Friday, March 30, 2007

No Gat lovin' here. Sorry!

When people hit up Major Leaguer, it's only because they were looking for these tinterweb tidbits.



Gat sex? WTF??? So, so wrong.

* So, so right. Mark Ronson keeps on delivering the goods, in a 'nudge nudge, wink wink' kinda way. Not all of the tracks on Version work, but this is probably the standout cut.

Mark Ronson feat. Daniel Merriweather - Stop Me

Grab Version on April 16 from here.

* If you're out and about tonight then I'll see you here.



*Peter Parker's changed the music on his iPod. Not totally sure about the selections, but anything's better than the hairy one from Nickleback. ('Spiderman vs Muhammad Ali'? What?)

* Who's hungry for Christ?

LATE BRRRRRRRREAKING NEWS: Head over to Chazology for what's possibly the best Soulwax remix yet. A good start to the weekend if ever I've heard one. See you Monday.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

What ever happened to the dance?

Shameless plug for tonight....

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

**************************************

REKKIDS WITH GINO & EUAN
WEDNESDAY 28TH MARCH

9-12PM

DOWNSTAIRS @ CATCH


22 KINGSLAND RD


SHOREDITCH


**************************************

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Low: Let them eat cake

This is one of the strangest, yet captivating videos I've seen in quite a while. Suddenly, I don't feel like cooking that banana cake this week (but I now have a craving for an ice cold glass of milk. Work that shit out)



Low - Breaker
(and head over here to download the track for nada, courtesy of Sub Pop!)

Low's new album Drums and Guns is out next Monday April 2 in the UK. Pick it up from here. They're also touring our fair shores soon with shows at the Dirty Three curated ATP festival on the weekend of April 27-29, and at Shepherds Bush Empire on May 8. If you've never seen them live before then you're missing out one of the truly special live acts going around.

Friday, March 23, 2007

I wish that we could talk about it....


In my hungover state this afternoon (due to the messy events of last night's UK iPod battle, won by M.I.A. and friends) I'm finding myself drinking copious amounts of tea, writing e-mails and checking out blogs. One particular blog that I've been following closely is James Murphy's guest column on The Guardian's Arts & Entetainment blog. Murphy was told to write whatever he felt like (i.e. blogging), something which many regular readers of the site felt was a waste of space. Despite the idiotic and pointless vitriol spouted by some readers, Murphy has continued his lower-case submissions, and his most recent post on life as a touring musician is rather touching, in an odd technologically assisted manner.

LCD Soundsytem - Too Much Love


(no, I'm not going to post anything off Sound Of Silver because:
a) every blogger out there has done so already.
b) you should buy it yourself instead of piecing it together from assorted mp3
blogs. Go on....

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Everybody was iPod fighting....


Tomorrow at Bethnal Green Working Men's Club there's gonna be a right royal rumble! Kicks off at 9pm with Teki Latex from Frecnh rap crew par-excellence TTC keeping the competitors at a USB cable's length from each other. Hot tips to win? !WOWOW! and the Fabric team.

* In Islington this Friday? I'm playing at Keston Lodge from 9pm to 12 in the morn with heaps of new records in the bag.

* In Shoreditch next Wednesday March 28th? Join Gino Silano and myself for more shennanigans behind the decks at Catch from 9pm. We haven't played alongside each other since New Years Eve '05 - it'll either be messy or brilliant! Or both!

* Two for today. It seems Para One can do no wrong at the moment. I slept on this when it first came out, but it's burrowed in my brain now and I just can't get it out (I believe that's called an earworm sports fans. Oh, and did you know what chooglin really means? Y'know, as in CCR's 'Keep On Chooglin'? Ewwwwww.)

Bloc Party - The Prayer (Para One remix)

Whilst sorting out the mountains of magazine cover mount discs I've collected over the years, I was struck at just how 'on it' the folks at Jockey Slut were. Their Disco Pogo For Punks In Pumps collection seemed to have a canny knack for showcasing at least two to three major talents every volume, and CD number 12 was no different with the likes of The Juan Maclean, The Books, Grand National and Justice vs Simian sharing the spotlight. Oh, and did I mention this was way back in 2003? This cut below though was my particular favourite, coming from The Baron of Techno himself.

Dave Clarke - The Wiggle

Monday, March 19, 2007

Yes, we could be Heroes (just like Conor)

While watching the mighty fine Heroes tonight on the Sci-Fi channel, it suddenly dawned on me why Conor Oberst has been so quiet of late....yup, our favourite indie kid's been saving the world (literally).














King of the hearts-on-sleeve brigade?






















Or super hero in training?


Bright Eyes - Four Winds (from Four Winds EP, out now - buy here)

Sunday, March 18, 2007

The Ark vs Scooch....Yes, it's Wogan time again / New Banksy?

Yes, I can't believe it either. This is the UK's choice for Eurovision 2007 being held in Helsinki on May 12. Oh dear.

Scooch - Flying the Flag

Since Morrissey declined to take part in the whole debacle (after finding out that he would have to compete for the right to represent Her Maj in the televised UK heats), it was left to the likes of Scooch, Liz McClarnon from Atomic Kitten , Brian Harvey from East 17 and ....snigger....Big Brovaz as well as other C-list pop stars and unknowns to fight it out for the prize. I though Justin Hawkins was going to win, but after watching his entry I relaised that it might just have been a little bit too knowing for the voting public. Nice try though.


Justin Hawkins and Beverlei Brown - They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To

Surely though it looks like Scooch will need more than just the Irish votes to topple Sweden's entry from The Ark, who've summoned the spirits of both Slade and the Bay City Rollers for their entry. Having seen The Ark play a few years ago at the Garage (when they used to have a guitarist who was the spitting image of Phil Lynott), I knew they'd have a fighting chance if they won the ultra competitive Swedish finals. Believe me, Scooch don't stand a chance in hell.


The Ark - The Worrying Kind

* From the ridiculous to the sublime. Whilst coming home from work via the 73 bus stop (outside the Angel Wings shopping centre) I looked down at the ground, and behold....


Anyone know whether this stencil is new, or have I simply failed to notice it during the 2 years catching buses from this stop?

Low - Monkey

Kavinsky, DJ Medhi, Sebastian and a whole lotta bangin'



Pictures courtesy of Dirty Dirty Dancing

Friday night saw the French invasion of Sin as People Are Germs hosted a mighty fine launch party for Kavinsky's 1984 EP. Regular readers will know I'd been harping on about this party for quite some time, considering that alongside Kavinsky himself would be a bunch of Ed Banger's finest representatives in the form of Justice, Sebastian, Mr Oizo, DJ Medhi and Busy P. Unfortunatley gremlins on the Eurostar tracks from Paris to London meant that Justice, Mr Oizo and Busy P couldn't make it, although the occasionally manic crowd that packed the main room didn't seem to mind one bit, in scenes more akin to a mosh pit than a Friday night in a swank Soho nightclub.

Tunes of the night? Well, there were more than a few. The Sebastian remix of Kavinsky's 'Testarossa Overdrive' brought more than a few cheers, as did the one-two sucker punch of House of Pain's 'Jump Around' and The Prodigy's 'Smack My Bitch Up'. However, it's these three below that ensured waking up the next morning wasn't going to be easy.

Editors - Camera (Sebastian remix)


A hidden gem that got slept on upon release, Sebastian's remix of Camera washes away the murky gloom of the original, adds what appears to be a typical Ed Banger style re-rub before a sharp synth heavy left turn leaves the grinning listener in a field of daffodils encircled by dancing rabbits, kittens and puppies frolicking in the midday sun. Well, that's the feeling I got when hearing it for the first time. Anthem anybody?

DJ Medhi - Signatune (Thomas Bangalter edit)

Mr Bangalter works his magic on what was originally just a 'blink and you'll miss it' moment on Medhi's Lucky Boy LP. So good it was played first by Medhi himself and then Sebastian just a two hours later.

Midnight Juggernauts - Shadows

Still gets everybody lip-synching 'ooooh oooooh ooooh' everytime the chorus rolls around.

Grab these beauties at Phonica, Pure Groove and Ed Banger.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Who gives a Monkeys? Oh, fair enough then / The Rapture


Let the Arctic Monkeys wave of hype begin again. By now 'Brianstorm' is out in the ether of the interweb so I'm not going to post it, but if you really want it then head over to here, here or here. I'd rather post the booty-shaking, flash-as-f**k video that premiered this week.


Arctic Monkeys - Brianstorm (out April 16th)

So if Domino have all this FranzMonkey moolah to splash, can we expect a big Hype Williams clip for Bonde Do Role? Oh c'mon, imagine the Brazilian kids hogging the fish eye lens while Diddy and Missy make 'unexpected' cameos. Sigh...one can but dream. Guess this will have to do for now.


Bonde Do Role - Solta O Frango

Here's something to get you ready for the weekend. Listening to the splendid new LCD Soundsystem album this week reminded me of the first time I saw James Murphy DJ at Trash. The End was rammed to the rafters due to the NME Awards gig earlier in the evening with Murphy's band, Soulwax and The Go! Team, and the DFA man chose to start his a memorable set with this damn fine choice. Best Trash ever?

The Rapture - Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Whack? No, just wiggida wiggida whack... / Arcade Fire

* As you may well know, Saturday March 17 is a special day for some. It's a day to raise a glass in tribute with others around the world, a day to look back on a moment in history, a day where iconic images from a foreign land will be embraced. Around the world, countless parties will be held in bars, clubs, college dorms and living rooms whilst listening to songs of our youth, dressed in suitable attire for such a special occasion.

F**K St Patrick's Day though, because on a week later the real celebration starts. Yes, it's time for the 12th Annual International Kris Kross Day!


Kris Kross - Jump

Go on, wear your threads backwards just for one day in tribute to the Mac Daddy and his partner in rhyme, the Daddy Mac. But what ever happened after their last album? Anybody know?

* It would be amiss of me not to mention the small matter of last night's Arcade Fire gig at Brixton Academy, the first of four sold out dates at the London landmark. I don't think I've been to a gig in recent years that drew such a level of audience participation, despite these collective moments being few and far between. The whole crowd enthusiastically sang along to 'Wake Up', 'Rebellion (Lies)' and 'No Cars Go' (already the firm fan favourite from Neon Bible - how's that for alliteration?), which isn't exactly a hard task when the hooks are simply well timed oooh's and aaah's (which are always preferrable to nah nah nah nah nah's in my book).

What did impress me though was the way every member of the band, as well as the additional violinist and the two brass players, sung along to each song as if their lives depended upon it. It's a frenzied passion that I've never seen on stage before, adding to the romance and mystique surrounding the group. Add impressive visuals, a pipe organ, and a criminally short support slot from Patrick Wolf, and I doubt if anybody left the Academy disappointed.

The clip below isn't from last night's gig, but it's worth watching anyway whether you've seen the band or not just to get a sense of how good this band are at the moment.


Arcade Fire - No Cars Go (live at Judson Church, NYC 15/2/07)

* This week's Friday night dilemma - Kavinsky and the Ed Banger Crew (Mr Oizo, Justice, Sebastian, Busy P and DJ Medhi) at Sin? Bright Eyes at Koko? Arcade Fire's third night in succession at Brixton? Or Air at the Forum? Well, it's a toss up between the two Francophile nights, with the Kavinsky and friends winning by a whisker.

* Speaking of all things French, the Saint Etienne kids have got their monthly Turntable Cafe night on April 4th featuring the debut UK performance of Pravda (and yes, they've got a few tunes here so you can practice your French beforehand). Like most Turntable Cafe nights, it'll sell out long before the broadsheets mention it so grab your tickets now.

* Fans of Stuart Price, or whatever he's called himself this week, c'mon over here.

* Friends of Major Leaguer, and impeccably attired men-about-town Punks Jump Up have a splendid single 'Dance To Our Disco' (finally!) coming out on super-tasty, always-reliable Kitsune in the next few weeks, and to celebrate they're having a launch pardee this Monday at Magic Circle. Get down to Bar 54 in Shoreditch where the lads will be joined by two of the track's remixers - Nightmoves and Baseball Furies, as well as the Magic Circle residents themselves. Oh, and I swear I've heard that vocalist on 'Dance To Our Disco' before....

* Finally, first it was her odd behaviour at the Brits, now this - Joss Stone finally cracks. Introducing Joss Stone lies 12th in the midweek charts too - that'll learn her for working with thespian-thugs.

Monday, March 12, 2007

Good things.... / Futureheads, meet Max Tundra

Here's some good things that float my boat right now.


* Lionel Messi's performance last night, although not entirely brilliant, was well timed and deserving of a hat-trick. 1, 2, 3. Thank God that the mighty 'Pool knocked Barca out last week (bring on PSV!)
(actually, I tell a lie. That third goal was a true Roy of the Rovers stunner!)


Picture courtesy of Dirty Dirty Dancing

*Justice at Our Disco on Friday were better than I expected, yet their skills behind the decks again gave weight to my theory that producers aren't always brilliant DJs. The fucked up mix of Daft Punk's 'Crescendolls' though was pure genius (although I wasn't too sure about them closing their set with 'The Butterfly Ball'. One of my most hated childhood songs!)

* Mr Max Tundra is out on the road again soon. Here's one of his tastiest remixes to date, spreading cosmic pixie dust over those Futurehead lads from oop north.

The Futureheads - Back To The Sea (Max Tundra remix)

*So close, yet so far: Arcade Fire denied a number one album by the Kaiser Chiefs and their Tesco fans.

*Shellac? I'll have some of that thanks. Albini and mates confirm a May 17 Koko gig two days before their appearance at ATP. I'm sure the drums will sound heavy, yet the bass almost non-existent in the mix. A bit like his work with these guys.

Friday, March 09, 2007

To My Boy


Liverpool duo To My Boy have been blazing quite a trail in the last few months, with the release of their debut single 'The Grid' last November garnering a flurry of favourable reviews across the usual rags, as well as cementing a place on the playlists of numerous DJs across the country. Add to this their stellar remix of 'Gravity's Rainbow' from fellow fresh young things Klaxons, plus a growing reputation as one of the best live acts around (seeing them support Max Tundra and Silverlink at the Old Blue Last was one of the best unexpected gigs I've seen in recent years), and 2007 should see the lads conquer all before them.

Swiss collective Audioporno have had their wicked way with the band's new track 'Model', creating a squelchy, chopped up pop treat.

To My Boy - Model (Audioporno remix)

* Tough choices for tonight. Our Disco with their latest secret guests? Computer Blue with The Duloks? The Yo Yo room at Fabric with Busy P and DJ Medhi? Shoot.....

* If you missed it on Monday, BBC 4 are repeating the fantastic New York documentary about the emergence of disco, punk and hip-hop in the 1970s. Once Upon A Time In New York is on tonight at 10pm. There's not too much new information for those familliar with the period as numerous books and documentaries have been made on the three scenes, but as a basic introduction it's a handy primer. Plus, it's worth catching just for the interviews with the likes of Grandmaster Flash, Nile Rodgers, David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain of New York Dolls, and seeing Blondie's Chris Stein walk around an empty CBGBs shortly before the venue's closure in October of last year.

* Funny how the Hendrix estate are complaining about unlicensed images used on Hendrix Electric Vodka when they've been happy to use his name and image to market countless other tacky products.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes / Big Star & Chow Chow

As you can tell, I've decided to give Major Leaguer a spring clean since it was beginning to look quite tired. So far, the response has been positive, with most readers finding version 2.0 much easier to read and navigate through.

The main change I've decided to make is to post more MP3s on the site. Why? Well, it seems like a majority of my online time is devoted solely to finding new music, whether looking for new tracks to play out whilst DJing (that is, after tracking down physical copies at the neighbourhood rekkid store. Erm, yes...), making mixtapes, checking out artists for future gigs, or just for the thrill of finding a new favourite band/artist. So why not share the wealth with everyone else?

Guidelines for MP3s found on this site are in the column to your right. If you like the site, and think you've got some music that might float my boat, contact me at majorleaguermusic@googlemail.com.

Here's a couple that haven't left my head the last week. Being a December boy, this first one certainly seems appropriate. Having got into Alex Chilton (and Big Star) quite late, I'm starting to voraciously explore his back catalogue, and this song is one of my favourites (it was later faithfully covered by The Bangles twelve years later). Fans of classic power pop should look no further.


Big Star - September Gurls

Now for something new. London's Chow Chow have a new single, 'Dear Francis', out on March 26. If you head on to the band's demo/download page you can pick up a few exclusives, including this remix of 'Skeleton With Hair' that seems to be wedged firmly in 1990, complete with an Italo house perm and baggy puffer pants. What's not to love?


Chow Chow - Skeleton With Hair (CIS/Kleenex remix)


Catch the band supporting !!! and Blood Red Shoes on March 22 at Shepherds Bush Empire.

Rage Rage Rage Rage....Raaaaaaaaaaaaaage

Australian readers of this site will no doubt be familiar with Rage, the staple 'post-pub' music video program shown every Friday and Saturday night on ABC. For teenagers growing up in the backwaters of country Australia like myself, years before the belated introduction of cable TV, Rage introduced us all kinds of artists that never graced the airwaves of local radio, let alone the local record store.

(Sample dialogue from record store clerk in country town: 'Mudhoney' No, I don't think we've got any Mudhoney. Would you like the new John Farnham instead?' This isn't from personal experience, but you get the general idea)

Moving from the small country town of Orange to the slightly larger city of Canberra meant that access to the artists featured on Rage was much easier to come by. At the age of 12, I spent hours after school hanging around the local record store of choice, the sadly departed Impact Records. When my friends and I weren't reading comics, looking at laser discs (which I had never seen in my life before, and three years later never saw again), or using what was left of our lunch money to buy trading cards (either Upper Deck basketball, Spiderman or Simpsons), we hung around the ten CD changer listening posts, soaking in whatever aural pleasures were deemed 'Albums of the Week' by Rob, Dick and Barry.

After seeing the clips shown on Friday night's Rage, I'd note down any of the ones that I simply had to hear again, and go into Impact the following Monday afternoon to occupy the listening posts for an hour or two before grudgingly trooping home to make a belated start on my homework.

Friday night's Rage played only new videos, with the first clip usually reserved for the latest pre-release video of the week. I can still remember vividly watching clips such as 'Beetlebum' and 'Smack My Bitch Up' for the very first time (the later which I taped, then gave to a friend to play at a house party the following week. For five minutes, everyone stopped drinking and watched the Jonas Ackerlund video, before letting out a collective 'What the f**k?') and making sure I'd chuck a tape in my stereo in case they came on the radio, as having a taped copy of the songs would be my only chance of listening to them whenever I wanted before the official release date, which was usually a good month away.

Saturday nights though were even better, as that's when Rage handed over the controls of the night's playlist to the artists. Usually it would be either a well known overseas band that was touring Australia at the time (Beastie Boys, Trent Reznor, Faith No More) or a local rising talent. They'd be handed a big red book of available videos to choose from, and pick forty of them to comprise the evening's viewing. This would then be followed by the complete videography of the selected artist (indeed, the three artists I've mentioned all have a stellar history of fine music videos which are easily available on You Tube).

One particular evenings viewing, which I still have on VHS back in Australia, was programmed by Custard, who were I guess Australia's answer to Pavement, although slightly more radio friendly.


Custard - Pack Yr Suitcases

At the time, I was probably slightly obsessed by this band, to the point where I swapped mixtapes with fellow Custaro (as the band referred to themselves) fans, and even got a prompt fan mail reply from lead singer Dave McCormack on the back of a postcard from an American fast food chicken shop. Class.

While I was more interested in making sure I recorded the band's video collection later in the evening, what really made the night worthwhile was the forty clips Dave, Matthew and Paul from the band chose from Rage's red book. The next two and a half hours introduced me to more undiscovered music than I had ever encountered before, or since. On one evening in September 1996, I first heard Devo, Wall of Sound, The Pixies, Frank Black, Pavement, and countless other artists who made me stop listening to grunge and start delving into more underground fare. Here's the list in full, with thanks to Craig Latham, and some of my favourite clips from the night.

# Beastie Boys - Hey Ladies


# Dead Milkmen - Punk Rock Girl

# Devo - Are You Experienced?

# Kraftwerk - Telephone Call

# The Fauves - Everbody’s Getting A Three Piece Together

# The Hummingbirds - Two Weeks With A Good Man In Niagara Falls


# The Go-Betweens - Head Full Of Steam

# Sonic Youth - Teenage Riot

# Pere Ubu - Love Love Love


# Wall of Voodoo - Mexican Radio

# The Pixies - Here Comes Your Man

# Frank Black - Men In Black

# The Fauves - Dogs Are The Best People

# Pavement - Rattled By The Rush


# David Bowie and Bing Crosby - Little Drummer Boy

# The Fauves - Misguided Modelling Career

# Snout - Cromagnoman


# You Am I - Jewels And Bullets

# The Pixies - Digging For Fire

# The Pixies - Alison

# Presidents of the USA - Peaches


# Devo - Freedom Of Choice

# Soundgarden - Jesus Christ Pose

# Beasts of Bourbon - Psycho

# The Rolling Stones - Faraway Eyes

# Supergrass - Caught By The Fuzz

# The Hard Ons - Girl In A Sweater


# The Saints - Stranded

# The Pixies - Alec Eiffel

# Pavement - Gold Soundz

# John Kennedy - Big Country

# Dinosaur Jr - Going Home


# Tom Waits - 16 Shells From 30 Ought 6

# The Jesus and Mary Chain - April Skies

# Kiss - I Was Made For Loving You

# The Reels - Quasimodo's Dream

# Mental as Anything - Beserk Warriors

# Frank Black - Headache

# Bobbie Gentry - I'll Never Fall In Love Again

# Sonic Youth - Sister


# Joy Division - She's Lost Control (note the Rage logo at the start!)

Wow. Some mighty fine selections there, and certainly I'd argue if it wasn't for Custard's choices that evening, music wouldn't play such an important role in my life as it has since (which went from being a mere listener to getting involved in music journalism, community radio, working in record stores, DJing, promoting club nights, and boring people to death with whatever remix/b-side is preventing me from sleeping, working, or having normal relations with friends/family/partners). Wait a minute.... now I know who to blame too. Bugger.

(NB: One of the fond memories of watching Rage late at night with my sister was the 'one more clip' mantra. As in: 'OK, one more clip, and if it's shit then I'm off to bed'. Of course, the next clip was usually something brilliant like Aphex Twin's 'Come To Daddy', which would bring about a repeat performance of the mantra. 'OK, one more clip....' and so on, until you were awoken at 3.30am by the sound of My Bloody Valentine's trademark wall of noise chosen by Thurston Moore. Whoa!)

* Bonus - As a tip from man about town Will Kane, here's Japanese J-pop band Drumkan's cover of one of The Pixies songs selected above.

Drumkan - Alec Eiffel

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Ding Ding! Round Four: Scott Storch vs Timbaland


I've heard of beefs between rappers, but beefs between producers? Timbaland vs Scott Storch seems more of a case of handbags at dawn than Jay-Z vs Nas, or Fiddy vs The Game. The whole shebang kicked off after Storch claimed in recent interviews that he should have got more credit for his work on Justin Timberlake's 'Cry Me A River', claiming that not only did he produce the majority of JT's Britney-baiting hit instead of Timbaland, but was also the song's sole writer. Mr Mosely bit his tongue for a while, before slating Storch on 'Give It To Me', the first single off Timbaland Presents Shock Value.

"When Timbo is in the party everybody put up their hands
I get a half a mill for my beats, you get a couple grand-d-d-d-d...
I'm a real producer and you just the piano man
Your song gonna top the charts, I heard em, I'm not a fan-n-n-n-n...
"

Not exactly in the league of Jay's diss against Nas on The Takeover is it?

"Youse the fag model for Karl Kani/Esco ads
Went from, Nasty Nas to Esco's trash...
So yeah I sampled your voice, you was usin it wrong
You made it a hot line, I made it a hot song
"

So how did the one-time Roots member (and Paris squeeze) respond? With one of the worst diss tracks of all time.



Oh dear. Cheap video, bad rhyming, and a terrible beat to boot. However, Timbaland must have been riled and had to retaliate (if only for Storch's 'pack of franks at the back of your neck' line) with this cut fronted by Mosely Music Group's newest signing, D.O.E.

D.O.E. - Piano Man

Looks like Timothy's winning it on points, but it's not exactly a classic feud is it? Why can't we all get along like these guys?

* Kanye likes curry. But from Wales?

* The first big new release day of the year? Tomorrow sees new long players from Arcade Fire, Air, Nick Cave's side project Grinderman, Willy Mason, !!!, Ry Cooder, Joakim and Tracey Thorn. Phew.

* Two upcoming nights out that regular Major Leaguer readers would be fools to miss. This Friday at Our Disco, the special guests will be from across the channel, and are known to bang once in a while. Last Friday's guests were 2 Many DJs, so it seems after a long absence Our Disco has once again claimed it's spot as the premier Friday night spot for London's clued up clubbers.

The following week, watch Marty McFly's trilogy from start to finish as preparation for a trip back to the 80s as Kavinsky previews tracks from his new EP, 1986, alongside a gamut of fellow French knob-twiddlers. It's gonna be hype, as the kids say. Tickets here.

(NB: other cinematic suggestions for getting in the mood include Tron, Blade Runner, and Total Recall. Oh, and did you know that Eric Stolz was the original choice for BTTF? Yup, they even shot the whole thing twice!)