Taylor Wheeler selected for Ministry Internship

We are delighted to announce the successful candidate for Josh’s Memorial Scheme for 2015.   Taylor Wheeler will be following Lewis Murphy and Barney Wilson for a month’s internship at the Ministry of Sound.   We look forward to hearing about Taylor’s time at Mos – here is his first account of what it means for him.   Good luck Taylor and make Josh proud!   

taylor Wheeler2My name is Taylor Wheeler and I am the 3rd person to be chosen for the Josh Edmonds Memorial Scheme; an amazing opportunity for any music enthusiast, cinematographer or creative alike.

In July 2015 Iwill be going to The Ministry of Sound in the Elephant & Castle in London to take part in a month long internship.

Here’s how it began.

In November 2014, the same as any other night I was sat at my MacBook, producing music, surfing Facebook and I saw a post about an internship at the Ministry of Sound.   I took a look and coincidentally it was being run by the college where I used to study music technology –  Cirencester College!

Feeling optimistic, I downloaded the application forms and began to write about my experience’s in music and why I wanted to take part in the internship. I had to write 200 words or so and I was able to submit one of my tracks for the application. I chose my remix of Diplo’s song “Revolution” which was my first ever remix.

(I was lucky enough to get hold of the original acapella for the song which was amazing to work with!).

You can listen to my remix here :

After a couple of months, some wild times, meeting my now girlfriend Alex, Christmas, New Year and a couple more months I got an email from Cirencester college calling me back for an interview of which, as I am writing this, was 4 days ago. Naturally I was over the moon.

For me this is the opportunity of a lifetime. Well one of the best in the last 23 years.

All my life I have studied, played and produced music but I have never had a real glimpse into the music industry. This ever pervasive entity that I have learnt about from my tutors at university and college, but as of yet have never had the chance to be a part of.

So, yeah…  I was super stoked to have been called back. I replied immediately and started to dream about what it would be like to go to ‘THE’ Ministry of Sound, pioneers of the electronic music scene in popular culture and  caretakers of legendary artists such as DJ Fresh. (It feels like only yesterday that me and my best friend Ryan were cruising around the backstreets of the Cotswolds in his Honda Civic listening to DJ Fresh’s 2 minute promo for his upcoming album Kryptonite -2010).

To me The Ministry of Sound is the source of my love for old school garage, drum & bass, dubstep and house. Without their compilations of the up and coming, as well as the seasoned professionals of EDM, I would not have the same eclectic taste in electronic music as I do today.  Just as a side note – ‘Addicted to Bass Winter 08’  is seriously banging.   Go buy it.

The date is Friday the 17th of April.

Four days ago I was accepted to take part in the internship at Ministry of Sound as part of the Josh Edmonds memorial scheme.

As I write this it’s still sinking I have been accepted to take part in the internship at Ministry of Sound as part of the Josh Edmonds memorial scheme.   I’m not going to talk much about the interview itself, because I want talk about the people I met.

Barny Rubble:  So I cruise into the old media block where I once studied as a teen, and on entering the interview room I see the most killer hairstyle that I have seen in years (really Barny gets points for rocking that cut).  I digress. Barny is the previous winner of the Josh Edmonds Memorial scheme – after following his blog and doing a little research I found that he’s a killer DJ, producer & film maker.  The dude’s super down to earth and I’m really looking forward to meeting up and working with him in the future.

Jane Edmonds: As I come into the interview room, I exchange greetings with the ‘interviewers’. I shake Barnys hand and I move across the room to meet Jane, Josh’s mum.  She greets me with a warm and welcoming demeanour and friendly smile, my nerves start to relax.

Before the interview I had read all the literature I could find about the memorial scheme, what happened to Josh and the legacy he left behind.  Coming to the end of the interview I was able to ask questions, (although I was anyway throughout – to the dismay of the head of the media faculty who was trying to keep things on time!!). I asked Jane more about her son and his role at MoS. I was told about his love for drum and bass & his strong and persevering work ethic that had got him so far. Jane was vibrant and heartfelt in her response to my questions.

Here is what hit home.   After I heard the news that I had been successful in getting the internship and I got off of the phone to Jane congratulating me, I thought of how incredible it is that Josh’s family had created this opportunity for others in the memory of Josh’s passion, how they are carrying on his talent through the talent of others and how lucky I am to not only be introduced to Jane and her family but also to be a part of the Josh Edmonds Memorial scheme.

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You are not alone in this – a tune

Subject: Mumford and sons lyrics

Outcome:  2 discoveries

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When we received Josh’s iPod back from Vietnam with all his belongings we had a huge dilemma. Was it private. Should we listen and look or not. Would Josh want us to. Problem solved as we discovered that it was pass word protected. End of story. Or so we thought. Until Jimmy randomly put in his date of birth and unbelievably …  yes.  A chance in a million.

Now I go running with his i pod in my pocket and his tunes in my ear.

And these last 4 years running has been a life saver for me. Particularly when I least felt like going.  There is something about getting out in all weathers and discovering all these new songs, something about needing to run through the pain in both my legs and my heart, that forced me to reconsider my grief and see that this was my way of continuing my bond with Josh.

Macabre some might say. Wallowing. Absolutely not. Not a bit. Liberating exciting and though emotional it was more cathartic as I would shed a tear and feel relief from the ache in my heart.

Even magical to get to know more and more about his taste in music and marvel at the overlaps and parallels in our taste.

That was discovery No.1

Discovery No. 2

On Holocaust Remembrance Day, this year, I  was feeling particularily bereft and sad and walked up to Josh’s tree.

As I reached the tree I put on his iPod and this track came up.  Mumford and Sons who I really don’t know and have never listened to but this track hit me so hard it took my breath away.   I sat on Josh’s bench on the hillside overlooking our village and it felt truly like a release for me and though my heart ached terribly I really felt Josh up there on the hill side with me.

And I’m really not sure how this could have possibly escaped me but a split second realisation that Holocaust Rememberance Day 2011 fell on the same day as Josh’s funeral.

Particularily strange as I have always marked Holocaust day since Josh died but not marked his funeral day as his death day has been our significant date of Rememrance.   How I have never put the 2 together seems beyond belief.  Maybe I simply didn’t have the emotional space till now to join up the massive significance of the date his funeral fell on.

Since these discovery Mumford and Sons have become regular running chums as I digest the massive resonance of the lyrics and feel that I really am not alone

Yes death will steal your innocence but as I have realised it will not steal your substance.

Thanks for reading

Jane (March 2015)

Listen to Jane’s Running thoughts here