Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts

Just reached back from Boomtown Fair in the Forest of Dean, a real fun little festival with a heavy Bristol following.

Our favourite spot was The Lion’s Den which seemed to be run by those post apocalyptic party favourites Arcadia and had the choicest line up of DJs, heavy on the Reggae, Dubstep and Jungle with The Heatwave fellas, Stivs from free party veterans Life 4 Land & Demolition Man, Congo Natty & Tenorfly, Mungos Hi-Fi and Iration Steppas being amongst the more noticeable. Favourite set came from Baobinga who played a hype set which was possibly the least obvious you can play without losing the crowd.


There was disappointment from missing Jazzsteppa who apparently tore it up, and didn't manage to catch Reso or Komonazmuk either, but none of the music anywhere in the festival was in itself disappointing, which is rare these days. Most of the bands were some combination or other of Dub, Ska, Gypsy and Folk, relying on festival favourites rather than big name pullers, with especially good sets from: Babylon Circus out of Lyon; Babyhead, whose sound has got a lot deeper and dubbier of late but who still remain one of the top festival bands; and Glitzy BagHags.

Unfortunately because Los Albertos, a fantastic Ska based band from Brighton had the last official slot of the festival they only managed to get out two tunes before they had to shut down. It must have killed the organizers to have to do this but with such a good little thing going in a beautiful location it would be a shame to have their license revoked for next year.

We don't really have any suitable tracks to give you from the festival this time so here's a few recent Dubstep favourites from our inbox, starting with these Bronto sized beats from The Snare Bear. Both tracks make up the Jurassic Park EP some eerie tribal Dubstep business, heavy on the 808s and growly on the bass.

(YSI) The Snare Bear - Rex / alt link

(YSI) The Snare Bear - Raptor / alt link


Reasonable little reworking of the fantastic Bats for Lashes track Daniel by Graphics here, not sure how the mix will stand up on a proper set of speakers as just got a shitty pair of headphones on me, but definitely worth trying.

Bats For Lashes - Daniel (Graphics Dubstep Remix)

Next is a mash up by Blessed Love of a few different Skream tunes and some Linton Kwesi Johnson samples that's brimming with chilled intensity. Check out the UK Bass Culture Mixtapes from Blessed Love too for a quick history lesson from Reggae classics through UK Hip-hop and into the current Dubstep trends.

(YSI) Blessed Love - LKJ Vs Skream Dubstep Mash Up / alt link


Finally a heavyweight selection of Dubz that's right up our street, courtesy of The Hoax, holding it down over there in Antwerp.

(Sharebee) The Hoax - Dubstep Mix Aug 09

Tracklisting:

D.Kay - Fire (Rusko Remix)
Mike Lennon - Brass Eye (Reso Remix)
Joker & Ginz - Purple City
Ed Solo - Watch Your Eyes
Benga - One Million
Chase & Status - Eastern Jam (High Rankin Remix)
Tek-One - Broken String
Bar 9 - Murda Sound (VIP Mix)
Reso - Smash Yer Face In
Man Like Me - London Town (Doorly's Cockney Wideboy Remix)
Kevin Rudolf Ft. Kid CuDi - Welcome To The World (High Rankin Remix)
Kyza - Go (Bar 9 Remix)
Cookie Monsta - Ginger Pubes
High Rankin - No Money For Guns
The Prodigy - Breathe (Numbernin6 Remix)
Subscape - Wrong Number
16Bit - PCP
>> B.Rich - We Ball Harder
The Prodigy - Warrior's Dance (Benga Remix)
Reso - Onslaught
Cookie Monsta - Bliss
Don Diablo & Example - Hooligans (Doorly's Dubstep Remix)
Don Diablo & Example - Hooligans (Wire Remix)
Dub Crookz - Skeleton Dust
F-One & Kromestar - Head Twiss
Rico Tubbs - Gangsters (Tes La Rok Remix)
High Rankin - Escape From The Hood
Tek-One - Mate
Major Lazer - Hold The Line (DZ Remix)
Deftones - Shove It (Dubstep Remix)

Two of us headed to different festivals this weekend, although neither quite hit home for us. Tommy B headed to Lovebox where an over hyped bill were lost to an apathetic crowd and I failed to find anything above middle of the road at Glade. Still, hopefully these write ups are a call to demand more rather than just the grumblings of two disaffected music lovers. Read on and find out...



I had already decided that no matter what I did for this weekend, I wasn’t going to Glade. The idea of a muddy K fest where marshmallow teenagers rock dead eyed to repetitive beats just didn’t appeal.

Still, Glade is somehow where I ended up, and to be fair things had changed. The crowd were somewhat older than before, although maybe it was the same crowd that had stuck with it all these years. The site itself has been relocated to Winchester, a damn good move, as despite a fair amount of rain on Saturday, the site never got anywhere near to the quagmire Glade became a couple of years back, infact most of the mud had pretty much dried up by Sunday.


The music too appeared to have been given a boost. Hudson Mohawke, Drop The Lime, Rusko, Tomb Crew and Mumdance were all in attendance and perhaps if I had managed to catch one of these it may have saved my experience. I was also assured that some of the Techno such as Carl Craig and Dave Clarke Was superb… but somehow I managed to miss them too.


It didn’t start off like that. On the Friday I had written down a list of DJs I wanted to catch that day, starting with A Skillz in the early afternoon. We were already in fairly good spirits thanks to the pair of cockney wideboys who had somehow blagged their way into being emcees and proceeded to tell the crowd numerous times that they were 'the fucking bollocks'. The music was pretty standard Breakbeat though so it was a relief when A Skillz came out and proceeded to drop some funked up flavours that got us all bubbling, then we bubbled some more, then we got bored. It’s not that A Skillz isn’t a good DJ, he is, but we had to wander just how many times he had dropped that same set of cut up classics, surely he must be bored of it by now. We certainly were.


But boredom seemed to be the order of the weekend for us. Every tent we went in either had a big bag of same old same old, or simply droned on with no real fire to it. I hear Rusko dropped some killer tunes, including a great DJ Cable mash up which we’ve included below. The first Dubstep DJ we saw though was Pinch, possibly the most bored looking DJ there. Maybe it was just seriousness, he was certainly playing serious (or was it boring?) tunes, but we’re at a festival rather pissed up and so needed something with a bit more meat on it. My girlfriend became quite vocal in her disapproval so we left pretty sharpish. Not that the crowd could have raised more than a serious grumble between them. I also managed to miss Baobinga and ID’s first reunion in 8 months as I left the Boomtown tent just before, meant to return straight away but made it back just after they’d finished, rather inexcusable really when you consider the manageable size of the festival. So you see, even though I can rant about how shit the music was, and the fact that there was far too much bloody Psy-Trance for my liking, it might just be bad luck, and the fact that I made really bad decisions like agreeing to join a load of friends to watch Underworld whilst Drop The Lime were on, then losing them all and only making it out of the crowd after I’d already wanted to stab myself in the ear for the offensiveness of that inoffensive fluffy drivel.


Not that I had a bad time either really, but that pretty much meant giving up on the festival and relocating to the backstage area with a bunch of new experimental drugs such as Megatron and Run DMC (okay maybe these were just our names for them) and just sitting it out with good friends, good randoms and good tunes on the iPod.

(YSI) DJ Cable Vs Tempa T Vs Rusko - Mr Muscle's Hype / alt link

(YSI) Baobinga & I.D. - Jump Up & Buck (DJ Manaia Mash - Baobinga Edit) / alt link

(YSI) Drop The Lime - Tabac Theme / alt link


Although the Glade line-up was packed to the brim with some of the best up and coming electronic producers, I was subjected to a much more accessible and 'music friendly' festival: Lovebox. While nothing had really appealed to me from the line up, which seemed mainly to consist of a variety of acts lombarded together to suit all tastes, the combination of an 80's loving 21 turning girlfriend and the prospect of seeing Duran Duran in the flesh were two forces I was unable to keep apart.

I headed to Victoria Park with an open mind and keen to see a number of eclectic acts. For ages i've been dying to see the Hot 8 Brass Band, and as soon as we stepped onsite the heavy trombone and horn blaring melodies could be heard from miles away. If you haven't heard their rendition of Sexual Healing I suggest you have a quick detour now to check it out. This put me in the right direction for what I hoped would be a great day of live music.


We headed to the main stage to watch a very tired yet impressive Mr Hudson. I'd heard mixed reactions about his performances, but his new songs blended well with his old stuff from his days with the library, even if hanging out with Mr West a little too much may have inflated his ego a little. A tired and past it Kano came out as a 'surprise guest', much to the disappointment of a crowd who seemed little into getting into the full swing of things.

DJ wise i managed to catch a little of the Horse Meat Disco guys at the Relentless arena, who seemed to be trying to fight a pretty poor soundsystem and again a crowd who never really had it in their heart to dance. Even when DJ Sneak came out, one of the sets id been waiting for the whole day, I could only manage about 10 minutes before I had given up trying to get into the swing of things.


One reccuring theme of outdoor festivals this year has been poor soundsystem's, and none was more obvious with N*E*R*D's arrival on the main stage. Playing a variety of hits from all three of their albums, Pharrell and friends seemed to be desperately trying to get the Lovebox crowd to get into such classics as Run to the Sun and new cuts such as Sooner or Later. However, it took a triple header of Lapdance, Rockstar and She Wants to Move, complete with a total stage invasion, to get anyone to really start to enjoy themselves. It was all a bit of a wierd experience to the carnage I had seen at Glastonbury.


However, the amount of corporate advertising thrown in your face, from the Pimms bus parked right next to the fringe stage to the Relentless, Rizla and Gaymers areas all leaving their corporate imprints on the festival goer, it was no surprise to the lack of enthusiasm of the crowd to fully immerse themselves in the experience. It almost seemed people were more interested in getting freebies from certain stalls, i.e. a Warehouse poncho, or had turned up solely to see the headliners Duran Duran, than a general sense of people wanting a unique musical experience.


Don't get me wrong. The downpours changed the mood of the site and, ashamed to say, Duran Duran were bloody brilliant, pulling out a bag of hits and an awesome array of songs which have been used by some of the greatest producers, samplers, rappers and DJs the world has ever known (N.O.T.O.R.I.O.U.S). It just seemed a letdown for a Groove Armada fan and a festival lover to see such a marketed boutique event be so openly sold off to the highest corporate bidder. I recognise the importance of sponsorship in keeping festivals financed, but surely it is an interesting question to ask fellow chromesters.... Does external advertising damage the ethos behind festivals? In the VIP Gin / Vodka bars or charging double the ticket price in the prospect of posh loos? Im not sure, but I know i've had more fun watching local djs spin amazing tunes with everyone openly involved than massive djs and bands with disinterested crowds.

(YSI) Kid Cudi - Day N Nite(DJ Sneak Bang Acido Mix) / alt link

(YSI) Pharell Vs A Tribe Called Quest - Can I Kick It Like That / alt link

(YSI) Hot 8 Brass Band - Get Up (Diesler Remix) / alt link

Before we head off on another long (and messy) weekend to Glade Festival, I do believe we promised to tell you all about some of last weekend’s exploits.


The weekend, like most at the moment, started on Wednesday night with Prefuse 73 at The Globe in Cardiff. Not one for the casual observer / listener as unless you immerse yourself within the full frequency assault taking place I’m sure it just comes across like a noisy tonal mess, certainly a few people present thought so. For me though it’s kind of like taking far too many mind altering substances and ending up in rather a dark state of confusion, then shining out of the chaos comes the answer to life and suddenly it all becomes bright and satisfying. Of course there’s less disappointment when it’s over so it could well be the healthy alternative to drugs, maybe FRANK should take note.


Thursday night we headed down to London for the DMC UK Championships. The only one who really caught our ears was Johnny One Move, unfortunately he messed up a a few times and slipped into third place. Who the others were I couldn't even tell you, but to be honest it doesn’t really matter, there were none there that will change your life should you look them up. Shame really, it does look like a rebirth of turntablism could be on the horizon, and certainly there were signs that the tune selections were being updated well, but the next QBert, Craze or A-Trak looks unlikely to be stepping out from these shores any time soon.


Not to say the night was a complete disappointment however, Inja stepped out of hosting duty for a moment and ripped up the stage with a few new tracks that are sounding hyper than ever. With the bass heavy in the beats and that rather annoying whiny voice he had in the Delegates Of Culture days seemingly lost, seems that the lower frequencies are helping to push Inja ever higher. He was also joined on stage by Skinnyman for an impromptu version of our current chart number one Hats High that was pure fire! Although it wasn’t the Mr Thing version, we did see the Thingster fully appreciating at the back of the stage too.

From the 02 Academy we headed over to the Elbow Rooms for the After Party, which despite the low numbers took a turn for the rowdy (in a good way) after a few rounds of Tequilla entered the equation. For anyone who complains that the UK Hip-hop scene is too serious, you’ve obviously never seen Mystro, Jehst, Farma G, Last Skeptic and Inja dancing to a Michael Jackon medley in the small drunken hours. Also met a rapper by the name of Skandal who I hadn’t heard of before but a few heads assured me he’s the future, he’s certainly got both heart and skills so hopefully there’ll be big things to come.


Next day we headed to the Great Birds Of The British Isles exhibition at the Oblong Gallery in Islington. No we haven’t gone all Bill Oddie on you, it’s actually an exhibition of work by 4 Bristol based female artists: Dora; Milk, Amour and K148 who’s styles meet somewhere in the realm of Street Art. Feeling a few of the pieces in there actually, and it definitely works as a collaborative effort. It’s on for the next few weeks before moving to Bristol again. Check their Myspace for details.


The plan for the rest of the night was to head to Fabric to catch Foreign Beggars, Scratch Perverts, Ghislain Poirier, DJ Hype and Mumdance amongst many others, however I learned a lesson in not gloating when you’re lady’s stuck in the middle of nowhere and the highlight of her day was buying some conditioner, she hexed us... and it worked.

What was turning out to be a great couple of days took a down turn as we decided to gatecrash an industry party with a free bar on a sure fire tip. We couldn’t find any sign of the party and ended up wondering lost amongst the haircuts and try too hards of Hoxton for far too long. We eventually thought we’d better get to Fabric as somebody had told us guest list shuts at midnight (is this true, sure it’s never been a issue before), we were late but it mattered not cos as we got to the back of the queue Nilk’s sister phoned to say his pregnant wife wasn’t too good and we decided to blow Fabric out and head down to his house in Swindon. I learned another lesson, don’t tell your lady she hexed you when this could be taken as meaning she was responsible for the condition of your friend’s pregnant wife, it’s a stupid and rather shitty thing to do. Thankfully Nilk’s wife is okay and it was one of those episodes that dictate we should always love our mums for going through all that shit for us.


So being in Swindon it seemed right to head over to the Swindon Carnival the next day, now Swindon Carnival might seem like a contradiction in terms and certainly it’s far from what goes on in say Bristol or Birmingham but there were a few good Sound Systems such as King Tubby’s pumping out the Reggae classics and one rather rowdier set up with more of a Dubstep and Drum & Bass selection. Plus plenty of food and rides for the kids so long as you’re not intimidated by the classic Estate characters such as ‘tattooed topless man with the dangerous dog’ (of which there were plenty) it’s not a bad afternoon out, infact would have stayed longer but had to be back for Foamo, Curtamos, Chesus & Rodski and Tony Blitz at Glo Bar. Problem is by the time I reached I only had 20 minutes before I had to shoot off and play in another bar so missed the whole thing pretty much. Was pretty quiet thanks to a mix of torrential rain and the uneducated ears of the Cardiff masses but heard the DJs all smashed it and Foamo, seemed happy enough with the night when I caught up with him briefly afterwards. Glo Bar has now been sold but there's some heavy Music By Numbers nights lined up before then, and it's still going ahead in different venues afterwards too.



To top the weekend off on Sunday, headed to the Starving Artists jam at the Shot In The Dark cafe. Some may have caught the twitterings but if not then it was a great jam of the type that is really necessary to help scenes grow. As well as the DJs that included Lurk On Film, there were live drums, guitars and a cello all adding their parts whilst an assortment of emcees such as Redeye and Ming Dy Nasty from Lex Umbra (formerly Shadow Law), Ruffstylz, Louis Boston and Skunkadelic plus various other rappers and singers took turns on the mic. There was also an appearance from Beatbox Fozzy, who is without a doubt one of our favourite vocal percussionists and who has been working on some killer Dubstep that we've been trying to lock down a recording of for a while now. With a healthy fine lady ratio (don't mean to be sexist but can't really say what the reverse ratio was) and a real good creative family atmosphere, hopefully there will be many more of these jam sessions running in future. It was certainly a great finale for our long weekend adventures, just looking forwrds to what this weekend has in store now, catch you all when we return.

(YSI) Santigold - Creator (Mumdance War Bars Remix) / alt link

(YSI) Santigold - Creator (Curtamos Remix) / alt link

(YSI) Mystro - BlitzMess / alt link (from forthcoming Shortee Blitz Mixtape)

(YSI) Shadow Law (Lex Umbra) ft Ruffstylz - Damage Done / alt link

(YSI) Louis Boston & Refound - Spittin' Stixx / alt link

Unlike the other Chrome Kids reviewer, I headed to the festival as a Glastonbury virgin, propelled by a bag full of ambition and a list of bands I told myself I had to see over the weekend. Although my head had been filled with horror stories of knee high mud, slashed tents and, most scarily, the state of campsite toilets, I don't think any hours of reading NME reviews or watching Zane Lowe on BBC3 could have prepared for the sheer force of the Pilton experience.

There's so much to write about, so in the spirit of fairness I will split it into the highs and lows:

HIGH: SHANGRI-LA & TRASH CITY: This whole area was pretty much the most memorable and special experience of the whole weekend. Not only did we get to play a really enjoyable set to the packed crowd in the Bassline Circus, but the whole energy and vibe seemed to resonate from the crazy partyheads and the copious amounts of fun people seemed to be having exploring the warped minds of those behind such a unique and ambitious project.


LOW: TENTS: Whoever invented tents and unleashed them upon music lovers is a dick, seriously.

HIGH: Q-TIP: Proving Hip-hop still has a place at the farm after the ballooned hype of Jay Z last year, the ringmaster delivered an unstoppable set weaving between old classic cuts from his tribe days to his latest highly overshadowed release, The Renaissance. Magic.

LOW: LITTLE BOOTS: I went to the John Peel Stage, she was their dressed as a Jedi. I went to the Guardian Lounge, she got on the piano and sang Earth Song. Even at a secret Fourtet gig up in The Park on the Friday at 1am where you thought you could escape? Nope, she's there trying to pretend to DJ. Maybe it was bad timing, but it did piss me right off.


HIGH: WE HAVE BAND: Believe the hype, these guys rock. Swirling Synths, great melodies and most importantly, they are nothing like I've seen before. Metronomy watch your backs, these guys are one to watch!

LOW: QUEUES: I know they're unavoidable, but if your going to Glasto prepare to wait in alot of them. I recommend a Chrome Kids mixtape to keep you entertained.

HIGH: TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB: After seeing them in Kruger magazine, and watching them play a spellbinding set on the Saturday, these guys were a definite highlight of the whole weekend and one I look forward to seeing in the future.


LOW: MICHAEL JACKSON DYING: Yeah it is a shame. No-one will have a bigger presence on dancefloors across the world for years to come. While some showed their respect in classic ways, fair play to Lily and the white glove, others literally took the piss, Jamie Cullum covering Thriller -badly.

HIGH: PASSION PIT: Sweeping melodies and a perfect summer soundtrack to the Saturday which turned out to be a real scorcher. With an arsenal of great songs such as The Reeling and Little Secrets the large crowd that had turned up to see these guys shows the power of the blog in informing new bands to the masses. Once worth seeing when they tour in October.

LOW: SCHEDULE CONFLICTS: They are unavoidable when it comes to a festival this size, but certain decisions have left a hole in my heart. Missing Animal Collective for Q Tip, Bon Iver for 2 Many DJs, these are decisions which may or may not come to define me as a person in later life.


There's so much i wished I had got to see - Raffertie, Rusko, La Roux, Art Brut.... but maybe that is what makes Glastonbury what it is. In a way you have to go back to see what you missed last year, and then try do the same thing over and over again. What I had spent hours planning to the last second to see, dashing to the John Peel Stage to see a over-hyped Dan Black, where I could have simply stumbled into the nearest tent and caught some of an amazing act I had never heard before, Emmy the Great.

Whatever your opinion on the experience, Camper Van next year yeah?

(YSI) Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (Jazzsteppa Remix) / alt link

(YSI) Little Boots - Meddle (Old Money Edit) / alt link

(YSI) Mochipet - Michael Jackson Loves Dubstep Thriller / alt link

(YSI) Q-Tip vs. Michael Jackson - Don't Stop Till You Breathe And Stop / alt link

Slowly the Glastonbury memories are starting to return and so we can begin to tell you a little about our weekend adventures. We all had completely different experiences so will try and bring you at least a couple of viewpoints but this is how it pretty much went down for me...

Having been in attendance at the festival since I was a knee high nipper it seems to be almost against the Glastonbury way to plan out your weekend and flap around stressing about getting to see all the acts you want... so I never do. In fact I generally spend most of the time not seeing fantastic acts, which this year included Hudson Mohawke, Q Tip, N.E.R.D., Don Diablo and erm Bruce Springsteen and it works out pretty well for me. The main issue is I really can’t deal with the big stages or the Dance arenas, when people complain that Glastonbury has lost its way and become too commercial, they have obviously spent too much time in the wrong parts.


My lady friend and I did make one bold mission to the Dance arena. We tried reaching over to see Raffertie in the Dance Lounge on Thursday night but the times were changed and so we managed to miss his set. Feeling just a tad disappointed and left in the middle of the masses, who were being visited upon by a biblical thunderstorm, we vowed not to set foot over that end of the festival for the rest of our time there and so stayed safely on the other side with the futuristic dystopian dreamlands of Shangri La, Arcadia and Trash City.

We did venture into the Pyramid area to catch some of The Specials set but it wasn’t until Ghost Town that the miserable magic of Terry Hall truly seemed to fit the proceedings, that was their last tune and pretty much the last thing I can seem to remember as a friend with a big bag of horse tranquilizer helpfully ensured an early return to my tent only to re-emerge around 4am to carry on. Bouncing from Bashment in Trash City to Balloons at the Stone Circle would generally seem like a culture shock if it wasn’t for the fact that Glastonbury is carefully tied together with an anything goes attitude that makes it all seem as equally strange as it is perfectly normal.


The Bassline Circus dome in Shangri La seemed like the perfect home for our set as it sat like the central hive raised above an area that was part Brave New World and part Star Wars. The place was spilling out the door and the crowd were well hyped for some dirty bass heavy beats thanks to some killer sets from live Dubstep troop Engine-Earz and Radio 1’s Bobby Friction, not to mention the Circus’s own off the wall antics which sit sharply on the edge of both the street and the stage. The set itself couldn’t have really gone better, and even though security weren’t too pleased at the stage invasion that got completely out of control, we figured it was a pretty good sign we were doing alright.


Sound seemed to be a major issue throughout the festival though, something they really need to sort out in future (as well as the 8 hour queue to get in on Wednesday), it didn’t help that Bruce Springsteen apparently ordered all the sound systems turned down during his set (a fact that our boys Sicknote were most upset about, check one of the band's blog). Hot 8 Brass Band put on a decent show but the sound was plain awful, and was even worse some of the other times we went past the Jazz World stage. That might have been part of the problem with Roots Manuva's show on that stage, but actually it was more likely the rather poor selection of tunes (didn’t he notice nobody actually bought his last album) and having the stage presence of an agoraphobic, albeit a mildly enthusiastic one. Dizzee Rascal was also rather lacking in the performance department although he has a strong enough repertoire of crowd pleasers to help the masses not notice, and masses there were indeed. He has firmly cemented his move from bad boy Grime artist to golden boy Pop star and the amount of grannies, trannies, teenagers and ravers singing / rapping along in the crowd certainly proved that. There was also the obligatory tribute to Michael Jackson, which consisted of Semtex playing a few instrumental bars of about four Mikey tracks whilst Dizzee acted like he was going to rap over them… but didn’t. Of course the death of Jacko was the main conversation of choice over the weekend and it was surprising how quickly the T Shirts announcing it started popping up everywhere.


The other main topic was whether to watch Blur or Prodigy (again the T Shirts joined in the conversation), we avoided this problem by spending this period in our tent, I can’t really tell you much about what we were doing but it involved some 2CB and a higher level of tantric than an Indian holy man could hope to reach. Even though Blur were supposed to have been amazing, I could almost guarantee that I was having a better time than anyone actually there watching them. We eventually made it back into the festival to catch the last bout of rain and miss a fantastic show from Chrome Hoof at Trash City due to an overt queue aversion.


I guess the main way to sum up the different approaches to Glastonbury is: the package tour way, where you see all of the sights and sounds you’re supposed to and vow to get your money’s worth. You marvel at some things, taking plenty of photos, but then you get disappointed a lot, complaining that it’s not like the brochure and being stuck with the rest of the package tour crowd on their stag and hen parties; then there’s the backpacker way where you wonder off the beaten track, discover the dodgy back lane bars with that great little band that nobody’s ever heard of, meet shed loads of people then lie to your family about how you got to see The Boss / Machu Picchu but lost your camera so don’t have the photos to show how great it was.


We had definitely overdosed on Michael Jackson by the time we left Glastonbury and things aren't going to ease off for some time yet, but seeing as it was the biggest news of the festival it's only right to add our tuppence worth. Here's a bunch of our favourite tributes that have rolled in so far. Tributes if not for the King Of Pop himself, then for all those poor buggers who paid ridiculous amounts of money to go and see him this month.



(YSI) Michael Jackson - Billie Jean (Tek-Step Remix) / alt link

(YSI) Sway - The King Full Stop / alt link

(YSI) Hype On Hype Vs Jackson 5 - I Want You Back (Dirty Dub Drop) / alt link

And here's a few more from our friends over at Subservient Experiment.

(YSI) Michael Jackson - Remember the Time (Don Diablo Remix) / alt link

(YSI) The Hood Internet - Billie Wildcat Jean (MJ vs. Ratatat) / alt link

(YSI) Michael Jackson - Beat It (LehtMoJoe Remix) / alt link

“Hey man, remember that time when we were trekking up in the Himalayas during the 60s and we ended up hitching a ride on the Yellow Submarine to that other galaxy?”

“erm, come again?”

“Yeah man you remember, we hooked up with Captain Kirk and he took us to that crazy seedy little bar where were smoking pipes with Jabba The Hut, and that stripper had tentacles coming out of her...”

“Say what? Nah man I don’t remember that, you must have been like tripping out, or maybe you were listening to the new Enemy Earth Album.”

“Shit no man you’re right, I was listening to that album. Still, pretty groovy though.”



(YSI) Enemy Earth - Stay Shining (clip)

(YSI) Enemy Earth - Toaster (clip)

(YSI) Enemy Earth - Moonwlk (clip)

(YSI) Enemy Earth - Motto Sh_t (clip)

More info and previews of Enemy Earth's Interstellar Commute album here.

Watch out for a new album on San Francisco's Clocktower Collective label called Who Killed Jiminy Cricket from Midwest / West Coast Hip hop crew Blackout Sands.

Dusty melancholic, Blues ridden production def-juxtaposed with razor sharp rhyming that thankfully comes off poetic without being pretentious. For us the stand out tracks are its less moody affairs such as the relentlessly pile-driving Blackout or the dubbed out Blues bounce of Rhythm In Your Soul, but the album works as a whole (which is rare these days) and is definitely worth a listen in its entirety.

Check the opium funk and inner city aggression of this track from the album.

(YSI) Blackout Sands - Cement Flowers / alt link

Many of you will already have heard the dope Peaches remix of Tone Loc's Wild Thing that has been floating around the last couple of years, well Delicious Vinyl have now decided it would be worth resurrecting the whole Loc'd After Dark album this month for a 20th Anniversary edition, with 6 new Bonus tracks. Interestingly enough the Peaches remix isn't included by the looks of things, neither is the Moguai mix below. Shame as I'm struggling to decide whether the album is quite relevant enough to warrant a revival without a bunch of new versions.

I've had a copy for some time now (of the original) and I honestly don't think I've ever played the whole thing, infact I've probably only ever played Wild Thing and Funky Cold Medina. But then maybe that's why we need to be reminded about the rest of the album, maybe there are some truly hidden gems lurking in there that have been criminally overlooked.

Certainly with production by the Dust Brothers (NOT the Chemical Brothers who originally went by the same name until this lot sued their ass) who later went on to record the classic Beastie Boys album Pauls Boutique, as well as working with Beck, the Rolling Stones and scoring part of Fight Club. I should probably go and dig it out to make sure, but if you haven't got a copy then keep an eye out for this, even if you just grab it's two party classics.



There are also planned 20th Anniversary releases of Young MC's Stone Cold Rhymin', which again I could only vouch for about 2, possibly 3 of the tracks. Def Jef's Soul Food, Masta Ace Incorporated's SlaughtaHouse, which in fairness stands well up as an album in it's entirety (although our favourite Masta Ace track was the remix of Jeep Ass Niguh 'Born To Roll' which never made it on to the original album, hopefully that will be remedied on the new updated release).

There's also the fantastic Heavy Rhyme Experience Volume 1 by the Brand New Heavies featuring a whole slew of names from that period such as Gang Starr, Main Source, Grand Puba, Jamalski and Tiger. This was the first introduction for many to The Pharcyde with the classic Soul Flower track as well.

What was missing on any copy I've seen was the collaboration with 3rd Bass that was mentioned on much of the original press for the album. Hopefully this shall also be remedied when it drops a fresh, and again I would love to see some updated remixes of the tracks. The originals are great but much of the Heavies stuff never quite matched their collaborators toughness, so if any of you Delicious people are listening, sort it out!

(SS) Tone Loc - Wild Thing (Moguai Remix)

I didn’t have time to write about Electric Picnic before heading to Bestival and I was so impressed with it that I thought I might have found my favourite of the year (an accolade usually bestowed upon Bestival), so decided to do an Electric Picnic Vs Bestival write up of the two. I have to say though, now that I’m back from Bestie, at the risk of being like one of those annoying people who tells you the football scores before you get a chance to watch the game… I was foolish to ever doubt its standing.

Electric Picnic

As I can’t actually remember a large chunk of Electric Picnic and saw few bands or DJs, it is possibly unfair to pass any kind of judgment, but then I don’t really have anything bad to say so I shall carry on regardless.


The Festival is in County Laois, a couple of hours outside Dublin, and has been going since 2004. This was the first time I’d been but had heard great things beforehand so had quite high expectations. They certainly weren’t dashed by first impressions.

The site, especially the Body & Soul area contained some beautifully crafted stages and general artwork, my favourites being the Lucent Dossier circus stage and one that was built around a big tree. A fine selection of Festival favourites including Chai Wallah, Lost Vagueness and the Inflatable Church were present, as was the Arcadia DJ Booth from Trash City in Glastonbury, which I am determined to DJ on at some point – for those who haven’t seen it this is a fire spurting metallic beast of a booth that looks as if it was stolen from the Thunderdome straight under Tina Turners nose.


Now I hardly ever plan to see acts at festivals and remain content in bimbling around discovering new and exciting things but there were a few unmissables artists playing at Electric Picnic such as Diplo, The Roots and Modeselektor. Unfortunately I missed all of them and some how managed to watch uninspiring performances from Gomez and New Young Pony Club. I did manage to go and see Toddla T on the first night but with only 4 other people in the tent I couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to stay long.


There were a few others: Spearhead still remain one of my favourite live bands; The Congos niced up the place beforehand and I was slightly gutted to have missed most of their set; Funkadelic / Parliament were great but with a lack of George Clinton to bring them focus for a good 20 minutes I kinda lost interest. Bootsy provided some quality bitching entertainment by bringin out a ‘F**k George’ banner on stage but I was disappointingly informed he was just a lookalike; and aside from my sets on the Time Machine and The Asylum (Lost Vagueness) that was pretty much all I caught. For much of the time I fell victim (if you can really call it that) to the infamous Irish hospitality and got royally wankered in a small karaoke bar run by a true party prince called Duncan (McGuire I believe). Didn’t actually see any Karaoke but there was a lot of bar.

So you see, even though Electric Picnic had the potential for greatness and was certainly a good craic, I didn’t quite get the most out of its attractions. Still I think it would have been hard pushed to top Bestival, even with all the problems I had there.

This post is going on longer then I expected however so like a bad soap opera you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out what happened next.

(YSI) The Roots - Get Busy (Featuring Dice Raw, Peedi Crakk & DJ Jazzy Jeff)

(YSI) Diplo - Brew Barrymore

(YSI) Modeselektor feat. Puppetmastaz - The Dark Side Of The Sun

I have to admit I don’t really know what to make of Bonde Do Role. There’s no denying they make some phat Baile Funk party tracks, and their choice of samples I find fun and quirky where they could easily venture into cheeseville. In fact, f**k it I’m a fan of their music for definite, so essentially I should be bubbling hard as they take to the stage at 10 Feet Tall in a drunken sexed up rampage of rhyme and rhythm, and I am… for a bit.



It’s possibly because I’m stuck in festival mode where no matter how good the artist I find it difficult to last more than 20 minutes of a set before I see something shiny that takes my attention away again, but I think it’s more than that, some how I feel slightly cheated. Now I’m pretty sure I’m not having a go at Bonde Do Role, they do what they want, they have fun with it and they do it well and that’s as it should be. But for some reason, seeing this bunch of geeky looking, well to do Brazillians in a nice little club like 10 Feet Tall had me crying out for a phat seedy warehouse with wall to wall speakers run by drug dealers in a favela someplace, maybe it’s just me.

There are all sorts of issues to do with authenticity in music, some are to do with race and social positioning. In Bonde Do Role I’m sure sits a whole bunch of these issues but to tell you the truth I don’t want to get into them, because I probably don’t agree with them. For some reason though, I can’t help but feel them tonight, and something just doesn’t quite sit right.

Still, despite their drunkenness they are tight and definitely lively on stage, although I have to say the grinding and breast rubbing going on is far from attractive… maybe it was that which caused me to wander off.



Downstairs, the pasty shop doors and windows are rattling. Probably just as well the sound man walked out before the band even got on stage, Bonde Do Role, definitely needed to be loud… and they were. I catch the murmur of the rest of their show from outside before going over to watch Death Set (who were delayed as they’d come over to see their friends BDR play) in Clwb Ifor Bach, they were pretty good too… for a bit.

In a perfectly timed delivery, LA DJ / Producer Troublemaker dropped me a copy of his new edit of SK87's remix of Bonde Do Role's 'Gasolina.' I heard more than a few complaints that Gasolina wasn't performed at 10 Feet Tall, so as a consolation here it is along with the Fake Blood Remix too.

(YSI) Bonde Do Role Feat. The 87 Stick Up Kids & Micah James - Gasolina (SK87 Remix - Troublemaker Edit)

(YSI) Bonde Do Role - Gasolina (Fake Blood Remix)

ps. Random fact - DJ Gorky is named after Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and is a big fan of the Welsh group apparently... well I never.