Debut album mastered

I am delighted to say that the album has been finished and mastered and I'm really happy with the tracks. The album was mastered by Tim Debney and he did a great job. Me and my producer Glenn Keiles went over together and spend the day with him whilst he worked his magic and he also showed me his lacquer vinyl cutter, that was super cool, it looks a bit like a record player only it cuts the master record before you ship it off to get pressed.

There will be 10 tracks on the album - some of them are piano-based, some have a big orchestral backing, some are guitar led. I have my favourites on there, but in a way they've all been my favourites one time or another depending on what mood I'm in.

A lot of the album has been inspired by films and lifestories; films that I have seen, films that I have imagined, stories of people I have met and have yet to meet.


I co-produced my album with two great producers - Benjamin Thomas and Glenn Keiles who are each brilliant in their own right.

In this picture we are in Glenn's studio, you can see Glenn on the left and Gavin Scott (double bass player - right) laying down a bass track for one of my songs, only here he's playing electric bass.

You can't see the main studio in here its just the control room, on the right there's a glass panel and then you can see the main recording room where I did all my vocals and the rhythm section, brass and the strings recorded their bits.

But you will see and hear all of this soon enough

tuan x

It's only the beginning..

Hi there

I would have written sooner but the ink ran out from my ink pot and then my quill decided to disintegrate along the way. Bah!

I have been superbusy since we last corresponded my dears (yes i realise this is a bit of a one way correspondence but please humour me) the album artwork is being finalised (why do these things take so long, WHYYYYYY because i am a fussy so-and-so - that is why! ah you know how we women are, we can barely decide which colour shoes to wear let alone which album pics to use! - This is a more common dilemma than you think)

I have got a new classical guitar and have been playing that, its a strange beast indeed it is so much more sensitive than my steel string i'm not sure if we're going to be good friends yet, only time will tell. I study it warily, it is like a hollow beast mocking me I WILL OVERCOME YOU o nylon-stringed creature even if it takes me the rest of my life....

On the music front am listening to Judy Garland and of course Al Bowlly.

Al is never far from my record player he's my one true dependant that I can rely on when times are low especially now that winter's coming in...Judy Garland's sweet, I was watching The Wizard of Oz yesterday and I had forgotten just what an amazing film that was, the colours are out of this world, they just pop off the screen and the orchestration makes my knees go wobbly. God Bless ya all, the scarecrow's my favourite, although there's something about the lion that makes me want to pick him up and shake him!!!(Please no calling the RSPCA he's not real)

On the book front well, Im reading 3 books by Colin Wilson, who is giving me more of an education than I ever got at school....oh and my Showcase Presents - the House of Secrets.


The book is a compilation of old American horror comics from the 1970s, the illustrations are brilliant and the storytelling is even tighter! If you ever want some tips on writing a short story or a song or something that requires a tight concise narrative with interesting visuals I highly recommend you pick up an old comic book

ENOUGH I have said too much, now you know all my secrets...


tuan x

High on a hill lived a lonely....

No no no its not the song you're thinking of! I am not a goatherd and neither is Igor my assistant...

Just to let you know I will be moving all my premises over to my new house and record label House on the Hill Records Ltd.

Igor the Gatekeeper will welcome you there if you ever pop on over. The address is http://www.houseonthehillrecords.com/ You can write to Igor at Igor@houseonthehillrecords.com, I always find it best to make an appointment first he can be a bit off with strangers and might set the hounds of hell onto you. That's assuming you get past the Black Knight first...

I accept all types of correspondence, bat and pigeon post and have even started to accept electro-magnetic thought waves although as this is a relatively new form of communication for me, the message may get muddled up so I cannot guarantee a reply....

A housewarming party will be held on the stroke of Midnight, Ive hired in a Midnight Carnival Ghost Band, Ive heard they are very good indeed...Midnight revelries will continue in the cornfields, burning torches will be provided.

I look forward to your RSVP

Your most reverent host

Madame Tuan Mac