The Night Moving Company

Original artwork by Jean Walter

My latest album "The Night Moving Company" is an example of my fascination with the need to escape.

In Japan there are companies who offer "Night Moving Services".  These companies help people to disappear, abandoning their lives, jobs, homes and families.
There are many reasons why someone might choose to disappear and the whole idea intrigues me.

Thinking about whys and hows, there are many wildly varied answers to consider about people escaping or leaving their lives behind;  kidnapping, alien abduction, problems with the law, monies being owed... Some of these answers could be considered outlandish.  Some are more serious and real.  One such reason could be an abusive partner or family member.

Most people probably don't know this about me, but, I lived through an abusive relationship.  It lasted more than 5 years.

It was mostly psychological and emotional abuse, but sometimes things would turn physical.
I am not a violent person.  I hate violence.

My upbringing was fantastic.  My parents are both amazing people who gave me the best childhood.

So, to find myself living with an abusive partner was a bizarre, disturbing and shocking experience, the long-term effects of which I am still living with some 25 years on.

There's a lot of accounts about what it all means to live through such traumatic experiences so I don't feel the need to recount my particular story, but recently I have come to realise that, still living with the consequences of that time have shaped, not only my personality and my personal life, but it also seems to be the fodder with which I find inspiration in my music and career.

The first single from the album is "World Looks Sideways", featuring the wonderful lyrics and vocals of UK singer Stevie Toddler.

Original animated works adapted with kind permission from Karlijn Scholten.

Writing about the inspiration for my music is not something I've done before, so it has been enlightening for me to realise that my work seems to be born from the life changing trauma that I lived through.

 

It was life changing in literally every way - notably, it was when I first picked up a guitar and learned to play and write songs.

 

I am intrigued by the mysteries of the human condition; our individual experiences, our own personal perceptions towards ourselves, to each other and to the events & experiences that we all have.

 

My music is mostly instrumental (with some rare exceptions which I have collected together on the E.P. Animus/Anima which you can hear here), so without the benefit of expression through words I have to find other ways to get my musical message across.

 

 

On "The Night Moving Company", the main theme throughout being "escape", I have included subtle hints at various reasons and ways to disappear; 

 

There are the sounds of boats creaking, conjuring images of ghost ships adrift... (Parrhesia) 
 

There are interpretations of aliens and spacecraft, making me think of abductions or a disappearance that wasn't planned... (Vril) 

 

There's the a suggestion of aircraft taking off (or landing), making one feel the beginning of a long journey...  (Hypersanity)

 

There is a sudden broken ending, unexpected and awkward... (Pokkuri Death Syndrome)

Original artwork by Jean Walter

I also put a lot of value in the ambiguity of the titles I choose;

The Rashomon Effect for example, illustrates the fact that an event can have contradictory interpretations giving differing perspectives.

Loss Of Simultaneity is explained by The Andromeda Paradox, (the idea complimenting The Rashomon Effect.)  I am very motivated by the concept of differing perceptions.  (Right and wrong can be quite changeable depending.).

Hypersanity: Hypersane people are calm, contained and constructive.  RD Laing presented madness as a voyage of discovery that could open out onto a free state of higher consciousness, or hypersanity. But if there is such a thing as hypersanity, then mere sanity is not all it's cracked up to be, a state of dormancy and dullness with less vital potential even than madness.

Pokkuri Death Syndrome (PDS) refers to an unexplained type of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) with unknown cause.

Parrhesia is a verbal activity in which a speaker expresses his personal relationship to truth.  This is particularly fitting, not only to this post, but also to the ideas on The Night Moving Company.

Total Internal Reflection for me is the most ambiguous of all the titles on the record, with my own interpretation being quite an introverted look into ones own psyche and experience.
The real scientific meaning is quite different:  Total internal reflection is the optical phenomenon in which waves arriving at the interface from one medium to another are not refracted into the second medium, but completely reflected back into the first medium.

I am still coming to terms with some things from my past and how it has changed me, but, I am happy to have lived through this.  It has given me new perspectives, new ideas, personal strength and inspiration.

The Night Moving Company is out 1st December 2021:
The Night Moving Company

Animus/Anima is out now: 

Animus/Anima

I hope you enjoy the music.

https://mrdogthebear.bandcamp.com

Two times Pharrell Wiliams stole my luck.

Maybe I shouldn't tell this story.
Maybe I should.

I'm going to anyway...


They say that luck plays a big part in the success of many musicians.  It's otherwise known as "being in the right place at the right time"... 

We've heard these stories many times.

I consider myself a hard-working musician.  I've been professional for over 20 years now.
And, at times, I've been close, (very close), to achieving noticeable achievements.

I mean, I'm happy with everything I've done.  This isn't a post about complaining how "things didn't go my way", or that "I was unlucky".  I've worked hard.  I continue to work hard.  And I'm proud of all the success I've had and continue to have, and all the achievements in my professional career. 

I've got a lot of stories like this one, but, a few people have asked me to tell this particular yarn, so, here ya go:


Pharrell Williams

He has no idea who I am. 
But, twice now he has stolen my [potentially] "lucky break" away from me.

Back in 2004/2005, before "belarus" were belarus and we went by the name "Spacehopper", and back in the early days of the internet when the music business became like the wild west with outlaws like Napster and other file sharing sites ruining thousands of hard-working musicians earnings, my band at the time (Spacehopper) were doing pretty well...

We had a pretty big following and were gigging hard and creating a buzz in "the industry".

Around that time there was a website, (and this is the only "fact" I am not 100% sure about), but I am pretty sure it was "MP3.com".
The site hosted [unsigned] bands music and fans could vote for their favourite tracks.
The more votes a track got, the higher it reached in the MP3.com charts.

In '04/'05 Spacehopper decided that we would upload all our songs and see what happened.

To our surprise, not long after, 9 of our songs were in the top 10!

It was quite unbelievable...

This, incredibly, lead to a string of emails and contact from music business moguls from around the world.  One of which turned out to be the manager of a producer team in L.A. called "The Neptunes".

For those of you who don't know, The Neptunes were one half made up of a certain Mr Pharrell Williams.
Another interesting fact about The Neptunes is that, in 2003 they produced 43% of all the songs on the radio!

Anyway, the email we got from their manager basically said that The Neptunes were searching for an up-and-coming British artist to remix/produce, and that they were interested in us and one other young act!

It was down to a choice of two!

After some months of emails, deliberating, waiting and excitement, The Neptunes chose the other way.

(I am fairly certain after doing some research that they chose to work with UK up-and-comer-at-the-time, Dizzy Rascal).

Damn you Williams!
You could have picked us...
This was the first time he stole my luck.

Moving on 8 years to 2013...


(brief recap of the intervening years:
Spacehopper had become belarus.
belarus had recorded an album, which, unfortunately never got an official release as the record label we signed to went bust.
belarus were courted by Universal Records.
belarus ultimately split up in 2007.

I was devastated.

I continued to teach and play in other bands, but eventually, new challenges presented themselves and I relocated to Berlin, Germany.)


In 2012 I started to build my recording studio here in Berlin.
The idea was to do remote recording sessions by email, meaning I could provide drum recordings for anyone in the world.

Over the course of a 20 year professional career, I have met some amazing fellow musicians, some of which may be considered famous or influential, (or any other impressive sounding word we might attach to successful arteests).

I emailed a few of these ladies and gentlemen to introduce my new studio and ask for any opportunities they had for recording.  I was basically trying to get some decent credits to increase my status. 

Anyway, one of these lovely chaps, a producer friend of mine in L.A., writes back to me with this question:

"Hey Rich!  Can you get a 70's sound?"

I was hella surprised!  This guy was writing and producing, (and continues to write & produce), some of the worlds biggest R&B and soul records.  Seriously, we're talking #1 billboard albums.

So, of course, I wet myself a little bit and replied immediately asking:

"Sure!  No problem man!  What do you want exactly?"

(Then, I immediately emailed a few other producer friends of mine asking how the hell to get a 70's sound...  I was pretty new to all of this and had maybe oversold slightly...  I mean, I knew I could play, but the recording bit...  anyway, I digress...)

I didn't get a reply

I was patient

I don't want to bug people or upset opportunities

I waited

A week

A second week

I couldn't wait anymore, so I wrote again:

"Hey mate!  How's it going?  Just wondering when you need these drums for?  Let me know!

Smiley face"

No reply.

I wait again...

Now, I could drag this out more and more, but long story short, after about 2 months of waiting and being excited and disappointed and hopeful and then excited all over again, my friend replies and, with massive apologies, he informs me that, the day he initially wrote to me to ask about the drum recording, who should "happen to pop into the studio"...  you guessed it:

PHARRELL GODDAMN WILLIAMS!

So, twice, this guy, who has no idea I even exist, has stolen my lucky break.

Moral of the story:
Don't worry about the things that didn't happen, or the things that could have been.
Just keep doing what you're doing.
Keep enjoying the things that you do achieve.

And enjoy all the success's of all the times that you do have, which make all the stories, like this one, that you get to tell...

Or, something like that.

And maybe, Mr Williams, just maybe, if you do ever happen to read this, get in touch and finally give me the lucky break I've been waiting for.
Or, maybe not.
You don't actually need a drummer.
You're pretty damn good yourself.
As this track (that I didn't play on!) goes to show.

If you want to hear any other silly stories, comment below and I'll try to think of something just as interesting :-)

Rich

New Album and 2017 to date...

Hello again!

(I never know a good opening for a blog post...)

Anyway, there it is.  I am writing again to share more news about stuff I am doing:

After a successful few shows with Losers in the summer, I had impressed enough to grab the notice of another band, whom, short a drummer, asked if I could jump on board for a couple of shows.

The incredibly good Bullet Height (Sony), with who Losers played in May in Berlin, contacted me a couple of weeks back.  Their drummer Michael was on tour with another of his bands, and so I ended up traveling 20 hours in a van over 3 days to the Czech border and then across to Holland.

The shows, the music and the band themselves were (and are) very very cool.
I had some amazing fun and am extremely happy they asked me to join for this mini tour :-)  Thanks guys!

People reading: If you don't know Bullet Height, you should definitely check them out and immediately make a purchase of their debut album "No Atonement".  It's GREAT!

Next up is a new album due for release on playdead sometime before the end of the year.

Mr Dog The Bear's 2nd album features a host of guest musicians and vocalists, making it something a little different from the first record.

https://mrdogthebear.bandcamp.com/

I am well excited!

Just a short post today, but there will be more soon.

Dr Paradiddles may have some news in the next week or two too!
:-)

Happy Sunday!

New Website

Dr Paradiddles WonderDrumporium has a brand new website, along with (thanks to an untimely flood - or maybe, rather, a timely flood?  It actually gave me an excuse to do some renovation work that I'd been putting off for months!), a newly renovated school!

There's new carpet and everything!

Anyway, the new website can be found here:

www.drparadiddleswonderdrumporium.com

It also comes with new information about pricing, workshops, links and information about full-time drum & music education in Berlin, (more info below), and a shop for official Dr Paradiddles merchandise!

Talking of which; you can now buy official Dr Paradiddles merchandise here:

http://drparadiddleswonderdrumporium.dizzyjam.com/


And - this talk of full-time drum & music education in Berlin:

...if you are serious about studying drums or music full time in this wonderful city, you can now find out everything you need to know about BIMM Berlin and also book your assessments through Rich, (me obvs), @ Dr Paradiddles.

As a teacher & member of the assessment team, and with years of experience having worked previously in the UK as head of drums for The Academy of Music and Sound (Sw, UK), I am now able to offer information and assessments to students wishing to find out more or apply for a course at BIMM's most recent facility in Berlin.

If you are interested in private tuition, Dr Paradiddles can now offer lessons not only in English, but also in Italian.

There are 3 teachers, (including myself), at the school, each of us offering a free trial lesson and then tailored made lessons designed for each individual student.

So, what are you waiting for?!  Contact us now so we can fulfill your drumming dreams!

There's a new teacher in town...

Dr. Paradiddles is happy to introduce a new teacher...

...meet: Debbie Knox-Hewson.

--------------------------------------

UPDATE:

Dr. Paradiddles WonderDrumporium​'s new teacher Debbie, has made the short-list for the best new drummer 2015!

http://www.musicradar.com/news/drums/who-is-the-best-new-drummer-of-2015-630519

(17/11/2015)

--------------------------------------

Debbie is the touring drummer with Charli XCX.  An alumna of BIMM in the UK, Debbie recently moved to Berlin, Germany and has joined Rich at Dr Paradiddles.

She is currently accepting students of all ages and ability from January 2016.  This is a great opportunity to start learning drums as a new instrument or improving your ability. Don't forget to inquire about package deals, intense courses and discounts...  :-)

A masterclass drummer with oodles of experience behind her, Debbie is an amazing person to have at Dr P's and I am extremely honoured to have her teaching here.

Find out more about Debbie HERE.

Contact Rich or Debbie to book your session HERE.

Another new release

From the fantastic Asaf Meir, a new song recorded at Legato Sound Studio, Berlin, which I recorded drums for:

The bee makes me itch...

Drums and Fitness!

http://www.lspersonaltraining.com/expert-advice/are-you-drum-fit.aspx

New releases

So much has been happening!  I have hardly had time to sleep...

...and I really don't know where to begin.

I am gonna go with alphabetical order:


A.  Arttraktiv Berlin.  I have been working with these guys the past few months to help advise and build a new recording studio.  The project is underway and should be completed by the end of the summer.  We have some amazing equipment being installed and I will be heading up the producer team, (including myself), with a bunch of super fantastic guys on-board ready for any music project.  They even have a grand piano in the place - it's amazing!  I am very honoured and excited to be working on such a fantastic project and can't wait until it's ready to go!  If you need a place to record and want your choice of producer, contact me or directly with arttraktiv - info@arttraktiv.de
They also have hundreds, (literally!), of practice rooms, alongside music education programs and other musically creative spaces.  GET INVOLVED!

B. The Blowbacks.  I hear that the album is almost finished...  Until it's release, go have a listen to some of the tunes on their Soundcloud here.

C. Cymbals.  I have been using Diril Cymbals for about 7 years now.  They are amazing handmade Turkish cymbals, which not only compete sonically and visually with the top name brands, but also cost half the price...  In fact, I would go so far as to say, these actually exceed (in most cases) the top end series of the big 4 or 5 top name brands; These cymbals really are twice the value and without any compromise.  I love them.  If you want to try some or need any new cymbals, get in touch - I can order direct from Turkey.

D. Deja Nova Trio.  An even further departure in style from my rock roots.  I have joined this beautiful Harp and Bass duo to complete the trio on stage and hope to perform more in the future.  Swing and Jazz style loveliness.

F. Flemming Borby.  Having recorded on Flemming's album "Somebody Wrong" earlier this year, the record is now out to buy.  We also played a couple of shows to release the video and the single "Somebody Wrong" here in Berlin and look forward to the official album release party in September.  Listen on Soundcloud here.  Watch the Video for "Somebody Wrong" here.

I. The Incredible Disappearing Boy.  The record is out now.  If you like Americana style music, check out this EP.  One of the finest I've ever had the pleasure of playing on, and with some deservedly fantastic reviews, this EP should be in your record collection...  (even if you don't like Americana - it should still be in your record collection).

L. Le-Thanh.  Well, what can I say about Le-Thanh...?  I recorded the album last year and it finally had it's release a month or so back.  Instead of trying to describe the sound, it's probably better if you read a review, or even better, listen for yourself and decide for yourself how beautiful this record actually is.  (Or maybe watch this video of us playing in a cinema)

M. Mr Dog The Bear.  Post-Rock, Alternative, Instrumental, Soundtrack style goodness...  The first EP from Mr Dog The Bear will be out in September/October this year but work towards the second EP is already underway...  There have been a couple of nice reviews for the debut release already and also some airplay!  Listen here, here, here, watch here, or here and read a lovely review here!!!

N. Nadav Meir.  Nadav is an Israeli singer-songwriter.  I recorded drums for his debut album earlier this year and it's now out to buy.  A collection of emotional songs, this was an amazing album to have been a part of.  Listen here.  Or even better - buy it now and listen again and again...

P. Pop Music, Song-Writing and Production.  Last year was extremely busy for recording, having been featured on about 17 albums and music projects around the world.  It's strange as a busy session musician - It's embarrassing to admit, but I sometimes forget some of the work I've done...  A friend recently asked me how I manage to do so much; I think I just prepare for whatever the next project is, whether it's a live show or a studio recording or a music video.  Then I move on to the next one.  So, it's easy to lose track of some things as I always seem to be moving forward.

I even find it hard to update this blog so often - I think my last post was about 4 months ago.

Anyway, I digress...  In the past 4 month (since my last post), some interesting work has come my way and I have diversified hugely, opening up a lot of new opportunities for myself.  Not only am I playing drums for an eclectic and assorted collection of bands and musicians, teaching at my school, working on a new studio build and running my rockschool club for young musicians, but I am now also mixing, writing and producing music.  The first proper project I have is co-writing an album with German pop singer Charlotte Giers.  It is a challenge, but it is amazing work and so exciting to be involved in so many new creative ways.  I think I have found a new love in production and song-writing.  Creating music in the studio is, it seems, my latest passion.  And I am excited about what Charlotte and I can produce together. 

R. Radio & Reviews.  BBC Radio Introductiong, Radio 1 Germany, Amazing Radio and many, many reviews for a lot of the music I have recorded.  Here's a list:

Amazing Radio - Mr Dog The Bear
Radio 1, Germany - Le-Thahn
BBC Radio Introducing - The Blowbacks (no longer available online)
BBC Radio Introducing - FlyCatFly (no longer available online)
Sentric Music Podcast - The Incredible Disappearing Boy
Dancing About Architecture Album Review - Le-Thahn
Dancing About Architecture Album Review - FlyCatFly
Gig Monkey Review - The Incredible Disappearing Boy
Americana UK Review - The Incredible Disappearing Boy
The Siren Sound Review - Mr Dog The Bear


S. Sticks. Agner Swiss Drumsticks are now supporting me and Dr Paradiddles Wonder Drumporium!  Whoop!

T. Teaching.  I still have space available for private students at Dr Paradiddles.  I am still running drum workshops at Super Sessions, Berlin and will probably be offering some workshops in the UK later this year (December) as well as something more regular at Arttraktiv, Berlin.  I am in need of a bass player for my Rockschool band.  Hit me up should you be interested in any of this.

U. UK.  Sam Bates.  Sam.  He seems to be the only reason I travel back to the UK.  I have flights booked mid-August to record an album which Sam is producing.  He won't even tell me who for.  I love you Sam.


V. Verb.  This project is so new that I can't give you any links or pictures or anything!  But, I can tell you what it's all about:  I am so so lucky that I have began making some sounds with Ksenia Zake, the unbelievable Latvian singer and guitarist, formerly the front woman from Tribes Of The City.  It's just the two of us so far, but we are making a lot of noise...  Watch this space.
Listen to Tribes Of The City here.
Watch a video here.

New Videos

I am in some new videos!  Watch them below:

==================================================================

Firstly, a recording session I did in March this year in the UK, with The Incredible Disappearing Boy himself, Mr Sam Bates.

Also in the studio were the hugely talented Cinzano Taylor and Jon Bucket to help make this record one of the best I've ever been a part of.

Thanks to all you fantastic guys and also to Paj and Henry and Thom for the videos.

This is "Where I Wanted To Be" by The Incredible Disappearing Boy.

You can also watch the documentary about the making of the EP here:

==================================================================

Next up is a live video from the record release show for my band FlyCatFly.  Recorded by Eike Klingspohn and filmed and recorded by the venue Hinterhof Arpke (all of these guys totally rock), this song is "A Perfect And His Slave".  Interestingly, this song isn't actually featured on our debut album, but it will be on the follow up - which is already under way!

==================================================================

Another 'studio shot' music video comes from Mr Flemming Borby and his Flying Saucers band - (I am a flying saucer; another interesting fact is that there is a flying saucer picture on the front cover of the FlyCatFly album!)

This one was made at the legendary Funkhaus in Berlin earlier this year and was shot and edited by Chris Koll.
The song is "Somebody Wrong" and is out as a single now.  It is also from Flemmings forthcoming album, out in the summer 2015.

==================================================================

Last but definitely not least is another video from Zeki Min's debut album I played drums on.  We're recording the follow up next month in Bremen, Zeki's new home town...

 
Enjoy!

2015 and England is calling...

I thought I'd escaped, but, it looks like the UK has me on a long bungee...

I will be on tour in the UK for 6 weeks in March and April and back again in December 2015 until 2016!  Talk about planning ahead...

So, my schedule for this year is as follows (I am writing this as much for myself as for anyone else wishing to catch up with me - I forget things...):


15th Jan 2015 - more radio shenanigans with Frog Baseball

24th Jan 2015 - RECORDING; starting work on the new album with Zeki Min

14th Feb 2015 - SHOW:Fever Creek Festival, Marie Antoinette, Holzmarktstrasse 15-18, Berlin with Nadav Meir

15th Feb 2015 - RECORDING:at The Funkhaus in Berlin with Mr Flemming Borby for his forthcoming album

Tour with Eban Brown:
6th March 2015 - SHOW:The Broadway Theatre, Barking, UK
7th March 2015 - Radio interview, Solar Radio, UK
8th March 2015 - SHOW:Lomax Theatre, Liverpool, UK
13th March 2015 - SHOW:The Harlington Theatre, Fleet, UK
14th March 2015 - SHOW:Bakewell Town Hall, Derby, UK
17th March 2015 - SHOW:The Glee Club, Birmingham, UK
18th March 2015 - SHOW:The Bierkeller, Bristol, UK
27th March 2015 - SHOW:The Hub, Southampton, UK
6th April 2015 - SHOW:Towngate Theatre, Basildon, UK

17th April 2015 - SHOW:Jugendtreff Hinterhoff, Arpke, Germany with FlyCatFly

29th May 2015 (Date TBC) - SHOW:Record Release @ Privat Club, Berlin, Germany with Le-Thanh Ho

6th June 2015 - FESTIVAL: Secret Chord Records; UK Record Label all-day-event at KAOS, Berlin, Germany with FlyCatFly, Zeki Min + maybe one or two more...?!

15th June 2015 - I have to cancel my mobile contract as I really need a new phone

12th Dec 2015 - SHOW:12 Bands of Xmas, Swindon, UK joining various fools on stage...


Other projects (both live and recording) I am involved with this year include:
Mr Dog The Bear (Italy)
Strangers By Day (Germany)
Acaurio Cósmico (Germany)
Charlotte Giers (Germany) - Legato Sound Studio session

There's me then:

Merry Xmas, 2014!

A lovely festive picture for you :-)

So, Christmas time is here again...  And that means 2015 is only a couple of weeks away.

It's been a busy, exciting, strange, happy yet mildly depressing year for me in 2014.

It started off well enough - A trip to the UK to record demos for a rather well-known singer, my drum school in Berlin starting to get busy, a few serious bits of remote session work which helped to break my studio in and various live projects in Berlin and across Germany; so all-in-all, not a bad start to the year...

...and it started to pay off too, with work leading to more work and my time being taken up more and more with recordings, teaching, shows, workshops...

The summer came and went with the end of this year full of promise, but then a series of unfortunate events meant I had to cancel everything for a month, and then with the end of the year looming it seemed like an uphill struggle to get motivated and make things happen again before the start of the new year.

The end of this year has, well, sucked.

Roll on 2015!!!!

But hang on...  this year isn't finished quite yet...

...so, before 2014 has gone, I'd like to offer a little gift of a free drum recording for anyone who wants it!

This Friday I have some spare studio time at Legato Sound Studio in Berlin and so can offer to record drums for FREE for one song for you - this is a one-time, one-off, limited to the first person to email me their song (mp3), offer.

The usual rules apply (rules and information), apart from you won't have to give me any cash for it.  The only other exclusion is, seeing as it's a free gift, I can't offer any revisions...

Apart from that, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

And here's a list of thanks to the projects, recordings and bands I have played for this year:

Recording in 2014 - Thanks to:

Josh Kumra

Zeki Min

Coasters

Rameez Khalid

Mr Dog The Bear

The Blowbacks

Realized Soul

Le-Thanh Ho

Ran Nir/LFNT

Josuke Sato

Four Phonica

Sammy Stephens

Sam Bates

Idan Altman (& The Summer Folk Project)

Giulio and Nadav at Legato Sound Studio
The guys at The Funkhaus Studio

Live in 2014 - Thanks to:

FlyCatFly 

Flemming Borby

Strangers By Day

Frog Baseball

Zeki Min 

Sofia Portanet

Music education in 2014 - Thanks to:

Super-SSuper-Sessions.de

Dr. Paradiddles WonderDrumporium

The Berlin RockSchool

All of my lovely students :-)

Special thanks to Ibrahim Diril at Diril Cymbals for his continued support and wonderful cymbals.

Thanks to every fantastical, amazing musician I have had the pleasure of working with this year.  I hope we can find more projects to work on next and beyond :-)

And I hope to meet more inspirational and talented people to work with in 2015!

Session Recording - New prices and Studio Options

I have some amazing new studio options for your remote or studio drum sessions with me.
See what I can offer here:

http://richmillindrums.blogspot.de/p/session.html

New Teaching Prices!

Click here for new price list and deals for Dr Paradiddles WonderDrumporium!

Recent, current and upcoming projects...

I am now officially international!

Here's a nice picture :-)

Recent, current and upcoming sessions include recordings for artists from:

England, Germany, Italy, America, Denmark, Canada, Israel, Pakistan and Japan!

(This is just a mini post - I just got excited and had to have a little boast...)

Listen to some of the sessions I have recorded here:

https://soundcloud.com/rich-millin-drums

with more coming soon...

:-)

Halfway through the year...

So far, 2014 has been a mixed year:  Some good, some not so good, some exciting stuff, some boring stuff, some promises not kept and some very nice surprises...

As far as my music and drumming goes, I have had a lot of varied projects so far with what looks to be like a lot more to come in the second half of the year.

I will think back and start at the beginning of the year and work forward chronologically up to now, and beyond...  This list is purely for recording work.  My live shows can be viewed here.

:

At the beginning of this year I had the opportunity to work with two amazing singer/song-writers, one here in Germany and the other back in the UK.

Zeki Min (ex-frontman of The Driftwood Fairytales) asked if I would play drums for his debut solo-album, "Majestic".  I of course said "yes"...  So, he and Mr Hadl (producer extraordinaire and bassist for the album), came over to my place and we recorded the album live in a weekend!
The resulting album is stupendous and I am extremely proud to have been a part of it...
We also played a few shows in Berlin and I was asked to help in the creation of this interactive video too:

Click on the icons and have a play around with the awesome interactiveness!!!

If you like your music to be edgy yet familiar, glorious, yet understated and acoustic with a punk attitude, then you should definitely check Zeki's debut album "Majestic" out immediately!
Visit Zeki's website here!
Buy Zeki's debut album "Majestic" here!


Not long after recording with Zeki I was asked to fly over to England to work with Mr Josh Kumra - we spent a week writing and recording demo's for Josh's new album.  

Hopefully work on the album will commence soon and a release won't be too long in the waiting...
Visit Josh's official facebook page here!


I also have been involved with loops and beat-making.  Mr Ilkka Ala-Fossi, AKA Ile, used some of my loops in one of his songs which you can listen to on mysoundcloud, here:
"The Best Day (Demo)".
Visit Ile's SoundCloud page here!


A couple of months back started a surge of recording work with UK singer/songwriter Si Hall calling upon my [remote] service for his forthcoming E.P.
More along the lines of Chuck Ragan, Dave Hause and Tim Barry, Si's E.P. is almost ready to be unleashed on the world...
Find out more about Si Hall and his music here!


The work, coming in thick and fast, then took a slightly more exotic turn (no offence Si!):
The wonderfully colourful Mr Rameez Khalid emailed me and asked if I could record drums for his new single.

Another amazing opportunity...  I jumped at the chance and I must say it was a pleasure to work for such a talented and kind man.  I look forward to working again with Rameez sometime in the future...  Who knows, maybe I will even get to do some live work with him one day...?!
Visit Rameez's official facebook page here!


Keeping things international, I have been working on an album for Italian duo "Mr Dog The Bear".  The album is in the very early stages, but I am being encouraged to have a lot of input: Some production input (and happily a lot of creative input too!), the first song, (self-titled) can be heard on their soundcloud page here:
"Mr Dog The Bear"


This about gets me up to speed as far as the year has gone so far...
...but what does the rest of the year have in store?!!!
Well, let me divulge a little more:


There are 2 new projects definitely coming up in the next couple of months, not to mention the continuing & "in-progress" work I already spoke about and also the possibility of 2 or 3 more projects which are "under-discussion"...


The two projects coming up that I can say are both quite simply amazing:


The first is a chance for me to stretch my funk muscles.  Rachelle Jeanty has been singing professionally for the past 20 years. She has toured the world as a backing vocalist for Celine Dion and has given performances as a solo artist at ''Les Francofolies de Montréal'', with the Vienna Boys Choir and at the United Nations in New York.

A powerful and soulful presence on-stage (I've seen her twice and she is quite simply outstanding), the talented Ms Jeanty has a new project with an American based guitarist and song-smith underway, which will see me on-board as the beats man - excited is an understatement!
Visit Rachelle's website here!


The most recent session to land on my table is a studio album for Le-Thanh Ho.  This one is so fresh, all I can say at the moment is that the studio is booked for August and I am the drummer (unless I totally mess it up in rehearsals!)
Here's looking forward to working on this project as much as the rest!
Visit Le-Thanh Ho's website here!
Visit Le-Thanh Ho's official facebook page here!

So, there it is.  2014 so far with some things to look forward too :-)

And I hope you enjoy the music as much as I do.