When I was 8 years old, I was off school sick watching a documentary about motorways in England. I was only young but it depressed me. All that concrete cutting through the beautiful and ancient English countryside. The noise. The pollution. Eight years later, I was enjoying my first spliff in a bedroom at the top of the house I grew up in. Twenty six years later, afer smoking weed that long, professionally, I had my first hit of DMT in a house three minutes away, the one that just got repossessed. THE CHRIS had been pitching me constantly for days about doing some with him. I kept telling him I was a recovering pothead and the last thing I needed was to try something that costs £200 a gram. He kept on at me though, two telesales legends going toe to toe. He said it was the link to the spiritual world, shamens used it. It was synthesised from tree bark. I told Chris I had an important phone call coming in that night from Eileen Mulligan at Primary. I told him if the call went well, I would try some with him. Chris came round that night and Eileen rang. We spoke more about consciousness and conspiracy than music, but an hour later, after watching Chris on the other side of the room take hit after hit, I said goodbye to Eileen and put the phone down. A deal is a deal, the call had gone well. Chris wandered over to me and put the pipe in my hand. He told me to shut my eyes as it was more intense. I wanna see this, I thought to myself and kept my eyes open. The 1930's utility table in front of me liquified and the room became totally physchedelic in seconds. Like the inside of an Aero chocolate bar but dayglo orange. I could see the Atoms. This is what crazy people must feel like, I thought to myself. Much much stronger than the acid I had done in my late teens. Three minutes later the trip was over and everything returned to normal. I was howling with laughter. Chris loaded up another hit for me. I told him I had kept my side of the deal, but Chris, being Chris wouldn't let go. I sat back down and he shoved the pipe in to my hand and lit it. BANG, I was on a bullet train through my consciousness. Speed like I had never known and the fastest I had ever gone whilst remaining stationairy. Three minutes later, I stepped off the train and mutually embraced Chris in the middle of the room. We were both ecstatic.

"How much did you put in that hit?"

"More than the first, you went then mate"

"What the fuck?"

Chris was laughing, saying that I turned in to a big gold Buddah, which was weird, because he usually got the blue Egyptian spirit guide. Three months later, I am living on an island with roads not big enough for cars and NO motorways. I sail to work. The South China Sea is aqua green and unpolluted. The job I am doing helps British expats escape the horrific 55% death charge tax that their spouses are liable to pay on their lost love's pension. It will make me enough money, to release the music I love, in the concrete drenched UK. Oh, and on the island next to me, is this. 

http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/see-do/highlight-attractions/top-10/the-big-buddha-po-lin-monastery.jsp

Rod Smith's debut second album 'Above & Beyond is very wonderful. Only problem is, we fell out about six months ago because he didn't want me to send the Hulio Ridiculo album to my distributer unless he got ALL the money. So, I snapped and took all content relating to our relationship off the label. It's not just that I didn't think he deserved all the money, for spending a year compiling the album and adding overdubs to it AND mastering it. Passions run high between musicians. I wasn't thinking about the money, just getting it out there. It probably won't make any anyway. I sent him a text saying that I never wanted to see or hear from him again and I haven't. I said sorry by text a few months later and he still hasn't got back to me. But like I said, passions run high. I am hyper sensitive. If people are bad to me, it takes me twice as long, internally, to get over it. It is two days since I nearly got the sack. I just sat back with a glass of red wine and listened to this that I pulled off Recreation when I fell out with Rod. It made sense and spoke to me like an old friends advice, you know, gave me that warm fuzzy feeling. If Nick Drake was still alive, he would love this song and album. After compiling 'Above & Beyond' from two cd's worth of songs Rod gave to me, he said he was extremely happy with the track list I had done, after listening back to it. But, typical Rod, the next thing I know he is back in the studio with another producer, recording the same songs all over again. Always been like that Rod since we were in Hulio together. Always chasing perfection after he had achieved it. The last time I saw the album, it was on Adsinthe's floor when I was leaving his couch for Hong Kong. I looked at it on the floor, out of it's sleeve and thought about picking it up, but didn't. A good job then, that I handed it to Tom Campion at Universal last year when I visted their London office to find out why they hadn't being synching My Computer to film and TV. Tom is the man responsible for getting My Computer published by Universal. He was high on the success of Keane, who's latest album was at number one. I told Tom it sounded like The Beach Boys, which it doesn't. I just wanted him to listen to it and I knew he liked The Beach Boys. I gave Tom the cd and told him he should listen to it because it is a gold album and sounds like The Beach Boys.

Tom said "I like The Beach Boys".

Still haven't heard back from him though. I am going to e-mail Tom now and tell him to post it to my distributer. This could and should be CATALOGUE NUMBER REC005 after The Witches SENSATIONAL debut album 'When The Lights Go Out' REC004 this haloween. 

Anger is an energy. So said the Pistols. Had a really bad day in sales. Lost my basic, nearly lost my job. Been looking around You Tube for something that summed up how I feel and decided on this. I have less than ten pounds in my pocket no money for, well the forseeable. Good job I have just met a girl who buys me food and cooks for me, or Cheung Chau would have another suicide on it's hands. I said it was going to be the best and most rebellious record label the UK had EVER seen. For and strictly for the UK working class, stealing food and beer to survive. All the best music has always and will always stem from abject poverty and the struggle to get one's art accross. Something that marketing will never ever change. Try as it might, shite is shite. 

Just got this from a mate of The Lines.

Message : my mates band are thinking of quiting after playing to 1000 people in wolves at xmas yet no one outside there seems to care, any advice?

Here you go lads. Fear not, you might be CATALOGUE NUMBER REC003. I have survived 4 record deals and 2 publishing deals with BMG and Universal. I signed publishing with the same woman that signed Coldplay and Keane and I am tied in to it until 2026. I have had no sychs from it (Film and TV usage) despite blinding nationwide critical acclaim for both No CV and VULNERABILIA. My old accountant manages MUSE. I just found out that I am being stiffed on download sales of VULNERABLIA from a music lawyer. My house in England just got repossessed after winning 3 repossession battles. I have had 43 telesales jobs and made over 3 million cold calls to survive in the last 7 years. I set up Recreation Records three years ago and it's been hit over 3 million times, but no-one buys anything. I have had three colds and two blood infections in Hong Kong since I moved here three months ago. I live on an island famed for a spate of suicides that has been nicknamed death island. I have $120 HKD to my name. BUT, I have a tiny acoustic gig coming up in Central Hong Kong that I am warming up for. My fingers are arthtritic from 3 million phone calls, but the voice still shines like the North Star that it is. Talent never dies, only your spirit from jealous types saying "why don't you go on x factor?"

You know the answer!

Recreation are proud to announce the arrival of STILLS to the label. Their debut E.P will be available on 7" Vinyl from all good indie stores up and down the UK in June. They recently played the NME Tour aftershow party and have been remixed by Groove Armada. Two big name drops early into their career.

Coming up. The best, most exciting and most rebellious Rock 'n' Roll record label the UK has EVER known.

Go and get your Oscar Rodriguez! The first I heard about this guy was eleven years ago. I was in the 13 Amp office, sat next to Sigur Ros. Suddenly, this wild Irish guy with orange hair, bursts through the door and puts on some Chuck Berry, enthusing madly about the sound quality from the 1950's recording. A minute later he was gone. That man was David Holmes and his latest album 'Come get It I Got It' had Sugar Man on it. I left the office with it. I watched this documentary on the flight on the way over to Hong Kong and it took my breath away. Go and see it.