Wounded By Hit By A Rock (From Speed Camera Shy)

This is the debut album release from seasoned producer, remixer and soundtrack composer Jim Whelan aka Hit By A Rock (Speed Camera Shy).

A heady mix of electronic sounds and a distant descendent of dubstep, with more than a touch of dub reggae production, ‘Wounded’ is a beat-driven symphony of sounds, a soundtrack to inner city life

Featuring guest vocalists including Susheela Raman, Raymond Antrobus, Zayna Daze and Zewditu Johannes, ‘Wounded’ traverse genres, from world-infused vocals to bass heavy rhythms all tinged with some truly infectious melody lines

HBAR’s Jim Whelan has spent two years with his head in the speaker bins remixing tracks for a host of artists, allowing himself enough time to bring together a truly eclectic set of sounds to create an hour long masterpiece.

I am loving this beautifully atmospheric album at the moment, hear it on i-Tunes, Amazon & Spotify or buy it in HMV.

Here's some lovely reviews -

It’s hard to compare HBAR to many artists a lot of readers on here would be aware of, but ‘Surgery’ (featuring Raymond Antrobus) is somewhat reminiscent of Mothboy’s works with Akira the Don and it’s definitely an area of the album that I appreciated the most, with guttersnipe vocalisations and hook-line rhythm sections that snap out the lyrics with brutal conviction; more of this please.

http://blackaudio.wordpress.com/2012/04/22/hit-by-a-rock-wounded-cd-other-sounds-cherry-red/t sn

‘Wounded’ is both brutal and delicate, distorted but clear – a perfect balance; listening to this will whisk you through the inner city capturing snippets of sound as you pass by.'

http://louderthanwar.com/hit-by-a-rock-wounded-album-review/

Also check out our Speed Camera Shy album released last year if you want more wordy machine sounds.

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/speed-camera-shy/id435320962?affId=1503186

Have You Heard?, The Art Of Improvisation and Wake Me Up

Zayna Daze did this video for me a few months ago... total fluke really.. I'd written the poem and she just so happened to be around and she said "I got my camera.. lets go to Victoria Park and film it" and that we did.



Also, here's an amazing video by my lovely friend Kim-Leng Hills featuring Polarbear and David J.

The Art of Improvisation from Kim-Leng Hills on Vimeo.

and finally here's a video of Ed Sheeran (from the PiP collective) at Chill Pill last month.

Year Of The Poet!

While I was in Berlin a lovely little shop printed my first collection of poems... They'll always be in my bag at gigs (until I sell out, sold 50 already) so come to a show and get one!










as well as the pamphlet I have a little Spoken Word EP I recorded in January 2010 and decided to give it away for FREE DOWNLOAD.








Also been working on the Speed Camera Shy project with Jim Whelan. We've had Musa Okwonga, Zayna Daze and David J in the studio with us recently. Our website is being made and will be up soon...






Back in April I did a Spoken Word set at 'Jazz Verse Jukebox' which happens monthly at Ronnie Scotts.

The night is hosted by the amazing Jumoke Fashola and the night has a jazz and poetry theme surging through it (believe that its quality without the poncey show boaty business that often arrives at Jazz and Poetry events). Two poets feature per month and so it happens that I was on the bill with the beat poet legend Michael Horovitz.

It was an incredible night with a powerful open and feel good vibe about it... easily one of the most enjoyable and memorable gigs I've ever done.

A week later I emailed Michael Horovitz asking if he had any advise for a young poet. He emailed me back something he posted on his website about me. I was honoured.

“My heart sank slightly when Jumoké Fashola told me that she wanted me to perform at one of her Jazz Verse Jukebox sessions at Ronnie Scott’s in April & that there would be at least a couple of other spoken word artists as well as an unpredictable number of open mic floor spots – since it takes a lot out of me these days to trek to any gig & when they are crowded with any number of fellow troubadours, by the time I go on stage there’s often not that much time left, not to go into the heartaches generally consequent on payment by door-splits . . .

“It was a fabulous quantum leap of sorts when performer after performer connected with a vocally sensitive and euphoric bunch of jazz poetry celebrants just about none of whom were even slightly obnoxious, overlong or deafening as has been my usual experience at Slams and the like. And one of the most enthralling exhilarations of this series of highspots was Ray Antrobus’s set – he strikes as a vastly promising exception to what seems to be the rule of youngsters assuming that being a gobshite in command of a few streetwise attitudes & expressions is all that’s needed to become a rap or poetry superstar overnight. Ray’s act suggested that if he perseveres with high energy & deeply felt examinations of himself and others as ventilated that evening he will join the constellations relished by wordsound travellers who will drop just about anything because there is a performance by the likes of Johns Hegley & Cooper Clarke, Francesca Beard & Zephaniah, Patience Agbabi & Sophie Woolley.”

Michael Horovitz.

www.poetryolympics.com

yay!