We Enter 2012...

Soo..2011 is just a memory!

Don't you find that we all turn philosopher at the turn of a year lol! Weighing up the worst of what's past with, what we hope, is the best to come - willing ourselves to reset all our bad habits and proceed into the new with a new you! Feel like I hit the ground running into 2012 with Shades of Blue going out and exceeding even my own expectations! It's surreal to think that thousands of people I don't know - in places as obscure as Panama! - have watched it! And I just want to say a massive THANX for the support/feedback me and my team have recieved...keep sharing people hehe!!

 So, if I'm running what's next on the route? World tour?...Million Dollar record deal? - haha if only it was that easy :P This year IS however about taking things to the next level and hopefully setting AA up for life! I've still got a lot to prove to my peers and most of all to myself, so over the next six months you're gona see/hear me stirring up all sorts of mischief! MwahahAAA

 There are collaborations with dope dubbers like SPLEXT and Pr0ximas to look forward to :) And the "Roofhop Series" will be hitting the net-waves very soon - costumes c/o Choolips (who I'm dying to introduce you guys to!!) Not to mention the secret Metal Man project that's a-brewing as I type! In short you guys are gona have plenty to keep you occupied whilst I finish off my 1st EP (out later this year). Long term - this year I'm aiming to really BLOW YOUR FRICKING MINDS!! :D ROCK ON 2012!! We'll make memories of you yet !
@sh.x

Back into the MiX...

As I've been plotting to take over the world it seems I've kinda neglected keeping you guys in the loop, and it's been 5 weeks since my last confession lol! I always go through phases of non-communication, but sitting here getting a trim, I felt the urge to update ya'll!
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I've been running round like a mad woman generating new content for the AA project. Gibbi (my guitarist) and I did a Roofhop at the beginning of August and met all sorts of interesting people along the way lol! Here's a sneaky pic, and details from the day to come VERY VERY soon!

Rooftop in Notting Hill- Gibbi: AA: Artcha
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It was an honour to play a gig at Hawley Arms (home to songstress Amy Winehouse - and she sure left her mark on the place!) It was the 1st time Social Deficit was performed to an audience and I'm pleased to say it got a BanginG reception :D

Next level eulogies. (I can imagine this door needing to be repainted in a year or so...only for the tributes to start building up again - think Abbey Rd)
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I've been writing endlessly, and you guys have got a couple of collabs (with the likes of Pr0ximas,Obscene Locals and Lincoln Savage) to look forward to towards the end of the year!
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The EP is also taking shape people! Thanx to old comrade Jon 'Riffioso' Hockely I've been able to translate the sounds/voices in my head to tangible shniz that the band will hopefully thrive on playing! It's sooo surreal hearing it all come to life!
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AA has teamed up with Sistova to hold a monster event in Nov...more about that later!
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The long awaited Shades of Blue music video is getting it's finishing touches :D YAY!! The trailer will be hitting the netwaves in the next week or so...followed promptly by the vid itself - I'm so excited to get it out there and...well see what happens! It's a somewhat docile taste of what to expect from the EP!
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Oh and on the circuit!... Well well...it's be a really exciting couple of month out there. There have been amazing nights thanx to Unsigned Hype at Lockside Lounge! Rizzle Kicks performance at WIRED was soooo much fun lool! And it was kinda exciting bumping into them again at Ed Sheeran's Album Launch! Will treasure the spontenaity of freedom I felt singing - drunkenly I might add - a rendition of Yellow with Ed, on the corner of The Worlds End! The energy in the air was infectious :) I really felt the power of ye ole "la-la-la"!

That's all we got time for folks! I don't want to bore ya'll with the nitty gritty! Couple of dates to remember:
Sunday 25th Sept - Dalston Roof Gardens - acoustic for Lyrix Organix as part of the Uprise Festival
Friday 30th Sept - East Village - full set at the epic Rock The Belles :D
Look forward to seeing some of ya'll there!!

@sh.x O.U.T

Gig-geddy Gig-geddy part 2: PROUD...

The next 'Camden Night' to remember came when Ashleigh Ashley did Proud Galleries on the 31st May!! Ok...so you know I've got this hit-list of venues that I REALLY want to play? - well Proud Galleries was one of them! As an internationally renowned music venue, and a place where everyone from Katy B - to Mark Ronson has played before making the big time, it's a must have on any artist musical CV!

I got a call from a young lady called Secretta from UPRISE while shopping for a job in town (thanx Greg ;). This charity organisation has stirred somewhat of a revolution with their cool brand of anti-racist fesitival!! I'm sure we've all attended local fete's for this cause when we were younger, but these guys do it bigger and better with their Finsbury Park festival of 2010 attracting thousands of people! When Secretta asked if I'd be up for performing at their next fund-raiser gig, dedicated to Gil Scott-Heron, I JUMPED at the chance!!

I was sooo excited to play PROUD that I made a new Metal Man chest piece especially for the occasion (above)! And as for the boys (JoelKeys, KieranBass, GibbiGuitar, TobiasDrums), well I had 4 little surprises up my sleeve for them, courtesy of FLY53 :D!

It was a manic soundcheck...but once we were finally free to chill me and the boys went for a good old pub dinner at the local Wetherspoons. It was nice to be able to chill with them outside a music setting...it really made me appreciate them all the more, and was a perfect opportunity to tell them how grateful I am for their massive support over the last 6months especially! It also gave them the opportunity to give me a reassuring kick up the ass lol - we didn't have time to rehearse for this gig either and with a new song in the set I was quaking in my hi-tops lol! Oh well...show must go ON!! And what a show it was:

GibbiGuitar and TobiasDrums fooling around.

JoelKeys getting some AA lurrrve lol

KieranBass looking all majestic n shniiz lol!

I had a craazy night! Massive shout out to my boys Cynikal and Random Impulse who also blessed the mic on the night! Thanx to Paul and Secretta from Uprise and to all that came down to support - Jukebox and Braver Darker especially hehe!!

And Jonathon Hockley...you're a G for taking all these amazing pictures (for more pics see HERE)

@sh.x

Gig-geddy Gig-geddy part 1...

Hmm...I'm still wondering if I should've called the next couple of posts 'Camden Nights'...? since it covers the last couple of gigs I've played in Camden Town and I'm not sure everyone will grasp the comic reference in the current title lol?! Anyway...yes Ashleigh Ash has been doing her thang with the boys, JoelKeys, GibbiGuitar, KieranBass and TobiasDrums and it's been amazing!

Our first stop was Lockside Lounge at the end of March - and these guys put on a MeaN party lool!! Imagine the serenity of sipping rose by Camden canal on a Sunday eve, then add live music from house band The Coalition, a BBQ and a bar packed with colourful characters! The result is a jam to remember :D. I was rocking some new Fly53, and they were sure to show their support by blogging about the show...see their write up and pics HERE!

Due to the success of the first gig Duane Flames (the host of UK Unsigned, and accomplished rapper/producer) invited the band and I back for a another installment! We have to jump forward in time a little bit...it's the 15th May and we were about to do Lockside for a second time! The vibe was equally magical, but I was a little nervous about the fact that the band and I didn't have time to rehearse! :o

There were a few special guests in the audience this time too...Lucid Tiger were there to see me perform for the first time...as were a couple of girlies I went to school with! Costume wise I kept it simple this time with a little black number, accesorised with one of Bwoy Wonder's lego creations (http://www.lyrics4lyrics.com) and my rouged McQueen hi-tops! Feeling comfortable on stage is half the battle...and it turned out un-rehearsed as we were I really let my hair down and the performance went down a treat :D

(Thanx to GEEproductions for the photos...video footage coming soooon!)

Thanx for believing in me Mr Flames...and of course nuff lurrrve to the band and everyone who came down to support!

@sh.x

FLASH Nov-Dec 2010:

Its been an intense 6 weeks people!
3 gigs, 4 rehearsals and a funeral, 2 new costume designs, (1 week on the poverty line lol), 2 new songs and a freestyle, 1 top secret photoshoot, and a handful of new friendships :)...
On top of that I've somehow blown up my laptop charger and have resorted to typing out this post on my BB lol!
(Thumb cramps to ensue :D)

It was touch and go for a second there I must admit! Being busy is never a bad thing, but working your way through a long-ass to do list makes it hard to remember how much FUN this journey should be! Now that I've had time to sit and reflect I feel confident to say that these last few weeks have been the pinnacle of my year in music!!

With all the pictures and video's still trickling in from various sources the time line is still a little sketchy but all should become clear in my next two blog posts:
Ashleigh Ashley FLAVOUR-ed and Angel Nights :D!!

@.x

We enter 2010...

Loads of cool stuff happened after the Puma shoot! But this catch up will take forever if I go into all the parties, smoozing and late night recording sessions in the studio!! I could tell you about meeting the Vivd Imagery crew and working on a music video shoot with up-coming rapper Kasha, or about my adventures as a new-comer on the open mic circuit OR about my continued experiments with designing / drawing etc...actually I will show you the lips clutch I made lol...just cause it's sexi:



This blog is predominantly about my musical journey, but it's taken me to some pretty cool places along the way!! As part of my need to 'free my mind' and get inspiration for some new beats that I had to write to I went on a little trip across Europe to welcome in 2010! I coached it to Amsterdam for my birthday, trained it to Berlin, before stopping off in Czech Republic for New Years!!
I finally finished my 2nd tattoo and what better place to get it done than in ol' Dam! - musical of course:



I'd part written x2 tracks produced by RED SKULL (who also produced this track for Low Key - which was banned from TV lol!!) before arriving in Czech Republic! Was introduced to photographer Ywetta Sarah Nickel by a friend of mine!! We ended up doing an impromptu shoot in the basement of her MASSIVE house lol - did I say basement...I meant to say photographic studio / costume heaven !! Took an age to get the shots back after I got home, but here are a couple of my faves:




My mate Martin took this one lol!!

Oh and the weirdest thing! Guess who ended up on the front page of a Czech newspaper after 4days in the country?! There's a long story behind it-involving a secluded millionaire and a private zoo, but I'll leave that for another time lol!!

Catching Up_Part 2...

So we jump to a little later in 2009. Random Magazine are doing a shoot for Puma collaborations with Alexandra McQueen, Evisu and the like... TOMO art directed and photographed the shoot and even though all us 'models' had never met each other we were one big family by the end of the day!! Miss Rivkie was the stylist and she did a great job making sure none of us 'borrowed' any clothes...though we all desperately wanted to lol!!

The pics were published in Random Magazine and the an exhibition to display the shots took place at the London Arches later in the year! All in all I think it was a job well done!! I edited the behind the scenes video for it (below):





And here are some of the final shots!! If you want to see more of them check out TOMO's website!