Spent the last couple of days changing a corner of my studio. I have two keyboards: an old Emulator E4K and a more modern Yamaha Motif 88. Both keyboards have been sitting on a large 'A' frame keyboard stand which occupied quite a bit of space in my studio. The Emulator E4K long ago got damaged when my old MPC 60 drum machine fell off the third level of the stand onto the Emulator's keyboard, breaking several keys in the process. The Emulator couldn't be played in the middle register due to the broken keys, though I kept using it for a while by transposing the sounds to either the lower or upper octave keys that still worked. When I purchased the Yamaha Motif, I stopped using the Emulator but kept it in situ on the stand with the intention of using a midi connection so that I could play its sounds from the Yamaha's keyboard.
Well, that was the intention but I never got around to it as the Yamaha provided everything I needed as a stand alone keyboard.
So, a few days ago I saw a metal six drawer cabinet for sale which looked like it might fit the space. My idea was to do away with the 'A' frame stand and the Emulator keyboard and place the Yamaha on top of this metal cabinet. After some slight hesitation I decided to go ahead and purchase the cabinet. The problem was how to get it up the stairs and into the very tight studio space. This required me to move various guitars and stands out of the corridor leading to the studio and also move a couple of items of furniture which narrowed the way.
Then the keyboards had to be disconnected and got down from the stand. The piles of boxed discs, notebooks, cables, plugboard and other items that were stuffed beneath the keyboard stand had to be taken out of the room, the Akai MPC 2000 drum machine had to be discioneccted and moved out along with its supporting table and various other bits and pieces to completely clear the space. This took up all of Wednesday and was something of a nightmare as there was virtually nowhere to put all this stuff...
The keyboards were very heavy to lift from their stands, especially the 88 note Yamaha which is built like a tank and is incredibly weighty. But, by late Wednesday evening the job was done and the studio cleared ready for delivery of the cabinet on Thursday.
Getting it up the stairs and manoeuvring it into the studio was definitely tricky but I was eventually pleased to see that it fitted the space perfectly and looked much smarter and tidier than the 'A' frame with its clutter of stuff piled high beneath it. The next task was to sort through all of this stuff and allocate it to the drawers in the cabinet, then the job of reconnecting everything and changing the location of the MPC 2000. Furniture and guitars had to be put back in the corridor too. Once again, I was shifting stuff around until late last night but today it all looks much smarter and tidier. (See photo's attached to this journal entry.)
Meanwhile, the Brexit debacle continues. This afternoon, Mrs May's withdrawal deal was rejected by Parliament for the third time in as many weeks. Both Parliament, the Government and the country are divided over the matter of leaving the European Union. It seems that no one has the guts to take the initiative and call the whole thing to a halt. The leave campaign was full of false promises and downright lies and now has been fined for breaching the official referendum regulations. There is also suspicions of Russian interference of the kind that attempted to tilt the US a elections in favour of Donald Trump. What a farce.
My personal opinion is that leaving the EU is a huge mistake which will come back to haunt those who thought it would deliver some sort of grand British paradise. Unfortunately, it will be the so-called 'ordinary' people who will suffer the most.
But where is David Cameron who was foolish enough to call the damn thing in the first place? Looks like he's keeping well away from it.
It seems almost certain we'll have a new PM, now that May is set to step down from all this too, but who we'll get is a matter of some concern. Will it be the glib, toffee-nosed Jacob Rees-Mogg? Or perhaps Boris Johnson, a man aptly described this morning on tv as "just a pound shop version of Donald Trump." Or will it be that sneaky little 'Tory Boy', Michael Gove? The thought is simultaneously hilarious and horrifying. Where will it all end? I can't see a solution other than to pull the plug completely or hold another referendum. The 'crashing out' alternative doesn't bear thinking about. Whatever happens, I just hope that nobody ends up poorer, (and not just in money terms,) after all this is settled.
On a happier note: I had a visit from my friend John Spence this afternoon. John is still in the process of recovering from his knee operation of a few weeks ago but is making progress. It's a slow and frustrating job for him but he's gradually getting better and I hope will be back in the swing of things before too long. Anyway, it was great to see him and hear about the two cats that he and Yvonne have taken in.
Now I'll attempt a bit of work before it gets too late...
Another flyer for the potential 'Tales Of Tomorrow' album.
My new studio cabinet.
Another view of the studio cabinet.
And another view...
And one more...