KRISISDnB-DJMX - Drum and Bass (DnB) : Breaks : Dance : Urban : Bassline : Music

BASHWORKZ.COM NOW ON TWITTER !!!

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 20:11:00 +0000

Just a quick post to let everyone know that my website www.bashworkz.com is now on Twitter !!!

You can follow me on www.twitter.com/bashworkz

E Sim Suna Multiplayer Online browser based Battle MMOG game

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Sat, 29 Aug 2015 09:20:00 +0000

Join here and get BONUS GOLD when you reach level 7 : https://suna.e-sim.org/lan.132698/

Tbilisi Floods 13-14th June 2015 - My view of things as a resident in Tbilisi, Georgia

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 18:34:00 +0000

It has been broadcast on news channels around the world over the last few days, but the scale of what has happened here in Tbilisi has wounded the Georgian people (and the other nationalities living here) more than you can possibly imagine.

Sure, there have been much bigger floods, storms, earthquakes and other natural disasters around the world even in recent years, but when you live in a city like Tbilisi like I do, you really do get a first hand understanding of what a country's culture is about.

Short clip :

Saturday nights storm was not the first we have had in Tbilisi over the last week. The weather was crazy for a week before that with 2 or 3 BIG storms all overnight that I believe contributed to what happened on the 4th storm on the 13th and 14th June (Saturday night / Sunday morning).

The Vere River is honestly normally a shallow stream that barely moves. It runs through a valley with mountains (ok fairly steep hills that are damn hard to walk up if you wanted to) on either side. The river and valley flow into a meandering section that enters the Vake and Saburtalo districts on the West of Tbilisi city. The river then enters the central Mtkvari (or Kura) River (dont ask me why the Mtkvari has 2 names i have no idea).

During heavy rain, the Mtkvari River is normally the one to swell pretty heavily, and I think it was 1-2 years ago while I have been here, there was 1 instance of it breaking its banks on the South-East side of the city. There was some damage caused there, but I think is fair to say it was incomparable to what we saw on Sunday early morning.

From various reliable news sites, tv reports, and from what others have told me as well, the basics of what caused such massive destruction on this occasion started upstream in the Tskneti / Betania / Akhaldaba villages which lie up the Mtatsminda mountain through the valley and on the left side.

The agenda.ge website states this :

After heavy rain and hail, which started around 22:00 on June 13 and continued for several hours, the landslide carrying 1 million cubic meters of land and mud careered down the hillside and into the Vere River valley, near Akhaldaba village, about 20km from the capital Tbilisi.

My personal view is the ground had already been weakened and heavily soaked during the previous 2 or 3 prolonged overnight storms we had during the 5 days before.

They then go on to say :

The mudflow flooded the riverbed, causing a natural dam to form. Soon after the water level quickly rose and the water mass broke the dam, sending a huge torrent of water crashing towards Tbilisi.

This video from the Georgian Ministry of the Environment shows the sequence of events and where it hit the city :

On Sunday morning I woke up to see and hear from people on facebook, the full scale of what had happened. As any Englishman would, I had to go to help, or at least to see if people were ok.

I live only about 10mins walk from the Zoo which was the centre of attention for the news broadcasts, and animal-loving Tbilisians. The warnings about Hippos, Lions, Tigers etc etc loose on the streets were everywhere. The road to Hero Square was blocked for cars by Police by the Holiday Inn hotel, and by the Georgian Public Broadcasters building for people. Not speaking very much Georgian I decided to walk through one of the side-roads to try and help further up the river where the flood had come from. My first sight was opposite Saburtalo/Vake Police Station (luckily it is on a hill), but even then the destruction was clear. Some form of bridge that runs alongside the road has been mangled, with trees, debris, mud and even a car at least 10-20 foot higher than the normal river level hanging from the remains of this bridge. The Fire Service, Army, Police, as well as recovery vehicles, trucks etc etc were already hard at work. I think their main priority was firstly to rescue any people which had become trapped or injured, and also to clear the river path of debris to reduce the risk of further flooding.

I looked around me, and just stood in pure shock for at least 1 hour thinking how the hell are they going to clear this up. I could do nothing really to help, this was a task for some heavy machinery, skilled army and fire services to do anything that would really help. A broom was just not what was needed at that stage!!!

You can see my pictures on My Facebook Album HERE

After I had collected my thoughts I decided the best thing I could do was to continue up the river to where I knew there were some low-lying homes on the side of the river, to see if people there were ok, or needed any help. I walked up the new, but now badly damaged dual carriageway to get there. It took me 20mins to get there passing a partially destroyed Medical Centre, lots of destroyed cars that had been thrown around like toys, and onto the comparatively lower land where people lived. Destroyed homes and peoples belongings just built up as I walked down there, I saw the first home still standing on one meandering corner of the river and met Lali. Lali I would find out later in the day is in her late 60s, has a sister who I also met who lived either with Lali or next door, and I also met the neighbours as well. First thing was to see if she was ok and if she needed anything. She said she was ok (i think.. my georgian not very good), i could see she was still in shock so gestured to her if she needed anything like water or food. She said yes so my task then was totry and find a shop where I could get some!!

I walked for what seemed about an hour upstream towards the main road where I knew there was a petrol station and possibly some shops where I could get some water and food to take back. Fully loaded I headed back to Lali's house. There seemed to be plenty of other people doing a similar thing as me for other people which was so nice to see Georgians doing what they could to help another Georgian!

Khachapuri and water in hand I got back to Lali's home. She tried to explain to me what actually happened, how her garden now is 5-10 metres less now as the river pulled her fruit and vegetable plants away. I saw for myself big cracks across what was even left of the garden to know she has been very fortunate!

While I was there other people came and as I understand some people i think (hope) including Lali and her sister were going to be moved at least temporarily away from the river. After a couple of hours I gave Lali my phone number telling her if she had any problems or needed anything just to call me and say 'Is Lali, i have problem!!' and I will come.

I made my way home, it had been maybe 7 hours I had been out. Hundreds more people were near the Holiday inn where the police had blocked the road access in the morning.

On Monday it was an official Day of Mourning, however we were all back in the office as usual. We broadcast the TV stations to many people in not only Georgia but internationally too, therefore it was very important to keep people updated on the progress of finding people, recovering the animals from the zoo of which some were still loose on the streets somewhere, and coordination of relief efforts with supplies, and the thousands of people who were now helping to clear up after the disaster.

It is now Tuesday 16th June and I can still hear helicopters flying overhead. Slightly surprising maybe as the latest news says the Lions, Tigers etc had all now been accounted for, the only animal they believe may be out there is a Jaguar, but odds would suggest now it has not survived. The only other reason I can think for helicopters still flying at this time (21.40) is some nerves as we did have just a little bit of rain earlier, there was another landslide on the mountain last night which I think volunteers have helped clear from the river, and just people still a bit on edge after what has happened.

If I have time after work in the next few days I will do my best to go down there again to see if I can help for a few hours with anything, and I will also at some point pay another visit to Lali to make sure she is ok.

Im not a religious person really, but I will remember those who died (people AND animals), and put a candle in one of the local churches as well probably at the weekend.

This next video was broadcast last night on Georgian TV and covers everything in more detail, with interviews in Georgian and yet more content of the recovery so far.

Full Documentary of the Tbilisi Flood and Recovery (yes it is in Georgian but the pictures and video speaks for itself) :

My new website www.bashworkz.com - A Unix System Administrator Journey

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Sun, 03 May 2015 18:38:00 +0000

I decided to start a new website a few weeks ago. Something I could use to publish my skills, products, views, and also to be a basic blog of hints and tips of the things I know.

www.bashworkz.com

As well as a DJ, my professional job is a Unix System Administrator. I have worked for reasonably large companies including Hewlett Packard on a UK Ministry of Defence contract, as well as the UK 4th largest Tour Operator, and hard copy and internet Business Directoty.

My skills are therefore varied!! Over the last few years I have taken those skills abroad and now work in the Republic of Georgia where I am System Administrator for the largest media portal in the country. This has added to my skillset and exposure to yet another new area. As well as doing my regular day job here I am also a freelance developer and administrator for clients in the UK, USA, and Europe.

I supply Technical Support services, as well as hosting services for Internet Radio (through my Drumandbasslines.com website), which also is a promotional outlet for DJs, Labels, and Producers to advertise their electronic music releases or events.

The point of my new website bashworks.com is fairly simple. With the experience I have, I have plenty of knowledge which could be of use to others, so I want to share it.

DocuScan - Document Management System

I have also written a product originally for an american client, but it has the functionality to be useful for a wide range of businesses. The core of it is a Document Management System. A solution for keeping ALL of your documentation and correspondence in a single system. There are 1000s of tools which attempt to do this, but what makes mine different is it can totally remove the need to store physical paperwork. Using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) my system enables you to simply scan in your documents, have the system convert the paper into readable, searchable, indexed documents. This functionality solves some core business requirements. For example my client uses it to ensure COMPLIANCE with US laws, to ensure that he does not break any laws (and therefore get sued) for not following correct procedures when contacting his clients. You can check the product (DocuScan) on the website!!

www.bashworkz.com

Check out the site and let me know what you think !

MX - Gliding in Gudauri, Georgia - 15th February 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 17:09:00 +0000

MX - Gliding in Gudauri, Georgia - 15th February 2015: http://youtu.be/XwN5j7SGXZo #gudauri #ski #paragliding #georgia #caucasus #mountain

OMG - TRULY HORRIFIC RAW FOOTAGE CRASH - JULES BIANCHI - JAPANESE GRAND ...

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 15:53:00 +0000

How on earth did he survive that !!! Pray to god he is ok, but has to be said that the safety measures in place in the car have clearly done some good as HE IS ALIVE and after seeing that you would NEVER have thought anyone could survive that!!

However the bosses of Formula 1 have a lot to answer for even letting the race start in those terrible conditions !! It would not be inappropriate to raise CRIMINAL charges against the organisers for putting excessive risks on the drivers.

GET WELL SOON JULES AND GOOD LUCK !!! HOPE YOU ARE OK !!!

DnBTV Commercial Teaser 1 - November 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 19:42:00 +0000

DnBTV Commercial Teaser 2 - November 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 19:42:00 +0000

Review of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 19:10:00 +0000

Wow how fast a year goes by !!!

Its been another year of experiences for me, having spent the freezing temperatures of winter in Kyiv, Ukraine to the heat of the summer in Tbilisi, Georgia !!

Starting the year in Kiev brought another Drum and Basslines party this time to Xlib Club and to headline the event we brought Doc Scott over from the UK. It took a long time to find someone who would fit the bill for the Ukranian market and there were possibly better options available but nobody else that could fit in with my pricing structure. The party as a whole went fine, although out of the 4 parties we have held so far my favourite has to be the one we did with Raiden and Mutated Forms, closely followed by the first with James (Unknown Error) Gash.

Anyway after the party in Kyiv it was time for another flight back to Tbilisi. The main intention of this trip was to try and finally after 4 years travelling was to settle down a bit (my bank balance also needed it as well).

The first few days I sent out maybe 30 emails to various companies here in Georgia, and within a few days (and speaking to a handful of different companies) I had an interview at ITDC. After an hour or so interview with Sergo, George and Theo they decided I could fit into the organisation and utilise my skills not only from an IT point of view but also as an Englishman. It was a big step for me joining a company in not only a different country, but also where I knew it was not going to be a simple task to integrate with everyone else where I dont speak the language.

After picking up the details of how the main systems are organised (basically myvideo.ge) with the help of Theo things were progressing well. It has been always my intention to learn at least some basic Georgian as I am well aware it will help with communication and explaining things to others maybe a bit better than Im able to in English.

It is now almost 9 months after joining ITDC and im the first to admit I have not made nearly as much progress on that side as I would have liked. From my point of view I think there are a number of reasons for that... firstly settling into living in a new country is not an easy task in itself and there are lots of things that I have needed to work out. Secondly is having the time in which to actually learn. The weekdays in the office means I lose the entire week (no real difference to being in the uk where the pattern is work/sleep/work/sleep etc), but it meant that my only real chance was at weekends. I would say that maybe I havent put in enough effort to find a teacher who can spare me 1-2 hours on a saturday or sunday to get me at least a start. Saying that I have picked up the alphabet (even thought not 100% confident), and can read most words written in Georgian so there has been a tiny bit of progress.

My main aim after I get back from UK after christmas is to put as much effort as I can into not only finding a teacher, but to have as much of a crash course as possible to manage to string together a sentence or 2. If I can achieve that then im hoping during the rest of 2013 then that can develop much further.

In my own mind its perfectly simple the task that I have... my year contract at ITDC will be up for renewal at the end of March. The projects I have completed since I started at ITDC have been fine, but it would be better in during 2013 I can play more of a role within the company. Breaking the language barrier will help make that happen (barrier is the wrong word as everyone at ITDC can speak some english, but it is not always easy for them. Plus I am the visitor in Georgia so it is my responsibility and desire to learn their language).

Cant think of anything else to write at this point but will add over the coming days or weeks when things come to mind !!

Thought of the day for producers of Electronic Music....

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 09:17:00 +0000

To all the new wave of electronic music producers (and I know theres thousands of you...) out there making tunes in a few hours, or a day, or even a week.... does it actually give you the satisfaction that you have actually made something GOOD??

My thoughts are no it doesnt. Or at least to the person listening it doesnt.

Wheres the achievement gone for working painstakingly for weeks, months, or even years to get that sound perfect, and to come up with something unique and revolutionary that will stick in peoples minds for the next 10 years.

Is electronic music that simple that it can be made in no time? Wheres the passion for perfection?

Or is it just about money now? Make 5 tunes a week, and sell a few on Beatport to make a few pound, then make 5 more....

Are you proud of the music you make? Does it promote you as a producer who does something different and unique and make you stand out from the thousands of other producers out there? Does every tune you make mean something to you? Either by the issues or problems you had making it, or where you were when the inspiration for it came into your head?

Lets put this simply.... Did your tune make people think? Were people affected by your tune? Did it change things? Or was it just more of the same?

Drum and Basslines 4 - 24.03.2012 - The MX Review

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:15:00 +0000

Drum and Basslines hosted its 4th party in the space of a year at Xlib Club in Kyiv, Ukraine on 24th March.

To mark the 1st birthday we decided to go back to the beginning and invite a special guest as old as Drum and Bass itself Doc Scott.

The planning for this party was much more extensive compared to the first 3 parties. We had a Management Team ranging from designers, DJs, event organisers, as well as plenty of friends I knew who would help us distribute flyers and assist with the general promotion of the party, plus with me living in Kyiv it was easier for me to have a much more hands-on approach than before.

As always the biggest obstacle to get over was finding a headliner that would match a Ukranian budget. For 2 months I searched and asked but the egos in the DnB world were demanding huge prices when (no names mentioned) they were simply an average DJ or producer that was not going to pull me enough of a crowd to even stand half a chance of drawing level. And then on top of that the amount of DJs now running themselves through an agent just adds an agent cost on top as well. Most of these DJs are so fuckin tiny, and cannot even guarantee having enough of a following to fill a small pub in the UK, let alone a decent size club in Ukraine !!! Then on the opposite ends of the scale there are a few who think even talking to a promoter is just way too much effort for them. Therefore now all of these people have been removed from my list for all events.

Anyway after begrudgingly speaking to a few agents a slight glimmer appeared with Doc Scott. It was a long way from ideal, but I always try and look positively at things and his name has travelled the world as an ambassador for Drum and Bass and his price was the best I could get. His agent Caroline was helpful with any questions I asked, and apart from a couple of delays on getting a reply to an email I was quite happy that we had things sorted.

Meanwhile in Kyiv the first bombshell was about to hit. Mnial had been told he was about to be moved to work in Austria for a month. Mnial was the core of the management team and had linked everyone else together to make sure we had everything in place from people to look after sound, to flyer design, printing, and promotions as well. He left with everything looking good and flyer design (which was only a simple task of a change of colour from the previous party) all in progress. Then bomb 2 hit. The flyer design I got back was a completely new theme and layout. It was a cool design (with some cosmetic changes needed), but in my view it changed the whole direction of a successful brand and started things again. Something had to be done fast as it had taken far too long to get to even that stage and now I needed something printed. So back to my original designer Alex Rayden who had the templates from the first party and everyone agreed his design was spot on for the launch with Unknown Error in February 2011.

I knew Alex was busy with his 2 jobs in Georgia, but was confident that Bassmaja would be able to make the required changes pretty easily. Between us we had a flyer within about a week so things were back on track. More slight heart-attacks with a delay on the flyers being printed, and then missing logos which required more needed to be printed adding additional costs, and then internet promotion and we were there.

The unsung heroes in my eyes so far had been both Fade and Alina. Alina has always been there for me with everything I needed help with in Ukraine, and she worked tirelessly sorting apartments, calling taxis for me, and offering advice whenever I needed it. I can say exactly the same about Fade. He thought of everything that needed to be done on the party, assisted getting internet promotion out where it was needed, and sorting out every issue we had along the way. Without both Alina and Fade I would have been fighting a losing battle.

So the day was approaching... the rest of the UK DJs were all ready. I hoped I had brought something a bit different to the party by bringing Sparxy and his sidekick Reamz. And Breakneck and Richy were known quantities to me to keep a bit of english flavour to the main room. Looking back now it was a mistake to try and squeeze everyone into my apartment, as I do like my bit of space and quiet sometimes, and with Richy and Breakneck I should have known that wasnt going to happen. There was a few moments where everyones patience snapped that would have been avoided with a seperate apartment and a bit of space. It would also have saved me a lot of money as I could have just stayed with Alina and saved a months rent (with a bit of talking to the landlord..)

One line about the party itself.....it was good but not good enough. I think thats the basics of it, and with a lot of work from what has to be said a bigger management team than weve ever had before, it should have been better.

On the positive side the club was fine, soundsystems in both rooms perfect (although see note below..), Fade, Physical Illusion, and Crabbsteppa had by far the best sets of the night, Kiddik's visuals were amazing, my combination set with Zim went really well considering we had not practiced before the party, and everyone there really did have a good time judging by the comments people have sent me personally, or posted on the event wall.

Now the bad bits.... Doc Scott was a bad move now looking back. People have said to me since the party that his set was boring, and not what people expected. I have to agree with them as people started leaving halfway through his set. He was on at prime time so it was not a timing issue at all, but with people walking out I think thats all the proof I need. There seemed to be no energy in him and the style of tunes he was playing wasnt the jungle party vibe I was hoping for following on from Richy and Breakneck. Maybe his enthusiasm for DnB is fading over time, but it wasnt what I remember from times I have seen him before.

The second thing I wasnt happy about was the 'free soundsystem' that we added into the second room too boost the bass for Sparxy and Reamz dubstep set. Well free didnt exactly turn out to be what it was. Firstly at the start of the night I paid 300 UAH (approx £25) for what I was assuming was delivery of it to the club. I could handle that so it wasnt a problem even though quite a lot more than a taxi fare.... However then at the end I was asked for another 500 UAH (approx £40) for the costs which was never covered in the plan we had at the first management planning meeting. Then it all looked clear as Mnial said that was his fee. That would have been fine apart from Slavik (who really did help me a lot in the management side) had also paid Mnial his fee as well the day after the party. Ok its only £40 but its something I just dont understand or who did or didnt get more than they should have.

So thats it, party 4 done (3 in Kyiv and 1 in Minsk) so what happens next? Well firstly some time to think which is one of the reasons I had decided in advance to come to Tbilisi in Georgia. Some things definately need to change to make it financially viable, and I have ideas coming in my head slowly for how to make that happen. Im always open to ideas and I know Slavik has a lot of experience in putting on parties and is keen to help out as well. Fade will always be my stabalising factor so I think between us I think they are both positive I can take from the party moving forward.

My initial thoughts are that it is relatively unlikely there will be another Drum and Basslines in Kyiv in October/November at this stage, so it is more likely to be in the spring of 2013. In the mean time I am still travelling so the Drum and Basslines Tour will continue through 2012 hopefully in Georgia, almost certainly Finland, and maybe Belarus as well. Thats very positive from my point of view as a DJ as it will bring my number of international parties to be higher than the number I have played in the UK. For a DJ originally from the UK I think thats something very special and something Im looking forward to.

MX (Drum and Basslines, KrisisDnB, UK)
www.drumandbasslines.com
www.krisisdnb.com

Drum and Basslines 4 - 24.03.2011 - Doc Scott & Sparxy

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:57:00 +0000

MX Review of 2011 - A year for Drum and Basslines, KrisisDnB and as a DJ all over Europe

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:06:00 +0000

Before I start on 2011, it has to be said that the last 2 years have been a massive turning point for me. Not only have I been to so many different countries both to visit and as a DJ, but I have also met a lot of good new friends along the way.

The start of 2011 saw me in the UK for a month to finish work at Amelco. I had a good time there and helped to implement a lot of projects including the Jboss ATS system. However IT has been boring me for a good few years now and I was itching to get away from it.

That opportunity came in February. After a few months planning from the UK, it was time to launch Drum and Basslines in Ukraine. With a huge amount of help from Fade and Mnial in Kyiv, we managed to pull off a successful first event. Not easy for any of us especially as I was living in the UK during all of the planning and promotion for the party. It was evident at the party that a new beginning had started. A lot of very happy people, good music, and people for a month after the party asking us when there would be another one! Making a handful of international DJs and MCs on the way the Ukranian capital saw something they had never seen before.

Then time to visit my friend Alex in Tbilisi, Georgia! I had an amazing week in Tbilisi and the surrounding areas, and felt the hospitality of the Georgian people. They really do have a lovely country with wonderful people.

As I have done for the last few years it was then up to Minsk in Belarus for 3 months. This time staying with Sergey and his brother Alexandr just outside of the centre I had to get back used to russian food, but also to show them some of what we eat in the UK. The 3 months always passes too fast with DJ bookings in Minsk, Gomel, Bobruisk, Novopolotsk, and Molodechno, and before I knew it was just 1 last party for my birthday in Minsk. The second Drum and Basslines party and was very happy to be able to bring Mutated Forms to play alongside me before I headed back to Kyiv.

Still plenty do do over the next month with another trip this time in the summer to Georgia to visit Alex and my new friends there including David Noise and everyone at the Hangar Bar in the centre who once again made me feel very welcome.

Another promise I made a few years ago was to visit Esa-Pekka up in Finland. We managed to do this in June and got the opportunity to headline 2 events in Helsinki!! To add to that one of Esa's friends gave me a personalised MX tattoo which I absolutely love. Hopefully I will return to Finland again during 2012.

With a quick trip to Tallinn in Estonia and Prague in the Czech Republic the summer months had been amazing.

Coming back to the UK for a few months wasnt easy, and I really didnt enjoy it, so fast-tracked the next Drum and Basslines party in Kyiv for November. The lineup turned out to be so easy to form. After meeting Raiden in Kyiv in June, and having Mutated Forms at my birthday in May, the only real question I had was which of the top class DJs and MCs from KrisisDnB could I invite. With Inertia, Ruskal, Breakneck and MC So-Low I couldnt have asked for any better! We all had an amazing few days before they returned to the UK.

Its now the 23rd December and Im back in the UK for a few days to see the family for christmas. Then its back to Kyiv for New Year and their christmas on the 7th January.

Drum and Basslines 4 is already being planned for the end of February or March 2012 in the Ukranian capital. A lineup is being formed in my head as we take Drum and Basslines into its 2nd year, and KrisisDnB into its 5th year! I dont think NeO or myself had ever realistically expected things to last as long as they have, but with steady progress, a lot of fun, and constant hard work its seen not only a radio station but now a successful international event brand formed.

Lastly but by no means least I want to thank all of my supporters and people who have seen me this year. Ive had an amazing time, and cant wait for more in 2012. As always get in touch if you would like to see me play at one of your parties. Unlike a lot of other Drum and Bass DJs I am NOT in this for the money, I do this to make YOU have a good time, and because I love the music no matter what style or genre.

I have some ideas to increase my versatility for 2012 to bring me more into the visual side of a party experience. Hopefully that will make its debut at the next Drum and Basslines party in Kyiv in March.

I hope you all have a great christmas and new year wherever you are around the world! Keep tuned to KrisisDnB, and let us know if you want to see Drum and Basslines in a city near you!

MX (KrisisDnB, Drum and Basslines, UK)
www.drumandbasslines.com
www.krisisdnb.com

Back in Kyiv, Ukraine November 2011 until.... who knows

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:20:00 +0000

The trip has started once again! Was not nice being back in the UK since July. Really didnt enjoy work at Amelco, far too much politics, egos and lies happening for my liking. Is no need to go into details but I wasnt happy with twisting things to try and make sure externally things were being done right. With that in mind I started writing an objective report of things within the company, improvements that could be made that would make the working environment and culture much better. I sent that to my boss last week when I made it clear I didnt want to be in the office any more. If that meant I left or continued in a support role from here didnt make any difference to me, as the longer I stayed in the UK the worse my money and morale was getting!! Sounds crazy but it was true!

So once again the Drum and Basslines party in Kyiv was my gateway to get away from all the shit and enable me to build up my wounded morale and inside happiness.

So the party here in Kyiv on friday... well yet again it will be something that I wont forget for a long time. It was fantastic to be able to bring Ruskal, Breakneck, Inertia and So-Low over here and they have all gone back wanting to come again. Topping things off bringing Aleksandr from Mutated Forms here for the first time and Chris (Raiden) back and having someone as famous in the DnB scene as Raiden sms me saying it was one of his favourite parties this year gives me a lot of satisfaction. The Drum and Basslines parties have not been organised me alone however.. Fade and Mnial both put in a huge amount of effort to organise everything from booking Cinema Club, arranging a list of top quality Ukranian DJs, and doing virtually ALL of the local promo as well. I couldnt have asked for anything more from them as they really did work hard. Not to forget Alina who did a brilliant job of sorting out all the accomodation for us and looking after us while everyone was here.

After 5 days of entertaining everyone I wasnt as nervous seeing the uk djs go back as I was last time. Guess im really feeling at home here now. It hasnt taken long but already I am getting promoters calling me with bookings and also I got some work to do for a voiceover for a commercial so im laughing so far !!! Early days yet, I might get nothing for the next month so we will see....

More soon......

MX Drum and Bass / Breaks Tour 2011 - Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Finland, Estonia

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 21:25:00 +0000

It has already been another massive year for me, not only as a DJ, but having the opportunity to visit 3 countries I had never been to before.

Firstly I would like to say thanks to all the promoters who have booked me this year. And even more so to those that brought me back again and again ! I wish I could count the number of people who have been to see me at one (or more) of the parties I have performed at this year as it is in the thousands!

This year has been by far my most successful, and takes the number of INTERNATIONAL events I have performed at to 35 spread across 4 countries!!

And its not over yet... with a mini tour being worked on for October/November, and already bookings confirmed for 2012 I think I should get a frequent flyer card for various airlines and start collecting those air miles!

For this years tour my first stop was Kyiv, Ukraine for Drum and Basslines. The vibes were heavy, the support for the night immense, and the vodka.... well flowing ! Bringing Unknown Error with us was a bit of a leap of faith judging on his international reputation, and it worked out perfectly! I could not have asked for a better artist to perform alongside me and the other DJs and MCs from the UK. KrisisDnB well represented by Breakneck, Bartus, Projekt, Vinyl Richy Repul, Scaze and Max Fischer from Belarus, who all gave Ukraine something to be happy about. Supported by the one and only DJ Jike from Ukraine who is one of the biggest names in the country, Nickbee who is making his name better known with every new release he gets, Mnial and Fade who are both well known in Kyiv, and Playstid completing a huge lineup in just the first room! Bringing Reborn and Red Catz down from Minsk to headline the second room alongside Switch, Copaq and Detail it was a lineup of the very best.

4 days of constant party in the Ukranian capital will take a long time for the memories to go.

As those from the UK made their way home I was on my way for my first visit to Georgia to meet Alex Rayden. Even in a small country like Georgia I was always going to need more time than the few days I had. A country with so much history, countryside and landmarks to see. I decided while I was there that I needed to go back and see more!

Then my 2nd 3 month trip to Belarus... Time for the long train up from Kiev to the Belarusian capital Minsk. It didnt take long when I got there and met Sergey and Alexandr who I was staying with to work out my way around again, and for promoters to start calling me to perform at their events. I have no idea how many miles I travelled in total but it would be in 4 figures easily with sets in Minsk, Bobruisk, Gomel, Novopolotsk, and Molodechno. While I was there a plan was emerging in my head to bring Drum and Basslines to Minsk for my birthday and leaving party in May. I needed to do something different, but realised the difficulties and visa costs that would make things hard. Aleksandr from Mutated Forms was the answer I needed ! An established group of producers in the scene and based in Tallinn, Estonia meant the visa and flight costs were a lot easier than anyone from the UK. I had to bring my new friends I had made this year so Gelaz and Olly Hare who are well respected Breaks DJs in Minsk HAD to go on the lineup with my new radio partner Ricky Wild and one of our guests on the radio DJ Fader. Filling another top lineup in the second room was Red Catz who had just got back from a 2 month trip to Berlin, Reborn, Psher and Yellow_Int !

Meanwhile my housemates Sergey and Aleksandr had me making every english dish I knew while I was in Minsk so check out some of my recipies on www.cooknotes.ru !!! Back to pilmiene and bread until I come back next year hahaha.....

The next phase of my plan was to return to Georgia which I did in early June. Another good chance to see a bit more of the country and live life as a Georgian. I cant wait to go back again. Meanwhile in Kiev I met John from Queensland Australia who was over here on holiday. Some very heavy drinking nights (for me these days anyway hahaha....). Between us we both agreed that Kiev has so much potential as a city, but as a native english speaker its very hard to get around, not get ripped off, and to explore the city to the max. Weve decided to do a joint venture to build something that makes things easier for us and others coming here.

Next stop was up to Helsinki in Finland to see Dirty456. I wanted cold weather but was let down to find 30 degrees when I landed in Helsinki. First party to play at on the Saturday and a chance to meet Olli, Toni and Sami. Similar parties to those in Belarus where a variety of genres are played but everyone liked the different style of DnB which I play so I was happy. I had impressed enough to be asked to play at another party 4 days later which had the dancefloor rocking ! There was time for a day trip across the water to Tallinn in Estonia, and to top off a cool week Olli Ruikka designed and drew me my new MX tattoo!

My last week has been back in Kiev which has really been my base here since February. It is a cool city, and I think I have now worked out how to get around here and have seen everything I possibly could. Another cool party at Xlib Club to finish whats been an epic trip abroad.

Thanks to Fade, Mnial, and Alina for helping me out whenever I needed, and for showing me around. Now to start serious planning of the next Drum and Basslines event in Kiev for October time, and to finalise some more dates in my calendar for my 2012 tour. As always, if you want to book me for your party then get in touch. I dont use an agent as they are a waste of money and do very little anyway

MX (KrisisDnB, UK)
www.krisisdnb.com
www.djmx.krisisdnb.com
www.drumandbasslines.com
www.krisisdnb-djmx.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/deejay.mx
www.vkontakte.ru/krisisdnb_djmx

MX Birthday Bash 2011 - Alongside Mutated Forms - 20.05.2011

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 20:37:00 +0000

Yes thats right, its time for the next installment for event brand Drum and Basslines on its 2011 tour of Ukraine and now Belarus.

Russian promo text :

Вторая остановка Drum and Basslines - тура по Европе 2011.

После шикарной вечеринки в Киеве (Украина), с хедлайнером UNKNOWN ERROR, наша следующая остановка 20 мая 2011 - "Fabrique", лучший и крупнейший клуб Минска (Беларусь),.

Это событие особенное по нескольким причинам. Не только потому что у DJ MX День Рождения, но также благодаря специально приглашённому гостю - MUTATED FORMS, чем мы очень гордимся.

Drum and Basslines - известный бренд и промоутер вечеринок, с участием известных иностранных и локальных диджеев. Для большей информации посетите наш сайт www.drumandbasslines.com

English promo text :

Drum and Basslines tour 2011 makes its second stop in Europe. After a huge event in the Ukranian capital Kiev headlined by UNKNOWN ERROR, we bring the party to Minsk, Belarus to Fabrique, the biggest and best club in the city on 20th May 2011.

This event is special for a number of reasons, not only is it MX birthday party, but also that we are very proud to be bringing MUTATED FORMS to headline it.

Drum and Basslines is an event brand and promo group that brings big name DJs as well as the best local artists possible. Check the www.drumandbasslines.com website for more details.

Facebook event link : http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=204262999595949

Vkontakte event link : http://vkontakte.ru/event26067090

The way things are...

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 21:53:00 +0000

Time to say my views on a few things I think. Personally I dont care whether you agree with my views or not. I am putting this up on my blog as a blog is intended to be a collection of posts about a person or a theme which is exactly what my page is.

Having travelled away from the UK over the last couple of years its made me realise how the DnB scene in the uk is so riddled with politics its unreal.

On one end theres the so called larger names that appear on the top of flyers up and down the country every week. Yes a lot of them have done a huge amount for the scene in the last 20 years, but surely there is an end to someones 'shelflife'. The DnB scene seems to extend that far more than any other genre of music ive ever listened to !!

Then there is the lower end of the scene.. the 'up and comings' as they like to be known as. A million and one DJs and MCs scrabbling around for any small event they can get their names on the flyer for. I would like to think that im selective in the events I play at these days as some just simply are not worth the hassle even turning up to. 2010 was probably the first year I broke out of the 'up and coming' section and started doing what I wanted to do instead of whatever came my way. Yes there will always be events that I play at that I did not for my own benefit, but to help promote the event or a friend running it and that will always be the case.

Now I am living in Minsk Belarus it gives me a good chance to watch what happens in the UK from a distance, and in same way as I watched for the early part of 2010 it still makes me laugh how DJs and MCs I had in my studio in Southampton are exactly the same as they were 2 or 3 years ago. No vision to progress !!! I see people saying 'ooo im on flyer with XXXX (insert any well known DJ name) on XXX event'. I just think 'WOW, well done on getting yourself in 3rd, 4th, or 8th place on a flyer !!!'. Now im not one to rate any dj on their position on a flyer, and iv never been one to try and get flyer 'position' over anyone else. Where I am different to a lot of others in the UK nowadays is that Im not happy to be an 'extra' on a lineup. Thats one of the very reasons why coming here is more than just a holiday, is partly a means of my ambition to progress as a quality DJ in my own right.

Yes it may be a bit easier to come here and to get headline sets every month than it is in England, but it has got my name known to an audience from a different country and raised my profile loads. Personally I see that as a big achievement and something I am proud to be able to say I have done. There is still a long way to reach all of my goals but at this time Im happy with how things are going.

More soon !!!

MX 2011 Tour of Ukraine, Georgia and Belarus

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 11:19:00 +0000

Its started again ! 2011 and another few months out of the UK. After being hugely disappointed in May 2010 after not being able to sort the work visa I needed to stay in Belarus, ive had a few months back in the UK to sort my head out. Firstly starting work at Amelco which was a big opportunity for me to help build their helpdesk and automation strategy, test and implement their latest releases of software and to migrate to an offshore solution was an ideal situation for me to return to.

October 2010 and I met Viktor Ramonas ramdomly in London. I recognised the russian accent to his English and we instantly became friends. Nearer the end of the year I decided that with my forthcoming event in Kyiv, Ukraine coming up in Feb 2011, it was the perfect opportunity for me to make a second attempt to move to Belarus. It was not an easy decision to make as I was enjoying my work in the UK and had made a new friend who I had barely got to know properly yet. I wanted to stay at Amelco if I possibly could, and came up with a solution that I hope will work out for everyone.

Damian (Owner of Amelco) has been superb and given me the opportunity to do what I wanted, and I have promised him that I will always be part of Amelco. A sudden brainwave happened that it would be the perfect time for Viktor to take over my shift work at Amelco. Damian had always spoke about getting me off from working nights and into more of a central role, and Viktor has IT skills from his time at the University of Siberia to convince me he had the ability to learn the ropes in the same way as I did in June 2010. The only problem was going to be his English, but a mere 2 weeks after me starting my travels I have seen emails from him to various people that may not be perfect english, but are good enough for him to make a positive contribution to a small company like Amelco. I really would like to thank Damian and Leon for putting their faith in me and bringing Viktor in to assist.

Anyway the event in Kyiv was amazing. A busy club with plenty of happy faces was enough for me to say that my first event organised in the Ukranian capital was a success. Bringing Mr Gash (aka Unknown Error) couldnt have worked out any better. One of the most down to earth guys I have ever met. With a huge crew of KrisisDnB DJs from the station coming as well it was a perfect weekend full of laughs and plenty of vodka !

Monday 14th was a hard day to see Richy, Repul, Bartus, Projekt and Breakneck go for their flight back to the UK. Did I want to go with them?? Hmm maybe... but maybe not !!! I think on the balance of things they were the ones who were jealous of me staying here.

15th Feb and time to go to Georgia to finally meet with my good friend Alex Rayden. We have known each other for 3 or 4 years now and became good friends during the Russia / Georgia conflict a few years ago. I was so worried for his and his families safety. I decided then that one day I would visit and see Georgia first hand. What an amazing place with so much history ! I thought Russian was a hard language to learn (and it is!!!), but even reading the Georgian alphabet is so much harder. Fortunately a lot of signs in shops and streets are written in English which shows how international a country Georgia is. President Saakashvili has clearly spent a lot of time and money helping to make Georgia a place for not only tourists, but international businesses to find an attractive proposition. The only issue with Georgia is its disputes over South Ossetia and Abkazia. Hopefully those issues are sorted soon and Georgians can enjoy a peaceful life in their wonderful country.

6 days in the Georgian capital Tbilisi was so good. I had guided tour of the whole city by the staff in the hotel I was staying at, showing me the many castles, churches and monuments the city has, as well as the TV Transmitter and theme park that make the city stand out so much. And then meeting Alex was a mission accomplished for me after worrying about whether I would ever see him during the conflicts a few years ago. What can I say about Georgian food... WOW !!! ITS NICE !!! Dont ask me the names of anything as they al sound very similar, but what a variety of different styles of homegrown food they have!

Then it was the trip back to Kiev to then get my visa for Belarus. It was good to meet up with Alex Mnial before catching the train up to Minsk. Him and Fade have helped me and the Ukraine party at Cinema Club so much in the last few months and mean we will definately do another event at the end of the summer season.

I arrived in Minsk to meet Sergey. I had never met him before but we had spoke on Skype many times about the KrisisDnB Radio player. He had kindly offered to let me stay at his place near Minsk Arena with his brother Alex. I needed all the sleep I could get before my first headline event for this year in Bobruisk at Magnet Club where I played last year. Another wickid night with loads of girls all wanting their picture with me. Thanks to Oleg and Kieran (thats close to his name) for looking after me while I was there and for showing me around Bobruisk as well.

I have just got a text from Streamline asking me to run a few English classes for them today but I dont want to let them down and rush into things. They know my skills from a year ago, but a lot of that has been forgotten in the last few months so maybe start slowly and see how things progress. I cant wait to get back into the flow of things here but this year I want to do things differently and not be focussed just on getting the work visa like I did last year. I want to enjoy my time here and if I end up staying then all good, but if I have to leave I dont want the bad feelings I had in May 2010 when it was clear I couldnt stay.

So Andrew has now left to go to Germany for 6 weeks its all up to me to work things out here. I have always got Alex to help me and it will be good to meet Zeb again as well as everyone I met in Minsk last year. My next headline event is on 12.02 in a town called Novopolotsk which is somewhere I should have played last year if I was still here, so finaly I will get there !!!

More to come soon !!!

Pics from Georgia : http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/album.php?id=100001001114472&aid=37393

Pics from Drum and Basslines Kiev : http://www.basslineskiev.com/event.html

Pics from 25.02 in Bobruisk, Belarus : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=100001001114472&aid=38448

MX Review of 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 02:02:00 +0000

Time for my personal review of the year just for my supporters and followers on Blogspot !

2010 has been such an eye opener. The 4 months I spent outside the UK at the start of the year gave me such an appreciation of life in a different country thats so hard to explain. Both Belarus and Ukraine are amazing places and Im so glad to have fitted in there and met some good friends in both countries.

Some people may say I was mad to not only sell my house, but to make such a risky move with no guaranteed job or visa to even keep me in the country. However my view was that it gave me an opportunity to do a bit of exploring of a different part of the world. Yes I had to come back to the UK in May, but it really hasnt put me off, and who knows I may try it again!!

The 4 months also gave me an ideal time to watch from a distance the DnB scene in the UK and look at it with an open mind. It was such a good feeling to be away from the bitchiness in the UK scene that holds it back so much. Artists, supporters, producers, and promoters think they are the be all and end all of the scene, when they really arent. The scene around the world is so much more varied, relaxed, and above all, NOT held in the past by artists that are way past their sell-by dates. Personally I dont think its the artists to blame for this, but the general public stuck in their ways and the same old names appearing on flyers time and time again, instead of embracing the newer talent that has just as much skill and diversity. Whatever the reasons however it has made the DnB scene stale in my view, promoters sticking with the easy solution for events and booking those same old names.

In our KrisisDnB events weve always made the effort to promote the names of the future and not of the past. As a forward thinking station thats made us THE STATION OF THE FUTURE, therefore its only right that our events promote that as well. People like Majistrate, Pleasure, Tantrum Desire, Dub Zero, MC Rhymes have all headlined at our events as they deserve more of the limelight compared to those same old names playing the same sets week in week out and getting paid a fortune to do so as well.

Anyway I returned to the UK on May 10th not wanting to come back really, but made the best of it and organised the first ever KrisisDnB event in London. A completely different way of promoting an event with so many other events always going to be in the area on the same night. So I decided to make it a multi-genre event instead of just DnB. After doing my research I came up with what I think was one of my most ambitious lineups ever. Heist was my first choice of DnB artists to lead one room, and Ctrl-Z have been making huge moves in the Breaks scene during 2010. And to top it off Jeppa was not only the 2009 UK DMC champion but was also crowned te 2010 champion as well! Alongside a batch of KrisisDnB residents of the highest quality including Septik, Docile, Fly and Spooka, as well as NeO, myself and KrisisDnB newboy Vinyl Richy it was a mouthwatering lineup! We had a decent crowd after the shock that we were in competition with Andy C at Fabric down the road.

It gave NeO and Richy the urge to organise their own event in Portsmouth. They planned it thoroughly and I advised where I could along the way, but they had things in hand anyway, with NeO having a fair amount of knowledge from our previous events in Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth. 2 big events headlined by Majistrate and Pleasure got things off to a good start. A promoters nightmare was about to kick in however as another promoter had seen how well they were doing, and made an offer to Drift in the City that they simply couldnt refuse. Upfrontuk DnB had simply more cash than we did at the time, and steamrollered their way into Drift. It didnt work out too well for them though with small attendances, and even by linking up with Double Dipped to attract more people didnt help them. A costly night in early December looks like it will end their attempt to lure people to Portsmouth. Im sure they will try and prove me wrong but thats up to them and im really not worried either way.

NeO and Richy are planning their next event for the first part of 2011 which im looking forward to seeing more details of. In the last 2 months ive been organising the next KrisisDnB international event, this time in Ukraine. Its taken a lot of work so far but once again we are doing this with the ethos of involving the stars from the station alongside a big lineup from Ukraine, and headlining the bill is one of the biggest international DnB names in the scene. Unknown Error has played around the world, having performed at various Therapy Sessions events which have taken him to Kiev before. It has attracted quite a bit of interest from the locals so far, and so has the fact that this event will have the most UK artists they have ever seen in the former russian republics capital city.

So thats it for 2010, a couple more weeks left, my christmas show on KrisisDnB.Com on christmas day, and time for a few beers (or vodkas) on New Year.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me throughout the year, and be prepared for more during 2011 !!!

MX (KrisisDnB, UK)
KRISISDnB.COM MANAGEMENT AND PROMOTIONS
http://www.djmx.krisisdnb.com
http://www.krisisdnb.com
http://www.basslineskiev.com
http://www.drumandbassmovement.com
http://www.krisisdnb-djmx.blogspot.com

BASSLINES - FEB 2011 - KIEV, UKRAINE

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 14:35:00 +0000

Following on from 3 events in the UK and a massive 18 events in Belarus during 2010, KrisisDnB is about to invade Kiev, Ukraine.

Following the same tried and proven record for our international events, the Krisis brand will be working with a well established promoter from the eastern european capital, to bring you a joint event with the best talent from KrisisDnB, some of the biggest Ukranian DJs, and some top headliners as well.

We have secured one of the best known clubs in Kiev for this one-off event. Cinema Club is famous for all the right reasons, having hosted nights involving Drum and Bass stars including SPL, London Elektricity, Panacea, Future Prophecies, and Techno legend Mark EG. It has also played host to the Top DJ Awards ceremony.

The full lineup will be confirmed soon...

MX – Belarus & Ukraine 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Mon, 24 May 2010 14:20:00 +0000

New interview with MX in Maxumi magazine

What happens when you take one UK DNB DJ and throw him into Eastern Europe? Mention clubbing and most people probably wouldn’t think of Belarus or the Ukraine, but in recent years Eastern Europe has seen a near explosion in nightlife. Uncovering the scene in Eastern Europe is handily provided to us by DJ MX. MX may not be a household name yet, but in the past 5 years he has risen from being a bedroom Drum and Bass DJ, to performing Drum and Bass or sometimes Breaks at a large number of events not only in the UK, but also Belarus, Ukraine and Germany as well. Having just come back to the UK following a 3 month tour of Belarus and Ukraine, we caught up with MX to hear his views on his tour, Eastern Europe, and his life as a DJ.

Check the following link for the full interview :

http://www.maxumi.co.uk/2010/05/24/dj-mx-belarus-ukraine/

Hope you like, and please leave a comment!

MX (Malcs)
http://www.djmx.krisisdnb.com

Pacman is 30 years old !!

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Fri, 21 May 2010 21:27:00 +0000

Maybe not up to the standards of modern games, but it loads faster than Windows 7 or Vista, so heres a blast from the past !!

Pacman

Online Games

MX - Hero.....

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Tue, 18 May 2010 08:39:00 +0000

Click link at bottom for full screen

KRISISDnB.COM LIVE WEBCAM FEED - WEBCAM1

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Mon, 17 May 2010 17:42:00 +0000

MX needs help to stay in Belarus... AGAIN !!!

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm MX Taylor) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:22:00 +0000

My plea for help to anyone who can give me some advice....

I would like to ask your assistance in a visa problem I have.

I originally came to Belarus twice during 2009 (August for a holiday, and October for a job interview as a native English teacher with Streamline in Minsk).

I was accepted for the teaching job (on an evaluation basis to start with in order for them to assess whether I was suitable for the role), so sold my house in the UK and came to Belarus on the 5th February 2010.

On arriving in Minsk on February 5th 2010, I purchased a Tourist visa at Minsk 2 airport. I settled in with my friends who I had been here to see in 2009, and a few days later went to Streamline to work out how they were going to assess me over the coming weeks. It was only then that they asked whether I had registered at my local office. I hadn’t, so went there the following day with my friend to solve the issue. I paid the due fine for late registration and confirmed that to Streamline.

At the end of February my visa was due to expire. I told my local registration office that my intention was to obtain full time employment in Belarus, so needed to know the best way to achieve that. So as instructed by them, I got a train to Kiev in Ukraine in order to purchase a new visa but this time a Guest visa for 30 days (I was told then that I would not have to make a further trip to Ukraine in order to extend my stay).

My assessment classes with Streamline were going fine, but they informed me that they were unlikely to be able to offer me a full time work visa as they already had 2 native English speakers and there simply wasn’t enough work for a third. So I started looking for alternative teaching schools or IT companies to work for, as I have over 20 years IT experience from the UK, so I was able to give Belarus something back from the experience I have. With multiple interviews at English schools and EPAM IT company I was so close to getting a full time job.

As instructed by the local registration office I went to them a week before my visa and registration were going to expire. I was informed that basically I had 1 week to obtain a work visa and to get it into the system in order to continue my stay here. However I still had a number of days allowance for one last extension as a guest. I enquired once again at Streamline who were very happy with my teaching skills, whether they could offer me a contract. They now said there was an opening so they could. So I went back (again) to Kiev in Ukraine and got the remaining days I could which would then give enough time for Streamline to sort the paperwork for my work visa if none of the other vacancies I had applied for came back to me in time. EPAM offered me the job as well as Streamline, and even though it was less salary, I decided to go for Streamline as it was something I enjoyed doing.

After about 15 days Streamline’s lawyer replied to my manager at Streamline saying that there was an ‘administration problem’ which meant that I was unable to get a work visa at this time. I then found out that in order to get the work visa, I needed a house contract in my name. I assumed this was the problem, and therefore, went out and rented a flat myself and got the contract which I then took to the lawyer today. It now turns out that that wasn’t the administration problem at all, but that the fact that I registered 3 days late when I arrived back in February was the issue. I immediately went to the British Embassy in Minsk to try to speak to someone but they are closed until Monday 26th due to elections I believe. It is now the 22nd April and my visa expires on the 27th April so I am very short of time.

Therefore within a week of me arriving here, I stood no chance of this ever working. I find this hard to take, considering the amount of effort I have put in to get things sorted, having spent a lot of money on visas, trips to Ukraine, and a house contract, as well as applications for job vacancies to companies in order to get me the best job I could, and sorting the necessary paperwork for the work visa. It was all a complete waste of time it seems. I cant believe how a lack of knowledge on local processes can do this. I accepted my mistake and rectified it as soon as I knew and paid the fine, which I assumed closed the matter. To have continued for 2 months spending the amount of money I have trying to make this work, without ever finding out until now that this registration issue would come back to bite me is unbelievable.

It is apparently 2 administrative errors that should cause a problem like I’m facing now with regards to a work visa, but it seems a SINGLE administrative error (my late registration in February) can mean I cannot get a job.

I would like some advice as to how I proceed (if possible) or who I should speak to before my current (and final) visa runs out on Tuesday 27th April.

This whole process upsets me so much as I have done everything I could, to learn local customs and laws, and to integrate and provide a positive contribution to every Belarusian I have met on both a social basis and from a teaching point of view as well.

I want to stay here and continue to contribute to Belarusian society !!! Of all of the countries I have visited in Europe (Germany, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Slovakia and Hungary), Belarus is the one place that I really want to live in ! I really hope that something can be done in the next few days to help me stay here.

Malcolm Taylor
http://www.krisisdnb.com