28/2/10 21:18 Global Disaster Idol By Susan S.	Link
Since when is an international disaster a song competition? Aren't we all on the same team? Last night, the Saturday Night Live debut of We Are The World 3: Raising Awareness of the We Are The World 2 Disaster hopefully has officially nailed this trendy coffin of charity song remakes into the ground. We Are The World 2 is beyond tragic. In fact I remember my friend making a joke about it, which I sincerely thought was only a bad joke until the headline of the remake hit the next day. He suggested rallying for people to donate to NOT remake it, and I think that may have been a more financially sound path. I still have both the 45 single and the making of the original We Are The World on laserdisc (yes I said laserdisc). And I watched it countless times because the song was great and the musicians were - get this - a bunch of really talented and famous musicians that came together for a common important cause in an unexpected and impressive way. It's completely opposite to today's concepts. You can almost hear the songs being made as the news coverage unfolds, like a vending machine. We've got competing tunes altogether, to name but a few: Cowell's remake of 'Everybody Hurts" X Factor/Britain's Got Talent z-list doing 'The Prayer" Depp/MacGowan/Cave/etc. remake of 'I Put A Spell On You' (helpful tip - skip to 3:45 for Depp). Note - Is this a knowing nod to voodoo, or completely random song choice? A sign that the gen public are officially bored too is that the spoofs are more popular than the remakes. And nobody is considering it poor humour because it's such a mess in the first place. Huey For Haiti, the first spoof of WATW 2, is brilliant, it pretty much sums up the whole mess, for just me and me. Didn't Band Aid 2 teach anyone a lesson? Or Clooney? It's not like there were 4 competing telethons, and his show was full of A-listers AND (mostly) amazing live music which was sold online. Why even bother with WATW 2? Honestly, it just makes me sad. The way music is so commoditized, it mocks the very power of music when we do sloppy things like these soulless versions. With the devastating Chilean quake, I fear what will come next from the music industry - I think 'Livin' on a Prayer' is one of the few left to remake. My ears already hurt. Can we just get back to uniting together on really amazing songs? Why can't Black Eyed Peas donate all profits from their new #1 'Imma Be'? Or we follow Rage's success and resurrect an old brilliant song and donate those profits, uniting the public in its buying power? Why are competing for the same cause? Create music responsibly, please.

 

	25/2/10 19:33 Wise words By Sarah Bridge	Link
I read the below a week ago. Then I did as instructed. I waited until a certain somebody had gone off to play football on a Saturday morning and ran downstairs, blanket on sofa, switched off phone and turned up the system. LOUD. Naturally, the spoken-word baritone vocal of Gil Scott-Heron is perfect for this experience – it demands attention. Rather than write a review of this great artist and all of his musical achievements, influential accomplishments and not so sensible endeavors. I want to reach out to all of you music lovers and suggest one thing – LISTEN TO HIS WORDS OF WISDOM. Not just on his records but his words inside the sleeves too. Since I embarked on this ‘exercise’ it has highlighted how many albums I consume a week without actually giving them my full-undivided attention. So this week I have made a personal pact with myself to select two albums a week that I will personally indulge in with 0 distractions, company, mp3’s or headphones. So, thank you once again Mr. Scott-Heron for those fine words. This week’s albums will be – Broken Bells & Flying Lotus ‘Cosmogramma’ Dear Listener… There is a proper procedure for taking advantage of any investment. Music, for example. Buying music is an investment. To get the maximum you must: LISTEN TO IT FOR THE FIRST TIME UNDER OPTIMUM CONDITIONS. Not in your car or on a portable player through a headset. Take it home. Get rid of distractions, (even her or him) Turn off your cellphone. Turn off everything that rings or bleeps or rattles or whistles. Make yourself comfortable. Play your CD. LISTEN all the way through. Think about what you got. Think about who would appreciate this investment. Decide if there is someone to share this with. Turn it on again. Enjoy yourself. Gil Scott-Heron GilScott-Heron

 

	18/2/10 10:16 It's like Hollywood, but with a "B"... By Nisha L.	Link
I'm a British-born Indian and, over the past 10-15 years at least, have immersed myself mostly in what I suppose would be deemed Western (with generous sprinklings of "world") music. From time to time, though, I'll go to an event, or a family gathering, or even just a club, that'll remind me just how much I love Bollywood/Bhangra/other music of Asian origin. It happened this weekend at my cousin's wedding (first cousin - not dad's uncle's sister-in-law's nephew's daughter's aunt on the other side...) so I thought I'd post about some of my personal favourites from a few specific sub-genres. GHAZALS - Originally a form of Arabic poetry dealing explicitly with the theme of unattainable love, the popularity of Ghazals was boosted in the 1960s by artists such as Ravi Shankar and later in the 80s by accomplished Bollywood playback singer Pankaj Udhas. The below is a personal favourite, with opening lyrics that translate to "Your complexion is like silver, your tresses like gold": Chandi Jaisa Rang Hai Tera (Last.fm) BOLLYWOOD SOUNDTRACKS - The term "Bollywood" is often used as a collective term to refer to the entire Indian film industry, and the soundtracks typically comprise songs performed (i.e. lip-synched by the actors to a pre-recorded playback track) in full within the movie. I'm a bit of a nineties Bollywood fan so the tracks below are from films of that period: Kehna Hi Kya - Featured in the award-winning 1995 film, Bombay, with songs by Slumdog Millionaire composer A.R. Rahman Taal Se Taal - Performed by Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan and Sukhwinder Singh in 1999 movie, Taal Jab Koi Baat Bigad Jaaye - Sung by Kumar Sanu and Sadhana Sargam for the movie Jurm, 1990. Chaiyya Chaiyya - Another A.R.Rahman soundtrack, this time performed by Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasti for 1998 movie Dil Se and a bit of a modern Bollywood classic. All very theatrical and dramatic... BHANGRA - It's all about the beats. It started as a form of Punjabi folk dance in celebration of a sikh festival, the key feature being the rhythm of the dhol drum and other percussion, but Bhangra has developed over the past years into sample-infused, remix-loaded dance music incorporating hip-hop, reggae, jungle, garage and other Western influences. Some favourites from this weekend's DJ: Sohniye - Juggy D Ni Nachleh - Imran Khan Teri Baaton (Your Words) - Raghav* And no Bhangra example would be complete without a mention for UK fusionist Panjabi MC - bringing Bhangra to mainstream R&B and Hip Hop clubs with "Mundian to Bach Ke".... Anyone have any light bulbs need changing...? *Ok a little sneaky - this one's not Bhangra in any sense of the word. It's a pop track with a reggae beat, a Hindi lyric'd version of UK-released "Angel Eyes" but...it's a fun example of mainstream fusion.

 

	17/2/10 14:20 Rave On By Sarah Bridge	Link
After a mini work-related celebratory dance under the Tonic disco-ball a couple of weeks ago, we made the communal decision to venture onto Fabric. I have to confess; I have only ever been to Fabric a handful of times in my life during it’s 10 ½ years of existence. I put this down to the following - having friends that put on regular nights at various other clubs in London, a previous lack of stamina to ‘rave-on’ that I have developed and embraced in more recent years and finally, down to the emergence of clubs in pubs aka. my ideal atmosphere & place to dance. Here are my most favored pub/club nights... First up is Tayo’s tracksuit party held at the Paradise pub in Kensal Green.This is one night when I can shamelessly scramble through my wardrobe and pull out my old-school (literally) Adidas tracksuit top and dance the night away in trainers = bliss. Alongside the free-for-all staging of Have A Go Hip Hop Karaoke there is always a great collective of DJ’s that play Tayo’s Tracksuit party’s. Including the man himself, I have danced away to a fantastical mix of hip-hop (new & old) the likes of Frank Tope, Felix B, Ben Westbeach and most excitedly (but admittedly outside of a pub) Grandmaster Flash at Snowbombing 2009. Paradise The Lock Tavern in Camden is another legendary pub for it’s creative mix of DJ’s and club nights. The independent label Sunday Best, music & art online publication Fact Magazine and Clash Magazine all put on their own nights down at the Lock. DJ’s lined up to play there in the next two weeks include Andrew Weatherall, Rob Da Bank, Mike Cuban, Robbie Furze (The Big Pink) MJ Cole & Rustie. LockTavern The Shacklewell Arms have recently had a series of emerging bands playing – inc. Chapel Club who ran a weekly gig residency for a month. Once the bell rings in the front bar there is BG’s - an attached venue that has a host of great DJ’s and events from soca music parties to all-night raves. Further nights/venues to venture for a spot of pub-dance-offs include – The Westbury, The Queen's Head and the Amersham Arms, Star of Bethnal Green, Tropicana at the Horse and Groom.

 

	15/2/10 12:37 Tonic in Print: Susan - Record of the Day By Nisha L.	Link
Susan Stone in the 3rd ever sync spotlight in Record of the Day

 

	15/2/10 5:45 The Sound of Snow By Susan S.	Link
Crammed into my middle seat on UA 339, next to ‘that coughing lady’ and drinking cold Starbucks finest, my depression from leaving 8 days of alpine bliss in Aspen is beginning to sink in. Be jealous, you should be. It’s also been the least I’ve listened to my iPod in a very long time as I wanted to know, what does the bubble of mountain perfection sound like? Metallica, Pearl Jam, GnR, Gotan Project, Beatles, Doors, Bob Marley, Flo Rida, ZZ Top were all notable artists heard going up the lift …as can be expected, most mountain spots were heavy on classic rock. If I worked there, I would have definitely set up a Chopin/Satie/Ravel corner of the world. On local Aspen Radio, I was surprised by a healthy rotation of Death Cab and also Spoon’s brilliant new song The Mystery Zone. It made the requisite Counting Crows much more tolerable. When a snowstorm hit with hardly a soul around to disturb my date with Snowmass, I broke my fast, popped an earphone in and Hildur Gudnadottir’s “Without Sinking’ album was on repeat for the afternoon. The aching beauty of the elements, the movement of the snow and the solitude in the music hit me on a level I will never forget, truly an afternoon that will be with me for the rest of my life. And my skiing was damn fine that afternoon as well. I highly recommend it. Back at the pad, drinks and panoramic Jacuzzi was essential for all. It deserves its own blog post, but let 1980 be known as the year of long-ass song outtros, and Hall and Oates wins. Seriously I had no idea we used to take that long to leave a song behind. By coincidence Mr. Handlebar himself was in Aspen last week for a sold out benefit concert, so the man is not quite as Out of Touch as I thought. Except for an unexpected 2am JLS play from someone who shall not be named, our home stereo was instinctively yearning to play the gorgeous songs of Neil Young. It’s one of those things that can’t be explained, but its perfection in these conditions is absolute, and testament that his music that will stand the test of time. You know, the kind where the lyrics you’ve heard a million times sound brand new and full of piercing meaning. My Neil Young state of mind is a welcome reminder of the impact that amazing music should have, and always does. So Aspen, Keep On Rockin In The Free World, I gotta Lotta Love for your Winter Winds. (and Buttermilk, you get an A+ in décor for the massive disco balls on every chairlift)

 

	10/2/10 17:47 Sync & me... By Nisha L.	Link
Another "I've been thinking..." post - this time syncs across different media and the impact they've had on me, personally. The list could become fairly substantial so I thought I'd focus on 4 types, with one track for each. Video Game: Aside from the mind-penetrating, specifically composed Mario Brothers theme tune from the original Nintendo game, the standout sync moment from my computer game-related past was The Prodigy - "Firestarter" on Wipeout for Playstation. I could play to that song over and over again because, for me, the motion and momentum of the track perfectly complimented the speed of the gameplay. Advert: Another computer game, this time Tomb Raider Underworld, which used the simultaneously melancholic and euphoric trip-hop anthem Lamb - "Gorecki" in tandem with visuals from the game. More of a pensive track that builds momentum for a strategy-focused adventure mystery. Film: The 2005 Grammy Award-winning soundtrack to the movie "Garden State" featured, amidst for me a genuinely standout selection, Zero 7 - "In The Waiting Line". The combination of the interwoven slow-motion, blurred and fast-forward visuals with the overall hazy feel and specific lyrics of the song - "Do you believe in what you see? There doesn't seem to be anybody else who agrees with me" - fit perfectly with the intoxication of the scene and the isolation felt by Zach Braff's character. TV: You possibly have to be a fan of Joss Whedon's cult TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer to appreciate the impact of this but in Season 1 episode, The Pack, Far - "Job's Eyes" is playing when hyena-possessed Xander emerges from the dark corners of the schoolyard with his band of similarly-possessed reprobates. The key here is the surprise element - unexpected darkness providing a soundtrack to bashful, harmless geek Xander Harris, instantly transforming him into a dangerous predator. Clearly there are more - but I'll stop there. The point is, there isn't just one obvious element that's always done the trick, but a combination, that varies depending on the format...

 

	29/1/10 13:34 N16 By Sarah Bridge	Link
I have lived in Stoke Newington for a couple of years now. When it was suggested that I move to there, I have to be honest – I envisioned living out in the country, on a farm, with chickens. Since moving to an unfamiliar pocket of London my love and passion for the area has evolved solely from Stokey’s love for all things creative, especially music. There is a vast number of musicians, live venues, recording studios, quality jukeboxes within the N16 postcode. The following is a selection of my fondest elements- First up is the Auld Shilelelagh, a narrow, traditional-looking Irish pub on Church St. It is a legendary establishment where music sits at the heart of it’s landlord Tomas Leydon. A collective effort by Tomas, the photographer David Knight and DJ Tad Tomlinson is being put into a campaign to bring ska music back to Stoke Newington, they’ve won my vote. Alongside the weekly ‘Ska Bar’ sits the monthly ‘Bowie Bar’ night. This is generally populated by die-hard Bowie fans debating his best Song/album/lyric heatedly whilst having a pint and Bowie burger or a Diamond hotdog. Seriously. It’s genius. Just a block down from the aforementioned drinking establishment is a wondrous small record shop called lucky 7. They have a vinyl collection running back to the 50’s, alongside this they have a great collection of old and new music books. I assume that for the majority of music lovers the smell of musty vinyl is a very nostalgic sensation, Lucky 7 is guaranteed to take you back. Ok, so my final mention doesn’t quite fall into the N16 catchment, but it is minutes away from the border and it’s original home was on Church St. The Vortex Jazz Club, a contemporary jazz venue that has been going for over 20 years. It has 7 evening performances a week. As part of the venue’s programming they place emphasis on, and provides support for young talent. They often have new and breaking artists such as the Mercury Prize nominees Polar Bear & The Portico Quartet. Other artists that have performed there include Stan Tracey, Tony Kofi, Evan Parker, Sir John Dankworth and Dame Cleo Laine. On that note, I am going to go and get down to some hip-hop meets 1930’s swing by The Correspondents playing at the Vortex tonight. The Correspondents

 

	28/1/10 16:12 The Double Sync... By Nisha L.	Link
I was watching the Arsenal v Stoke game on Sunday (no digs, please) and one of the ads that followed the half-time analysis was a Jaguar commercial featuring 'Pot Kettle Black' by Tilly & the Wall. I recognised it straight away as it has really distinctive riff and, more to the point, was used on ITV2 about a year ago to soundtrack a multiple-promo ad for US teen drama Gossip Girl, Celebrity Juice and Paris Hilton's New Best Friend. Thanks to nifty little iPhone app Shazam, I was able to tag it that time around and figure out what it was within seconds. It got me thinking about double-syncs in general. It's more than likely the creatives behind the Jaguar ad did their research, knew the track had been used before but made a conscious decision to use it anyway - perhaps on the basis that the people watching at the time a teen drama/reality TV promo would be aired were unlikely to be the same demographic who would be watching during a slot appropriate for a Jaguar commercial - an FA Cup game - bar the occasional anomaly like myself! So in this case, it was probably of little consequence. For a more musically visible brand, however, such as o2 or Apple for example, this could have been seen as a bit of a creative oversight. From the musician's perspective, non-exclusive sync licenses are clearly a good thing as they leave syncable tracks open for future licensing and, it follows, earns them more cash. From a brand's perspective, (or looking across other types of media, from a film or television producer/director's perspective) if part of their personal "brand" relies on a reputation as a taste-maker or for identifying and providing opportunity to fresh and up & coming acts, it's important to be a first-mover. I'm most definitely not saying that all syncs should be under exclusive licenses - just that, in some cases, investigating prior use can be key.

 

	21/1/10 17:59 What comes after the “&” band...? By Nisha L.	Link
The "&" band phenomenon of the late Noughties has raised some questions for me recently. Why did it happen? How do they come up with the "&" collective? Does there always have to be an actual "&"? Don't the "&"s mind that they may come across as an afterthought, or a support for the main event? Perhaps it came about as a protest against the loss of individual identity arising from its precursor - the "The" band phenomenon in the late 90s that spilled over into the start of this millennium - with the lead singer demanding separate recognition. Or perhaps the rest of the band wanted it made clear that it wasn't them requiring that the green m&ms be taken out of the packets before they got to the band. The second couple of questions can, I think, be tackled together - take Marina & the Diamonds, for example. In an interview with The Recommender.net last year, she said that her last name, Diamandis, is the Greek for 'diamond' and, rather than taking Marina Diamond as her stage name, she went for the "&", with the audience being the Diamonds. So.... no actual diamonds. And the afterthought/support question? Well...there are two 'Pete's in Pete & the Pirates and no actual 'Margot' in Margot & the Nuclear So and So's...so perhaps that's a bit of a non-question. I've also been wondering what happens next - will there be a move away from this back to an all inclusive single word? To the "of" band? (this may cause a problem if band members are from different places) The "in" band? Or maybe it's time for a political statement? Nisha in favour of free doughnuts on the tube. You heard it here first.

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