Barcelona: The land of the foodie

Posted on February 21, 2012 by admin

While I would love to call myself a foodie, my ability to cook anything other than a cuppa soup and a boiled egg would make this a very strong claim indeed. However, being in Barcelona, where the food, particularly the tapas, is outstanding, was a hugely enjoyable experience as a food lover. In fact I even did a Tapas walking tour with Get your Guide. It was great value and the food and drink were smashing.

Source: http://www.letseat.at

The Beach

How many of europe’s big cities have a beautiful beach to match? Not many, and this is one of the other amazing things about Barcelona. When I was there it was hot, the sand is white and the people are friendly. Not to mention the fact that it wasn’t half as packed as the pebble beach gets in Brighton – thank goodness for that!

Source: http://www.salamagazine.com

All in all it’s a great city. Don’t worry there are historic and cultural sites too:

Source: http://euro-traveler.net

Source: http://www.getours.com

As I said, I would highly recommend Barcelona as a holiday destination. If you want some cheap deals and tourism options of Barcelona I would also highly recommend GetYourGuide.

 

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Chiddy Bang

Posted on February 10, 2012 by admin

These guys are really worth a listen. I would say there somewhere in the hiphop, garage area in terms of genre.

They have also apparently done some remixes of MgMT kids, which I want to check out aswell!

Source: www.cityweekly.net

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Moving Pictures

Posted on December 27, 2011 by admin

What’s important about film today? A lot has already been done. You can’t really shock anyone anymore. All the emotions like love, hate, despair and joy have been there since the beginning of time. Sometimes someone has a good idea, even now, but most things have been here 2, five, twenty times. Today I want to talk about two movies, which show some inventive power.

Has anyone here seen The Invention of Lying?

I thought this one was a genuinely new idea. In this world film like we know them don’t actually exist, because telling a story is inventing something that is not there. This premise alone is already quite intriguing. The only thing people know is meticulously researched retellings of history. One day someone says something that is not true and from there on it’s a success story for him. Of, course, in the end, all is revealed to the public, but he is still the only one who even has the physical possibility to lie. Later, his child is also able to do it, which suggests, that eventually lying will be possible for everyone who has the”gene” for it. And that’s how the lie came into this world.

Also a fascinating film, but quite disturbing is the French work My Little Princess.

Source: www.imdb.com

It’s a mother-daughter dynamic that will have you shaken to the core. It just came out a bit ago but already has a lot of critiques. This controversial film deals with a mother, who takes revealing photos of her underage daughter. It looks at what it does to the child to be made into an object and to have to grow up before her time.  At first it seems like all this is happening in some abstract world, where there is no way out, but this time the state actually does something right and becomes part of the film in rescuing the girl from the influence of her mother, who she loves as all children do, but also must hate because of what she does to her.

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Food That’s Well Nice

Posted on November 25, 2011 by admin

If there is one thing as important as music, then it’s proper food. While traveling through different countries in search for the perfect beat it’s also interesting to find out what the local food is like. When you come out of the club at around six and you danced a lot and drank a lot, then it’s time for some fast food. Le Batofar is a really great club, but when I want food I go to Eliance, which is not far from there. It has good fast food and the prices are pretty low. But the best part is that you actually get something at a late hour, because not every fast food store in Paris is open at all hours.

If you are interested in taking in some more typically French fare I’m recommending the Le Ballon Rouge on the Avenue de France.  During the week it’s only open until ten in the evening, but it has such style und a French facilité that is enchanting and makes you want to come back often. The even have life music, but the artist that I saw when I was there failed to really inspire, though she was nice enough to listen to.

Paris is not a cheap city, though, and if you actually manage to pay the rent for a small room, it’s pretty unlikely that it’s possible to eat out all the time. So why not make something delicious for yourself. Excellent food can be jus t as exciting as a new and innovative beat. All you need is the right samples and a composition that’s well put together. Fresh ingredients and a few herbs go a long way. If you try tuna sweet potato jackets you have enough to comfortably feed your friends and yourself without spending too much. Here’s a good recipe:

taken from bbcgoodfood.com

Source: www.bbcgoodfood.com

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Hotflush: From London to Berlin

Posted on November 11, 2011 by admin

Hotflush has been a real cornerstone of the UK garage and funky scene for the past few years and is one of my favourite labels. Started by Scuba (SCB) it began by reinforcing a forward thinking movement in UK bass music, to move dubstep beyond a wobble to take more influence from house and garage. The genre continued to evolve and gave rise to a wave of producers approaching the style with no limitations other than the tempo itself. From here categorisation and sub categorisation of the genre deconstructed individual strands of the most basic musical ideas and slapped a name tag on them labelled “THE NEXT BIG THING”. From this process we have seen the likes of aqua crunk, lazer bass, future garage and post-dubstep used to describe something which is by nature relatively undescribable. The reality is that the styles that really make an impact tend to be driven by a label synonamous with a sound. For example Night Slugs, run by Bok Bok featuring the likes of Mosca and Jam City has the monopoly for that grime influenced synth sound so popular in London right now.

Hotflush however tend to offer something a little more discrete. Tracks are related with sample based production, combined with a house influence for the dancefloor. Others are designed for headphones and are more experimental in the field recording world. There are no vinyl diggers here searching for existing breaks and beats, but rather a music based on deconstruction of simple elements, beautifully recorded and produced to create something truly organic in nature but assembled in a way to juxtapose its origins. Technically, the tracks are mixed and mastered beautifully, and whenever playing them on a half decent sound system, they have never failed to make an impact for me. Now moved to Berlin, Scuba is heading up his operation from Panorama bar, incorporating bits of that Berlin sound into his own music, while Hotflush grows internationally with releases from Europe and the USA on the up. Exciting times for a great label.

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Henrik Schwarz

Posted on October 27, 2011 by admin

Hailing from South Germany, Henrik Schwarz is somewhat of a figurehead on the scene in Berlin. With his conception in deep house, he has accumulated a respect amongst critics and musicians to licence his artistic freedom in taking on experimental projects. These projects create some great results.

Since arriving in Berlin, Henrik Schwarz has been the first truly consistent artist, with a hefty back catalogue that I have felt inspired enough to delve a little deeper.

This as part of the a collaborative release with Kuniyuki was the deal breaker for me. It’s so nice to hear great techno incorporating live improvisations from jazz. It brought back the sounds of Chick Corea’s sessions with Bobby McFerrin, with fluttering harmonies rolling over a droning, tension building tonic. At times, it becomes almost Gospel, with flourishes typical of spiritual jazz, coupled of course with the R&B vocal. Overall, the production and the musicianship on this track is truly outstanding, and something quite rare to come by in a style that could be so decisively labelled as House music. The above version is the Kuniyuki edit, but the Henrik Schwarz version is just as powerful, albeit keeping a closer hold on the natural instrumentation of the track. Both have their place in the mix and will definately be making an appearance in my live set to come.

While perhaps being a little further leftfield, this remix of “Yalla Yalla” is an inspiring and captivating melding of ethnic and stylistic sounds creating a great dynamic evolution, of course locked together by that never faltering 4X4. Everything from the strings playing a dissonant mix of pizzicato and rhythmic stabs with the occasional wail of dissonance or melody, to the orchestral percussion has been recorded with enough skill to retain it’s weight in the mix, without sacrificing a spacious room ambiance that gives the final master an air of quality and refinement.

Henrik Schwarz will be playing next week with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra with an experimental project combining techno and classical music.

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Berlin Cosmic Disco

Posted on October 13, 2011 by admin

A trip to Berlin is a pilgramige for all 4X4 fanatics searching for that perfect house groove. With everything from minimal techno lurking in the industrial spaces of Berghein, to Balkan beats and lounge, popular with the Hispanic crowd at the more upmarket Prenzlauer Berg.  Coming from the London scene, dominated by 2-step grooves, it was nice to arrive in Berlin to find a world of house music to discover.  So one of the first parties, and one of the best so far, sowed the seed of inspiration in finding my musical niche amidst a myre of militant foot stompers.

It started at Kleine Reise.

Watching a couple of mediocre DJs and having paid the €5 entry fee, I was pleasently surpised to see one of Berlin’s best, Hunee, show his face. Playing a great mix of rare house and classic disco influenced tracks, tweaked and twisted to perfection with a sordid techno flavour, with a few choice edits thrown in to get the crowd locked, Hunee played my favourite selection of the past year. Where techno and breaks can be a little sterile, I found that the Korean/Berliner  left never a dull moment, making sure to drop enough old vinyl cuts to keep things sounding vibey while never letting the momentum on the floor die down in the slightest. So potent was his control of the dancefloor, that switching mid house set to play a few SloMo tunes became a progressive movement, rather than a total buzz crushing clanger as often the case.

Anyway, following my instant conversion to the Cosmic Disco/NuDisco phenomenom, I have been delving into the dirties corners of house and disco to pull out a few tasty cuts for your pleasure!

Credit where credit’s due, the man had me converted, and this tune remains representative of what I love about the genre. In my opinion, this one exhibits the tastiest blend of classic house, driving techno, and funky disco shit. It sounds old and new at the same time, and I love it.

A little grottier but great fun for the floor with a less conventional groove. Cool sounds from Siriusmo.

Name says it all.

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Dress to Impress

Posted on September 23, 2011 by admin

You want to do your own thing? You’re an independent flower in a sea full of sheep? Well, then you have to distinguish yourself through your own style. There are a lot of things you can do that are definitely unique and have never been tried by anyone before! Sure, even if you buy in an independent store, there will be more than one colour of whatever you buy, but it’s the unique combination of your vintage top hat and retro futurism tee that makes you look the interesting, individual person that you deep down are. If that’s not enough distinction for you, than get out your scissors and waterproof sharpie and get creative!

But accessorizing is probably the best way to really stick out in the crowd. Why not take a perfectly ordinary slinky and use it as a necklace or belt? This is something not everyone on the block has. You’ll see, in a few weeks time everyone will be copying you and you’ll be the first one who had it. Pat yourself on the back .

slinky - Source: http://s10.directupload.net

If you’re looking for the perfect match to your plaid shirt, why not stay in style and get a practical tool belt? One of those is sure to draw the eye and they are great for storing your IPad or any cool nick nacks, like magic cubes or vintage game boys.

If you want to turn heads, don’t ever forget the right accessory. You don’t want to be caught out not being styled from head to toe, so get going to the vintage store of your approval and get yourself some unique hats.

Source: www.ascot-tophats.co.uk

 

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Move the floor in 3 steps!

Posted on September 5, 2011 by admin

Welcome to my blog! I’m not gonna fanny about with introductions too much. Its about the music and the scene, and an opportunity for me to share my perspective on music, partying and the sub culture from 4 of my favourite cities. First up today we’re in London.

An old release from London’s Architeq with a bombastic blend of funk and dub, sporting the grittiest analogue synths, washed over by the mandatory drenchings of reverb and tape delay. Top notch production on all versions of this tune allows it to stir something from the bedroom to the dancefloor. I’ve been opening with the version on their album Gold and Green (available at http://boomkat.com/downloads/222857-architeq-gold-green) for a while now and it never ceases to get a crowd pumped even following higher tempo stuff like house and breaks. A real secret weapon to really mix the vibe up!

Originally heading up the Parisian b-boy infused wonky scene, Debruit has moved to London and is frequenting free parties in Brixton’s Hootenanny, bringing his unique mix of world music and pfunk purple wow.  A prolific sound designer, and one of a personal favourite of mine, this track is guaranteed to get even lego haircut accountants into New Era and proper kicks. SICK.

Finally we’re in Shoreditch, where what matters is what’s hot, and what’s hot is Blawan. Garage vocals twisted and prised out of an old Brandy tune (remember her? I do!) infused with some solid techno stomp with a drum sound thats been carved out of wood. This ones been about a while but its a good introduction to the London sound. I always think that something about that garage sound pulled out of context sets the mood for parties in London and doesn’t quite come off in other cities.

Anyway enjoy.

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Treasures: Emerald and Amber

Posted on August 12, 2011 by admin

Green and Quiet- Source: http://paulbates.com

Hopping the globe, partying, can be a lot to take in. Sometimes you need to get away and enjoy a bit of silence. When it’s fresh air and a bit of colour your’re looking for, maybe go for a little walk, then have a look at the village of Ilsenburg. It’s about three hours away from Berlin, a bit touristy, but mostly quiet. Famous German romantic writer Hermann Hesse made his way through the surrounding countryside during his “Harzreise” (Harz journey). The Ilsestein is not very high up, but the surrounding nature is fascinating. From your run-of-the-mill German forest you come into a wasteland of dead trees and dry, sandy soil and a castle. Not two km from there it’s like falling into a fairy wonderland of deepest green foliage and a gently bubbling stream, which is sometimes a series of little waterfalls, sometimes a small lagoon . And always you’re just waiting for a gnome to appear from under a root. Sadly I forgot my camera and can’t show you the magic, but here’s a nice old school postcard:

Postcard. Source: http://www.akpool.de

One of the high points of any visit to South America is definitely the Desierto de Atacama in Chile. The landscape is breathtaking. If you’re going to find yourself anywhere, then it’s there. This rocky desert looks desolate but sometimes bursts forth with a strong splash of colour that’s totally unexpected after all that time of nothing.  Llama roam freely, so better bring an umbrella. If you don’t find yourself, go shake another hand to curb the loneliness. How about this giant one:

GIANT hand. Source: http://myriammahiques.blogspot.com

If you want to visit Chile, here’s a good place to start.

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