Long time!

Well its been a long time since I’ve updated this blog, apologies to all!
But just a quick message to let you know I will be back and posting updates when we go on the May Tour!
Expect behind the scenes pics, interviews and more, and reviews of all the tour dates we have coming up!

Speak to you soon!

Mr Hudson Holds On To Top 3 Spot!

Whilst JLS were knocked off the Number One spot today by Black Eyed Peas, Mr Hudson also slid down one place to 3rd in the UK Offical Charts. This is still a high position that everyone is really happy with, however, with the single CD out on Monday, hopefully there will be a higher chart position next week!

So get yourself down to HMV in the morning and get yourself a hard copy of Supernova feat Kanye West!

Raphael Mann Interview!

He’s a busy busy man, but between playing bass for Mr Hudson and running his own record label (Frizz Records) , Raphael Mann managed to find some time to sit down and answer some questions for the Mr Hudson Blog! Enjoy!

 

You’ve just finished a USA ‘mini tour’, how do you feel the American crowds reacted to you music? Did it differ from the UK crowd at all?

A large proportion of the audience out there was industry types, so you expect them to basically be checking you out, which is how it felt in LA…it was a warm enough reception, but people were standing still and listening, much like they did at home a few years back, taking it all in and processing it… But then New York should have been like that too but turned out to be a party. I don’t know how people got in, but there were somehow enough fans in the place to bring it to life…so Big Up NY!

 

 

What were you doing before joining the Library?

I had my own band called August, which I’m still keeping alive (there’s an album out in late September), I was playing bass and producing for Art Terry (who also has an album on the way that I’m on, in October), doing some dj-ing and organising club nights, and hatching plans to start a record label, which now exists…

 

And how did you come to be in The Library?

I got involved about five years ago, through a mutual friend of mine and Ben’s, the singer Jodie Berry, who was in the band at the time, and had been in August for a while (and is now on bvs for the Noisettes)…

I stood in for Joy at my first gig, playing the steel pan parts on glockenspiel, of all things, and then stuck around playing keyboards (before Torville Jones joined), and eventually drifted out of the band, but stayed friends with everyone, and when Ben signed his deal I came in as Production Manager for a while, basically as a justification to come on road and help out…

So when Maps left it was natural for me to step in on bass, since i was already part of the family, and I’ve been in the band now for two years… 

 

Aside from the Library, you also head Frizz Records, please tell us a bit more about it?

My aim with Frizz is to be a modern day equivalent of the great labels of the past that were run by musicians, and motivated by artistic rather than commercial forces. But still to turn it eventually into a viable business and so be able to introduce the music to a wide audience…

Island is probably the closest thing I have to a model. Atlantic too maybe… We get called a boutique label, which is a nice phrase, we’re definitely about quality and taste, but I don’t want to stay on that level forever, I think the music we’re releasing deserves to be heard by more than just the afficianados…

 

Your music policy is very unique, in that there is none other than you will “release anything as long as it’s good”. How did this idea for Frizz Records come about?

It isn’t really an idea exactly, it’s just me following my gut… I’d get bored if we limited ourselves to one style of music…I listen to so much different stuff…

Also I tend to be naturally attracted to artists that don’t fit into boxes, because I’m always looking for something fresh that will prick up my ears, so I think it’s not so much that I’m trying to cover all styles or anything like that, it’s more that I’m trying to find things that don’t fit a category at all, at least not an obvious one… Commercial suicide, I’m often told… We shall see!

 

You are very vocal about your opinions on keeping the vinyl alive, and your artists songs are released on it, why is this so important to you?

 Listening to music on vinyl has always been one of the biggest pleasures in my life, and I want to help keep that possibility alive for anyone who wants it…

I don’t have any problem with digital music, it’s great for portability and convenience, but vinyl sounds better, and feels better, it’s as simple as that really…

 

How did you find the artists currently signed to your label,?

I started close to home. Part of the inspiration for starting the label was to give an outlet to some of the music that I was either involved with or was going on around me…

David Garside and I used to play in bands together, and I’ve always been an admirer of his work, Art Terry I’ve worked with in one capacity or another for many years, and I was already making the August LP (which i co-wrote, played on and produced) when I hatched the idea for Frizz…

So i didn’t need to go far to have a strong roster from the beginning. Then Joy Joseph I know from The Library of course, and it was pretty much inevitable that we’d end up doing something together. And finally Leila Adu approached me via myspace, and I fell in love with her instantly, and thought she’d fit perfectly on Frizz. So she was my first proper ‘outside’ signing. The first of many I hope!

 The following questions are random questions picked from the No! Not The Biscuit

Tin page in vintage Smash Hits magazines! I don’t know if you ever read it when

you were young, but they had a section in which musicians would answer random questions picked from a biscuit tin!

 

I think the biscuit tin must have been after my time, but I grew up on Smash Hits so I’m more than happy to go there for you Daniela…

 

Who is your idol?

Duke Ellington. I read about most musicians’ lives and I come away thinking that however good their music was I wouldn’t want to have been them…except Duke…

 

What was your first job?

Making tart cases in a bakery. I believe the phrase is ‘character building’

 

What’s your favourite book?

Impossible question…even worse than favourite record… possibly ‘Mother Night’ or ‘Cat’s Cradle’ by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Long time since I read them, so it’s difficult to compare them to things I’ve read more recently, but they left a deep impression; taught me a lot about life in a very entertaining fashion, and those lessons only get more pertinent as I get older…

 

What was the last meal you cooked?

It was a team effort. I did the soup, and vegetable gyoza (Japanese dumplings). I’m lucky enough to live with several excellent cooks, including a professional pastry chef, so I get spoiled…but I can hold my own if I have to…

 

Would you rather go back in time or into the future?

This feels like a trick question…is it some kind of psychology test…to determine how optimistic I am… Hang on, this is Smash Hits isn’t it…um…future please…where obviously time machines will be common household appliances…

Many thanks to Raphael for all his great answers!

Mr Hudson storms in at Number 2 in UK Charts

Mr Hudson has sensationally entered right in at number 2 in the UK Charts.
A massive congratulations go out to him and The Library on such a big achievement

If you’re one of the few people remaining that haven’t bought Supernova feat Kanye West, then what are you waiting for! Download it at Itunes now!!

Mr Hudson Interview!

A few days before the release of ‘Supernova’, the now hit single featuring Kanye West; I caught up with Mr Hudson online to talk about a variety of things. From Jaguars to Spag Bol, it’s all here in this exclusive Mr Hudson interview!

 

You’ve just finished a USA ‘mini tour’, how do you feel the American crowds reacted to you music? Did it differ from the UK crowd at all?

 They’ve been incredibly receptive. I thought we’d have a lot more to prove but we’ve been welcomed with open arms. 

 

Do you think your degree in English Literature helps you with your song writing, if so how?

 Yes in that I think it helps me think outside genre. I don’t play by any rules and I don’t take myself too seriously. If you only compare yourself to your peers you might get a big head. I know I will always be a microbe next to Shakespeare. Some people think that a degree makes you feel superior, but I think it keeps you humble. You realise how little you know.

 

 How did you get into making music?

Can’t remember when I started. There are picture of me in nappies playing the piano.

 

 You once said in an interview that, “the Jay-Z in me would love to cruise around town in a gleaming Land Rover with blacked out windows, but my sensible, environmentally-conscious librarian half knows I should get a bicycle”. Has any half won the battle yet, or does the conflict continue?

No, I still can’t decide. Still torn. I’ll have to get both, tho it’s not gonna be a 4×4. I drove one in LA and was under whelmed. I think I’d like a classic Jag, Mark 2.

 

What is one thing you would like you’re fans to know about you?

Good question. I’d like the fans of the first album to know that I didn’t “ditch the library”. It’s a negative and overly dramatic phrase and one that keeps coming up. The Library disintegrated over time. The world turns and this is a new project. Who knows what the next album will sound like and who’ll be playing?

 

 

The following questions are random questions picked from the No! Not The Biscuit Tin page in vintage Smash Hits magazines!

Who is your idol?

Bowie.

 

What was your first job?

Teaching children how to build radios and other basic electronics (I was 10 at the time)

 

What’s your favourite book?

The Dictionary. 

 

What was the last meal you cooked?

SpagBol.

 

Would you rather go back in time or into the future?

Future (I wouldn’t want to be in a world without dentistry or antiperspirant)

 

Thanks to Mr Hudson for all his great answers!

Mr Hudson photos courtesy of Ian Bines

Here are a few photos from Mr Hudsons Itunes Festival courtesy of Ian Bines. I think he captures the action and mood of Mr Hudson and his music beautifully.

To see more of Ian Bines photography, click here !!

To see more of Ian Bines photography, click here !!

COMING SOON

Keep your eyes peeled for updates coming soon to the site including new pics from both Lovebox and Itunes festivals, and Somerset House with Calvin Harris pics and reviews, and also an exclusive interview with Mr Hudson!

All these things should be up by the end of the week, but due to work commitments, I can’t make any promises!!

DOWNLOAD SUPERNOVA AT ITUNES NOW IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY!

Mr Hudson Numer 2 on Itunes!

Mr Hudson is currently at number 2 in the ITunes UK top songs chart with Supernova feat. Kanye West! Thanks to all who downloaded it!

After on hours of sales, it was quickly climbing up the chart until coming to stop at number 2. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, what are you waiting for, it could be you that gets him to number 1!!

Supernova out today!

Supernova by Mr Hudson feat Kanye West is out today!

Its features a remix version by Calvin Harris.

DOWNLOAD HERE: http://tinyurl.com/lm2ypz

Mr Hudson and Kanye West on Alan Carr: Chatty Man Tonight @ 10pm, Channel 4

Mr Hudson and Kanye West were on Alan Carrs brilliant TV show Chatty Man tonight, if you missed it, you can watch the catch up here -

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/alan-carr-chatty-man/4od