The Shades of Blue Crew...

(2 DAYS to go)!!  Producing Shades in Dam was an epic personal achievement for me...but this post is dedicated to my uber-talented CREW...and all of the people/companies that helped make Shades of Blue happen!  When you finally watch the video...I want you to keep every single one of these guys in mind because it couldn't of happened without them!!
The Crew:

NEIL RAJA - Camerman/Photographer (timelapse) - Neil Raja Studios

CHARLIE MILLER - Cameraman/DOP - formerly of Drum'n'Bass Areana

JACK MCGLOUGHLIN - Cameraman/Editor - Neil Raja Studios (and formerly Drum'n'Bass Arena)

PRISCA HOFER - Hair/Make Up/Continuity

NIRJA RAAM - Photographer/ PAP PAP

MARLON ZENDON - Location Scout/Guide/'Bad Guy'

JONATHON HOCKLEY - Navigation/Kit Monger/Producer of Shades of Blue

Locations:

SECOND LIFE MUSIC Record Store

Shades HQ - STAY OKAY (Zeeburg)

Costume:

MILLICENT ASHELY - Fashion Designer /Co-designer & Maker of Shoe Dress

ANNA DEVI NAGTALON - Designer/Maker of Button Chest-Piece and top

And there we have it !  Thanx soooooo much ya'll!  I can't wait to show the world what we achieved on no money and BARE heart!  Also want to say a massive thanx to Editor Leigh Brookes @ Fire Belly Films, Chris @ Second Life Music, Stefany Rietkerk @ Artcore, Rob @ Budgetcam and Marlon Zendon for putting Prisca and I up!!

GO TEAM SHADES!

#shadesacoming

@sh.x

Shades-a-Coming 251211...

So as the countdown to 251211 continues in the next few posts I figured I'd let you guys in on a few behind the scene secrets from the Shades of Blue journey...including a few taster stills we took while we were on it!

When asked why I chose to take a team to Amsterdam for my 1st video instead of shooting in London (which would have been much easier/cheaper lol), the short answer would be that I couldn't help myself! But the truth lies much deeper than that...and it has nothing to do with my ganja-holic tendancies lol.

First off Amsterdam is such a photogenic city...beautiful canals, interesting architecture, amazing street art...it's a location scouts dream! Secondly, it was the first place I landed when I ventured into Europe solo for the 1st time! This trip turned out to be almost like my passage into adulthood, a time of learning and healing wounds that I'd been ignoring for the longest time!

Shades of Blue was inevitably written on this trip...a song about betrayl, and love-loss...conflict, making peace and moving on! Everyone we love will leave a trace of themselves on our emotions, everyone we love will leave a shade of blue on our heart...some darker than others, but all help to define the way we relate to people around us.

All Photographs by Neil Raja

 Shades of Blue is a song about embracing those shades as part of who you are. It's tough, but only by accepting them can we 'free' ourselves from the people who put them there in the first place!
How many Shades of Blue are you?

#shadesacoming

@sh.x

S.o.B with 1Take.TV...

Shades of Blue music video is approaching the finish line *phew* Now that the edit's done, I've managed to rope in a couple of pros to give it those all important finishing touches! A release date has been set in stone (#ifitkillsme) and lets just say it's gona get very Shadey before the year's out!!

Over the next few blogposts I'll take you through the nitty gritty...but in the meantime massive thanx to Elliot Bradley, Jonah James and Beatrice Black at 1Take.TV.  Because of them I'm able to bring you a beautifully shot acoustic version of SoB to tide you over!

 
Had a great time shooting this taster with 1Take in their uber-cool basement studio, though I think my guitarist Gibbi Bettini would agree that next time we work with these guys there's a certain record we're going to break!! :P

Shades a-coming.....
@sh.x

Lyrix Oraganix @ UprisE...

After working with Uprise earlier this year at Proud Galleries gig I was really excited to be asked to get involved with a festival they were organising in Dalston!

This one day event saw over 3,000 visitors and they enjoyed a multitude of music, arts and educational activities completely free!. And, as is the UpRise ethos, there was no need to parade who is perceived to be what, just a day of celebrating the human and the community as Home.

One of my fave performances of the day came from Miss Baby Sol and of course the beautifully spoken Femi Martin.  And this is the footage from my performance with Lyrix Organix on the Dalston Rooftop Garden stage - rather windy but the sun had time to shine!!  My boy Gibbi Bettini  on guitar (check out his new website!) AND a special guest hehe...bring on the Beatfox (@2.09).

Massive thanx to Choolips for my amazing jacket...and to Uprise til next time!
Peace and Progress ;)

@sh.x

A Taste of BLUE...

WhOA!! Shades of Blue people...where do I start?? This track was produced by Riffioso last year! My brief to him: 'can I please have a track that...soouuunds like me' lol! Most producers would be like WTF! but Jon embraced it and shortly afterwards I received an instrumental called 'Purple Fruit'! Some time later... It was Xmas 2009 and after a rocky year I decided that I'd had enough of London and the people in it, so I booked a train ticket to Europe and didn't look back! Amsterdam for Xmas (WilD), Berlin for 1night (Reflective), finishing up in Prague/Czech Republic for New Yrs (Messy lol)! Travelling alone, by train gave me ample time to write! And with 'Purple Fruit' pumping in my headphones, and picturesque landscapes gliding past my window seat it was inevitable for Shades of Blue to be born. Later still... I re-visited Amsterdam in March 2011 - but this time it wasn't to party :P! I took a team of 6 with me - to shoot a music video for...you guessed it...Shades of Blue lol! Jon 'Riffioso' Hockley, Prisca Hofer, Jack McLoughlin, Charlie Miller, Neil Raja and Nirja Raam jumped on a coach over there...with all our kit (the funniest thing if u see the size of Charlie and Jack :o). And with a budget as big as my back pocket :/ we did something spectacular!! 

  

Here's a little taster of what we achieved...the full video SOON COME :D
@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

London's Burning...

W/C 8th August 2011 will go down in London history as one of madness! We all watched our TV screens in shock as the actions of few, devastated the lives of many! Every city is tentatively united when disaster strikes and though it's rather crude to admit, we all jumped at the chance to watch the violence unfold - and gossip/pass opinion about it at work, at home and over a drinks with friends!

I could never condone the destruction or theft of anything thats loved and cared for by it's owner or indeed by a community, but like with every cause...there is an effect, and as a society we've ignored MANY issues that have slowly led to this unrest! Anyway...I'm no politician, but while some spent 72 hours mashing up da place last week, I spent 21 hours in the studio with Jonathon "Riffioso" Hockley forming a rebuttal the only way I know how:

These riots have forced many people to evaluate their 'place' in society...and more than ever highlighted the fact that social divides are on their way to becoming social canyons. With so many things to weigh up I've tried to remain unbiased but under-cover London has been burning for a long time and we ALL have to take some responsibility .. or live life in the smoke and ashes :/

I'm aiming to put this track up for sale to raise money for some of the families that lost everything, and maybe even for the culprits who need guidance to the peaceful side of life?! For those of you who need a bit more step in your DUB, Proximas a good friend of mine has created a banging remix!!

Ashleigh Ashley - Social Deficit (Proximas Remix) by Proximas

Please share, comment, like or hate accordingly! Lets get the whole of London singing this...we may not be able to change the past, but maybe this song could help change things for the future??!

@sh.x