This is very chilled……great music, very atmospheric.

CHINA CALLING : CHINESE DUBOCRACY, a playlist by DJ UMB, on Fairtilizer

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Here’s another episode of our podcast – it’s available from iTunes or HERE.

Direct download HERE.

Track list:

Citoyen Du Monde (Ghislain Poirier and Face T Remix)
An-ten-nae
Release Muti020
http://www.mutimusic.com

Gaza feat Dawoud Kringle
Celt Islam
Release Dervish
http://www.myspace.com/celtislam
http://www.celtislam.com/
http://soundcloud.com/celt-islam

City of Dub
Tafuri
http://soundcloud.com/tafuri/

Fakir
Celt Islam
Release Dervish
http://www.myspace.com/celtislam
http://www.celtislam.com/
http://soundcloud.com/celt-islam

The Stones at the Feet of a Prophet
Secret Archives of the Vatican
Release Babylon Halt
http://www.brokendrumrecords.com
http://preview.alturl.com/apzj

Treasure Beyond Measure
Nuphlo
Release Nasha V3
http://www.nasha.co.uk/

A full set of my pictures from Shantel’s London gig can be seen HERE.

I know nothing about this video…….someone sent it to me on MySpace but this is one of the coolest little videos I’ve ever seen. Just shows what you can do with a simple but good idea and low budget. Looks like Morocco, which is always good as far as I’m concerned.

Bass Ritual: Episode 13 of the Secret Archives of the Vatican Podcast is now available from iTunes and HERE.
Direct download HERE.

TRACKS

Beowulf
Doomtrooper and Lil Rhino
http://www.myspace.com/doomtrooperdubs

Darth Veda
Anuj Rastogi
Release Dark Matter
http://www.myspace.com/omnesiarecord

Dust – TR Mix
Secret Archives of the Vatican
Release Dust – the remixes
http://www.brokendrumrecords.com

Golden Legacy
Iron Braydz
http://www.myspace.com/ironbraydz

Lotus
Liquid Stranger
Release The Intergalactic Slapstick
http://www.myspace.com/liquidstranger

Wrong Number
Gunmaster G9 & Pyarelal
Release Nasha V3
http://www.nasha.co.uk/

Track behind the talking bits: Rock the Howdah by Secret Archives of the Vatican

The golden age of infinite music is yet another BBC article about the digital music world. It makes a couple of points that I thought were particularly interesting.

Firstly, the author, John Harris, is younger than me but still grew up with collecting music in physical product form – CDs, etc. He recently boxed them all up and was surprised to find that he doesn’t miss them. I have found the same thing. I always said I liked the physicality of vinyl or CD, the cover art, the sleeve notes etc. I still buy some CDs, but I am surprised to find that, like John Harris, I am also starting to not care about my CD collection. I recently moved house – my CDS are still in their boxes from the move but I’m in no hurry to get them out. They take up an awful lot of space. What has changed in me? Is it just laziness, the effort of finding a CD and taking it out of its crappy jewel case too arduous? Probably!

Secondly, he makes the point that the modern way of acquiring and listening to music makes it difficult for music that doesn’t grab you instantly to even get heard. He suggests that ‘grower’ albums or tracks are a thing of the past because people expect instant gratification from a tune or they’ll move straight on to the next one. Because they haven’t paid for the album or track, or it’s on a subscription stream, there’s no imperative to try to squeeze your money’s worth out of a purchase by listening through a few times to see if it grows on you.

If this is true (and I suspect it is) it could have two implications. It could mean that artists get sharper and weed out weaker tunes so that quality improves. More likely, though is that it means deeper, more demanding tracks that ultimately bring more value, will never be heard because there isn’t a catchy hook in the first 16 bars and people hit ‘next track’ on their listening device. Maybe, though, it’s both; the former will only affect the more mainstream, pop, genres and that might be a good thing but unfortunately the latter will prevent the unsophisticated listener from having their musical horizons broadened by being exposed to something from outside their usual musical choices.

On 26 October 2009, I photographed a band called BZ at Koko, in Camden, London. They play traditional Ethiopian music from various parts of the country and their dancers put on an amazing show with several costume changes. You can see the full set of photograpgs HERE.

The band was promoted by Kazum! and was supporting the mighty Tinariwen.

Here’s a set of pictures I took at a gig by the U-Cef and the Arab League in London on 23 October 2009.
U-Cef and the Arab League

They’re not the best live music shots I’ve ever taken – light levels were very low so the camera struggled but I think they capture the flavour of the event. Great musicians and great music.

U-Cef and the Arab League on MySpace

TDZ#63… Lion Dub…. is the latest episode of the Dub Zone podcast, featuring some top dub tunes.

Track details HERE.

I’ve just discovered the music of Liquid Stranger. It’s pretty damned cool. Here’s a mix on the SoundCloud site.

The blurb says this:

Travelling in the uncharted terrains of music, Liquid Stranger’s
creative output ranges from suggestive ambient soundscapes to
movie scores, pop, dub, infernalia, drill n bass, and electronica.
Always pushing the sonic boundaries and merging genres to create
a soulful blend of new, unique atmospheres, and grooves.

In 2007, the Stranger’s highly acclaimed album “The Invisible Conquest”
was released on interchill records. A mesmerizing down-tempo journey,
brimful with slow cooked over smokin’ dub beats, lightly dipped in a subtle
Shpongle sauce, and sprinkled with grains of cheeky tribal playfulness.

Live, the Liquid Stranger enters the stage with a stash bag full of
trippy dubstep, and wobbly adventures for everyone with ears. An
evergrowing performance from a man with a passion for the unexpected.