September

I’m clearly going to have to get some tips from friends with blogs. I appear to be fully useless at writing this more than once every other month, and I’ve been keeping a long list of things to write about, most of which I’ve now crossed off: I’ll never catch up if I write a separate post for each one, so I thought I’d do a round-up of last month and the month before, and then see if I can’t get into more regular blogging habits. For shame.

So here’s a lightning-quick summary of September’s stand-out stuff:

First up, the Lord of the Rings musical that I saw with various members of the family, to celebrate Dad’s birthday. This isn’t something I would have chosen to go to myself, I don’t think, and I was a bit sad that it clashed with the online airing of my mystery mix (see previous posts here and here), but I really enjoyed it – and it was certainly a lot better than a lot of its reviews suggested. At times it felt like it was modelling itself too closely on the recent Peter Jackson films – both stylistically and in terms of what was included/omitted, and the story did suffer being condensed so much – but in terms of spectacle it was really something, with a few quite stunning set pieces. The set design and the characters’ acrobatics were breathtaking in places, and the sense of both menace and wonder that you get from the books (and the films, especially the first) really came across. My main criticism (apart from the feyness of the elves, something the films almost entirely avoided) would be that none of the songs were catchy enough: if you leave a musical without whistling at least one of the numbers, then I think something’s been missed somewhere along the way… Still, thanks Dad for a great night out.

And now for something completely different: to the 02 arena (previously the Millennium Dome) for some genuine NHL ice hockey, with the LA Kings playing the Anaheim Ducks in the first of two showcase games to open the season. Canadian friends have pointed out how lucky we were to get some top-flight ice hockey over here – it was the kind of game that would have been difficult (and expensive) to get tickets for in North America. I think it was the first professional sports match I’ve seen live, and it was brilliant fun – a real sense of theatre and excitement, and ice hockey’s a very fast, exciting sport to watch. I was rooting for the Ducks, since they’d recently signed my favourite hockey bad boy, Todd Bertuzzi, but sadly they were defeated. Ah well. Here‘s a clip of the national anthem being sung at the match opening. Good times!

Hmm. I must have done more than that in September, but that’s all there appears to be of note.

Tomorrow: October. I promise.

come meditate on bass weight

The last forty-eight hours have been pretty surreal, let’s put it that way. But I’ve got to tell you about how good DMZ was on Saturday, and I have to tell you about my mystery mix tomorrow.

For those not into their (relatively) obscure south London grime sounds,  DMZ is the dubstep collective of Mala, Coki and Loefah, also known as Digital Mystikz (I think I’ve got that right) – all three of whom are DJs and producers – and the bi-monthly night, held at Brixton’s Mass club, that they run. I think it’s fair to say it’s the biggest dubstep night in London at the moment; Plastic People’s FWD>> is weekly, and it’s a great venue, but I think DMZ wins in terms of size and – partly because it’s only every other month – excitement. As an enthusiastic punter I’m certainly loathe to pass up an opportunity to meditate on bass weight at DMZ. Of course it helps that it’s just up the road from my flat.

The thing about dubstep is that, because of the sub-bass, it’s music that isn’t designed to be listened to at home, or on your mp3 player. You have to listen to it played out on a big rig, really, really loud. It has to make the hairs on your arms vibrate, your feet buzz, and your trousers flap around. Or else it’s just not loud enough. So really, DMZ has become, for me, somewhat of an essential event; listening to dubstep mixes (good as they are) at home just doesn’t cut it.  Saturday certainly didn’t disappoint. We got there pretty early; the first DJ wasn’t anything amazing, but then Gothtrad stepped up. Gothtrad sounds so hilariously like the least dubstep name for a DJ you could possibly dream of, but he totally ripped it up. It was very, very dark, really quite fast (getting to jungle speed, maybe faster) and a lot fuller, maybe slightly techno-y sounding, than the quite sparse dubby sound that characterises a lot of the dubstep I’ve heard. I’m not brilliant at describing how music sounds, and I’m only an enthusiastic punter so don’t really know what I’m talking about, but it was really quite a ferocious brand of dubstep. I totally loved it. There was a really good vibe to the night: a lot more of a party than I remember the last one being. Our (relatively small) crew stuck to the back, where there’s more space to dance and plenty of opportunity to actually stick your head into the bassbins should you feel you’re not getting enough. Brilliant. And my current favourite tune, as yet unreleased but (I think) called ‘Spongebob’ (by Coki) got a couple of plays. You can download it here, although 1: you have to sign up (though it’s free) to get it and 2: as it’s been ripped from a Rinse FM show you have to listen to some guy chatting excitably (and inanely) over it the whole way through. That’s dubstep for you. It’s worth it though: it’s truly an immense tune.

If the whole concept of dubstep mystifies you, you might want to check out some of these links: wikipedia’s entry is pretty good I reckon; this BBC documentary gives you a little bit of a taste of the scene; Pitchfork’s ‘the month in grime and dubstep’ columns are are a good primer; and then you can check out various myspace pages for little snippets of what’s going on. Just remember, you’re not going to get it by listening to it on your headphones or through your crappy little PC speakers. At some point you’re going to have to get yourself to a night and listened to it played really, really loudly, so you can feel the sub-bass as much as you can hear it.

What is it about girls and bass anyway?

And now for something completely different. Tomorrow night sees the airing of my mystery mix, as described briefly in this post, on the Big Chill forum. Sadly I can’t be online to tell people they’re wrong/right (and as it’s not got anything obscure on it it’ll probably be the latter), which is a shame as that’s half the fun, but you can join in the guessing here. The mix will be streamed live at 10pm here, but if you miss it, you can download it after 11pm tomorrow evening here (though you have to create an account first). Look for a file called ‘WPGR’s misery mix’ by Wee Papa Girl Rapper. Got it? It’s a pretty downtempo mix, put together back in June when things were a bit wobbly, but I’m really rather pleased with it. I’d love it if you gave it a listen, tried to guess the tracklisting, and tell me what you think. I’ll happily burn a copy and post it to anyone who asks.

sadder day

I ain’t got no money, and I don’t care
I’ve been sitting down in this well I swear
And I ain’t getting nothing but the same old shit every day
I’ve been waiting from sunset to sunrise
Living in vain and why I cry
No one’s giving a damn thing
I close my eyes, I’m lost in place
I’m running fast to a quiet space
And I take my hands and cover my face from the sun
I’m in a sadder day, oh it was my favourite day
All my hope was gone, and I love sadder days
I’ve been down baby for you
Love was great when it was new
And I paid my dues, cos I was living for you
Ain’t nothing gonna change
I been sending you a final message
And I’m walking away from your sadder days
I’m feeling crowded in this small space
I’m walking round with a simple faith
And I got a plan to make my stand and move on
I been fine in your sadder day
Oh I was loving you cos my favourite place
Was a sadder day, sadder day
Oh I’m working hard every day
I got this plan with my boss’s pay
And I keep all my plans for the fire high
I’m in your sadder day
Oh it was my favourite place
And now my hope is gone
And I love sadder days

This is the tune that I’ve been listening to on repeat for most of the past week. I find it simultaneously an utterly heartbreaking evocation of the way I’ve been feeling recently (I’m in a sadder day) and an uplifting, inspiring track (I got a plan to make my stand and move on). I suppose sometimes it’s good to wallow – although maybe wallow’s not quite the right word. Good to really fully experience your feelings, no matter how painful they might be? Anyway there’s something very powerful about this song, and it’s encapsulated a few rather emotionally fraught days for me, so that’s worth celebrating in some kind of a way isn’t it. It’s by Stephanie McKay, from her 2003 album McKay. I got it just last week on the strength of one track, Take Me Over, that I’d heard out a few times and on a compilation that a friend made me (Skylarkin’ and Beck vs Bach respectively: thank you Aidan and Ade). Take Me Over is a beautiful bit of summery soul sung over a classic reggae track, Double Barrel; the rest of the album is very, very different: think a slightly less RnB Jill Scott, as produced by Geoff Barrow, and you’re getting there. Not at all what I was expecting but very good – a real grower. In a weird way you can hear Barrow’s production, but it’s subtle – dense, textured, cinematic. Beautiful.

So this song is going to be the key track in a mix I’m working on – my ‘mystery mix’ (although it’s going to be more of a misery mix it seems). The Big Chill Forum, where I’ve posted for the last few years, has a Thursday night mystery mix slot, where posters upload a track and as it streams, others try to identify the tracks. It’s a chance for the DJs of the community to dig a little deeper, and everyone else to have a little fun. For various complicated reasons I missed my slot this week, so I have a little more time to select my favourite miserabilist tracks, but as soon as it’s all done I’ll post a link here. Or of course if you ask me nicely I’ll burn you a copy. Happy days!

Next episode: the remedy for my sadder days. To whet your appetite, it involves food, gardens and brotherly love. Aww.