Disco Mix!

Here's a mix. It's DISCO. Enjoy!

http://rapidshare.com/files/274320841/discomix.mp3.html

Cine city, Manchester

I was reading through the excellent blog by Laura Skilbeck(http://lauraskilbeck.blogspot.com/ well worth a look) when I stumbled across the sad news that the derelict Cine City cinema had been knocked down to make flats. It opened in 1912 as the Scala, only the third cinema to open in Britain. Can you imagine how electrifying it would have been to be taken to see you first film there, the air still rich with the smell of sticky wet paint?

I knew nothing of its history before looking it up today to be honest. I haven't been near there since 2003. To me it was a really cool looking building that I looked at from the top deck of the bus, on the way to visit a friend in Didsbury. But I was fascinated with this building. It looked cool enough to be on a record sleeve. I even went on a mission to take some photographs of it(arty black and white jobs, you know the drill), a plan scuppered by a pair of gentleman-of-the-street sitting on the steps drinking what suspiciously looked like a bottle of port,who kept asking strange questions about my trousers, and became enraged when I got my camera out, mistakenly thinking I was photographing them.

Whats really interesting to me, is that I dug up some pics someone had taken after breaking in the place. Initially, I was pissed of as I thought it would be shots of chavy ‘erberts pissing up walls etc. but actually, the are hero historians. Without them, I would have no idea what the inside of the building would of looked like. it’s a funny old world isn’t it? Now, pass the popcorn.

cool pics-

http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=28157
http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=21211

http://brilldream.blogspot.com/

Wee pop! records.

Being a fan of a music is sometimes testing. Every now and then you have a crisis(usually after hearing the latest ’hit’ by the Kaiser chiefs) You know the drill. ‘all new music is rubbish’, ‘its all so commercial’, ‘I cant believe that singer/band/label/the NME has sold out’. the last time that happened to me, Wee pop! Came to my rescue. Its quite hard to put into words how much I love this label. Its single handedly put my faith back in music and indie labels as a whole. it’s the anti-Amazon.
When you receive you cheaply priced record (£3 for 3” CD,£4 for a 7” single), the love and attention put into it takes your breath away. Its more like getting a birthday present than record shopping. Each little CD comes in a hand crafted , beautifully designed sleeve. With it you get lovely hand written note of thanks from the lovely Camila, a wee pop! badge and, if you’re really lucky, a sweet(I was thrilled beyond words to receive a humbug with a CD ordered around Xmas time). Music isn’t just about money, its about love. Its about care. Its about a DIY attitude and keeping the faith. With people like a Camila and wee pop! Around, music is in safe hands.

http://www.weepop.net

http://www.myspace.com/weepoprecords

The pains of being pure at heart

I feel a little bit silly writing this post, because I was certain everybody had fallen in love with this band already. It would appear I was wrong. The new york four piece deserve your time. Their self titled album is something to cherish. Imagine the perfect soundtrack for a real, heart stoppy, lollipoppy crush. Its that good. Or the thrills but really, really good. With sweetly fuzzy guitars, pounding indie rock drums, sweeling organs(ooh er) and mumbley vocals, the songs have a remarkable quality of sounding loud and hushed at the same time. Critics have described them as wearing their C86 heart on their sleeves, and whilst Ride and JAMC are obvious influences, the over all feel is more of a teenage fanclubesque pop rush. Single ‘young adult friction’ is hyper active, not so much a toe tapper as a leg pumper, with classic boy-girl vocals, a middle 8 to hand clap too and sweet teeny lyrics(‘in your old sweatshirt and your mothers old skirt, its enough to turn my studies down’)that recall big star, and chant-along outro to boot. Other cuts include ‘this love is fucking right!’ , an anthem with the slightly dodgy line ‘youre my sister and this love is fucking right.’ and ‘a teenager in love’, which wouldn’t be out of place in a john hughs film. Really, do yourself a favour and buy this record, get giddy with it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4itzHRpltQ

http://www.thepainsofbeingpureatheart.com/

http://www.myspace.com/thepainsofbeingpureatheart

didi noel-let the music play

i recently had a bit of a debate with my girlfriend about 'suedehead' by morrissey. to cut a short story shorter, her viewpoint was that it was so sad because it sort of 'gives up'. i didnt share her idea, but i know what she meant. 'let the music play', on the surface, is a northern soul stomper. but the vocal lends this air of meloncholia. it makes me sad and i dont know why. i kind of like that. sometimes a song doesn't need to be a call to arms or a weepy or a dancer. sometimes a song, like a life, can be a weary sigh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz1QYI3S6t8

Virtual Reality

I'm going to be playing real music in a virtual club.
I think my brain is going to explode.

If you know all about second life, then come to this night!

Lineup:
11am - 12pm SLT / 7-8pm UK: Olaf Quintessa
12pm - 1pm SLT / 8-9pm UK: Prgrm (Live) (TBC - Pending sound check)
1pm - 3pm SLT / 9-11pm UK: Smashback and Teutonic Kaboom


Venue: The Drome in Second Life


Me & Smashypoos have been asking to play in a club in Second Life - a virtual erm, second life. From what i can gather, it's a bit like an onine Sims game.
You can create an avatar and dance away in this virtual club listening to the sounds of me and Edd. But we ARE real.
Aren't we?

here's all the info. i'm getting confused.


More Info Here

Second Life website


We'll be recording the endeavour and posting it up for all to hear on our pages, so if youcan't join us. Catch up then. :)

Start the Riot!

I've fallen out with NIN for playing only Arena gigs in the UK to finish off a huge worldwide tour. Trent Reznor's a hypocrite. He told us he'd never do that. What's worse is that this will be the last UK appearance for some time.
I really don't like arena gigs.

Soo, with Nine Inch Nails being in my bad books at the moment (Shock Horror!) I have been trying to fill that Trent Reznor void in my life.

I went to see Alec Empire at Satan's Hollow on Saturday.



What a hero!

His stage presence is huge. He launched himself into the crowd, encouraged everyone to shout, scream, and hurl abuse...he climbed up the pillars. It was LOUD, apocalyptic, and there were liberal amounts of strobe flashing. I fell in love.

For anyone who doesn't know about Mr Empire...(taken from Wiki)




Alec Empire's body of work spans a range of electronic styles. His earlier releases for Force Inc. were influenced by the rave scene in his native Berlin, and included Acid house, Techno, Hardcore, Punk and Breakbeat. On creating DHR his solo recordings for that label consisted largely of the digital hardcore staples of breakcore and later experimental noise, while his work during the same period for Mille Plateaux saw him experimenting with minimal techno (Pulse Code), ambient (Low on Ice) and musique concrete (Les Étoiles des Filles Mortes).

He's most well know for his output with band Atari Teenage Riot...



After the demise of Atari Teenage Riot, Empire's major releases for DHR sought to continue in the guitar-based, punk-influenced vein of the band. Intelligence and Sacrifice utilised live guitars, breakbeats, noise, sampled cinematic dialogue and Empire's trademark spoken/shouted English vocals, while Futurist saw a more obvious return to his punk roots and consequently sounds as if it were largely recorded using all live instrumentation, even though it was electronically produced. The creation of the Eat Your Heart Out label saw a move to a much more electronic-sounding approach with comparatively subdued vocals over synthesized sounds and beats.




His latest album 'The Golden Foretaste of Heaven' is great.
It's a departure from the breakcore/industrial rock stuff he's known for. It's a bit more synth driven, but never lacks power. Take a listen.

Alec Empire - Ice

Alec Empire - New Man

And this one is a fave of mine - a collaboration between Mr Empire and Handsome Boy Modeling School (Prince Paul & Dan the Automator), ft El-P

Handsome Boy Modeling School - Megaton B-Boy 2000



...Oh yeah, and while i'm bumming Alec Empire i shall now harp on about his mate Patrick Wolf!



I think Patrick now has four albums under his belt at the tender age of 25...i have no idea why, but I only just realised his genius about 2 weeks ago.

To be free of any record company shackles he's managed to set up a bandstocks account so that he can fund his musical explorations via donations made by fans. Investors get all kinds of perks including invited to private shows and freebies.

If you want to invest, go here

His latest album 'The Batchelor' features the nob-twiddling talents of Mr Alec Empire, and is a wonderful blend of acoustic and electronic music - violins and dirty drum machines sit side by side and the result is, well, ace. I'm not really very good at describing this kind of thing. Just listen and decide for yourself. I just love it - if this is what pop music sounds like in 2009 then i'm really rather impressed.

This video really reminds me of 'Sin' era Nine Inch Nails...it's an acquired taste, for sure - but this track sounds like an amalgamation of NIN, Soft Cell and Depeche Mode. And I love all three of them.



Here's another of my faves from 'The Bachelor'

Patrick Wolf - Hard Times

So then, Trent. It's time to sort yourself out. You've got competition.