balkan really is better.

From sparse to brimming- that has what my life has been, in cultural terms, defined as from today. i began by the baltic (via the currywurst stand- oh berlin!), and was exposed to even more fluxus, containing yoko ono the great pacifist. the fluxus lark confused me a lot, but after talking it through more with my brother i got a better idea of what it's about. there were a lot of objects in glass cages, looking pretty anti-commercialistic- and that's apparently fluxus' initative as from 1966 when it started up in dick higgins' manifesto. it's associated with the composer john cage (hence alt music gallery) who i have been listening to today- the great genius of chance. it basically felt like another world had been created, parallel yet inspired by ours, with these objects that looked so ordinary yet were not like anything we would ever use. great. next was yoko- i loved her exhibition mainly because it suited the baltic profusely. collaborative, aesthetic, fun; everything an exhibition in the n.east should be.

after this jaunt came the slumdog millionaire, a well-worthy hyped film by the trainspotter himself danny boyle. this was just fantastic, the screenplay was so well-rounded and not cliched. it was enlightening to a place which should definetely be brought to attention in a mainstream type way, and of course, it was highly enjoyable. oh yeah and the music collaboration with m.i.a and rahman is incredible!

ok so since christmas i have been going slightly crazy, metaphorically, for the balkans. so since having a lot of time since finishing exams, i have been researching loads for my new radio show; balkan's better! .. and have since come up with 2 amazing blogs:

the balkan hour- a comprehensive blog of all things balkan- from mixes, dances and film previews. i especially enjoyed the following video, curtesy of this blog:


the new worck- am i the last person to find this genius blog or what? since i am mixes mad, this blog is like, everything i could ever look for in a music blog, and it has loads of mixes from my favourites typsy gypsy (including an electro mix, i didn't even know they were that capable) and balkan hotsteppers. here's a link to an especially good 'un:

MIXXXXX

wowowowow is enough for the brilliance of this. girl talk, people like us, step back for the balkans!

likely?

amazing. thank you pitchfork.

Fluxing Creative Juices

i thought it was about time to put december in the lime-light and fulfill my first ever move to the consecutive month in a blog. well done me. the end of term at uni went by quite quickly, what with last minute socialising and cramming in artistic outings to exhibitions i wouldn't see after the new year. at the hatton gallery i saw george henry longly's 'mass damper'. i won't pretend to know my stuff about the nuances of this exhibition, but i will say that i liked the minimal style of his sculptures which brought attention to the pretty shadowy reflections the every-day type objects cast on their surroundings. i also managed to fit in a relatively epic walk to see the last of the alt.gallery's exhibits: hayley newman's 'mini-fluxus' (see picture). this was quirky and interesting, and made me extremely disappointed that the gallery space in this amazing record shop; alt.vinyl, cannot continue any longer. in any case, it is a unique place in newcastle, and i'm sure its new venture to create an alt.cafe will suit me just nicely (see previous post)!


in terms of music, i lacked any initiatives for gig-going in newcastle by the last few weeks, which probably made my venturing to the capital and seeing electro-trip-tastic duo chromeo ever more enjoyable. last weekend shepherd's bush empire held host to the chromeo xmas special party with djing late into the night with their good pal and beautiful parisian dj mehdi. it was an incredible set which involved them going all-out for their last gig before the holidays, including a real life xmas tree on stage with them. it was after their set where it got even better for me, as the early-birds headed out of the venue and it was just left with an enthusiastic crowd willing to dance the night away with electro beats, soon turning into a medly of hip-hop classics (an inevitability, i now realise, as dj mehdi is a fine spinner of hip hop beats and chromeo can't get enough of them).

also contained within my insight to london via a good friend was a trip to prince charles' cinema in leicester square- a very reasonably priced and perfectly placed cinema screening general new releases. that week was blindness, a post-apocalytical film directed by fernando meirelles (of city of god) in which the population is overcome with white blindness and are instituted within a prison. it explores the brutal happenings of what happens within the confinement when everyone is reduced to the same weak state apart from one woman, who hides to nearly everyone that she has maintained her vision. it was partly done well but the ending was a disappointment. i did, however, very much enjoy the small nasty role played by gael garcia bernal, the only celebrity love of my life.

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A Natter With Kid Carpet

i realised recently that it would probably help my blogging credibility to include on here some extra treats, such as this recently i carried out in november with the lovely kid carpet which was put on the nsrlive website (just for a reminder, that is here: NSR).

Being an artist that hails from the South-West, Newcastle haven’t been much exposed to the toy-instrument playing, sleeve-tattoo wearing Ed Patrick- or as better known as disguised in his acronym- Kid Carpet. I caught up with him post-US Election Day to talk Dan le Sac, Daniel Johnston and the European Song Contest.

E: How would you describe your sound, in a sentence?

KC: Disco-punk-standup-fall down-music. Casino keyboards, small battery operated lightweight devices...

E: Why did you get started with playing these instruments?

KC: Simple enough reason really; so I don’t get a bad back! I can walk to a show, and there is no need to hire a van.

E: What about the sound they produce?

KC: They work well yeah. I’m no maestro guitar player so it made it easier for me.

E: So with this sort of unique sound and bizarre use of instruments, it surely would be hard to pin-point what your influences are…

KC: Well, not wanting a job and not wanting to be on the dole.

E: What about music wise?

KC: Ah music- The Kinks, Daniel Johnston… [An inspiring solo artist from Texas who has severe mental health problems]… I like the solo organ and singing, but I’m obviously not a manic depressive

E: Ever seen the elusive player himself?

KC: Yeah I saw him in London once, it was amazing! Me and my friends kept shouting out for him to play “Speeding Motorcycle” and he ignored us for a while, then shouted back [at this point he re-enacts Daniel’s emotion-ridden voice] “I don’t play speeding motorcycle anymore!”

E: On another note, you recently toured with Dan le Sac, how was that?

KC: Amazing, they were lovely people to hang out with and had perfect audiences for my style of performance- primed for spoken word and partying. I’m prone to telling stories and babbling between songs and because they were used to the spoken style of Dan le Sac it didn’t faze them in the slightest.

E: I heard a rumour that you applied to the Eurovision song contest last year, is this correct?

KC: Well I had a song I thought would win so I applied to Slovenia, Andorra, a couple of other places- they didn’t go for it.

E: Aw shame, did they even get back to you?

KC: Er, no!

E: That’s unfortunate! Just one final question- I hope you are considering coming to Newcastle again soon?

KC: Yeah, I hope so too! I will be touring again in late February/March [2009]

There you go. E x

Cafes: The Use Of

there is something ingrained in mine, and a lot of other people's wellbeing, in that it requires at least (very least!) a few hours every week dedicated to cafe-time. so it was pretty much amazing when i found out about new venue DBSocial in newcastle which is a cheap cafe during the day and intimate bar at night, without obscene prices. the best electro and techno djs in newcastle, mainly student ones, dj there and grab all their pals and it is just generally mint.
other places: culture cafe; cheap and turkish with a relaxing sit on the floor area upstairs- as long as you avoid the daily prayers, organic locally sourced advocates in scrumpy willow and the singing kettle, brakes (so i'm told), belle and herbs (CHECK this manic fan) and some new wonderful italian cafes in sandyford. i'm settled.

E x

Cult Disco Memory Mayhem...

on saturday night i went to see heartbreak and little boots at the other rooms in digital. it was sparesly populated and i have to say, i spent more time gawping at other people than concentrating on the music; there was just so many maniacs there!
two-piece heartbreak were on first, although the gig was shared equally between the two acts. as this was the first time i had heard them i was impressed with their 80s infused disco beats, spiked with the high-pitched scissor-sister sound of vocalist sebastian muravchix. the french/english keyboardist ali renault was slightly shouldered out the way by the argentian lead, who manouvered about the stage with little care of the reserved etiquette enlglish gig-goers are used to seeing from straight cut indie bands. jazz-hands and jagged legs were the presiding characteristics of sebastian's chosen stage routine, reflecting the electronic mayhem resonating from the synthesiser. the crowd at the other rooms were equally as chaotic: it was extraordinary to step away and look on, as the whole set resembled some sort of cult ritual, with the little crowd jumping about and waving their hands like they were grouping together to re-live primary school disco madness.
little boots came next in her sparkly black vintage number like the belle of the party, brandishing her clever toy the Stylophone (so underused in pop music) to create a set of dance glamour galour. a little too alphabeat for my liking, as i was always wanting a bit more bass kicking in or some more blippy electro to underlie it, but overall i couldn't complain as she knows what to make you want to dance your socks off to, and if her tracks are not some of the most remixed this month, then i'll be disheartened with those with the power to do so.
two acts making a disco of poppy beats and 80s dance are unlikely to stray too far from giving you a good night out, especially if these are little boots and heartbreak, who obviously have been enjoying playing together so much that they have covered an italo classic together 'dancing therapy'

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jigging memory in waltz with bashir

the tyneside is an independant cinema in newcastle which plays new films from across the globe. last week i was exposed for the first time to an israeli animation- waltz with bashir. it depicts the personal story of ari folman (the writer, director and producer) who is searching for part of his identity which was supressed in war. as a young soldier fighting in the 1982 lebanon war, that whole period was missing in his memory- including the disastrous massacre in beruit.

there is no doubt that i am a big fan of animation and what it stands for in films such as this. together with the powerful music and aesthetically wonderful images, the audience is pulled into a fantasy world of war- colourful, evocative and almost exciting. there is a distance between you and the reality of it, not unlike what was going on in the minds of the soldiers years after the event. a short recurring scene of soldiers walking naked from the sea, guns slung over their soldiers and faces lifeless, cut, the screaming faces of women and children swarming before you. folman is trying to place a reality around this fantasy, by talking to his friends and comrades. by the end we have very clear picture of what happened, and the animation only adds to the brutal intensity of the situation. overall, a brilliant film made by one extremely talented guy with a rare abilty to carry out a purpose.

Hunger Shakes

to escape my feeling really ill today, i went to the cinema, because it usually makes me feel a lot better to be in a dark room and concentrating on something. for once, this was not the case...

hunger is the renowned war artist steve mcqueen's debut film, which chronicles the weeks leading up to infamous hunger strike led by IRA activist bobby sands, which was motivated by the desire for the status of 'political prisoner', rather than the term 'criminal' which was demanded by thatcher. when i left the theatre this afternoon, my hands were shaking, i was practically retching and my mind was in oblivion. never before have i been so moved by a motion-picture. i prefer to use this term because that, in effect, was what the majority of the film was. a 'motion picture'. apart from a twenty-minute section in the middle, in which bobby and his priest have a conversation which, although short, enlightens us to some of what is going on in his head, the rest of the film is pictures in motion. the sound is more often that of battons against shields or nervous breathing than actual speaking, and yet, to use a cliche, actions said everything louder than words.

in my opinion, it was difficult to criticise mcqueen of portraying a sympathetic view of the political prisoner, or equally, for attaching any amount pity for him. the film was so silent in that respect that it was left up to you to make up your mind on how you wanted to feel towards bobby sands and the rest of the prisoners, or the officers whose job it was to deter them from their protest by using force. it was honest. it showed nothing except what happened: the prisoners did use different forms of protest in their time in the prison, they did get beaten, bobby sands and nine more did die.

the symmetrical photography, synchronised beating and lack of words creates a film so brutal, and yet so mesmerising, that it is almost impossible to not see hunger as an artistic masterpiece. we are not invited to empathise with any character or any situation, which, in turn, instils a stronger impression of the landscape of the whole piece. just as in mcqueen's art, he cuts you off from the conventional feelings associated with war, and in no way comes between you and the art, that you are left begging for the answers which you yourself held the whole time.

in conclusion, this film is nothing except unmissible.

WATCH TRAILER

Gosh!

my blog has officially exceeded one post, wow

these last couple of weeks have been culturally damp for me, compared to usual. no films, no exhibitions, and rubbish theatre: i saw the university theatre's production of 'the tempest' last night, and have remembered why i try to avoid amateur Shakespeare at all costs. man that sounds elitist; the reason, it may help me to say, is because i have seen so many shakespeare productions that if they don't do something a little original, i switch off.
i realise i have based my blog around theatre so far. this is mainly because i go through phases of complete indulgence and see at least a play a week, and since i have got back to uni, i have kept this up from pretty much week 1 (or week 11, as newcastle uni so confusingly likes to call it). from seeing such an abundance, i have, as i mentioned in my previous post, some clear ideas of what i enjoy when it comes to theatre. i believe the companies which sum up my tastes most appropiately are:
knee-high - a contemporary theatre company who create their own plays, often building from and adapting a traditional greek or shakespearean piece, using live music and physical theatre.
DV8 - physical theatre and contemporary dance company, and recently, the ETT (english touring theatre). i would have included RSC (royal shakespeare) on the list, but they have been prone to let me down.
(picture- DV8: to be straight with you, at the northern stage, 2007)


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the joys of re-invigoration

by this i mean that curiously old but brilliantly modern, wonderfully useful device that is a radio set. a hugely important part of my existence.

by being head of music of our student radio (NSR), i have had to go out of my way to expose myself to the local music scene, and i have to admit, it is a challenge. when i was growing up in the lovely yorkshire moors, any local band were heavily idolised and there was no way one could not know every members' mum and dad. we all followed them round every venue they played at, which, in turn, unknowingly turned us all into music gurus of the local music scene. there was barely a band within 30 miles of us that i hadn't seen or at least heard of. so it was perhaps a little unsettling coming to newcastle and, in effect, starting this whole process again without even having a scene to follow. i am in the middle of this challenge currently, getting completely lost in the realms and crevasses of the ever-expanding myspace.


the band to focus my attention the most is maybe myrtle tyrtle, who i saw twice last year and consequently acquired a copy of their debut album for radio play. their gypsy folk style and handlebar moustaches seem blaringly incongruous next to the modern indie of radio 1. they somehow manage to turn any gig venue into a kind of manic russian dancing arena, be that at the green festival or legends nightclub. a favourite live track is their cover of 'stand by me'- a song they miraculously turn into another folk classic.

we have also had squares in for a recording session the other week, who were great live. there is only two members but they do so well with one guitar and harmonious geordie voices.
anyway, i will update this on my increasing knowledge of local bands when more come my way.

in the meantime, i need some time with the czech republic.
E