For some of us, the idea of sitting in a park all day, drinking, eating, playing games and having an all-round laugh sits up there in our top five things to do in the Summer. For some of us, we need to get out in the open air as our jobs restrict us to the confounds of our computer, beavering away to create the next masterpiece website that our client is hovering over our back for.

If this sounds oh-so-familiar to you, the answer is in Warwickshire this Summer in the return of Geek In The Park.

Back in 2006, the Multipack hosted the first ever Geek In The Park which was a huge success. People travelled from all over the UK with their families for a day of sun, food and games in the beautiful surroundings of Jephson Gardens. In the evening, everyone contravened to The Jug and Jester, the local watering hole, for an open discussion with industry leaders Patrick Lauke and Bruce Lawson about accessibility on the Internet. Everyone enjoyed the day and were really looking forward to the next Geek In The Park.

After a year’s break, Geek In The Park 2008 returns to Leamington Spa on Saturday 9th August, this time promising to be just as enjoyable as last time, if not moreso.

Trevor Morris has managed to organise some fantastic speakers who will be announced very soon, as well as pulling out all the stops on a gorgeous website co-designed with Paul Lloyd. I suggest you sign up to the email announcements to be informed of future developments and announcements while you’re over there too.

The Multipack will also be going on a reccy to Leamington Spa on Saturday 14th June to find some suitable bars for the evening session of Geek In The Park, so if you fancy joining us, get to know some faces before August and generally have a good laugh, tag along! The finer details are all on Upcoming and it would be great if you added your name to the attendance list so we know who to expect on the day before moving on. We shall also be updating Twitter with our current location so be sure to follow us if you plan on joining in a bit later.

So put the date in your diary and be sure to get your train tickets to Leamington very soon. It should be a great day!

In a bizarre twist, I’ve decided against my original plan of standardising the One Phat DJ Podcast artwork into a consistent format. Instead, I’m going to leave it to the professionals!

The artwork for Feb ‘08 - The Warm Up didn’t go down very well - and rightly so. My creative juices just weren’t flowing in the design department and that seemed quite evident. There was no originality, no WOW! factor, no nothing. It just sucked.

It then dawned on me that I knew quite a few talented artists and designers. Through social networks like Twitter and Facebook (as well as that scary “real” world), I’ve established quite a few good friends who can not only design at a remarkably high quality but were also keen to jump on board. Introducing the line up…

Sukhi Dehal

You may have noticed that the last mix “Feb ‘08 - Crescendo” artwork looked a bit different to The Warm Up artwork. That is all thanks to the Creative Director of Birmingham’s 383 Project, Sukhi Dehal. Sukhi is no stranger to branding and artwork in the dance scene - he was involved in the Sundissential branding back in the day. With a very basic brief (listen to the Crescendo and Euphoria Best Of mixes), he conjured up the tasty, retro and chic design you see on the last podcast mix. Massive thanks to Sukhi for his work - I owe you a pint Sir!

Cole Henley

I met Cole during my visit to Edinburgh last Easter when he introduced me as an ex-Midlander who had eloped North of the Border in search of a better life. He has often impressed me with his designs and sketches, even creating several caricatures of me in the past. I’m really looking forward to see what Cole can put together for “Mar ‘08 - The Warm Up”.

Luc Latulippe

Introducing our first podcast artist from the Other Side of the Pond, Luc is a freelance artist living in and loving Vancouver. He has had work featured in numerous magazine and newspaper articles, as well as creating a huge archive of personal pieces for his own enjoyment. After discovering he was a huge fan of the podcast through the Facebook Group, Luc was quick to offer his services after my original callout. I am astounded by his cartoon style and am really looking forward to see what he can illustrate for “Mar ‘08 - Crescendo”.

Sam Hardacre

Another budding artist from “up noof”, this time from the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Sam is a fellow web designer who has foolishly neglected his artistic side for far too long. Coincidentally, he told me he was keen to get his pencils back out for some doodling around the same time I started looking for artists. Let’s see what he can sketch together for “Apr ‘08 - The Warm Up”.

Who’s Next?

So, what now? Well, I’m still looking for people who are interested in doing artwork for the podcast. If you are a designer, artist or illustrator and think you are up to it, get in touch.

Please note: this is not a paid job. It is just a fantastic opportunity to get your skills seen by an audience of thousands, seen by people from all over the globe and by some quite important and influential figures in the dance and creative industry. It could be the start of something huge - you could even be the next Jason Brooks!

Let’s set the scene a little here:

For those who have followed the likes of Hed Kandi and Fierce Angels, you are bound to be familiar with the amazing artwork of Jason Brooks. His illustrations have become illustrious with the funky house music scene, not only creating a strong impression on the music industry but also defining one of the most iconic artistic styles of the last ten years. His work has graced the covers of the majority of the Hed Kandi series and the last two years of Fierce Angel compilations when he followed Mark Doyle into his next big venture having split ways with the HK brand.

Late last year though saw the end of the partnership between Mark Doyle and Jason Brooks. Jason was offered a huge opportunity back with Hed Kandi and did what any sensible businessman would do - he wrapped up his last few projects with Fierce Angel, packed up his illustration tools and returned to the brand which made his name.

This was a perfect opportunity for Mark to experiment though. Rather than dwell on the fact Jason had left, Mark decided it was a golden opportunity to recreate the Fierce Angel brand and create something for the new era of house music. It was time for “out with the old and in with the new”…

It might take a little while to adjust to the new branding and look of Fierce Angel but, after seeing it for a week or so, I have got used to it. As I told Mark last week, it has a certain “mature” air about it, quite a powerful message and all this in relatively simple symbol. This is just my opinion and there is bound to be some criticism from others. I may also be swung by my biased point of view of Fierce Angel - after all, I just want Fierce Angel to continue producing quality compilations and events for the foreseeable future.

To celebrate the new branding and the next release “A Little Angel 2“, Fierce Angel will be hosting a massive party at The Island in London on Saturday 9th February, starting at 11pm and going through the night. It is sure to be an amazing night so I suggest you get yourself a ticket straight away and head along. Full details are available on the Fierce Angels website and you might also be interested in joining the official Fierce Angel Facebook group (if you’re that way inclined).