With the week that's in it - here's a monster disco intercut with clips from Top of the Pops - where Pan's People have some sweet costumes and some even sweeter dance moves.
Pan's People were a troupe of lovely ladies who danced on Top of the Pops in the 70s when the artist couldn't make a live appearance - before music videos took over. Check them out here - not dancing but being very mysterious and not being very good at gambling. I'm not sure what's going on - but I like it.
Dancehall legend Yellowman is dropping by Dublin next month. This is pretty exciting stuff and another great coup for Dublin’s dancehall/reggae scene which just saw another legend in the shape of David Rodigan play the Sugar Club to a full house and Chaka Demus & Pliers drop by the Button Factory a couple of weeks ago. Back to the future though… and November 12th is the day to catch the most famous albino rudebwoi you are ever likely to meet. A proper legend of the scene, here is what happened last time he was here:
Worries Outernational are teh chaps behind this gig, bringing him over to their Dancehall Styles night, which has been running every Sunday for over 5 years, quietly surviving recessions, archaic licensing laws and that lazy Sunday feeling a lot of us get to bring a consistently good party week in week out. A Dancehall night may be one of the less obvious club choices for a lot of people, but if it wasn’t for these guys there would literally be nothing to do on a Sunday, the fact that they are still going is testament to their hard work and high standards. They have just started a new night in 'Le Cirk' Dame St too, strictly reggae this one (no dancehall). Go down and show some support for one of the city’s finest outfits. One Love…
We have a couple of passes up for grabs for the Yellow fella, drop a mail to the usual address to be in with a shot...
Yellowman: November 12th, Button Factory. Lord have mercy...
Calling all budding producers! The Subs are playing Transmission this Halloween Sat (check out the promo vid here), ahead of this spooky date, they have provided you and me and whoever else wants with the parts to their new single ‘F*ck that Sh*t’. The lads apparently really want to hear what Irish producers are made of so stand up tall and do us 'No-Reason and Un-Abelton-ed' proud.
Nujabes is a Japanese hip hop producer and DJ - this tune is called アホな走り集 - what? You can't read that? Peasant. It's called Luv (sic) pt. 2 featuring Shing02 - It's a sweet tune. But even if you're not into hip hop you should check out the video - a load of Japanese mentalists all giving it socks. And if you're not into that then just fast forward to 3.45 to see a really really fat Japanese guy comin'atcha in slow motion. It's mesmerising. And if you're not into that, then there's no pleasing you.
Great animated video for Le Le's tune Breakfast by Amsterdam illustrator Parra. The song is pretty addictive too - when I first heard it I thought it was silly but now I can't get enough of it:
Hola - hola - hola - oatmeal and granola! You're breakfast! YEAH! You're the french on my toast where the hoes - at?
More public child hygiene safety announcements from Yo! Gabba Gabba - First we had Chromeo's 'Nice n Clean' all about washing your hands - now it's Of Montreal's song about brushing your teeth, complete with super cute animated video by Kangaroo Alliance. Of Montreal are an American indie band from Georgia but their music is a lot cooler than the phrase 'American indie band from Georgia' might suggest. Unfortunately I can't embed the video as Yo! Gabba Gabba won't allow it (which is ridiculous as all their other videos are all over the interwebs) but I highly recommend you check this out:
If you liked that, here is another song of theirs (also animated by Kangaroo Alliance) - don't let the title 'Wraith Pined to the Mist' put you off - it's actually a happy song. Although with these indie bands you never know - the video does involve various cute little guys meeting various ends so maybe I'm missing something.
H.O.S.H is a german minimal/ house/ techno DJ and producer and I don't know anything about him (or minimal, or house, or techno for that matter) but some of his tracks are amazing. If you like your beats slick and somewhat filthy (perfect for a rainy day) you should check these out.
This one White Elephant is from 2007 - this video is pants but you can check out the tune and see if it's up your street before downloading it.
This next tune is called The Valve, and as Chewy would say, it's so far UP my street I'm surprised it's not in my front room havin' a cup of tea with my nan:
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble are playing The Button Factory this Saturday October 24th as part of DEAF- they played here a bunch of times last year and I managed to miss every show. They even played twice at the Electric Picnic and I missed both of those shows too -but the less said about that the better. I am determined to make it on Saturday - check em out:
When Polaroid declared they would be leaving the instant film racket, Dr. Florian Kaps, business man, artist, Austrian and Polaroid enthusiast decided to do something about it. He had already set up polanoid.net - an online gallery and Polanoir - the first ever Polaroid-only gallery in Vienna so it probably made sense for him to get a few heads together and buy all the instant film production equipment from Polaroid (for a cool 100 million euro.) He calls it The Impossible Project and the aim is to re-open the factories and develop a new type of instant film for the vintage cameras.
Fast forward a year and now there will be a collaboration in 2010: Polaroid will re-launch the Polaroid One-Step camera (pictured above) and have commissioned The Impossible Project to make the film for it. It looks really easy:
And if you, like Dr. Florian Kaps, are mad for the ol' instant photos, check out one of his other sites - polapremium.com (this guy REALLY likes Polaroid photos) - and check out everything you ever needed to know about Polaroid, not to mention tonnes of vintage cameras and film for sale.
More Yo! Gabba Gabba - this is a video from the robot episode with Money Mark singing about making music with electricity and his robot friends. It's a pretty chilled cool tune too. What a show!
This is a great video for Dan Deacon's song Paddling Ghost directed by Natalie van den Dungen. featuring a little pirate ghost and a slightly creepy but strangely endearing Dan Deacon puppet in a Steve Zissou role.
and speaking of Steve Zissou (any excuse) :
The tune Steve is dancing to is called Ping Island - it's by Mark Mothersbaugh from Devo. He composes for movies and video games among other things such as painting and even hosting a drawing segment for kids on the best kids' show ever: Yo! Gabba Gabba.
I made a striking realization today. Almost as striking as when last year's ‘I am really hairy!’. That took only 10 years of being called Chewy, this discovery was on a musical note though and took slightly less time.
Perhaps it's years of DJ-ing or just being a bloke but I have pretty much always been a hater when it comes to manufactured pop music, dismissing most of it all straight off as sh!te. Today though my office buddy James (check out his Bitches With Wolves for the perfect example of the pop I refer to hereafter) was listening to Alexandra Burke's new single Bad Boys and and I found my foot a tap-tapping and my head a nodding. I saw her performance on the X-Factor the other day and have heard it on the radio a few times and today came to the conclusion, I actually quite like it.
Now the wheels in my head started turning and I remembered the goo I had on me yesterday for Shakira's new 'She Wolf' track. I also remembered humming along to the riff of Brit's ‘If you seek Amy’ recently.
The way I see it there are two possible reasons for my change of heart, either I, in my mellowed out 'wrong side of 25 condition' am becoming less of a music fascist or, as James suggested… pop music just got better.
There is no doubt that there have been some great electro-pop outfits infiltrating the charts recently, La Roux and Little Boots spring to mind. Artists who (with great producers) are making great catchy pop with a harder edge free of the bubblegum sentimentality and polished feel of the boy band era.
If you use Gmail you can now avail of of their 'mail goggles' lab - if you try to send an email really late at night at the weekend it stops you, makes you do some sums and if you get them wrong - NO MAILING FOR YOU, BOOZY! - And voilá! Morning time comes and a hungover but surprisingly regret free you thanks wise ol' Gmail for looking out for you.
Hmmm. I worry that if I used this feature and Gmail told me to go to bed and sleep it off I would view this as a challenge- I'd stay up drinking and honing said email PLUS an even more offensive one to the good people at Google until the ban was lifted - whereupon I would send both immediately. But, it's a good idea if you are prone to drunk night mailing and you can preset your risk times too, if, like me, you do all your drinking during the day. Why, I'm only writing this post to pass the time til 8 pm. Ahem.
I also love the idea that some messer at Google came up with this after sending some dodgy email to someone - afterwards, full of regret, they were all ' hang on, I work in GOOGLE, I can use my powers for good, not evil, and prevent this from happening other total hangers in the world!' If anyone knows of a way to get the Gmail genie to appear at 4 am and shake its head disapprovingly at you when you are about to send that text - please let me know.
P.S - Coconut Records - Nighttiming
All this talk of night time reminds me of my favourite song from Coconut Records - Why, yes! that is diminutive dreamboat actor Jason Schwartzman's band. Many's a night I spend drinking, trying to trick Gmail into letting me send emails, brushing up on my sums, listening to this song:
My favourite time of year is coming up - Hallowe'en and the annual Horrorthon in the IFI - this October bank holiday weekend - 22nd - 26th.
I am a big fan of 80s teen slasher flicks with ridiculous themes - such as 'April Fool's Day' so I can't wait to see ' Silent Night - Deadly Night' - about a deranged teen in a Santa suit who goes on a killing spree...
They are also showing Gremlins which is pretty damn Christmassy too - but I'm not complaining. I just hope it means that for the surprise movie they will show 'New Year's Evil ' and not SAW VI. (Yuck)
There are tonnes of movies on including Romero's Day of the Dead - BEST ZOMBIE MOVIE EVER - social commentary and amazing zombieness - and Joe Pilato - the actor who plays the psycho soldier guy - will be there at the screening.
These are just a couple of the movies that I am into but you can check out the whole list here: IFI Horrorthon 2009 screenings
Julian Casablanca's first solo album Phrazes For The Young is out at the beginning of November. The first single is called 11th Dimension and I'm still not sure about it- it's got a chorus that's as catchy as any Strokes song but as for the rest of it - it kind of sounds to me like he listened to some electro and tried to make some but didn't quite get it right. Also, I know I am old and not down with the kids but even after about 10 listens I still can't make out a word he is singing. I guess I should just get used to that though. Even the cover of the single:
looks like he's been on myspace checking out Triobelisk artwork - and of course this may be what he's all about - so I am really looking forward to hearing the full album and seeing what's what. I think I am mostly annoyed as there is a bit near the end that goes all out of key on purpose and every time I listen now I am just waiting for that bit to ruin the whole thing for me. And now I've told you about it that's all you'll be waiting for too! Although this clearly says more about me than about Casablanca's musical sensibilities.
Great animated video for Le Le's tune Breakfast by Amsterdam illustrator Parra. The song is pretty addictive too - when I first heard it I thought it was silly but now I can't get enough of it:
H.O.S.H is a german minimal/ house/ techno DJ and producer and I don't know anything about him (or minimal, or house, or techno for that matter) but some of his tracks are amazing. If you like your beats slick and somewhat filthy (perfect for a rainy day) you should check these out.
And if you, like Dr. Florian Kaps, are mad for the ol' instant photos, check out one of his other sites - polapremium.com (this guy REALLY likes Polaroid photos) - and check out everything you ever needed to know about Polaroid, not to mention tonnes of vintage cameras and film for sale.
If you use Gmail you can now avail of of their 'mail goggles' lab - if you try to send an email really late at night at the weekend it stops you, makes you do some sums and if you get them wrong - NO MAILING FOR YOU, BOOZY! - And voilá! Morning time comes and a hungover but surprisingly regret free you thanks wise ol' Gmail for looking out for you.
My favourite time of year is coming up - Hallowe'en and the annual Horrorthon in the IFI - this October bank holiday weekend - 22nd - 26th.
They are also showing Gremlins which is pretty damn Christmassy too - but I'm not complaining. I just hope it means that for the surprise movie they will show 'New Year's Evil ' and not SAW VI. (Yuck)
There are tonnes of movies on including Romero's Day of the Dead - BEST ZOMBIE MOVIE EVER - social commentary and amazing zombieness - and Joe Pilato - the actor who plays the psycho soldier guy - will be there at the screening._poster.jpg)
