James Hastings

I had occaision today to have another look in detail at one of my podcast episodes and the edited version.

The episode was Island Space Tours from Season Two Volume 1

Podcast Episode

And edited for inclusion on Maker's Dawn:

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I did a rambling post about ongoing projects and I thought I'd do a quick update.

1. The bit about why I do this is in the back of my mind and buzzes a bit when people mention something similar or…

Just a marker - I've deleted my Instagram account.  I've talked about it for a while and today just felt like the time to act instead of keep thinking….

So here it is, officially done and noted (in case anyone…

I'm starting a new series called XPLRR. 

Maker's Dawn is the first in this new series that has it's roots in Season Two of the podcast.  I wanted to explore some new sounds and approaches a bit, because change and…

I'm bad at being motivated to write words. But I've had a little break and want to get some thoughts down in public as a reference for where I'm generally heading.  Some might happen, some might not over the next…

Screenshot text: I want to hear you talk guitar. I want to hear how you get your sounds, how you produce and mix, your favorite gear. how you compose. all of it. your music is killer good. 

How I compose

Text from screenshot: I want to hear you talk guitar. I want to hear how you get your sounds, how you produce and mix, your favorite gear. how you compose. all of it. your music is killer good. 

Who could…

I had a really good Bandcamp Friday this month, and possibly my favourite thing about was this review from Ether Diver on Mastodon.

With a little bit of post rock, a little bit of ambient and a whole lot of…

Jericho, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

I said pricing policies was difficult and I tend to change them every so often depending on what I've been thinking about.  The latest update has been promoted by a conversation…

Merlin has an eye ulcer, not as bad as last time but not good.  Long weekend though, I've finished work early and I'm sitting with him watching old movies.  Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep (currently), maybe Casablanca next.  Maybe some…

I felt like I'd not done much and need to somehow achieve a fairly quick task, so I made up some new merchendise to put in the shop. I'm trying to not really make this a thing else I'd end…

It's Sunday, I have my feet up and I'm watching Jeff Buckley gig on from 1995.

First up, I'm really happy with how this week's podcast episode came out.  Especially the last 20 minutes or so where I'm working with…

I'm back on Mastodon.  Let me explain why…

Last time I tried Mastodon, I really enjoyed it.  I had doubts about being social in general, and I had doubts about how to contribute in a space that values that…

Season Two is just about finishing, episode 24 is out on Tuesday 25 July 2023.  I have started on Season 3 already so it will flow through.

Why bother with seasons if they flow through?

Mainly to make sure I…

You know I've played around with social media in the past, and Instagram is the only one that I've stuck with for any amount of time.  I was about to leave that too when suddenly David Torn and Terry Riley…

The podcast continues and is fun, but I also like to play with people so it becomes a conversation rather than just a monologue.  The band I play with has been on a break while people have been away on…

I decided to have another go on Bandcamp. Partly as a backup in case I decide not to keep the website going, partly because I've been reading about it again and thought what a neat idea, I should get back…

Ai Weiwei: I don't even look at the final product, I don't care about it that much.  The process is sensuous, it has blood. But the final is just a corpse to me.

I'm winding down on Instagram.  I see it more and more as a marketing platform and less and less as something I want to be involved in on a personal level.  So I might advertise there at some point (probably…

Season 2 of the podcast is out and published weekly.  We're already on episode 5!  I'm still enjoying it, playing with some new gear so I've made a few more mistakes than previously, but it's coming together.  I'm not feeling…

Find your tribe is advice I've been hearing for a long time.  It's very good advice in general and creatively if you can find anywhere where you are seen, understood, appreciated, supported, challenged and so on then you will benefit…

Last Tuesday, Strange Textures Season 1 came to an end.  24 episodes of improvised ambient guitar music, these have been possibly one of my favourite projects.  So much so that I've decided to launch straight into Season 2 on Tuesday.

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So to follow up the project round up, I'm closing off a few projects ready to focus on the new year:

Instagram

I'm going to keep my Instagram account for now, but will take a break for a while at…

I wanted to include a project I did on Instagram a while ago here on the site.  I made a set of aphorisms to go with the Omniscapes I was writing and want to keep them (I had a backup…