Interview w Raff / 1000 Flights blog

Po dlhšom čase opäť rozhovor s bloggerom. Na niekoľko mojich otázok odpovedal Raff, ktorý robí blog 1000 Flights - http://1000flights.blogspot.sk/

Rozhovor je v pôvodnom znení - v jednoduchej angličtine.


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Interview w Raff from 1000 Flights blog. It´s a great blog about obscure music.


MUZIKA-KOMUNIKA – 1000 FLIGHTS interview:


1. Hello Raff, please tell us what was the inspiration that pushed you to create your blog? Why did you chose the title 1000 flights?

Raff-The main reason why I started my blog is to diffuse old music, graphics, videos and fanzines that I have accumulated in my personal collection mainly during the 90´s. At the moment I am also converting into digital some tapes from the collections of good friends of mine.
1000flights is a title that has different meanings. The travellings of the body and the mind via various means, the out of body experiences, the highs due to drugs intakes and so on—various ways of travellings and meeting different energies. It also want somehow tell us that this blog is not about one music genre and I am free to post whatever it`s in my mind.

2. How was you start to the blog-sphere? Which blogs gives you inspiration? Can you recommend some other good blogs?

Raff-Back in 2009 I started to collaborate with 2 different blogs:Radiomolotv and Vita Ignes Corpus Lignum, I passed to them lots of my original rips, mainly cassette productions, 1 years after I joined Misterisoso Impossivel blog too.
There are lots of very good blogs, I can just add to check the ones I added in my blogroll or to make a research yourself. After all this is very easy. Mutant Sounds inspired me a lot...

3. Do you have some feedbacks from musicians/bands you´ve posted? What gives you motivation to continue?

Raff-Yes,some musicians and some bands got in touch with me after I posted some of their music and they are all very happy about it. So far I haven`t recieved any complaints but compliments and this gives me the enrrgy to keep going.
As I said before I like to share my original rips and the music that inspired me,and this is why I keep my blog alive, one day this will change but for now I am happy to do it.






4. Do you prefer tapes, vinyls or download/CD´s/ MP3? Are you buying new vinyls or tapes?

Raff-I love tapes,I used to run a tape label back in the 90s,make a fanzine and run a distro too,this is why I have all this „obscure“ releases from the past. I like to buy psychical stuff(cds-vinyls,tapes...)unfotunatly I am not so rich to buy lots of stuff.
I download some stuff , I am not obssessed with the downloads,I try to buy stuff when I go to gigs or festivals and support the musicians.

5. Are you into tape-trading ? Have you been in touch (writing, trading) with Pablo /STRONGLY OPPOSED label? I saw some tapes/zines from his production on your blog.

Raff-As I said before I was running a tape label called Contaminated Productions back in the 90s and I was trading my productions with lots of people around the world using the mail network .
I was in touch with Pablo(yes we traded lots of stuff),at the time He was running Resistance Productions, I met him once in Biel(Switzerland)at the Schortt Bar festival,I think it was 1994 or maybe 1996.

6. Do you used to play or do you play in some band or project?. And what about zines? Do you made some?

Raff-I used to play in Bandiera dell`Odio back in 1990 and then in 1993 I formed Brandelli D`Odio. I used to run also an ghost project called E.A. Mixing mail art, graphix, sound collages, videos, pics and more stuff. I used to write Contaminazione zine,I made 5 numbers back in the beginning of the 90s, it was a zine mixing punk and industrial music, mail art, politics and more random issues.
You can find lots of stuff from those projects in my blog.





7. Tell us short about punk/alternative scene in your city - bands, zines, gig places, activities...

Raff-At the moment I live in London, there is a lot going on here, I am not so much involved in the punk scene those days, I used to be in it long time ago. I still go to benefit gigs for the cause itself rather than the music,there are still good bands around anyway...to write something about the alternative scene in London I will need to write a proper report and at the moment I am not up for it, there are good webpages about it - check Eroding Empire for upcoming gigs or news or the webpage of the Birds Nest(a pub where there are lots of free punk gigs in South London),the Unicorn in Camden organize lots of punks bands and the gig are free of charge too...


8. Do you have enough free time for your activities?

Raff-Well,I guess I try to cut some of my free time for those activities,as I said before, at the moment I am happy to do it, so finding the time to run the blog it is easy, this will change in future.

9. How was your traveling in Nepal? Did you meet punks there? Did you found some alternative music scene there? Two years ago played here in Bratislava punks from Nepal – RAI KO RIS. I played concert with them and then I bought a couple of CD-Rs from their distro – bands from Kathmandu, punk/HC/ska...quite good...

Raff-My trip in Nepal was very interesting,I visited lots of places and I did the Lang Tang trek too, I met nice people on my way.
I met Serena of Rai Ko Ris and throu her other "punks" living in Katmandu.It was very nice to meet them and share ideas,music and more,I visited also their info shop, Rai Ko Ris splitted up but Serena has already another band,unfortunatly there was no punk gigs during the time I spent in Katmandu.




10.Can you try to remember and tell us about some of you memorable concerts?

Raff-Contropotere and Mutoid Waste Company making performance together at Villaggio Globale in Rome,it was the presentation of the cd by CP01, the techno project by Contropotere, I think it was 1995, Mutoid were running on their crazy cars and motorbikes pushing the people all over the place and Contropotere were playing at the same time-it was amazing.Also the performance by CCC CNC NCN in a DIY festival in Amsterdam back in 1989,Ruins at Tient´a´Ment (a social squatted center)in Napoli in 1990,Test Dept in the same place , I think it was 1991,
Survival Research Laboratory at Robodock festival in Amsterdam in 2007 and then lots of others bands: Victims Family, Alice Donut, NomeansNo,7 kevins, Gronge, Loop, Bad Sector, Orphx, Imminent, Axiome, Kirdec, Nuclear Assault... and the list can go on for a very long time, so I better stop now.


11. How do you covert the tapes recordings ? Which equipment do you use?

Raff-I use a Denon tape-deck and wavelab software.I try not to overuse the software in order to mantain the original sound of the tape.

12. Your blog plans?

Raff-Keep it alive, this desire might change in future or I might change the way.
I manage my blog, nobody knows what the future holds.






Thanx for your time Raff, I will publish this interview on my blog.


Mišo