Hi Fi Shows - Music - Music Films

October is a month of many Hi Fi Shows and while we have friends exhibiting in Japan, Poland, Germany and Paris, we are heading to somewhere a little closer for a special grand reveal that we are very much looking forward to.

Hi Fi Show Music; I have just had some feed back which seems to be a consisent trend over and over and it relates to the music we are presented with or have to endure at shows. There are some classic reference pieces and there are simply some well worn out points of reference tracks and i totally get it why we play these classics. Hands up, I am just as guilty of this as anyone but I try not to be. Once I was even given an official show play list to work with however and i get that also, however I love to be surprised and entertained at a show and we shall see what is on offer to tingle and tantalise our senses in what I see is going to be a great event.

In reflection I have quite a few greys myself these days and one of my friends that is at a show this week made comment on the "boring old music catering for the old grey haird men" it is so true,,, lets funk it up a bit more.

I know I try to funk things up when I host an event and I can be a little brutal and say "do not ask for X,Y & Z,, It's not going to happen today", but maybe we should allocate the early hours of the show day to these unique pieces. I will ponder this for the next event I host, grey morning warnings , sunny fun afternoons.

I played Crooked by Smilk and Black Shoes by Felix Laband neither of these are new tracks but they are some of my current century reference pieces and it was great to see an awareness and a reaction in the audience rather than just a prescence and attendance.

Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of Gregorian Chant and Vivaldi. I also grew up with the likes of Creedence, Gerry Rafferty (who I really love), the Knack and the Eagles just to name a few, it was a real interesting bag at home but what about mixing it up a little at a show. Most of our kids that have grown up do not want to go to a Hi FI show, to listen to old man music so how about we find some common ground on fresh music we have discovered and share it?

What I have been enjoying of late is the artist Dominique Fils-Aime's album "Stay Tuned" produced a few years back and it is a very well recorded and thoroughly enjoyable album, give it a spin you could well find yourself digging into her other pieces such as the album "Nameless" and the audiophile reference track "Birds". RUFAS DU SOL's massive collection is something to enjoy,, day in day out, morning, daytime and nightime, just run with it, what an awesome group of artists they are and then there is the legend that is Brian Eno, his album "Luminal" is also getting plenty of air time in the car and at home at the moment.

Why do I mention this, well sharing music experiences is a fabulous way to communicate with like minded people especially lovers of Hi-Fi.

We in the industry often spend a lot more time in the technical space, on the gear, the new exotic equipment but a lot less time on the musical creations both new and old, so that is my quest for the next few months, to change this, to find more new music, enjoy more listening sessions both alone and with friends. It does not have to be all new-new music, it will however be more music.

To my many friends who love Depeche Mode and there are many, the chance to see them live in Prague I had to pass up a few years ago as the Dad in me kicked in hard. How was I going to take a 11 Year Son to this concert so for those that enjoy, a new experience is coming and we will get to see them at IMAX as a cinematic experience, this I look forward to very much,, maybe this Son who is much older will come?

This takes me back to thinking of the first film I went out to see that was just about the music, URGH! A Music War which was a 1982 British concert film featuring performances by punk rock, new wave, and post-punk bands and artists and it was a tad nuts to this group of 15 & 16 year old boys but i absolutely loved it especially as it was a R rated movie that we slipped into. Music was just one of our journey's we experienced together, so much fun and for the next few months I will make the effort to explore and enjoy more music.

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