Tag Archives: sessions

Best of the #BCBsessions – Eclectic Mainline 23rd April 2014

During my 10 years presenting Eclectic Mainline on BCB I had the pleasure of recording live (largely) acoustic sessions with some wonderful artists.  As I am giving up the programme, I wanted to re-broadcast some of my favourite session tracks before leaving.

BCB sessions

So, this week I played some (but by no means all) of my favourite session tracks. You can hear the full programme (plus a bonus track taking the show past the hour mark) on my Mixcloud page:

My method of recording a live session evolved over time until I ended up with a process that got the best out of the available resources.  The microphones at BCB are only really suited for speech broadcasting, and the studios are not equipped for multitrack recording. But I managed to work round these restrictions.  The microphones issue was easy to overcome, as I would borrow some from Wilful Missing.

I was restriced to recording in stereo, but I would hard pan the inputs, recording the lead vocal in the left channel, and all other instruments in the right channel.  This effectively created a 2-track recording that I could later mix to ensure a good level on the lead vocal.  But I needed to get a good live mix of all the instruments, and this wasn’t always easy because I was in the same room as the musicians.  I couldn’t monitor what was being recorded without also hearing the ambient noise of the musicians in the room. Continue reading →

Islands, Casio Kids & Miike Snow on The BCB Sessions!

Wednesday 28 December

Hey up,

Trust your Christmas was full of the festive frolics we all know and love… for me it’s a great time to catch up with new releases and listen to loads of music while zooming up/down the motorway. The result is here for your listening pleasure on The BCB Sessions and we’ve got some right belters to end 2011!

Casio Kids – Golden years

Django Django – Default

Dan Sartain (feat. Jane W) – Now, now, now

Sparrow and the Workshop (BCB Session Archive) – Medal around your neck

Miike Snow – Devil’s work

Thomas Truax – December song

Clap your Hands Say Yeah – Hysterical

Islands – This is not a song

Crackpot – Robopotamus

Les Shelleys (BCB Session Archive) – I’m on fire

Pocket (Feat. Steve Kilbey) – Hear in Noiseville

The Raise (Feat. Krome) – Love of hip hop

The Internet (Little Dragon Remix) – Cocaine

Of Montreal – Wintered debts

See you next Wednesday from 9pm on BCB 106.6FM and online at www.bcbradio.co.uk If you missed this week’s show – don’t forget you can catch it again via www.bcbradio.co.uk

Lx

 

Sinoptic Music on The BCB Sessions – Wednesday 8th June!

It was a big show this evening – we put the spotlight on the Yorkshire based Hip Hop collective Sinoptic Music including an interview with ExP from Sinoptic plus three tracks from Sinoptic artists (the ones with * below). Plus full details of this weekend’s Rock and Rail festival.

Hercules and Love Affair – Painted eyes
Fleet Foxes – Montezuma
Interview with ExP: http://sinopticmusic.com/
*Lunar C – StillSkint
Caged Animals – Girl on medication
Interview with Noel Hartley about Rock & Rail
Middleman – Chipping away (playing at Rock & Rail)
John Talebot – Families feat. Glasser
Eskmo – We got more (Throwing snow remix)
*Addverse – Out Of Space
Diagrams – Night all night
Jai Paul – BTSU
Barbara Panther – Unchained
*Illuzual – QVE

Next week we’re keeping the focus on Hip Hop with West Yorks Hip Hop acts Tapestry and F4 – Wednesday night from 9pm on 106.6fm in Bradford and www.bcbradio.co.uk

If you’ve got some music you’d like me to play or if you’re in a band and fancy coming in for a sessions then send me an email: laura.rawlings@bcbradio.co.uk

16 March – Joe Tilston on The BCB Sessions!

Hello,

Are things better late than never? Hmmmm….hope so! At least if you listen again to the The BCB Sessions (go to BCB’s www.bcbradio.co.uk) you can see the matching track listings! Shows last on the system for listen again purposes for four weeks after broadcast. So, on 16th March Joe Tilston was my featured artist. Joe and Luke performed a great session so it’s definitely worth going back to. He’s got a great radio voice and I love playing the little jingle he did for the show. Thanks for coming in chaps. Here’s where you find out more about Joe T: http://www.myspace.com/joetilston

This is what made the line up:

Joan As Policewoman – Magic

The Heavy – How you like me now?

Smiling Ivy – Life backwards (Like this band from Shef lots – Checkout www.smilingivy.co.uk)

Interview with Joe Tilston and Luke

Joe Tilston & Luke (BCB Session) – Liza and Henry

Bibio – K is for kelson

Ellen and the Escapades – Preying on your mind (acoustic version from Number 42 Records, new Hudds label http://www.facebook.com/thenumber42records)

Black Mountain – Rollercoaster

Joe Tilston (BCB Session) – Different Feet

Cloud Control – This is what I said

Handmadehands – Sunshine (great track from Bradford band)

Animal Collective – My girls

Joe Tilston (BCB Session) – Little Scars

Bye for now,

Lx

Tasty – Wed 23rd Feb, 9pm

Greetings to you!

Yet another tricky selection business this week….I’m juggling loads of great tunes. Here’s what came top of the list and made it onto the show:

Mazes – Most days
Dorian Concept – Her tears taste like pears
Anna Calvi – Blackout
Joan as Policewoman – Kiss the specifics
The Kills – Satellite
Cherbourg (BCB Session track from the archive) – Never love again
Gabby Young & Other Animals – Whose house (this band are originally from my neck of the woods in Wiltshire…saw them at WOMAD and loved them.)
Disco Machine Gun – The sirens (this is the b-side to their new single. They’re having a party on 9th April to launch the single – your name’s on the list).
Yimino (BCB Session track from the archives) – Q-bit
The Memory Band – A new skin
Olaf Arnalds – Surrender (feat. Bjork)
Malachai – Let em fall
East Park Reggae Collective – The Frontline (from Leeds, fans of La La and the Boo Ya will like this!)

Next week on the show we’ve got Duane Simon doing a bit of beat boxing and moon dancing – it’s gonna be great so tune in Wed 2nd March from 9pm on 106.6fm in Bradford or online at www.bcbradio.co.uk

Final word, if you like what we’ve been playing but you’ve missed the show then fear not! We’ve got a new listen again service – you can listen to your favourite programmes up to four weeks after they were broadcast. Click on this link: http://www.podcast.canstream.co.uk/bcb/

Wilful Missing on the show – Wed 2nd Feb

Hello you,

I’m organised for once (albeit for about two minutes) which means I’ve sorted the songs and typed the words…hooray! I’ve assembled my favourite songs of this week including a beautiful number plucked from the session archives and something from my christmas presents. I’m also not alone on the show because Wilful Missing (who are this week’s featured band) have very kindly lent me one of their band members to chat to…the famous Albert Freeman.

If you’d like to get a sneak preview of what’s in store with Wilful Missing then take a look and a listen to www.wilfulmissing.co.uk ….perhaps even copper up afterwards and buy their EP. I think they’d prefer you to ‘pound coin it up big stylee’ but that sounds a bit odd.

Here’s what’s playing on Wed 26th Jan:
Everything Everything – Photoshop handsome
Fujiya & Miyagi – Taiwanese boots
Ann Drury (BCB Session track from the archives) – Loving you (Ann’s a very lovely, very talented lady from Keighley…myspace.com/anndrury)
Wilful Missing interview – with Albert Freeman
Wilful Missing – Comfort in strangers (from the Loose Ends EP – I love this song. The key, the lyrics and the atmosphere….my favourite WM song).
Appliance – Ursa major
Laetitia Sadier – One million year trip
Yuck – Georgia
Wilful Missing – Night parachuting (from the Vast Atlantic EP)
Make Out – I don’t want anybody that wants me
Tapestry – Misplaced trust (recorded for The BCB Sessions)
Arab Strap – Blood (from Madator at 21 box set)
Acid Washed – Rain
Wilful Missing – Postcode lottery (from the Vast Atlantic EP. WM are playing live at the Basement Bar in York on 5th Feb so try somewhere new and head up the A64 or whatever road leads to York).

Next week we’ve got Alt Track on the show! I saw them playing at a wedding (Congratulations Lorna – she presents ‘From here’  on BCB)…and they caught my attention – even with the pull of wedding dancing to ‘Voulez Vous’ in the cellar bar of the Bradford Playhouse. Obviously I’d had a few Lambrinis.

Moving swiftly on…if you’d like to get your music on the show or you want to plug a gig – get in touch: laura.rawlings@bcbradio.co.uk

Lx

Escort Knights’ Re-mix Competition Winner Announced!

Hi everyone, hope you enjoyed this week’s show. We announced the winner of Escort Knights’ re-mix competition – woo…read on to see who got the golden gong.

Here’s a reminder of what we played:

Autokratz – Opposite of Love
Ladytron – Ace of Hz
Blue Roses – Doubtful Comforts
Edwyn Collins – In Your Eyes
Arsonists – Bout That Time (from Matador at 21 box set)
La La & The Boo Ya – Junglest Soldier
Erland & The Carnival – Map of an English Man
Smoke Fairies – Hotel Room
Caribou – Odessa
Escort Knights – Maths Joy Re-mix* (*Re-mix Competition Winner) – I Don’t Know Your Name (Well done, sounds great!)
David Lynch – Good Day Today
Sarabeth Tucek – Get Well Soon
Night Herons – Bury Your Head

If you’d like us to play any of your tracks, or you fancying coming in and recording a session for the show, just drop me a line: laura.rawlings@bcbradio.co.uk

…..and if you’d like to find out even more about getting your music on the radio (not just on The BCB Sessions!), here’s an event you should shimmy along to. Book early because places fill quickly.

Continue reading →

New Year blow out

Hello folks,

Continuing to revel in great songs and mixing in some new ones too. Starting with….

M.I.A – Paper planes
The Arcade Fire – Rococo
The Twilight Sad (Mogwai remix) – The room
Joan as Policewoman – Magic
Grinderman – Heathen child
Les Shelleys – I’m on fire (acoustic session recorded at BCB)
Operator Six – The usual suspect (acoustic session recorded at BCB)
Blonde Redhead – Here sometimes
Squarepusher – Megazine
MGMT – Flash delerium
Clinic – I’m aware
Mountain Man – Animal tracks
Gotan Project – La gloria
St Gregory Orange – Drinking history…flying the flag for Leeds, http://www.myspace.com/bleechindustries
Fran Rodgers – To this land of mine…lovely lovely music, http://www.franrodgers.co.uk/

If you fancy getting your music on the radio or coming in and doing a session then get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.

Send me an email: laura.rawlings@bcbradio.co.uk

Mountain Man BCB session

I said it at the time, and I’ll say it again. The Mountain Man session we had recently at BCB is one of the most beautiful sessions I’ve had the pleasure of being involved in.  You can hear it again here now.


Mountain Man BCB session by DJ Albert Freeman

 

Mountain Man, BCB session guests 2010

Mountain Man at BCB, posing as cats!

I would like to find time to put all our sessions up on the blog for you to listen to again, but the reality is I don’t have time.  Others I have put up here in 2010 are The Duke & The King and Lawrence Arabia.  When I get time, I’ll put more up here too.