Monday, March 26, 2007

Musical Monday

Unless you're the arsehole this is intended for, skip this bit and read the post below:

Okay, I've warned you to stop leaving abusive messages, so here's what I'm going to do. Each time I get another message/comment from you that I don't like, I'm going to reinstate one of the items that I'd previously removed. I won't mention what I'm doing, I'll just do it. And - if you really piss me off - I'll reinstate them all and then make the blog private so that you can't even access it again (then I'll really have some fun).

Don't say you haven't been warned.



It’s been a funny few days. My back is better, fortunately, and I’m exercising again every day (let me know if you want pictures – oh no, you’ve already seen them!) but I don’t feel as fit as I want to be. I reckon I have about 7 pounds to lose within the next month in order to get a semblance of a six-pack showing, and I’m determined. Well, I’m motivated, that’s for sure. Because the countdown has well and truly started, if you know what I mean.

Today, though, was something of a disappointment. I had a new laptop delivered to the office, and although it’s a blinding spec the bloody thing wouldn’t boot up. I was mortified, and after going through a few diagnostics whilst on the telephone it’s now going to be exchanged as it appears to have a faulty hard drive. How fucking frustrating is that?

Aside from that, and one or two work-related disappointments, it’s just been a very, very busy week or two. I feel a bit guilty for not visiting anyone much of late,. But I’ll try to get around later this evening. In the meantime, here’s a little Musical Monday treat for you. So, about Susheela Raman, in her own words...

“I was born in London in 1973 to South Indian parents. My family moved to Australia when I was very young and were eager to keep our Tamil culture alive. I grew up singing South Indian classical music and began giving recitals at an early age. As a teenager I branched out into more blues-based music, which demanded quite different voice techniques. The question then was how to bring these streams together. In 1995 I went to India to study with Shruti Sadolikar, one of the greatest living Hindustani vocalists. This was a challenging experience as I had to let go of what I thought I knew and find a new, more insightful approach to my craft...

... Salt Rain was recorded between October and December 2000. We were lucky to collaborate with some unique musicians who live mostly in London and Paris but are of diverse origins: Guinea Bissau, Cameroon, India, Romania, France, Greece, Egypt, Kenya, America, and Spain. Any record is a meeting of many minds and, now more than ever, it is networks of people, not just individuals, who spark new and exciting work. Everyone brought their own special energy to the music and I am very proud of what we all worked together to create.”

Actually, I’m not surprised that she’s proud. It’s a great piece of work, and the track I’ve chosen is called Kamakshi. Again, in her words, “Kamakshi is another song to a divine enchantress, ‘she whose eyes hold the power of attraction’. The beautiful musical scale of this song could almost be Near Eastern... Everyone present in the studio was momentarily stunned into silence by it….and then we all clapped!”



If you want join in with Musical Monday, just stick this in your sidebar or on your post, but change ALL the brackets to the pointy ones first:

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