Hello and Welcome

Hello and welcome to my music connoisseur. If you have read my about page then you will know who i am and what this blog is about. If you haven’t because let's face it reading about pages are boring and no fun to read then read on. I want to first say thank you for checking my blog out. I hope you will become a regular reader and enjoy the content I post. I thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself and a little about me and my biggest passion, music. I want this blog to have a personal feel as if we were friends discussing our favourite bands and our latest discoveries. So let's begin.

My name is jake. I live in the busy and cosmopolitan city of Brighton and Hove. My life isn't anything special nor can I brag about a long list of achievements and Montry success, , I wouldn't change this because if I did I would lose my biggest passion, which is music.

Music is a magical thing we encounter everyday. whether we mean to or not. It is there for us when we are happy and when we are sad. You pick the emotion, and there is a piece of music that goes with it. For me, music is a passion, an obsession, and a best friend. That might seem a little strange but it is the truth.

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I came to discover music through my parents, both of whom are creative. My mum was a painter and a choreographer and my father was a musician and both encouraged me and my siblings' creativity and love of music. I, however, was very different to my siblings and other children. I was A Shy and introverted child. I often preferred the company of myself to others until I discovered music. I was around the age of 8 when I was given a Hifi system by my grandparents that was capable of playing lps, CDS and tapes. I was amazed by it. It was huge! and looked like something from a NASA command centre. To this day I still get as excited as I did then when I remember the memory of this experience. But why did I have the HIFI system? I had no music to play and so I was given my dad's record collection. .

I can't quite put into words the experience of being given my dad's vast and eclectic record collection. But to me it was like discovering a pirate's treasure chest full of gold coins.It was through I discovered a treasure trove of classic albums spreading across multiple genres including blues, rock n roll, classic rock and more.My love of music was hiding in the a record collection and the album that unleashed was the beatles blue album.

From the moment the needle hit the record and the opening notes to strawberry fields came blaring out of the speakers I was blown away.

Taken away to a magical place, an audio journey that as an experience was the best I had. It was without a doubt a defining moment for me. One in which I discovered the first real band I became obsessed with, and I still hold this memory with such fondness. It might sound cheesy but hearing this record changed my life. Of course, I wasn't aware of that at the time but now I can see how it was life changing because my love and passion for music started that day

.However, that one album wasn't enough. The passion I now had for music led me on a long adventure into the world of popular music. Discovering bands that were to become lifelong obsession.to this day some twenty years later I am still just as passionate and excited by music as I was then.The excitement of discovering a new band or album still remains with me. The adventure is never ending but I had some amazing experiences on the way. Discovering the Beatles, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dyan,Miles Davis, John Coletrane, progressive rock and psychedelic rock and the mystical music of classical indian musician Ravi Shanakar would be some of the highlights for me. The lucky thing for me is once you hear one band it leads you to others which leads to other genres. It's a never ending game of dominoes.The more i listened to music the more i became intrigued by how music was made and recorded. I took a particular interest in studio production. I set about learning as much as possible on music producer and studio production. I readed every book I possibly could on the greatest records and the producers who produced them and so the next logical step was to enrol on a music production course and this is what I did.

The college was Access to Music in Brighton England. For three years I was camped inside a studio learning and practising production and post production techniques. Lessons were delivered both in practical and theoretical lectures where I was lucky to learn from experienced staff, some who had worked with bands I loved. My time at Access to music was full of experience that gave me the knowledge about studio technology and music production and the tools to study music technology and an undergraduate level music technology changes regularly and I continue to keep myself informed about music and studio technology yet it isn't where my passion lies anymore and know i embark on my next journey. A journey I wanted to take for some time but I have never started

But now I have a goal and this goal has helped me to begin the journey and this is how the music connoisseur was born. As a fan, I understand the frustration of finding trustworthy guidance in matters of music. It’s hard to cut through the noise of thousands of blogs with information that often fails to give the reader what they want. The Music Connoisseur aims to serve as a knowledgeable and trustworthy guide in matters of music via a mix of essays, links, observations, and amusements. With a perspective that is both historical and up-to-date. Readers will have regular access to content and insights that inform and inspire. I hope you all enjoy reading my blog and if you have any recommendations or want to contact me, please do so via social media or the contact form.