A Visual Blast from the Past

 A few days ago, an old friend of mine from school sent me an email saying he'd come across some DTP pictures and did I want to have a look. As soon as I saw them a had a wee chuckle to myself, not just because I had a shaved eyebrow, how serious the pictures are and the fact that I still wear that blue Nike hoody (though most of the blue has by now faded) but it made me realise how much has changed since then (I think the pictures must have been from 2002), but also, how much hasn't!


DTP (Digital Transition Promotions) was a little crew set up myself and a guy I was at Crawley College with called Mike (Mickey T, though back then his DJ name was Delusion), we're still very good mates now and speak often.


He was a DJ, I was an MC and we both wanted to perform. They were quite a lot of people doing it back then in the Crawley, Horley, Redhill and Croydon areas but not many places to do it at. Looking back, we wanted to create a small local scene for underground music, but in hindsight, having London half an hour north and Brighton half an hour south, it was wishful thinking!


Anyway, we eventually got a monthly event at this little nightclub in Horley called the Liquid Lounge (which over the years had several name changes and often had it's licence revoked but it was always the same family owning it, just a different brother!). The venue had possibly the most 2 bob soundsystem I have ever come across and was certainly not in anyway equipped to handle sub heavy Garage and Drum and Bass. There weren't many nights that didn't have some kind of punch up either during or after (having lots of different rude boys, and not many girls, from a series of small towns in the same space was never a good idea) but I learnt a lot from doing those and we drove on. We eventually ran 2 nights down in Brighton and forged links in London and many other places. We set up a website, had a bank account, T shirts and business cards, banners and we owned a bit of equipment. Not bad a for a pair of 18/19 year olds, I'm quite proud (There was also a 3rd guy for a while, another old mate called Marc, who was also a DJ, the 3 of us are at the front of 2 of the pictures).


We wanted to run events where it wasn't just the same style of Music all night long. Myself and Mike both had a passion for most forms of underground dance music and wanted to push it all, as well   as give ourselves and others a platform to perform, as gigs were to hard to come by.


In the end, it didn't quite work and it all died down. I realised event running weren't really for me, and often at our events we found some people to be very closed minded about other genres of music, even between Garage and Drum and Bass. However, low and behold, with this new umbrella term of "UK Bass" or whatever it is, DJ's now seem to be drawing for tune across the board. It's not uncommon to hear Garage, Jungle,  House, Dubstep and Techno all blended in to sets now which I think is wicked.


What hasn't changed is my own drive. Back then, all I thought about (apart form girls of course) was how we could push DTP. What was the next thing we could do, lyrics I could MC with, should we set up a record label etc etc, it's never stopped and has continued, in my head, through every job, lunch break, bed time and holiday I've had since. I learnt a lot doing all that back then, one day, I hope, it might just pay off! 

Sex, Drugs and on the Dole

So yesterday was the final show for Sex, Drugs and on the Dole, and was easily the best one. Packed audience and everyone delivered! Here's a little of video of some highlights form the show

Beatbox Jam

As mentioned before, I sometimes get to work the stupidly sick BAC Beatbox Academy led by Conrad Murray. Here's a video of a jam we did last week. I look like the awkward uncle trying to dance in this one, I think I was concentrating trying to remember the words, it was a new piece...


If you're interested in Beatboxing (and under 21, sorry!) the Beatbox Academy run drop in sessions every Thursday in term time) as part of Homegrown

Checking In

Greetings


It's been a wee while since I posted an update, the last few months have been nuts, to say the least!


Since the last update, just before The Crawley Wordfest, I went straight into intensive rehearsals for the now finished outdoor show Babel. It ran for 2 weeks in May and was easily one of the most amazing and challenging experiences I've ever had. There were many many people involved, there was rain, long days, rain, coldness, rain but a lot of fun which really pushed me in terms of being a performer and who I was lucky enough to be working with, and the fact that I got to go up in front of, on some nights over a 1000 people, who very much got into the spirit of things! 

An amazing on going project I'm currently working on, running since March, is the Apples & Sankes: Shake The Dust as a shadow poet at a school in the South East region. The Regional Final is at The Nuffield Theatre is on the 25th June, which I'm looking forward too.

After finishing Babel I went straight into rehearsals for a play by Boston Murray called Sex, Drugs and on the Dole in which I play a stoner called Fab. The last show is this Sunday which is also my birthday.

I'm also working on the BAC Homegrown programme which, as ever, provides excellent opportunities for 14-25 years old in the performing arts, it's a pleasure to be back there.

Well, that pretty much completes the round up!

Paul

Crawley Wordfest: Spoken Word Sunday 1st April

Greetings!

This Sunday (1st April 2012), at Adelio's Open House in Crawley, I've asked to put together a spoken word evening as part of the ever expanding Crawley Wordfest. Now in it's second year, it's come on even stronger than last, all you need to do is have a look at the programme of events on the website. This is a great thing for me to be part of as  Crawley is the town where I did a lot of my growing up. I went to school there, I had and still have, good friends there, I first MCed in Crawley, I played football in Crawley, I went to cadets in Crawley, I got drunk (many times) in Crawley the list goes on....

I've called upon some good friends and some of London's strongest performers to come down and grace the stage, they go by the names of Dean Atta Rob Auton and Sean Mahoney. 

Doors open at 7:30 and it's a mere £3 on the door!

This is a video I did for last year's festival with Simon Edwards from Pop Up Media.

ME AND THE MARATHON

Why?!


That's normally the first question I get asked, when telling people that my brother and I are running this year's London Marathon. Once I explain the bit about raising money for charity, most people back down saying something along the lines of  'fair enough, good for you.'


The point is, what they are really asking, is why on earth are you RUNNING 26 MILES! Because, frankly, it's bonkers! And it is bonkers!


I don't exactly know what the answer is. Yes we are raising money for charity, and it's not just any chairty either, it's one that means a great deal to us as a family, but it's not the only reason. I think, as mad as we may seem, we both want to do it. It's a test, a massive test. We began a 14 week training program back in January and to date, have run over 170 Miles since we started (no thanks to the I Phone app Nike plus recording all of our runs) and we've been hitting mini targets and making and breaking personal bests, it's been fun, tiring, but damn, I'm enjoying it. 


I feel as fit as I've ever been, which in itself has a massive impact on the rest of my life, I generally run with my brother on the weekend, so I get to spend time with him and also see his wife and kids as Uncle Paul. Outside of running my visits are a  lot more infrequent. 


So far, it's been a very rewarding process, and both of us are looking forward to crossing the finishing line, fingers crossed, at in and around the 4 hour mark.


If you would like to sponsor us the link to our fundraising page is HERE the charity is ECHO who do great work for Heart children.


Wish us luck