Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do

Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do

That is the title of the forthcoming album from Major Lazer (a.k.a. Diplo & Switch) and I am quite excited. If lead single Hold the Line is anything to go by, it's gonna be some mental raggamuffin' ghettocrunkyspazzcore. I played the aforementioned track the other night at Opaque's album launch and it made people bob up and down like zebedees on a bouncy castle. Download it here.

Diplo and Switch are brilliant enough on their own but combined should be even better, one would assume at least. The album features a host of other guest stars as listed below, and they are currently working with M.I.A. as well (and they also accidentally stole her headphones) according to Twitter.

01 "HOLD THE LINE" Feat. MR. LEX & SANTIGOLD
02 "When You Hear The Bassline" Feat. MS. THING
03 "Can't Stop Now" Feat. MR. VEGAS & JOVI ROCKWELL
04 "Lazer Theme" Feat. FUTURE TROUBLE
05 "Anything Goes" Feat. TURBULENCE
06 "Cash Flow" Feat. JAH DAN
07 "Mary Jane" Feat. MR. EVIL & MAPEI
08 "Bruk Out" Feat. T.O.K. & MS. THING
09 "What U Like" Feat. AMANDA BLANK & EINSTEIN
10 "Keep It Goin' Louder" Feat. NINA SKY & RICKY BLAZE
11 "Pon De Floor" Feat. VYBZ KARTEL (Additional Prpduction By AFRO JACK)
12 "Baby" Feat. PRINCE ZIMBOO
13 "Jump Up" Feat. LEFTSIDE & SUPAHYPE (Co-Produced By CROOKERS)

Check out the madness at SXSW Festival...

Mad Decent SXSW
by maddecent

Born Into Brothels - Calcutta's Red Light Kids

This award winning documentary from Zana Briski and Ross Kaufmann won worldwide acclaim in 2004 for its depiction of the often neglected children of Sonagachi, Calcutta's red light district.

Documentarian Zana decided that rather than simply go into the brothels and backstreets and make an observational film, she would get involved, and she decided to do this by teaching some of the many children she met the art of photography, so that they can document their world by themselves.

The film attracted critisism for simplifying the problems of extreme poverty, and was even accused of exploitation (is there such a thing as poverty porn?) but watch it and make up your own mind. Watch it here on googlevideo

The aftermath of the film led to the founding of the Kids with Cameras photography school. Whether or not knowledge of photography will help these kids out of the slums or not remains to be seen but it is certainly a fanstatic insight into their lives. Check out the Kids with Cameras website here to see their photos

Milk - Gus Van Sant

Watch online here

Sean Penn plays Harvey Milk, America's first ever openly gay elected official, and wins an Oscar for his portrayal, in this brilliant film from cult director Gus Van Sant which charts his life through his struggle against discrimination and his fight for gay rights, right up to his infamous assassination in 1978.
Deftly combining a civil rights tale of morality and politics into an emotive and believable biopic of a man's life and whole generation's personal revolution, Milk is an unmissable film which acts as a wonderful view into America at a time when the whole world was changing and struggling to accept the liberal explosion of the 60s.

The film also won an Oscar for it's screenplay and features a fantastic supporting cast as well.
Curiously it was banned in Samoa, but has avoided controversy almost everywhere else, proving that perceptions have obviously changed a lot since Harvey Milk's plight.
Captivating. Heart breaking. Uplifting.

Milk is released on DVD on June 8th.

Day-Glow-Radio presents Around the World in 80 Minutes!

Here it is from me to you, another mixtape to listen to!

Day-Glow-Radio presents Around the World in 80 Minutes! 

1. (Afghanistan) Wai alâ Shâheshâbo jân alâ ~ Mohammad Rahim Khushnawaz 
2. (Brazil) Berimbau ~ DJ Sandrinho 
3. (China) Plum Blossom ~ Li Xiang-lan 
4. (Colombia) Salsa Na Ma ~ Fruko & Sus Tesos 
5. (Congo) Dibwe Diambula Kabanda (Marriage Song) ~ Les Troubadours Du Roi Baudouin 
6. (Cuba) Chan Chan ~ Buena Vista Social Club 
7. (Ethiopia) Muziqawi Silt ~ Wallias Band 
8. (France) La java bleue ~ Frehel 
9. (Ghana) Bukom Mashie ~ Oscar Sulley & The Uhuru Dance Band 
10. (Greece) O Filos ~ Stratos Gounakis 
11. (Hawaii) Lady Be Good ~ Sol Hoopii Trio 
12. (India) Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu~ Geeta Dutt 
13. (Iran) Mahur ~ Dariush Safvat & Bruno Caillat 
14. (Iraq) Palestinian ~ Ja'afar Hassan 
15. (Jamaica) The Weed (aka Man Pyabba) ~ Count Lasher with Lyn Taitt & The Baba Brooks Band 
16. (Macedonia) Siki, Siki Baba ~ Kocani Orkestar 
17. (Mali) Seya ~ Oumou Sangare 
18. (Nigeria) Ayamma ~ The Anambra Beats 
19. (Panama) Rocombey ~ Lord Cobra and Pana-Afro Sounds 
20. (Romania) Iest Sexy ~ Mahala Raï Banda 
21. (South Africa) Click Song ~ Miriam Makeba 
22. (Trinidad & Tobago) Black But Sweet ~ Wilmoth Houdini 
23. (Zaire) Brrlak! ~ Zap Mama 

DOWNLOAD IT HERE (94mb)

23 tracks, 23 countries, phew! I thought this would be a cool idea for a mixtape, simply cos I am obsessed by all sorts of musical styles but had never done this sort of compilation. It took ages to whittle it down to some of my favourites but there was time limit (this should hopefully fit on one CD if people want to burn it) 
Also, the one track per country rule proved fun, this makes it more interesting and varied I think. 

There are some very well known tracks in here, like Chan Chan and Siki, Siki Baba (which was propelled to popularity by the Borat soundtrack) but I tried to make it mostly pretty obscure stuff. I guess I was trying to emulate one of the compelling things that I love so much about discovering new music styles from around the world (call it ‘world’ music if you want to, although the term is sort of ridiculous; Until we start listening to some new genre of sound created by aliens, surely ALL music is ‘world’ music??). So sink your ears into pop songs from 1970s Iraq or voodoo boogie tunes from Trinidad. 
This mix is largely older vintage stuff with a nice crackly glow to it, but there is also some new stuff as well, such as Africa’s great diva Oumou Sangare’s new single, and DJ Sandrinho’s trademark baile funk anthem Berimbao (cos choosing bossa nova for Brasil would’ve been a bit obvious). 

And one track at least should be pretty much exclusive as well, unless by any chance you have ever eaten at Taverna Gounas in Rethymno, Crete. O Filos by Stratos Gounakis is from a CD I picked up while travelling in Greece. There was a beautiful little taverna near where I was staying that was run by a traditional family who had their own mini record label and instrument shop next door. Mum and the sisters cooked the amazing food while every night dad and his three sons played live for the diners. 
It was really tucked away and secret from all the overpriced neon dsiplays of TRADITIONAL ENGLISH PUB FOOD and blarring racket of current UK chart hits, thank goodness. So I hope you like my little postcard from Crete. 

Another track of interest is Wilmoth Houdini’s Black But Sweet, which surely must be one of the most prolifically sampled tunes in history. Used by Sabres of Paradise for their track Wilmot, and more recently by Gypsy dancefloor mashup-artist Shantel, who’s Balkan brass flavoured rendition has been remixed and reworked by dozens of DJs in the past two years, translating this little calypso tune into everything from hiphop, house and disco, to drum & bass, dubstep and even breakcore. Shantel’s version, entitled Bucovina, has become one of the flagship tunes of the recent Balkan music revival, despite it originially being from the West Indies. Which ever form it comes in, the hook is undeniably great, and Mr Houdini’s orignial has a gorgeous atmosphere to it. 

A personal favourite of mine is the rapturously upbeat Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu, which I think is a great example of classic Bollywood experimentation with western music styles. 
Any song which succesfully melds swing and rock & roll into a Hindi showtune has got to be worthy of a listen, and Geeta Dutt puts in one of the most vivacious and uplifting vocal performances I’ve heard in a bollywood song. Taken from the 1958 film Howrah Bridge (which I know almost nothing about, can’t find it anywhere). Here’s the Tarantino-esque poster though... 

Finally, I can't not mention the amazing Miriam Makeba, who was affectionately known as Mama Africa and made the South African tradition of Isicathamiya, or 'click' singing, famous throughout the world. She sadly died last year on stage in Italy, but will be remembered as one of the greatest voices of her continent.

~*~*~*~*~

I spent ages rearranging the tracklist trying different orders, like blending it from the slow tracks up into the faster funkier ones etc, but in the end i decided to list them in alphabetical order of country of origin, which means it’s quite random but it sort of works really well. It has a nice flow to it, rather than me just grouping similar styles together, the mix goes up and down in waves of different styles. I am very pleased, especially as I don’t think any of the tracks could have ended the mix quite like Zap Mama’s amazing a capella masterpiece Brrlak! (Which by the way used to be mine and my best friend’s alarm clock, and I can tell you there is nothing lovelier to be woken up by!) 

Enjoy!

Le Roux gets Foamy

Current chart sensation La Roux's electro pop single In For The Kill has received alot of attention from the club world thanks to Skream's almighty dubstep remix but now the equally commendable electro/fidget DJ commonly known as Foamo has added his two pence in a remix of Skream's remix. A re-remix as it were.
The result is yummy.
Download it here.

http://www.myspace.com/foamo

Satyajit Ray - Pather Panchali

Saturday May 2nd was what would have been Satyajit Ray's 88th birthday (he died in 1993 shortly after receiving an honorary Oscar) and to celebrate I made a playlist for youtube so you can watch his acclaimed debut film Pather Panchali

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=AB643E435E096E42



The film is the first in the famous Apu Trilogy, about a man's life from his birth and impoverished childhood in rural India, to his adolescence in Benares to his adulthood in Calcutta.
Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road) is about his childhood and brought Satyajit Ray's uniquely beautiful and hauntingly realistic depiction of India to a world who'd only seen the country through the rose tinted lenses of Bollywood.

Immature

Bjork performs Immature with Wonderbrass and Jonas Sen in Reykjavik



This track was cut from the final Voltaic DVD

Enjoy

Who Is It?

Björk ~ Who Is It? (Live in Paris) from Joseph Devine on Vimeo.

OK so here is another preview from Voltaic, don't think you can see this anywhere else on the internet yet muwahahaha!

Break the Circle Review

Opaque - Break The Circle - Day Glow Radio's Totally Unbiased Review!

So, it's been 4 years since The Last Moustache first greeted our ears. In that time Opaque have achieved an awful lot for an unsigned local band, having been involved in organising and contributing to music & arts festivals, such as Grassroots, Small World, and Secret Garden Party, running the Glass Onion community centre and promoting events, music and arts that have massively furthered Peterborough's much neglected cultural underbelly.

Now they are back with a sophomore album that proves that The Last Moustache was no fluke.
Break The Circle is an album about change and development, much like the organic way in which the band, and peterborough's ever evolving arts scene, has grown over these years. Their sound has blossomed and become more layered, more mature, a bit darker at times yet still with an uplifting singalong element, and, as ever, more and more unlike any other band you've heard.
Added to the line up have been many collaborative musicians from the local area and beyond, bringing the extra flavours of cello, saxophone and jazz piano to the already eclectic electrofolkrock wonkypop sound that is Opaque.

First single Karma is a breezy feather light groove with a serious message, while next single Ball Of Fire is quite simply scorching! With a synth line that sounds like Egyptian sufis at a rave winding in and out of gypsy punk guitars and aggressive urgent vocals that will have everyone on their feet once the tour commences.
Taken By Surprise is another highlight; opening with a mariachi band style flamenco intro and featuring backing vocals from Abi Evans from FreePeace, it starts as a soft lulling acoustic ballad before breaking into a rapid catchy chorus with shout along lyrics about the shock factor of falling in love.
The Lady Is A Tramp is classic Opaque, a runaway train of a song that doesn't stop for breath with stabs of sax exploding into the noise of bassist Chopper disposing of a broken guitar in the true rock and roll style.
Topically, they have progressed as well, with songs addressing political madness and racial equality to name a few themes touched upon. And lyrics about the more traditional subjects, such as love and break ups and whatnot, are emotionally charged and poetically elegant.
Album closer All About The Music is one of their most beautiful songs, with charming lyrics that will really strike a chord with anyone who has ever found comfort in sound.

All that remains for you to do is get your hands on a copy, preferably the deluxe edition that comes in stunning packaging with beautiful artwork and a bonus remix CD with floor-filling reworkings of the album's tracks by local DJs, blending Opaque's sound with everything from dubstep and triphop to breakbeat and techno.

DOWNLOAD NEXT SINGLE BALL OF FIRE HERE

Click the tour poster for new updated lists of tour gigs