For a while now i’ve been wanting to create and tour a proper dj/vj set with narrative and performance, and while we’ve had a few outings and opportunities, we’ve only really scratched the surface.

Alonside the music productions, the first attempt from a dj perspective was my fear and love mixtape back in 2006. Then the Mr Elephant mixtapes in 2007, and the opening of the que club set. At the big project x presents shows, i had the opportunity to work on multi-media sets working with the themes of the heroes journey, and digital distopia, and for the peace not war event at Drop Beats Not Bombs i got the opportunity to collaborate with bham dance collective, lisa wetton, and vj chromatouch, to create a narrative about war. All of which has inspired further collaborative projects, and taught new approaches into creating something which has the spotanaity of djing and vjing, and the structure of narrative.

With all the projects, proposals, and website developing, i’ve been feelin far away from the creative side of life, so i was most chuffed to have an inspiring hour long facebook chat with The Lab’s very own Tony Coleman today. His name sounds like a sports broadcaster, but he is in fact, one of the most innovative vjs in the uk, currently touring resident with Edirol and Cream…a top bloke with bags of creativity to boot.

We first met at the Project X Presents, when Leon Trimble drafted in his a list of vjs for the 3rd big project x presents show. We hit it off through a shared love of breaks, and an interest in political issues, and innovative use of djing, vjing and new technology.

Next connection was at a recent Plaza 2008 show, where Tone used my journey to the edge of somewhere mix to demonstrate his vjing with new edirol products, and since then we’ve spoke about taking something on the road. We’ve both been made masks, and like the idea of dj and vj being part of the performance, so this should see a lot more integration on that side of things. There’s also talk of playing a visual harp, and using a whole host of technology on both the audio and visual side.

Well now, (after that facebook chat!?) we’ve got a beginning and hopefully a more defined end in which to start basing the middle around. The theme is based on that speech in Network, Zeitgeist, Bill Hicks, and it ties in with the proposed Share to Create ethos, and forthcoming Z day on March 15th, though with Tony’s forthcoming german tour,  and our current commitments, we’re approaching it as an ongoing project set for the summer.

Inspired by X, Exploring the Y, to get to the Z.