Jockey Slut

Breakdance

2010-07-29T19:25:00.001+01:00

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

2010-04-22T08:43:00.003+01:00

Midweek Mix

PICTURE DISCS

2010-01-13T17:47:00.001Z

The Cars' 'Just What I Needed' picture disc is the best picture disc I've come across so far.
Just as coloured vinyl was introduced to help buyers differentiate between genres, picture discs were introduced to help boost sales.

Picture discs first appeared in the 1930s, when various materials were used to promote record sales. Early picture discs had a very poor quality to them as film was placed over a thick paper print and then pressed with the grooves. (Hitler even released a 7" picture disc of this type with one of his speeches on.)

I have recently discovered Hard Format. It's definitely worth viewing if you have a love for music-related design. There are some great Peter Saville art works which I recommend looking at.

OLD SETLIST '$O HOT'

2009-12-31T10:36:00.003Z

Last night while preparing for our NYE party set, we found this gem, shoved down the back of the record bag.

Like most prepared Sound as a Pound sets, the written evidence is intuitive in style (I'm not sure how EMO got confused for OMD) and grubby in appearance. This is mainly due to one of us saying 'should we write this down' and the other saying 'yeah, just find a scrap bit of paper'' I tend to doodle while listening to M-ray perfect a mix. This example has got a real thirteen-year-old homework diary vibe to it.

This particular set was made for a short lived 'residency' at Bar Rumba's 'Movement' drum and bass night, held by the legendary Jordan V. Ironically, neither of us can stand drum and bass so finding songs we'd happily play that wouldn't get us booed off was a real challenge. The controversial Craig David intro was sadly dropped but I'm pleased it was even considered.

Design Derby Comeback Gig

2009-12-15T14:54:00.000Z

Set list included:

Just What I needed- The Cars (Steel pan cover)
Damned Don't Cry - Visage
I Like The Way You Move (Instrumental) - OutKast
Babies - Pulp
Got To Be Real - Cheryl Lyn

Reasons for Record Purchases

2009-12-02T16:37:00.002Z

I think my reasoning behind record purchases is becoming more and more obscure (beyond the fact I now have to buy anything with steel pan in). Last haul from Sounds Of The Universe included this becuase the artist is called 'anna' (warning, Anna, although awesome track, the lyrics are somewhat depressing) and 7 deadly sins, because hiddden in 9 minutes of italo is a disco break with cackling in it, skip to 5.50minutes and see.

N-DUBZ and BRIT POP

2009-11-02T13:55:00.000Z

The Guardian has compared the rise of N-Dubz as the 'second coming of Brit Pop':

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/nov/01/ndubz-dappy-tinchy-taio

Total nonsense, but interesting to read the angry comments at the bottom of the article.

Halloween

2009-11-01T19:25:00.000Z

Just Testing

2009-10-25T14:18:00.002Z

Ok, as you might have guessed I am a bit snobby about digital media so decided to test iTunes psuedo-scientifically so I can back up my ramblings at house parties. I searched for three favourite songs of mine to see if they were there and it actually did a lot better then I expected. It had House Party, Fred Wesley. It also had Girls on Pills, The Droyds but unfortunately only part of a dj mix (ie edited) rather than the single version. It didnt have the K C White version of Anywhere But Nowhere but it did have one by Simplicity People. I compared with spotify (had nothing), last fm (had anywhere but nowhere! mentioned house party, but not available to play and again only edited versions of girls on pills) and youtube (only house party). It goes without saying limewire has nothing. These songs, I would say are a bit obscure but well known amongst people who are into music. So, internet, you're getting better but there is still some way to go...

House Party!

2009-10-25T14:16:00.000Z

end of summer sunday songs

2009-10-25T10:29:00.000Z

Depeche Mode fans and brass bands...

2009-10-17T15:48:00.004+01:00

The Posters Came from the Walls is an alright documentary by Jeremy Deller and Nick Abrahams about the impact Depeche Mode has had on fans around the world. Basildon's finest struck a unique chord with people from America, East Berlin, Iran and Russia, joined by their love of the band.

The film touches on the social changes happening around the world in the late 80s and shows how Depeche Mode songs constituted a global sound track to these historic moments, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Personal highlights include Goths holding church services in Cambridge featuring DM songs, and the risks fans in Tehran took to get hold of illegal DM tapes as Iran had banned all Western music after the Cultural Revolution.

The film has enraged many DM fans as it portrays them as weird, socially retarded outsiders who nurse an unhealthy obsession with Martin Gore.

The film will probably be out on DVD by the end of the year and I recommend watching it purely as a freak show and for the American High School brass band scene, when students create a D = M formation while continuing to play their cover of Personal Jesus.

I have scoured Youtube for this scene, but all I could find was a Never Let Me Down Again cover:

More Steel

2009-10-12T14:38:00.004+01:00

I still think PIMP is the best one although surely it must be the original. I'm totally obsessed with this song at the moment though. A not so new high for steel pan i believe.

JANET

2009-10-12T11:18:00.000+01:00

STEEL PANS

2009-10-10T11:06:00.003+01:00

This cover is incredible. Steel Harmony need to record and release this bad boy, so that Sound as a Pound can get one step closer to indulging in a steel pan only set.

The Very Best

2009-10-07T07:47:00.003+01:00

Still a huge fan of Easu Mwamwaya's album 'Warm Heart of Africa'.

There are quite a few remixes of the single 'Warm Heart in Africa' knocking about. Architecture in Helsinki's take is by far the most superior. I recommend listening to the whole album while taking a long bus journey.

You can download for free some of the album tracks here:
http://www.greenowl.com/theverybest

Dalston Oxfam Shop

2009-10-06T12:22:00.001+01:00

Old cassette tapes are religiously bought from the Dalston Oxfam shop every week and converted into mp3 downloads for our listening pleasure.

The origin and compiler of some of the clearly well loved mix tapes is often a mystery. My favourite aspect of this blog is that sometimes, Dalston Oxfam Shop's followers club together and gradually shed light on the niggling unanswered questions, clearly haunting them- exciting stuff!

This morning I have been listening to this which was compiled by American DJ Tom T and simply named RAVE.

Beware: parts are pretty unbearable and unsuited to people who find mornings hard work.

youtube DJing

2009-10-06T12:21:00.000+01:00

If you can master this, you can definitely master the real thing.

I've been experimenting with unlikely sound collaborations. Something magical happened here but what this site really needs is a flanger, beat matcher and a bass enhancer.

possibly the best reason to stay up 'til 3.30am on a Sunday night

2009-10-05T13:09:00.006+01:00

I get woken up by many things in the night - foxes, my housemates putting bread in the washing machine, an all pervading sense of dread and hopelessness - this is probably the most welcome however, charlie gillett's world of music on BBC World Service, http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p002vsns

its a little bit less magical when youre not have asleep but only just. i am a particular fan of this, apparently he's the arabic barry white

Part 2

2009-10-05T09:19:00.004+01:00

I've always had an eclectic and sometimes questionable taste in music, ranging from heavy metal to eurotrance.

I went through a phase at 13 of wanting to be an Ibiza club rep (without fully understanding what this role entailed.) The idea of dressing like Ann Lee, being worshiped by thousands and getting paid to dance seemed way more appealing than working in an office.

I should add here that if you are not familiar with Ann Lee, she is responsible, alongside Eiffel 65 for that horrific Ring My Bell cover and more famously, Two Times.

I am secretly, now openly a huge fan of Alice Deejay. My dream first mix would have been Better off Alone with some classic hip hop. But as I was fortunate enough to go to Summer DJ bootcamp, my first mix was the same as M-Ray's.

During my time behind the wheels of steel, I have learnt an invaluable lesson: some songs don't mix, should not be tampered with and really are Better Off Alone:

Why I started DJing

2009-10-05T00:10:00.004+01:00

Because a great music collection should be shared, obviously. Also my boyfriend at the time had decks and it was the summer, I was bored and I felt I should waste my time productively. Actually I think it, she decided we should be DJs (she generally has the motivation for the two of us). So my boyfriend, a survivor from the rave era, henceforth known by his DJ alias Sauerkraut, was recruited to Dj boot camp me. We somehow already had our first gig, playing a boat party on the same line up as Faggatronix so it was imperative we learnt fast.Ever seen the episode of Faking It where they teach a classical cellist to become a jungle DJ? It was like that but I was significantly worse than her. In fact it took me couple of days just to hear whether something was beat matched or not let along figure it out for myself. After a false start with techno (there's no off beat which for me made it harder), I finally mixed my first two records, Big Fun (purchased from rat records) and Wordyrappinghood (a battersea bootfair find). If you want to try your hand at mixing, try starting with those two because they're quite easy, sound good together and are good enough songs that you won't mind listening to them however dozens times it takes to get them mixed. I kind of want to know what are other people's first mix were. I don't think you forget.