2008? Already? (2007 faves)

Happy New Year and all that jazz. So I've been tardy with the blogging of late (again). Eh, whaddya gonna do. Anywayze, quite a few people have asked for my musical favourites from last year. Let's see if I can remember them.....

Top 'gee, I don't know, 3?' albums

1. Midnight Juggernauts - Dystopia


Midnight Juggernauts - Road to Recovery


2. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver


LCD Soundsystem - Time To Get Away

3. Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs


Pinback - How We Breathe

Why 3? Well, that's because I looked at my iTunes and these are the albums I've played the most. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it dammit. Actually, it's more that the albums below were all of a similar standard and I couldn't really rank them (or be bothered to as it's now February, OK?)

The Juggers debut was a perfect mix of pop, emotion and beats (or as someone once said 'ELO meets Daft Punk') that stood out from the electro crowd. LCD were EVERYWHERE last year, and too bloody rightly. As for Pinback, a great follow up to Summer In Abbadon with Rob Crow's vocals sounding even more frantic and emotional than before (and his solo album was a cracker too) while Zach Smith's fretwork continued to provide the ballast that made Seraphs a mainstay on the stereo.

As for the rest? Well, these were the ones that stood repeated plays.

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Good Shoes - Good Shoes
Justice - Cross
Mirrored - Battles
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer
Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
Panda Bear - Person Pitch
Burial - Untrue
Feist - The Reminder
Digitalism - Idealism
Kanye West - Graduation
PJ Harvey - White Chalk
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

A few words about the selection above? The Spoon album was 2 tracks short of being a career best (and sadly enough the Jon Brion track was the weakest one on it. Odd that). Good Shoes was the most refreshing 'indie boys with guitars and floppy haircuts' release I'd heard in a long time with clever songwriting and hooks by the bucketload. Burial's second album made me pine for two-step, yet was still as haunting as his first, and just as scary to listen too while walking home at 3am. Most hip hop in '07 was shite (sad but true). PJ's album was so bleak on the first spin that I had to stop it halfway through the last track as I couldn't handle it (well, it's not exactly music for a tube journey into work is it?). However, when I finally had the nerve to come back to it I found I just couldn't stop pressing play again to become immersed in such a haunting and fragile world. And Kanye? Not even Chris Martin could spoil that LP.

Top single of 2007

UGK featuring Outkast - International Players Anthem



Despite what I said above about the poor standard of hip hop in 2007, this track towered above everything else. Andre 3000's lazy rhyming at the track's start was on second glance a splendidly sweet and effortless cameo which left the three other rappers with plenty to aim for if they were to match it. Which of course they did with aplomb. Both Underground Kingz bump the beat while rhyming about the joys of pimpin', and the cautionary finale from Big Boi signs things off pefectly. Add to that a great sample from Willie Hutch, a bumping 808 beat that kicks in just after Andre passes the mic to Pimp C, and a great clip ('Why's he dressed like Rowdy Piper?') and this collab was easily the year's finest.

(And RIP Pimp C too. A damn shame)

Gigs gigs gigs.....the best 10 of 2007 (in order this time from top to bottom)

Daft Punk @ Wireless festival, Hyde Park
Sonic Youth performing Daydream Nation @ Koko
Arcade Fire and Patrick Wolf @ Brixton Academy
Pinback @ 229
The Jesus and Mary Chain @ Royal Festival Hall
Interpol @ Astoria
T-Model Ford @ The Spitz
Air @ Hammersmith Apollo
Shellac @ Koko
Murcof @ The Luminaire



Daft Punk were amazing. Simple as that. A visually stunning lightshow, a great setting with thousands going mental as the sun went down on a warm summer night, and of course the music (the finale of Together, Music Sounds Better With You and One More Time was just a wee bit special). Wonderful.

Can I go now?

Midnight Juggernauts / Cobra Dukes

A message to all Australian readers - Pop down to your local rekkid store this weekend. Grab a couple of those plastic notes from your wallet (a red 20 and perhaps a pink 5 should do the trick), lay them down on the counter and ask politely for the brand-spanking new Midnight Juggernauts album, Dystopia. Smile at the guy/gal behind the counter, then thank them. Take it home. Play it. Load it onto your new-fangled MPFree player. Tell your friends. Spread the word. Yup, this album is just a lil' bit special.

Oh, and if you don't live in Australia then you can order it from Inertia, Chaos or Red Eye.


Midnight Juggernauts - Into The Galaxy

* Speaking of Australian niceness that comes in the form of music, Cobra Dukes released their debut single last Monday, and it's also just a wee bit special. The first release on new label Prestel as of last Monday, Leave The Light On has the right blend of dark, off-kilter pop and early Factory style vocals (yes, the names 'Ian' and 'Curtis' spring to mind, but with a touch of 'David' and 'Byrne'). They're playing tonight at The Luminaire in Kilburn, and for 5 of your English pounds you too can see what all the fuss is about.


Grab Leave The Light On at Beatport and Phonica.

* It's the Red Pandas up against reigning champs Otters In Love for the title of 'Darned cutest You Tube animal'. No contest - Red pandas all the way (like Stephanie Kaye).

Animal Collective / Fill your boots with Phil!

* Shhhhh....I really shouldn't be saying this, but what the hey. One of my favourite not-so-secret second hand stores, the Oxfam store on Kingsland Rd in Dalston, has just been split into two. The old store continues to sell clothes, toys, furniture and what not, while the new fangled store (situated just a few doors down) is solely devoted to records and books. Myself and Codename Sparrow are going to visit it tomorrow to look for bargains (unlike the wonderful sitemaster of Dalston Oxfam Shop whose discoveries are of a different nature, though no less important!). Still, if you ever need twelve copies of No Jacket Required, you know where to go.

* I'm off to the land of moose and trolls on Friday, but if I wasn't then you'd probably find me at these two pardees this weekend. The lads from West London's finest hip-hop night, Yo Yo at Notting Hill Arts Club, are headlining this Friday's Modular party at Ditch. Joining Seb Chew and Leo Greenslade will be the peeps from the mighty fine FACT magazine, Faggotronix, the Modular DJs themselves, and some special guests (nope, don't have the foggiest who they be....don't ask me, I won't be here!). Anyway, here's the fwyer.



If the hip to the hop ain't your bag of kittens, then why not have a night off (pfft), and rest up for Saturday's Vive La France secret warhouse party. Starts off at The Horse & Groom before heading to ...well, you guessed it, a secret warehouse. But the line-up is aceness indeed. David K, Muriel Moreno, the Girlcore ladiez, and more. Details below.



* The delightful Animal Collective are playing tonight at the Coronet in Elephant & Castle, playing songs old and new, the new being tracks from their upcoming Strawberry Jam album, out September 10. If they play this then I'll probably giggle like a school girl. Check the gorgeous clip below as well.

Animal Collective - Fireworks



* Finally, I didn't get to go see one of Trousersnake's shows at the White Eleph...sorrry, Millenium Do...sorry, 'behemoth phone company' Arena, but my man Beez from 16 33 45 78 did, and his review hits the nail right on the head. If you ever want to blow money on a pop concert with the works, checking out the Snake is highly recommended. More on the moro.

Shellac @ Koko

All photos courtesy of Jonathan Dadds

Last Thursday saw Steve Albini and his Shellac roadshow come to town with one of the most impressive concerts I've seen in years. Highlights? 'Prayer To God' and 'Squirrel Song' from 1000 Hurts were greeted with cheers (well, as many cheers as the audience, the majority being mostly male music geeks like myself, could muster). New tracks 'The End Of Radio' and 'Steady As She Goes' were also received like old favourites, possibly because they'd been floating around the highways and byways of the web for almost two years, the only evidence of new material from the band.


A hilarious five minute diatribe by drummer Todd Trainer was another memorable moment, especially as he started by talking about AC/DC and ended with a shout out to the Costa coffee shop across from the venue, where the fuel which gave power to his bizarre rant originated.

Bassist Bob Weston was also on fine form, leading the now traditional 'Q and A' sessions with the audience between songs. Subject matter included his beloved Chicago baseball team ('How's the Cubs doing? The Cubs? They lost 6 and 5 to the Mets last night') to rejecting song requests (Audience member: 'Play Crow!', to which Weston responded 'If you shout it out, I guarantee we won't play it').

Most importantly though, the one question which everybody wanted an answer to ensured that the long seven year wait between Shellac albums would soon be over.

'When's the album coming out? June 5'


So to celebrate, head over to the very fine Something I Learned Today for a taster from Excellent Italian Greyhound (the post might be eighteen months old, but that's how long these tracks have been around for).

And here's my highlight of the night.

Shellac - Squirrel Song

* Do you care about the future of internet radio? Don't let the US House of representatives assist Clear Channel and other corporate behemoths water down the choice of music on the airwaves. Sign the petition at Save Net Radio and help keep internet radio alive.

* The new Nine Inch Nails album is certainly a vast improvement on With Teeth, and it looks like Trent has continued his knack for finding the right folks to re-work his vignettes on machines, modern life & 'merica. Come on down Dave 'Switch' Taylor - your leather pants await!

Grab the Switch remix at I Heart Comix.

Here's the fine Bush-baiting original.

Nine Inch Nails - Capital G

Architecture in Helsinki / Meltdown 2007

* New Architecture In Helsinki? Now that's something to get excited about. 'Heart It Races' is the first single from the band's new album, Places Like This and it's a calypso-tinged tune that strolls up to you in a charity store college b-ball tee, skinny black jeans, and Chuck Taylors before pulling back your hair and whispering in your ear, 'Hey man, let's get some cider, grab a frisbee and head to the park'. Summer all over.

Hear it at AIH's MySpace page.

As a special treat, I've been sent the DJ/Rupture remix of 'Heart It Races' featuring Lee G, and it's even toastier. Buss it.

Architecture in Helsinki - Heart It Races (DJ/Rupture's Ital Hymn remix feat Mr. Lee G)

Pre-order 'Heart It Races' from Polyvinyl.

Jarvis (taken by Phil Sharp)

* Motorhead, Melanie or Gonzales? Jarvis, don't make me choose! This year's Meltdown festival, at the refurbished Southbank centre in June, is being curated by Mr Cocker himself and it's certainly an eclectic collection of artists who've been invited by the ex-Pulp singer to perform. The first evening features Lemmy and the gang, a folk icon, and the quirky pianist/MC/singer. Three wonderful acts, but in three venues and all on the same night! And on June 18 there's another difficult decision - Sunn O))) or ex-13th Floor Elevators singer Roky Erickson? Thankfully, JMC will be performing solely on Friday June 23rd (well if you reform you've got to have a MySpace, let alone a website...).

Then there's Devo, John Barry, Don Letts, Clinic......oh Jarvis, you do spoil us. Tickets on sale from Thursday May 3rd (click here).

Jarvis Cocker - Black Magic

The 13th Floor Elevators - You're Gonna Miss Me (available on The Psychedelic Sounds of The 13th Floor Elevators)

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Reverence (Live in New York, 1992)

* What's the time? It's time....for another Beastie Boys record.


Instrumental too, as The Mix-Up is sans vocal if you know what I mean. Here's the tracklist.

1. B For My Name
2. 14th St. Break
3. Suco De Tangerina
4. The Gala Event
5. Electric Worm
6. Freaky Hijiki
7. Off The Grid
8. The Rat Cage
9. The Melee
10. Dramastically Different
11. The Cousin Of Death
12. The Kangaroo Rat

What's with the rat fascination anyway? The Mix-Up drops on June 18.

* And it's bye bye to the Special One and the Blues.

Number six in Athens?

It's Jack Daniel's time: T-Model Ford / Saint Etienne

Two enduring images of the legendary Mississippi bluesman T-Model Ford's concert at The Spitz on Saturday night, the final performance of this year's 'Spitz Festival of Blues'.

* The instructions which greeted us upon our arrival at the venue:


Apologies for the blurred image. It says 'Management requests that you do not buy alcohol for T-Model Ford. Thank you for your co-operation'.

Considering Ford is 86 years old, I guess the promoters and venue owners would like to make sure he didn't have one bourbon too many, although considering between every song Ford would utter eagerly to the rapturous crowd - 'It's Jack Daniel's time', I have a funny feeling he can probably handle his drink (his other catchphrase of the night - 'And that's for God damn sure', seemed to be the tag line to every story he told whilst on stage e.g. 'If you have a lady with you tonight, make sure she's got a stamp on her. If your lady doesn't have a stamp on her, she's mine. 'Cause I'm a ladies man....and that's for God damn sure!').


Seeing Ford play for over two-and-a-half hours with very few breaks between songs certainly was a super-human feat, as I don't think I've ever been to a gig where at the end of the night the audience was more exhausted than the artist in front of them. The man's enthusiasm for playing was so infectious that despite constant calls from his drummer (and support act) Lightnin' Malcolm to end the set, Ford's charm and enthusiasm for playing 'The Tail Dragon', which was a replacement for his previously stolen guitar which he called 'Black Nanny', made sure there was always one more encore to come. Eventually at 12.30am the performance was finally curtailed to ensure Ford and Malcolm had ample chance to rest before their flight out of London only 5-and-a-half hours later, but not before Ford shook every audience members hand, most aware that they may never get to witness such a sight again.

T-Model Ford: A Blues Legend? That's for God damn sure.



* Tonight sees Saint Etienne preview some new material (in secret!) ahead of their 'This Is Tomorrow' performance at the Royal Festival Hall in June. I'm looking forward to seeing how they've come up with a soundtrack to what was one of London culture's most quirky and ambitious events, The Festival of Britain, staged at the south bank of the Thames in 1951, in an area which funnily enough became known as...wait for it....the South Bank. I've very much enjoyed the events which the group have put on as part of their role as artists in residence this year at the South Bank Centre, which have consisted of the various Turntable Cafe club nights (themes included The BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Welsh Pop and of course, The Festival of Britain) and culminating in June's premiere work from the fine purveyors of pop themselves. Tickets on sale from the Southbank box office (click here).

Saint Etienne - The Way We Live Now (from Finisterre - available at Amazon)

Save The Spitz!

Word has come through this week that one of London's finest music venues, The Spitz at Spitalfields Market, is facing closure after September this year following action from the venue's estate agent. Not only is The Spitz a fantastic venue for performances from countless underground and marginal artists, not to mention more intimate shows from better known acts too, but it's also home to a fine gallery and restaurant, making it one of the more unique venues in London.

So how can you help? The easiest way is to get down to The Spitz and see a gig (like one of the number of performances in the current Festival of Blues, such as Seasick Steve, Heavy Trash, Holly Golightly and T-Model Ford), have a meal at the bistro, or grab a drink and check out the fine exhibitions showing in the gallery. Get acquainted with one of London's best kept secrets and help keep The Spitz open.

Sign the petition to keep The Spitz open here.

These are two of the artists that I've seen grace The Spitz's stage in the last eighteen months, and both gave performances which were enhanced in my eyes by the intimate setting they took place in.

Nada Surf - What Is Your Secret?
Of Montreal - Disconnect The Dots

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.

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.

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.

Lucky Soul : Shake shimmy shimmy

Fans of Spectoresque 60s pop looking for something new should be at The Luminaire this Saturday for The Actionettes night, Motown A-Go-Go. Headlining are one of my favourite bands, Lucky Soul, who have put out three stellar singles in the last year, with 'Lips Are Unhappy' being the pick of the bunch. They're polishing off their debut record right this moment, The Great Unwanted, and if it's anywhere as good as their recent singles it'll be in quite a few critics 'Best of 2007' lists in December.

Lucky Soul at MySpace

Here's the video for new single 'Add Your Light To Mine Baby', out March 19.



* MSTRKRFT, Ajax, Modular DJs, and Casper C. Booze. Tonight. In Shoreditch. Damn. See you there. (No, I'm not telling you where, unlike other blogs! It's supposed to be a secret!)

* Super fanboy indie news: ATP have announced the first three bands taking part in Don't Look Back 2007: Sonic Youth performing Daydream Nation, Slint performing Spiderland, and House Of Love performing House Of Love. Get your tickets here, here and here.

(At the time of writing it looks like the Sonic Youth gig has sold out, but the other two performances have plenty of tickets available. I'll see y'all at the Roundhouse on August 31 for Thurston, Kim, and a frenzy of feedback)

RJD2 bent my Wookie

Next month sees the return of RJD2 with his first album for XL, The Third Hand, out on March 5. It marks a shift towards a poppier, commercial sound, yet still has enough of the quirkier beats that have made him one of hip-hop's most slept on producers. While 'Beyond The Beyond' features his trademark synth sounds, 'You Never Had It So Good' is a full-blown verse and chorus affair that while a departure from the rest his catalogue, still has a great loose break behind it. Both tracks also carry vocals from the man himself, and aren't too shabby at all.

RJD2 - Beyond The Beyond
RJD2 - Never Had It So Good

* I forgot to marry her, and now I'll never get rich: Anna Nicole Smith dead, aged 39.

* The fight to stamp out ticket touts continues, but the big question remains unanswered: who in their right mind would pay for this?

*Yes, Major Leaguer has had a facelift. Nice huh?

365 days in one 'lil post....

Lists lists lists.....

Top Ten Albums of 2006

1. Cat Power - The Greatest
2. Bonnie Prince Billy - The Letting Go
3. TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
4. Charlotte Gainsbourg - 5:55
5. Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat
6. Fujiya Miyagi - Transparent Things
7. CSS - CSS
8. The Roots - Game Theory
9. Hot Chip - The Warning
10. Ghostface Killah - Fishscale

Top 5 Gigs of 2006
1. Seu Jorge @ Koko
2. Radiohead @ Hammersmith Apollo
3. Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins @ Shepherds Bush
4. CSS @ 93 Feet East
5. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals @ Shepherds Bush

Top 10 'record bag staples' of 2006

1. The Futureheads - Worry About It Later (Switch remix)
2. Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks (Beyond The Wizards Sleeve remix)
3. Plan B & Epic Man - More Is Enough
4. TV On The Radio - Wolf Like Me
5. Simain Mobile Disco - Hustler
6. Hot Chip - Over And Over
7. Peaches - Downtown (Simian Mobile Disco mix)
8. CSS - Let's Make Love and Listen To Death From Above
9. Cassius - Jack Rock
10. Tie: Joe Jackson - Steppin' Out/Bonnie Tyler Total Eclipse Of The Heart (always, always, always!)

See y'all in '07. Have a great NYE!

Help me get an I-Pod, k? / Back with the heavyweight jams!

Another long absence between posts huh? Well, I'll see if I can turn that around. But first....I want an I-Pod dammit. Help me get one by clicking here and then you too could have one! You'll have to complete one of the many sponsored offers that the 'Free I-Pod' people have (go for the Screenselect free month trial - free DVDs!) and once you've completed it, and get 5 other people to do the same, then you too could have a lovely Nano or 30GB beast of your own. I'm going to call mine Sparky.....

Right. So what's been going on? Well, the last month has been a bit of a blur with a few spots of deck-wrecking, visitors from the land down under, the odd gig or two, and stacks of good music out. Let's get to the highlights shall we?

* Music first. Best compilation of the year? Well, it'll be hard to top the latest Fabric mix from my fellow mixed up antipodeans, Cut Copy. The tracklisting (B-LO!) basically begs that you spent your hard earned on it immediately with cuts from Justice, New Young Pony Club, Fred Falke, Roxy Music, Midnight Juggernauts, Daft Punk, the Cutters themselves, and a shedload more. In fact, one of those big music chains in the UK is doing a 2 for 1 Fabric deal at the moment, so you can grab Diplo's set from last year for nix at the same time!! Bloody brilliant I tells ya....

1. I Wish You Were Gone - Joakim
2. Future Unlimited - Cut Copy
3. Disco Clown - Munk
4. Hello Empty Room - Who Made Who
5. Future Unlimited - Cut Copy
6. Get Dancey - New Young Pony Club
7. Bang Bang - In Flagranti
8. Side In - Goldfrapp
9. Dead Eyes Opened - Severed Heads
10. Out The Door - Who Made Who
11. Face To Face - Daft Punk
12. Truth And Lies - Presets (1)
13. Work On You - MSTRKRFT
14. Stop - Casco & BWH
15. Your Retro Career Melted - Faint
16. E Talking - Soulwax
17. Into The Groovey - Ciccone Youth
18. Waters Of Nazareth - Justice (3)
19. Eisbar - Grauzone
20. Acid Never Lies - Riot In Belgium
21. Shadows - Midnight Juggernauts
22. Omega Man - Falke, Fred
23. Champu - Diamond, Daniel
24. Angel Eyes - Roxy Music
25. Going Nowhere - Cut Copy
26. Dream Sequence - Cut Copy

Drool.....

* While Through Being Cool is taking a break, there's a new night starting in October that I feel obliged to plug (like the dirty commercialist that I've become). More news when it comes to hand.

* Big shouts and hollering to the Mindie gals who invited me to play some tunes at their 93 Feet East banger a few weeks back. Let's do it again!

* Gig of the month? Gig of the year - Seu Jorge at Koko as part of the TrocoBrahma festival (beer sponsored, yes, but that's a minor quibble. Anyway, this whole post smacks of sell-out don't you think? Maybe I should go off and chill with Leonard Cohen's monk posse for a while to cleanse my soul). Pickchas? Yeah, scroll down y'all.

Sway, Dynamite MC and Instituto (a bit like Brazil's closest equivalent to The Roots)

Mr Jorge himself.

Jorge and the crew join the crew for a mass dance at the evenings end (during the third encore too!)

*What's on the stereo at the moment?

Midnight Juggernauts - Shadows
Outkast feat. Scar & Sleepy Brown - Morris Brown
The Futureheads - Worry About It Later (Switch remix)
The Roots feat Peedi Peedi - Long Time Comin' (yes, it refuses to budge from the stereo. Class all the way. Bring on Game Theory next Monday)
Cassius - Jack Rock (yes, it's rave meets Italo-house!)
Simian Mobile Disco - Animal House
Christina Aguilera - Still Dirrty
Peanut Butter Wolf - 666 mix (Slayer? The Cure? Ministry? Check, check, check! Get it here or be damned for all eternity!)
Snowden - Black Eyes (Le Castle Vania remix)
Ryan Adams - France
OMD - If You Leave (Time for a John Hughes marathon...)
CSS - Alala
Scissor Sisters - I Don't Feel Like Dancin' (it just burrows in your brain...)

* Oh, and grab the Outkast newie too. Jazztastic.

Right, I'm off to dream of free I-Pods and planes sans snakes (the best B-movie of the year? Maybe.) Back tomorrow.

Evolution of man / ATP / Tandem @ Bar Music Hall

After a week of carting boxes from one house to another (and getting a sore back in the process), what better way to relax than to watch last night's Letterman. How? Thanks to this baby!



Sigh. Truly the human race has evolved, and the TV Hard Drive is the pinnacle of our progress. Yeah....now that we've conquered this hurdle, peace in the Middle East should be a piece of piss.

* Tandem at Bar Music Hall next Tuesday (14th March) with elin and myself. Rekkids, rekkids, rekkids, and Belgian beer. The fun kicks off at 8pm.

* Apparently people who like Tribe Called Quest also like DMX (so says Windows Media Player. Mr Gates, you don't know me very well, do you?)

* Last year's best quasi-festival is back. All Tomorrow's Parties presents Don't Look Back 2006, and to wet your whistle, here's the first gigs to be announced...what, Low playing Things We Lost In The Fire? I think I've just creamed my pants.

* Speaking of gigs that make you drop your bundle, this is the only place to be on May 16th.

* 'Industry rule number 4080, record company people are shady'. That's my favourite. What's yours? (Slight hitch. VH1 have already picked 100 lyrics, and you can only choose from that list. Huh?)

'This. Is. How. We. Move' chart for 11/3/06
(oh, speaking of Fiddy, has anyone else heard the 80 Cent mixtape? Hit and miss, but the Many Men/Take On Me cut-up is priceless)

General Echo - Rapping Dub Style
J Dilla - The Diff'rence
The Nu People - I'd Be Nowhere Without You
Caetano Veloso - Alfomega
Ghostface feat. MF Doom - Charlie Brown
Mark Ronson feat. Alex Greenwald - Just
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion (Diplo remix)
Wonderland Avenue - White Horse (Mike Monday remix)
The Presets - Down Down Down (Digitalism remix)
Uffie - Pop The Glock (SebastiAn remix)
Hot Chip - Over And Over (Nuam Gabo remix)
Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse Of The Heart