BaNG!!

the wire…its the shizzle

all the papers seem to be full of it all of a sudden…”the best thing ever to be on tv”. i don’t know about that, for me it faces some stiff competition from “animals do the funniest things” and of course the perennially watchable sunday night classic antiques roadshow, but it is cool to finally find a programme that actually assumes the audience has a brain, is quite clever even. the writing is amazing, i am 4 and a half series’ deep and it feels like some sort of epic ode to the american city, a brooding lament on the modern capitalist paradigm, and a damning inditement of its institutions – political, educational, and social . i love the fact that there are so many characters -probably 50 that we get to know quite well – but none of them are remotely 2 dimensional. it makes the sopranos look really cartoony. these guys are all are part good, part bad – with foibles and weaknesses who can in turn have moments of delusion and corruption, heroism and brilliance. ie deeply and recognisably human. all this from a show ostensibly about cops and drug dealers.

tips for enjoying the wire…
if at first you can’t work out what all the fuss is about stick with it. not only does it get better, the whole thing works like a symphony, and watching one episode is a bit like only listening to 16 bars.
the slang used in the show is baltimore specific and you won’t understand what they are going on about until you have properly got into the show – true dat!
pay attention – you will need to! when the creator of the wire David Simon was asked about the casual viewer his response was “fuck the casual viewer”! they do not do constant “lost” style recaps…”last week on the wire” / “next week on the wire” nor do they constantly remind you who people are, what their relationship is etc etc. you can not dip in and out, you need to watch it, in order, from the beginning and give it your full attention. do all this and you will be rewarded grasshoppers.
leave your cynical tv watching preconceptions behind you – this is no ordinary show. you can’t tell what is coming, or what will happen to a character. there is no disney morality here, where things work out ok for the good guys and the bad get punished. you might find yourself suddenly feeling deep respect for a character who was set up as slimy and corrupt, or furious with someone you thought was just a loveable rogue.
don’t expect a happy ending, there is no instant gratification here.
my top tip – sod all that buffering business and crap sound / picture, just buy the whole thing on DVD. there are some fascinating interviews with the writers – series 5 isn’t out till september but if you start now that will work out good (although some people I know have managed as much as 40 hours in a week – the TV watching equivalent of a full time job!).
DON’T look at the “addicted to the wire” application on Facebook until you have finished watching the whole thing – its full of spoilers!

a lesson to us all on how to Dj…

… somehow I manged to go back to back with him in the same session.

and I survived…?!

Soundway Podcast up on Gilles Peterson Worldwide

I love this label, beautifully produced CDs and vinyl. Rare, beautiful and unusual music from faraway corners of the world curated by the interesting and informed international cratedigger Miles Cleret…

Gilles Peterson interviews Miles Cleret of Soundway Recordings

Gilles Peterson Album Club

Brownswood sent out an invite last week to beta test the Gilles Peterson album club and got loads of feedback. People generally seem to like the service which is good news innit! The main gripe it seems was that people don’t like having to run a programme constantly on their desktop, with some people even thinking if they downloaded it it would mash up their computers! So we promise this isn’t some elaborate virus scam. Anyway we agree – the programme can seem a bit intrusive at the moment, and have gone back to the techy dudes to see if they can make this a bit better (that was the idea of the beta test!!).

Also loads of people asking what the service is all about, and a few have asked what the relevance of such as service is in today’s world where there are a million different ways to get “tips” and recommendations. Well that is true, and no one is forcing anyone to adhere slavishly to what Gilles or anyone else thinks!! The unique thing about the service as we see it is it gives people a chance to really delve into the albums that Gilles is diggin, live with them, listen to them and grow to love or loathe them…Sure, if you are regular and religious listener to Gilles Petersons’s Worldwide then of course you don’t need the album club to tell you what Gilles’ favourite records are but perhaps you might like to try some of them in full before you buy (as Gilles’ will rarely play more than one track off a new album per show).

We are hoping that the service will really pick up so that people are getting new recommendations weekly, as well as really high quality video material, and general Gilles Peterson news, updates etc. As the site develops people should also be able to leave their own feedback / reviews of albums on the site. For a full explanation of what to expect from the programme you can click here

Anyway, if you fancy trying the service out you can download the programme here: Gilles Peterson Album Club

Don’t forget to let us know what you think – you can post your feedback here or email it to info@browsnwoodrecordings.com

Just a thought

A fresh mind keeps the body fresh. Take in the ideas of the day, drain off those of yesterday. As to the morrow, time enough to consider it when it becomes today.

-Robert Bulwer-Lytton

unforgettable….

Last tune after 6 hours of ridiculous tunes after riduculous tune on a funktion one soundsystem overlooking the mediteranean.

LaaaaaaaaaaaaRGE…!!!

A long weekend

Once again the weekend has arrived and this one will be filled with a lot of good stuff! Tonight the wonderful and talented Ben Westbeech is DJ-ing at 333 Motherbar in Shoreditch, which should be wicked. Tomorrow my mate Christian is coming down from York, so the afternoon will be filled with visiting record shops and hopefully discovering new music, and in the evening Alex Phountzi from Bugz in the attic and Simbad are playing at the Westbury, so I will need to put on my dancing shoes in order to be able to dance the night away. Sunday will be packed with good music at RISE Festival in Finsbury Park. Its free (!!!) and some brilliant artists such as Tawiah, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Jimmy Cliff and CSS will be playing (just to name a few). So if you guys dont know what to do, come down and chill! The weather is ment to be nice, so what better way to spend a sunday than in the park listening to good music!? And of course the Death Jazz night on Monday night should be wicked! OH I CANT WAIT! Soil & “PIMP” Sessions are ment to be absolutely AMAZING live, so Im really excited! And of course, Peggy and Jonathan, who I got to know at WWF will be there as well, and Im really looking forward to see them too, especially Peggy, she is the cutest and coolest person ever! So yes, a very busy but exciting weekend ahead! I hope you guys have a good one as well! Maybe I’ll see you at some of the events! Peace and Love!

more death jazz bizznezz

We’re getting all geared up for the night on Monday at the Roundhouse!!!

In case you’re wondering what this death jazz malarky is really all about you can now listen to the mutherfunkin bPm and straight no chaser’s paul bradshaw having a good old chinwag about it on this new brownswood podcast.

here is SOIL & PIMP SESSIONS new video:

there are 5 tracks from the new album “Planet Pimp” on the SOIL & “PIMP” SESSIONS myspace.

Imports will be in the Brownswood store next week. Full UK release is on the 18th August.

Where were the girls at!?

Its been raining non-stop since I got back to London… NOT COOL! Im so not feeling the weather at the moment. Where’s the sunshine!? Everybody loves the sunshine!
Anyways, I was on my way home from work, sitting on the bus, listening to my music, looking out through the wet window and it suddenly hit me: Where were all the female DJ’s at this weekends Wordwide Festival? Yes, there were some female singers with the live bands, but no female DJ’s as far as I can remember. Now what’s that all about?! Im aware of the fact that it is a field dominated by men, but that is still not a good enough excuse if you ask me. The coolest female artist at the festival was by far AraByrd! She had a wicked style and made a great performance. However, she was not DJ-ing, so it does not count! Now, there must be some female DJ’s that play music that would fit with the festival. If not, I think Gilles and the bPm should teach me how to play records. I reckon I would be great at it… (Just a thought) But if that’s not an option, at least find one good female DJ for next year. The girls should be represented as well.