Those of you who have been following my activities online will have noted that there seems to be a distinct lack of output from me recently in terms of new material. And whilst this is true behind the scenes its as frenetic as ever in the Fixxxer camp. If you're quick adding a song from me to your list for Santa we'll see what he can do on Christmas Day ;)
Recently health wise there has been a bit of a blip with one of my eyes. But the good news is that it is slowly healing. I have an ulcer on the cornea of my left eye presently. Which has slowed some of the early work on the next project.
I would like to extend my thanks to all of the staff at the Charnwood Suite at James Paget University Hospital for making my recent admission there as comfortable and pleasant as possible under the circumstances. The main man Mr Butler and all at the Eye Clinic.
Now I'm getting to grips with the technology changes work has started on my next album which will be released towards the end of 2012. Keep your eyes peeled for further updates closer to the time.
Also on the cards for 2012 will be the chance to catch me live. Again early days and nothing set in stone just yet but updates will be coming when venues and times can be confirmed. Just getting to grips with the monster speakers that are needed to grind out the Fixxxer groove at venue volumes. Expect the unexpected when it comes to the live show. I'm really looking forward to putting the live twist on your favourites from Shades of Grey and Living Twice.
With Christmas looming large on the horizon and Lowestoft becoming awash with seasonal decorations I wish you all good health for the festive season.
Please take the sensible option and leave the car at home if you're going to be drinking.
Sincerely Yours
Fixxxer
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Monday, 30 May 2011
Technology updates and brave faces..
Well I have to say that the transition to a shiny new copy of Windows 7 went a lot better than I expected. In case you were wondering where I've been since I wrote here last. It was something that I wanted to hang out as long as possible on because of the troubles I had getting things to work many moons ago when I moved onto the then shiny new XP.
In fact quite a few bits of my equipment have had an upgrade recently allowing a logical progression with the music and being able to do things that were limited by the technology I have available.
For those of you that like your music in a physical form keep your eyes peeled for some limited edition free CD's that will be circulating in Lowestoft in the very near future. Being produced in small runs hopefully they will be collectible and a keepsake for the future. The location(s) will be kept a closely guarded secret and it will just be a case of looking out for the discs. Which will be distinctive in their black and white labelling. Keep an eye on the website for details of when they are out there and I wish you all good luck in hunting down a copy.
Finally the time arrived to put a brave face on and trot out in the sunshine to place some advertisements out there for the Living Twice album. So if you've joined us on the mad ride as a result of one of those ads, welcome on board. Please run tell a friend. Wind down the windows and pump some music out it would be great to hear it coming from some powerful car stereos. I know there are a few of you out there!
Most of all enjoy life the nice weather is here let's enjoy it while it lasts.. we all know that winter is pretty dire in these parts. But my mantra has always been "the summers are worth it" when the wind is driving icy rain off the sea in my face. With the force of a pressure washer.
Sincerely Yours
Fixxxer
In fact quite a few bits of my equipment have had an upgrade recently allowing a logical progression with the music and being able to do things that were limited by the technology I have available.
For those of you that like your music in a physical form keep your eyes peeled for some limited edition free CD's that will be circulating in Lowestoft in the very near future. Being produced in small runs hopefully they will be collectible and a keepsake for the future. The location(s) will be kept a closely guarded secret and it will just be a case of looking out for the discs. Which will be distinctive in their black and white labelling. Keep an eye on the website for details of when they are out there and I wish you all good luck in hunting down a copy.
Finally the time arrived to put a brave face on and trot out in the sunshine to place some advertisements out there for the Living Twice album. So if you've joined us on the mad ride as a result of one of those ads, welcome on board. Please run tell a friend. Wind down the windows and pump some music out it would be great to hear it coming from some powerful car stereos. I know there are a few of you out there!
Most of all enjoy life the nice weather is here let's enjoy it while it lasts.. we all know that winter is pretty dire in these parts. But my mantra has always been "the summers are worth it" when the wind is driving icy rain off the sea in my face. With the force of a pressure washer.
Sincerely Yours
Fixxxer
Monday, 11 April 2011
Blink and you've missed it..
It's been a while since I have posted on here so I thought it would be good to keep you in the loop with what's been happening. For those of you keeping an eye on YouTube there have been some new releases going up and some changes to the existing videos. Through the annotations we're bringing some new content in a fun way. Watch out for things popping up as you're watching. There is already one "hidden" video. It doesn't appear in the listing for the channel at all. You gain access to it by watching one of the other videos. Like the golden egg thing on albums and DVD's.
On the 24/3/11 I popped up at a birthday party for a short cameo appearance, which was received very well. The set included a new track which went up online recently ( No better Dream ft mhyst) as well as some familiar favourites Living Twice and Mere Human Being were arranged specially for the set. It was high drama in the lead up to that appearance as there was a change of plan at the last minute regarding the rig that it was going to be played through. There will be a private link on YouTube for those of you that were there which has the full set raw as it was performed that night. ( Get in touch by email to receive the link)
Crazy legislation tickles me. Here in the UK there proposing death by dangerous cycling laws. And the Department for Transport is going for it. But as always with stupid laws the French have pipped everyone with their anti-Muslim "no veils in public" law.. Sorry but no. I don't care what religion you are if you choose to cover your face in public that is your own personal choice. Any reasonable democracy should allow freedom of personal expression like this.
Keep believing in a better time coming for you soon.
Sincerely Yours
Fixxxer
On the 24/3/11 I popped up at a birthday party for a short cameo appearance, which was received very well. The set included a new track which went up online recently ( No better Dream ft mhyst) as well as some familiar favourites Living Twice and Mere Human Being were arranged specially for the set. It was high drama in the lead up to that appearance as there was a change of plan at the last minute regarding the rig that it was going to be played through. There will be a private link on YouTube for those of you that were there which has the full set raw as it was performed that night. ( Get in touch by email to receive the link)
Crazy legislation tickles me. Here in the UK there proposing death by dangerous cycling laws. And the Department for Transport is going for it. But as always with stupid laws the French have pipped everyone with their anti-Muslim "no veils in public" law.. Sorry but no. I don't care what religion you are if you choose to cover your face in public that is your own personal choice. Any reasonable democracy should allow freedom of personal expression like this.
Keep believing in a better time coming for you soon.
Sincerely Yours
Fixxxer
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
Gearing up for an album release - The inside track
It's certainly been interesting since I've been away. Got to do the human interaction thing and go and see some friends which is a good thing. It keeps you grounded being reminded that it's your turn to put on the kettle and make everyone a drink.
Since I've been back it's been time to pull up the sleeves and get involved in the dreaded business side of things. Still the same amount of time sat in front of the computer. Just a hell of a lot less fun. Reading very wordy legal documents is the first thing you have to consider if you're going to go for releasing your work to the masses.
I thought I was actually making headway with distribution when I stumbled across beatsdigital. Sadly that wasn't to be the company folded in on itself shortly after I'd allowed myself to become quite excited about coming up with some off the wall advertising ideas. In fact I'd already started putting some of the ideas into action when I got the dreaded email saying that the company had ceased trading. Which left me in a bit of a dilemma. Having now a date for the release of Living Twice but not the distribution set up to allow that to happen.
I'm relieved to say that after going back to the drawing board so to speak. It is possible to deliver on the promise of worldwide availability by 25th April 2011. Those of you who like the gadgets with an i in front of the name are lucky enough to be able to get your hands on a copy of the album already. Living Twice is currently sitting on the virtual shelves of itunes The content is DRM free so you shouldn't have any problems shifting songs about onto devices that you own. I believe that once you have purchased something it should be yours to freely use. The DRM model was in my opinion flawed by being too restrictive on what people could do with their music after they brought it. So for those of you who like a physical CD bearing their music after it's downloaded your burning software shouldn't kick up any stupid messages telling you that you're not allowed to do that... You get the idea.
For those of you that have joined the mailing list keep an eye on your inbox you should be receiving mail in the very near future. Just in the throws of finalising the goodies that will go along with the first mailing. So if you're not already on there and you're interested in some exclusive content now would be the time to make your way to the website to sign up. We've also removed the age restriction on there after several complaints that it was slightly unfair.
In amongst all the legal stuff I have still been producing the music that you enjoy. Just finished mixing a new track which will surface soon. Have also been travelling around online to the various profiles that exist and generally tidying and updating. Those of you that first encountered the music on myspace will have noticed that a lot of effort has recently gone into updating that profile and bringing the content there in line with other places. My own website will probably be next for an overhaul as the clock begins to tick down to that all important release date.
Since I've been back it's been time to pull up the sleeves and get involved in the dreaded business side of things. Still the same amount of time sat in front of the computer. Just a hell of a lot less fun. Reading very wordy legal documents is the first thing you have to consider if you're going to go for releasing your work to the masses.
I thought I was actually making headway with distribution when I stumbled across beatsdigital. Sadly that wasn't to be the company folded in on itself shortly after I'd allowed myself to become quite excited about coming up with some off the wall advertising ideas. In fact I'd already started putting some of the ideas into action when I got the dreaded email saying that the company had ceased trading. Which left me in a bit of a dilemma. Having now a date for the release of Living Twice but not the distribution set up to allow that to happen.
I'm relieved to say that after going back to the drawing board so to speak. It is possible to deliver on the promise of worldwide availability by 25th April 2011. Those of you who like the gadgets with an i in front of the name are lucky enough to be able to get your hands on a copy of the album already. Living Twice is currently sitting on the virtual shelves of itunes The content is DRM free so you shouldn't have any problems shifting songs about onto devices that you own. I believe that once you have purchased something it should be yours to freely use. The DRM model was in my opinion flawed by being too restrictive on what people could do with their music after they brought it. So for those of you who like a physical CD bearing their music after it's downloaded your burning software shouldn't kick up any stupid messages telling you that you're not allowed to do that... You get the idea.
For those of you that have joined the mailing list keep an eye on your inbox you should be receiving mail in the very near future. Just in the throws of finalising the goodies that will go along with the first mailing. So if you're not already on there and you're interested in some exclusive content now would be the time to make your way to the website to sign up. We've also removed the age restriction on there after several complaints that it was slightly unfair.
In amongst all the legal stuff I have still been producing the music that you enjoy. Just finished mixing a new track which will surface soon. Have also been travelling around online to the various profiles that exist and generally tidying and updating. Those of you that first encountered the music on myspace will have noticed that a lot of effort has recently gone into updating that profile and bringing the content there in line with other places. My own website will probably be next for an overhaul as the clock begins to tick down to that all important release date.
You may use the above animated banner on your own website or in blog posts. Right click and choose save as. (Please remember to take it down after the release date.)
Sincerely Yours
Fixxxer
Friday, 4 February 2011
The Fans Speak and Getting Political..
Its been all go here with a series of releases in quick succession on You Tube and various other video sharing sites. Not that I have anything against the Google empire you understand. Just that I think everyone deserves a fair piece of the pie, and advertising revenue.
A fascinating spike in the viewing figures ( yes I am sad enough to check regularly) reveals that one recent release has been quite popular. Although most people find it very hard to quantify why. In my heart so far has had the most hits of all videos that have been released.
For those of you that might be getting pangs of conscience about using the various mp3 stripping tools available for You Tube and other sites out there. Please don't worry about it. I put the videos out there in full knowledge that these things exist. Bag yourself a copy and enjoy on your mp3 players Ipods etc. Hell burn them to a disc and annoy the neighbours too. It was meant for sharing without fear of FACT beating down your door. I grew up in the era where having the best songs on your cassette tape made you the envy of your friends, and popular songs mostly spread by people copying the track from a friend. Then buying the single or album because the quality was much better. No robbery in my eyes as the artist still got paid. All that I ask is when people ask you who that track is by, that you smile and reply Fixxxer.
Sanction This left my political views in no doubt. I'm staunchly Labour and always will be. Please excuse the colourful language in the lyrics. I was having a really bad day! The main message in that track is that violence never solved anything when it comes to making a real change. It's ok to get angry with something. But use your head and not your fists to get it changed.
Keep your eyes open for more music from me. The pace of releases will be easing a bit now but not the work rate. I've been shut away in front of a screen for quite a while so it's time for some human interaction. Going to be seeing a few friends and stuff. Never forget the people that inspire you most is an important rule in life.
Sincerely Yours
Fixxxer
A fascinating spike in the viewing figures ( yes I am sad enough to check regularly) reveals that one recent release has been quite popular. Although most people find it very hard to quantify why. In my heart so far has had the most hits of all videos that have been released.
For those of you that might be getting pangs of conscience about using the various mp3 stripping tools available for You Tube and other sites out there. Please don't worry about it. I put the videos out there in full knowledge that these things exist. Bag yourself a copy and enjoy on your mp3 players Ipods etc. Hell burn them to a disc and annoy the neighbours too. It was meant for sharing without fear of FACT beating down your door. I grew up in the era where having the best songs on your cassette tape made you the envy of your friends, and popular songs mostly spread by people copying the track from a friend. Then buying the single or album because the quality was much better. No robbery in my eyes as the artist still got paid. All that I ask is when people ask you who that track is by, that you smile and reply Fixxxer.
Sanction This left my political views in no doubt. I'm staunchly Labour and always will be. Please excuse the colourful language in the lyrics. I was having a really bad day! The main message in that track is that violence never solved anything when it comes to making a real change. It's ok to get angry with something. But use your head and not your fists to get it changed.
Keep your eyes open for more music from me. The pace of releases will be easing a bit now but not the work rate. I've been shut away in front of a screen for quite a while so it's time for some human interaction. Going to be seeing a few friends and stuff. Never forget the people that inspire you most is an important rule in life.
Sincerely Yours
Fixxxer
Friday, 21 January 2011
Waiting to hear from auntie and other news
It's been a busy week here. Had some encouraging news from BBC introducing. They've listened to Living Twice as I'm sure many of you have. To date no word on whether it's going to get any airplay.
I've also been informed that stage one of my "artist's makeover" is pretty much a success. I have a style guru working on my image at the moment. So out go the lumberjack shirts and beard. Something which I wasn't sure about to be fair. But as it turns out a lot of people agree that I look better clean shaven. It's a work in progress as I have to grow my hair a bit for the next stage.. Here's a sneak preview that will be making it's way around my artists profiles over the next week. As you can see I'm still reluctantly clinging on to the lumberjack shirts until the hair is long enough for the next stage and the "smarter" shirts start to appear.
To make life easier for you to find my latest work on-line I have been changing the tagging on my video uploads. The search term fixxxer lowestoft should bring up any new video releases as they happen. And if you're after some exclusive hard to get hold of content, now would be the time to join my mailing list at the website. fixxxer website There will be some fly on the wall stuff available on there in the near future. If you have any questions you would like answers feel free to fire them into comments I will endeavour to answer each and every one truthfully.
Sincerely Yours
Fixxxer
To make life easier for you to find my latest work on-line I have been changing the tagging on my video uploads. The search term fixxxer lowestoft should bring up any new video releases as they happen. And if you're after some exclusive hard to get hold of content, now would be the time to join my mailing list at the website. fixxxer website There will be some fly on the wall stuff available on there in the near future. If you have any questions you would like answers feel free to fire them into comments I will endeavour to answer each and every one truthfully.
Sincerely Yours
Fixxxer
Monday, 17 January 2011
Welcome to my blog..
Another new experience in my online life. I'm looking to promote the music that I've been making recently and have been reading everywhere that having a blog helps your "online presence." Flowery.. but in all fairness at the moment I'm getting pretty sick of filling out the same profile information boxes everywhere. What artists need is a magic submission form that puts a track everywhere with one click. It would be a lot easier to manage.
Anyway enough of that. What I'm hoping to do with this blog is to give the wonderful people who have taken the time to listen to what's out there already something in return. An access all areas portrait in words of the man behind the music. Political correctness I'm afraid is not one of my strong points. You will pick that up as we get to know eachother.
Feedback is good, in whatever form it takes. Never be afraid of sharing. If I've done something that fills you with rage.. feel free to let it all out in my inbox. Just be prepared for the sarcasm that you might receive back in response. Although I might also apologise. I'm a firm believer in if you do something wrong hold your hands up to it. I find people respect you more if you are prepared to give an honest and humble apology when you foul up.
I will pull no punches apart from the language that I choose to use in the blog. I have to bear in mind that not everyone appreciates foul language. I swear like a trooper in private. One of my many faults. Looking forward to interacting with you..
Sincerely Yours
Fixxxer
Anyway enough of that. What I'm hoping to do with this blog is to give the wonderful people who have taken the time to listen to what's out there already something in return. An access all areas portrait in words of the man behind the music. Political correctness I'm afraid is not one of my strong points. You will pick that up as we get to know eachother.
Feedback is good, in whatever form it takes. Never be afraid of sharing. If I've done something that fills you with rage.. feel free to let it all out in my inbox. Just be prepared for the sarcasm that you might receive back in response. Although I might also apologise. I'm a firm believer in if you do something wrong hold your hands up to it. I find people respect you more if you are prepared to give an honest and humble apology when you foul up.
I will pull no punches apart from the language that I choose to use in the blog. I have to bear in mind that not everyone appreciates foul language. I swear like a trooper in private. One of my many faults. Looking forward to interacting with you..
Sincerely Yours
Fixxxer
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