On my last trip to Switzerland I was blessed to play a new venue in a new city, La Petite Reine (The Little Queen) in Geneva! I have some lovely friends who live in the city and I’d been going there to see them, but as a DJ, I was always hoping to pick up some new gigs. Finally, thanks to some good timing and well-connected DJ colleagues, I managed to get in touch with the talent booker who needed someone the weekend I wanted to be in CH (Confederation Helvetica, the official name of Switzerland.) Unfortunately, Moez wasn’t going to be around when I was there, but I was well looked after by Matt & Cecilia. I have to thank Yann H (aka Ian Ash of Boogie Butt Records), Nickodemus & Nappy G (Wonderwheel Recordings/Turntables on the Hudson) who were my door and golden ticket… It’s a fun little spot and if you happen to be in Geneva, you should definitely stick your head in!
More travel memories! I finally broke my (self-imposed) ban on traveling to the UK. I’d been a bit apprehensive about going there post-Brexit. It just seemed like there were so many hurdles that the country was dealing with and I was thinking I would wait until they sorted all of that out. A wise British person I’d met the previous year said to me, “That may be a long wait, mate–go now.” My true destination was Exeter, where some dear friends live, but the airport I flew into/out of was Bristol. If you know my music tastes, you should be aware of how important Bristol is in my music collection–Smith & Mighty, Roni Size/Full Cycle Crew, Up Bustle & Out, Cup of Tea, Massive Attack, Nellee Hooper, Stanton Warriors… I couldn’t be that close and not at least take a peek at the town responsible for all of this fabulous music! My buddy and I headed into town and I snapped a few pictures before we wandered around a bit and eventually met with my friend Ollie, who I knew from his time in Barcelona, and Dave Cridge of Up Bustle & Out. Dave was great and very generous with his time, knowledge and wisdom. First picture is in the Bristol airport, the second is a street sign on the way to Bristol, third is a mural Dave showed us and the fourth is a mosaic next to our first parking spot in town. The mosaic touches on another of my fascinations, mythology. The subject are two ravens, Thought & Memory–servants of the Norse All-Father, Odin.
Speaking of the north…
Thanks to Vibe Select Entertainment, I was invited to Stockholm, Sweden to assist with their event featuring guest DJ, Mr Thing (next to me preparing to tear the roof off!) Marc (aka Mr Thing) is a terror on the decks and the sweetest person you’d ever meet off them. It was a gas to hang out with my buddy R.D. on his home turf, see a new part of the world (Finland & Iceland remain to complete my bingo card for the Nordics–apologies to Greenland & Faroe Islands) and get treated to the Cane Rum Society–a FABULOUS Caribbean restaurant with an astounding collection of rum. Did I mention that I got to open for the headliner? You can listen to what I played below.
The next picture is something I saw during “Art Week” in Basel. I finally made it to the festival when the whole city seems to become an art gallery!