Switzerland, Bristol and an artsy look into life

Recently I've taken a few weeks out for work, relaxation and reflection.

Firstly, in the middle of August I traveled for 24 hours and a many hundreds of miles to reach St Prex in Switzerland where I was working as a sound recordist for a documentary about the St Prex Classics festival. Not only was I recording interviews with members of the public but also with big names in the classical music world such as Philipe Jaroussky, Jérémie Bélingard and the rock star of the festival, Nigel Kennedy. In addition to this I was recording concerts, jams and rehearsals; a real learning curve but an opportunity that I took advantage of and achieved some good results.

The festival itself was in the beautiful town of St Prex, on the shore of lake Geneva, with some beautiful scenery; timeless buildings, vineyards, and of course the glimmering lake in the sun. One of the highlights of the trip was traveling out into Lake Geneva on a yacht where an upcoming violinist performed for us in the sun with nothing else to be heard except for the water lapping the yacht and the sound of live classical music.

After two long but very enjoyable weeks we traveled back to the UK where I then headed off for Bristol to visit my uncle and his family. I had a great time absorbing what is an incredibly cultural city. The creative community there is huge and the city itself is so inspiring. A particular highlight was wandering Stokes Croft, which recently became infamous for it's people burning down a Tesco but also where the likes of Banksy and Massive Attack came from. It is also a part of the city where there are free shops, squats and "people's" art galleries which have been setup in an almost anarchic manner but benefit the local community. It's such an inspiring area to see that the people themselves have made a claim and taken it for themselves in a completely selfless manner. I recommend that you visit there.

A brand new mix!

A lot more commercial than some of my other mixes but still upbeat and dancey. Enjoy!
Tracklist:
Duck Sauce - Barbra Streisand (Afrojack Ducky Remix)
Benny Benassi - Satisfaction
Afrojack - Take Over Control
Mini Viva - Left My Heart In Tokyo (Chris Lake Remix)
Dub Pistols - I'm In Love (Foamo Remix)
Deadmau5 & Wolfgang Gartner - Animal Rights
White Lies - Farewell to the Fairground (Yusek Remix)
Paul Johnson - Get Get Down (Laidback Luke Remix)
Lady Gaga - Just Dance (SPKR Ninjaz Remix)
The Black Ghosts - Anyway You Choose to Give It (Fake Blood Remix)
D.I.M & Tai - Lyposuct (Noob Remix)
Axwell, Ingrosso, Angello & Laidback Luke - Get Dumb
Florence & The Machine - Drumming Song (Boy 8 Bit Remix)
Laidback Luke & Diplo - Hey!
Tiga - What You Need (Zombie Nation Remix)
Sebastian Ingrosso - Kidsos

  Big ol' electro mix by Jamie Coles 

Some new music for your tastebuds

As you all know I am a keen fan of new, underground and unsigned music and so I have several things to share with you today.

The Wax Dramatic

The Wax Dramatic are a very contemporary sounding band from the wonderful city of Nottingham with a seamless blend of electronic synth meets indie guitar rock. The vocal talents of frontman, Toby Curson are strong and as powerful as a singer twice his age. They have the big upbeat sound that you can't help but nod along to and both tracks on their release (below) are well worth the listen, downloading and listening to again.

Check out their Facebook page for some live tracks and info and catch them at Glastonbudget in Leicestershire on May 29th.


Latest tracks by The Wax Dramatic

City Reign

The next band I want to introduce you to hail from Manchester and go by the name of City Reign. They're completely more of a guitar band featuring driving drums, shimmering guitars and clean-cut vocals. A twangy guitar melody ornaments the singing and provides a musical blend of instrumental harmonies with the smooth singing of Chris Bull. The songs are written well and have a fimilar, early nineties feel of the likes of Dinosaur Jr with the driving rhythm and softly overdriven guitars.

Have a look at their blog for news and gigs and have a listen to their music below!

Latest tracks by cityreign

And finally...

Some clever folk from Nottingham have got together and explained in this brilliant video (courtesy of WAITT unsigned) why we need  to support local, unsigned and upcoming music. Very bloomin' true!

Have a look


I AM THE UNDERGROUND from WAITT Unsigned on Vimeo.