Misty in dub

The weather’s been alright up until last night when it felt more like winter. We even had a visit from the Lewisham Heron yesterday who couldn’t get any of the fish in the pond due to the fine pea netting thrown over the top and gave up his statuesque posing after a few minutes. This morning we woke up to the above, mist galore. We reckon they’ll be a few jobs to be done in the garden this weekend, digging up dahlia tubers maybe one of them!

And here’s a great tune for those cold dark nights indoors, A man called Adam‘s Tic Toc (Disco Rockers Dub). It’s excellent stuff indeed, a nice off the wall dub mix reminding us of those great dub B sides on scratchy seventies seven inchers.

Which made us think of another great interpretation of dub from Bronx Dogs of Sizzla’s Rain Showers another piece of clever mixer madness with some nice cut ups thrown in plus what sounds like Tubby’s “Squawky”. A nice tune that works very well even at 33!

And while we’re looking back a few years here’s a great tune Imperial from Lazy Boy that has a lovely dub interlude at 1.16 mins in which could go on for ever in our eyes!

Dub don’t you just love it?

Mouldy old dough

The sun was out so it was nice to go out for a potter in the front garden today. We only spent about an hour out there but It was enough time to rake up the leaves and stick them in some bin bags tied quite loosely. A rake was then flung down on them (to the amusement of passers by) to make some small holes in the bags and then they were thrown down the bottom of the garden to be forgotten about for a couple of years.

If you’ve never made leaf mould before you’re losing out on making some great soil conditioner. More about making the stuff here and here. You could also make a circular cage structure using chicken wire and just bung the leaves in there weighing the top down so they don’t blow away initially and then waiting for the elements break them down over a year or two. Here’s a video with some good tips about making the stuff too!

We know someone who was thinking of picking up the bags that the roadsweepers leave at the end of the streets in the autumn that are usually filled to the brim with leaves. Then again what else could be in there? Is it worth taking a chance? We think not!

And now the end is near

The final Free Radio Skybird programme of this year (bar the repeat two weeks later) is on Sunday November 21st at 1200 UTC on 6070 kHz via Channel 292.

It features DJ Frederick, Justin Patrick Moore with The Radiophonic Laboratory and Weed’s own One Deck Pete with “Tunes to cheer you up.” Tune in!  #shortwavesnotdead #freeradioskybird

We all love free stuff! And if it’s dub, even better!

And just as we’d finished writing the last post, we’ve just heard on the 18th of this month (4 days away!) is the release of the FREE Echo Chamber – Around the world in Dub Volume 11/12 via the Dandada Records Bandcamp here.

An action packed 28 track dub set including The Process Skip McDonald, Trevor The Technician McKenzie, The Mutant Frogs, Plastic Culture & Dubby Doo and a brand new number from Jazz’min and Madtone called Return to the branches. 

Get on the site on the 18th and download it for FREE!

Photosynthesis in dub

We’re just researching a gardening related mix and just came across a collective called Plants Dub “a project of inter-species music that inquire the communicative transfer between the human being and the plants”. Now you’re talking!

We’re going to dig deeper (no gardening pun intended) and do some finding out. Here’s one to start with “Phoenix carariensis” which is the Canary Island date palm. Who says gardening and music don’t mix?

And just to press home the point here’s a mix from the good Dr Strangedub from the excellent Echo Chamber on KFAI from a good few years ago. Well worth a listen.
Dub gardeners of the world unite!

Songs for grey gardening days 1

Now here’s a nice tune to put on a Saturday morning when you were keen to do a bit of autumn cleaning up in the garden but the reality is that it’s grey and lashing it down. From one of the blokes involved in the Thievery Corporation on the Montserrat House label here’s Eric Hilton with a tune called Maestro Del Sunono.

The return of the golden birch

We had some nice weather during lockdown yesterday and during the lunch break (as we’re working from home) did a little bit of tidying up in the garden. Little and often as they say, even if it is just walking up and down the garden path wielding a pair of snippers and clipping here and there (cutting off the odd dead tomato and courgette stalk). It’s still gardening though isn’t it?

The stuff we sowed in the raised beds at the start of lockdown are still making progress, there’s some beetroot to be harvested, probably two parsnips and the odd tiny lettuce. It ain’t the good life for sure but it’s the life for us!

The upside down terrarium/fish bowl found in the street certainly gets used in the Weeds garden, it might have been moved yesterday to cover a pepper plant that is still going strong but previous to that it was keeping a bit of sprouting ginger and some garlic seedlings warm.

And just to prove it ain’t spring, our silver birch found in the street three years ago here is turning a lovely old shade of golden. It is November you know? The dahlias don’t seem to know it though! #lockdownlunchbreak

A tune for a Lockdown Sunday

Here’s a nice tune from Triptica out of Costa Rica called Mysterious Radio Signals found on Bandcamp this week while researching some music for a forthcoming DJ Frederick radio project. This is a tune that will get under your skin. It’s very nice indeed, one to lift those lockdown blues! #triptica #lockdownblues

On the first weekend of lockdown Argos sent to we…

It was a lovely morning, this the first saturday of the second UK lockdown so a bit of gardening was in order. It was only a light bit of gardening as we don’t know how long we’ll be locked inside for this time so we’ll make all the jobs stretch just in case. Anyway with gardening we at Weeds always prefer the “little and often” approach every time.

It was mainly a tidy up of the beds in front of the “Dad corner”, getting rid of the old tomato plants and whatever had self-seeded there. As you can see we’ve a new feature, (well we’ve had it for ages but it’s been hidden by self-seeded nasturtiums) part of the front wall that came down when we took out the ivy that was holding it up in the first furlough.

Also yesterday we threw out an Argos slow cooker we had for years that was on its last legs not before commandeering the inner crockpot as something to stick over the rhubarb crowns to keep them warm and come spring “force” the rhubarb to grow that little bit earlier. We know an old crockpot is not as good as candlelight in heated outbuildings (that’s the commercial way of forcing rhubarb. More about the practice here) but it don’t look too out of place in the garden. If they ask, we’ll tell people that it’s an expensive “dedicated rhubarb forcer/warmer” bought on HP from a specialist plant supplier (no mention of Argos either).

There were even a few forgotten spuds from the raised bed found too! Gardening during lockdown brings many suprises!

Travelling by tube during lockdown

DJ Frederick sails solo on the shortwaves on Free Radio Skybird this Sunday November 8th 2020 at 1200 UTC on 6070 kHz via Channel 292 as part of the station’s tenth anniversary. Then in a fortnight’s time the whole crew return for their final broadcast of the year. Tune in this weekend for some interesting listening! #freeradioskybird #freeradio #shortwavesnotdead #valvesnotdead