Here's one of our newest Video Drama's... Alien Invasion! Enjoy
Tuesday, 3 April 2018
Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Gate Kicks @ the Sonic Protest Festival, Paris.
Gate Kicks @ the Sonic Protest Festival, Paris.
7th March 2018.
On the seventh of March 2Decks and myself (Javier) boarded the Eurostar for Paris, we were invited to talk about our radio programme Gate Kicks* at the Sonic Protest Festival 2018.
After nearly 3 hours sitting on the now vintage fast speed train, we crossed the English channel to reach Gare Du Nord. The bad thing was the exchange rate which in the station were paying just 45 euros for 60 pounds, unbelievable!!! But that was compensate with the cheap one day tube ticket for just 1,90 euros (something like £1.80).
When we reached Les Halles station we found this brand new building and shopping centre were the Mediatheque of Paris is located, the building design looks inspired by the London Aquatics Centre designed by the Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid for the London Olympics 2012.
This was the beginning of Sonic Protest 2018, a 10 day festival, which has been running since 2003. The festival mixes the best of experimental musicians from all around the world with bands formed by people with learning disability or menthal health issues. During the festival there are lots of different events like conferences, round tables, exhibitions, work shops, etc, giving an special place to the art and music made by people with learning disabilities which they call Art Brut, or Raw Art.The first thing we saw was a photo exhibition where pictures taken by 2Decks were the inspiration for a French disabled artist to do some art. Also they were exhibiting a large collection of music, cds and vinyls produced by musicians with LD from all around the world.
That afternoon there was a four hours live radio programme called Radio Tisto & Bruits Coloir, they broadcast music made by people with learning disabilities, including some tracks sent by us like the Fuzzbomb flash band and 2Decks.
2Decks was invited to talk about Gate Kicks and his own music. We were amazed to discover the large number of 2Decks fans in the room , they told us that the track Whacky Baccy was a sensation among the listeners of Radio Tisto which is produced by Les Harrys, who are young autistic adults, from their nomadic studio for Radio Liberte.
After the 2Decks interview he performed some of his classic songs including "something new for the old school"
This marvellous evening finished with an amazing gig which included the talented piano improviser Fabrice Foster, Glenn Marzin and Les Troupes De L'Imaginaire, please check them out.After a nice walk to our hotel the only thing we regret was not having enough time and money to stay the 10 days and enjoy more.
Gate Kicks which is broadcast every Tuesday at 10pm on Resonance FM104.4, https://resonancefm.com/
For more information about the festival: http://www.sonicprotest.com/
Thursday, 15 March 2018
Jamaica - I Can't hear You 12/03/18
We've been stepping it up an inclusive gear in our improvisational music sessions; bowing resonating tins with springs inside, cymbals, and metal bowls. All pitch shifted by Graillon and controlled with the LK app on ipad...
Duane- "I used my hands and flicked them and pulled the strings up and used the bow violin thing"
Jason- "I was playing the cymbal like a violin and I was banging it with a stick and I made a noise, it sounded like a church bell"
Darren 2Decks- "I was just conducting it, by giving out signs and signals with my hands to each musician. I really don't know how to describe how it sounds"
We're looking forward to our live Jamaica performance at our "Gatorium" Art exhibition details below...
Duane- "I used my hands and flicked them and pulled the strings up and used the bow violin thing"
Jason- "I was playing the cymbal like a violin and I was banging it with a stick and I made a noise, it sounded like a church bell"
Darren 2Decks- "I was just conducting it, by giving out signs and signals with my hands to each musician. I really don't know how to describe how it sounds"
We're looking forward to our live Jamaica performance at our "Gatorium" Art exhibition details below...
Monday, 26 February 2018
Upgate 26/02/18
Hey all, we have a new topical video drama to share 'Trump off" starring Jimmy in the lead roll! Check it out...
Friday, 9 February 2018
Upgate 09/02 *Happy Retirement Angus!*
As most of you know, a few times a year we hold police training at the Gate where our guys are interviewed by detective police officers so they can hone their detecting skills... Throughout the large part of this project Angus has been in charge, but he's reached the age where he'd like to hand in his gun and badge. We decided it'd be fitting for us to hold a party for him here at the gate, so below you can see the song we recorded for him, pictures of the party and a special video drama just for Angus.
Thursday, 1 February 2018
Art Exhibiton in Basel, Switerzland
As of the 26th of January some of the Gate's artwork from Jackie C, Clare, Leonard and some group work was put on display as part of an art exhibition in Basel Switzerland, see below for the press release and pictures from the curator.
Jugend ist Trunkenheit ohne Wein by Julian-Jakob Kneer at BIKINI 26.01.–10.2.2018 Last night, stepping over empty lotion bottles and syrup stains, spray-painted leather insides sprawled across the carpet floor, bent down to peel a shred of dignity from the sole of your foot, clawing at your keds with bitten fingernails, fingertips really, the thing popped. Audibly, inevitably, had it coming, you lazy sod. Absolute irony, the place was a dream, the house almost a home, musty and sweet-smelling like yesterday’s fingerbang and face-rubs on the furniture, your favorite song across everyone’s arm hair, your picture in all the wallets, soft grunts from your violent family like animal lullabies, and clouds of vape bouncing off the closed windows. Then, like opening a soda can, a single wrong step, didn’t even hurt, suddenly pus and toxins and god-knows-what leaking from your gut, and the thing agape dangling from your leg, as if it didn’t know you. And everyone saw, of course they saw, and salt fell dry from the circles beneath your eyes, ex-tears, and here you are now, stupid and contagious, and all your friends are dead. Could life right now get any worse? Thinking about it, those spores must have been inside you all along, must have inhaled them at birth, because pretty sure you could feel it pulsing whenever someone stuck their tongue down your throat, watching, waiting, commiserating. Bad seeds growing big from deep inside, reaching up and out, twisted visions, sick diction, until the real world runs from the ceiling all wet and sticky, and time is a piece of wax, falling on a termite, and you’re choking on the splinters. Problem is, you’re a consumer, an eater, a sucker, no way you could have starved the thing. Now down by the playground they bang their moulds together and run their mouths, the rotten little punks. Think they’re clever with their minds on each others crotches, plainsinging and muttering about their practice, all head wounds and phone charms, so academia, so sure of themselves, when everyone knows it only counts if you saw a nipple. Nothing better to do and better not to care, but still, why are bitches ever born? Then of course, you’re hopelessly in love with them, practically swooning. So you roll up in that uncanney valley, that sweet space of revulsion, your body hustling to produce antibodies against a viral sadness spreading, afraid of whom you might meet in the upright, afraid to stumble over your own material conditions. You think about it all the time now, you think about it very matter of fact, and yet it never happens, and what to do then but learn to love the leak. The thing keeps oozing, hasn’t stopped really, the thing will greet you every morning, and maybe all that degeneration begins to smell good and true and morally right. Truth is, you never fit in. Truth is, you only care about people as long as they’re there. Imagine, next summer, you’ll snap right back, no braces on your fangs this time, rising from the ashes like a phoenix, an all-star, an eye-sore, a total fucking loser, leaking, dripping, until end times, a liferuiner. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll make theirs a living hell.
Jugend ist Trunkenheit ohne Wein by Julian-Jakob Kneer at BIKINI 26.01.–10.2.2018 Last night, stepping over empty lotion bottles and syrup stains, spray-painted leather insides sprawled across the carpet floor, bent down to peel a shred of dignity from the sole of your foot, clawing at your keds with bitten fingernails, fingertips really, the thing popped. Audibly, inevitably, had it coming, you lazy sod. Absolute irony, the place was a dream, the house almost a home, musty and sweet-smelling like yesterday’s fingerbang and face-rubs on the furniture, your favorite song across everyone’s arm hair, your picture in all the wallets, soft grunts from your violent family like animal lullabies, and clouds of vape bouncing off the closed windows. Then, like opening a soda can, a single wrong step, didn’t even hurt, suddenly pus and toxins and god-knows-what leaking from your gut, and the thing agape dangling from your leg, as if it didn’t know you. And everyone saw, of course they saw, and salt fell dry from the circles beneath your eyes, ex-tears, and here you are now, stupid and contagious, and all your friends are dead. Could life right now get any worse? Thinking about it, those spores must have been inside you all along, must have inhaled them at birth, because pretty sure you could feel it pulsing whenever someone stuck their tongue down your throat, watching, waiting, commiserating. Bad seeds growing big from deep inside, reaching up and out, twisted visions, sick diction, until the real world runs from the ceiling all wet and sticky, and time is a piece of wax, falling on a termite, and you’re choking on the splinters. Problem is, you’re a consumer, an eater, a sucker, no way you could have starved the thing. Now down by the playground they bang their moulds together and run their mouths, the rotten little punks. Think they’re clever with their minds on each others crotches, plainsinging and muttering about their practice, all head wounds and phone charms, so academia, so sure of themselves, when everyone knows it only counts if you saw a nipple. Nothing better to do and better not to care, but still, why are bitches ever born? Then of course, you’re hopelessly in love with them, practically swooning. So you roll up in that uncanney valley, that sweet space of revulsion, your body hustling to produce antibodies against a viral sadness spreading, afraid of whom you might meet in the upright, afraid to stumble over your own material conditions. You think about it all the time now, you think about it very matter of fact, and yet it never happens, and what to do then but learn to love the leak. The thing keeps oozing, hasn’t stopped really, the thing will greet you every morning, and maybe all that degeneration begins to smell good and true and morally right. Truth is, you never fit in. Truth is, you only care about people as long as they’re there. Imagine, next summer, you’ll snap right back, no braces on your fangs this time, rising from the ashes like a phoenix, an all-star, an eye-sore, a total fucking loser, leaking, dripping, until end times, a liferuiner. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll make theirs a living hell.
Friday, 5 January 2018
Kiran's Kilimanjaro Climb.
Hi all, one of our regular-ish workers at the Gate is climbing the massive mountain Kilimanjaro to raise some cash for her group here at the Gate. Here's a message from Kiran and some pics from the trip so far and if you'd like to sponsor her endeavour you can do so at this Justgiving link. Please share.
Hi all, My name is Kiran Bains and I am a trainee health psychologist who has worked for several years at Yarrow as a support worker and activities worker, and many different individuals with learning disabilities. Last summer I did some research with adults with learning disabilities and the people that support them to understand their points of view about what can help people with learning disabilities eat healthily and be active. Since then I've used my knowledge and experience to start running healthy eating workshops at the Gate with some users and am working with the Opening Doors project to create and distribute accessible healthy cooking resources for people with learning disabilities to use to improve their cooking skills and confidence. We are going to be creating videos and picture recipes, by adults with learning disabilities themselves, and putting these on the web for anyone to access. We also will have some physical copies of picture recipes and will send downloadable links to people so they can store these on their phones and tablets if they prefer, and look at these when they're in the kitchen. But first we need to get more people interested in and enjoying healthy living. 
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