Category — music

…when video camera’s took two people to operate (one to carry the battery pack -  about the size of a betamax video recorder, am I showing my age here?) I used to spend my sunday afternoons in the dance studios at Birmingham’s (soon to be refurbished) mac. Hip Hop had landed and breakdancing with it. Eventually after many years (nearly 22 in fact) I have digitised these clips from the C21VOX archive.

Originally shot for use in sequences in a film about International Youth Year (1985), I have treasured this now fairly gnarly gem, a glimpse into the urban history of this city I call home. I knew where the Hip Hop happened back then (well as much as a teenager would) and led the camera’s to the dancehall and several extensive graffiti sites around the city.

It’s time to share it. I’ve posted these two clips on You Tube and a couple more will follow. It’s awesome stuff - Enjoy!

This looks like it’s gonna be fun! Be Kind Rewind is the new movie by French director (and creative genius) Michel Gondry, due for release later this month.

Gondry, in my opinion, has created some the most innovative and stunning pop videos ever, and this, his third feature, looks like it’s gonna be great. With Jack Black and Mos Def starring, and the kind of Lo Fi (ok, Lo Fi in a $20 million kind of way) mastery you’d expect from Gondry, classic movies are ’sweded’ and rented out.

The fantastic website defines ’sweding’ as “… remaking something from scratch using whatever you can get your hands on.”

Michel has even ’sweded’ his own trailer! Seriously, this guy is a Genius!

Oh… and he can solve the Rubiks cube with his nose!

Today, (like so many other day’s) I went to Google and saw that their name was built of Lego? Hover over the image, and up pops the alt tag… Happy Birthday Lego! 

You’ve nurtured many hours of… innovative,

creative,

and hmm… ‘devoted’ (?)

hours of play!

Building stuff up, and then knocking stuff down… 

LONG LIVE THE BRICK!

Also, while I’m talking about building stuff up… today I see that the Created in Birmingham blog is a joint winner in the Media Guardians Innovation Awards, which is great news. 

For any of you in Brum, this Friday evening 11/1/08, in the foyer of Symphony Hall at 5.30 see’s the Destroyers unleash their mighty sound. It’s a free gig and believe me they’re good, all 15 of them! 

The Destoyers - photo by Josie Bourne 

Anyone who know’s me and has gotten into any conflab’s about what new music is making me buzz, will no doubt have heard me enthuse (stop yawning!) about the amazing guitar work of Rick Tomlinson aka Voice of the Seven Woods.

I first heard Rick on Stuart Marconies Freak Zone on BBC 6 Music in 2006 and was instantly hooked. Fortunately it was only a matter of months until I was lucky enough to enjoy his live performance at Capsule’s annual Supersonic Festival. On that occasion Rick had drummer Chris Walmsley with him and together they made a glorious sound. 

Since then Brimngham has been able to enjoy VOTSW live on a number of occasions, the last being the one I missed… Well, isn’t YouTube great! Clips from Rick’s performance at last summers Moseley Folk Festival have just arrived online thanks to ever busy Chris (Prime Objective) Keenan - who is also responsible for the Supersonic clip above 

I look forward to more new music and captivating live show’s in 2008 - seriously worth checking out!

Worth noting too, that tuesdays Birmingham Post featured a great article about Chris in it’s Culture section. You can read it online, here.

Yesterday, I was enthusing about the latest series of the Mighty Boosh and their crazing ‘crimping’  to my brother Dan, when he suggested I’d like the kiwi duo ‘Flight of the Conchords’, a few short YouTube clips later I knew how right he was! I’ve still to see a full episode but from a brief search of ‘tinternet, I see that as well as being pretty darn funny, they also have an LP coming out on Sub Pop, next year!

Here’s a taste.

is the name of DJ Chris Read’s ambitious and very excellent new mix tape which is available for free download - 28 years of rap history condensed into 75 mins, with over 800 tracks incorporated!! I really like the cover styling referencing the original NYC hip hop flyers of the late 70’s/early 80’s.

Residing in London these days’ Chris used to run the Substance nights at Birmingham’s Medicine Bar and from time to time he still comes back to play. Definitely worth checking out. Good work sir… 

Lucy’s first solo London show open’s this Friday 7th Dec at Lazarides Gallery in Soho - the info on the Lazinc site reads -

“Express Deviant Phonology - Opening on 7 December 2007 at Lazarides Gallery will be Lucy McLauchlan’s first London solo exhibition. It will present a series of new, unseen canvas work alongside a site-specific installation. The collaborative work will involve the participation of musicians whose music will affect the artist’s drawings while her visuals will influence their playing. “

It’s on until Jan 19th 2008 and is gonna definately be worth a visit if your in central London. Worth noting too that they are not open Mondays.

Go Lucy…

Smiling! They’re pretty cool, but really, it’s not my shoes. Today (not without considerable effort) I managed to get tickets for one of My Bloody Valentine’s comeback shows at Camden’s wonderful Roundhouse. I was lucky enough to see the mighty Sonic Youth doing Daydream Nation there in August. It’s a great venue and being a big semi circle you’re never that far from the stage.

ATP have done it again! Great…

The wonderful Babel, my friends from Bristol have combined their first two EPs onto heavyweight vinyl via People Tree records (also on CD) - check it out - you won’t be disappointed!!