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Thursday, 02 July, 2009
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Tate Modern Live music and film: Cyprian Gaillard / Koudlam
02/07/2009
Short of something to do this Friday night? Or need an excuse to avoid a reluctantly-agreed-to meeting with an extremely boring person? Fear not. Here is the solution. The Tate Modern is holding an after-hours session of film and music in the Turbine Hall, involving artist Cyprien Gaillard's films and French composer and musician Koudlam, and it should be a pretty spectacular evening with large projections, especially given the dramatic setting of the Turbine Hall. It is also free entry. Following a series of short films by Gaillard, and interventions by Koudlam, the film Desniansky Raion – a collaboration between the artist and the musician – will be projected. In this work, an exhilarating soundtrack traverses a triptych of film: the illicit joy of an organised fight; a spectacular light display illuminating the façade of a housing block before its destruction; and finally footage of an apparently desolate, snow-covered housing estate, Desiansky Raion, in Kiev. It all sounds extremely exciting, so get down to the Tate Modern . If you’ve somehow forgotten where it is, the address is: Bankside, London, SE1 9TG, and the closest tube station is Southwark. Photo: Desniansky Raion by Cyprien Gaillard © the artist
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Jazz and Afrobeat greats to join Standon Calling line-up
02/07/2009
Ever noticed those people who walk along in front of you, blocking your path before suddenly stopping. Dead. You end up having to stop. Dead. But you can’t guarantee that the person behind you will stop. Dead. So they ram into the back of you and tut and moan in their £5,000 suits; late for their f*cking dinner dates. “WILL IT BE THE STEAK TARTARE OR THE ROAST PHEASANT!?” And the person who caused this human traffic will be scratching their balls or rubbing their tits, before carrying on like nothing has happened. Maybe they get a strange kick out of stopping for no reason; like those ASBO kids you see dropping bricks from foot bridges onto passing motorists. The world is a rubbish tip. No wonder they call it a rat race. Anyways, the show must go on. Dubbed ‘a 3000 capacity gem of the UK festival scene’ by The Guardian, Standon Calling returns to Hertfordshire from Friday 31st July – Sunday 2nd August. The festival has just announced that in addition to the indie, rock and dance acts on offer, some of the world’s biggest and most influential jazz and afrobeat talent will also make the journey. Son of afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti (pictured) will be making a very rare and special appearance. Avant-Jazz, bebop and jazz greats The Arkestra will also be performing. Now led by 85-year-old original band member Marshall Allen, The Arkestra are sure to pay homage to famous frontman Sun Ra, who passed away in ’93 and remains a true legend of the jazz scene. Afro-beat infused, experimental jazz musician Ben Lamdin (aka Nostalgia 77), will also play an exclusive festival set with his 9-piece band, whilst Deathray Trebuchay will also make the trip. Previous acts to be announced for the festival include Tony Christie, Eddy Temple Morris, Friendly Fires, Chrome Hoof, Chew Lips, Detroit Social Club, Ladytron, Son of Dave, Freeland and Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele. 70s space-rockers Hawkwind will also be performing at the three day festival as part of their 40th anniversary celebrations. The theme for this year’s Standon Calling will be SPACE, with NASA camps, an intergalactic dressing up camp and Stranger Than Paradise’s ‘CCCP Cosmonaut Training Centre’ among the attractions. Standon Calling is a non-profit festival in conjunction with the charity Phoenix Futures. All profits go to supporting victims of drug and alcohol abuse. For further information visit Standon-Calling.Com
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Get Loaded in the Park: Final acts and stages revealed
02/07/2009
If we were in a war, we’d be the rat they let loose in the mine field. Just a personal thought there from Planet Notion. Anyways, on with the show. The final acts have been announced for the Get Loaded festival, taking place at Clapham Common on August 30th. The one day festival, which last year featured bands including Supergrass and rock/punk legends Iggy and the Stooges, will feature a far more electronic sound this summer. The latest acts announced for the festival include experimental pop duo Telepathe, The Count and Sinden, recent Radio1 record of the week winner MPHO and Tom Middleton. Get Loaded ‘09 will feature four stages. The main stage, the Clash stage, the XFM stage and the Time Out/Dim Mak stage. Taking to the XFM stage will be headliners Royksopp, along with acts including Esser, Booka Shade and a special guest TBA. DJ sets will come from Pendulum, John Kennedy and Eddy Temple Morris. The Clash stage will include headliner Laurent Garnier, Peaches and new additions We Are Enfant Terrible. DJ sets will feature new additions Live Tech Rebelz and the Fish Don’t Dance DJs. Headlining the Time Out/Dim Mak stage will be Chicago house legend Felix Da Housecat, with The Count and Sinden, Crookers and new additions MSTRKRFT (pictured) among those providing support. Finally, the main stage headliners will be DJ duo Orbital, with support from Freeland (LIVE), Sneaky Sound System and a UK festival exclusive from the Ron Size Reprazent, to name but a few. Course, that’s just for starters. We just couldn’t be arsed to bring you ALL the details. For tickets, full line-up and other info visit GetLoadedInThePark.Com
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Countdown to Scotland's Wickerman Festival begins
02/07/2009
Amsterdam Dance Event announces first festival additions
01/07/2009
Ronnie Scott's to celebrate 50 years with all-Brit Jazz Fest
01/07/2009
PUMA RUDOLF DASSLER WITH MODULAR RECORDS GIG IN BERLIN, BABY
29/06/2009
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Notion magazine
albums
A Ways Away
05/06/2009
Folk / Folk Rock
Grand
04/06/2009
Indie / Dancepop
Fucked Up Friends
29/05/2009
Jagged Electro / Trippy Beats
Cut
22/05/2009
Art-house / Indie / Pop
features
DOOM: Behind the mask...
25/06/2009
squirts posin' as thuggers an hustlers (el edo's??) closer than y'all ball huggers and jugglers For DOOM, hip hop’s masked supervillain, this is the pivotal point in his latest album BORN LIKE THIS . It’s the last line of CELLZ, which tells the story of a vividly violent apocalyptic world. It’s typical DOOM – dense imagery and wordplay that tells a fictional three-dimensional story that has symbolic bearing on the real world in which we live. ‘That line is my favourite. To me it translates to a representation of hip hop and how this whole gangsta thing that’s somehow infiltrated has watered it down and is reflected back to the children so you got young men growing up thinking that they can portray that image, which is impossible to do. It only leads you to incarceration and Death Row. Then there are the women who feel pressured to be a certain way and look a certain way and act a certain way,’ he says. ‘It kinda points the finger at them and says look – do what you feel you think you should be doing but the truth is the truth and the creator knows what you’re doing. You have to answer to Him eventually anyway.’ DOOM’s eloquence is exhilarating. He’s a self-professed stickler for grammar and his delivery – both in rap and conversation – is insightful and challenging. BORN LIKE THIS. has been hotly anticipated, his first full-length solo record for nearly five years. But he hasn’t always rapped in a metal mask under the guise of a get-rich-quick villain called DOOM. Underneath all that, and aside from his other alteregos of DOOM spin-off Viktor Vaughan, and a three-headed monster from outer space called King Geedorah, he’s a regular guy called Daniel Dumile. His hip hop career began as a rapper called Zev Love X who, with his brother Subroc, formed KMD in the late 80s. But tragedy struck when Subroc was killed in a car accident and KMD lost its contract with Elektra. Dumile disappeared for five years and emerged in 1998 as a masked supercriminal. Why did you decided to rap under fabricated personas? I stick to those old-school rules of rhyming where it’s all really creative. The things that people haven’t done are the things that are way out there, so I just go for the unbeaten path. What is the ‘unbeaten path’ moment on your album that you’re particularly proud of? GAZILLION EAR – the first song on the album. I always like to experiment with changing the beat and picking the rhymes so that particular song – that was a challenge for me. I wanted to do a song like back with Spoonie Gee and those guys who had records that were like seven minutes long and their rhyming took the whole record. I was aiming at that kinda feel but at the same time I keep a good description of what kinda guy the villain is. He’s a real go-getter – he’s got a get rich quick scheme going on so, I want to paint the picture at the beginning of the record of the type of character that this guy is, for those who are not familiar for him.’ It’s a pretty convincing picture. Do people ever confuse you with your supervillain alterego? It happens here and there. I think people typecast emcees in a way that if you’re a writer and you write rhymes that you gotta be the character that you’re talking about. You can’t write for another character even though in every other genre, from screenplays to feature films, writers write for other characters. But in hip hop, if you’re writing then you have to be that guy. I try to expand people’s minds a little bit more, especially in these times. That’s my contribution back, I guess – some creative thinking. I’m just showing these cats, look - it doesn’t have to be the way everyone says it has to be. New things come out every day and this is just a new side of hip hop. I have faith in the youth. I think most can wrap their minds around it. How do you stay in character? Some days it comes naturally. I make sure I keep a pen and a pad wherever I am so that when I do get an idea that’s geared towards any particular character I can write it down cos the flow’s in and out, know what I mean? Certain times when I’m on deadline and I really need to focus on one, I meditate up on it, get into a creative mode and it comes gradually. Creativity moves like a wave or a spiral. I compare it to surfing, so you try to ride that creative wave until you fall off and then you jump back on it again. Does the mask help? Are you wearing it now? Yeah I put it on here and there, know what I’m sayin’? But I think it’s more that the mask wears me. Does it all go a bit Jim Carrey sometimes? Yeah no doubt. You gotta be careful with that thing. It must be mad to have people so convinced by your character that it’s hard for them to see you as a real person underneath it all. I don’t wanna say I overdid it cos I guess it’s a good thing people are convinced. You didn’t mess about! Yeah I put everything into it – I’ll put all my heart in it and make it as convincing as possible. But I guess here and there I’ll put out a disclaimer so people don’t bug out too much. Why are you now just DOOM and have dropped the MF? It’s like dropping a title. You might be calling a guy Mr Henry but after a while he’s like, just call me John. This record’s more intimate to me. It’s a solo record and it’s being put out through major distribution so it’s like, yo, this is for people who wanna know the character or already know him. It has an up close and personal feel to it. So that’s why I said, just call me DOOM. You rap in BALLSKIN – ‘get beat in the head with lead-pipe languages’. Are you deliberately complex with your wordplay? Yeah – I try to make it as visual as possible just to carry the story well. Since we’re dealing with an audio format, you have to use your imagination, so I try and give it enough different analogies and perspectives so they can visualise what’s going on. That’s why your style is so exciting. What’s your take on the hip hop industry these days? I look at it like this; hip hop as a movement is constantly evolving. It stays pure in its form but when the industry gets involved, that’s when it gets watered down. You start dealing with offshoots that are called hip hop but are not really hip hop – the industry bunches it all into one thing and then a lot gets lost in translation. And when the industry gets involved, people are making money off it so you no longer have the focus of the art being the art. But that happens with everything and I always have faith that there’s a core audience and core group that’s still the pure, raw of it. There’s always people who want the correct translation. The track RAP AMBUSH and its images of ‘rhyme-propelled grenades’ is a scathing indictment on how things are, but is positive at the same time. No doubt. War’s an ugly thing and I superimpose what’s going on with the war with what’s going on in hip hop. It’s an invasion of an alien enemy into our land. That’s how I see it. People are putting out music that’s all about the money so the whole analogy is if this artform is like the oil and we’re trying to get control over it by invading it, then no one’s giving you that grassroots frontline team that’s gonna fight for it. We’ll get down and dirty and make it happen. I think it came out cool. Do you see your music as strictly art? How aware are you of the commercial aspect? It’s strictly art. I don’t pay attention to the commercial part as far as that being the determining factor in any of the creative process. I figure by now I know what I’m doing enough for the fans to hear it – I do it for me and I do it for the cats who know where I’m coming from and have like minds. If it can make me laugh and it’s speaking to me, then I know it’s speaking to someone else and it’s making someone else laugh. After that, the industry can look at it and they can figure out how to market it. But it’s already in its form. I don’t break the pattern. A real stand-out cut on the record is STILL DOPE with Empress Starhh. Where did you find her? She’s my homegirl from Atlanta. John Robinson [emcee from Scienz Of Life] introduced me to her. She’s a really lyrical girl and just as lyrical as I am, and I won’t say that about a lot of people. She’s very crafty with wordplay and she’s got a very fast vocabulary. I’m working on a record with her now, which should be out by the end of the year, so people can hear more of her. Are you coming to the UK anytime soon? I should be there. It’s gonna happen eventually. There’s a little bit of red tape but nothing too tough. It’s a matter of time, that’s all. What do you think about people saying there have been imposters behind the mask doing your gigs for you? I’m just a writer. I’ll put whoever I need to put as the main character. But sometimes people still think it’s not me and I’m like, it’s never me really. I’m me. He’s just the character. Whoever has the mask on is the character at the time. That’s a neat sidestep right there… I think we can do more with hip hop. People say it’s an imposter – it’s not. I know a guy – I hired him to do it. That ain’t an imposter! People need to expand their minds and they just have to get it. They get it when it comes to films. You can get anybody to play a part. When I’m on stage, it’s a show. Expect anything and everything but don’t expect to see me. Not that anybody knows what I look like anyway so even if it was me, people would still be saying it’s not me. Once people stop expecting to see the guy and get into the music and understanding it’s about the character. The person playing the character can always change. To have me jumping about on stage is just played out. Here’s hoping that you sort out that red tape business. Yeah I’ll definitely make my way out there. I might be in the crowd, I might be backstage… You never know. Words and Interview: Helene Dancer Extracted from Notion Magazine 39. To subscribe to Notion Magazine visit our subscriptions page . Notion Magazine is a bi-monthly (6-yearly) magazine, with an annual subscription priced at £18.99.
Guru: Return to the true school
30/04/2009
It’s a galling experience, coming face to face with a legend. One utterance could completely destroy the deific image you’ve carefully constructed. They could turn out to be boring, arrogant or pretty damn depressing. Over a pile of salt ‘n vinegar crisps and grapes sits Guru – the OG rapper who achieved legend status as one half of NYC’s Gang Starr with DJ Premier, and the first man to marry jazz and hip hop. After rummaging in a bag while Solar, his producer and 7 Grand Records co-owner, starts the discussion, he’s finally ready to chat. He adjusts his cap. And smiles, while firmly shaking my hand. Ladies and gentlemen, I’m pleased to report that he’s a lovely man. Gracious, eloquent, charismatic with the requisite dose of braggadocio to keep him coolly aloof. ‘Hip hop in its pure form is living and breathing through people like Solar and 7 Grand Records,’ he says – the monotonous gravel tones bringing back memories of late-night Gang Starr rap-a-longs. ‘People are saying it’s dead, people are saying it’s dying, and we’re here as a rescue squad, so to speak.’ Solar interjects in a tag-team approach they continue throughout the conversation. ‘It’s not dead – it’s just been kidnapped. Tied up on the staircase.’ They concur with a nod that errs slightly on the self-congratulatory. Freed from major-label shackles, Guru is evidently happy to be running his own self-styled boutique label, with a man he touts as being the best producer on the block. Their fourth release together, ‘Guru 8.0 Lost and Found,’ is slated for release in March, and early signs are that it’s a departure from the classic Jazzmatazz sound, where jazz-infused production meets conscious lyrics. Guru’s keen to big up the intrigue, revealing very little. ‘It’s 19 banging tracks with mostly just us and our immediate family,’ says Guru. DJ Doo Wop is on there, and Solar does both production and emceeing. ‘The music is very adventurous. We’re charting new territory. This album is truly a remarkable piece of work in its diversity,’ says Solar. Guru’s no stranger to repping the new shit. In 1993, he broke from the sample-based mould and hooked up with jazz musicians create some live instrumentation over which he’d rap. ‘Everyone was sampling jazz at the time and I was like, “Let’s take it to the next level and get some of those guys to jam live over some hip hop beats,’ and that’s how Jazzmatazz started. ‘The first person I talked to was Donald Byrd, who became like a mentor to me. He put the word out in the jazz community that Guru was the go-to man for this new concept. It was groundbreaking and has influenced many of the things that have come after – other scenes like acid jazz, neo-soul, and projects like Carlos Santana.’ He went on to collaborate with artists including Roy Ayers, Ramsey Lewis, Branford Marsalis and Jamiroquai. While Guru was building Jazzmatazz, his work with Premo aka DJ Premier cemented his notoriety in the rap game. Their creative chemistry was magic, and Guru’s often sycophantic adulation of Solar smacks of a similar quest. ‘I’m the type that likes to work with one producer. Now I have the best producer in the game – a visionary who I’m running a label with, so it’s a whole other level now. But it’s a level we control now, and not one that’s controlled by a major label,’ he says. ‘7 Grand as a musical entity can bring a more intelligent light to the musical palette,’ continues Solar, ‘and we’re doing it in a way that stimulates the young crowd, we’re keeping the old fanbase happy – those who’ve followed Guru’s career for a while. We’re the best at hip hop jazz on the planet right now.’ It’s a bold statement. So how does this stand up in a world where much of hip hop has mutated into a tinny commodity for the ringtone generation? ‘You got a situation where the audience is more intelligent than the major labels see them as,’ says Solar. ‘We know they’re more intelligent, so we’re creating music that they’re looking for; they find, and they enjoy.’ They cite a gig in Mexico where the average age was 17 – ‘People were pulling out Street Scripture t-shirts!’ says Solar, referring to Guru’s 2005 solo album that he produced. Guru sits forward in his chair after musing on the memory; his hand stroking his chin. ‘We stay accessible. There’s no entourage around us – we don’t pull up in a Rolls Royce.’ There may not be an entourage but there is a posse of haters who decry Solar stepping into Premo’s space behind the tables. I mention the latter and their glory days as Gang Starr but Guru doesn’t bite. He once again extols the virtues of his current ‘super-producer’ and his excitement about 7 Grand’s creative autonomy. There’s a rich seam ready to be mined here, but the door is firmly shut. Instead we congratulate the US’s new black president-elect, Barack Obama, and his quest for change. Both voice their support. ‘We’re men of the people, so we’re always gonna be in there, fighting for what’s right – through our music, of course,’ says Guru. Critics might accuse the man of losing his fighting spirit in his verbals, rehashing lyrics and making questionable production calls, but his focus and confidence are still very much intact. Let’s see how this translates in the future. Words: Helene Dancer Guru’s new record will be out soon (7 Grand). Feature extracted from Notion Magazine 38. To subscribe to Notion Magazine CLICK HERE .
Young, Gifted and GaGa
10/02/2009
The following interview was extracted from Notion Magazine, issue 37. Having taken place September 2008, it was the first interview with Lady GaGa to be printed in a UK publication. Lady GaGa has since gone on to have a number one single (Just Dance) and album success with her debut, The Fame. The photographs accompanying the following interview have been edited from an exclusive photo-shoot as printed in Notion Magazine. For her photo-shoot with Notion, Lady GaGa dons two homespun outfits that cast her as D.I.Y dominatrix and noughties Virgin Mary consecutively, exhibiting exactly the firm creative control, commanding identity, wit and passionate vision we like from our future icons. Voguing for the camera like a veteran, and merrily readjusting her makeshift bin-bag hood, here is a girl who knows exactly what she’s after. Notion takes a taxi with Lady Gaga to her hotel, where she is to relax those hyper-active vocal chords – that naughty ‘Playboy mouth,’ - before firing up a London Fashion Week bash later in the evening. At the start of your mini promo video, ‘The Fame,’ the message, ‘POP MUSIC WILL NEVER BE LOW BROW’ flashes up on your sunglasses… Well my show is supposed to be an installation experience… I made those glasses out of i-pods and they’re compatible with i-pod software… the House Of GaGa! I make money as a (song)writer for other artists, and instead of buying a house and a car and going on vacation, I make technology, and fashion, because I’m a total nerd! So I made these glasses, and it’s me taking a vow about my work; putting pop music on the top of the table, as opposed to how people brush it underneath. It’s me as a commercial artist wanting to make commercial pop art that is considered high-brow, and fine… What makes you a ‘performance-art pop-star,’ and does this detract from the actual tunes? I think it makes it better, more fun, like a whole lifestyle. You can download a song, but you can’t download the clothes; the feeling; the excitement. All the work I put into the clothes, the visuals and the installation of the performance, that’s what makes it believable, and liveable and loveable… And so much more than anything that’s out right now. Do you reckon that your music and your ideas might actually be more conservative, had you not attended the Convent of Sacred Heart school in Manhattan? Yes and no… I was slightly exposed to things when I was younger, because I used to rebel. You know, ‘I’m going to the East Village tonight!’ I wasn’t inspired by my life in private school, that was not what made me tick. But I do think my education has made me a better artist – the mixture of the discipline, with the rebelliousness of me. Even though I’m singing about fashion and money, and getting drunk and making pop art, and fame as something self-determined, the way I do it is very smart. I use interesting lyrics with excellent references, the fashion is not typical, it’s fashion-forward, and very graphic. On stage, I’m creating certain shapes that I’ve really thought about. Like, ‘I want to make an upside-down triangle,’ and I do! On myspace you only list your male equivalents – ‘Elton John, Freddie Mercury, Boy George and a cross-dressing John Lennon at Studio 54.’ Are you just bored by other female pop icons? Brunette, I was Cher, right? Now that I’m a blonde, I’m Madonna; I’m Britney; I’m Christina Aguilera; I’m Gwen… What about Blondie? Dale Bozzio from Missing Persons? What about… what about… Twiggy? If I get onto the ‘Worst Dressed’ list in An American tabloid, I’m like, ‘What fucking twenty-five year-old jackass in a Juicy Couture sweatsuit wrote that?’ I’m a bit arrogant about my work, I’m like, ‘Who’s reviewing it?’ It’s my way of asking people to look at me and everybody else in a different way. Don’t look at me as a woman! Look at me as an artist! We put Britney, Christina Aguilera and Madonna in a room. You can collaborate with one on a song, go partying with another, and push the remaining one off a podium… Oh God! Well, I’ve already written a track for Britney… I’d love to write a track for Madonna – for all three of them, and go partying them all! The whole ‘Put me in the ring with a super-star’ thing, I’m not really looking at them. It’s not that I don’t see myself in that arena, because I do, that’s how I expect I will exist… I don’t wear the scenester patch on my sleeve, like, ‘Oh, I’m an indie pop artist, emerging from this group of electro-pop…’ Whaaa-da-whaa-da, it’s just so boring, and it’s so like, ‘What scene?’ There isn’t a scene. When someone comes up next to me, I’m not sizing them up, I’m like, ‘Hi! How you doing? Keep going!’ You pass echelons of artists, and then before you know it, you’re standing next to Christina and Britney and Madonna, and you’re still looking straight ahead. Which elements are needed to make a perfect pop song? Well, it’s gotta be a hit! And catchy! You’ve gotta be able to play it anywhere, to any kind of person, and it has to really hit them… I try to write stuff that’s meaningful: I want to make important art; important music; important fashion… Whether it’s a bunch of London paparazzi clapping, or Americans going, ‘What the fuck with the glasses and the stick? She’s so weird but I just can’t stop watching it!’ That is great too! Those articles are so pissed – ‘Why the fuck is she on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’?’ I’ve gone on with serious technology, serious electronics, a light sabre, with these insane, fashion, extreme glasses, and I’m like, I’m doing it! Which male pop artist has the most desirable disco-stick? Like, who would I like to shag? Oh, I was actually singing about an English guy in (‘Love Games’), but he’d be too embarrassed! It was pretty off-the-cuff; you know, I was having a real lusty moment as a girl, and I was like, ‘Eeergh! That’s fucking funny!’ Right? But I would probably say Sean Connery, when he was playing James Bond… Most of your tunes seem to have been written in a state either of intoxication, or arousal, or both. Do you write tunes for the Generation of Excess? (Laughs and claps effusively…) Well, that is what we are! That is my lifestyle; what inspires me as a twenty-two year-old blonde who likes to date rock-stars… I think I’ll always, always, always sing about fashion. I’ll always make music that could be played on a runway… Last year you toured your provocative ‘Lollapalooza’ show with Lady Starlight – do you get off on the power pulling sexy moves with another woman has to make men weak? Honestly, I’m not ever thinking about how to get the guys hard – I couldn’t care less. And I don’t have a real conventional beauty, but I am very sexy. My friends used to say, you have this dripping sexuality; you just always look like you’ve just been fucked – always! The show I did with Starlight was like a-maz-ing, but fucking weird! We played the ‘Clockwork Orange’ tune as a disco-ball dropped; there were turntables; we go-goed to Black Sabbath; set hairspray on fire, and we did very synchronised, Vanity 6-style dance moves – it was fucking special. I used to hump my piano, I mean it was like, super campy! Guys wouldn’t voluntarily see Mandy Moore, even though she’s very sexy, very pretty, but they will come to my show – straight guys too, rockers! I think that says something about what I do, it’s provocative, but it’s not really about the sex, it’s hitting them in a new way about girls. Would you say your songs express a mixed and modern kind of sexuality, where anything goes, or are these more typical girl-on-boy pop tunes? Do I look completely straight to you? Do I not look a little bit sideways? I think it’s a bit of both; I’m a very free spirit. That’s sort of the nature of our society right now, but I am careful – I don’t like when artists use the gay community to get like, edgy attention, that’s lame. I don’t want my sexuality to be what makes me edgy - to me, that’s not interesting. If we were to engineer the perfect bionic body with you, which female body parts and which male body parts would you use? That’s a fucking great question! Honestly, I’m seeing a bald woman’s head… Her eyes blocked out with like a strip across, a very pouty mouth, and I see creamy white… All the limbs are detachable, and black here (gestures around the face and chest)… I see nothing on the crotch; not vagina and not dick, not even a hole, just… skin. Boobs, but not like, Playboy boobs, functional boobs, something really alien-esque. The shoulders are high, and kind of triangular… I see a giant prosthetic that’s in a permanent position of couture, and, she’s definitely on her toes… ‘Just Dance’ is a call to keep raving in the club, whether you’ve lost your phone or you can’t see straight – can you tell us your most shambolic clubbing tale? One tale? Yes, I can! I have it on film. It was at Rated-X, a party in New York at Luke & Leroy. It was the after-party to my performance with Semi-Precious Weapons. I smoked some weed in the dressing room and it must have had something sprinkled in it, ‘cos I went crazy! I drank fucking red wine like you’ve never seen… My boyfriend at the time – I’m single right now and I’m not interested – was like, ‘Babe, did you take fucking pills?’ I was like, ‘N-nno, yeah, er…’ Then me and Starlight, we started rolling around on the dancefloor with our legs up – I just remember the floor felt so fucking good! I have this giant disco ball that we travel with, and I was throwing it at people, like totally belligerent… Which couture show would you most like to work the runway for? Chanel. I would have to compose something special for it though, see the clothes. But for now, I’ve gotta say (Maison Martin) Margiela, ‘cos I wear it all the time – I wouldn’t wear Margiela if it didn’t speak to the records… Have you visited many fetish clubs in New York? I have! This guy was wrapped in a carpet underneath the bar, and it said, ‘To order a drink, step on this carpet.’ So I got up there, and then I realised that he was really aroused! You say you’re here to ‘try to change the world one sequin at a time’… I’m changing the world with what I do, but there’s a sense of humour about it. I’m not singing about politics or saving the environment – I believe in saving the world with happiness; with joy; with a good time – that’s where the sequins come in! ‘Dirty Rich’ describes a world where club kids are polished to perfection, yet also ‘wrecked’ and struggling for money; would you agree that this contradiction between style and substance is one of the foundations and great complexes of pop culture? Truthfully, that record - we all spent all our money on drugs. But we looked fucking great and we were all so high that we thought we were famous as shit, right? It’s really our fault; it’s not because pop music suppresses us and our music doesn’t make it into the mainstream and nobody knows what real art is… No, it’s because we’re lazy, and we were really fucking high, right? I’m a smart girl and I happen to make really great music, and that’s the substance, right? But on the surface, ‘The Fame,’ it’s not about being famous; it’s about everybody wanting to know who you are… I’ve been con-arting my way into celebrity bashes and nightclubs and getting my photo taken since I was fifteen! Anybody can do it, any fucking person, but it’s uneffective (sic) if you don’t have substance, it will only go so far… Interview: Lucy Wilson. ‘The Fame’ is out now (Interscope). To subscribe to Notion Magazine CLICK HERE .
60 Seconds
Damian Lazarus' Guide to the Galaxy
25/06/2009
echo park I moved to Los Angeles in October 08 and settled in a beautiful house at the top of Echo Park. The sunset every night is incredible and my views on all sides are something else. The pace of life here is very different to that in London; I wake up real early, I don't party too much in the week and I feel pretty healthy. My area is populated mainly by musicians and artists and the place is rich in musical history, the underground club scene here is electric and the glitz, glamour and trappings of Hollywood only enter your life if you allow it, which I don't. scott walker I recorded one cover version on my album, 'It's Raining Today' by Scott Walker. I'm a big fan of Scott and recently saw the movie about him, 30th Century Man. I find it so bizarre that such an incredible talent, in production, arranging, writing and singing, could be so overlooked for so many years. His weirdness appeals most to me, his ability to tell a story and suck you right in, whilst the music around the tale twists and turns and often blows your mind. Recently I've been playing this track called 'The Electrician' to death, possibly one of the most intriguing, gorgeous and strangest records of all time. crosstown rebels The label is my pride and joy. Having your own record label as an artist is a must. I've come to realise that the process of releasing a record is so self-absorbing that it is easy to find yourself only concerned with your own music. I find that working with other artists and releasing other records keeps me grounded, reminds me that the world doesn't solely revolve around me and that music is not a competition. I have some great people working for Rebels and I think we produce some excellent, forward thinking stuff, and of course our parties are pretty legendary. bear grhyls I think the fact that I am so unfit is the reason that I'm attracted to Man vs Wild. I just discovered this show and I think it's the perfect way to spend a night in; watching this lunatic eat snakes, climb up mountains, sleep in caves... just mental. Nothing much appeals to me on TV (certainly since The Wire proved to be the best thing ever made and unlikely to be surpassed) but Man vs Wild hits the right note, we love Bear round my place! mustang 66 So I moved to LA and did the obvious thing, bought myself a classic Ford Mustang. I never really appreciated cars before coming here but it feels so right to be driving around in a vintage design classic. It's tricky driving with a gear stick after being used to automatic in London but it helps having a v8 engine inside. I get stopped in traffic quite often, it seems that alot of people here had a Mustang at one time in their life and they like to chat about it and reminisce at traffic lights. serial killer fashion Recently I came across this incredible jacket that was made for Charles Manson; it was hand woven by members of his cult gang; braided with locks of hair taken from all the Manson girls. It took 4 years to make and on it they recorded/embroidered all the killings and rituals. Seeing is believing. west ham I've been a life long West Ham fan, I was a very young kid when they beat Arsenal in the FA Cup in 1980 but I was there at Wembley Stadium with a claret and blue nylon scarf wrapped around my wrist. A week later I met the players at their training ground and was given a signed football... I ditched my season ticket a few years later and switched my weekend activities to girls and parties. I watch a game whenever I can these days but I will never forgive the team for causing me so much aggrovation and so little joy over the years. larry david There's a little bit of Larry in me it must be said, the constant pursuit of getting away with murder maybe? The star of Curb Your Enthusiasm is such an unlikely hero but there's something about the way his twisted mind works that appeals to me. I have a few Larry-isms but then again, I think most people do. smoking I will probably quit one day but I've been doing this for so long now I'm not sure people would recognise me without a fag in my hand. It's unhealthy, it stinks, most people hate it but it's simply something I do. I don't do yoga but I do smoke, surely there must be some good to come out of it? weird sculpted heads I have a bizarre collection of sculpted head carvings from around the world. Some sit on the floor and form a little group, others hang on walls. Some are animal like, others are wood carved or made of iron. Every now and then I find something odd on my travels around the world and get a weird fetish for it, the next thing I know Im searching for add ons to the collection every where I go. These appeal to me because they are so painstakingly made and its great to imagine the origins of each one and the thoughts and process that went into making them; I guess its an adult extension of playing with dolls. Words: Damian Lazarus Extracted from Notion Magazine 39. To subscribe to Notion Magazine visit our subscriptions page . Notion Magazine is a bi-monthly (6-yearly) magazine, with an annual subscription priced at £18.99.
Copyright: Ibiza '09 Interview
21/05/2009
Gavin Mills and Sam Holt are better known as Copyright, an international DJ duo signed to Defected, who have been rocking beats on dance floors for over 10 years. With a solid reputation as hot producers and skilful DJs, they come to us with news of their residency at Pacha, explain why they do not have a normal life and why their new Ibiza 09 mix is the first of its kind. You’ve been playing together for a long time now, would you actually consider yourselves veterans of the scene? Sam: It’s been 10 years now - I feel like a veteran (laughs). I was chatting to Axwell the other week and he said ‘we are all now veterans of the scene’, so maybe we are. Gav is a veteran. Gav: I’m feeling like a veteran because you see all these kids out on the dancefloor and think, ‘wait a minute, this is a whole new generation now’, so yeah, I feel like a veteran of the scene. When you’re making records, what’s Copyrights musical philosophy; what elements should the songs you produce always have? Sam: I think you start from the beats up, get rocking beats; that’s always our foundation. Gav: The rhythm is always the starting foundation and then, when we’re working with singers, we try not to write throwaway songs. When we’re thinking of a song we try to think of a subject and write a song with a bit of a story, quite often if you listen to our lyrics, there is a deeper meaning in there. You’ve been in Ibiza constantly for the last 6/7 years, what do you think it has in store for you this year? Sam: Well, first of all, this year it’s Saturdays at Pacha for Defected, which is a massive step up. To have an Ibiza residency at Pacha for us is a massive thing and something we’re really, really excited about. For all the aspiring DJs out there, can you try and explain as best you can what it feels like to be in front of that crowd at peak time on a Saturday night at Pacha? Gav: There’s something special about getting behind the decks at Pacha; it’s got an amazing sound system and it’s got one of the best crowds, who are there purely because they love the music. Sam: When we’re making records we try and imagine playing it at Pacha, that shows how we value it, that is almost as good as it gets. Can you explain what it’s like not having a normal life like other people, where you can do normal things on a Friday or Saturday; how does that feel for you? Gav: Well, you have to have a very understanding Wife or Girlfriend, that goes without saying. Sam: Our weekend nights are Wednesday and Thursday. It’s very important to go out and have some fun, if it’s all in the studio or all travelling it’s too much. So I’ve found I’ve got quite a few hangovers on Friday mornings going to Heathrow (laughs). What are the differences between the two mixes you’ve done for your new album? Sam: Well we wanted to try and replicate the Ibizan experience and so one of the CD’s kind of reflects the day - and maybe the beach vibe - and the second CD is a bit more about the club experience. hopefully people can put this CD on and get a taste of Ibiza. What is special about this mix? What’s the thing that’s hasn’t been performed on any other mix? Gav: We bought Shovell into the studio. Sam: We’ve all been contributing the ‘Drum Warrior’ experience and we’ve brought that into the compilation. There are little interludes of Shovell throughout the album and as far as we know it has never been done before. Gav: We try to catch little flavours of what it’s like when Shovell’s actually playing in the club. You’ve gone to even further lengths than just having Shovell put percussion over your tracks. You’ve actually put together a special intro track. What was your inspiration behind that? Gav: We had this picture of Benirras Beach with all the drummers playing at sunset and I had this vision in my head of Shovell leading all the drummers down there and everybody joining in. So the whole track is just made up of the drums and with Shovell doing a little bit of chanting over it. Sam: We’ve also re-edited Harry Choo Choo’s ‘Cumbria’, which is a massive record for us and there’s a bit of Shovell on that. Throughout the album we’ve used acapellas, it’s gone through two stages this mix; we developed the mix, then we did some trickery and then we put Shovell on top. So it’s not been just a standard sort of compilation process. How do you feel about your own tracks on the album, including your new track ‘Ready or Not’ with Yasmeen? Sam: Yasmeen was over for the Defected 10th anniversary party and we managed to get four or five days in the studio; ‘Ready Or Not’ is the result of that. So far the reaction to it has been great and it seems to be really working. What about Roots? Gav: We made this Afro beat tune and we needed a vocal that summed up the feeling of Africa and that original house feeling, so we came up with the idea of getting Jazzy B to do a vocal; in just one take he dropped this thing about roots and the tribal expression and we said, ‘that will do mate, that’s the vibe’. So how many exclusives do you think there are on this album? Sam: I’d say that about 70% of the album is exclusive, and that is amazing for a compilation and that’s what made it so exciting to put together, that fact that it’s all new. Can you pick out a few of the standout tracks on the album that are not your own? Sam: The first track on CD1, Dennis Ferrer ‘Symphonia Della Notte’, which is coming out on Strictly Rhythm. Again, it’s a total exclusive and a record we’re really excited about. Gav: I’m loving the Brian Cox track ‘The Wizard’. I’m definitely going to be looking out for some more stuff by him. Sam: P’taah ‘Dance Until We Die’, the Kenny Dope mix is something we’ve been playing in our set, so those three on a sort of more groovy tip. Also a track that has been smashing it out there is Gilbert Le Funk ‘African tastic’ the David Tort mix. Gigwise what have you got coming up? Sam: We’ve got four Defected dates this summer at Pacha Ibiza and we’ll be on our usual crazy European tour around most of Europe. We’ll be at all the key Defected festivals this summer like Tomorrowland. We’ve also got a big party in Japan coming up on the 28th April. Gav : It’s at a club called Agahar and apparently this place is huge, holds about 2000 people; we always love going to Japan. Words: Toni Tambourine / www.defected.com
Martijn Ten Velden in the House!
11/05/2009
V elden has carved a successful international career as an innovative house producer and DJ. With a reputation for killer club records, he constantly pushes for fresh sounds to include in his productions. His remix talents have already been picked up by Ms Dynamite, The Shapeshifters, Sugababes, Tom Novy, Bodyrox and The Rock Steady Crew! Although Dutch, he has spent the last 18 years in the UK working with various producers including Mark Knight and Mark Yardley from Stanton Warriors. A long time fan of Defected Records, he was invited to create a mix for the label that was different and inimitable. The result is a mix jam-packed with original mash-ups and exclusive edits, together with a little bit of added 3 deck wizardry. So how come you followed a House path when the Dutch are so well known for their Trance? I moved to London 18 years ago and, at that time in Holland, house music wasn’t that big. It was never my vibe in Holland musically, even though there are some really good artists coming from Holland at the moment like Sander Kleinenburg, Fedde Le Grande and Roog ( the Hardsoul guys ). I really like what those guys do, so there is some good music out there now but at the time I was more drawn to London, so my whole musical background when it comes to house is totally UK based. So is that why you moved, were you more inspired by the sound in London rather than in Holland? Yeah, totally; also in London there has always been more innovation, you can try out more things because there’s a bigger market for things and there is more openness to new styles of music. I mean so many styles of music come from the UK so it’s a really good place to try and find your own style because you have more freedom. How would you say you’ve evolved since you started; how would you describe your personal DJ-ing style and what is your sound? I like the mixture between Tech and House, when it’s not too techy, when it’s still got funk; as long as it’s got funk and a good groove to it, I like it. Basically it’s a very broad spectrum. So I would say I play House, but it’s anywhere from normal house, tech house, even some progressive house - some deep house - it’s a mixture of everything. And what about your productions, what kind of sound have you aimed for with them? Again, it’s House but a little bit more techy. I really like some of the new sounds, when a new kind of production style comes out, that’s what really interests me. So I always try to come up with fresh sounds that are really now. Like the Chime remix I did for Defected last year; the intro is quite techy - its got all glitchy sounds, but then it goes big house anthem and then it goes techy again. That’s a kind of good example between styles really. So what have been your biggest tracks and remixes? My biggest track was two years ago and was ‘I Wish You Would’. We licensed the record to nearly every country in the world and it became a huge crossover record in Brazil, Australia, Spain, Netherlands et cetera. In the UK we shot a promo for it at a crazy old theatre down in South London and Luciana (the singer on the track) features in the video too. It was regularly played out on UK TV music stations. Another really big one was a project under the name Splittr which I recorded with Mark Yardley from Stanton Warriors. You‘ve gone on to do a few more, tell us about them? My all time favourite remix that me and Mark did on Defected was ‘Sandcastles’. I can still play it now, just sit in the cellar and play it; it’s wicked still. And then we did another one on Defected when we remixed Kings of Tomorrow ‘6pm’. Let’s talk about your new mix for Defected because it quite a special mix, it’s not just a straightforward DJ mix, what’s so unique about it? As its Defected’s 10th Anniversary I really tried to put a bit of that in there, I tried to mix some of my personal old favourites and mix it in with the new ones to make the mix. That was the initial thought behind it. But then I ended up practically re-editing every single track, putting extra drums over the top, putting acapellas over the top, I just couldn’t stop because there are so many great acapellas on Defected, so I ended up putting a lot of work into it to keep it really interesting, putting lots of little snippets of old tracks in there from 5, 6, even 8 years ago to make it all sound modern and make it sound now. That was the aim of the mix. Is it true that you’ve done a whole heap of mash-ups in there that are going to be available to buy? Yeah, I would say almost every track is a re-edit apart from maybe two or three. On almost every track I changed the arrangement to make them shorter, more concise, added extra little drum sound effects, extra acapellas or mixed the beats of another track underneath it, like a one bar loop of drums from another record by Defected. So you would say this mix represents what you play out? Yeah the kind of mixing style for sure but I think the first half of the mix is more warm up. It’s more cool, calm; it’s almost like before you go out, so it would be early evening for me. But the mix obviously progresses from quite deep and nice and musical, to a bit tougher. Musically it definitely represents me, yes, so that’s quite a broad taste. Words: Toni Tambourine
who the f**k?
The Soft Pack
29/05/2009
Nuts and Bolts: Matt Lamkin, Matty McLoughlin, Dave Lantzman, Brian Hill Stomping Ground: San Diego, formed 2005 Set to Soundtrack: many, many Ipods Destined to Upset: People that like a nice clean, crisp production You’re in Business if you like: The Strokes, The Walkmen, The Velvet Underground, the Stooges, the Modern Lovers Notion misses the Modern Lovers. In the early seventies they were crafting clever, inch-perfect pop music with a solid backbone of art-rock and new wave. Don’t get us wrong; some of their later work was a bit dodgy, but the early material - circa ‘Roadrunner’ and ‘She Cracked’ - was incredible. Well, the heirs to their long-vacant throne have arrived in the shape of the Soft Pack. The four-piece sound like Jonathan Richman’s old band but with a less off-kilter sense of weirdness. They played a triumphant set on the ‘Levi’s Ones to Watch’ stage at the Great Escape and Vice magazine and the Guardian are among the publications claiming they are in-line for big things. Rightly so. Their tracks are low-fi, underproduced gems with the occasional heart-breaking melody that will have you coming back for more time and time again. ‘Extinction’ is a simple, straightforward track that drips with emotion; its minimalist guitar refrain and snare driven beats are paired perfectly with absent minded vocals that are strangely captivating. While ‘Bright Side’ is a bass driven number that occupies the fertile ground between the Only Ones and massively underrated Compulsive Gamblers with slightly out of tune - in a good way - ooohs and ahhhs. If you miss the Modern Lovers, or just like great music, check them out.
Dinosaur Pile Up
29/05/2009
Nuts and Bolts: Matt Bigland, Tom Dunford, Steve Wilson, Stomping Ground: Leeds, formed 2007 Set to Soundtrack: Good ol’ fashioned moshpits Destined to Upset: the Shoreditch crowd You’re in Business if you like: Jimmy Eat World, Grandaddy, The Melvins, Smashing Pumpkins, Mudhoney Dinosaur Pile Up are a band that take things back to basics. Out of the window with any pretensions and into the mix with Brontosaurus sized riffs, pounding drums and impassioned vocals. If the original glimmer of promise shown by the Vines hadn’t descended into mediocrity, then DPU are a bit like they would have sounded. Notion caught their set on the ‘Levi’s Ones to Watch’ stage recently at the Great Escape music industry shindig in Brighton and can confirm that their balls-out sound is every bit as all-engrossing live as it is on record. They put on an ear bleedingly loud, raucous show the highlight of which was their track ‘Traynor’, which came into life with the squeal of feedback before a crunching, distortion-soaked riff and screamed vocals were unleashed. You might think their name is a reference to their heavy, aggressive guitar-led sound. Or maybe a tongue-in-cheek joke about their 1990s musical reference points being out of fashion and pretty much extinct in today’s musical climate. But you would be wrong. ‘I went to see the remake of King Kong,’ laughs singer and guitarist Matt Bigland. 'It was really overblown and ridiculous and there’s this huge chase sequence where about 12 dinosaurs just pile into each other, at that moment I just knew I wanted to start a band called that. It’s not really meaningful or anything, I just thought it was funny.’
David E Sugar
28/04/2009
DAVID E SUGAR Nuts and Bolts: David E Sugar – guitars, blips, beeps, vocals and everything else Stomping Ground: London, since 2004 Set to Soundtrack: the later part of this year, if you are lucky Destined to Upset: Those who want a new album right now You’re in Business if you Like: Calvin Harris, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Hot Chip, George Demure He’s played to massive audiences in Germany and Switzerland, but somehow David E Sugar is a criminally unknown quantity in this country. The lord above only knows why; he ticks all the right boxes with euphoric keyboard lines, fuzzy backbeats and heartbreaking melodies drifting below laid-back East End slacker vocals, which merge seamlessly into a crooned baritone. He’s currently unsigned but has recorded 37 new tracks, and is in talks with a handful of labels over the release of a full-length album later this year. Here at Notion, we’ve been lucky enough to get our grubby hands on half-a-dozen of his new unreleased tracks, which veer from down-tempo electro with delicate, harmonised vocals, to autumnal acoustic numbers with haunting keyboards and the occasional burst of bleeps and blips. The pick of the bunch is ‘Fleamarket’, which slips from a verse of serene synths and shuffling drums to a surprisingly poppy chorus that sounds like Talking Heads if they had stopped writing about architecture and laid down some bitter-sweet tracks dripping in nostalgia. You will have to wait for a while before you hear a full album, but in the meantime, to sate your appetite, you can pick up a few limited edition vinyl singles if you trawl the internet, or just check out his myspace page, which isn’t as much fun, but is cheaper. Extracted from Notion Magazine 38. To subscribe to Notion Magazine CLICK HERE !
future gigs
Twisted Licks presents Acoustic Ladyland. Cargo. Thursday 9th July.
02/07/2009
Wilkkommen Records Mini Festival. Stanmer House, Brighton. July 5th.
01/07/2009
PUMA AND MODULAR @ THE PUMA STORE, BERLIN W/LADYHAWKE & HOT CHIP
30/06/2009
future clubs
Kubicle at T Bar w/Wolf+Lamb. East London T Bar. Sunday 5th July.
24/06/2009
Smirnoff U.R. The Night w/Little Boots and Pet Shop Boys. Matter. July 10th.
23/06/2009
Glam Roc f/Geeneus and Headphones & Heels. Ministry of Sound. June 21st.
17/06/2009
gig reviews
Beach Break Live. Port Lympne Safari Park. June 16th - 19th.
25/06/2009
Sony Ericsson W995 Walkman Phone Launch Party. 10/06/09
19/06/2009
Download Festival 2009. June 12th - 14th.
17/06/2009
club reviews
Chew The Fat! at The Arches. March 27th.
09/04/2009
Bedlam and Hedfuk. NYE 2008 - 2009. Hackney.
06/01/2009
Clubland Goes To The Dogs! Pure at The Printworks!
30/07/2008
film & tv
Terminator Salvation
08/06/2009
Right, if Terminator actually happened and our global computer networks turned against us, who do you think Skynet would be? Which technology company would be the most likely to become self-aware and launch a massive and devastating nuclear strike against mankind? Let's hope it's not Google. What with Google Phones, Google Mail and Google Earth - not to mention all the personal data it keeps on us - it's effectively running the world already. If Google ever decided to declare war on humanity we'd all be literally fucked. Apple would be ok. All their Terminators would be so nicely designed that no-one would really mind being exterminated by them. And they'd basically break after a year anyway, so we'd be fine. Personally, I'm hoping for Twitter, I quite like the idea of seeing Twitter react violently whenever someone decides to tell it what they've just had for breakfast. "What are you telling me for? I don't even know you!" It would say in a robotic German accent before reforming their keyboard into a giant spike and harpooning them through the face. I went to see Terminator Salvation the other night fully expecting it to be shit. This was largely based on reading the review by my close personal friends (on Twitter) Timeout London ( if you're reading this guys, you must have pressed 'block' instead of 'follow' by mistake you idiots. Bloody classic!) Anyway, I actually thought it was quite good. The stunts and action scenes were really well done, the post-apocalyptic world of Terminators was convincingly brought to life and, aside from all the special effects, there was a fairly compelling piece of drama at the heart of the story. That said, it is the worst of all the Terminator films and they definitely shouldn't make any more of them. The main problem is it's just not that scary. I remember watching the early films and being absolutely petrified by Terminators whose human faces disguised relentless and unfeeling killing machines. The robots in this one are all a bit meh.. They've got these new giant Terminators that look like they're on loan from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen , weird T600s that for some reason wear metal bandanas, and famously there's the sort-of return of Schwarzenegger himself. This is the most disappointing bit of the whole film. Apparently, they originally planned to give him a cameo playing a prototype of his own character in T1. However, as the big man is currently too busy bankrupting the world's 10th largest economy, they had to use rubbish CGI to do it without him. The result is a big naked puppet that looks closer to Woody from Toy Story than a terrifying killing machine. And then there's McG. Surely the silliest name for a movie director in the history of Motion Pictures. It sounds like the start of a Bart Simpson prank call (I'm looking for Ivana? Ivana Fukyamum..) but without a punchline. Prank calling McG would be essentially futile: - Hello is that McG? - yes, speaking. - Um, you've got a really stupid name. - Yeah I know. I get that a lot. - Mmm. I suppose you would. - Anything else? - Yeah. I've got your kids. I'm gonna cut them. Well, probably not that last bit. Words: Matt Harvey For more from Matt visit ProfoundlyMoving.Com
Drag Me To Hell
29/05/2009
A while ago I watched the trailer for this film and assumed it would be abysmal. Having now seen the whole thing, I'm happy to hold my hands up and admit I was wrong. It's actually fine. Alison Lohman stars as Christine Brown, a kindhearted loans officer who is forced to deny a mortgage extension to an old gypsy woman named Mrs Ganush (Ganush? Isn't that a dip? I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to name your characters after foods from their country of origin are you? It's a bit like having a Greek character named Taramasalata or a Chinese guy called Special Fri Ri). Mrs Ganush has her home repossessed and goes pretty mental about it taking revenge by putting a curse on Christine. In three days the Lamia, a terrifying goat-like demon, will come to drag her screaming to Hell. This is a pretty good starting point for a film I think. Although I would point out just a couple of things: a) Ideally, Mrs Ganush wanted to be on an Offset Tracker Mortgage which would've used her savings to reduce her tax liability AND enabled her to benefit when the Bank of England slashed the Base Rate.. b) In many ways, it's a bit much to pin the blame for all this on one lowly bank employee. If anything, the people she should be dragging to hell are the ones who packaged up her bad debt along with all the other subprime mortgages and sold them on to to
