Right, here's the mailout....

Yay! Rah! etc. etc. Sunday is here again, and so are the downloads..........
Where do we start? With one of those posts where you say to yourself "Jesus, what happened to THEM?" (providing you can remember them in the first place)
So, from the era of The JoBoxers and The Stray Cats, here's some Roman Holiday........
http://lostinthe80s.blogspot.com/2006/12/stilletto-heels-and-split-skirt-youre.html
More of that "best of the year" action.....worth it for the Joanna Newsom and M.Ward..............
http://sand-is-overrated.blogspot.com/2006/12/2006-is-overrated-part-2-tracks-of_16.html
Oh, i'm loving this one.........how about a Ramones album............FOR YOUR KIDS? :)))))))))))))
http://music.for-robots.com/archives/001766.html
Here's a HUGE post of Xmas songs (you can get the lot as a zip file) but in amongst them all is my favourite Xmas song ever, the only one ever to bring a tear to my eye: "I'm Getting Pissed For Christmas" by Peter And The Test Tube Babies
http://somethingold-somethingnew.blogspot.com/2006/12/have-something-something-christmas_15.html
How about some live Oasis? Oh go on then................
http://mainstreamisntsobad.blogspot.com/2006/12/oasis-in-snow.html
If you haven't got the Soulwax/Gossip remix, you haven't lived...and the squeakeklean remix of Teddybears is THE FUCKING KNOCK as well :))))))
http://www.sandwichclub.fm/blog/2006/12/thom-yorke-black-jellybean-in-remix.html
This next tune is another one of those ones which is never far from my ipod....."Shine a Light" by Wolf Parade...
http://memo57.blogspot.com/2006/12/light-candle.html
Here's something i've not heard for ages............
Awesome stuff from Isaac Hayes inc full 18 minute (!!) version of "Ain't No Sunshine"
http://floodwatchmusic.com/blog2/2006/12/15/five-covers-for-a-friday-vol-4-isaac-hayes/
Monster post (in German) which has got some great stuff: Richard X/Jarvis Cocker...Decemberists/Hard-Fi
http://www.mr-brightside.net/wp/2006/12/15/verlieren-wir-keine-zeit/
One of my favourite Punk bands of the 80's, The Subhumans...(FYI, the lead singer used to work in my local garage in Wiltshire)
http://www.7inchpunk.com/?p=846
Mixed bag, with Beck, Morphine ("Thursday" is just INCREDIBLE)
http://staergetaleht.blogspot.com/2006/12/random-friday-post-good-week.html
Mash-up time.....a whole slew of versions of Jay-Z's "Encore"
http://feedmegoodtunes.blogspot.com/2006/12/tired-tired.html
Ok, here's another one of my obsessions, Old School Hardcore....some classic Moving Shadow stuff from DJ Trax.....
http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1035
Actually, while we're at it, here's some more QUALITY hardcore, from my favourite Old-School outfit EVER, the amazing 2 Bad Mice.......they are the soundtrack to every great memory I have of raving Si...if you're listening today, much love, hold it down.
http://www.thewhitenoiserevisited.co.uk/2006/12/freaky-dancin.html
And to finish? One of my tips for the top again........Bird And Bee are signed to Blue Note (!) but don't think it's just jazz.......
http://womenfolk.net/archives/2006/11/27/high-notes-vol-5/
do follow the links to the myspazzz page for more stuff as well.....
Howzat? More next week, with a bumper Xmas special :))))))
love,
iain
x

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

Can you imagine riding a wave this big? There's a moment, just after the jet-ski let's the surfer go...when I SWEAR you can hear that little fart escaping...the one that only turns up when you're absolutely terrified :)
The other piece of Youtube GENIUS at the moment is this: you've got to get to the end for it to make sense, so stick with it.........
And this clip is great as well.....that's all we are: little bits of nothing. God is dead: Hail Satan

happy Xmas kids.


p.s.
There is no Santa Claus.

Brakes last night...

Were just incredible, the highlight was "The Most Fun" which sounds a little like an afterthought on the first album, but live it has this subtle release of power and malevolence that just floors me. Nice to see CJ from Scream, whose Xmas party it was, plus associated other folk including a somewhat refreshed John Hillcock (John, if you're reading this, check out the Tigercity track in the mailout) and of course, my partner in crime for the night, this chap. Brighton tonight, after even more coding.

As promised.....

Sunday is upon us once more.....bringing with it a whole shitload of downloadable goodness!
Starting with this actually......the 50 best videos of the year! Rah!
http://docopenhagen.blogspot.com/2006/12/top-50-music-videos-of-2006.html
It's interesting to note the meteoric rise of youtube and its effect on blog posts like that one: last year, I can remember all the "Best Video" blog posts, and NONE were composed of solid 'tube action at all.....
(make sure you check out the info on downloading the clips to your ipod or pc!!!)
And while we're at it.here's another of those "Best of 2006" posts, chock-full of stuff you should investigate: Girl Talk (I know, yet again......) Pete Yorn, Josh Ritter and the glorious EP from Josh Rouse as well......
http://fuelfriends.blogspot.com/2006/12/my-favorites-of-2006.html
AND HERE'S MORE!!!!!
30 killers from 2006.......Girl Talk AGAIN, Mates Of State, Peter Bjorn and John, The Dears, Concretes.....there's stuff we've visited before, but plug the holes in your collection of tunes RIGHT NOW :)))))))))))
http://whokilledthemixtape.blogspot.com/2006/12/you-could-try-to-feel-more-alive_09.html
I'm not sure if i've plugged this site before, but it's one of my favourites....constantly focussing on the overlooked, the underdog, the forgotten classics, all those things which are guaranteed to pique my interest....including The The :))))))))
http://dustonthestylus.blogspot.com/2006/11/the-armageddon-days-are-here-again.html
Time for an odd cover version....Lady Sov does the Sex Pistols:
http://marchonelectricchildren.blogspot.com/2006/12/new-covers.html
(FYI, it's from the new O.C. covers CD)
Regular readers will know the extent of my obsession with early Ultravox! stuff........for those of you out there going "what???" here's the reason why. They ROCKED. http://www.kbdrecords.com/2006/11/25/ultravox-frozen-ones-7/
Some more of that "Best Of 2006" action now:
http://knkisser.blogspot.com/2006/12/top-ten-songs-of-2006.html
(Props for the Regina Spektor and Beth Orton, nice varied choices.....isn't this time of year great? all the blogs start to bulge with great tunes......)
Here's one of those posts that makes your jaw hit the floor:
http://www.moistworks.com/2006/12/hanging-garden-cure-pornography.html
Short, sweet, to the point. And that Cure track is just wonderful.
To make up for the fact that there's never enough Jazz on the mighty X, hell, there's never ANY Jazz........
have some of this:
http://www.moteldemoka.com/2006/12/08/christmas-at-moka/
Here's my favourite post of the week, inspired by some wise words from Andy Partidge from XTC, with a slew of wonderful tunes accompanying it: live Joy Division, The Slits, The Pop Group.....
http://timedoor.textdriven.com/index.php?id=118
And while we're on about The Slits, this page has a detailed bio of the band as well as some rare Mp3's....
http://www.warpedrealitymagazine.com/2006/12/once_upon_a_time_in_brooklyn.html
More from the Good Weather For Airstrikes blog now, which has shown its good taste time and again recently.....
Well, here it really lays its colours down in support of the incredible Johnny Boy, whose debut single "You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve" was one of the most heart-stoppingly fabulous records of the last 5 years. Why it wasn't MASSIVE still irks me enormously.........
http://www.goodweatherforairstrikes.com/test/2006/12/09/artist-profile-johnny-boy/
Nice look back at Nick Lowe, one of the pioneering figures of the Punk scene ( he was not really a punk himself, but he put out the first single on Stiff Records AND produced the first Damned album....)
http://soundofthesuburb.blogspot.com/2006/12/nick-lowe.html
Saddest news of the week was the sudden death of Wiz, the driving force behind Mega City 4, RIP Wiz, you'll be missed.
MC4 at their best:
http://www.idolator.com/tunes/mp3/the-vault-taking-a-trip-to-mega-city-four-220408.php
I spent many years DJ'ing Techno and Acid Trance stuff around London and elsewhere ( and had WAY too much fun doing it, I might add)
This track by DJ Hell was a staple of my sets. It STILL sounds utterly bonkers, and I still love it to bits.
http://ill-ec-tro-nic.blogspot.com/2006/12/dare-you-dance.html
I think I should plug another one of those bands who I think wil be huge in 2007.....check this out...i'm absolutely obsessed by this song......TigerCity
http://music.for-robots.com/archives/001756.html
Great post from Laurence over at Covert Curiosity, with some musings on the nature of Indie Pop, and some Camera Obscura and The Boy Least Likely To as evidence:
http://covertcuriosity.com/?p=226
Not sure if it's still working ( it's been caned a bit over the last few days) but see if you can grab the Diplo/Beatles re-rub here:
http://sluttyfringe.wordpress.com/2006/12/07/i-hate-beetroot/
And, to finish, a great post which kicks seven bells out of Kerrang!, and puts proper Punk Rock back on the agenda.
"Here it is...........again........and it's called..........12XU!!!!"
http://www.culturebully.com/archives/2148
I've been in a Punk mood this week, haven't I? Never forget your roots,
hold it down,
love,
iain
x

....and i've reverted to my original hit counter too

...as the new one didn't give me the breakdown of user stats.
Jesus, this may be my most boring post EVER.
Right, let's eat some chinese food and get out of here.

Another busy week.....

Loads of stuff going on: Winter Wonderland, obviously, at the weekend....the hightlight of which, for me, was The Feeling's cover of "Video Killed The Radio Star" , camp as christmas, but utterly beguiling. The noise of the crowd when Tenacious D stepped out onto the stage was absolutely seismic, I thought my ears were going to stat bleeding.....
But the real highlight of the week was Brakes, live at KCLSU; they were just absolutely spectacular, I had a grin a mile wide for days after: in fact, they were SO good i'm going for another dose tonight, when they play at Metro.
Might try and reign in the partying a little tonight though, I managed to get trollied last night after going out for beers post-footy. Should have won the game, but hey-ho, the season's still young and we've got a run of games coming up to rival Man U's easy start to the season.
Lots of coding going on for the website project, the streams should be ready by the middle of the week, i'm really looking forward to seeing how it works (and keeping my fingers crossed that it actually does work) I'll post the mailout of links eithr a little bit later, or tomorrow morning.

OK....

Blogger seems to have recovered from its temporary brain-fart, and links are now possible once more. I've amended the mailout so the links work (phew!)
On the subject of links, i've been delving deeper into Web 2.0 and it's social-networking possibilities, but it's the explosion in aggregation sites that's making me excited....from Digg to Technorati, there are loads out there, but it's nice to see others emerge; and it's also nice to see that these new arrivals have still managed to find niches within which to establish themselves...
Here's my new favourite: BuzzFeed.

And while i'm at it....

What the hell's happened to blogger? I can't insert HTML links........

Here's the mailout for yesterday....

right then, where shall we start this Sunday's dose of downloads?
How about the sublime "Building Steam With a Grain Of Salt" by DJ Shadow to get our heads in the right place?
http://covertcuriosity.com/?p=216
Remember last week's Neiles Life blog post? Well, the blogosphere is full of similar posts, as people reflect on the songs/albums of the year....here's another: The Delays, one of the most criminally overlooked albums of the year:
http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/music/entry/delays_you_see/
(and keep that site on your favourites, there's more on the way)
Regular readers of this mailout will now that Girl Talk have been one of my artists of the year.....and here's a Girl Talk remix of Peter Bjorn and John :))))))
http://kirradio.blogspot.com/2006/12/girl-talk-peter-bjorn-and-john.html
Now, this is GREAT STUFF.....some of the extra tracks from that huge Clash singles box-set......
http://siart.blogspot.com/2006/12/funky-friday-clash-singles-edition.html
One of the odd things about the blogosphere is that it seems to be psychic....I've been listening to "How I learned To love The Bootboys" by The Auteurs all week long...thinking "how come no-one EVER mentions this?"
Then someone does.
http://jamiesrunoutgroove.blogspot.com/2006/12/classic-album-auteurs-how-i-learned-to.html
*spooky music*
Buried in amongst a mixed bag of Xmas tunes (bleeee!) is the tricky-to-find "Wassailing Song" by Blur...
http://insearchofarcadia.blogspot.com/2006/12/and-so-this-is-christmas-and-david.html
Changing tack a little...how about some LTJ Bukem?
http://musicisart.blogspot.com/2006/12/electronica-post-exam.html
Time to plug some future talent, I think........Pull Tiger Tail are one of those bands who'll be HUGE in 2007, mark my words....they're in here........
http://www.headphonesex.co.uk/2006/11/future-guitar-heroes.html
Actually, my other tip for the top is this lot:
http://www.myspace.com/ilovetinseltown
(not a download, just a myspace profile, but check 'em out, they're BRILLIANT)
And one more..........Does It Offend You Yeah?
http://www.goodweatherforairstrikes.com/test/2006/12/03/artist-profile-does-it-offend-you-yeah/
And, from the same blog, here's a post which includes one of the RECORDS OF THE YEAR. that's not an idle boast, it's the truth. Have a listen to "Phantom Limb" by The Shins and then try to tell me it's not a work of utter genius. Go on, I dare you. http://www.goodweatherforairstrikes.com/test/2006/11/27/cmj-2006-friday/
(the ending just KILLS me, every single time.)
Here's a great post: songs that were in "American Psycho" but didn't make it onto the soundtrack........
Huey Lewis! Robert Palmer! Ofra Haza!.......go on, scratch that 80's itch.........
http://lookingatthem.blogspot.com/2006/12/soundtrack-saturday-american-psycho.html
Are you a Pearl Jam fan? This post is the greatest xmas present for you, EVER. All the tracks from their Christmas singles!!!! (about 30 tracks in all......)
http://fuelfriends.blogspot.com/2006/12/pearl-jam-christmas-singles-collection.html
OK, here's one of my favourite records of all time: Richard Hell's "Blank Generation" I remember buying this in a record shop in Windsor in 1978, there's seldom been a week that's passed since without me listening to it at least once.......
http://armagideontime.blogspot.com/2006/12/i-belong-to-generation.html
Let's finish with an odd cover shall we? Flaming Lips doing "Bohemian Rhapsody"
http://blogger.xs4all.nl/werksman/archive/2006/12/02/157687.aspx
Wahey!!!
Right, that should do you for now..........more next week :)
love,
Iain
x

Blimey, that was a busy week.......

And busy for all the right reasons this time, as I spent most of it encoding the digital streams for xfm's new website project....
It's a long and somewhat dull task (and it's not over yet) but, at the same time, there's something very satisfying about being so completely involved with most of the output of the station. Friday was another First Friday, so I was back at the Islington Acadamy; I was back there less than 24 hours later for Spear Of Destiny. Spear were in absolutely top form: Robin from Bush is now playing drums for them and he's such a powerhouse that the sound has become even more full and brooding as a result.
There were actually TWO gigs happening on Saturday, The Meteors were playing in the main part of The Academy; it was hilarious to see that their crowd hasn't changed all that much, though they seem to have ingested a large amount of pies. P.Paul Fenech is still a maniac, as irascible as ever. Was given a flyer upon leaving the venue for The Guana Batz and King Kurt doing a 25th anniversary show.
*Feels very old*

Hahahahahahaha

Me, a bit refreshed.

Nick!! This one's for you! (again)

Mu-mu-mu-mu-music can only be sooooooooo baaaad......

Jesus and Mary Chain. ROCK AND FUCKING ROLL.

Another weekend gone....

And i'm now a DESK SLAVE! (eeeeep) well, at least for the next couple of weeks whilst I do the coding for the new streams on this upcoming xfm project (more about that soon) It's an odd felling being at a desk with a phone and a computer, with people all around me....the studio is, by comparison, such a solitary place...
The weekend also saw me DJing in Islington (i'm back there this Friday) and power-napping every chance I could get. Hurrah for noise-cancelling headphones.

Back in London.......

And checking out some wonderful 80's reggae on Youtube. Part 1 is here, with some wonderful popping chat from the one and only Papa Toyan, Part 2 is a little more bonged-out, but has Yellowman riding the mic in fine style. The riddims are what makes these clips tough, pure "junjo" Lawes on the board and Roots Radics on the grooves.

And more work on the site....

...means a new hit counter *points down* which is starting again from zero, obv.
I'm off to the south coast soon, more tomorrow.
EDIT: Aha! I learned how to mess with the counter and include all the old hits. Rah! And i've added an ipod-style display of my current tracks on the wonderful last.fm.

As if the song wasn't good enough already......

The video is just fantastic, too.
The album is getting better and better. BOTH the ballads ("No Return" and "Isabel" are just killing me at the moment)
Brighton tonight, and it's looking cold. I may have to bring the Parka out of mothballs. I always know when winter is on the way, I start to crave chillies.

And I also think I should let it be known...

That my little blog had its third birthday at the weekend :))
While we're on the subject of the weekend, here's the mailout for the downloads of the week, as featured on Sunday's show:



Hurrah! Sunday is here once again. and that means........downloads!
Where shall we start? How about something that is GUARANTEED to put a smile on your face? OK then , here's the original version of "I Fought The Law" http://katry.blogspot.com/2006/11/i-fought-law-bobby-fuller-four.html
Killer selection of remixes, the Gossip re-rub courtesy of Soulwax is a particular highlight....
http://www.sandwichclub.fm/blog/2006/11/saturday-remixes.html
And while we're doing remixes: Captain get the DFA treatment :)))))
http://www.americanathlete.blogspot.com/
One of the best new bands around are The Hidden Cameras....check 'em out here:
http://tracemyface.blogspot.com/2006/11/hidden-cameras.html
Hmmmm. Odd post raving about the return of the McRib (bleeeee), but giving us some live Pavement, from Reading in 1994. Ho hum.
http://www.captainsdead.com/2006/11/17/its-baaaaaaaaaaaaaack/
Oh yes! This is what the weekend is all about.....a HUGE slice of funk!
http://feedmegoodtunes.blogspot.com/2006/11/if-you-were-mine-i-doubt-wed-stay-home.html
One of the most influential bands of the 80's (and one that's often overlooked) The Cocteau Twins....
"Sugar Hiccup" is here:
http://lessonsfromthings.blogspot.com/2006/11/sugar-sugar-burning-bright.html
(As well as a nice gohome productions mashup "Velvet Sugar")
...and still on that "Overlooked 80's" thing.....let's celebrate the return of the Sugarcubes shall we?
http://indielaundry.blogspot.com/2006/11/sykurmolarnir-sugarcubes-celebrate.html
Britpop? you want Britpop? OK, not just Blur and Oasis, but Blur and Oasis and Travis Live :))))))
http://insearchofarcadia.blogspot.com/2006/11/britpop-explosion-oasis-vs-blur-live.html
great post promising to make your wishes come true, and giving you some wishes in return ( that's a big YES for Pink Floyd, and an exasperated NO for Phil Collins)
http://res1999.blogspot.com/2006/11/make-wish.html
OK, time for some kitsch brilliance, forgive me..........
http://tinydancing.blogspot.com/2006/11/this-is-no-ordinary-computer.html
this post is just the sort of thing I think we should see more of on the net....go see a gig, then review it online, with handy MP3's from the artists involved. Rah!!!!
So....CSS/1990's/Rogers Sisters
http://thedailygrowl.blogspot.com/2006/11/css-1990s-rogers-sisters-scala-14.html
Right, here's a mixed bag of quality stuff (Joanna Newson, Depeche Mode, Rufus Wainwright, the AMAZING Silversun Pickups, Iggy Pop, death Cab and more)
http://thetruthenlightensme.blogspot.com/2006/11/michigan-vs-ohio-state.html
And I think we should end by going off on a tangent.....Legendary drummer Buddy Rich brings it all to a close.
http://abeefsandwich.typepad.com/a_beef_sandwich_w_sweet_a/2006/11/saturdays_with__2.html
Enjoy :))))))
Actually, just before I go.........this link won't stay up for long, so enjoy it while you can...here's THE WHOLE FILM of "Cars" (The pixar thing....) on google video :))))))))))))))
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=720927334558326792%26hl=en
As ever, more in seven days time.
Love,
iain
x

This guy is REALLY creepy...

...but worth chatting to.
Timbot.

Last night then.......

*points down*
Palace Fires were great, there's an easy, confident aura about them as a band, still makes me wonder why they're not bigger than they are; the album's great, they're great, period. It seems to me they're just one TV ad, one appearance on a soundtrack, one lucky break away from making it work.
On the subject of gigs, look who made it onto youtube. That was our biggest ever crowd, at the Hollywood rock festival in Brazil. Estimates on how many people we played to vary from 100 to 250 thousand people. Bloody hell. I'd love to see the rest of this gig make it onto youtube, there's a corking version of "What Would You Know" on it.....

Mmmm, nice...

This is wonderful: 30 minutes of Mingus.....
Him and his band look absolutely *perfect*, like the S1W's of Jazz.......
Off to see Palace Fires tonight at the Metro, report to follow tomorrow.

Genius!

Worst. Burglar. Ever.
On a cookery tip, today it's leek and potato soup.

Hurrah for Risotto!

Free range chicken, asparagus, chestnut mushrooms.......and arborio rice from the best little Italian deli in London.

Oh, and one more thing.....

You've probably noticed, i've updated the blog a little, some new links and content stuff *points right* and some new functionality as far as comments and feeds go.....
Any thoughts?

Right.......

I've sorted the links in the previous post, so it *should* work OK. Lots to be done today, off to visit my V/O agent, a little bit of shopping in the MVE, might pop into Cuts as well (i'm currently vacillating over the wisdom of having my hair cut short again) and a meeting with the new boss as well. If i'm up in Soho, i'll check out Berwick St. market again, got some wonderful Chillies yesterday and i'm on the lookout for some nice fresh wild mushrooms for a risotto *gets hungry*

What have I been doing?

Laughing a little too much over this..........
...and absolutely obsessing over the new Brakes album. At first I was unsure as to whether it was the equal of the first CD ("Give Blood") but now i'm pretty sure it's as good, if not better. There's a track on it called "No Return" which is genuinely the most heart-breaking thing you'll hear all year.
There's an MP3 blog post of the single "Hold Me In The River" right here.
While we're on the subject of MP3 blogs and the blogosphere as a whole, i've been featuring a "download of the week" mailout in my Sunday show on Xfm: essentially it's a round-up of all the blog posts that have been pulling my chain over the previous week.
Here's this week's.................
(cut and paste follows.....)
>>>>>>>
Ah, another Sunday, another mailout full of downloads......
Starting off with some of this, a little TECHNO MADNESS courtesy of CJ Bolland.....
http://www.thewhitenoiserevisited.co.uk/2006/11/banging-like-barn-door-in-force-10.html
(Just because the first links on the mailout tend to be bit mellow, and I thought i'd break with tradition)
You may remember last week I was musing on how the web was now the principal place to find bootlegs (and what a bloody good idea it was) Well, further proff of this comes in the shape of some quality Pearl Jam acoustic sessions.....
http://licorice-pizza.blogspot.com/2006/11/pearl-jam-unplugged-part-2.html
And while we're at it......Counting Crows get the same treatment.....
http://www.captainsdead.com/2006/11/10/coming-out-of-the-closet-of-sorts/
OK, a change of tack....
Cover Vs. Original, RATM Vs. Bambaataa.......
http://somevelvetblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/renegade-shout-out.html
....and some more cover action as well, including Death Cab doing The Smiths, and Modest Mouse doing Slayer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://iguessimfloating.blogspot.com/2006/11/new-song-modest-mouse.html
There's a new Trail Of Dead album! Rah! It's streaming over at their Myspazzzzz or there's a couple of snippits here:
http://therichgirlsareweeping.blogspot.com/2006/11/yeah-you-all-know-i-have-unholiest-of.html
OK, it doesn't get much better than this..two of the greatest pop songs OF ALL TIME. Wreckless Eric, and The Only Ones (can we get that dreadful cover version taken OFF the phone ad? Jesus, it's dreadful)
http://www.captainsdead.com/2006/11/10/whole-wide-world-with-another-girl-from-another-planet/
(FYI, Wreckless Eric's parent are known as Wreckless Frank and Wreckless Doris, honest!)
Did you get a copy of the new Scritti Politti album? shame on you if you didn't...but fear not, you can hear what you're missing here:
http://www.idolator.com/tunes/mp3/idolator-feasts-on-scritti-polittis-white-bread-black-beer-213943.php
I know the Jarvis album is getting ALL the plaudits at the moment, but let's bathe in a little bit of his glorious past shall we?
http://plagueofangels.blogspot.com/2006/11/pulp-fixation-on-second-thought-its.html
Right, remix time.....some great New Young Pony Club stuff....a great Wolfmother mix (which i think we may have done before, but if you haven't heard it, YOU NEED TO)...and more besides.....
http://soundgym.blogspot.com/2006/11/modular.html
Bloody Hell!!!! AMAZING post about the roots of punk rock....with musical evidence from The Velvets, The Voidoids, New York Dolls, Stooges and more.......
http://loadsafun.blogspot.com/2006/11/england-steals-all-credit-thats-how-it.html
(sod 'em for the "England Steals all the credit" though, we just took a good idea and made it BETTER)
jefitoblog SHOULD be on your list of favourites by now.....if not, you'll be missing stuff like this KILLER Sabbath show from 1974
http://jefitoblog.com/blog/?p=978

\m/ \m/
Nice varied post 80's stuff, Depeche Mode, New Order.....also contains Men At Work (eeeeep!)
http://speedofdark-web.blogspot.com/2006/11/its-80s-all-over-again.html
another mixed-bag post...B-52's (the wonderful, if a little barmy "Wig") Beck, Dead Milkmen and more.....
http://feedmegoodtunes.blogspot.com/2006/11/music-to-douche-your-nose-by.html
And YET ANOTHER mixed bag finishes todays mailout, this one's a corker.....MBV, Nick Drake, Hood, Of Montreal......
http://bushwickisbeautiful.blogspot.com/2006/11/painkillers-for-emptiness.html
enjoy 'em ALL.......
As ever, we do it all again in 7 days.....
love,
iain
>>>>>>>>>>>>

So that's what you get.

OK people....

It's been a while.......and i'm not even sure if you've missed me.......
But what have I been doing? A list of gigs as long as your arm....some DJ-ing, some voiceovers,
But mostly watching this video.
Is that not the greatest thing ever? Fatha Rodigan still believing, still repping the UK after all these years......there's a lesson in there for us all.
Also, there's a clear demonstration about what tunes to play and when: drop the big ones at the right time......game over.
On the youtube tip as well: it's hard not to be impressed with someone who's "too handsome to live" and it's also well worth knowing that there's other nerds out there too........and while we're at it: check out the accuracy for that video.........
But, at the end of the day, i've been doing a lot of this.

This another one of those times when the Jez tells us one of those "Rucksack Killer" stories (FYI, his most legendary tale ever was trying to conince us that a killer stalked Australians by posing as a rucksack, attaching himself to their backs and.......oh, do I have to go on?) .Typical reactions from Keys and Drums. 

Don, G-Blood, T-Bone (Drums) Febake. The Bushranger, Goldhawk road. 

In an advanced state of relaxation and refreshment : The Hospital, Covent Garden. 

Right, it's update time....

First off, how's the new template? I'd had the old one for a while, just thought it would be nice to change...
I'm one year older now (birthday last Friday) so I'm still feeling a little fragile..
And the highlight of my week? This video (and a couple of other songs too, check the "related" section) being posted on Youtube. I'll let you all into a little secret: I've actually dreamt about finding early-Ultravox rarities before, so seeing this footage at last has been a revelation, I'm the happiest anorak in the world. The songs actually predate the first album, and "TV Orphan" metamorphosed into "Fear In The Western World" on album number two "ha!-ha!-ha!" (the title was subsumed into the lyrics and some chord changes remain as well)
For anyone else out there with an Ultravox! itch they may wish to scratch: Torque Point.
It's a lovely sunny afternoon now, after a morning which brought stormy, squally rain to the streets of West London. Literally, as a matter of fact, the M4 was flooded and the traffic round Hammersmith was apocalyptically bad as a result. I should know, I was stuck in a 220 bus at the time. Bah.

The playroom has a new addition: 1920's Bluthner baby grand: isn't she a beauty? 

The listening booth..... 

Here's the "used" section of the quiver....at the front a Slam City Skates blank deck from 1992, behind it (L-R) a Skull Skates Duane Peters with indys and bullets, a mini Lance Mountain "future primitive", a Bryan Pennington and a Powell Peralta Caballero "Mask" with indys and G-Bones... 

On the left, Beadle "Hi-Torquer" complete, on the right...NHS Lucero "Red Cross" with G&S chromoly trucks and slimeballs..... 

Haven't done any quiver stuff for a while have I? On the left, G&S Doug Smith "Bomb", Aggro Trackers, 62mm Santa Cruz Bullets..on the right, Birdhouse Willy Santos, some new-school trucks whose name escapes me, Serial Killer wheels (Manson!) 

Gah.

I appear to be getting a bit of a cold. Oh well, must soldier on...
It's a sultry afternoon in London, i'm currently recharging itunes: on the positive side for once, the new version of itunes actually seems to be better than the preceding version. The new one has a function where you can rummage through all your albums by flicking through the covers; it's a quaintly retro little feature, but great nonetheless.
Here's my mate Mike's daughter Lulu, singing Abba: how cute is she?
:)
Here's my favourite tech-gadget of the moment......
As a sort of farewell to the summer *looks at the drizzle out of the window* here's a GAZILLION versions of "Girl From Ipanema"
FYI, I went to Ipanema beach, it was lovely. Then, at night when the tide came in, the beach was covered in used condoms, dead fish and syringes :(((((((((((((((
Oh, this is fascinating me at the moment, be careful in those internet forums, people.....

Nick, this one's for you.....

Bashment meets the Surfaris (eeeeeeep!)
And for everyone else, believe it or not, the new Siobhan Donaghy (ex-Sugababes) single is one of the records of the year.....

Another weekend zooms by....

Friday was International Hi-Fi at the Academy, and Saturday was Chelsea v. Charlton followed by Charlie's birthday party at The Purple Turtle. How many people can celebrate by having Nick Oliveri sing them "happy birthday" ? Not many, i'll wager. Also managed to get some pinball action for the first time in absolutely ages; it was an absolute pleasure to brush up on my flipper transfers.
Today, as ever on a Sunday, brought some relaxation, some siesta time, and some cooking: squid with fresh chilli, barbequed whole trout and some king prawn skewers. Now, replete, i'm contemplating sleep and finishing the last of the Riesling.
Oh, here's the latest on Lonelygirl15. The plot thickens.

Coolest video clip of the week.....

Is Everyday, by Noah K....a photo everyday for six years. It's part of a work in progress, he intends to do this every single day of his life.
More info here; including a myspace link to the music :)

Best New Band in the world....

At the moment is Born Ruffians......
Download these two tracks and you'll see what I mean, the first ("This sentence....") is nothing short of GODLIKE.

The end of another weekend....

Kicked off with a DJ set at First Friday, which was a blast (as ever) Still great to see everyone go APESHIT for that Arctic Monkeys remix; but also gratifying to watch the dancefloor go loopy for Jamie T, The Klaxons and Polysics.
Saturday? Well, slightly hungover, as you might expect. Then watched England beat Andorra and slept it all off.
Today was the first of my Sunday shows that I made a conscious effort to think outside the box a bit more and mix things up a little. This will be be a continuing process, so keep listening.
Tonight? Rabbit stew, crushed new potatoes and a glass of Shiraz.
Just the one, mind.

And, for all those people addicted to Youtube...

here's a really interesting piece on the whole Lonelygirl15 saga......
It's been one of the most amazing sagas on youtube over the last few months, and it looks like the fun is just beginning :)
FYI, and if you've no idea what i'm on about: Lonelygirl15 on youtube.

So.....

Reading.
Well, same as ever, really. Enjoy the atmosphere, try not to get distracted by too many bands (!) and sit in that backstage area and get wasted.
Franz Ferdinand as headliners was a mistake, I think: at the end of the album cycle, with no new material, it all felt a little flat. Certainly there wasn't the same level of expectation as there was around Muse on Saturday. I managed to inveigle some DJ time in the VIP tent (partly as an insurance policy against rain) which meant hanging around with The Towers Of London; this was EXACTLY as Rock'n'Roll as you would expect :)
The interesting thing about Reading was the increasing level of corporate involvement: from swanky backstage tents, to targeted marketing, the entire thing seemed more money-orientated than ever before. It's no surprise: we live in an era when physical record sales are plummeting, it was always obvious that the live music market would therefore be squeezed even harder to extract every penny that was being lost to downloads, P2P, file-sharing...Or whatever the major companies were blaming this week. But there was a desperation, a blind rush for profit evident at this years festival that slightly depressed me.

Sunday....

out in the wilds of Kent....
A lunch of cheese-topped foccacia, stuffed with caramelised onion, some mousetrap cheddar and slices of chorizo, juicy sliced tomatoes and whatever half-bottles of wine are left in the fridge. Actually, that meant the remainder of a bottle of cider as well..
Then picked ripening apples from the straining boughs of fruit trees...plump damsons and sweet plums out of the grasp of the wasps...
And settled down to read the sunday supplements as sheep slept in the nextdoor field. The lanes leading home were wet with the ghosts of the showers that were sporadically firing off all over the county, never actually saw any rain, just drove through the puddles; and at one point through the clouds of vapour rising off the shining leaves.
This week? Vines/View tonight, First Friday and the Air Guitar Championships on Friday.

My head hurts....

Reading was as fun as ever....i'll tell you more soon :)

Life goes on....

My sincere apologies for not posting for a while, and also my thanks to those of you who were posting comments to say you're getting impatient for news; well I have some, 'tis not so good. Recent schedule changes at the station have seen me temporarily sidelined- i'm doing weekend stuff at the moment, as well as filling in for daytime vacancies, that sort of thing. Will it be permanent? Who knows? There's no way of knowing just yet. It's nothing to do with my performance, which is rather galling, but on the positive side, it frees me up to look at other things. There are some exciting things surrounding the Xfm website at the moment, so i've got myself deeply involved in that: can't tell you more yet, but I will when I can. Also got a few programme ideas in tentative pre-production with a media company and am DJing as ever (Jet gig this week, Reading festival today, First Friday next week, International Hi-Fi and the Rapture the week after)
But overall, I just kicked back for a fortnight and let it all sink in. That's where I've been. And you?
Anyway, it's Reading today, so expect photos, gossip and other bullshit early next week. I love you all, iain x

how was your weekend?

Mine was somewhat stressful, actually. Came up to London on Saturday night to DJ at International Hi-fi, only to find that all the trains were completely screwed due to a lightning strike on the trackside (eeeeep!). That was my cue to sit on a sweltering Thameslink train (all the Southern services had been cancelled) without any air-con, as we dawdled up to London in about 2 hours. Gah.
Sunday at least brought with it a chance to eat BBQ and drink Scrumpy: without that i'd have just given up on the entire weekend.
This week then? John Foxx on Thursday night at the Scala, with Palace Fires at the Metro before that...there's the launch of Xfm's new club night, The Weekender, at the Islington Academy on Friday night, oh and Mumm-Ra and TheLongcut at Dingwalls tonight....

OK people....

If you go to the Aberfeldy page on myspace, you can DOWNLOAD "Whatever Turns You On" the title track of their new CD, which has been on constant rotation here at Westway Towers for the past fortnight. It's just a wonderful slice of shimmering pop genius: I can virtually guarantee that your life will be better for owning it.
And if you've got a spare quarter of an hour, I can also implore you to check this out: it's a 15 minute piece of photo-journalism about the Grime scene in East London.

Thank God for that....

The temperature must have dropped about 10-12 degrees overnight, it's still humid, but no longer stultifyingly opressive.
Have yourselves some Sun Ra.
While we're on the subject of mp3's, i've started doing a link on the show to "Download Of The Day" so i'm guessing that some of the people who get the daily email may well stumble across this humble little blog. If so, then welcome. Say hello in the comments :)

Sweltering....

It's hot. Damned hot
*sweats*
Anyway, it's been a few days, so what have I been doing? A quick trawl of the boot sales on Sunday turned up some great old Balearic vinyl : "Afro Dizzy Act", that sort of thing...So Sunday night saw me at the decks, pretending I was back at Shoom :)
Sunday was also a time for swimming: nice and late in the evening, just when the sun dips towards the horizon is exactly the right time to swim in the sea at Brighton...The water may be FREEZING when you get in, but after a while you don't really notice (or maybe it's just that you can't feel your extremities any more)
This week has been ridiculously hot: nights filled with cold showers; days spent wilting on the Tube. But there's quite a (cliche alert) Blitz spirit to the whole thing: we struggle on, secretly proud of ourselves for coping.
Monday was Palace Fires at the Barfly, they were excellent: assured, languid and relaxed, yet focused completely on what they were doing. I spent most of the gig trying to work out who they reminded me of (with little success);at the end of the night I told Steve (guitarist) that fragments reminded me of The Stars Of Heaven (and BTW, ignore that review, they were an AWESOME band) only for Steve to tell me he loved TSOH, making him the only other fan of the band I've met in 15 years.
Yesterday night was The Sleepy Jackson at the Scala: he's a cocky little bastard and no mistake about it...But it's no understatement to say that Luke Steele is a genius. Last night he veered between feeback excess (including some heroic guitar-tossing antics and lots of windmilling axe-hero shapes) and impossibly frail episodes that counterbalanced the squall of noise and ideas that always swarm around his head. There were a couple of moments which bordered on the spiritual: I could feel my spirits rise in tandem with the goosebumps on my arms. Can't just have been the cider, can it?

Tim's 40th.........

And also, I went back to the land of my childhood, to my best mate Tim's 40th birthday party. Dj-ed at the bash (obv.) and met loads of people I hadn't seen in years (sometimes, up to 20 years!) The memories came so thick and fast I had to stop and catch my breath.

Ooooooooops

Well, I was going to tell you about wireless....And how much fun it was...And the people I met, and the things I did...But then I did this festival and it put a lot of it into perspective. It was great to give a little bit back for once: to support kids who have a hard time in whatever they're doing: kids to whom music represents a real form of escape, something to aspire to, something to throw all their energy into. I met a lot of people who feed off the energy of the music business, as opposed to people who end up dragged into a vacuum of cynicism. I've got an awful lot out of music over the last 15 years, and now? It's payback time.

Iain's Wireless.... Part 1.

So, how was it for me?
Great, really. Another year for Wireless (its second) and the organisation, as ever, was impeccable. Peoples main gripe with the festival seems to be that it's somewhat corporate... But the money generated from sponsorship seems to mean that it runs like clockwork, where's the problem in that? Seeing as the first people I bumped into were Michael and Emily Eavis, both with big grins on their faces and clearly enjoying the day, I'd say it's not really an issue (and hey, Glasto has its fair share of big-business involvement now)
So, Wednesday. A beautiful day, bright sunshine, a cold beer and some DJ-ing in the O2 bubble to start the day off. As you'd imagine, I gave the crowd a judicious slice of the Sukpatch CD, as well as a couple of gems from the new Trunk Records compilation "Fuzzy Felt Folk" From there on, the day began a course that was to become familiar over the next few days: namely running between the three main stages, announcing bands. Went to the myspace stage and bumped into White Rose Movement, as I was with Zeb, an old compadre from the days of The Pretenders, his bro Finn is singer in the WRM. Also chatted to Sean McCluskey and his charges Cazals: who put on one of the shows of the day. Ran down to the Xfm stage (pushing to check out the Raconteurs on the main stage) to stand by the monitor desk while Bob Mould was playing. Being that close to one of your heroes when they're playing "Celebrated Summer" was quite awe-inspiring.
Once all of my commitments had been honoured, I obviously started on a course of serious drinking: I left the festival early, about 10-ish, but made the mistake of having a nightcap (or three) when I got back home. Cue: a broken night's sleep and a bleary start to the next day.

Just back from Wireless (day 2)

Will give it a bit of a complete review soon, but let me just say I had to introduce John Cale on stage tonight. Bloody hell.Founding member of the Velvets....produced the first Stooges album...worked with NICK DRAKE. I nearly fainted. What a hero. Strongest handshake in the music business EVER, it's worth noting, as well.
nunnite all.

Oh, and some GENIUS for you...

A little NOF, but that's the way (uh-huh) we like it, innit?
Get some Stereolabrat in your life. As I type, it's "Nature =Asshole" that's rocking my world, dood.

Might not mean anything to anyone, but here goes..

When I was a kid, one of the happiest days of my life happened when I went to this place.
(Not the pool, or the bowl next to it)
I spent hours in the reservoir, doing forever kickturns, frontside tailblocks, stalled-out backside blocks...just learning to feel the board beneath my feet. For anyone who cares, it was a 27x8" Sims Superply with Fultracks and Big Red Kryptonics.

*slight aside*

Nick? You listening? Get back on your board! The times have caught up with you! Look!, that's essentially your deck, with a different logo :)
Those Street Rage wheels are a little played out...email me and i'll send you some street wheels for the 21st century, and you can get your muthafuckin swerve on....howzat?
x

Oh Dear.

My apologies. It's been rather a long time hasn't it? I seem to remember that most blogs are composed, in no small part, of groveling posts every now and again, apologising for the lack of updates. I'm no different from everyone else: that's a hard lesson to learn, isn't it?
So, I hear you say, where have you been, Iain? What have you been doing? OK, let me think. There was the Great Escape festival here in Brighton, which was, frankly incredible. So inspiring, as well- it was obviously an attempt to rival the structure and importance of SXSW, and, considering this was it's first year, it was a roaring success. Brighton really lends itself to this sort of thing, there's its faintly bohemian air, its profusion of students, ready to raise merry hell at the earliest opportunity, it's close enough to London for the massed hordes of our wonderful record business to hop on a schmooze train...If there were any minor quibbles it was really only that the queues on the Saturday night were far too long and meant that a lot of people missed out on the chance to see some of the acts on the final night. The night before was completely different, I went from the Pressure Point to The Ocean Rooms, from Zap to Audio, ending up at the Spiegeltent and having seen close to a dozen bands in the process.At this point I should also perhaps point out that it was also a pub crawl with the added attraction of some rather fine bands for many people, and why not? Let them see bands ina state of advanced happiness, that's what I say. Next year it would be rather nice to see a much wider range of venues being welcomed under the umbrella of the festival-and actually, it would also be good to see events attaching themselves to the festival, for the hell of it..I like the idea of gigs springing up in Rounder Records, in Fopp....Just the idea that people could arrive from wherever, plug in a PA and try and attract the attention of A&R men or scouts. Maybe next year, we'll see.
So what of the bands that I saw? Top of the pile has to be Hot Club De Paris, who'd I'd been aware of via the Moshi Moshi compilation CD, but live, they were absolutely entrancing. Want to know what they're like? Hmmm... Like a barbershop version of Primus, like .......Oh, I give up. Suffice to say, they're my new favourite band (still can't quite knock Sukpatch off the top of the perch, but there you go...) The set they played at the Pressure Point was pretty close tp perfection and actually left me gasping for breath at one point. You know that feeling you get when you're seeing a band that's SO good and SO natural and SO funny and the entire thing becomes this all-encompassing concoction that leaves you swooning and you suddenly feel rather light-headed? And you realise that's it's because you've been forgetting to breathe? Bingo. That's Hot Club. There's some stuff for download on the myspace page, but, as ever, do keep abreast of those mp3 blogs: they'll be your favourite band soon too, mark my words. The new single (get ready for the best title EVER) "Sometimesitsbetternottostickbitsofechotherineachotherforeachother" is out soon, buy or die.

That's the good then; sometime soon after the festival, when the gales and storms were not letting May go without a fight, I got zapped by the summer 'flu. Gah. On top of the annual Hayfever, it resulted in a fortnight ruled by painful sinuses, a head full of candyfloss and a hacking cough that seemed as if it would be with me for the rest of my life. As I type, the Sun has won the battle with the rain, the summer has banished spring...The World Cup has begun....Here's hoping things get better from here on in.
finally then, this week to come: what will it bring? AFAIK, a v/o on Monday, The Scream doing an Xfm gig on Wednesday and DJ-ing for the showing of the England game on Thursday. Bring it on.

Needles again..........

Saw them at the Dublin Castle last night, they're shaping up to be a really special band : despite equipment problems, shonky power supplies, wandering microphones and the fact that Big Paul was suffering from some sort of lurgy, it was another belter of a show. The new single is ACE (and is on the NME site at the moment)

*points down*

OK, so the photo didn't work....i'm not sure why*. It's the cover of "Skateboard!" issue 19, early 1979, John Sablosky doing an invert at (I think) Arrow skatepark in Wolverhampton. Riding a Sablosky Deck (obv.) with Indy's and Benjy Boots. I'm really coming round to doing some sort of essay on the way the front covers of the mag show how the craze lived and died over an 18-month period. I realise it'll be of no interest to abso-fucking-lutely (Tmesis!!!!!!!) anyone except me, but I don't care. Watch this space.
*I'm sure nobody cares, but if you head here and do some digging, you may find it.

Here's the cover of the last issue....see what I mean? Shadows closing in, Sablosky showing inverts off to the masses (first time most had ever seen 'em) Protec, tube-socks and Vans...the start of a new style, the end of the craze, the start of "The Dead Days". 

Morning all...

Just a quick one to jot down where my head's at. Full of hayfever, full of tunes, full of images of old-school skateboarding. Been buying up copies of all the old mags, marvelling at how the cover shots tell the story: how the light changes over the last six issues before the magazine (and the craze) died at the start of 1979. The shadows encroach, the moves become more desperate, more focussed....as the oxygen ran out. It was the subtext to my youth, and the memories flow like blood from a grazed knee :)

Crikey

Just got back back from DJ-ing in town, for Des from Choice.....his leaving party. Played about an hours worth of dancehall, old soul, classic reggae...you name it. God, it's nice to be let off the leash.

Gah.

They've switched all the computers at work, nothing works, I can't access emails....
Mind you, on my *Hot Desk* station.... I can access blogger! (it had been blocked by a firewall for about 8 weeks)
Will this mean more regular updates? Let's hope so.
:)

2006? A year of Sad Losses.

RIP Grant McLennan.
To me, the Go-Betweens songs were always suffused with a sense of loss: of longing: of times gone by: of times that are just gone.
"But then the lightning finds us, Burns away our kindness, We can’t find a place to hide. Come the rainy season, Surrender to our treasons, Can we even find our tears? Don’t know where I’m going,Don’t know where it’s flowing, But I know it’s finding you."
("Finding You")

Apart from that, it's been a great weekend: lots of cooking (Gazpacho, Cabbage and Sausage soup, Mango Salsa....not all of these at once, obv.) and some serious relaxation. But I know there'll be some Go-Betweens on the pod when i'm on the 10.49 tomorrow morning. There's been so much loss this year....Martin Gilks, Nikki Sudden....people who were my friends, people who enriched my life, who brightened my thoughts and inspired me. If I do anything this year, it's to try and keep that inspiration alive, even though they're no longer here to do it for me.
On a musical note, today has been filled with "Secondhand Daylight". A constant in my life, returning to give me succour and hope.

Oh bloody hell......

Sorry about the lack of updates, I seem to have been busy :(
But doing what? I hear you cry...well, partying like it's 1999, obv. but also some work as well. DJ sets at Carling Live 24, among others, lots of gigs......um.....
Currently fighting my way through this boxset and also (still) glued to that Sukpatch CD *points down*
Still a little hungover from the weekend, another Championship for CFC and another marathon post-game session...

Album of the year so far.......

Is this: "Twenty Three" by Sukpatch. (Follow links for Myspace page, videos etc)
There's a gorgeous lazy psychedelic feel to it, a warm, buzzing melancholia.....parts remind me of The Heliosequence (who I raved about on this blog a long, long time ago) or a spectaclularly stoned Meat Puppets. If you like what you hear on the myspace page, the album is on itunes. It's the sound of summer 2006, enjoy.

I love this........ 

This has also been making my day :)

Hamster vs. The Laws of Physics.

Full of food........

Of Eton mess, to be absolutely precise.
A nice Sunday today...As ever, full of sound ("Some Justice" by Urban Shakedown), taste (Roast Chicken and the above pudding) and that Sunday siesta that means so much to me. I'm sure I was a sloth in a previous life;or at the very least, some sort of dormouse. The rain is now tapping gently on the roof of the conservatory (a few hours ago it was a deluge) and the TV is bibbling to itself in the background. The Pinot Noir is empty, the fire is down to its embers, the rose incense cones are dust in the hearth, the cat is sound asleep on it's blanket. I have a glass of Strega to soothe my soul and a copy of this upstairs to lull me to sleep. I hope your weekend brought similar joys. I'll bid you goodnight.
x

Life goes on....

But i've got to say, that news about Martin has made me so very very miserable. I'll miss his smile, his honesty and his presence in so many ways.
*sighs*
Anyway.....Zutons last night at KCLSU, great venue (if a little smoky) and a great night out.
You know, i've been doing this blog for AGES now and i've never ever posted any tunes up, so I thought I should rectify things. So, here's Bonjay covering "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs over the South Rakkas Crew's "Bionic Ras" riddim. Wonderful. Enjoy.

Bonjay "Maps"

Goodbye Martin.

God bless you, mate.
x

Kooks last night...

Great gig, nice guys...and an audience full of friends. Maximum thanks to Luke and John at Marmalade for hooking me up with a new deck, it's totally sweet, nice concave, 9" wide (so it's got that crucial old-school flavour I crave) about 32" long, squared-off tail.....nice one! I'll be loading it up over the next couple of weeks, pics as soon as I do.
Been listening to this lot almost constantly over the last few days...check the video for "Fraud in the 80's" GENIUS.
Oh, here's some childishness :)
And someone who is obviously menkle. (Help! what if it is TRUE?)
Right, off to work.......

Self portrait in the back of the giant rear-view mirror of the new pickup.... 

It's a blessing and a curse....here's the pile of CD's in my "got to listen to" section....if you look carefully you can see: The Fratellis, Levy, Stephen Stills ("Manassas"), Broken Social Scene, Wolf Parade....and bizzarely, a signed Simply Red CD (eeeeeeep) 

And my ears have been glued to....

The Rheostatics. Like a more quirky Smog, they're a strange mix of the reflective, psychedelic pop genius of Brian Wilson and the more febrile imaginative pastures of alt-rock. I had the album "Whale Music" on my walkman when I toured Canada back in 1992 as part of the "Peverse" world tour, it's been a welcome rediscovery.

Bloody hell, it's now SNOWING :(

Listening to Wim this morning, always a good idea when the weather is that crisp and cold: "No Plans No Projects" from "Educes Me", which is one of the most cathartic records I own-listening to it at high volume feels like you're being purged of your sins.
Also have spent a couple of days plugged in to "Krisp Biscuit" by The Rufige Kru. It's a real cut-up tune, bit's of everything thrown into the mix, including the riff from "Club Class" by Newton, which was the forgotten release from the Rhythm Section's label (maybe more about that another day) Anyway, it's got a chunk of "The Finest" by the SOS Band in there, no doubt influenced by the Illegal mix of Foul Play's "Finest Illusion" All that remains of the SOS Band on Goldie's re-lick is the "Time flies when you're with me" refrain, but it's utterly haunting, like the ghost of a song, the memory of an embrace, the last breath of life.

About to leave Brighton and come back to London...

The Seagulls are screeching overhead, the sky is a heavy opalescent white: i'm feeling pensive and slightly sad.
More when i'm at my desk.

Pictorial proof of last weeks boat shenanigans :)

Can be found Here.

Afternoon all..........

This has been making me smile today....
How was your weekend? Mine? Well, lots of cooking (as ever) testing out the stereo in the new pickup (nice'n'loud), playing The Chalets CD, listening also to whacked-out Psychedelia from The Meat Puppets and pure sonic honey in the shape of Sonny Rollins live at the Montreux Jazz Festival. ("To A Wild Rose")
It's cold, and winter is still clinging on by the tips of its frozen fingers. I want spring, and I want it NOW.

This is just WONDERFUL...

London, at night.

hahahaha

Clicky

It's on my myspace page....

But, if you haven't heard it yet, do yourself a favour and check out "Nan, You're a Window Shopper" by Lily, best thing i've heard in ages.
Delays at the SBE were incredibly good, especially the bit where "Valentine" seemed to morph into Duran Duran (eep!) at the end...
Was such a good Tuesday night, that most of Wednesday was spent in quiet reflection.
:)

RIP......

Ivor Cutler, apparently. 'Tis a sad day.
And a wet one, actually. Maybe spring is on the way, finally.
So, how was your weekend? Mine was hectic, but fun. Fitted a nice big stereo into the new pickup and spent ALL of Sunday cooking :)
Did some boot sale "digging in the crates" on Sunday as well, picked up "Definition of a Track" on New York Underground for 50p, which is a bargain...a copy of "Salsa House" as well....
And today is all about updating itunes...in go The Lover Speaks, The Wonderstuff, Thomas Dolby and Iko.
I'm off to see Delays tonight at SBE, can't wait :)

One of my highlights of the year so far...

Was dropping this little nugget on Friday night, at a friends birthday party...
I have NEVER, seen a crowd go so completely doolally, it was the biggest buzz i've had DJ-ing for years: trust me, you need this one.

Go on.....

...See if you can watch this clip without welling up: I certainly can't.
Today's listening revelation? That somewhere out there, there's an equal opposite match for any record ever made - you just have to find them and match them up. Today's discovery? That "Over The Hill" from "Solid Air" by John Martyn is the exact twin of "In Spite Of Me" by Morphine, but from the opposite direction. Come the journey home, I'm listening to them back to back......

Hmmmmmmm

The whole myspace thing is actually rather fascinating: I'm up to about 60 friends so far..Lots of bands too, and I've been pointed in the direction of some great stuff as well already. Right, I'm off out to discover how Brighton has changed in my absence (we got a new Tesco-w00t!)

Tonight...

A beer in my hand, the new Delays album on itunes. Saw Jez earlier, which is always good. It's been a little hectic since I got back from Goa, there's a feeling of suddenly assimilating oneself into a faster paced life, catching up with music, gossip and events. London is twinkling silently outside the window, a Hammersmith and City tube scuttling off to Shepherds Bush station, people huddled around bus stops, the night gently closing in.

Well, here's the view I had for a great prportion of my holiday in Goa...... 

My breakfast every day was a variation on this theme: that's vegetable sambar, idli, uned (local bread), coconut chutney and mango juice... 

Cow, chilling out on Anjuna beach..... 

This is the stray cat that hung around the hotel, cadging food from the guests.... 

At cola beach, I rose early (about 7.30) and went to swim in the freshwater lake around the headland you can see in the background of this photo. On my way back, this boat was getting ready to land and drop off its catch. The ramponkar (fisherman) had left the previous night and had been fishing all through the night. He looked exhausted and could hardly stand, let alone move the boat. So, I gave him a hand and we dragged the boat 40 feet up the sand until it rested here. If you look under the hull, you can see the wooden slats which we used to place under the boat as we gradually ease it up the beach hanging on to the outrigger on the side... 

How's that for fresh fish? 

That's the sun setting on cola beach; it was miles from anywhere, we were the only people for miles...just out of shot: ice cold bottle of Arlem beer :) 

This is a mountain of chillies at Mapsa Market, the market was insane, about a million people, all of them trying to sell something....if it hadn't have been for the glasses of ice cold sugar cane juice, i'd have gone mad.... 

Here's a companion photo to the one of the pebbles on Brighton beach *points down* These are shells on coco beach, just outside candolim... 

Elephant mobile on sale at Anjuna flea market... 

The only way to avoid Delhi belly?

....is to eat curry CONSTANTLY :)
I'm eating it three times a day, and I feel fine (though I probably smell a bit funny)

Here I am in Goa.....

It's hot, sunny and sweaty (at least, it is in the internet cafe where i'm posting this from...)
Coolest thing about candolim (where I am) so far?
This is the view from the beach.
Oh, and the other thing....when shopping at Anjuna market yesterday, a lovely indian lady implored me to inspect the goods on her stall by saying (in perfect estuary english) "C'mon, 'ave a butchers!"
Right, back to the beach. More soon.

Couple of things....

Firstly, holiday time! I'm off to Goa for a couple of weeks, starting tomorrow. I'll post whenever I can, will get lots of photos and let you all know how it was.
Secondly, i've sorted out a myspace page. Not sure why, really. Done with more of a sigh than a gasp of excited anticipation, but hey. Feel free to get over there and do the add thing :)
Time to get in that studio and rattle those CD players.

Tonight...

Is another chance to see The Upper Room play at the metro...and to wrap up warm. London is officially taters.

The last rays of the sun..... 

Sunday, after a long lunch, took a walk along the beach. It's difficult to explain the feeling of that vast swathe of pebbles crunching under your feet as the waves break beside you...but here's the view I got when I looked down. 

Charlatans album.....

AMAZING. Sounds really cohesive, very together...Tim seems to have been fully assimilated back into the band after his solo album last year. The entire thing brings repair to mind. Sonically, there's a driving rhythmic force behind most of the tracks, but not just from drums and percussion: everything seems to groove....
Influence-wise, there's an unspoken dub pulse beneath everything, Melodicas, skittering fills, empty spaces between b-lines.

Hurrah!

Liv just updated her blog as well :)

Remember that music video link?

Well, here's another! 50, just became 65....and some are ipod friendly as well.
Getting a sneak preview of the new Charlatans album tonight, will let you know what it's like tomorrow.....

Grab it while it's hot.....

Head over to The Prettiest Pony for a supreme slice of Brazilian Baile Funk Vs. Alice in Chains. Awesome stuff.

As a resource for bootlegs and mash-ups...

This is pretty close to perfection.
Been searching for details about the re-releases of the Triffids albums on Domino...."Calenture" is up on itunes, but no sign of it anywhere else.Anyone know anything? I need some glorious melancholia, and believe me, I need it NOW.
*edit* Oh, they were out on the 17th. Why nothing on the Domino site, then?

GENIUS

Kaiser Chiefs interviewed by sheep.
Boy, am I tired. Was some weekend, veh tiring. Still, that's rock'n'roll.

Warning! Genius Alert......

Last night was David Ford at Dingwalls. Highlight of the set was "State of The Union" where he performs the entire song, via "Live Looping" - playing a short fragment of the tune on an instrument which instantly starts a loop. He then moves on to another instrument, repeating the process, again and again....it's utterly incredible to watch, you can see what I mean here.

More puzzle game fun for you....

Here.
I seem to have fallen of the radar somewhat, don't I? Sorry about that. Anyway, been rather busy of late, and must also sadly report that my resolution to grow my hair failed miserably. I just looked like Catweazle.

More video fun for you......

The best Viral Videos of 2005. (Some ads, some NOF content, lots of stupidity)

Resolutions....

Hmmmmmmmmm.
What to do?
I don't smoke any more, i'm NOT going anywhere near any sort of temperance...
So I was thinking this morning: how about I don't cut my hair for a while? See how long that lasts. Waddya reckon?
*edit*
or maybe I should just go to the gym. (NOF-ish)

Eintste-nearly-zende old-baten

Here.
(sorry for the German, BTW)

Cure for a hangover?

This lady is my cure for today.

Happy New Year!

How was it for you? At the stroke of midnight, I was throwing party poppers to a waiting crowd, then liberally spraying them with champagne (sorry about that)
My tunes of the night:

1. We Are Scientists - "The Great Escape"
2. Status Quo "Down Down" (John Peel R.I.P)
3. Duran Duran "Girls on Film"

It was that sort of a night.............