5 for Friday

Holy Ghost - I will come back


Starks & Nancy - Lose your love


Dillinger Escape Plan – Black Bubblegum (Triobelisk Remix)


Dynasty - I dont wanna be a freak (but i can't help myself)


Silver Connection – Fly Robin Fly

Hellhole Ratrace

I know very little about this band, except they are from San Francisco and I like this song. Its called "Hellhole Ratrace" and the band is Girls. That all i got.

myspace.

Tinariwen

This is a song from Tinariwen called "Amassakoul'n'Tenere". They play Tishoumaren music (music of the unemployed). Good for these times! They are supposed to be incredible live, so if you are at Glastonbury. check them out. If not... buy there album here.

Brought to you by... Matt

Pnau - Embrace feat. Ladyhawke


Labi Siffre - I got the blues


Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.


Jody Watley - I want your love (Danny Krivit edit)


The Source feat. Candi Staton - You got the love

5 for Friday

Disco Diamonds - Dont try to kick me


Play Paul & Daniel Dexter - Mostro 1


Shizofonics - Breakfree


Fromage Disco - Repeight


Kenneth Bager Fr. one (...and I kept hearing)(Radio Edit)

C215

C215 (aka Christian Guémy) is a world renowned Street artist. Signal Gallery have this rare oppurtunity to exhibit his works, and give the public the rare chance of seeing all his work in one place at one time!

"Graffiti is marking territory by catching attention to a name (then placing it at the wrong place) while street art aims at placing art in the right place, as if it should have been there forever." C215

This exhibition is about shoe-shiners. Here is what C215 has to say:

I have met many street shoe-shiners during my trips around the world. They represent the lower class of urban workers. Almost beggars, they construct their boxes from a light and cheap material, just one handmade box containing brushes and creams offering a job that less and less people need. When they get a customer, the working dynamic turns into a humiliating symbol - one bending before the other, polishing his shoes, while the superior one gets annoyed or bored, looking around. Shoe-shining, in French, gave birth to numerous ways of describing flattery: "polishing", "shining", "boots-licker"... The lost pride of real street shoe-shiners is easy to encompass with such words, but are we not all discretely licking arses everyday to promote ourselves?

Have a look at the preview here.

Check out his myspace here.

The exhibtion opens today with a private view at the Signal Gallery and continues until the 11th July.

Evolution of the Ciaran Crawford Action Figure Doll

People might wonder why I am writing about a tasting and a cookbook here. Normally I write about music and art, but as the name says...

In fact this was very enjoyable, so what am I talking about.... A cookbook called "Evolution of the Ciaran Crawford Action Figure Doll" by Dylan Stott and Ciaran Crawford. Ciaran, the chef, masterminds the various recipies, and Dylan provides the stories.

I had no idea what to expect from the event. A few days ago, I bought a ticket, "a golden ticket" to a six course tasting with a reading from a cookbook... 'a reading from a cookbook?!' I thought to myself. I had been told it would be an exciting, eclectic (which is what I'm looking for), innovative blend of flavours and character, and that was just the readings.

Waiting outside the restaurant, Ukiyo on Exchequer St, was like a scene from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" with the song "I've got a got a golden ticket, I've got a golden ticket!", sneaking out from under the shutter. The excitement was rising, the excitement of the unknown, the unexpected.

Once the doors opened we were escorted inside to be greeted by the very charming and friendly Dylan Stott. Scanning the menu was much like discovering a new language, I didn't know what a lot of it meant, sauces, foams, nages...but it all sounded inviting. From each of the six courses I could recognise the primary ingredients; Oysters, Champagne, Black & White Pudding, Seabass, Ice Cream and Espresso. What may sound as a standard restaurant offering was more than just a normal run of the mill dinner...

For starters...well lets hold on a moment. First we were treated with Sake Mojitos....delish! It complemented the starter, Bloody Mary Oyster Shooter, beautifully. Although there were a few worried faces at the table, this was short lived. One course down and the palate already felt like royalty.

Up next, a few introductions, and a reading from the book. I'm not a literary critic so I'm a little stretched here but, Dylan's writing was funny, crisp and enjoyable, and well presented by the writer himself. It is always a special treat to have a writer read his own work. His enthusiasm, skill and joy in what he was doing shone throughout his narration.

Following the performance we were treated to Mille Feuilles with Black & White Pudding, Apple Crisps and Cider Jus. This course was a hit at my table and was followed by Warm Champagne Jelly with Candied Chili. Dylan entertained again with another reading, "The Waltzing Lobster", a pacy tale of drunken cooking. Then there was the Seabass with Bok Choy, Sweet Potato Puree and Lemon Grass Nage (that's 'poaching' for you and me!). Oh the Seabass! Cooked to perfection with a sea of accompaniments, this course was incredible.

The sweets were next, Mushroom Ice Cream and Earl Grey Caramel! Only one person at our table knew it was mushroom ice cream. We all thought she was nuts till outside later, the chef himself told us that it was. Whether we knew or not, was not important. It was a culinary delight. Chatting to Ciaran Crawford, the excitement and enjoyment he gets from cooking the food he does and from having organised such a night, was evident from his passion for his finished product.

The concept behind the food and the book, the desire to do things their way, slightly avant garde, off beat, underground, but still achieve flavours and stories that everybody enjoyed and would keep coming back for more of, left me and anybody else I talked to that night asking when the next installment was...

So the final course, Espresso Panacotto with Guinness Foam. A strange delight. Two of my favourite things put together, it couldn't go wrong.

There is, I think, two more installments, the next is again in Ukiyo, keep your ear to the ground because tickets to this will be gone in seconds... After that I believe there is one more, I am a little sketchy on details but will add more when I get more details. Then its off to New York for more installments and serialisation in a magazine.

So if you are reading this and are in New York, keep those eyes peeled for Evolution of the Ciaran Crawford Action Figure Doll, or your palate will never forgive you!

Come closer

This is a tune from Paris based producer Onra called "come closer". Thank to Analog Giant for this.

Get the album here.
Myspace

I've been sending you signals!

Matthew Dear - "Don and Sherri" from Ghostly International on Vimeo.

I love this track. Gets into your head and stays there for days... in a good way! Its from Mathhew Dear's new album Asa Breed.Thanks to the lads for putting me on to this tune.

Website

Lady dont tek no.

Latyrx "lady dont tek no" this a track from 1998 EP, "Muzapper's Mixes". This has been on repeat on my ipod for days. Thank to Cubikmusic for this track.

Russ Mill's Signal Gallery Exhibition

Russ Mills' work is striking, to say the least. The drab colours- grey, red, black and white invoke an urban setting and upon closer inspection of the figures that he paints, their branded footwear and baggy clothing confirm that his subjects are all city living young people. It isn't until I reflected on the exhibition after leaving the gallery that I worked out what his work reminds me of- a book I had when I was younger about squashed fairies. The book suggested that just like collecting flowers you could collect fairies and press them- all of them were pressed into expressions of surprise and cheeky delight. These characters are the bright young things of London's urban environment, also pressed upon the canvas in mid pose. My favourite was that of a girl who looked like she was dancing before being captured in digital and then transformed into an acrylic centrepiece.

While there isn't much to distinguish Mills' pieces other than the captured people themselves, the distinction comes in the detail, which can only be seen in person and up close. Each portrait conveys its own sense of city living through the eyes of its squashed fairy subjects.

Tanya Morgan

This is a track from Tanya Morgan's new album Brooklynati. They have been compared to trailblazers such as De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest. I don't know. They are class. I'm loving the album and... this is a great track. Cheers to Analog Giant.

Enjoy!






Tanya Morgan feat Blu - Blu Morgan

Five for Friday [on a saturday...oops!]

This is the first Five for Friday post, except this one is on a saturday morning...

The rest I hope will be on a friday. The aim of this post is to provide five bangin' tunes for your weekend ahead. Since I have a slightly skewed taste in music my idea of bangin' will probably change every week.

This week I offer five tracks to get you up dancing... hopefully!








In Flagranti - Brash and Vulgar

Shinichi Osawa - Push (Alex Gopher Remix)

The Field - The more that I do

San Serac & The Tranzistors - Zanadu (Fetch Remix)

Parov Stelar - Libella Swing

Supernature

I had great plans for a five for Friday post. Bangin' Tunes for the weekend!

BUT time is not on my side at the moment! So its an old school track for the moment, that anyone who knows me will kill me for the pure laziness of this post! For that I apologise...

BUT this is a great track. Jean Marc Cerrone, "Supernature", a fantastic track! Check out the album its amazing.

I am in work at the moment bashing this post out, hoping my boss wont catch me!!! Fuck nearly reefed!! There will be another post later, hopefully Five for Friday but for now.... Enjoy!