It's Gonna Be A Big Thing

Psychobilly
Originally uploaded by Ben Zen

Writing in general has never been my strong point, in school I was labeled as a day dreamer and bone idle, I found it difficult to concentrate and was easily distracted. Things haven't changed, my ex-girlfriend used to get really annoyed with me if we were in a cafe having a chat and I wouldn't be able to focus on her because there was so much going on around me, it's like I can't switch off to the world, things are always catching my attention. I think thats why I like photography because I can capture the moments I see around me. When I was a young boy, I used to imagine that my life was a film and what I was seeing was the scene unfolding, my games as a child were like movies, I remember having a toy spaceship and flying it past my eye, five or six times at different angles as if changing from one camera to another.

Anyhow enough babble, I'm DJing tonight and need to sort out my 45s.

My favourite tune at the moment is: The Yum Yums "Gonna Be A Big Thing"

Valentine Villains

Valentine Villains
Originally uploaded by Ben Zen

Great Psychobilly band The Valentine Villains played at Mr Wolfs on Thursday night, such a great band to take photos of, they looked the part and they really performed to the audience.

I've decided not to get a bank loan for a new camera as my friend pointed out to me that the camera I have does the job and if I'm planning to go to Uni at the end of the year, the last thing I want is debt I can't afford to pay off. So I'm going to start saving instead and hopefully by the end of the year I'll have enough for the camera I want.

Right then, it's a lovely sunny day outside, I'm gonna go take some photos.......

Do I Borrow?

I'm think of getting a loan for a decent Digital SLR and a new trumpet, as I go perminant in my job at the end of the month and therefore will be on a salary and will be able to manage my finances better. I'm going to the open day at the University of the West of England in February to look at a Degree course in Photography. I need to find out what the requirements are as I have no qualifications at all, not even GCSEs (was a real day dreamer in school) and may need to do an Access course or Basic Skills. Funny really as my job now is Admin for Basic Skills classes!!

I'm sick of office work, I want to be taking photos for a living, on location or studio. I'm going to spend this year building up the best portfolio I can.
I'm off to New York for my birthday in April and my only plans are to take photos and buy 45s. I want to take photos of everyday life as a New Yorker, documentry style images of cafes, street scenes etc. I want to explore areas where tourists don't go, I'm lucky that I'm staying with friends and will have expert advice on the best and safest places to take these photos.

A Shift in Taste

Today I thought I'd tell you about the change recently in the kind of music I'm listening to and DJing out and how this change came about.

Around 10 years ago, when I was 19 I used to be into Electronica like Squarepusher and the weird stuff on Ninja Tune at the time like Clifford Gilberto, that kinda stuff. I liked Hip-Hop, well not all Hip-Hop, just certain stuff, I wasn't sure what it was that I liked until I got some junk mail from a record label called Desco Records. It was about a month later that I checked the site out and heard the Soul-Funk that they were producing and realised that was what I loved about Hip-Hop and here it was in its pure form, I was hooked.
I started collecting Funk 45s after a visit to the States when a friend of mine who I'd got chatting to through the Desco site gave me a Sugarman Three 7". Through this friend I ended up going to a Funk night in Soho, London and met some DJs on the UK Funk scene and they talked a lot about Northern Soul, at the time this music didn't have the heavy beats that I loved about Funk so I gave it a wide birth. About 3 years ago I bought an ex-girlfriend a 4 CD compilation of Northern Soul and I started to get into it. But hasn't been until this last few months that I've started to buy Northern Soul 45s and playing them out. I still love my Funk tunes, but the Soul stuff is so much more uplifting, all about love and positive stuff, I can see a shift coming in the music I'm DJing.....