A reader writes...

This is a first, and probably a last, but I got this email from Sledge today:

"Hey Marc !

I thought some of your readers might be interested in this purchase...

Please hit it up on your site, I want this great LP to go to a good home."

...and having heard of this band before I thought I'd share with you an article that appeared in the Guardian written by Duncan Brooker a few years ago.

This is an extract from the article.

One of the bands I was most interested in was Air Fiesta Matata. A Kenyan 10-piece, Matata produced east Africa's finest funk in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1969 they played with Miles Davis in Germany, and Davis was impressed enough to invite them to America. In 1971, the BBC World Service crowned them Best Band in Africa.

Read the full article here and let me know if any of you have it or indeed if you buy it.

Oh, and while you're at it check Sledge's blog here.

Have a great New Year everyone.

RIP Freddie Hubbard

Jazz legend Freddie Hubbard passed away on Monday aged 70. Freddie is known for having recorded literally hundreds of tracks with the likes of Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Cannonball Adderley, Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane and many others. His worked earned him Grammy awards and his playing influenced generations of trumpet players who held him awe due to his blazing virtuosity and unmistakable tone. Those of you who remember as fondly Pepe Bradock's genius track Deep Burnt as I do will recognize the opening strings to Freddie's awesome Little Sunflower, a record that I am playing as loud as I can here in my hotel room in Mountain View in honour of the great man. RIP.

Freddie Hubbard - Little Sunflower

Pepe Bradock - Deep Burnt

El Guincho - Palmitos Park

Pablo Díaz-Reixa is Spain's answer to Animal Collective and he's heavily influenced by the likes of Brasil's Os Mutantes, who if you're not into already you really should go out and buy everything by them immediately - but what sets him apart is his genius use of sampling that can take in everything from folk melodies to afrobeat and this track was one of the standouts on an album of highlights that, again, if you haven't bought then stop dicking about and run to/click on your most trusted record emporium and rectify the situation. I must have played it at least a hundred times since I've gotten it and it gets me each and every time. Great album!

El Guincho - Palmitos Park

Live at the HVW8 Gallery

Last Sunday, Dam-Funk, Computer Jay and J-1 got together at the HVW8 Gallery just off Melrose down in LA for a jam session that Tyler and Max recorded for our aural pleasure. Check the pictures here and download the podcast from here. Look out for HVW8's collaboration with Charlie Ahearn and the Dam-Funk t-shirts in store. It is the Festive Season, so why not spoil yourself?

Pacific! - A Tree - Poney Poney remix

For the all the underground stuff that I listen to I do appreciate the occasional bit of well made pop music and Gothenburg's Pacific! certainly make the sort of radio friendly fodder that makes me listen. This is the sort of record that I'd play very late on in an evening after I've flexed my chin-strokkery muscles and I can definitely see this track getting the girls on the dancefloor, and lets face it that is what it is all about, isn't it? A lot of journalists are comparing them to the Beach Boys which seems a bit lazy to me given that they sound nothing like the Beach Boys but they do have the ability to craft well made pop songs like the California boys and I can see a lot of attention coming their way. I'm really feeling the art direction on their website as well.

Pacific! - A Tree - Poney Poney remix

Nite Jewel - What Did He Say?

Italians Do It Better are surely one of the labels of 2008 releasing essential record after essential record and this track by Nite Jewel most certainly keeps the quality of the label up. Deep, mellow and not sounding a million miles away from the magical Presence stuff that the mighty Charles Webster released ten years ago and is something that could almost be called lo-fi shoegaze and is all the better for it. Ramona Gonzalez, for Nite Jewel is she, has recorded something that I can see being a slow-burner in the coming months as more and more people get to hear it. This one has legs.

Nite Jewel - What Did He Say?

Joubert Singers - Stand On The Word - Hot Coins remix

Danny of Red Rack'em and Smugglers Radio infamy has a lot of balls to take on what is a firm classic that just about everyone who has ever set foot on the floors of more discerning discos will know and love, but what he has done is made it well and truly his track by kind of making it sound like Bullion goes house with a bit of the Singers thrown in for good measure, and deeply effective it is as well. It is by no means going to be the definitive version but I can see this one being snuck in late in the night instead of as the ubiquitous last track of the night. Well done Danny, and be sure to check out some of his other stuff on the always brilliant Tirk. A producer to keep your ears on.

Joubert Singers - Stand On The Word - Hot Coins remix (Taken down at the request of the artist)

TV on The Radio - Love Dog

It is no great secret that I love this band. I went to go and see them a few weeks ago at some corporate event down in San Diego and they absolutely blew the roof off the place with one of the most energetic shows I have seen in a long, long time. This cut off Dear Science is another great track to listen to on a mellow day and Gilles Peterson recently kicked off one of his shows with it, which just goes to show what an impact this 'art-rock' band has had on the musical hemisphere in 2008. I personally can't wait to hear more from them but I can do without the wife, who has been into them for time, telling me how right she was when she told me that I'd love the band.

TV on The Radio - Love Dog

Cro-magnon - Beyond The Summer

Japan's Cro-magnon are easily one of my favourite bands out there with a musical style that while being jazzy takes in everything from deep house to cosmic jams and all the while endearing themselves to everyone from Gilles Peterson to Prins Thomas, which is no mean feat. This cut from their Mellow Out & Acoustic CD that they recently released on Jazzy Sport is one of those tracks that expertly locks into a groove and holds it with a few key changes here and there that keep you interested - something for early doors or the messy afters. I was listening to Charles Webster's superb Presence album in the car yesterday and this is something that perfectly compliments it - I'm definitely in a mellow mood today.

Cro-magnon - Beyond The Summer

Best of 2008

Best Single


1. Yaw - Where Would You Be
2. TV on The Radio - Dancing Choose
3. Bullion - Get Familiar
4. Laughing Light of Plenty - The Rose
5. Pepe Bradock - Intriguing Feathered Creature

Best Album


1. TV on The Radio - Dear Science
2. James Pants - Welcome
3. Bon Iver- For Emma, Forever Ago
4. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
5. Flying Lotus - Los Angeles

Man of The Year


1. Shepard Fairey
// Barack Obama owes a huge debt of gratitude to Shepard as his graphic practically mobilized an entire army of people to get out and vote. //
2. Barack Obama
// Fairly obvious choice but he gets it for not wilting under the Republican pressure and hopefully he'll be the change we need. //
3. Graeme Smith
// For scoring tons of runs and getting right under the skins of the English and Australians with his tactics and aggressive lead from the front approach. //

Best Clothing Label


1. Rebel8
// I'm a strictly jeans and t-shirt kind of guy and everything from the graphics to the printing techniques to the quality of the overall product has struck a chord with me this year. Truly can do no wrong in my eyes! //
2. Stones Throw
// Bit of an odd choice but with the Parra and Brent Rollins shirts making their way onto the market there wasn't really much doubt that they'd be in here. //
3. adidas
// Everyone who knows me will attest to my being a slave to the trefoil. I do fear that they're going a bit off the boil but we'll see in 2009. //

Sporting Moment of The Year


1. South Africa beating Australia by 6 wickets chasing 414 to win
2. South Africa winning the Test Series in England
3. Spain winning Euro '08

Loud-E - Robolove

Loud-E is a Dutch DJ whose love and dedication to the disco cause is ten years deep and after rummaging through countless flea markets and warehouses he has unearthed some truly special records that make him easily one of the best jocks on the planet at the moment. I hear him play in Manchester last year on a rainy, windswept afternoon in a bar and he blew the roof off the place - cue early rave hands from all and sundry and an extremely messy night ensued from there forth. This is an edit of one of those gems that he has kindly released on Steve Kotey's Ambassador's Reception label to rapturous response in my front room and I'm assuming dancefloors the world over. This is an absolute bomb!

Loud-E - Robolove

KUMO is one!

I just realized that I have been posting here for a year now, and 370+ posts, 55000+ hits, 34 One Hundred Project entries and a couple of new friends along the way have made this a fairly successful start to my blogging life. This next year my goal is to finish The One Hundred Project and to take the plunge and stick my own edits and productions up here - I've snuck on a couple this year, see if you have spotted them - and hopefully get a bit of merchandise going. Most of all though, I'd just like to have a place where you'd like to come back and read every post. I'm also looking for contributors, so if anyone thinks they'd like to post here on Kumo then email me and we can make this an even better blog together.

The Del-Rays - Night Prowl

Wow! This is one of those records that I stumbled upon in a charity shop somewhere here on the East Coast and it is an absolute burner! Check that bassline, those keys, those horns and that absolutely firing groove that makes this an absolute winner in my book. I think this has something to do with the legendary Booker T of Green Onions fame and to be frank, if you're not dancing to this then you're dead or cloth-eared or both - easily my favourite find this year.

The Del-Rays - Night Prowl

Nathan Detroit - Znoid

This came out on Bear Funk in 2001 and is one of those records that has stuck with me through my travels from Asia to America, and was one of those records that would've been termed 'deep house' when it first came out but now it is firmly in the cosmic camp. I especially love the jangly - technical term that - guitar over the funky and loose percussion work. This is one of those records that could add a bit of a twist to just about every type of set out there. A proper DJs tune and one of those tracks that gets better the longer it goes on - turn it up! It doesn't hurt that Dan is one half of the Idjut Boys either.

Nathan Detroit - Znoid

Paul & Marc - Last Rites One Year Anniversary Mix

Here is a mix that Paul and I did for the Last Rites One Year Anniversary party nearly 20 months ago in February 2007. After having a rummage through his hard drive Paul found this and big Rob over at Northern Comfort, which is an ace blog that you should check out if you haven't already, has been kind enough to host it for us. Whenever I hear these records I get a bit excited and a bit misty-eyed with all the memories of easily the best 18 months of my life playing records in basements and bars across Mancunia. Heady times indeed. You've all heard these records before but don't let that stop you from cranking it up and raising a glass to the spirit of acid house while shuffling about in a slightly embarrassing manner around your front room. While you're at it, why not join the Last Rites Facebook Group or join in the fun on the message board where there are rants, raves and free music - basically it's fucking ace.

I'll post a tracklisting to this later.

Paul & Marc - Last Rites One Year Anniversary Mix

Kev Macca - Space Jammin' 3

East Lancs' finest , Kev Macca, has posted a great mix up on his Podmatic site that takes in just about every quality record that is floating about at the moment taking in everything from spaced out grooves to discoid thumpers to four-to-the-floor lushness all with an added bit of balearic cheek thrown in for good measure. Download the mix immediately, you need this in your life.

Download the mix here.

Blair - Hey Sexy Mama

This is another cut from the Blair album, which some people have unfairly decreed to be a one track album and it is anything but. Virgo Princess is a great piece of shimmering boogie and this track - albeit a bit jazzy -, Hey Sexy Mama, is probably my favourite cut off the album. Check the horns in the breakdown and the great vocal hook interspersed with a great slo-mo groove that pushes this record to being perfect for those small sessions with like-minded people getting down and dirty. Great track.

Blair - Hey Sexy Mama

The Congos - Congoman

I've only ever known the Carl Craig edit of this track that came out on London's Honest Jon's but a few weeks ago having a shuffle through a few record bins I came across The Congos' album, from where this cut is culled, Heart of The Congos and took a punt on it and what a record it is! Filled to the brim with great Lee Perry produced reggae conscious vibes that are all ripe for early doors/early morning sessions, this is one of those albums that will get serious needle time in mi casa and dare say it, the original version of this cut is better than the Carl Craig edit. Still that's not to say that the Carl Craig edit is bad by any stretch.

The Congos - Congoman

Blair - Nightlife

This is a stone-cold rare groove classic and one that goes for serious money when copies surface on places like eBay, Discogs and the like. I found a copy of the album hidden deep in the crates at Amoeba in Los Angeles for a shade under $30, which is an absolute bargain. Barney Perry was a guitarist for legendary group The Blackbyrds and the quality of the musicianship on this cut is absolutely first class. Nightlife has recently been re-released on a bootleg for cheap which you can get from here, and to be honest unless you're willing to pony up serious hard-earned for the original album then I'd go for this economical alternative. True Eyes Down burner.

Blair - Nightlife

KAWS

Right so I'll be the first to admit that the blog has gone to shit a bit recently with my job taking precedence and everything else getting put on the back burner. To be honest I haven't really been all that inspired and that is why I'm also thinking of changing focus and making this more along the way how it was going for a short time earlier this year with the emphasis shifting away being purely about music and more about trying to cover everything from art to music. I'm more comfortable with it being that way in all truth.


So without further ado I'd like to feature an artist who I am slightly obsessed with, KAWS. He's been working on the streets since the mid-90s and has pretty much cornered the market with his designer toys, urban vinyl if you must, some of which he sells through his website Original Fake and you have to be incredibly quick off the mark to buy any of it as it all sells out in a matter of minutes. The best introduction to the man and his philosophy is best said in this video that i-D Magazine did.



I absolutely love his companions and if you want one you'll have to scrape together your Christmas money and be prepared to live off dry bread and water as they cost an absolute fortune.



Here he is working on the streets of New York and Tokyo with commentary by Ron English.



I do enjoy the man's work and you should check his blog for more.

RIP Mama Afrika

RIP Miriam Makeba

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - The Dap Dip

Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings have been favourites of mine for a few years now, they eschew modern recording methods in favour of analogue equipment and with their sound that updates the 70s funk sound with aplomb. This cut taken off their first album is absolute unbridled fun, with great horns, Sharon's killer vocal and is a great dance record to boot. Play this one and watch the dancefloor burn.

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - The Dap Dip

Yes, We Can!

Download the excellent Obama mix by Z-Trip here.

$olal - Luna's Song - Robag Wruhme remix

This errs just the right side of being a record for a student with a lisp and pants that they've been shoehorned into and is all the better for flirting triumphantly with student danger. Robag Wruhme is an alias of Gabor Schablitzki who is also one half of one of my favourite production duos The Wighnomy Brothers, and what he has done with a fairly run of the mill but great alt-country record is the stuff of genius. As with everything produced by him there is a bounce intertwined with a kookiness that makes for a record that I can see myself coming back to in the years to come. This definitely won't be lost in the shuffle. If you're on the lookout for leftfield techno records that are as interesting as they have bite then Gabor is your man. Be sure to check the slice of perfection that is My Gloomy Head - seek and ye shall find!

$olal - Luna's Song - Robag Wruhme remix

Windsurf - 2 Light As Daylight

As the last days of what has seemingly been an endless summer, no complaints, wash over here in California Windsurf's Coastline album has been the ideal soundtrack. There is something very special about the combination of Dan Judd and Sam Grawe who effectively make the most balearic records this side of the, well, Balearics. This track in particular speaks to me as it isn't something I'd necessarily play out unless the sun was going to come at some point while I'm on duty but it is something that after a long night of reaching for the lazers would make absolute sense while holding onto someone you love surrounded by like-minded people. I think it is absolutely superb and I can't recommend their album highly enough - buy it!

Windsurf - 2 Light As Daylight

As an added bonus here is an interview with Sam Grawe on the always excellent Cosmic Disco. (And yes I knicked the image from them)

Tony Cook - On The Floor - Joakim edit

I first heard the original of this on Danny Tenaglia's Choice compilation a few years ago and was instantly drawn to it. It is almost b-boy house or electro funk as it was known back in the day, and is record that is distinctly American record to my ears. I don't know much more about Tony Cook or his other records but Joakim has once again stepped up to the plate (how American is that?) and taken the tune by the horns and twisted and turned it to within an inch of its dancefloor slaying life. Great record and one that will rock just about everywhere from Tokyo to Manchester. Strictly for the heads.

Tony Cook - On The Floor - Joakim edit

Barry White & The Love Unlimited Orchestra - You Gotta Case

This sweet little gem is from the original soundtrack from the 1974 film Together Brothers, which is a film about a group of kids helping find out who killed a popular police officer. The movie isn't particularly great but the soundtrack from the Walrus of Love is absolutely firing! This cut comes sprinting in at just under 90 seconds but in that time the energy of the record absolutely engulfs you. This is one of those b-boy classics where the likes of Jazzy Jay would rock two copies back and forth to get their dancefloors absolutely screaming. I don't say it often but this cut needs an edit, can you imagine the carnage if this went on just a bit longer? An absolute masterpiece from the sorely missed Mr. White.

Barry White & The Love Unlimited Orchestra - You Gotta Case

Sound Stream - Dance With Me

Frank Timm has been releasing records as Sound Stream for nearly a decade now and it has only been recently that his records have really begun to take off thanks to the championing of them by Ame at various gigs across the planet. I have no idea what the sample to this is but I know I'm going to kick myself when I find out as it is annoyingly familiar. This is one of those records that prove that house music is a feeling, that house music when made well can raise your spirits and make you shout 'Fuck Yeah' at the top of your lungs. This is great, simple, well-produced music that must sound absolutely incredible in the dead of the night after a few hours of dancefloor gymnastics. Top stuff.

Soundstream - Dance With Me

The Undisputed Truth - Smiling Faces Sometimes

A few weeks ago the great Norman Whitfield passed away and the word genius is bandied about a bit too much nowadays but this was a man who genuinely fitted the billing. He worked with everyone from The Temptations to Marvin Gaye and had his hand in just about every seminal moment from one of the greatest and most influential labels of all time, Tamla Motown. If you're not aware of the man's work then you should go out immediately and buy whatever you can find on sight as everything he ever produced is absolutely all killer with no filler whatsoever. I'm an old soul boy at heart and I remember reading an article on him when I was in university many years ago that described his sound as 'psychedelic soul' and that was enough for my 18 year old self to run off to the local second hand store and rummage away looking for records by him and it wasn't until I found things like Ain't Too Proud To Beg, Ball of Confusion and this gem that my thirst for the deepest of records was quenched. He's a man whose impact on modern music is absolutely immeasurable, a once in a generation musician who will be sorely missed. RIP Norm.

The Undisputed Truth - Smiling Faces Sometimes

James Yuill - This Love - Prins Thomas sneaky edit

Who is James Yuill? He seems to be a London-based folk artist who cites everyone from Iron & Wine to Midlake as influences and has been given plaudits by The Guardian, NME and the like. This is the first that I have heard of him and I've just put in an order for his album on the back of this. Cosmic denizen Prins Thomas has made this into a lush, early morning groover and this is the sort of record that would sound incredible when the sun comes up after a solid night of partying. I love this.

James Yuill - This Love - Prins Thomas sneaky edit

Demi Roussos - I Dig You

Originally a member of Aphrodite's Child, Demis Roussos has been crafting his musical magic for over four decades now and this track, which is one of my all-time favourites, is at the very summit of all things beardy balearic with its superb use of melodies and great feelgood lyrics delivered with aplomb by our hero. This is one of those records that you stick on and it immediately puts you in a good mood. Great record.

Demi Roussos - I Dig You

Matias Aguayo - Minimal - Markus Rossknecht Remix

The minimal bubble seems to have burst. The days of atonal soulless records seem to be on the way out with a much needed and welcomed injection of cheek into the records played at the likes of the Panorama Bar, Watergate etc. That is not to say that every minimal record was rubbish but the amount of hours I spent wading through the bland in places like Phonica I'll never get back - but the same could be said for just about every genre in all fairness. Matias Aguayo is a welcome addition to the dance music cannon and he's been around for a while now but this track should surely appeal to everyone from the beards to trendy haircuts with its tongue in cheek refrain and deep chords that make this a late night surefire winner. For this track he enlists the help of his Broke bandmate, Markus Rossknecht, to add the necessary funk and with the two forming a burgeoning production partnership they most certainly are a pair of names to keep an ear out for. Absolute winner.

Matias Aguayo - Minimal - Markus Rossknecht Remix

Runaway - Brooklyn Club Jam

Here is an absolute party monster that I am sure that all of you that have been out anywhere decent over the past few weeks have heard booming out of speakers and getting the arms in the air. This is a proper 3am peaktime monster that really comes alive well beyond the witching hour when the dedicated come out to do their dancefloor gymnastics. Runaway burst onto the scene with their superb pair of edits on Wurst that were absolutely essential a year ago or so and this track should put them well and truly above the precipice. One of those records that makes you anxious for what they come up with next. An absolute monster of a record.

Runaway - Brooklyn Club Jam

Carl Craig - Undisputable

Today was the last Bears Upstairs radio show at the Beehive and seeing as it was my stomping ground every Thursday for over a year I thought I'd share one of my favourite records from when Paul and I did the KUMO radio show. This is an edit of The Undisputable Truth's Sandman, which is absolutely killer in its own right but what Carl Craig has done is stretch it out into an absolute dancefloor winner. This is a get out of jail record if ever I have heard one and a tune that makes me get misty eyed when I think of all those great nights having a laugh above Sankey's in cold Manchester with some of the warmest people known to mankind. I'm massively missing Manchester at the moment - great place, outstanding people.

Carl Craig - Undisputable

Jacques Renault - Sweet Rollin' On

1100 copies of this were pressed and it is already sold out and in this day and age that is absolutely incredible. New York's Rvng Intl. have been doing their own thing with aplomb for a couple of years now and they've never been one to follow trends - although it does seem that popularity has caught up with them somewhat - and everything from hand screen-printing the record sleeves to pressing their singles on the best quality wax makes them an absolute breath of fresh air in these troubled times. Jacques Renault - a member of the group Runaway who just released the absolutely monster track Brooklyn Club Jam - is fairly new to the scene and this EP should elevate him to a higher place amongst the disco cognoscenti and I'm not sure what the original source material for this is but it does go rather well with the Fela tune below. A great record from somoeone to keep your eye our for.

Jacques Renault - Sweet Rollin' On

Hercule - Little Green Man

Originally released in 1978 this Italo bomb has been known to change hands for upwards of $500 and thankfully a couple of kind souls have re-issued us saving some of us a small fortune and probably absolutely pissing off the collectors who paid the silly money. This is as quirky a disco record as you could ever find and play this after Bumblebee Unlimited Lady Bug and you'll have all the fans of the weird wonk absolutely eating out of your hands. Check that bassline for some proper heaviness. Ace tune.

Hercule - Little Green Man

Freda Payne - Unhooked Generation

Detroit's Freda Payne has been lighting up airwaves since 1963 with her polished voice that has had everyone from Quincy Jones to Duke Ellington clamoring to work with her. She's probably best known for her track Band of Gold that was written by the incredible production team of Holland/Dozier/Holland and was included in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. This cut is absolutely incredible and has been a carnival favourite for years and was included on Norman Jay's Good Times Vol. 3 a few years ago and as a result I played it to death but it is more than due for a revival. What a voice!

Freda Payne - Unhooked Generation

The Mole - Ain't The Way It's Supposed To Be

The Mole makes chuggers, records that groove and lock in and take you all the way across the rhythm spectrum to a place that is half techno/half house/all damn good tune and this cut from his latest album As High As The Sky - which is a soaring album if ever I have heard one - is the very epitome of the genre-not-grenre. Warp your ears around this one.

The Mole - Ain't The Way It's Supposed To Be

I've been massively busy with my new job and haven't really had much time to do much of anything and until things calm down I'll be on hiatus for a while. Hopefully all back to madness within a week or two.

Welcome Back SWP

After a few years wasting away playing for Chelski, SWP has returned home and scored two goals in the shirt he was born to wear.

1 Chelsea 3 5 7
2 Liverpool 3 2 7
3 Man City 3 4 6
4 Arsenal 3 3 6
5 West Ham 3 1 6
6 Middlesbrough 3 1 6
7 Aston Villa 3 1 4
8 Bolton 3 1 4
9 Man Utd 2 1 4
10 Blackburn 3 -2 4
11 Newcastle 3 -2 4
12 Hull 3 -4 4
13 Wigan 3 3 3
14 Fulham 2 0 3
15 Stoke 3 -2 3
16 Portsmouth 3 -2 3
17 Everton 3 -3 3
18 Sunderland 3 -3 3
19 Tottenham 3 -2 1
20 West Brom 3 -2 1

September sees us playing Chelski next at Eastlands, then Omonia Nicosa away in the UEFA Cup, then Pompey at Eastlands, Brighton away in the Carling Cup and Wigan at the JJB. Could be a very good month indeed.

The Dirtbombs - Kung Fu

I was listening to a Seth Troxler set from Killer Robot in Cape Town that was posted on E-vent recently and his second last track was this beauty from the Motor City's The Dirtbombs who are fronted by Mick Collins of The Gories infamy. This track, which is a cover of a Curtis Mayfield cut of the same name, was initially released on their 2001 album Ultraglide in Black and more recently dance music deity Kenny Dixon Jr. released it on his Mahogani imprint and pretty much everyone from house DJs to balearic DJs were playing its off-kilter yet brilliantly simple groove all over the shop. This is just the sort of thing I like to play when I DJ out (granted that hasn't happened in a while) because it is utterly unique and bit of a curve ball for the dancers to deal with. Superb stuff from a great band.

The Dirtbombs - Kung Fu

The Chap - Ethnic Instrument - Joakim remix

North London's The Chap have been making post-punk dance music since 2001's Fun EP which has had them traversing their own path through music that is akin to the likes of LCD Soundsystem, They Came From The Stars (I Saw Them) but they haven't managed to quite reach the sort of pubic reaction that those bands have managed to. Cue the input of the truly brilliant Joakim who has sliced, tweaked and diced their new single expertly and turned it into a balearic gem that has a bit of balls to it. It's brash, it's loud and it's fucking brilliant. Buy it now.

The Chap - Ethnic Instrument - Joakim remix

SK8OLOGY

SK8OLOGY is an exhibition that combines skateboard counter culture with the world of fine art with 150 artists from various backgrounds who have all lent their craft on the decks, which are being auctioned off to support Now That You Know, which is a non-profit organization that helps to provide ambitious girls from developing countries a secure environment for learning and growth. You can start bidding on these decks, of which I have chosen my favourites below. I particularly like the Jon Chase deck, which is beautifully executed.

Tocayo


Seth Haak


Munk One


Mark Cruz


Keith Renner


Jon Chase


Haubs


Bryan Sheffield