[kj] 3 Days In Spain At Youth's Recording Studio (Finally The Report) & MMXXII

[Frenchy Frenzy]

>>>> 

>>>>> 

>>>>>> Hi All,

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I had been informed at the beginning of August 2011 by Jaz's wife Brenda during my summer holidays in Brittany that a recording sessions of the new album should take place at Youth's studio in Granada Spain at the end of the month.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> As you might know, usually you are informed at the last minute concerning Killing Joke's projects ha ha ha and that will be the case one more time.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I had sent mails to Youth concerning Jaz's invitation but no answer.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> The situation was completely different from november 2009 when i was informed by Big Paul of the recording sessions at the Brittania Row Studios in London.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> This time, we were not speaking about one recording studio : it was Youth's own recording studio and of course at his own house in Spain where the reunion live album Duende Spanish Sessions was recorded in 2008.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Jaz is always very enthusiastic for this kind of invitation but I didn't wanted to arrive like this and say "Hi everybody, What's in the fridge ? ;o)) Absolutely not my kind of behaving...

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> That'swhy i sent an email to Youth about this "invitation" and.....

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Finally on the sunday 28th of august 2011 at 10 PM i received an email via Facebook from Youth who said that it was great i could come and gave me only 2 informations : the name of the hotel i asked him to advice me and the name of the small village where this "hostal" was....

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> He just added that this hotel was 5 mins from the studio.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> So very few informations.....like a secret place you only discover at the last minute (like in the Eyes Wide Shut Movie;o))

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Waooww : just 15 mins after I had booked my flights from Geneva To Madrid and Granada cause the direct flights from Lyon (my home Town) were too expensive 2 days before departure.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I went to bed at 2:30 AM after having "cleaned" my memory cards and hard disk drive for filming and taking pics and very excited with this quite unexpected journey : the unique opportunity to discover the famous spanish studio

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I left Lyon very late on the tuesday night and arrived at my hotel at 01:00 AM at Ferney Voltaire which is situated in the french area close to Geneva's airport so you don't have to pay taxes just to use the swiss highways;

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Wenesday 31 th of august 2011 :

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Woke up at 6:00 and drove to the french quarter of the airport to took my plane to Madrid and then Granada where I finally landed around 13:30 PM.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I was immediately stuck with the high and dry temperature around 35/38 °C and was happy with the air conditioning in the rental car.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I drove around 3/4 of an hour and found easily the Hostal situated in a very very very typical small village from Andalucia.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Quite nobody in the streets cause to the heavy sun.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Of course this was the only day of the week when my hotel was closed (exactly the restaurant) and nobody was here: no front desk...

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> By chance i had a call the day before with the owner of the place, Antonio, who was apparently the only one speaking a little bit french in the place so i was sure i could leave my luggages and my fresh cheeses in a colder place than in my car.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I walked behind the place and founded Antonio eating around his swimming pool so perfect timing....

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I am sorry but i am not supposed to give any precise informations about the place i drove to, because this is supposed to stay a quiet place away from "spontaneous guests" but at this time i would have loved to have further informations about the precise place i was supposed to go ha ha

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> At 4:00 PM I decided to leave my hotel and was sure to find by myself the famous studio situated 5 mins away from it....

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I sent emails to Youth but no answers so i tried to imagine a big house situated on the hills around us very well exposed to the sun and maybe surrounded by trees;

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> So i drove at the top of the hill in front of the hotel and have used my camera's zoom to find the right place and finally looked at a beautiful white house which i was sure was the good one.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> You have to imagine at this moment that the temperature was about 40°c and that the "roads" were only landpaths full of holes and stones.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Finally i arrived in front the magnificent house/ domain, I had the surprise to be in front of one ....cemetary   Holy S**t !!!!

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> As i still didn't had any news from Youth I decided to act as a Tourist and drove to small villages around mines to visit the area and came back at my "Hostal" at 8:00 but still no information.....

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I asked Antonio if he knew where this english musician might stay but he didn't know it...

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I bought some spanish wines from him and decided to "find the place" by myself.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Unfortunately I only (or I try to ...)  speak french, english, german but no spanish so I had bought a small book french/spanish including conversations sentences translated and entered the only pub of the village with this book in my hands fully determined to find the Holy Graal !

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Indiana Jones counld not have beb much more determined as I was.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> The place was full of locals drinking wines and eating Tapas

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Let me summarize my "wonderful speech " : Buenos días, uno amigo inglese musician grande casa Martin Glover.... and by chance one of the waiter was speaking a little bit french.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> This guy told me he might knew where this place where but that was too difficult to explain to me so one of his friend lent him the keys of his car and he purely abandoned his job to drove me to "the place"

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> My enthusiasm were much higher as I was right to the target.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> We arrived in front of a beautiful house with high white walls in an arabic style like the Ryads in Morroco.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I knocked at the door and an english man opened it : FFS that was NOT Youth aaaaarrrrgggghhh!!

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> We spoke a little bit but this guy didn't knew the famous Martin Glover.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Of course that was around 9:00 PM and a dark night had wrapped the village and you have to imagine quite no public lightning in the streets so very very dark.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> The friendly waiter noticed my disappointment with the situation and began to ask the neighbours who were having a drink in their garden.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> In fact it was so dark that you could speak to people when they were one meter away from you...

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> The guy had no idea about this english musician but ....his wife knew things about this Marteeenn Gllooovvveeerrr : Yes !

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> She began to explain to her husband who began to explain to my waiter who began to explain to me that it was clearly impossible to explain where it was ;o)))) especially by night

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> .... so the waiter picked up the neighbour in his car and we drove up to the hills on the opposite side where I was during the afternoon...

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> First I was excited to be normally on the good way but as more and more we were going to incredible paths, then I thought a few seconds about the Delivrance's film and was scared to find some Banjos players instead of a bass player.....

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> At one point we arrived at the end of nowhere and my guides turned back and i finally understood they were not 100% sure of the place;

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> It was so dark that we could hardly distinguish far off lights and dread the relief : no idea where the right path might be ..... HOLY S**T again

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> So they decided to go down a little bit to another house situated in the middle of nowhere and at the exact time Youth gave me a call asking me where I was ha ha ha !!!!

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> How could I explain it to him where i was considering the lost situation ?

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I was quite sure to go back to "town" with the guys so I proposed to meet him in front of my hostal but as they begun to drink at home he was not sure of his capacity to drive and proposed to pick me up at the hostal at 12:OO am the next day....

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  and suddenly one guy went out from this house and after a few seconds said that the famous Maaarrrtiiinn Gloooverrrrr was his neighbour so i replied to Youth that i would find another solution.....

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I thanked very much my waiter by giving him some cash but asked my new guide for a favor (not a sexual one, bl**dy Rob and Jon)

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> May he drive me back before to my hotel so I could bring with me wines and cheeses ?

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Yes he could so we spent quite 30 mins in the car with a kind of surreal conversation mixed with spanish and french becasue he had worked in France 30 years ago ;o))

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> and then finally we arrived in the domain which is totally unfoundable even if you have the address because there is no address at all

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> When I recognised Youth's voice I knew the "nightmare" was finished.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I just had to drive back his neighbour with thousands thanks before passing the gate after a long long time "Outside The Gate"

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Youth took a an acoustic guitar to celebrate the fact I finally arrived from such a "long" trip and sang one improvised song Great !!

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> In fact, i was the only guy who had found the mansion by night .....

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I told him that a french never surrender considering all the efforts i made to arrive there : when he gave me a call he was maybe only 500 meters away...

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Youth said "I made it very hard for people to come" and I can easily confirm.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> We went immediately downstairs to the studio which is approx 25O sqm to meet Jaz who was listening to one of the new tracks : incredible !

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> It was like going into the 4th dimension : being nowhere a few minutes ago and then "in THE studio)

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Comparing to the Brittania Row Studio, this one is much more bigger and modern : Youth said it was a copy of The Olympic Studios in London.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> The construction should have taken 3 weeks but lasted 3 months and a huge amount of hotel receipt for the guy who went directly from London to build it and stayed at the same hotel as me.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> The control room is very comfortable and all is made of wood and a lot of gears are stored in different areas.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> For example, only one small microphone costs 200 €uros comparing to the biggest ones at 2.000 euros each.....

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Youth was excited to show me the studio but much more excited to show me a huge pic (2m X 2m maybe) of Sid Vicious with a syringe in the arm and just close to this one a medium picture of Bootsy Collins dedicated to Youth which he was very proud of.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I think he stills has the view side from the amateur and often says he is so grateful with many people and musicians his activities led him to meet that when he has the opportunity "to send back the lift" to a guy like me he does it.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> He behaves himself as a gatherer sometimes....

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> We spent a wonderful evening as we started having a wonderful dinner prepared by Amber (yes it was around 10:00 PM but in spain you always eat late) with the electrical system cut during it so we had to light some candles (french omen) but everything came back again.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I said to Jaz that it might be an good excuse for the record company (we couldn't finish the record cause to the power's cuts ha ha )

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> After the dinner (around 1:30 in the morning) we went downstairs to the studios which is closed by a huge and hermetic door like in a panic room.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Funny to have a look of the discs hanged on the wall in the stairs way to the studio (maybe to Heaven)

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> For example 600.000 sales un UK for Yazz Wanted album 88 or 25.000 copies of the Only Way is Up in Sweden 88 or 3 millions copies CD and cassettes of Dido's No Angel or more that 100.000 copies for the James album "Fontana" or THE ORB 100.000 copies of Adventures beyond the Ultraworld etc...

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Youth was working on a bass line while Michael was recording and playing some keyboards : very interesting to see how much Youth is a perfectionist and addicted to music and catches the moment when he has inspiration.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> So as it was about 2: 30 I left the house cause i had to find back my hotel and be ready for the next day at 12:00 for lunch time.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Thursday the 1st September 2011

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> After a short night, i was waiting for Youth to pick me up in front of the Hostal and I really enjoyed the beauty and quietness of the place drinking some strong coffees watching the hills surrounding the site;

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> A wonderful quite moment before the storm of music.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> As Youth warned me he was about to be a little bit late I decided to thank the 2nd guy and his wife from yesterday night with a good bottle of wine but i have never been able to find again their house.....

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Finally Youth & Jaz arrived and I followed them through the small roads and paths to the "Space Mountain Studio"

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I have filmed the way to find it again just in case of ha ha ha.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> It is really so hidden and by day i was really able to enjoy the wonderful quite 360 ° unique point of view

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> The house is quite 600/700 sqm big including the ground floor with the studio.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> It was a long way project to build it 5 or 6 years ago and since the "house" was built in the area, nobody will get again the permission to build such a big one ;o))

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> There is a terrace on one side just upon the studio where you've got a fantastic view.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> What surprised mostly is the quietness of the environment (and by night you can hardly see lights from other villages which seem to be so far)

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> In fact Youth's neighbour is the only guy in the area who noticed loud music coming from the studio ha ha ha

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> After another great lunch prepared by Amber, we had a long time around the swimming pool ( which has a system that cool down the temperature of the water contrary to most all swimming pools in the world : Andalucia is very very warm

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I had no hallucinations : the guy who was diving close to me was the real Youth

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> The other one who prepared to me an english tea with milk and asked me if I wanted some sugar was the real Jaz

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> The guy who was lying on the sunchair next to me was the real Big Paul

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Yeah : dreaming with the eyes wide opened ;o))

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> I said to them i was feeling very privileged to be there and Youth answered : you can have this feeling : there are very few persons who came here !!!

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> Of course the "real target" was to be lucky enough to listen to some of the new tracks and watching Big Paul playing drums.

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> BPF does not like very much to be filmed during recording sessions so i tried to do my best to be discreet and managed to get some rare moments.

>>>>>> 

>>>>> Have you ever noticed that he was drumming using his drumsticks on the opposite side ?

>>>>> Before attending to recording sessions you can't imagine that everything is done and redone and redone.

>>>>> 

>>>>> Youth spent a lot of time recording things and an album seems to be a gigantic jigsaw.

>>> 

>>> Jaz was in a perfect mood and was telling so many stories about their debut with gang members surrounding the group, using a Rolls Royce for the group etc..

>>> 

>>> I should have recorded the conversation but people don't speak the same way when they are filmed except ......Jaz 

>>> Next time for sure.

>>>>> 

>>>>> At the end of the day, we had a great cheeses and wines party (that will inspire some lyrics to Jaz (listen to An All Hallows Eve) with some guests coming from spain and from different countries.

>>>>> 

>>>>> The dinner was prepared by 2 ladies from Africa and Carribean islands and we were all looking for forks and knives when we discovered that we were about to eat simply with fingers ha ha ha

>>>>> The best way for having good vibes around a dinner table.

>>>>> Food is the best way to discover different cultures and always a speech subject which concerns everybody : sharing is the main word

>>>>> 

>>>>> After this great dinner everybody was djing as Big Paul found some old punk vinyls from Youth's collection.

>>>> 

>>>> When it was my turn I used my Ipod and played some Serge Gainsbourg's tunes that everybody knew (and that always surprises me)

>>>> As i like to play with fire, I played one more track from the Damned Life goes on ;0))  and was quite immediately fired from the DJ's desk ha ha ha

>>>> 

>>>> The dinner finally finished at 3 AM but during the night we went again in the studio below and listened to tracks which were on progress.

>>> 

>>> Then Jaz put one CD he got from a guy from NZ if I remember clearly and at a  very high level sound ( i had to use my earplugs) we listened to a kind of music made from a strange and long instrument which sounds as if you were just behind a jet reactor ;0))

>>> Quite an experience : michael( Youth's assistant ) was astonished.

>>> 

>>> I drove back to my hotel very slowly cause in this country by night it's like being on Alien's spaceship : nobody can't hear you when you are shouting .....

>>> 

>>> Friday 2nd sept 2011

>>> On the last day we spent hours listening to new tracks but snipets after snipets and sometimes a whole track without the vocals which weren't recorded yet.

>>> 

>>> It's wonderful to listen to tracks "in progress" especially when we had (Jon & I) the unique chance in march 2011to spent one day long in Putney to rehearsals before the short Uk tour and we listened to the "birth" of an unique Geordie's riff jaming with Big Paul of what will become later "Corporate Elect": simply fantastic

>>> 

>>> We had many conversations with Jaz and he said that he was really feeling that they still had the potential for 4 or 5 essential tracks in the future....

>>> 

>>> Finally i convinced them to let me listen to new full tracks before the end of the day and they sounded very very promising.

>> 

>> As Youth had to flight back to London earlier we decided all 4 left ( Brenda Jaz Bp and I) to watch a film in circle TV room who looked like a kind of external bunker and decided to watch Millenium (2009 with Noomi Rapace and Jaz had a big laugh when she tattoed her supervisor !!!

>> 

>> This was kind of a surreal situation : watching a dvd with people who finally are like everybody.... In fact quite like everybody because they a musical talent as an add-on.

>> 

>> On the way back to Lyon by plane, i was really enjoying the fact that this opportunity to listen to new material in this kind of location might the last one so i reall had appreciated each minute in Spain.

>>>>>> And i must mention that I was so welcomed by everybody Youth, his girlfriend Amber, Jaz and his wife Brenda, Big Paul and Michael (Youth's assistant who I met first in London 2009)

>>>>>> 

>> Quite 6 months after, on the sunday 19th of february 2012 i went to Geneva for meeting Jaz and went to restaurant with the swiss guy Jean Marie where he always stays since quite 30 years almost (owner of the records shop SOUNDS) and after we spent the whole afternoon listening to the new album MMXXII in perfect sound conditions.

>> 

>> This should have taken place at Blatte cafe owned by Jaz's daughter and her mum the night before but Jaz was tired so..

>> 

>> Jaz had papers with all the lyrics so i could follow much more easily the themes of the songs.

>> I was very impressed by Corporate Elect and pleased to discover the final version after UK rehearsals and Spain production.

>> 

>> It's quite a mix of Struggle for the power and The wait for the riff : one of the best tunes since Money is not our song.

> 

> Then Jaz warned me for the next track : he loved it and should be better than Love Like Blood

> 

> That was In Cythera and was immediately hooked : certainly a chance for them to be played on radios

> 

> We played it several times and Geordie's atmosphere is excellent and Jaz sings clearly with nuances

> 

> The listening of final track On All Hallows Eve was very funny as as was reading the lyrics at the right moment when Jaz was singing about good moments sharing cheese, bread and wines and we had a good laugh.

> 

> I would never have imagined to "inspire" Jaz for lyrics ;0))

>>>> 

>>>> 

>>>>> I hope that before the end of 2012 ( exactly on the 20.12 2012) you will all be able to discover the biggest boxset everdone about Killing Joke with the collaboration of the official archivist of the group : Mr Jon Chapman

>>>>>> See you in London at the Monarch & The Roundhouse tomorrow and during the European Tour

>>>>>> 

> 

> Stephane "Frenchy Frenzy" very excited to listen to old and new tracks live

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> 

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

>>>>>> 

>>>>>>  

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://four.pairlist.net/pipermail/gathering/attachments/20120307/61d8492e/attachment.html>