So here we are, 2017. Another year older and if I'm honest, another year more disillusioned.
This is the ninth year that I have been blogging and as much as it would be a blast I don't see me making it to ten. No I haven't got some incurable disease or anything, it's just that I have been having a period of introspection lately.
For the past three weeks I've had a really nasty bout of flu which pretty much wiped me out all over Christmas (and my much-awaited NYC trip). This meant much bed-time and amongst the seriously-strange hallucinatory nights I began a time of thinking about stuff.
What does ABU mean to you?
I bet it means a lot less than it used to. It certainly does to me. These days it has become a place where I advertise my latest DJ-ing gig. Who really wants to visit the blog to be told that? No one living anywhere more than 20 miles of Norwich that's for sure.
I feel like I have nothing left to offer you any more. Blogs are dead. I'm surprised ABU has shuffled on this far into the millennium. Facebook (cough) and other social media sites seem to be where it's really at nowadays rather than some antiquated Blogging platform - sorry Blogger, but you really are looking old. I even dabbled with a few Wordpress templates which looked nice and fancy but that would've been starting again from the ground up. Hey, no probs I like a good challenge but at the end of the day again, what is it all for?
I need to think about whether I stop the Blog for good or do I just start something else?
Moving on to another point. The podcast.
I love making the ABU podcasts. Trust me, the little, iddy-biddy pieces of editing that I do that I know no one but me knows that I've done it is just the sort of geeky delight which floats my proverbial boat. In truth though the shows take a lot of time but that's mostly due to my perfectionist nature. I could bang out a show in a couple of days but I want each one to be as good as I can make it which usually means beginning the next as soon as the last is complete. Many late nights contribute to them and much focus is taken away from my family to do them.
When my youngest daughter once drew a picture of our family and I was shown as the figure in the corner hunched over my laptop then this was the wake-up call I needed.
Going through the figures on Hearthis.com tells me that I get listens from as low as 71 to as high as 131 for some shows giving an average of around 95 plays per show. Add the monthly live stream listeners from Disco Scratch which amounts to something like 20 and I suppose the results are okay. Not brilliant but again not some I'm-putting-my-head-in-the-oven statistics.
I missed the December podcast slot as I was away. This month's excuse is that I'm still not 100% back to normal health. I'm thinking about scrapping the regularity of the shows anyway and perhaps the surprise of one day seeing a teaser poster for an upcoming irregular ABU podcast may be the kick up the bottom it needs to send listeners into a frenzy. Maybe? Maybe not.
ABU was never a vanity project for me. If anything it was an outlet to pour out my scribblings of what I liked about hip hop at the time, sometimes uploading albums when I felt like it such as the Electro series and the odd Mike Allen cassette rip. The podcast came after doing one for a college project and enjoying it enough to do it for real.
Thank you to anyone that has ever been a part of ABU in any way. There have been many supporters over the years and I want to send heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you. Some of you have been there from the beginning and are still here now while some have drifted off along the way for whatever reason. One man, Ramses has supported from year zero and although just the occasional comment left on a post still means you're around. Thank you.
Of course it goes without saying that the mighty Disco Scratch and Style Warrior have been solid stalwarts in my corner and staunch supporters of all things ABU - Waxer & LG, thank you.
By the way whilst typing this I am listening to one of the greatest DJ mixes I have had the pleasure to hear - DJ Super JB's mix for The Hip Hop Sessions. An hour of electro funk mixed with the finesse of Mastermind on the GLI. He has remastered it especially with the goal of it appearing on the next ABU podcast. You will love it. The Chuckles won't.
Anyway, to paraphrase Public Enemy, the future of ABU is in doubt.
- Repo
UPDATE:
Since I initially typed this out at the weekend it has laid dormant for a few days whilst I have been thinking about hitting the 'Publish' button.
Since then however..... breaking news...... Both Disco Scratch AND Style Warrior have decided to shut up shop this week. Yep, these two mighty components of musical masterpieces in the UK scene are disbanding. No more Thursdays hunched around the radio at 9pm. No more interaction in the chatroom.
This is all a bit bizarre and actually has pretty much made my mind up for me now.
Here are their statements:
Disco Scratch: http://discoscratch.co.uk/2017/01/11/stick-a-fork-in-me-im-done/
Style Warrior: http://www.stylewarrior.co.uk/farewell/
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5 comments:
Hey B
I for one will greatly miss your all you guys nonsense. The time, love and dedication that has been put into keeping the spirit of this thing, we all love alive has been nothing short of incredible.
I would personally like to thank you for all your hard work and coping so well with the masses of shit you have had to take over the years..
Big up your chest (when it gets better of course)
Dan Fluent- A very proud Ageing B-boy
Yesterday I saw Waxer's tweet about the end of Disco Scratch, and now this?! And I thought 2016 was bad (meaning bad not bad meaning good). I loved the ABU shows, the closest thing I ever found that felt like the old shows of the 80s.
I'm hoping for more but if it's stopped being fun for you then there's a point where you have to move on (like a lot of things in life).
Whatever happens, thanks for all the shows, I discovered ABU around April 2012.
Thanks for putting in the work, best wishes for the future, hopefully there'll be something else, some time.... peace!
-Jqyxl
Very sad (athough not entirely surprised) to hear of the demise of ABU Ben, as you point out yourself the humble blog seemes to be a thing of the past now. Hopefully you'll at least get some extra time with the Family Repo, those kids have an annoying habit of growing older so enjoy them while you can!
Gigantic thanks for all those Mike Allen rips, old school links and funky fresh podcasts (and don't worry, more people notice your editing mastery than you might think), pretty sure I speak for most of us when I say that an occasional ABU show is infinitely better than no show at all!
Enjoy your time off mate; who knows, I might even get me one of those confounded FaceBook accounts and see you there...
All the best sir, it's been a magical ride.
Hey Reeps.
First of all. welcome to the revolution. That is.. get the fudge off the internet. The fact your kid drew yourself hunched over a laptop is bad.
secondly.. get off facebook. Think to yourself.. what did i do before it? when i wanted to speak to people, i knocked on their door. Take it back to the 80s like Stranger Things and speak to people face to face.
I took myself off of social media in 2014 and havent looked back since.
Social media is only for nosey fookers who like to check your shizzle without speaking to people.
radio/blog/online life is a balance between your own time and family time. i used to do the USB show and blog which ate up my time. I used to spend over 15hrs a week into going through albums, and finding the best music i thought would appeal to the audience. At its peak, figures were great but in the end, i played to 2 people a week.
The radio stopped and was handed over to Lennie, who boosted listening figures with the live element each week.
I soon stopped the blog afterwards.
Only thing i can say is try to combine both passions.. family and the music.
If youve never been to NYC, take your family on the Hush Hip Hip tour with Grandmaster Caz.
Your family will see what it means to you and you will find renewed faith in what you do.
All i can say is, keep on blogging if you have time.. if not ..stop.
family first.
likes, adds, and subscribes are bullshit.
dont feel it, dont do it
Hey Repo,are you still going to be playing at the Rumsey Wells?
cheers
Justin
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