Where's the Skill In That? Returns

Great news from the 'Mixing It' boys.

Check out the Resonance Homepage, and contribute as you see fit...


"Mark Russell and Robert Sandall, presenters of BBC Radio 3's much-missed contemporary music mash-up 'Mixing It', return on Wednesday 16th April at 9pm, with a new weekly programme for Resonance FM: 'Where's The Skill In That?'

Named after a much-quoted remark in listening sessions for the programme, 'Where's The Skill In That?' broadcasts in London on 104.4 FM and worldwide via resonancefm.com.

The programme's musical remit remains the same: that's to say, not wilfully obscure, but certainly the more experimental end of the music scene, alongside songwriters doing interesting things, contemporary classical and jazz/improv, and strange uncategorisable listening....

'Mixing It' was broadcast for 17 years from 1990-2007 on BBC Radio 3.

'Where's The Skill In That?' will be broadcast every Wednesday at 9pm on resonancefm here: resonancefm.com/sche... - you can of course listen online, and in the London area on 104.4fm."

And the first two playlists:

Where’s The Skill In That?
Prog 1 - 16th April 2008

The Go Team
Bull in the Heather
Mi single, Grip Like a Vice
3’04”

Robert Wyatt
Out of the Blue
Domino album, Comicopera
3’49”

Jonny Greenwood
There Will Be Blood; Prospectors Arrive
Nonesuch album, There Will Be Blood OST
2’06”; 4’35”

Guessmen
Sunglasses
Co-lab album, Back from the Bins
3’42”

SFQ (Simon Fell Quintet)
Hard Frame, Plus Soft Hard Interpolation 1
From '13 Rectangles' CD on Bruce's Fingers Label
4’06”

Hercules and Love Affair
Easy
5’22”
DFA album, Hercules and Love Affair

Burial
Endorphin
3’03”
Hyperdub album, Untrue

Zeitkratzer/Lou Reed
Metal Machine Music
Asphodel album, Metal Machine Music
7’00”

B For Bang
Julia
Cargo album, Across the Universe of Languages
4’09”

Oligopolis
A Legitimate Tool Of Statecraft
3’05”

The Bad Plus
Life on Mars
Emarcy album, Prog
6’06”


Where’s The Skill In That?
Prog 2 - 23rd April 2008

Steve Jansen
Cancelled Pieces
Samadhi Sound album, Slope
3’21”

Autechre
Simmm
Warp album, Quaristice
5’00”

Médéric Collignon
Improlibration
Sonic Arts Network compilation, Blood, Muscle and Air
3’23”
sonicartsnetwork.org

Astrolabioanima
Aleanto
Slam album, Astrolabioanima
4’51”
slamproductions.net

To Rococo Rot
Helvetica (zigue zigue)
Domino album, ABC123
3’14”

Human League
The Dignity of Labour, Part 2
Virgin album, Reproduction
2’54”

Rothko
Suddenly Becomes Light
Trace album, A Life Lived Elsewhere
4’25”
tracerecordings.com

Essie Jain
Talking
Ba Da Bing album, We Made This Ourselves
4’57”

Autechre
WNSN
Warp album, Quaristice
4’57”

Melissa Madden Gray
Heart Murmur’
Sonic Arts Network compilation, Blood, Muscle and Air
2’58”
sonicartsnetwork.org

Gavin Bryars/Philip Jeck/Alter Ego
The Sinking of the Titanic
Touch album, The Sinking of the Titanic
6’30”

The Sentence I Meant To Say Can't Be Said

This is great.

I loved the "I see that the sentence I meant to say can't be said" LSD trip.

Well, it's my last day at my current employer, and tonight's my leaving do where we all sit around a table laughing at the CEO's jokes. Splendid.

The future career is on hold, and a change in focus might be needed...


When you're one of the few to land on your feet,
What do you do to make ends meet?
Teach.
Make them mad, make them sad, make them add two and two,
Make them me, make them you, make them do what you want them to.
Make them laugh, make them cry, make them lie down and die.

Progness Report

After a relaxing weekend spent with family, a return to the commute accompanied by lots of Prog Rock. I met a guy in the local Oxfam shop who was wearing a 'Budgie' t-shirt. Although I'm not a huge fan, I was attracted in the 80s by the Roger Dean covers, especially 'Squawk', and we had a chat. They're still going, and are currently touring Australia.

Onto Prog:

One More Try - Wigwam,
Burning Bridges - Family,
So Called Friend (B-Side) - Porcupine Tree,
What You`re Doing - Rush,
Fallen Dreams And Angels - Pendragon, from Acoustically Challenged,
So Far Away - David Gilmour,
Abandon Ship! - Van Der Graaf Generator,
Rock & Roll Stew - Traffic,
Punk Rock - Mogwai,
Working Man - Rush,
Funky Deux - Richard Wright,
Light Mass Prayers - Porcupine Tree.

Relatively painless journey in, as I try to complete a job application form I should have sorted out ages ago.

T - 4; M - 4; D - 3.5

Mud and Dark

A dreary, dark and rain-swept day to herald the weekend. Thankfully, this was not matched by my 'Not Classical or Spoken' shuffled playlist which produced the following to while away the time:

Einstein A Go-Go - Landscape, the 7" of which was backed by 'New Religion', a fabulous instrumental that I probably listened to more than the A-side,
Heroes And Villians - The Beach Boys,
Silver Girl - Fleetwood Mac,
Cello Song - Nick Drake,
Old-Fashioned People - Chris De Burgh,
Against The Odds - Richard Wright. There's a repeat of the BBC4 documentary on the making of DSotM on toight,
Mud And Dark - Cocteau Twins,
Les Boys - Dire Straits,
Blowin` Free - Wishbone Ash,
I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain - Tim Buckley,
Blush Response - Vangelis,
Darkness - Scott Walker,
Jam Back At The House - Jimi Hendrix Experience, live at Woodstock

T - 3; M - 4; D - 3

Xmas Radio

Not much on telly over the festive period (apart from Dr Who, although Catherine Tate fills me with dread), but radio might be the answer...

Almost exclusively BBC Radio 2 and 4:

The Saturday Play on the 22nd with David Tennant,
MR James at Xmas from the 24th for 5 episodes,
Jeeves Live on the 24th,
Best of ISIHAC on the 24th, too,
Lord Peter Wimsey for 10 episodes from 24th,
News Quiz of the Year on the 25th,
Humph in Wonderland on the 25th,
Count Arthur Strong on the 25th,
A Stephen Fry investigation of puns on the 26th,
A new series of Count Arthur Strong (?) from the 28th,
The Now Show on the 28th,
plus all sorts of festive music on R2 and R3

I think Listen Again and my Hi-Q software will come into play at some point.

Mmmmm..... Nice...

Time And Relative Dimensions

A propos nothing, wasn't the Children in Need Doctor Who thing great? I've just watched the YouTube thing, after looking through the discussions on Cook'd and Bomb'd (Cook'd and Bomb'd > Forum > Discussion > Picture Box > Topic: The New Doctor Who thread).

Do Away with People Wasting my Precious Time

Well, there's no-one here. What a surprise. A beautiful, crisp, clear Autumn Friday, and everyone's 'working from home'.

I actually felt quite relaxed and laid-back today, with my 'Not Classical or Spoken' playlist and the weekend stretching before me like a great shoe with its lights on (© Danny Baker).

It Ain't You - Tom McRae,
Jam Back At The House - Jimi Hendrix Experience,
La Petite Fille De La Mer - Vangelis. Back at Uni, this album (Apocalypse des Animaux) was my seduction tape. It didn't often work, but if the target of my affection said 'I hate this' then it became a useful filter device,
Golf Girl - Caravan,
Mother Stands For Comfort - Kate Bush. Another target of my affection. Oh man,
Moving In - Trevor Rabin, which later became 'Hold On' with Yes,
See Emily Play - Pink Floyd,
Hello Hello - Caravan,
The Last Man On Earth - Pendragon. A bit over-long, but there's a great guitar solo at the end,
Mary - Robert Fripp, from the superb 'Exposure' album,
3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds - Jefferson Airplane,
Virginia Plain - Roxy Music,
Last to Know - Asia. I'm not a huge fan of Asia, but I have all their albums up to Aria. This was great as I walked to work, with my face pointing directly into the sun and my eyes half-closed behind shades.

T - 4; M - 4.5; D - 4. I even got a lascivious smile from an attractive girl with long blonde hair.

Charles Hazlewood is Back

One of my favourite radio shows, Charles Hazlewood's Radio 2 programme returns tonight.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/hazlewood/

BBC Radio 2, Wednesdays, 2200-2300 (10 - 11pm)