MWAH X

Well that's it I'm back in the UK...
You can carry on following the journey though at www.afroreggaedigital.com - there'll be new shows added all the time to the Introductory Programme currently broadcasting on the stream... There's also loads on the website - sets from the Favela Feva parties, picture galleries and pages from the students... Please log on now to www.afroreggaedigital.com - we want you to listen, and we want to know what you think so please email any comments to izzy@afroreggaedigital.com...
I tell you what it's been a blast, and continues to be... In many ways this doesn't feel like the end of a journey but the beginning of one... The radio station is up and running - we're recording shows with the AfroReggae family as well as guest artists and DJs; the first group of 24 students are about to embark on their formal 6 mth Radio Production & Web-based Media course, learning a range of skills from journalism to production to photography and DJing; the fundraising events continue with another Favela Feva party at Guanabara in September and BrazilianBeatz in Bristol on Nov 1st...
There's a lot to do, so it's time for me to go... I'm about to get on with writing another of the workshops (still a few left to start..!)
I want to send much love and respect out to everyone I met and spent time with in Brazil...
At the moment I am mostly feeling the word: Suadade
I miss you... but distance can't get in the way of love
Thank you also to everyone who supported from the UK - you have all made this possible not just for me but also the station, the students... who knows how far it can go..? AfroReggaeDigital is testimony to what can be done when we pool our efforts and work together for the common good... so thank you to everyone - in Brazil, the UK, all around the world, let's keep AfroReggaeDigital alive, on air and listen! New audio & visual content on the website all the time, hold tight for the live show coming soon too!
Kay I need to jump off of here... they tell me it's all about facebook now (4 months away and it's true - so many things stay the same, so many things change...) So I've got a page (look for Izzy Fairbairn) and there's an AfroReggaeDigital network going on too - www.facebook.com
So if I haven't seen you already I hope to hear from you soon...
Tchau (for now...) & Big Love, Izzy (not) in Rio (anymore) Xxx

HAPPY 14th BIRTHDAY to AFROREGGAE

Well I know I've been very bad staying away for so long... It hasn't meant there's been nothing to talk about though... The big news is is that THE STATION IS ON AIR... We had a big strategy meeting (gosh) a few weeks ago now, and kind of a second smaller one today where we've decided the immediate objectives for the station. There's been a show on loop up since Monday 4th June. This will be added to with various bits of audio - shows and inserts - from the AfroReggae family, students, guest artists and friends of the station, until September when we launch the schedule with a daily live show and regular shows online from the students. School term, so to speak, starts officially on July 9th and until then there'll be regular workshops creating content for the online stream and site. So please keep checking www.afroreggaedigital.com for some wicked beats and interesting (guaranteed to be..) radio from now.
In between the meetings I've been pre- and post-producing the show... got the red eye computer editing look totally down and had to play a lot of musical computers. I'm sad to say my laptop is not happy - she's got no space left in her at all and half her monitor is cracked so i'm currently writing this on a third of a normal screen size...... which means i'm gonna try and keep this short (oh dear she just went dark then not a good sign - i'd better be quick...) So bleary eyed in the middle of the edit I went on an amazing holiday with the fam... We went to the 2 sides of Iguacu (Wow - the power of the water, the rainbows, the serenity, the intensity) and staying in a lodge on the Amazon River... Chilled out with the monkeys and watched the sun rise/set to the sound of the jungle... Incredible - big up, thanks and love to the beautiful family.. Was a great week... XxX

Mario & I went to see Brazilian Saxaphone star Leo Gandelman at the old Rival theatre after checking out art at the National Museum - very cultured.

Taking some time off (Gasp)

So since last week I've had a meeting about the long-term funding for the station and done two full days of workshops. I've been teaching the students about Vox Pops and introducing them to the concept of interviewing. We incorporated a visit by 19 Natura staff - a natural cosmetics company that sponsors AfroReggae - into Tuesday mornings' workshops and got the kids to teach the basics of jingles and on-air delivery in 15 minute sessions. I have bought more equipment for the studio including a big clock and clipboards. I have also (thank the lord) had the chance to catch up on old emails and things to do!
AfroReggae have advised us to slow down with the project in order to take stock of what we've achieved and allow AfroReggae, as an organisation, to catch up. Although there's still a great deal to do in terms of compiling workshops and updating the website I am trying to heed their advice! We have a big strategy meeting on Wednesday when we will, as a team, decide the future steps of AfroReggaeDigital... We have reached a real turning point with the project. Everything so far has gone incredibly well and everyone is very happy - we must now ensure things carry on as such (which never fear, I'm sure it will!!)

DJ Andy - hands in the air..

Crazy Scratching

SP & The Drum n Bass tent

In between catching the sites of the city we raved at Skol Beats for my birthday. Had a wicked time and it was real nice to see some of the DnB boys. Caught joke, drinks and had a little dance with Fabs, Groove, Dynamite, D Bridge, Friction, SP & Calvin. Marky did some crazy scratching and DJ Andy - a Brazilian DnB DJ - played a stormer - a wicked old skool set. It wasn't the right atmos. to get audio for the station so I'll be sorting that out when I get to London. Thanks to Edo at Bulldozer for sorting out the AAAs anyways...

Buildings and Cars...

Buildings and cars...

SP was all buildings and cars

Had a wicked time in Sao Paulo last weekend although I have to say I didn't much like the city... so much pollution, so many stressed out faces, so much concrete, so many buildings, so many cars...

So last Thursdays workshop was great! In the morning Carlos, Valnei and Tatiana prepared a show on James Brown (it was the day of his birthday on Thursday May 3rd). They did some research, picked some tracks and wrote a script. The show was broadcast on Saturday - it should be going up online - watch this space. In the afternoon Paulo and Victor got to grips with the decks after recording vox pops around the centre and in the streets of the favela. They were asking people the question 'What do you think of AfroReggaeDigital?'. Braps to Mario and Fabio who did a wicked job helping us out with the workshops.