Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Say kids, what time is it?
British dance duo Coldcut (Matt Black and Jonathan More) return to play our shores this week - the Herald has a good primer on em here. The Sunday Star Times also got in on the act, doing an interview with John Matthias from Coldcut. Who? The uncredited article (in the About Town section) seems to have added a third member to the group. And don't get me started on the brain-dead questions - "What's the future of electronica? Is there a place for politics on the dancefloor?" Groan.
Coldcut have been working together for nearly twenty years, so it's surprising that the Sunday Star Times writer didn't know about them - but hey, they could do what any good writer/subeditor should do if you don't know a person's name - JUST GOOGLE IT.

Keeping it musical...

Great news! Music Industry Dying, Says Pink Floyd, Clash Manager
The music industry, in its current form, is dying a slow death, according to the former manager of seminal acts The Clash and Pink Floyd. (Hat tip to Dubber)

and... Oliver Wang (Sole Sides blog) gets all Youtube on it, with Soul Sights. Freakin nuts funky ass sheez - watch this one, anti-MP3 ad. One for all you vinyl hold-outs.

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, 23 September
Tosca – Chocolate Elvis (Boozoo Bajou remix)
Risco Connection – Argument
Augustus Pablo – Rockers rock
Nomo – We do we go
Malcolm’s Locks – Get up stand up
BT Express – Do it til you’re satisfied
Big Youth – Waterhouse rock (Groove Corp remix)
Kraftwerk – Man machine
Hugh Masekela – Languta
Connie Price and the Keystones – Western champion
Scrappy – Off the lead
Devonte and Beenieman – Imagination
International Observer – Vale Bengal
Tyra and the Tornadoes – You got me thinkin
(Caught these cats playing at Khuja on Saturday night - the lineup features a number of members of the Open Souls, letting rip on some funky-ass covers, like Aretha's Rocksteady, You're Gonna Miss Me, even played Dust by Recloose. Wicked band, check em if you like the funk)
Thievery Corp – Come in from the top
Schooly D – Where’d you get that funk from?
Onelung – Cinema 90
Quantic – Politick society feat Noelle Scaggs
Lee Dorsey – Give it up
Jugoe – Ohio city
The Clash - Silicone on saphire
Eddie Warner – Poppy fiddles
Horace Andy – Rock to sleep
Bim Sherman – You are the one
Nicola Conte – Missione a bombay
Donald Fagen – I.G.Y.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, 16 September

Maceo and the Macks – Soul power 74
Fela Kuti - Shakara
Cedric Im Brooks- Mun dun go
Shinehead – Ragamuffin
ESG -Moody (spaced out mix)
Bombs – Under mi sensi re-edit
Jacksons and Mick Jagger – State of shock
Erma Franklin – Piece of my heart
One self – Temptation
Connie Price and the Keystones – Sucker punch
Kingites – Whistling in the dark
Johnny Osbourne – Budy bye
Jstar – Fall in love
Cornerstone roots – Forward dub
King Jammy – Black and white dub
Bronx river parkway – La valla
Cymande – Fug
Gaturs – Cold bear
Morgan Heritage and Bounty Killer – Guns in the ghetto
Jugoe – Ohio city
James Brown – Stone to the bone
Open souls – What you do
Freddie Kruger – Simply fresh
Horne singers – Flat foot
Curtis Mayfield – Freddie’s dead
Kruder and Dorfmeister – Shakatakadoo dub

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Out n about
Catch DJs Chef D, Morning Steppa, Jay V and Peter Mac (that would be me) at Rakinos this Friday night, fun and good times in abundance.
Aslo, Saturday night marks the final gig at the Odeon Lounge on Mt Eden Rd - its closing down, being replaced by an Italian restaurant - sigh. Catch The Nudie Suits, The Whipping Cats and The Artisan Guns.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006



LonelyGirl15 is from the Mount!
Youtube fans will be all over this one... the story was broken by SiliconValleyWatcher.com, read it all here.. "She is Jessica Rose, a 19-year old actress from Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. She recently moved to Los Angeles/Hollywood area to find work." More here.
Google Images throws up this link, which has images from Auckland's Clyne model agnecy (now deleted from their site). Boingboing is all over it too...

Monday, September 11, 2006



Every home should have one
"In 1999, Atomic Magazine ran a great tongue-in-cheek guide to building your own tiki bar (I used to have one in my old apartment in Toronto - every household is improved by tiki bars). Here's the scanned pages from the article. Link (via Negatendo, Boingboing)

I visited a tiki bar in San Francisco, in the Fairmont Hotel (where the inaugural meeting of the UN was held in 1948, and the marbelled lobby stairway was in the movie Gone With The Wind). It's called the Tonga Room, and it has a rectangular pool in the middle of the room with a boat on it, which floats out into the middle of the pool nightly. There's a band set up on the boat, playing. And every half hour, thunder and lightning starts up, and it starts raining on the pool. Great cocktails too.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Will Holland is one busy mo-fo

From Coollhunting: "Known for deftly blending a wide range of multi-ethnic sounds, calling Brighton-based DJ Quantic a consummate crate-digger is almost an understatement. With that in mind and with the impending North American release of the 26 year-old's fourth solo album, An Announcement to Answer, we tagged along with Quantic on a recent visit to a Brooklyn record store. There and in an interview, he shared some tips and gave us a little insight into his current collecting habits, which naturally show up on An Announcement.


The disc—a laid-back journey through jazz, funk, hip hop, and soul—are what you'd expect from a musician who's traveled throughout Africa and Puerto Rico, creating and recording much of his album on the road. From playful beats laced with trumpet samples and warm guitar loops to guest appearances by labelmate Ohmega Watts and LA-based chanteuse Noelle Scaggs, the eclectic lineup is well-balanced, never boring, and plenty lively."

Watch now: Quicktime or Podcast

Holland is 26, and has released 2 albums as Quantic Soul Orchcestra, and the above-mentioned title is his 4th as Quantic, plus putting together several compilations. Bastard.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006



Banksy is a genius.

Why? Read this...
Sources: Wikipedia/Radar blog

"-At London Zoo, he climbed into the penguin enclosure and painted 'We're bored of fish' in two metre high letters.
-In August, 2005, Banksy painted 9 images on the Palestinian side of the Israeli West Bank barrier, including an image of a ladder going up and over the wall and an image of children digging a hole through the wall
-In May 2005 Banksy's version of primitive cave painting depicting a human figure hunting wildlife whilst pushing a shopping trolley was found hanging in the British Museum.
He smuggled a dead rat in a glass case into the Natural History Museum in London
-In June 2006, Banksy stencilled an image of a naked man hanging out of a bedroom window on a wall in central Bristol, England. The image sparked some controversy, with the Bristol City Council leaving it up to the public to decide whether it should stay or go. After an internet discussion in which 97% (all but 6 people) supported the stencil, the city council decided it would be left on the building.

You can buy a cheap Banksy of your own here, although they're currently sold out.

Banksy is hugely popular – he has released numerous books (from which I learn that his first name is Robin, of course) designed the Blur album cover for Think Tank and has been acclaimed by art historians for placing unauthorised artworks in galleries. He's got a well-designed website and has been interviewed by Wired and The Guardian."


I've got a great book of his work, which I bought in Urban Outfitters next to a canal with gondolas floating down it at The Venetian, a casino in Vegas. its all indoors of course, fake sky ceiling and all. The copyright warning on the book, which all authors are obliged to include, starts off with "Against his better judgement, Banksy asserts his rights as the author..."
Now, go check him out. That is all.

Monday, September 04, 2006

Banksy vs Paris Hilton

Banksy is a genius. Here's why...

From Dork mag: "Street artist, Banksy, has done it again. This time his subversive antics strike against Paris Hilton's debut album. His social commentary, which focuses on the world's obsession with fame, continues to be astute and clever. Banksy replaced Hilton's cds with his own remixes and cover art.

As reported by BBC: "A spokeswoman for Banksy said he had doctored 500 copies of her debut album Paris in 48 record shops across the UK. She told the BBC News website: 'He switched the CDs in store, so he took the old ones out and put his version in.' But he left the original barcode so people could buy the CD without realising it had been interfered with. Banksy is notorious for his secretive and subversive stunts such as sneaking doctored versions of classic paintings into major art galleries."

Photos here, or here.
BaseFM - Ring The Alarm playlist, September 2
Boozoo Bajou feat Top Cat - Killer
Patti Jo - Make me belive in you (Phil Asher/Ashley Beedle re-edit)
Nostalgia 77 - Seven nation army
Little John - Joycie
Quantic - An announcement to answer
Joe Bataan -I'm satisfied
Dexys - Geno
Joe Isaacs - One more time
JStar - Fall in love (Ms D)
Bill Wolfgramm and his islanders - When my Wahine does the poi
Bo Diddley - Hit or miss
Isley Bros - Its a new thing remix (feat D-Nat, Onda and De la soul)
Betty Harris - Mean man
OJays vs Wutang - Cream
International observer - War memorial museum peace
Tyra and the Tornadoes - Hui hui
Ripple - I don't know what it is, but it sure is funky
Barrington Levy and Beenieman - Murderation
Tanya Stephens - Need you tonight
Sergio Mendes and New Brasil 77 - Mozambique
Wayne McGhie and Sounds of Joy - Dirty funk
Prince Fari - Same knife
Bernie Worrell - Insurance man for the funk
Fabulous Counts - Lunar funk
Shantel - Bucovina (Haaksman and Haaksman soca bogle remix)
Roisin Murphy - Ruby blue
Breaks Co-op - Sound advice

Had a great time at the Record Fair on Saturday - a room full of diehards and hold-outs, all pretending vinyl isn't a dying medium. Real Groovy were there with a dozen boxes from their recent US shipment (there's 80,000 LPs sitting in the basement at Groovy Akl), a crowd called raregroove.co.nz with some tasty reissue soul/jazz/funk, Cian from Conch Records had a few boxes of sale goodies, Murray Cammick was there selling off some old soul and funk, and the find for me? Well, Latin Steel by Amral's Trinidad Steel Band - Guantanamera on steel drums, just makes me smile. And a copy of Jukebox Drury, Ian Drury's best of. Me mate found a copy of Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul, which was his sole purpose for tagging along, so that's all good. Next one is pencilled for November 11. Later.

Oh, anyone know where in Auckland I can buy some coloured laces for some sneakers?