[kj] 3 Days In Spain At Youth's Recording Studio (Finally The Report) & MMXXII

[PHIL TOFIELD]

thanks Stephane, an excellent read, as always

On 7 March 2012 07:09, Frenchy Frenzy <frenchyfrenzy at killingjoke.fr> wrote:


>

>

> **********

>

> Hi All,

> **********

>

> **********

>

> I had been informed at the beginning of August 2011 by Jaz's wife Brenda

> during my summer holidays in **Brittany** that a recording sessions of

> the new album should take place at Youth's studio in **Granada** ****Spain

> **** at the end of the month.

>

> As you might know, usually you are informed at the last minute concerning

> Killing Joke's projects ha ha ha and that will be the case one more time.*

> ***

>

> I had sent mails to Youth concerning Jaz's invitation but no answer.****

>

> The situation was completely different from november 2009 when i was

> informed by Big Paul of the recording sessions at the Brittania Row Studios

> in ****London****.****

>

> This time, we were not speaking about one recording studio : it was

> Youth's own recording studio and of course at his own house in ****Spain**

> ** where the reunion live album Duende Spanish Sessions was recorded in

> 2008.****

>

> ** **

>

> Jaz is always very enthusiastic for this kind of invitation but I didn't

> wanted to arrive like this and say "Hi everybody, What's in the fridge ?

> ;o)) Absolutely not my kind of behaving...****

>

> That'swhy i sent an email to Youth about this "invitation" and.....****

>

> ** **

>

> Finally on the sunday 28th of august 2011 at 10 PM i received an email via

> Facebook from Youth who said that it was great i could come and gave me

> only 2 informations : the name of the hotel i asked him to advice me and

> the name of the small village where this "hostal" was....****

>

> He just added that this hotel was 5 mins from the studio.****

>

> So very few informations.....like a secret place you only discover at the

> last minute (like in the Eyes Wide Shut Movie;o))****

>

> ** **

>

> Waooww : just 15 mins after I had booked my flights from Geneva To Madrid

> and **Granada** cause the direct flights from **Lyon** (my home Town)

> were too expensive 2 days before departure.****

>

> ** **

>

> I went to bed at 2:30 AM after having "cleaned" my memory cards and hard

> disk drive for filming and taking pics and very excited with this quite

> unexpected journey : the unique opportunity to discover the famous spanish

> studio****

>

> ** **

>

> I left Lyon very late on the tuesday night and arrived at my hotel at

> 01:00 AM at Ferney Voltaire which is situated in the french area close to

> Geneva's airport so you don't have to pay taxes just to use the swiss

> highways;****

>

> ** **

>

> *Wenesday 31 th of august 2011 :*

>

> ** **

>

> Woke up at 6:00 and drove to the french quarter of the airport to took my

> plane to **Madrid** and then ****Granada**** where I finally landed

> around 13:30 PM.****

>

> ** **

>

> I was immediately stuck with the high and dry temperature around 35/38 °C

> and was happy with the air conditioning in the rental car.****

>

> I drove around 3/4 of an hour and found easily the Hostal situated in a

> very very very typical small village from Andalucia.****

>

> Quite nobody in the streets cause to the heavy sun.****

>

> Of course this was the only day of the week when my hotel was closed

> (exactly the restaurant) and nobody was here: no front desk...****

>

> By chance i had a call the day before with the owner of the place,

> Antonio, who was apparently the only one speaking a little bit french in

> the place so i was sure i could leave my luggages and my fresh cheeses in a

> colder place than in my car.****

>

> ** **

>

> I walked behind the place and founded Antonio eating around his swimming

> pool so perfect timing....****

>

> ** **

>

> I am sorry but i am not supposed to give any precise informations about

> the place i drove to, because this is supposed to stay a quiet place away

> from "spontaneous guests" but at this time i would have loved to have

> further informations about the precise place i was supposed to go ha ha **

> **

>

> ** **

>

> At 4:00 PM I decided to leave my hotel and was sure to find by myself the

> famous studio situated 5 mins away from it....****

>

> I sent emails to Youth but no answers so i tried to imagine a big house

> situated on the hills around us very well exposed to the sun and maybe

> surrounded by trees;****

>

> ** **

>

> So i drove at the top of the hill in front of the hotel and have used my

> camera's zoom to find the right place and finally looked at a beautiful

> white house which i was sure was the good one.****

>

> You have to imagine at this moment that the temperature was about 40°c and

> that the "roads" were only landpaths full of holes and stones.****

>

> Finally i arrived in front the magnificent house/ domain, I had the

> surprise to be in front of one ....cemetary   Holy S**t !!!!****

>

> ** **

>

> As i still didn't had any news from Youth I decided to act as a Tourist

> and drove to small villages around mines to visit the area and came back at

> my "Hostal" at 8:00 but still no information.....****

>

> I asked Antonio if he knew where this english musician might stay but he

> didn't know it...****

>

> I bought some spanish wines from him and decided to "find the place" by

> myself.****

>

> ** **

>

> Unfortunately I only (or I try to ...)  speak french, english, german but

> no spanish so I had bought a small book french/spanish including

> conversations sentences translated and entered the only pub of the village

> with this book in my hands fully determined to find the Holy Graal !****

>

> Indiana Jones counld not have beb much more determined as I was.****

>

> The place was full of locals drinking wines and eating Tapas ****

>

> Let me summarize my "wonderful speech " : Buenos días, uno amigo inglese

> musician grande casa Martin Glover.... and by chance one of the waiter was

> speaking a little bit french.****

>

> ** **

>

> This guy told me he might knew where this place where but that was too

> difficult to explain to me so one of his friend lent him the keys of his

> car and he purely abandoned his job to drove me to "the place"****

>

> ** **

>

> My enthusiasm were much higher as I was right to the target.****

>

> ** **

>

> We arrived in front of a beautiful house with high white walls in an

> arabic style like the Ryads in Morroco.****

>

> ** **

>

> I knocked at the door and an english man opened it : FFS that was NOT

> Youth aaaaarrrrgggghhh!!****

>

> We spoke a little bit but this guy didn't knew the famous Martin Glover.**

> **

>

> ** **

>

> Of course that was around 9:00 PM and a dark night had wrapped the village

> and you have to imagine quite no public lightning in the streets so very

> very dark.****

>

> The friendly waiter noticed my disappointment with the situation and began

> to ask the neighbours who were having a drink in their garden.****

>

> In fact it was so dark that you could speak to people when they were one

> meter away from you...****

>

> The guy had no idea about this english musician but ....his wife knew

> things about this Marteeenn Gllooovvveeerrr : Yes !****

>

> She began to explain to her husband who began to explain to my waiter who

> began to explain to me that it was clearly impossible to explain where it

> was ;o)))) especially by night ****

>

> .... so the waiter picked up the neighbour in his car and we drove up to

> the hills on the opposite side where I was during the afternoon...****

>

> ** **

>

> First I was excited to be normally on the good way but as more and more we

> were going to incredible paths, then I thought a few seconds about the

> Delivrance's film and was scared to find some Banjos players instead of a

> bass player.....****

>

> At one point we arrived at the end of nowhere and my guides turned back

> and i finally understood they were not 100% sure of the place;****

>

> It was so dark that we could hardly distinguish far off lights and dread

> the relief : no idea where the right path might be ..... HOLY S**T again**

> **

>

> ** **

>

> So they decided to go down a little bit to another house situated in the

> middle of nowhere and at the exact time Youth gave me a call asking me

> where I was ha ha ha !!!!****

>

> How could I explain it to him where i was considering the lost situation ?

> ****

>

> I was quite sure to go back to "town" with the guys so I proposed to meet

> him in front of my hostal but as they begun to drink at home he was not

> sure of his capacity to drive and proposed to pick me up at the hostal at

> 12:OO am the next day....****

>

>  and suddenly one guy went out from this house and after a few seconds

> said that the famous Maaarrrtiiinn Gloooverrrrr was his neighbour so i

> replied to Youth that i would find another solution.....****

>

> ** **

>

> I thanked very much my waiter by giving him some cash but asked my new

> guide for a favor (not a sexual one, bl**dy Rob and Jon)****

>

> May he drive me back before to my hotel so I could bring with me wines and

> cheeses ?****

>

> Yes he could so we spent quite 30 mins in the car with a kind of surreal

> conversation mixed with spanish and french becasue he had worked in France

> 30 years ago ;o))****

>

> ** **

>

> and then finally we arrived in the domain which is totally unfoundable

> even if you have the address because there is no address at all****

>

> When I recognised Youth's voice I knew the "nightmare" was finished.****

>

> I just had to drive back his neighbour with thousands thanks before

> passing the gate after a long long time "Outside The Gate"****

>

> ** **

>

> Youth took a an acoustic guitar to celebrate the fact I finally arrived

> from such a "long" trip and sang one improvised song Great !!****

>

> In fact, i was the only guy who had found the mansion by night .....****

>

> I told him that a french never surrender considering all the efforts i

> made to arrive there : when he gave me a call he was maybe only **500

> meters** away... ****

>

> Youth said "I made it very hard for people to come" and I can easily

> confirm.****

>

> We went immediately downstairs to the studio which is approx 25O sqm to

> meet Jaz who was listening to one of the new tracks : incredible !****

>

> It was like going into the 4th dimension : being nowhere a few minutes ago

> and then "in THE studio)****

>

> Comparing to the Brittania Row Studio, this one is much more bigger and

> modern : Youth said it was a copy of The Olympic Studios in ****London****

> .****

>

> The construction should have taken 3 weeks but lasted 3 months and a huge

> amount of hotel receipt for the guy who went directly from ****London****to build it and stayed at the same hotel as me.

> ****

>

> ** **

>

> The control room is very comfortable and all is made of wood and a lot of

> gears are stored in different areas.****

>

> For example, only one small microphone costs 200 €uros comparing to the

> biggest ones at 2.000 euros each.....****

>

> Youth was excited to show me the studio but much more excited to show me a

> huge pic (2m X 2m maybe) of Sid Vicious with a syringe in the arm and just

> close to this one a medium picture of Bootsy Collins dedicated to Youth

> which he was very proud of.****

>

> I think he stills has the view side from the amateur and often says he is

> so grateful with many people and musicians his activities led him to meet

> that when he has the opportunity "to send back the lift" to a guy like me

> he does it.****

>

> He behaves himself as a gatherer sometimes....****

>

> ** **

>

> We spent a wonderful evening as we started having a wonderful dinner

> prepared by Amber (yes it was around 10:00 PM but in ****spain**** you

> always eat late) with the electrical system cut during it so we had to

> light some candles (french omen) but everything came back again.****

>

> I said to Jaz that it might be an good excuse for the record company (we

> couldn't finish the record cause to the power's cuts ha ha )****

>

> After the dinner (around 1:30 in the morning) we went downstairs to the

> studios which is closed by a huge and hermetic door like in a panic room.*

> ***

>

> Funny to have a look of the discs hanged on the wall in the stairs way to

> the studio (maybe to Heaven)****

>

> For example 600.000 sales un UK for Yazz Wanted album 88 or 25.000 copies

> of the Only Way is Up in Sweden 88 or 3 millions copies CD and cassettes of

> Dido's No Angel or more that 100.000 copies for the James album "Fontana"

> or THE ORB 100.000 copies of Adventures beyond the Ultraworld etc...****

>

> ** **

>

> Youth was working on a bass line while Michael was recording and playing

> some keyboards : very interesting to see how much Youth is a perfectionist

> and addicted to music and catches the moment when he has inspiration.****

>

> So as it was about 2: 30 I left the house cause i had to find back my

> hotel and be ready for the next day at 12:00 for lunch time.****

>

> ** **

>

> *Thursday the 1st September 2011*

>

> * *

>

> After a short night, i was waiting for Youth to pick me up in front of the

> Hostal and I really enjoyed the beauty and quietness of the place drinking

> some strong coffees watching the hills surrounding the site;****

>

> A wonderful quite moment before the storm of music.****

>

> As Youth warned me he was about to be a little bit late I decided to thank

> the 2nd guy and his wife from yesterday night with a good bottle of wine

> but i have never been able to find again their house.....****

>

> ** **

>

> Finally Youth & Jaz arrived and I followed them through the small roads

> and paths to the "Space Mountain Studio"****

>

> I have filmed the way to find it again just in case of ha ha ha.****

>

> It is really so hidden and by day i was really able to enjoy the wonderful

> quite 360 ° unique point of view****

>

> The house is quite 600/700 sqm big including the ground floor with the

> studio.****

>

> It was a long way project to build it 5 or 6 years ago and since the

> "house" was built in the area, nobody will get again the permission to

> build such a big one ;o))****

>

> There is a terrace on one side just upon the studio where you've got a

> fantastic view.****

>

> What surprised mostly is the quietness of the environment (and by night

> you can hardly see lights from other villages which seem to be so far)****

>

> In fact Youth's neighbour is the only guy in the area who noticed loud

> music coming from the studio ha ha ha****

>

> ** **

>

> After another great lunch prepared by Amber, we had a long time around the

> swimming pool ( which has a system that cool down the temperature of the

> water contrary to most all swimming pools in the world : Andalucia is very

> very warm****

>

> ** **

>

> I had no hallucinations : the guy who was diving close to me was the real

> Youth****

>

> The other one who prepared to me an english tea with milk and asked me if

> I wanted some sugar was the real Jaz****

>

> The guy who was lying on the sunchair next to me was the real Big Paul****

>

> Yeah : dreaming with the eyes wide opened ;o))****

>

> I said to them i was feeling very privileged to be there and Youth

> answered : you can have this feeling : there are very few persons who came

> here !!!****

>

> ** **

>

> Of course the "real target" was to be lucky enough to listen to some of

> the new tracks and watching Big Paul playing drums.****

>

> BPF does not like very much to be filmed during recording sessions so i

> tried to do my best to be discreet and managed to get some rare moments.

> **********

>

> Have you ever noticed that he was drumming using his drumsticks on the

> opposite side ?

> Before attending to recording sessions you can't imagine that everything

> is done and redone and redone.

>

> Youth spent a lot of time recording things and an album seems to be a

> gigantic jigsaw.

>

>

> Jaz was in a perfect mood and was telling so many stories about their

> debut with gang members surrounding the group, using a Rolls Royce for the

> group etc..

>

> I should have recorded the conversation but people don't speak the same

> way when they are filmed except ......Jaz

> Next time for sure.

>

>

> At the end of the day, we had a great cheeses and wines party (that will

> inspire some lyrics to Jaz (listen to An All Hallows Eve) with some guests

> coming from spain and from different countries.

>

> The dinner was prepared by 2 ladies from Africa and Carribean islands and

> we were all looking for forks and knives when we discovered that we were

> about to eat simply with fingers ha ha ha

> The best way for having good vibes around a dinner table.

> Food is the best way to discover different cultures and always a speech

> subject which concerns everybody : sharing is the main word

>

> After this great dinner everybody was djing as Big Paul found some old

> punk vinyls from Youth's collection.

>

>

> When it was my turn I used my Ipod and played some Serge Gainsbourg's

> tunes that everybody knew (and that always surprises me)

> As i like to play with fire, I played one more track from the Damned Life

> goes on ;0))  and was quite immediately fired from the DJ's desk ha ha ha

>

> The dinner finally finished at 3 AM but during the night we went again in

> the studio below and listened to tracks which were on progress.

>

>

> Then Jaz put one CD he got from a guy from NZ if I remember clearly and at

> a  very high level sound ( i had to use my earplugs) we listened to a kind

> of music made from a strange and long instrument which sounds as if you

> were just behind a jet reactor ;0))

> Quite an experience : michael( Youth's assistant ) was astonished.

>

> I drove back to my hotel very slowly cause in this country by night it's

> like being on Alien's spaceship : nobody can't hear you when you are

> shouting .....

>

> Friday 2nd sept 2011

> On the last day we spent hours listening to new tracks but snipets after

> snipets and sometimes a whole track without the vocals which weren't

> recorded yet.

>

> It's wonderful to listen to tracks "in progress" especially when we had

> (Jon & I) the unique chance in march 2011to spent one day long in Putney to

> rehearsals before the short Uk tour and we listened to the "birth" of an

> unique Geordie's riff jaming with Big Paul of what will become later

> "Corporate Elect": simply fantastic

>

> We had many conversations with Jaz and he said that he was really feeling

> that they still had the potential for 4 or 5 essential tracks in the

> future....

>

> Finally i convinced them to let me listen to new full tracks before the

> end of the day and they sounded very very promising.

>

>

> As Youth had to flight back to London earlier we decided all 4 left (

> Brenda Jaz Bp and I) to watch a film in circle TV room who looked like a

> kind of external bunker and decided to watch Millenium (2009 with Noomi

> Rapace and Jaz had a big laugh when she tattoed her supervisor !!!

>

> This was kind of a surreal situation : watching a dvd with people who

> finally are like everybody.... In fact quite like everybody because they a

> musical talent as an add-on.

>

> On the way back to Lyon by plane, i was really enjoying the fact that this

> opportunity to listen to new material in this kind of location might the

> last one so i reall had appreciated each minute in Spain.

>

> **********

>

> And i must mention that I was so welcomed by everybody Youth, his

> girlfriend Amber, Jaz and his wife Brenda, Big Paul and Michael (Youth's

> assistant who I met first in London 2009)

> **********

>

> Quite 6 months after, on the sunday 19th of february 2012 i went to Geneva

> for meeting Jaz and went to restaurant with the swiss guy Jean Marie where

> he always stays since quite 30 years almost (owner of the records shop

> SOUNDS) and after we spent the whole afternoon listening to the new album

> MMXXII in perfect sound conditions.

>

> This should have taken place at Blatte cafe owned by Jaz's daughter and

> her mum the night before but Jaz was tired so..

>

> Jaz had papers with all the lyrics so i could follow much more easily the

> themes of the songs.

> I was very impressed by Corporate Elect and pleased to discover the final

> version after UK rehearsals and Spain production.

>

> It's quite a mix of Struggle for the power and The wait for the riff : one

> of the best tunes since Money is not our song.

>

>

> Then Jaz warned me for the next track : he loved it and should be better

> than Love Like Blood

>

> That was In Cythera and was immediately hooked : certainly a chance for

> them to be played on radios

>

> We played it several times and Geordie's atmosphere is excellent and Jaz

> sings clearly with nuances

>

> The listening of final track On All Hallows Eve was very funny as as was

> reading the lyrics at the right moment when Jaz was singing about good

> moments sharing cheese, bread and wines and we had a good laugh.

>

> I would never have imagined to "inspire" Jaz for lyrics ;0))

>

>

>

> I hope that before the end of 2012 ( exactly on the 20.12 2012) you will

> all be able to discover the biggest boxset everdone about Killing Joke with

> the collaboration of the official archivist of the group : Mr Jon Chapman

>

> **********

>

> **See you in London at the Monarch & The Roundhouse tomorrow and during

> the European Tour**

> **********

>

>

> Stephane "Frenchy Frenzy" very excited to listen to old and new tracks live

>

> **********

>

> ** **

>

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>  **********

>

>

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