I thought I would start a little series on the blog called “Songs that changed my life”.
Firstly, because I feel it would be a great way of recommending you/reminding you of some really amazing songs you might not listen to that often/at all.
Secondly, because I feel like it would be a nice way for you to get to know me a bit better.
Simply because music plays, and has played, such an important and major role in my life, and I would like to share that with you.
Dave Brubeck – Take Five
This song will always have a special meaning to me. I started playing the saxophone when I was 8 years old and I always used to find the classes really boring. I got inspired to start playing the sax by the street musicians at Copenhagen Jazz Festival that my parents used to take me to when I was younger, and safe to say, the songs we were playing at my state funded saxophone classes were nothing like the songs I have heard those street musicians play. I remember hearing this song and literally falling in love with it after 30 seconds. I had no idea what the song was called, who was playing it, so I had to dig through my dad’s jazz records, in hope that he would have it. The joy I felt when I one day finally found it can not be described in words. It was on repeat for at least 6 months, and I remember sitting in our “music room” at home, listening to the song in small parts, over and over again, trying to find the notes on the sax, driving my mum crazy with the repetitiveness. But the satisfaction I got the day I finally nailed the entire song, aaaah, one of the best feelings in the world!
Nina Simone – Sinnerman
I came home from school one day and my dad was playing Nina Simone in the living room. I still remember until this very day how I just walked into the room, sat down, and we didn’t say a single word to each other. No hello, no how was your day, nothing. We just looked at each other and it was like we had this mutual understanding that this music had to and should be treated with respect, so we could talk after the record had finished playing. As I was sitting there on the couch, I recall thinking how powerful Nina’s voice was and being amazed over the fact that it could portray so many emotions at the same time. That was the day I fell in love with Nina Simone, and that love has only grown with the years.
Ella Fitzgerald – Misty
This song reminds me of being madly in love with a boy, my first love, and how he broke my heart into a million pieces. How I was sitting in my room until the early hours of the morning, listening to this song, and crying. It is a bittersweet memory, to one of my favourite jazz songs of all time.
Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto – Corcovado
I don’t have a very big family, and we used to have some what of a tradition of gathering the entire family on Sundays and enjoying lunch together. I can recall so many times when I was helping my mum prepare the food in the kitchen, with this record playing in the background. No matter how stressed we were, or no matter how much my dad was complaining about things, when this song came on, it kind of made us all rewind. It will always remind me of Sundays, and I am sure you will agree with me when I say that it is a perfect Sunday tune, preferably enjoyed in bed with cuddles.
Cannonball Adderley Feat. Miles Davis – Autumn Leaves
I can’t listen to this song without getting goosebumps all over my body. This is yet another song that I discovered early on in my life, but that has followed me throughout all these years. I don’t think there are words beautiful enough to describe this song. For me personally, it is one of those songs that you put on, close your eyes, and get completely lost and consumed by it. It’s almost like a spiritual experience, you can feel your soul being touched by every note, and it takes you on this magical journey where you suddenly forget about all your problems, your surroundings, all the things in your life that weighs you down… It’s like you and the music becomes one, and for those odd 10-11 minutes, nothing really matters, because all you can feel is pure happiness.
Good morning my darlings!
Ahhh, feels so good sitting by a computer! (not my own though…) Woke up this morning to find out that my twitter account had been hacked. Great! Technology really hasn’t been on my side this weekend. After a lot of texting, I finally managed to get hold of Ashley so I could borrow her laptop, and here I am now. Twitter account has been fixed (hopefully) and I guess I can continue with this lazy sunday. Still missing my music, but just realised that Ash has spotify, so I might login and satisfy my musical cravings. Oh, coffee is ready! I shall be back later. x
Good morning!
So, horrible news, my laptop died last night! The screen went bright blue, I rebooted, and my dear pc was telling me that a Windowns root file was either missing or damaged… I almost had a little meltdown. A big thank you to all of you who called and emailed to offer your help, it really meant a lot to me.
I’m sitting in the livingroom now, writing this on my iPhone. Feels a bit strange, but what has struck me the most is how dependant I am on my computer. I’m not gonna lie, the thought of losing about 6-7 years worth of pictures and documents (such as articles, texts, poems, song lyrics, letters etc that I have written) makes me really sad. They might not be that good, but they have a big value to me, kind of like my blog. It’s like a referrence point, a bit like with music, I can go back and see/read things, have a giggle to myself, and actually appreciate the fact that have grown and developed and changed as a person. Don’t know if that makes any sense, but I like looking back, because it reminds me (especially when i feel a bit down) of how far I’ve actually come, all the struggle and work I’ve put into being where I am and having what I got, and even if it’s not very much, it does help me appreciate things in life in a different way.
Either way, what I usually used to love about Saturdays is that I could get up, make myself some coffee, and do a bit of blogging. So safe to say, I felt a bit lost this morning when I couldn’t do my usual routine.
I have a couple of posts I need to write because they have been circulating in my mind for a while now. Hopefully I can get the laptop fixed by tomorrow evening, but if not, please excuse my poor updates from now on.
I hope you have a lovely Saturday, the sun is shining on north London, and I’m off to see my best friend david. Much love to you all! X
Many people often ask me why I decided to stay in London after I finished university. Everything is much more expensive over here, it can get pretty lonely from time to time, it rains quite a bit, and I don’t actually work with music any more. I would say this podcast is the answer to that question. In my personal opinion, OrsiiCast 7 is one of the best ones (musically) I have ever made. This 59 minute mix lifts my spirits so high that I can’t stop smiling and yes, my heart does beat a bit faster when I play it. It includes incredible tunes from the likes of Paul White (have you bought his album yet!?), Dam-Funk, Souleance, Joker, a stupidly addictive remix from Mumdance and one of this summer’s favourites, Shimmy Shimmy Ya by Prince Fatty. So go get listening, it’s a good one! Much love! x
Tracklisting for OrsiiCast 7:
01. Paul White – Looking Out To See
02. Dam-Funk – Mirrors
03. Shafiq Husayn – Lil Girl Feat. Fatima
04. Budamunky & Joe Styles – Cute Hoes
05. fLako – Yeah Yeah Yeah feat. Versis
06. Jemini – Funk Soul Sensation
07. Souleance – Mañana
08. Miles Bonny & Hudson Mowhake – Overnight
09. The Heavy – How You Like Me Now? (Joker Radio Edit)
10. Joker & Ginz – Purple City
11. Santagold – Creator (Mumdance War Bars Remix)
12. Jay-Z vs Lefties Soul Connection – Party Life
13. The Soul Snatchers – Good Foot Down Feat. Curtis T
14. K-Os – Superstarr Pt. Zero
15. Mos Def – Quiet Dog Bite Hard
16. Prince Fatty – Shimmy Shimmy Ya
17. Taggy Matcher – My Adidas
Anybody?…
This tune makes me want to be in bed with somebody I like, all cuddled up on a Sunday morning, with the sun shining in and the smell of fresh coffee & newly baked croissants.
Good morning my darlings!
It has been another crazy weekend. Went and saw the new Harry Potter movie with Cata, Toby & Nat on Friday. Safe to say I cried approx. 1 hour out of the 2,5 hour movie. It wasn’t like the book, missed out a lot of things in my opinion. Nevertheless, it was amazing. (Spoiler alert if you haven’t read the book or seen the movie!) It was horrible to see Dumbledore die, I was crying so much my seat was shaking. And the whole Hermione/Ron drama made my stomach hurt (boys can be so thick sometimes!) and of course, when Ginny FINALLY kissed Harry I had butterflies all over. Oh god, just thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes and gives me goosebumps. I need to go and see it again! Can’t wait until it comes out on DVD! (Yes, I am a Harry Potter geek! I’d say, only people who have grown up with the books can relate to these feelings.)
Saturday night was incredible, but a bit messy. Met up with Nic at Cargo, had a bit of a “misunderstanding” when it came to the drinks. I was buying us vodka + tonic all night, whilst he was buying gin + tonic. Neither of us had any dinner before we went out, and the mixing of the drinks didn’t aid us hahaha. But we had such a good time! I love going out with Nic because we always have a blast. I was blown away by The Blessings, first time I saw them and damn they’re good! Bullion took our breaths away. Great set with amazing tunes. I loved the text Rob sent me going “What was it you said made you want to make music again? Cos Bullion is having that effect on me…!” Made me smile.
All in all, fabulous evening. And the fact that I got out of bed around 6pm yesterday only adds to this awesome weekend. A bit of a letdown that I didn’t get my Chinese takeaway, but shit happens. How was your weekend? Much love! x
I love and miss you so much!
Good morning my little sunshines!
I have to say that I am on a natural high today. This weekend looks like it will be heavy! Many things going on, but one thing I’m especially excited about is the second edition of the Brownswood Summer Bubblers Party at Cargo tomorrow night. The first Summer Bubblers last month was wicked, but the lineup for Saturday gives me fuzzy feelings all over. DJ sets from Bullion, Alexander Nut, Joker, The Blessings & Katie Skills PLUS a live set from De Tropix.
Because it is Friday and because I want you all to get into the right mood, I think you should download Katie Skills Summer Bubblers Mix. And since I am feeling extra generous today, I would also recommend you to download Bullion’s Mixed Up In Love Mix, it is a big favourite of mine!
Oh, and before I head off to actually do some “real” work, don’t forget to check out Peggy UNLTD (she is a star, mad respect for her!) & KSPACE.TV!
Much Love to you all! I hope you have a wonderful Friday! x
Good afternoon my friends!
I hope you are all fine this lovely Thursday afternoon. If you didn’t come down on Tuesday night to check out DJ Mitsu The Beats, I’ll have you know that you missed a fantastic night. It was the first time I ever had the pleasure to hear him play, and it was magical! I spent most of the night with my eyes closed, dancing away to all the amazing tunes & beats he was dropping. Didn’t get much sleep, so I was feeling rather rough yesterday, but it was worth it!
While I was sitting and waiting to be able to go get some lunch, I found out about this cool competition over at Spine Magazine where you could email them and get the chance to win Paul White‘s latest LP “The Strange Dreams Of Paul White“. The competition was 2 days old, so I didn’t expect to even be considered for it. However, with a spare 5 minutes on my hands, I thought “what the fuck, why not…” and decided to email them anyway. I started writing the email, and realised I had no idea what I was meant to put in it. Being a bit tired and in my usual “Orsi mood” I decided to send them a little poem that went like this:
“The Strange Dreams Of Paul White” is so fresh and raw,
People should buy the album, and not just listen to “Cheese Special & A Draw”.
Every time I listen to Paul’s tunes, my heart skips a beat,
And I find it very difficult to sit still in my seat.
The way he sampled Lyn Collins vocals on “Waiting For Time” makes me smile,
But what I love most about his music is that it’s so versatile.
This LP is definitely The Composers Comeback,
Because Mr White has all the qualities that other beat-makers lack!
After having a good little giggle to myself and thinking “these people probably gonna think Im crazy”, I set off to have some lunch. I get back in the office, and to my very big surprise, I have an email waiting for me from one of the editors, saying that I have won a copy! Needless to say, I jumped out of my seat screaming like a little girl! Not only did that make my entire day, BUT THE ALBUM IS AMAZING! And I can’t wait to have my “real” copy, with the pillow case album cover and everything.
If you haven’t got this in your collection, I URGE YOU TO GET IT.
