Tuesday, 23 July 2013

Stuff and other stuff.

Hi again,
I know, I'm rubbish at keeping up with blogs so I'll forgive you if you've wandered off- if you'll forgive me and come back once in a while :)

What's happened? Well..
It's turning out to be a  weird year. It started out massively promising with collaborations coming out of my ears. 'Higher' was a  huge huge hit and in a  couple of weeks we'll see just how big- and whether or not I can afford to mod my car..well, maybe just a  new gearstick will suffice. We'll see.

At Easter we learned that one of our four beloved cats, Charlie had the beginnings of terminal cancer. I won't depress you with the details too much but 2 1/2 months later it had spread throughout him,and although he still had some quality of life,  he needed hand feeding and watering  for two heartbreaking weeks and eventually we lost him, with help, near the end of June. 6 years with him after we brought him in as a  bedraggled, bleeding, terrified stray- nursing  him through injuries into a  playful, mad, happy little man with a  gigantic character, was not long enough, but I'm so glad that he came to find us. We will miss him very much.

But things are picking up again- after a slight lull in collaborations, songs are coming in again and the tremendous label Tactal Hots offered me a  chance to add vocals to a track written by a  very talented songwriter, James O Neill. They were very happy with the result and stepped things up, asking me to write the vocal section for another song which has turned out extremely well..I think their response was that they thought it was 'awesome'. So hopefully we have started something really exciting here.

Two songs have been finished with Derek Williams. I forget now if I'd already mentioned 'Sanity', a  great dance track that we smithed together- 'Void' followed it up which is just as fabulous but with ore of an 80s feel this time. Tracks are to be released as 'Izzie Voodoo And the People'.

There are other songs in the pipeline now which I'm having to fanagle in order to fit in with things but in the meantime I decided (on the advice of a  venue promoter) to add a  cover song (something normally I detest to be honest) into the Tokyo Witch Hunt set. We have decided to interchange songs according to venues and audiences but the first to come out of the bag is 'A Forest' by The Cure. Here's the link  https://soundcloud.com/tokyowitchhunt/a-forest-cure-cover .

Finally for now is the news that after 2  years' obligatory training time, I have passed my 2nd Dan promotion in Kickboxing. Since the embroidery company first cut the end of my belt at a strange angle and then proceded to get both dan bars wonky, I am told I'm henceforth known as 'Crooked Dan'!!

For anyone unaware of the general grading system with martial arts, there are 10 kyu grades leading to black which signifies the ability to understand and know fully all the 'basics' of a discipline..and then Dan grades follow from there and are sometimes regarded as being equal to academic degrees. I passed with 96%.  So I'm pretty happy with that :) Here's to the next 3  years!
Catch you soon x



Thursday, 9 May 2013

'Higher's Top 20 Hit, 'Ace's label contract And LOTS Of other exciting stuff.

Heyyy,
Just a  chance for you to catch up with what's been going on in the Voodoo camp lately.

'Higher' /'Dusk In the Woods' single, which was released early on Audio Animals label on April 27th (because of excitement  due to massive interest) finally reached number 20 in the Juno Charts, 'Higher' being in the DNB section, 'Dusk..' in the Dubstep. A budget video was also released to Youtube for both songs which astonished all of us by getting a  whopping 36,000 hits in 5 days just for the one attached to 'Higher'.
Audio Animals is a young London Dance label, but clearly with huge clout and myself and KSK are extremely proud to be associated with them and grateful for the huge effort they attached to our release.

'Ace', (written by myself, Phil Webster, (an established writer battling through Parkinsons Disease), and Peter Falconer, (who featured for 3 years as vocal coach on The X Factor)) is an entirely different genre, highly poppy and aimed at the eastern bubble pop market. It has generated enormous interest from very large labels and from several very well known artists wanting to release it as their own- but we haven't yet quite had a deal we've all been happy with- but, wheels are in motion to view a writer's contract to release it to very wide promotion...so we will see in the next few weeks.

Another track has been added to the album with Mark Sheppard of The Offering and three of the tracks can now be heard at Soundcloud in the Izzie Voodoo And the Offering set here https://soundcloud.com/izzievoodoo/sets/izzie-voodoo-the-offering .

Dance track 'Sanity' written by myself and Derek Williams has been completed, sounds amazing and we are considering where to go from here, but there will be follow ups in this collaboration too.

I have a  track sitting on my hard drive from an excellent DNB team, Recs DNB, also attached to Audio Animals label, which is due for my vocal writing and recording, and that will begin shortly.

Marxmyth and myself have almost completed a  second song for the Voodoo Myth collaboration, the first being 'Wired'...entitled 'Ice Castles' and finally (I think)..

I am currently completing the vocal writing and recording of a  trance track with Andre Ahuis, a  magical producer from Germany/USA which we hope will have some kind of stunningly exciting news by the end of the summer.

I'm told I'm doing a  kickboxing photoshoot for something or other on Sunday so we may possibly see some great, professional looking action shots soon too...exciting, innit??

Take care guys...love..Izzie.







Wednesday, 24 April 2013

Friday, 19 April 2013

Upcoming Releases and Stuff on my Hard Drive for you!


OK Guys, it's been too long again, I know but as ever lots has been happening.
My collaboration with Kaptain Spacecase ('Higher') which is drum and bass, is to be released 6th May on Audio Animals record label, backed with a  b side, KSK's dubstep remix of the Tokyo Witch Hunt 'Dusk In The Woods' . Now they have been professionally mastered they are both really terrific tracks.

There will be a  video available for both songs shortly and all releases are to be heavily promoted, beginning with airplay on Kool.fm, the worlds biggest drum and bass station, this weekend. We are hoping that it will do well in the Juno charts...you can sign up to be notified when it releasese below.

http://www.junodownload.com/products/kaptain-spacekase-izzie-voodoo-tokyo-witch-higher/2187393-02/


The current collaborations on my screen include a  great track, (an addition to the beginning of an album with Marx Myth (Australia)), an absolute killer of a vocal house/pop type track with excellent  instrumentals totally unlike his usual Jan Doyle Band material, from Derek Williams and a rather wonderful trance song that I have sketched with Andre A, an established producer from Germany who has had songs released on many huge labels, this, being aimed at Armada music amongst others..... so hold on to your hats.... and get yourself added to the list above :) Catch you soon. Izzie x

www.izzievoodoo.com    www.tokyowitchhunt.com

Tuesday, 12 March 2013

Izzie co-writing House tracks with Sheffield based label

Back in the studio for the first Dyer Records song....euppphhoria city — with Gareth Dye.

This comes after a  month in the studio  on the first highly addictive track with Australian MarxMyth 'Wired', another addition to the Offering album with Mark Sheppard in the form of a  very cool 'The Voodoo Cure', and a  cheesey bubble gum pop track 'Champagne' written for the Asian market with Phil Webster.

Next news is that Audio Animals are to release 'Higher', the first co-written track between myself and KSK, producer of Audio Animals Label (Kent) with his liquid dubstep remix of my (Tokyo Witch Hunt) track 'Dusk In The Woods' as B Side in April (possibly 22nd but tbc).

Tokyo Witch Hunt are to play the first gig with Sabian Jon Hardcastle in place on keyboards and backing vocals on 22nd March at The Fenton in Leeds alongside Jan Doyle Band   and Spekkulus. Door charge is 4 pounds. Doors 8pm.

Friday, 8 February 2013

UPDATE..Yeah, I HAVE been busy :)

If anyone is interested to see what I've actually been doing this last four months in the Dubstep, Drum and Bass, Electro scene, there are 'cut short' tasters of various collaborations and a couple of songs that have been kindly and brilliantly remixed here at the newfangled www.izzievoodoo.com . Would be nice to see what you think.

Most of them are soon to be attached to various record labels or publishers and Tokyo Witch Hunt's album is currently being reviewed for promotion into TV ads. More updates as I have them for you....oh and I've finally started grading for my 2nd Dan...yesss bring it on.

Friday, 25 January 2013

Trance, dance and back to stance ...gone blonde again

Thought I'd have a  change to match my trance/dance/whatever twist in musical direction.




Have a tendency to go in feet first!