wrote about stuff she would always say to me. It’s from the heart and
I love singing this one live. My next track that I love has to be ‘Good
Love’. This feel good vibe always gets the crowd going and there is
something about watching people getting down to a track that you
have written, I don’t think I will ever tire of that! I have written some
slower tracks on the album to which I have to say again capture that
old style of, end of the night find a partner and have a good old dance.
BWD: Appearances at the top of the charts and awards from the industry itself; not bad for an artist only just releasing their first album..? It’s a full time job keeping up to date with my social media, but it’s a
given you have to run it like a business, effectively. I am the CEO of
my own business and if I do not make sure I am here, there and every-
where no one else will. I am very lucky that I have great supporters
who really believe in what I do and all wish me success!
BWD: From what we hear 2014 looks set to be an extremely soul-ful one..?I think you are right. I have already been on a major high with the
release of the album and now I have multiple shows, and I love per-
forming shows. It’s my favourite thing in the whole world. I will be
having my first full show at the famous Jazz Cafe in Camden on the
22nd of June 2014. I can’t wait myself and with a full band! I think by
September I will be back writing for the next album and again I can’t
wait for that! I am also playing Margate Soul Weekender. This is a
new event only been going for a few years but already it’s becoming a
mecca for the soul scene!
BWD: And finally! Finish this sentence: Don’t wipe your feet on my soul and I won’t..? piss on your parade!!!!! Hahahahhahaha!
Contact Information:
Website: www.natasha-watts.co.uk
Twitter: @natashawatts
Facebook: natashawattssinger
Photo Credits: Natasha Watts - All Rights Reserved
18 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com
n a world where everybody has a voice and is intent on
getting it heard it takes a certain kind of voice to be heard
clearly above the hubris and hub-bub of incidental back-
ground chatter clamoring for our attentions and cluttering
up our playlists.
To effortlessly stand out and be the center of attention without false hyper-
bole or arrogant entitlement takes more than mere talent alone; it requires
an emotional connection with the inner soul of song, and the confidence to
know that ears will turn to the succor of song if said song is sweeter than
the offerings of others.
Needing nothing more than a
whisper of her voice to over-
come the largess of loudness
surrounding her Tamara Bubble
is threatening to turn the world
of music upside down and eight
ways sideways with a voice that
offers an oasis of calm within
the chaos, a moment of manna
in music.
Whether singing sonnets of
expressively soulful release or
leading the lyricists of hip-hop
through her masterclass of rhyme and remonstration this Brooklyn born
bombshell of a bard encapsulates what it is to be an artist at home within
the tone and replete in the beat.
Having first donated her gift of song as a child in her church choir Tamara
soon found herself moving out of the crowd and under the spotlight, her
emotionally charged vocals seeing invitations to perform live before awe-
struck audiences at the Williamsburg Music Festival, the A3C Festival, and
even securing the stage at that most grandest of venues, the Apollo Theatre
itself.
Delivering a live show to match her uncompromising aural performance
showed Tamara as an artist as comfortable commanding a crowd as she
was a natural behind the microphone, her genre-straddling set bringing
lovers of R&B and Soul together with those who favour a more Pop or Jazz
flavor in their tastes of talented tempting tinctures, an audience as one in
appreciation of the song.
Demand for her presence has seen Tamara’s calendar filled with engage-
ments both on stage and off, the moguls of the media clamoring to fill the
pages of their publications with words dedicated to extolling the various
virtues of Tamara’s tumultuous talents. Not to be left behind in exposing
such a fresh fandango
of fantastic follies to
the masses the big-wigs
of television weren’t
slow in seeing her cap-
tivating their audiences
before the cameras of
such giants as NBC TV,
the worldwide call for
her song impossible for
the industry to ignore.
Firmly on the map and
threatening to topple
borders worldwide
Tamara’s latest release Cut The Check has delivered yet another shot of
much needed musical munificence to the world, an anti-dote of digital
decadence to the dross and din of vapid ‘chart sensations’ and copy-cat
caterwaulers.
With an uncompromising artistic taste to match such an unparalleled talent
Tamara Bubble is more than just an artist to watch; she is the only artist
to watch.
#BubbleOnDeck
i
BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 19
TaMara bubble
Contact Information
Website: www.tamarabubble.com
Twitter: @ TamaraBubble
Facebook: TamaraBubble
Photo Credits:
Andre Michael Photography
Manny Mac Productions
All Rights Reserved
TaMara bubble
20 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com
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BWD Radio IS Your #1 Variety Station Spinning The Hottest Indie
Music Artists of Today!! Non-Stop Music 24/7!
All Genres! No Commercials! Your ON THE GO Station!
BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 21
What measures can be used to weigh the true worth of a man? Is it
by the company he keeps or the actions he undertakes? The legacy
he will leave or the impact on others his presence in their lives has?
Perhaps it is all these things and yet even more besides, the inef-
fable measurement ascribed to gain insight into worth subject to
the conditions placed upon them by those doing the weighing.
Better, then, to save the judgment of others to those who feel honor-
ary enough to be so judged, and consider the words of cumulative
force Dirty Gamez who put aside such discriminations of the fear-
ful and remind us that true worth is shown, rather than speculated
upon.
Consisting of an army of aural auditors that number some twenty
four voices in force Dirty Gamez is more than a Hip Hop Urban group;
it is a finely studied science of lyrics and beat, rhythm and soul,
that speaks of experience earned through the living of life in all its
oft-times ungainly moments, to emerge as artists in understanding,
sooth-sayers of song.
Delivering a three-dimensional beat for the ears to explore and
matched with the lyricism of insight afforded to those who bear
no false pretense to the experience they speak Dirty Gamez holds
nothing back in exposing the multitude of talent within their grasp,
their unequalled drive proving them to be the most prolific groups
in the State.
In showing their worth to be weighted with wisdom the group has
seen over four hundred thousand clamoring hands grab for their
label releases, the groups ideology of music as ‘...emotion, a little sci-
ence, some soul, and a lot of heart’ striking resonant chords within the
world’s soul and of their audiences worldwide.
So for those with uncertainties remaining over how one’s worth is
truly understood of its value it is to JS and Enternal we turn, Bosh
Gramz and Lazy B, Yellaboi and MakMurda amongst others we turn
to illustrate that true worth is weighted by those who give us a
measurement to be weighed against.
With the collective weight of worth offered within the combined
number of its members, it’s with no qualms we offer the notion that
when the universe is finally mapped to its fullest Dirty Gamez will be
the gravitational force right at the very center of the orbiting stars.
Contact Information:
Website: www.dirtygamez.com
Twitter: @kodirtygamez
Facebook: KO-DirtyGamez
Photo Credits: Dirty Gamez - All Rights Reserved
.
DirTy gaMezDirTy gaMez
BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 22
From the center of the universe known as The Big Apple and
ready to take a substantial bite out of the many pieces of pie that
make up the media world comes multi-talented artist Nikolitsa
Boutieros, a laureate behind the lens and artisan of the air-waves.
With a reputation for having set an intimidatingly high bench
mark for others to wistfully attain Nikolitsa’s natural insightful-
ness for capturing the essence of a subjects soul through a
camera’s lens has seen her work snapped up to grace the pages
of worldwide publications such as Time Out and Spin, witnessed
Hollywood’s finest queuing up to become the next awed canvas
of imagery staring down from high galleries across the land - leg-
ends such as Patti Smith and Nick Cave just two of Tinsel Towns
Titans submitting themselves to her unnerving understanding of
creating magisterial imagery of iconic allure.
Imbued with a pool of talents hiding a depth as ceaseless as
the impact of her images Nikolitsa has revealed another side of
her prolific personality, that of musical manipulation of a muse
unceasing in imagination and singular in design with album
release Under the Moon.
Nikolitsa and the Comrades is the self-fronted outlet responsible
for releasing the results of her driving muse, the Brett Hestla pro-
duced album an amalgamation of emotions made flesh through
the sounds of experience and written in the language of emotions
brought to life.
Combining the energies of punk, the expression of alternative, and
a multitude of melody Nikolitsa and the Comrades deliver an unbe-
lievably rich aural canvas of sights and sounds, Nikolitsa’s vocals a
guide through the voracity of a verdant soundscape.
Consumptive and consuming Under The Moon was a three year
investment in creating, such music as to move throughout the
tangled wires of the human heart, able to draw and pull the
listener into her world with the same passions conveyed by her
camera on canvas.
Having earned industries attentions and collected critical acclaim
like baseball cards Under The Moon is an adventure through the
impossible, an escape to an unseen world of wonderful wisdom
laid out for your consideration and consumption and we are very
much welcomed indeed.
5 out of 5 Stars
Contact Information:
Website: www.Nikolitsa.com
Twitter: @Lafemmeritz
Facebook: Nikolitsa-Boutieros
Photo Credits: divinelightphotography.org
All Rights Reserved
nikoliTsa bouTierosnikoliTsa bouTieros
Ever wondered what can make a great recording better?
Well, that’s not an easy one to answer. All sorts of things make
music sound better, from a naturally gifted performer who’s worked
hard to perfect their art to the ‘right’ combination of instruments
and sounds, and the equipment used to record, mix, and edit these
factors.
Music (in most cases hopefully) comes from the heart and is
expressed in a very personal way. Every nuance in breath, pitch,
timing and timbre combines to make the performance.
But what about ambience? I’m not talking about the elusive ‘vibe’
that artist’s want, this time I want to explore the sounds ‘around’
the sounds... Are you with me?
I’ve spent years recording bands with a very dry sound. When I say
‘dry’ I mean very little room sound, with the express intention of
having an intimate vocal or an absolutely in your face guitar tone,
something that seems to jump out of the speakers at the listener.
It’s also been a factor of time in a lot of cases as there isn’t always
the chance to re-amp or record an instrument in isolation to utilize
a nice sounding space. Of course there are hundreds of artificial
reverb plugins and hardware, Altiverb by Audio Ease and Lexicon
respectively make incredible sounding spaces from a variety
of methods from Impulse Response recording in real spaces or
complex mathematical algorithms, or both to give the listener a
perceived environment in which the sound ‘exists’.
In a recording session I ran this month at my favorite recording
hideaway, Foel Studio in the heart of Wales, we tried something a
little different.
Now it’s entirely possible to record an acoustic band with a single
mic or stereo pair, placed properly between the performers and get
incredibly honest recording results, especially as there’s not a lot
one can do to any individual parts in the mix, this is the complete
opposite to how I’ve done the majority of my work, being that
most of the bands I record have electric instruments and frankly a
‘simple mic setup’ won’t cut it. You need a mic (or 5) on pretty much
everything!
In this session with talented young Birmingham (UK) band, Malone
Malone, we found ourselves with three days to track two songs so
there was time to experiment a little. In our previous session we’d
wrung the life out of ourselves and the studio to complete one
track in a day, which sounds pretty good but this time we could
make it sound more ‘expensive’, lol!
Tom Wild, Foel’s in-house engineer had been playing with room
sounds and suggested we give it a go, ever happy to try another
engineer’s recommendations (especially someone who’s spent
some quality time experimenting in that particular studio) we set
about mic’ing the drum kit with close mic’s in the usual way.
We’re spoiled with two great rooms at Foel, being a converted barn
there are high apex ceilings with two main live rooms and a stone
floored corridor providing plenty of scope for ambient mic’ing.
Once we had at least one mic positioned close on each drum, hi-
hats and overheads, we began mic’ing the larger of the two rooms
which was empty except for a piano. We used a beautiful Neumann
SM69 Valve stereo mic, just forward of central and facing the kit.
Being that the drum kit is projected out through a large double
doorway, this central stereo mic in line of sight of the kit will serve
to collect a more distant but reasonably stereo image of the drums
and cymbals than close mics and overheads alone.
A few feet behind the Neumann we added a pair of large dia-
phragm capacitor mics placed a few inches from either side wall
or facing the wall. With the microphone’s null points toward the
drummer these mics pick up 99% ambient sound from the second
room and very little direct sound, by the time the sound of the kit
gets to these mics most of the stereo information is lost so when
panned out wide it’s best described as a delayed wash with little
by way of attacking transients so it just adds ‘space’.
Once we’d sound checked the kit, and checked all the phase of the
mics we got Louis to bang out a beat and pushed up the ambient
mics. The drum kit comes to life! I like to record drums from the
drummer’s perspective (possibly because I’m a closet drummer),
adding these ambient pairs really breathes life into the kit, giving
you the space around the kit and a detailed representation of the
room it’s in.
MonThly FeaTure
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buFFalo biTes buFFalo biTes
Everything I’ve described so far is fairly standard for drums, any studio or recording space with a stairwell or bathroom, corridor or empty
room near the kit can collect sound there to blend back in, (think ‘John Bonham drum sound’).
For me however the real magic started to happen when we did similar things with the guitar amps. A dynamic mic like Shure’s ubiquitous
sm57 or similar close to the speaker cone (try different placements and angles for slight tonal variations) and a capacitor mic like an AKG
C414 a foot or more back usually off axis with the speaker. In this session we also added in the drum room stereo ambient mics which
again add that extra layer of perceived size.
If you’re going to try this it’s important your Digital Audio Workstation can handle the extra inputs from each instrument but I’ll go through
that next month when we finish this session. Fortunately with the advantages of digital workflow and a couple of basic tricks to distribute
the computer’s power evenly there’s not much that can’t be done!
Thanks for sticking with me this far guys, I know it’s a little bit more in depth but next issue there will be pictures. I promise.
Until then, Happy Tracking!
Buffalo Music Production - www.facebook.com/gazz.rogers
Aiden Best - www.facebook.com/CowwHead
Foel Studio - www.foelstudio.co.uk/
Malone Malone - www.facebook.com/malonemalonemalone
Photo Credits: www.Jay-cimagery.co.uk & Buffalo Bites - All Rights Reserved
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