Welcome

The first week has been full of new faces and all of them friendly ones. Everyone has been really open and helpful and it’s been good finding out what everyone gets up to round here. The office is packed full of madness, so we’ve had fun playing with fake arms and sombreros. We’ve tested out the padded cell and we like the big red booth.

Kicks

We’ve been recording our movements…

Serious

This place works so well because everyone knows their job and its lovely to see relaxed but serious work underway. It’s good to feel the warmth. Everyone seems to collaborate and work together on all projects which for us means that we have people to help us at every stage and will be exposed to different processes and knowledge within the agency. Everyone is always willing to spend time to show us things and talk to us.

I There’s no ‘I’ in team.

Did You Know…

–          Ben T’s favourite hula hoops are plain.

–          Sophie’s mum records Neighbours for her.

–          Ben E has papparazzied Madonna and Mariah Carey.

–          Ben T can speak Thai ‘dee maak’.

–          Barbara has synaesthesia. Apparently both Bens are dark blue and Sophie is blue-grey. If anyone wants to know what colour their name is in her head, write in. Charges apply.

Early Mornings

Wake up at 7.15 in New Cross. Arrive 9.00 at the W+K front door – Soph.

Wake up at 6.30am(!) doh. Crawl to shepherds bush. Central line to Liverpool street . . . in at 9am – Tubby.

Wake up at 6.30…live only 15 minutes away. Go figure – Barb

Wake up at  7.15 in East Dulwich. Train to London Bridge and fight to get on the Northern Line – Ben

2 do

Our challenges include:

– Making a ‘no parking’ sign fun and original.

– Creating an exciting shop window.

– Coming up with 3 murals for the oddly sized red booths.

– Ben E wants to get his bike from Lewes.

– Barbara wants to find a proper warm coat and see an exhibition a week.

Our new in-house stereo system is now in place, with speakers all over the building. This means that rather than having sound system clashes across the workspace (Creative Services’ reggae vs. the Designers’ grime) we can now have the same music playing throughout the building. Just like workers’ playtime on the old factory floor. The speakers have individually adjustable volume but don’t worry, neighbours: it doesn’t go up to 11.

We’re planning to create WK-FM, our own in-house radio station, with a mixture of music, chat and interesting stuff. At the moment it’s all music, all the time, courtesy of our friends at the Album Club. (This is an excllent service that sends you a set of albums each month, recommended by Rough Trade.)

This month’s selection, currently being broadcast coast to coast at 16 Hanbury Street, is as follows:

Ambient electronica recorded in the heart of a Swedish forest.

The last album got a lot of airplay on WK stereos; this is the long-awaited follow-up.

After the explosive ‘konono no1’, the congotronics series presents 6 other astounding bands from the suburbs of Kinshasa, playing urban electronic folk on home-made instruments.

Ted Barnes – underbelly

Second solo album of intricate (mainly) instrumental songs from the beth orton collaborator, somewhere between yann tiersen, angelo badalamenti and tindersticks.

Amadou and Mariam – dimanche a bamako

amadou & mariam’s  have been together for 25 years since they met at the institute for the young blind in bamako. RThis album was produced by and featuring manu chao and recorded in the malian capital of bamako.

Various artists – dream brother: the songs of tim and jeff buckley

Cover versions of some of the best songs written by tim and jeff buckley by the likes of sufjan stevens, the earlies, the magic numbers, kathryn williams, micah p hinson, adem, and matthew herbert.

Infadels – we are not the infidels

Punky funk electroclashy stuff.

Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan – Ballad of the Broken Seas

Debut album from former Belle & Sebastian member Isobel Campbell and former Screaming Trees and Queens Of The Stone Age lead singer Mark Lanegan.

Clap your hands say yeah – Clap your hands say yeah

Hot US indie band of the moment. A top ten selection on many of the US critics’ best album lists of last year.

Cold Cut – Sound Mirrors

A varied mix of breakbeat, hip hop, dub and any other genre that fits with a huge amount of guest vocalists including Roots Manuva, Mike Ladd and Robert Owens.