MX Review of 2011 - A year for Drum and Basslines, KrisisDnB and as a DJ all over Europe

Before I start on 2011, it has to be said that the last 2 years have been a massive turning point for me. Not only have I been to so many different countries both to visit and as a DJ, but I have also met a lot of good new friends along the way.

The start of 2011 saw me in the UK for a month to finish work at Amelco. I had a good time there and helped to implement a lot of projects including the Jboss ATS system. However IT has been boring me for a good few years now and I was itching to get away from it.

That opportunity came in February. After a few months planning from the UK, it was time to launch Drum and Basslines in Ukraine. With a huge amount of help from Fade and Mnial in Kyiv, we managed to pull off a successful first event. Not easy for any of us especially as I was living in the UK during all of the planning and promotion for the party. It was evident at the party that a new beginning had started. A lot of very happy people, good music, and people for a month after the party asking us when there would be another one! Making a handful of international DJs and MCs on the way the Ukranian capital saw something they had never seen before.

Then time to visit my friend Alex in Tbilisi, Georgia! I had an amazing week in Tbilisi and the surrounding areas, and felt the hospitality of the Georgian people. They really do have a lovely country with wonderful people.

As I have done for the last few years it was then up to Minsk in Belarus for 3 months. This time staying with Sergey and his brother Alexandr just outside of the centre I had to get back used to russian food, but also to show them some of what we eat in the UK. The 3 months always passes too fast with DJ bookings in Minsk, Gomel, Bobruisk, Novopolotsk, and Molodechno, and before I knew it was just 1 last party for my birthday in Minsk. The second Drum and Basslines party and was very happy to be able to bring Mutated Forms to play alongside me before I headed back to Kyiv.

Still plenty do do over the next month with another trip this time in the summer to Georgia to visit Alex and my new friends there including David Noise and everyone at the Hangar Bar in the centre who once again made me feel very welcome.

Another promise I made a few years ago was to visit Esa-Pekka up in Finland. We managed to do this in June and got the opportunity to headline 2 events in Helsinki!! To add to that one of Esa's friends gave me a personalised MX tattoo which I absolutely love. Hopefully I will return to Finland again during 2012.

With a quick trip to Tallinn in Estonia and Prague in the Czech Republic the summer months had been amazing.

Coming back to the UK for a few months wasnt easy, and I really didnt enjoy it, so fast-tracked the next Drum and Basslines party in Kyiv for November. The lineup turned out to be so easy to form. After meeting Raiden in Kyiv in June, and having Mutated Forms at my birthday in May, the only real question I had was which of the top class DJs and MCs from KrisisDnB could I invite. With Inertia, Ruskal, Breakneck and MC So-Low I couldnt have asked for any better! We all had an amazing few days before they returned to the UK.

Its now the 23rd December and Im back in the UK for a few days to see the family for christmas. Then its back to Kyiv for New Year and their christmas on the 7th January.

Drum and Basslines 4 is already being planned for the end of February or March 2012 in the Ukranian capital. A lineup is being formed in my head as we take Drum and Basslines into its 2nd year, and KrisisDnB into its 5th year! I dont think NeO or myself had ever realistically expected things to last as long as they have, but with steady progress, a lot of fun, and constant hard work its seen not only a radio station but now a successful international event brand formed.

Lastly but by no means least I want to thank all of my supporters and people who have seen me this year. Ive had an amazing time, and cant wait for more in 2012. As always get in touch if you would like to see me play at one of your parties. Unlike a lot of other Drum and Bass DJs I am NOT in this for the money, I do this to make YOU have a good time, and because I love the music no matter what style or genre.

I have some ideas to increase my versatility for 2012 to bring me more into the visual side of a party experience. Hopefully that will make its debut at the next Drum and Basslines party in Kyiv in March.

I hope you all have a great christmas and new year wherever you are around the world! Keep tuned to KrisisDnB, and let us know if you want to see Drum and Basslines in a city near you!


MX (KrisisDnB, Drum and Basslines, UK)
www.drumandbasslines.com
www.krisisdnb.com

MX Drum and Bass / Breaks Tour 2011 - Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Finland, Estonia

It has already been another massive year for me, not only as a DJ, but having the opportunity to visit 3 countries I had never been to before.

Firstly I would like to say thanks to all the promoters who have booked me this year. And even more so to those that brought me back again and again ! I wish I could count the number of people who have been to see me at one (or more) of the parties I have performed at this year as it is in the thousands!

This year has been by far my most successful, and takes the number of INTERNATIONAL events I have performed at to 35 spread across 4 countries!!

And its not over yet... with a mini tour being worked on for October/November, and already bookings confirmed for 2012 I think I should get a frequent flyer card for various airlines and start collecting those air miles!

For this years tour my first stop was Kyiv, Ukraine for Drum and Basslines. The vibes were heavy, the support for the night immense, and the vodka.... well flowing ! Bringing Unknown Error with us was a bit of a leap of faith judging on his international reputation, and it worked out perfectly! I could not have asked for a better artist to perform alongside me and the other DJs and MCs from the UK. KrisisDnB well represented by Breakneck, Bartus, Projekt, Vinyl Richy Repul, Scaze and Max Fischer from Belarus, who all gave Ukraine something to be happy about. Supported by the one and only DJ Jike from Ukraine who is one of the biggest names in the country, Nickbee who is making his name better known with every new release he gets, Mnial and Fade who are both well known in Kyiv, and Playstid completing a huge lineup in just the first room! Bringing Reborn and Red Catz down from Minsk to headline the second room alongside Switch, Copaq and Detail it was a lineup of the very best.

4 days of constant party in the Ukranian capital will take a long time for the memories to go.

As those from the UK made their way home I was on my way for my first visit to Georgia to meet Alex Rayden. Even in a small country like Georgia I was always going to need more time than the few days I had. A country with so much history, countryside and landmarks to see. I decided while I was there that I needed to go back and see more!

Then my 2nd 3 month trip to Belarus... Time for the long train up from Kiev to the Belarusian capital Minsk. It didnt take long when I got there and met Sergey and Alexandr who I was staying with to work out my way around again, and for promoters to start calling me to perform at their events. I have no idea how many miles I travelled in total but it would be in 4 figures easily with sets in Minsk, Bobruisk, Gomel, Novopolotsk, and Molodechno. While I was there a plan was emerging in my head to bring Drum and Basslines to Minsk for my birthday and leaving party in May. I needed to do something different, but realised the difficulties and visa costs that would make things hard. Aleksandr from Mutated Forms was the answer I needed ! An established group of producers in the scene and based in Tallinn, Estonia meant the visa and flight costs were a lot easier than anyone from the UK. I had to bring my new friends I had made this year so Gelaz and Olly Hare who are well respected Breaks DJs in Minsk HAD to go on the lineup with my new radio partner Ricky Wild and one of our guests on the radio DJ Fader. Filling another top lineup in the second room was Red Catz who had just got back from a 2 month trip to Berlin, Reborn, Psher and Yellow_Int !

Meanwhile my housemates Sergey and Aleksandr had me making every english dish I knew while I was in Minsk so check out some of my recipies on www.cooknotes.ru !!! Back to pilmiene and bread until I come back next year hahaha.....

The next phase of my plan was to return to Georgia which I did in early June. Another good chance to see a bit more of the country and live life as a Georgian. I cant wait to go back again. Meanwhile in Kiev I met John from Queensland Australia who was over here on holiday. Some very heavy drinking nights (for me these days anyway hahaha....). Between us we both agreed that Kiev has so much potential as a city, but as a native english speaker its very hard to get around, not get ripped off, and to explore the city to the max. Weve decided to do a joint venture to build something that makes things easier for us and others coming here.

Next stop was up to Helsinki in Finland to see Dirty456. I wanted cold weather but was let down to find 30 degrees when I landed in Helsinki. First party to play at on the Saturday and a chance to meet Olli, Toni and Sami. Similar parties to those in Belarus where a variety of genres are played but everyone liked the different style of DnB which I play so I was happy. I had impressed enough to be asked to play at another party 4 days later which had the dancefloor rocking ! There was time for a day trip across the water to Tallinn in Estonia, and to top off a cool week Olli Ruikka designed and drew me my new MX tattoo!

My last week has been back in Kiev which has really been my base here since February. It is a cool city, and I think I have now worked out how to get around here and have seen everything I possibly could. Another cool party at Xlib Club to finish whats been an epic trip abroad.

Thanks to Fade, Mnial, and Alina for helping me out whenever I needed, and for showing me around. Now to start serious planning of the next Drum and Basslines event in Kiev for October time, and to finalise some more dates in my calendar for my 2012 tour. As always, if you want to book me for your party then get in touch. I dont use an agent as they are a waste of money and do very little anyway




MX (KrisisDnB, UK)
www.krisisdnb.com
www.djmx.krisisdnb.com
www.drumandbasslines.com
www.krisisdnb-djmx.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/deejay.mx
www.vkontakte.ru/krisisdnb_djmx

The way things are...

Time to say my views on a few things I think. Personally I dont care whether you agree with my views or not. I am putting this up on my blog as a blog is intended to be a collection of posts about a person or a theme which is exactly what my page is.

Having travelled away from the UK over the last couple of years its made me realise how the DnB scene in the uk is so riddled with politics its unreal.

On one end theres the so called larger names that appear on the top of flyers up and down the country every week. Yes a lot of them have done a huge amount for the scene in the last 20 years, but surely there is an end to someones 'shelflife'. The DnB scene seems to extend that far more than any other genre of music ive ever listened to !!

Then there is the lower end of the scene.. the 'up and comings' as they like to be known as. A million and one DJs and MCs scrabbling around for any small event they can get their names on the flyer for. I would like to think that im selective in the events I play at these days as some just simply are not worth the hassle even turning up to. 2010 was probably the first year I broke out of the 'up and coming' section and started doing what I wanted to do instead of whatever came my way. Yes there will always be events that I play at that I did not for my own benefit, but to help promote the event or a friend running it and that will always be the case.

Now I am living in Minsk Belarus it gives me a good chance to watch what happens in the UK from a distance, and in same way as I watched for the early part of 2010 it still makes me laugh how DJs and MCs I had in my studio in Southampton are exactly the same as they were 2 or 3 years ago. No vision to progress !!! I see people saying 'ooo im on flyer with XXXX (insert any well known DJ name) on XXX event'. I just think 'WOW, well done on getting yourself in 3rd, 4th, or 8th place on a flyer !!!'. Now im not one to rate any dj on their position on a flyer, and iv never been one to try and get flyer 'position' over anyone else. Where I am different to a lot of others in the UK nowadays is that Im not happy to be an 'extra' on a lineup. Thats one of the very reasons why coming here is more than just a holiday, is partly a means of my ambition to progress as a quality DJ in my own right.

Yes it may be a bit easier to come here and to get headline sets every month than it is in England, but it has got my name known to an audience from a different country and raised my profile loads. Personally I see that as a big achievement and something I am proud to be able to say I have done. There is still a long way to reach all of my goals but at this time Im happy with how things are going.

More soon !!!

MX 2011 Tour of Ukraine, Georgia and Belarus

Its started again ! 2011 and another few months out of the UK. After being hugely disappointed in May 2010 after not being able to sort the work visa I needed to stay in Belarus, ive had a few months back in the UK to sort my head out. Firstly starting work at Amelco which was a big opportunity for me to help build their helpdesk and automation strategy, test and implement their latest releases of software and to migrate to an offshore solution was an ideal situation for me to return to.

October 2010 and I met Viktor Ramonas ramdomly in London. I recognised the russian accent to his English and we instantly became friends. Nearer the end of the year I decided that with my forthcoming event in Kyiv, Ukraine coming up in Feb 2011, it was the perfect opportunity for me to make a second attempt to move to Belarus. It was not an easy decision to make as I was enjoying my work in the UK and had made a new friend who I had barely got to know properly yet. I wanted to stay at Amelco if I possibly could, and came up with a solution that I hope will work out for everyone.

Damian (Owner of Amelco) has been superb and given me the opportunity to do what I wanted, and I have promised him that I will always be part of Amelco. A sudden brainwave happened that it would be the perfect time for Viktor to take over my shift work at Amelco. Damian had always spoke about getting me off from working nights and into more of a central role, and Viktor has IT skills from his time at the University of Siberia to convince me he had the ability to learn the ropes in the same way as I did in June 2010. The only problem was going to be his English, but a mere 2 weeks after me starting my travels I have seen emails from him to various people that may not be perfect english, but are good enough for him to make a positive contribution to a small company like Amelco. I really would like to thank Damian and Leon for putting their faith in me and bringing Viktor in to assist.

Anyway the event in Kyiv was amazing. A busy club with plenty of happy faces was enough for me to say that my first event organised in the Ukranian capital was a success. Bringing Mr Gash (aka Unknown Error) couldnt have worked out any better. One of the most down to earth guys I have ever met. With a huge crew of KrisisDnB DJs from the station coming as well it was a perfect weekend full of laughs and plenty of vodka !

Monday 14th was a hard day to see Richy, Repul, Bartus, Projekt and Breakneck go for their flight back to the UK. Did I want to go with them?? Hmm maybe... but maybe not !!! I think on the balance of things they were the ones who were jealous of me staying here.

15th Feb and time to go to Georgia to finally meet with my good friend Alex Rayden. We have known each other for 3 or 4 years now and became good friends during the Russia / Georgia conflict a few years ago. I was so worried for his and his families safety. I decided then that one day I would visit and see Georgia first hand. What an amazing place with so much history ! I thought Russian was a hard language to learn (and it is!!!), but even reading the Georgian alphabet is so much harder. Fortunately a lot of signs in shops and streets are written in English which shows how international a country Georgia is. President Saakashvili has clearly spent a lot of time and money helping to make Georgia a place for not only tourists, but international businesses to find an attractive proposition. The only issue with Georgia is its disputes over South Ossetia and Abkazia. Hopefully those issues are sorted soon and Georgians can enjoy a peaceful life in their wonderful country.

6 days in the Georgian capital Tbilisi was so good. I had guided tour of the whole city by the staff in the hotel I was staying at, showing me the many castles, churches and monuments the city has, as well as the TV Transmitter and theme park that make the city stand out so much. And then meeting Alex was a mission accomplished for me after worrying about whether I would ever see him during the conflicts a few years ago. What can I say about Georgian food... WOW !!! ITS NICE !!! Dont ask me the names of anything as they al sound very similar, but what a variety of different styles of homegrown food they have!

Then it was the trip back to Kiev to then get my visa for Belarus. It was good to meet up with Alex Mnial before catching the train up to Minsk. Him and Fade have helped me and the Ukraine party at Cinema Club so much in the last few months and mean we will definately do another event at the end of the summer season.

I arrived in Minsk to meet Sergey. I had never met him before but we had spoke on Skype many times about the KrisisDnB Radio player. He had kindly offered to let me stay at his place near Minsk Arena with his brother Alex. I needed all the sleep I could get before my first headline event for this year in Bobruisk at Magnet Club where I played last year. Another wickid night with loads of girls all wanting their picture with me. Thanks to Oleg and Kieran (thats close to his name) for looking after me while I was there and for showing me around Bobruisk as well.

I have just got a text from Streamline asking me to run a few English classes for them today but I dont want to let them down and rush into things. They know my skills from a year ago, but a lot of that has been forgotten in the last few months so maybe start slowly and see how things progress. I cant wait to get back into the flow of things here but this year I want to do things differently and not be focussed just on getting the work visa like I did last year. I want to enjoy my time here and if I end up staying then all good, but if I have to leave I dont want the bad feelings I had in May 2010 when it was clear I couldnt stay.

So Andrew has now left to go to Germany for 6 weeks its all up to me to work things out here. I have always got Alex to help me and it will be good to meet Zeb again as well as everyone I met in Minsk last year. My next headline event is on 12.02 in a town called Novopolotsk which is somewhere I should have played last year if I was still here, so finaly I will get there !!!

More to come soon !!!

Pics from Georgia : http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/album.php?id=100001001114472&aid=37393

Pics from Drum and Basslines Kiev : http://www.basslineskiev.com/event.html

Pics from 25.02 in Bobruisk, Belarus : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=100001001114472&aid=38448

MX – Belarus & Ukraine 2010

New interview with MX in Maxumi magazine

What happens when you take one UK DNB DJ and throw him into Eastern Europe? Mention clubbing and most people probably wouldn’t think of Belarus or the Ukraine, but in recent years Eastern Europe has seen a near explosion in nightlife. Uncovering the scene in Eastern Europe is handily provided to us by DJ MX. MX may not be a household name yet, but in the past 5 years he has risen from being a bedroom Drum and Bass DJ, to performing Drum and Bass or sometimes Breaks at a large number of events not only in the UK, but also Belarus, Ukraine and Germany as well. Having just come back to the UK following a 3 month tour of Belarus and Ukraine, we caught up with MX to hear his views on his tour, Eastern Europe, and his life as a DJ.

Check the following link for the full interview :

http://www.maxumi.co.uk/2010/05/24/dj-mx-belarus-ukraine/

Hope you like, and please leave a comment!


MX (Malcs)
http://www.djmx.krisisdnb.com

MX needs help to stay in Belarus... AGAIN !!!

My plea for help to anyone who can give me some advice....

I would like to ask your assistance in a visa problem I have.

I originally came to Belarus twice during 2009 (August for a holiday, and October for a job interview as a native English teacher with Streamline in Minsk).

I was accepted for the teaching job (on an evaluation basis to start with in order for them to assess whether I was suitable for the role), so sold my house in the UK and came to Belarus on the 5th February 2010.

On arriving in Minsk on February 5th 2010, I purchased a Tourist visa at Minsk 2 airport. I settled in with my friends who I had been here to see in 2009, and a few days later went to Streamline to work out how they were going to assess me over the coming weeks. It was only then that they asked whether I had registered at my local office. I hadn’t, so went there the following day with my friend to solve the issue. I paid the due fine for late registration and confirmed that to Streamline.

At the end of February my visa was due to expire. I told my local registration office that my intention was to obtain full time employment in Belarus, so needed to know the best way to achieve that. So as instructed by them, I got a train to Kiev in Ukraine in order to purchase a new visa but this time a Guest visa for 30 days (I was told then that I would not have to make a further trip to Ukraine in order to extend my stay).

My assessment classes with Streamline were going fine, but they informed me that they were unlikely to be able to offer me a full time work visa as they already had 2 native English speakers and there simply wasn’t enough work for a third. So I started looking for alternative teaching schools or IT companies to work for, as I have over 20 years IT experience from the UK, so I was able to give Belarus something back from the experience I have. With multiple interviews at English schools and EPAM IT company I was so close to getting a full time job.

As instructed by the local registration office I went to them a week before my visa and registration were going to expire. I was informed that basically I had 1 week to obtain a work visa and to get it into the system in order to continue my stay here. However I still had a number of days allowance for one last extension as a guest. I enquired once again at Streamline who were very happy with my teaching skills, whether they could offer me a contract. They now said there was an opening so they could. So I went back (again) to Kiev in Ukraine and got the remaining days I could which would then give enough time for Streamline to sort the paperwork for my work visa if none of the other vacancies I had applied for came back to me in time. EPAM offered me the job as well as Streamline, and even though it was less salary, I decided to go for Streamline as it was something I enjoyed doing.

After about 15 days Streamline’s lawyer replied to my manager at Streamline saying that there was an ‘administration problem’ which meant that I was unable to get a work visa at this time. I then found out that in order to get the work visa, I needed a house contract in my name. I assumed this was the problem, and therefore, went out and rented a flat myself and got the contract which I then took to the lawyer today. It now turns out that that wasn’t the administration problem at all, but that the fact that I registered 3 days late when I arrived back in February was the issue. I immediately went to the British Embassy in Minsk to try to speak to someone but they are closed until Monday 26th due to elections I believe. It is now the 22nd April and my visa expires on the 27th April so I am very short of time.

Therefore within a week of me arriving here, I stood no chance of this ever working. I find this hard to take, considering the amount of effort I have put in to get things sorted, having spent a lot of money on visas, trips to Ukraine, and a house contract, as well as applications for job vacancies to companies in order to get me the best job I could, and sorting the necessary paperwork for the work visa. It was all a complete waste of time it seems. I cant believe how a lack of knowledge on local processes can do this. I accepted my mistake and rectified it as soon as I knew and paid the fine, which I assumed closed the matter. To have continued for 2 months spending the amount of money I have trying to make this work, without ever finding out until now that this registration issue would come back to bite me is unbelievable.

It is apparently 2 administrative errors that should cause a problem like I’m facing now with regards to a work visa, but it seems a SINGLE administrative error (my late registration in February) can mean I cannot get a job.

I would like some advice as to how I proceed (if possible) or who I should speak to before my current (and final) visa runs out on Tuesday 27th April.

This whole process upsets me so much as I have done everything I could, to learn local customs and laws, and to integrate and provide a positive contribution to every Belarusian I have met on both a social basis and from a teaching point of view as well.

I want to stay here and continue to contribute to Belarusian society !!! Of all of the countries I have visited in Europe (Germany, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Slovakia and Hungary), Belarus is the one place that I really want to live in ! I really hope that something can be done in the next few days to help me stay here.


Malcolm Taylor
http://www.krisisdnb.com

SKAR(RED) to Rave

SKAR(RED) to Rave
What a lovely morning ive woke up to !! Sun is shining, its nice and warm, and my work visa is getting sorted!

First laugh I had today was seeing what is supposed to be MC SKAR's birthday event on facebook. After Skar asked me to help him with it a few weeks ago, I was only too willing to help. He has been on the mic at a few KRISISDnB.COM events and I wanted to help him improve and get more exposure.
However it seems that he is now paying the DJ bill for the lineup and playing a cameo role, for what looks a Rollin Rave event. Flyer designer Ripraw has taken full opportunity to make it effectively look like his event even though its not costing him a penny, and presumably the 'put me on your lineup and you get flyer for free' has got past Skar easily.

That would have been criminal enough on its own, but not only has he managed to get himself on the lineup, but also the entire Rollin Rave crew from Mouldwick, DoubleMC (wannabe gangster, what a joke !), Kendall (who im sure will be all cool with his best friend DoubleMC on the night), and Hannibal who was recruited by Rollin Rave who saw another person who could be used to promote Ripraw and Mouldwicks brand because he beat Ripraw and someone else (cant remember his name) at a small DJ competition a few months ago.

Anyway the standard Rollin Rave flyer layout (slightly tilted with a rollin rave logo that takes up half the page) has been done (in probably 5mins as its the same as the last 4 or 5 flyers, not too bad to get on a lineup!!). I do feel sorry for Kendall though. Another puppet of Rollin Rave. He really does try his best to help and be part of it, but its very obvious that its Ripraw and Mouldwick who run things as they are so much higher up the pecking order than anyone else, if only Kendall could see that. Kendall is a good friend and he knows I helped him gain some experience and gave him the backing he always deserved.

So anyway, Skar did take my advice in using Empire Club in Bournemouth. Even though its not the best venue in the world by a long way, its not too bad. And considering the amount he has spent on a lineup then a cheap venue was always going to be the way to go. Skar wanted to be part of the KRISISDnB crew, but presumably as Ripraw made the flyer, there isnt even a small krisisdnb logo on it.

Im sounding all very bitter I know, but thats far from the truth. In the last few years Ive learned that there are so many people only in Drum and Bass to help themselves. I have never been like that, and have really tried to help everyone as much as I can. By doing that it has allowed me to give people an opportunity to get in the scene, but what it also does, is to show me when they get a little bit of fame then there true colours show through whether they are genuine friends, or just someone in it for themselves. Classic examples of people in it for themselves are DoubleMC, DJ Foxy (not the known MC.. a bedroom DJ i helped and gave an event to), Krogenik and Shakey, but the list is much longer than that. Its made me laugh at it all now, being over here in Belarus, I can watch them all arguing between themselves and licking each others arses to get a set here and there. I do hope Skar doesnt fall into that group as well as he is a cool bloke who can improve on his own without getting involved with the rest of them.

On a different note, the pirate radio thing in Southampton seems to have taken in the rollin rave crew as well as Kendall and Stamma (who will be off his tag soon I think) and probably more as well. I wonder how long it will take before it gets shut down again, and also before they realise that the handful of listeners on FM and the pitiful site that ukdnb.net has disappears. Personally I dont see the buzz with pirate radio on the scale they are doing it. Not only is it illegal, but everyone involved with it can be prosecuted if they are caught. Worth it for 5-10 listeners? Hmm.. let me think about that one hahahaha. With every FM station in the country now on the internet as well, they know its just a matter of time before FM disappears completely. Cars in the UK and abroad are slowly installing Internet Radios and as soon as that becomes more widespread then the drop off from FM will really happen.

So how are things in Belarus... well im loving it still !! I hit a small problem a few days ago in that my Vkontakte page got hacked so I lost all my friends and contacts I had, but im slowly building that back up now. My real problem is remembering everyones names ! Its still hard reading the language even peoples names, but im slowly getting there. Last weekends events werent as busy as I had hoped, but in the 10 weeks or so ive been here, ive played at some amazing events especially in Bobruisk and Gomel. Ive made some real friends here and the communication barrier isnt stopping me too much. Our weekly events at Reaktor Club had a quiet weekend last week probably because of the extended weekend break, but hopefully they will pick up again this weekend. I think I am also about to be booked to play in a town called Novopolotsk (think thats how its spelled) sometime in late April or May, as well as a return set to The Pocket Music Box event in Minsk in early May as well. Ukraine is looking likely for May, and it would be good to work with Tyke to organise my birthday event too.

Im gutted about the Czech Republic event. I had to extend my visa as you all know a few weeks ago but there was no way I could make it multiple entries to Belarus as I needed an invitation letter which I didnt know about. Therefore on a single entry there was no chance to get to Prague. Tony the promoter, did leave it till the last minute to even get the flyer out though which didnt give us much time to organise. At least AskArT is going to represent the station and after speaking to Tony, Red Catz, Yellow Int and myself will go to Czech Republic in the summer.

We have a load of new shows starting on KRISISDnB.COM in the next week. Some hugely talented DJs have shown a big interest in joining so im looking forward to hearing there first shows on the station. Shawshank did a 4 hour 'test stream' a few days ago which went well, Didz, Refix, Termz are all set up and will blast some Drum and Bass to the world, and or first dedicated Dubstep DJ Docta Blunt is ready to go as well. You can find there show times on the schedule page on the site.

My mini-website has had a little bit of a revamp with some new promo pics taken from my set in Bobruisk a week or so ago. Some fantastic pics I think you will agree. You can check them out on http://www.djmx.krisisdnb.com/

Following from past experiences, weve had more personal threats from Shedbass Radio who have continued in there quest to cause problems to the station and site. It appears now to be directed towards NeO, as its obvious that cant do anything to me being over here. I made an attempt to speak to them to clear things but got the usual form of response. Its been over 3 years now since we left and started KRISISDnB, so maybe its about time they just sorted there own station instead of harassing someone elses. Im the past I would never give them the promotion by even mentioning there name in a post, but now iv grown weary of hiding the fact. People can make up there own minds about what they are like and there station, it doesnt bother me in the slightest.
And lastly, after whats been around 2 months, NeO will finally have his internet connected back up in his new place next week !!! Then Phase 2 of the website really starts coming together. I think over the last few months the V3 website has gained us a lot of additional support from listeners around the world, so as we build on what is currently just a base of the potential the site has, then we should see that support grow substantially. You can check what is there already on the usual address : http://www.krisisdnb.com/. Please help spread the word by posting the KRISISDnB.COM link on your forum posts, blogs, websites, facebook, myspace or anywhere else you can think of. Let us know where you post our link and we will link to your page as well which helps you as well !!!

What now.....

Well, as we agreed with the local registration office when I made the trip to Kiev in Ukraine last month to renew my visa, we went back to the office in order to extend my visa in Belarus.

Alex and myself were both expecting some sort of fee to extend it and that would be it.... things are never that simple here. Yes I am now on the right visa type, but they have a limit of 90 days total a foreigner is allowed in Belarus per year. There is a way to extend it, and its a good job we went there today so I have 7 days in order to try to solve this. I now need a work visa, which requires me to have a work contract from a company that is permitted to employ foreigners. My whole plan from the start of this trip was that Streamline were going to employ me therefore giving me the required documents I needed to have done this from day 1.

Well that hasnt happened, and the demand for native english speakers at Streamline is covered by Ian and Cole. Cole has helped me out a lot to try to give me as many ideas for more work here, and I have an interview at a different language school tomorrow. Its a long shot, but will see what happens.

I will be so upset if I have to leave here. The people here have been fantastic, and its been so good to have had the chance to start to integrate with a whole different culture. Yes the language has been a bit of a barrier, but ive had such a good time, and I dont want it to end yet.

If I can just get a job sorted that pays enough to pay the rent and give me enough to live on alongside DJing here as well then im fine.

Well ive sent about 20 emails and made as many calls as I can to schools and even IT companies (which I dont really want to get back into if im perfectly honest) to try and make a last ditch effort to keep me here. If that doesnt happen, then I still have a few options...

I can go to Ukraine and teach down there for a while until I find something permanent in Belarus. I dont need a visa to be there so its a real possibility, and does give me the opportunity to see a bit more of Ukraine as well. I could go to Czech Republic as Im playing there in April anyway, so it sort of makes sense at least for the short term.

Hmm how about Georgia... I dont know the visa situation for there yet, but it really would be good to meet up with Alex Rayden especially as I intended to go there last year but couldnt afford it.

So many 'Ifs and Buts' its unreal !! I JUST WANT TO STAY HERE !!!! The only real way is to hope that the interview tomorrow goes well or one of the other emails ive sent out comes up with some light at the end of the tunnel.

I guess there will be another update on here in the next few days, I just hope its a good update !


MX (Malcs)
KRISISDnB.COM

LAST POST OF 2009 - 2010 IS TIME FOR THE BIG MOVE !!!

2009 is almost done and its been an amazing year not only for myself but also for KRISISDnB.COM. A brand new website that has left other stations trying to catch up with the lead we have taken. Some massive events with some real top class names, not many people would argue that Grid Recordings Twisted Individual is a legend in the scene so for us to have had him ask us to be resident DJ for 3 of our events this year was amazing for not only the events, but KRISISDnB as well. Big ups Twisted !!

For me personally there have been so many highlights this year, iv performed at more quality events than I did during 2008. That would be enough in itself, but the names I have played alongside has been unreal. I played sets directly before DJ HYPE and DJ PLEASURE which will be something I wont forget for a very long time. Meeting Josh (DJ HIGHROLLER) finally, after speaking to him for what seems like years it was good to get him to our event in Portsmouth back in February. Getting RUSTY over from Brazil, and seeing his face when he met both Twisted and G-Dub was unreal. My 2 trips over to Belarus and Ukraine were out of this world, so much so that the plans are almost in place for me to move there at the end of January 2010. A huge step into the unknown, but with real friends in RED CATZ over there its going to be a massive learning curve to learn a new language, meet new people, and build the KRISISDnB brand over there further. From my trip in August to Minsk It will be hard to forget performing midnight set in front of thousands of crazy russians and belarusians, it was one of the most nervous but also most satisfying moments in my life.

As with any plans there was always going to be some problems, after applying for voluntary redundancy 3 times at my current job, they kept on coming up with reasons why they couldnt let me go (fuckers !!!). However that wont change things, and in fact makes me even more determined to make it work. With a job as an English Teacher waiting for me, they can stick there job up there arse, as im not waiting any more for more rounds of redundancies to get the same response each time.

The KRISISDnB.COM V3 website had its initial problems going live, but it didnt take too long to get those sorted. Now its performing well and raised the game compared to other stations. Big ups to NeO for all the hard work he has put in to making it the best radio site on the web. Its only the start, and you can expect more groundbreaking developments during 2010 as we realise the full potential of what we can do with it.

Well im writing this on 23rd December, as there is absolutely no chance of getting in to work as the roads are iced up, cars smashing into each other, trains a joke as always, so sat here with a cup of tea surrounded by 2 heaters (not sure if you can be 'surrounded' by 2 heaters but oh well)

I expect this to be my last blog post of 2009, so to everyone who has supported me during the year have an amazing christmas and new year, and hope you will keep following me during 2010


MX (Malcs)
KRISISDnB.COM
http://www.krisisdnb.com