Invisible Motorbike
GODDAM it has been an AGE since I updated this fucker… jeez… ok let’s go chronologically…
Right then, June saw quite a few trips around; I was in Leeds for the RBMA info session which featured Joe Bataan and James Pants, both having some pretty interesting things to say. The gig that followed was a scream – Joe backed by a full band, with Mr Pants on cowbell. No shit.
Joe Bataan and James Pants
The week after I was back in London for a couple of special gigs – first up was Four Tet and Steve Reid playing live together at the South Bank centre, supported by Dorian Concept and none other than Moooooooooken who kindly stuck me and Tiago on the door (what a man, he put us both on the door PLUS THREE I mean seriously I have NEVER been +3 before, not even at my own parties) and so we invited some beautiful ladies and went on down, boy it was a great show. VERY chinstroky/wire-reading crowd – everybody was sat down on the floor cross legged! HIGHLY appreciative mob though – I was really enjoying Dorian Concept (this being the first time I’d seen him live) and was a little anxious that the crowd wasn’t feeling his twisted business, but at the end of his set he got some major applause.
Dorian Concept @ South Bank Centre
And then it was the Kieran and Steve show, again first time for me witnessing old Four Tet and boy what a great show it was. To be honest, Hebden’s electronics were completely upstaged by the drumming of this living legend. That being said though, the sound system at the SBC was pretty pants and the acoustics of the space not so great and that doesn’t really help electronics but you see some dude banging on a drum kit doesn’t matter what the acoustics are like, does it? Reid had himself a couple of natural advantages I guess. Hopefully I’ll get to witness the whole thing again in a better sounding environment. And maybe with less people sitting on the floor!
ANYWAY
After this mega show it was time to hotfoot it to shoreditch via chinatown (yum) to a carpark on hearne st where the BRAINFEEDER party was goin down. Oh yes, my dear old friend Flying Lotus was having a little party there with fuckin mad lineup – Dorian Concept once again, GLK, Joker, Kode 9 etc etc etc etc etc etc
Headz at the door @ Brainfeeder
Got there quite late and so missed samiyam which upset me a little cos I haven’t seen him before but Kode 9 was nearly over when I arrived. Got to meet up with Dorian Concept after years of emailing which was cool… Flylo came on and played a pretty good set, quite tough and ravey, he is definitely gettin into the UK sound a LOT… he played that mad DMT tune again, it’s just these beautiful big chords that sound like they were played on that crazy synth weapon out of the He-Man movie. Hmmm… should sample that.
Then Dorian jumped on and jammed with Flylo for a bit which was actually pretty exciting… they were clearly both playing/sequencing live and at first it was a bit wobbly but they found a groove soon enough and then it was pretty fun for a while… and they finished it before it got TOO noodly which was smarrrt.
Dorian played a KILLER solo set, DESTROYING the crowd and potentially upstaging FlyLo to be honest, and then it was time for Joker to take the carpark massive to a dark, ravey place, not as synthy or as purple as I was hoping for so we left…
Phew, this is a LONG recollection…
Well, after that weekend I stayed around in the south schlepping from here to there and THEN I went to goddam GLASTONBURY…
Yes, that there is Blur having it on the main stage… what a great show they put on!
Not really sure what to say about Glastonbury really. It blew my mind, I really like it, I will be going back. It definitely holds that alternate reality vibe that Burning Man has but in a different way, in a very English way. And you can buy stuff. NIIIICE food. But you also have to hike fucking miles with ALL your gear to get from car to campsite. And I can see how a really rainy one would be fucking oppressive. And Jeeeesus Christ I have never seen so many bulbs being nailed, non-stop. It is a fucking nangfest. So I fit right in obviously.
Musically, well, fuck, who knows where to begin… good shit was Nick Cave, Blur, Spinal Tap, the whole of Shangri-La and Trash City, Easy Star All-Stars doing Sgt Peppers, Horace Andy, Little Boots DJing, Four Tet DJing (yes I saw him twice in a week!), fuck… so many good ones…
BUT
The standout for me was ANIMAL COLLECTIVE. Shit yeah it was. I have never seen them live before and they are fucking excellent. It was pretty much the best hour of music I’ve experienced all year. Serious. Their set was recorded and is downloadable – I am gonna make a separate post after this with the link. IT’S AMAAAAAAAZING.
So yes, Glastonbury chewed me up and spat me out oh yes it did… I took another 10 days off work and was originally going to hit spain for the nowhere festival but ended up staying at home – bought some monitor speakers, made some tunes, rode my bike and cooked nice food… it was a great time…
And now we’re here, a fucking wet cold Sunday in Manchester – it is slap bang in the middle of summer and it’s 14 degrees and we have the central heating on. This is why I am finally writing in the blog! Last Friday Theo Parrish came to town and I went along with a mate, oh boy what a fucking party that was – totally sold out, rammed, GREAT crowd – older, knowledgeable but plenty of pretty girls and party folk too, sense that it’s a lot of the old electric chair crew.
And Theo played all night and he was as dependable as ever and he played that LCD soundsystem remix and ohhhh he’s bloody good…
And now to the future… next Saturday is a great party – Hoya:Hoya VS Space Is The Place, with non other than DâM-FunK all the way from fuckin LA to come join us… me and Mooken and Ryan and Jonny and bloody DAMFUNK YEAH YEAH YEAHHHHHHH…. very excited about this, the Roadhouse is a special place for me, so it’s an honour to be playin there…
And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is THAT…
Some Freak vs Brut 33… aaaahhh
Keith Haring in the original Pop Shop in Tokyo
Koons’ Big Bunny
This is where we stayed. Our houseboat! Nice in the morning to get up and sit on the deck and watch the world float by.
Better believe it
Fucking. Purple. Weed.
Nice to see ol’ Ronnie representin’ for SITP
