Back this week

After a few weeks break from groundcutting and edgebreaking netcasting (without any fish being hurt) I have been prompted to return to your Sunday morning ears by the saddest event.

On Thursday evening John Kings died - you don't know him but I do. He spent the last 30 years working to improve the lives of rural Africans, latterly through the organisation run by himself and Mary his wife in South Africa, www.tsogang.org - I was privileged to help that work for a few weeks in 2009 after leaving Culture Lab.

John was an amazing bloke and we shared a love of music some of which I would like to share with you on Sunday.

Steve Dales

Lawrence of Arabia

SGS 31st July 2011

Catch up.

Hi - just realised that my blogginess had somewhat diminshed recently. Oh thank God I hear you cry he's back at last our earsouls can receive sustenance...well that's what I thought you cried.

3rd July Show

Blue show (no speaks)

17th July Show

Sorry about that - another show happening tomorrow.

Night time is the right time

Sidney Grove Sleepytime

This link will take you to sleepytime heaven - or at least a sample thereof.

Tonight was to be the first show but Culture Lab servers are being difficult so we're postponing this until 10th July. The evening will alternate with the morning on a weekly basis and that will be followed by famine, drought and the occasional shower.

See (hear) what you think.

Exclusive Attenborough bong bong biggedy bong action

I pre-recorded this one because I had family commitments in London and Falmouth (it's in Cornwall and it's boring - although my son Tom likes it) - it's interesting that it took me a lot longer to record my speaking bits - when you do it live there's no second chance so if you say something stupid it's too late.

Anyway this session has some music from Iceland, Okinawa and other places too. There's four songs from African countries from different times; the most recent being a Malian singer called Fatoumata Diawara here's a link to her youtube video of 'Wilile' as featured on the last show:
Lovely Fatoumata being lovely

I recently discovered a blog that features a lot of old-time reggae so I was happy to include two songs from Desmond Dekker the second of which segues with a unique recording of Sir David Attenborough
which exclusively reveals the hitherto unknown smoking habits of this most revered gentleman. Wild life.

Sidney Grove Sunday 19th JUNE 2011 by Steve Dales on Mixcloud

I should have thought about this before I started writing but I didn't.

Completely forgot to write a blog for the last show - forgot to record it too so had to record a home-made version for mixcloud. So that's it really. I'm going to be away for the next one so I'm pre-recording it in advance so you'll think I'm there even though I'm not.

Sidney Grove Sunday 5th June 2011 by Steve Dales on Mixcloud

The famous peg metaphor as applied to radio.

This week I have chosen a row of multicoloured musical choices set off against the grey, blue, pink and green background of my mellifluous speaking voice. It's interesting how, working without notes, I always manage to say something I: (a) can't finish without 'umming' or 'erring' or wondering why I'm saying this because I don't know what it means, (b) didn't mean, (c) has a worryingly downmarket double-entendre (I'm all about classiness ordinarily) - this week, 'imitating farmyard animals with his organ' (shades of Captain Beefheart) or (d) all of the above.
 Despite a great deal of practise I manage to cut of a beautiful song before the end and then attempt to cover technical difficulties by speaking when we've already established that anything more advanced than breaking wind and breathing are problematic for me! I crave your indulgence.

Sidney Grove Sunday by Steve Dales on Mixcloud