Two tracks by me on Soundcloud

I finally bit the biscuit and uploaded 2 tracks to Soundcloud. That wasn't too hard was it Tom? Will I upload any more? Maybe? Maybe not. :?

Number 1 "Into Space" made on the fabulous but now defunct Bhajis Loops;

 Into space by Tom TM

The second made on my iPad with Alchemy. I'll probably turn this into something else later.

 Kosmische 1 by Tom TM

Last post June 22?? What kind of blogger am I supposed to be?

...answers on a postcard!

RIP Chris Beckett 1960-2011

Its come as great sadness to announce that a very good friend of mine, Chris Beckett has died after a short illness and a life long battle with depression.

Chris had a brilliant engineering mind and it was Chris who was the main inspiration why I did my honours degree in engineering.



RIP Chris.

Hmm- no pic....

Try again....

stupid blogger... not working... maybe there is a problem with the extension? Problems problems......

tried changing the extensions, resizing, nothing. :(

Perhaps I should just wait? Or perhaps I should try another browser? I'll try Camino.

Electro-busking amp review 1

So I went out and bought an amp, this one from my local cash converters. Made by "Skytronic" What does it sound like? Well pretty bad, but what does one expect? Tiny speaker, plastic case. There's controls for Volume, Tone and Gain. Not much gain though.

I looked at another amp which was more retro, and that had better gain and hence distortion- but this one was louder. There's quite a useful input-combined power switch on the side, a psu input and a headphone jack. Runs on a 9v battery. Is it for me? Perhaps. Perhaps not.......

The plug is there to add scale.

...now is the photo uploading- doesn't look like it in the preview....let's see...

Electro-Busking

Not long ago on the excellent Palm Sounds blog, Ashley (blog owner) started posted a series of YouTube videos about a chap called the "Electro Busker" from Vancouver, BC (?) who was busking outside a post office using a few boxes of electronics, a space echo and a little amp. Back in 1981, me and my friend Nik took a Wasp synthesiser and tried to busk with it on the streets of Brighton (England). We made not a single penny!

But I still have the bug and the want to repeat the experiment, but this time here in Birmingham........ but where I ask? There are a few redundant band stands around......

Meanwhile, here's the "Electro-Busker" himself;

Jan Bowman speaks out at Birmingham's Ikon Gallery

A couple a weeks ago I photographed for the IKON gallery, the wonderful Jan Bowman, who also as it happens, only lives a stones throw from my house!

Jan will be doing a kind of 'Desert Island Discs", except in this case, the 'disc' bit needs to be substituted with 'art', at the Ikon gallery on Wednesday 15th of June.

Jan's fabulous book called "This is Birmingham" is available from all good outlets (including, ahem... eBay, where I got my copy from!).

Here's the link for further details;

http://www.ikon-gallery.co.uk/programme/current/event/517/these_are_a_few_of_my_favourite_things/

See you there!

New Teenage Engineering OP-1 units shipping

http://www.teenageengineering.com

I just got an email from TE, telling me that the new run on the OP-1 is now ready- but their site is jammed! Arghh!

There's one on eBay right now in the UK, but have I got the money?

Why the 'TM'?

I guess like Uwe wanting to be the original Atom (type Atom Heart into Google, and you get Pink Floyd!). Why did KRS One call himself "KRS One", because he claimed others where calling themselves KRS too? What that's what he claimed! So, because some little toerag on the excellent Palm Sounds blog thought it would be highly amusing to make some vile and pathetic comment each time I commented, and then also sign it "Tom", something had to be done, hence the blog, and hence the name "Tom TM".

I'm an advocate for free speech, however when someone is too much of a coward to identify themselves, to speak their mind, then mock others for doing so, not just once or twice, but loads of times, and then even new entries that weren't even by me, but signed by me, well, it gets really boring....

If you want to argue, then use your reason! You have a brain? Use it! (Or just p*** off to Disneyland!)

Right that's now said and done. I can now get on with the blog! :)

My first entry to my new blog (And respect to the master of bleep!)

First up, respect goes out to the brilliant Uwe Schmidt (aka Atom TM), as I kind of 'borrowed' his name, to fit mine. Uwe makes brilliant electronic jazz, and is considered to many as "the master of the MPC3000". Dig that hidden Tenori-On too Uwe! Go find & buy Uwe's music on iTunes!