Nelson's Return

Nelson Street

So the street is really begining to take shape now with new colours appearing in every corner and a very excitable atmosphere. I'll be down there today to complete my contribution and take some more flicks of my own. Come and say hello if you pass through...

Photo stolen from Geckoo76!

See No Evil

The transformation of a much loved/loathed Nelson St, Bristol has begun and amongst the first artists to get started on their paintings are the legendary New York writers Bio, Nicer and BG183 - 3 members of the TATS crew.

They say you should never meet your heroes but this morning i couldnt help myself. I spotted them arrive at their wall and just had to head over and say a quick hello, showed some appreciation for them blessing Bristol's street with their work, and cheekily asked for a photo...




I used to copy these guys designs out of Spray Can Art when i was a wee lad and i'm sure i'm not the only one...! I cant tell you how excited i am to have caught these portraits.
BIG GRIN!

The OG Hiphop Mixtape

If you are like me and love REAL Hiphop from the golden era (circa '87-97) then this one is a must for you...

Mixed and blended in 2006, this one was lost for a while until i uncovered it on an old CD (the original files were lost on a stolen laptop a few years back) and ripped it back onto my current computer. So here it is - take a listen and let me know what you think!

DJ Acerone OG Hiphop Mixtape

Radio Show Mixtape

DJ Acerone Radio Show Mixtape Vol.3 (2008)

Download it for free here now!

EDIT:

In response to Felix's comment and one of a similar nature from elsewhere - what's the story behind the mixtape?

Well, before spray cans and photography came DJing. During the early 90's when the rave scene incorporated everything from acid house to drum and bass, i was obsessed with DJing - just how two different records were blended together to make one seamless landscape of music fascinated me. With a few other like-minded wannabe DJs at school, we argued about how it was done - something about a mixer, a cross fader, some records and pitch control were endlessly discussed at lunch breaks, usually whilst sharing an earphone each from the Sony Walkman. TDK tapes got swapped, 10th generation copies of Top Buzz's '2 Blacks and a Bubble' were made, crackly versions of that DJ Sy and MC Teckno at Obsession were on constant loop. In truth, none of us had the first idea of what we were on about in the beginning but soon we were 'staying over at our mate's houses' and sneaking out to the Ruffneck Ting at the Depot, Bristol Exposure at Trinity and Sutra at the UWE with fake ID at the ready. And before too long, one by one we managed to acquire Technics turntables and began frequenting Replay Records in the bearpit spending all our hard earned pocket money...

Fast forward almost 20 years and i still have the decks, although they dont get much use these days. Before i became a Daddy i had a little more time to mess about with records and make mixtapes (which takes forever!) and this one was the last one i made before other elements of life took priority. Its a mash up mix of the tunes i was loving at the time, spliced together using mixing, scratching and a load of samples taken from a very odd 7" i found in a charity shop that featured lots evangelical preaching and readings in the form of a pseudo radio show. Looking back realise just how much spare time i must have had back in early 2008!

Anyway, take a listen and let me know what you think

;-)

People Everyday

A Good Friday

Friday was a good day.

It was my turn to get up with the little one and he didnt stir until 7:45. Work was good. I met with my Nan (76) and her fella Brian(74) and took them to the private view opening of the MShed Museum and spent time with them looking at artifacts and images from Bristol in the Blitz. We sat in the WW2 corrugated iron bomb shelter and they told me stories from their youth, whilst i tried to get my head around how all this could have happened in my city just two generations ago. I took them to see the mural i painted with Andy Council. Nan stopped everyone who walked by and embarrassed me by introducing them to her grandson; the artist. And then she got a round of teas in and we hung out in the cafe.

Linked up with Andy Council and did a bit of live window drawing. Was handed a free beer. Listened to Miles Chambers perform a poem that fired out his feelings on 'his place' in Bristol and connected to a whole load of it. Had a chat with him and he was cool. Was handed another free beer. Went back downstairs to the gallery where our mural is and met Richard Long who was taking a look at our work :-) Had a chat with him and he was cool. And then Jono Motorboy got the drinks in at the Ostrich.

Then returned home, only to find a little package on the table containing these:

Boxfresh navy Puma suedes from Feb 2002 - Perhaps my holy grail of trainers.

Friday was a really good day.

M-Shed opening weekend

(click image to enlarge)

Saturday 18 June 10am – 9pm 

A day of activities celebrating ‘Bristolness’ past and present. Highlights include a Procession of Professions, led by the Lord Mayor and his Mace Escort. Civic, commercial and creative sectors will come together to reinvent a bygone ritual with a contemporary new twist. This will depart Castle Park at 11am and snake through the heart of the city for about an hour on its way to M Shed. Photographers will mark this moment in time for the archives of the future.
We will also be joined by artists Andy Council and Acerone who will be inviting visitors to draw on the windows at M Shed, plus a mass chalking where you are invited to draw your impressions of M Shed outside on Museum Square. Sessions take place throughout the day- drop in, no need to book.
There will also be an affordable programme of walking, talking and performing tours sharing the city’s histories, secret sites and special places throughout the afternoon and evening. See the full programme and booking information
Book your free timed tickets for entry into the museum: mshed-saturday18june.eventbrite

MShed Movie

Try Again

I decided to draw upon some imagery FLX and I produced a while back with dancer and all round athlete Dirty Dave for a painting for this year's UPfest last weekend. Here is a short journey through the stages of the idea...

Capturing the movement trail left by small torchlights attached to Dave's wrists and ankles whilst he jumps from right to left across the gap.

Portrait taken with long exposure of Dave moving into a freeze which is then lit with an off the camera speedlight. We did lots of these..

We revisited the style with a bit more planning - 3 flashes set off at various points during Daves dance pattern. This one remained more or less in one spot, but he did many more which moved across the frame, one of which i used for the painting.

Marking up at the Try Again pub in Southville, very late on Friday night.

Painting filled in and finished on Saturday evening.

Big thanks to all the artists i spent the day with, John the Barman and the friendly locals, and everyone who stopped to say hello...

Another great year for UPfest - good on ya'll for making it all happen.
:-)