Tag Archives: Madtone

Heavy like dirt

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Cheers to Simon, Paul and Ricky at The Dirt at Radio Fab International for having us on their “gardening show like no other” tonight and for playing Madtone’s “Compost your mind” at the start of the programme. Check out The Dirt on play again here (Go to The Dirt 15th June 2014) Madtones Compost Your Mind is at 1.36 mins, the interview is at 26 mins and the brilliant Idiot Gardener going off on one (in a very funny episode) at 43 mins. Listen in and have a laugh!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Chn7FlNO7SM

Johnny Clarke – Roots Natty Congo b/w A Roots Version (Attack)

Big up Joey Jay (brother of Norman) for playing this track on his Kiss FM Roots Reggae Show many moons ago, another production from the great Bunny “Striker” Lee. If “I am the gorgon” is showing at a cinema near you, do go as you won’t be disappointed (and you will laugh many times while watching it!)

The right to garden (but not in this rain though!)

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The Right to Communicate – TFT vs. Duppy Girl (HD) Official

Cheers to Nic The Fellow Traveller, Madtone collaborator and remixer (a TFT remix of Dark Dread will be released very soon!) who sent us a tune of his from late last year by himself and Duppy Girl. Brilliant stuff!

Free Madtone tunage

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media network plus websiteThanks to Keith Perron for featuring music by Madtone as the theme tune and jingles for the excellent Media Network Plus Programme on PCJ Radio International out of Taiwan over the last few years.

PCJ Media are now making the music available for free for a limited period only through their ftp site. All files are MP3 and come with CD artwork. Here’s their FTP address:

HOST: ftp.pcjmedia.com
LOGIN ID: madtone
PASSWORD: madtonecdpcj

More info here. Thanks for spreading the word Keith!

Scratchy, very scratchy

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The Realms – Happiness is your middle name/Happiness version  (Summertime)

Here’s another tune found in Coventry (possibly from John’s in Hillfields) many moons ago, a lighter slice of UK reggae produced in 1975 by Clement “Clem” Bushay (he of Louisa Mark’s Six Sixth Street production fame).

I only found out while trying to find the single on youtube recently that this is a version of a Stylistics original and also sounds like it owes a debt to Edwin Starr’s “Stop her on sight (S.O.S)” at the beginning. A fine tune with a mellow dub that has a touch of the UB40 sax about it but nice all the same.

http://soundcloud.com/weedsuptomeknees/the-realms-happiness-is-your

There is such a thing as a free lunch pt. 2

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A big shout to Dr Strangedub and DJ Baby Swiss of KFAI’s Echo Chamber on their new compilation “Echo Chamber – Around the World In Dub Vol. 1 & 2”, two CDs worth of heavy dubwise, world-wize sounds available as a free download from Dan Dada Records. Featuring some excellent tuneage from Zion Train, Trevor The Technician McKenzie, The Mutant Frogs, Dubmatix, Kukan Dub Lagan and the debut single “Dark Dread” from Madtone (my good gardening self) from a few years back. A perfect compilation for blasting out while chilling out on a summer’s evening in the back garden. Available free from

http://dandadarecords.bandcamp.com/album/echo-chamber-around-the-world-in-dub-vol-1-2

A date with the rain

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In the days before the council introduced “wet money”, a couple of extra quid a month to work in all weathers, the rule was you didn’t work in the rain (“It’s a health and safety issue, ain’t it guv”). So at the first sign of grey clouds or even someone walking past in a raincoat, we would stop what we were doing, look up to the sky and put our hands out to see if we could feel rain and if we did, would make our way up to the shed for a few hours of tea drinking.

The hard and fast rule was if three cars passed consecutively with their windscreen wipers on, it was officially raining so we could stop work. How mad is that?

Rock, rock, plan it rock

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As the garden is starting to wind down for the year, now is an ideal time to give it a bit of a spruce-up which will give you a head start when things liven up again in the spring.

I’ve raked up the last lot of leaves, bagged up some for leaf mould and stuck a few in the compost bin to add some “brown” to the kitchen peelings, tidied over the beds and generally made the garden look a bit more presentable.

If you’ve anything in pots that needs protecting from the frost and snow move them into the shed, conservatory or greenhouse (if you are lucky to own one). If the pots are too big to move, stick some bubble wrap around the bottom to keep them from cracking. With plants you can’t move, protect them with some horticultural fleece or net curtains (a cheap alternative from the second hand shop or skip). A good layer of mulch around plants will keep the soil frost free and keep the moisture in. Cold frames and cloches come in well handy this time of year too. I sowed some overwintering Carrot and Lettuce seeds well late so have stuck a couple of mini cloches over them and hoping for the best.

Now is also a good time to plan what you want to grow next year. Make a list of what you fancy and have a look through the seed catalogues/on the web and see if there’s varieties suitable for your garden and climate. I’ve already ordered a few packets of seeds and they are now in my scottish shortbread tin, so by January I’ll be itching to start them off in trays on the kitchen windowsill (to the detriment of the paintwork which I have to redo every year!)

So like with anything else, a little bit of preparation and forward planning comes in handy with this gardening lark.

Do it properly!

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I spent a couple of hours in the back garden today dodging the old boy next door (he wants me to cut back my apples trees) and started my third attempt at a compost heap. With two behind me, one woody and as dry as a bone, the other formerly a smelly slush but since adding more “brown” material, it’s now on its way, I’m making sure I go by the book with this one.

In the new year I’ll be attending the composting course at walworth garden farm for pointers in the right direction but in the meantime, no twigs or woody material, getting the right mix of “greens” and “browns” and adding the material in two inch layers into the free plastic bin I got off the council.

It was filled to about three quarters of the way full with layers of shredded newspapers, kitchen peelings, leaves, nettles, a few handfuls of rotting material with writhing worms from the other heap and a unmentionable liquid to start it all off. Fingers crossed!

There will be irregular updates of how it’s getting on.

Get up and use me

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One thing I’ve learnt over the last few years being broke, is to make the most of what you’ve got and to reuse as much as possible. Bob Flowerdew, gardener’s question time panelist and recycler to the max, always comes out with brilliant ideas, reusing something ordinary in an unusual way that’ll benefit his garden, from old fridges as cold frames, knackered radiators as garden paths and thin strips from old venetian blinds as plant labels. Inventive eh?

Being broke shouldn’t stop you gardening, if anything it should inspire you to be more creative with whatever material comes to hand. I compost my garden/kitchen waste, collect autumn leaves and make leaf mould, reuse all plant pots after giving them a good clean and save all my bamboo canes for next years runner beans like everybody else does but here’s a few more ideas:

  • Jam jars: Brilliant as mini-greenhouses for starting off seeds outdoors or giving those just planted seedlings some protection.
  • Plug plant containers: Take out the plants, refill with compost, sow some seeds, water and hey presto more plug plants!
  • Gardening twine/wire: Wrap onto a small bamboo cane rather than throwing away and use again.
  • Long twigs and non thorny prunings: Use as “peas sticks” to support your prize peas!
  • Scratched CD’s, jam jar lids and free DVD’s from the sunday papers: Thread twine through them and hang between bamboo canes to keep birds off your seed beds. 
  • Comfrey and nettle leaves: Make your own plant feed which will save you a fortune!
  • Ice lolly sticks: Great as seed and plant labels.
  • Margarine tubs, yoghurt pots, persil capsules (or similar) plastic tubs: Stick in a few drainage holes for great seed containers.
  • Cardboard egg boxes and cardboard toilet roll holders: Double up the egg boxes for a good seed tray and use the toilet roll holder as a pot for seeds like corn that don’t like their roots being disturbed.
  • Car tyres: A local nursery school has a few on top of each other as planters. They look a lot better than you think.
  • Small metal dustbin: Drill a few large holes around the bottom of the bin for a great mini brazier for your garden or to take camping (thanks Marc for that top tip!).
  • Old biscuit tins: Great for saving your seed packets in, you know I like a box!

The list is endless and the above is only a start. If you have any good recycling ideas post them up here as I love a good gardening tip like anyone else!