I was going through some old records last night and it made me think of this video of Paul Mawhinney’s music collection. The video has been doing the rounds for the last month or so but I remember reading about it at the start of the year when he was trying to sell it on eBay and I presumed that it had actually sold and was in safe hands, but apparently not. A $3m bid fell through and as far as I can work out, the collection is still for sale.. Surely someone wants to buy it(?) DJ Shadow? Premier? Dre? If I had a few milli to spare, I’d happily snap it up.

Anyway, the video is only short, and worth a watch if only to get a vague idea of what a couple of million pieces of vinyl in the same place looks like. Crazy.

The Archive from Sean Dunne on Vimeo.

More about the story here, or on google.

4 words that have the initials R, A, T and M.
You’re a fool if you can’t fill in the blanks.

As pretty much the only reason I wanted to go, Rage Against The Machine were always going to the highlight for me, and while there was a risk that they’d be a letdown because I was looking forward to it so much - they weren’t. Just amazing. My only complaint (apart from the lack of volume that afflicted everybody on the main stage) is that we could’ve/should’ve tried to get closer to the front because we seemed to end up in a patch of people who were happy to stand with their arms crossed and only appeared to know Killing In The Name. Eejits. Bouncing around to Know Your Enemy, Sleep Now In The Fire and Guerrilla Radio, we must’ve looked a tad odd to the statues behind us but it’s Rage for fucks sake.. etiquette and inhibitions had no place there. The whole set was great, and featured everything you’d expect right through to the rant during Wake Up (although really, surely it’s getting too late to mention Bush & Blair?). It’d be hard to single out highlights, but coming out and doing Bombtrack in the jumpsuits was loco, and the Freedom/Killing In The Name encore was fever pitch.

Epic. Definitely one to remember.

It’s a bit shit that the band have a ‘no filming’ policy going on because it means that for video footage, you have to resort to shaky hand cam stuff on youtube. Like this.

Rage aside, we managed to catch a few other bands across the Friday and Saturday. Worth a mention; Manic Street Preachers, Justice and Dizzee Rascal. Slightly mentionable; Queens of The Stone Age, The Ting Tings, The Killers, Bloc Party, Jack Penate, The Wombats, Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong, Hifi Handgrenades and Santogold. Utterly forgettable; Editors, Ida Maria, The Subways, The Enemy, The Fratellis, countless other ‘The’ bands. I’m sure there were other people worth seeing but as I’ve said before, it’s not really my ’scene’ so I’m not really fussed. But I did have lots of (mostly Rage inspired) fun. Good times.

Wu-Tang to headline next year(?)

(plenty of photos/video here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/readingandleeds/)

It’s been a chockablock couple of months in terms of new musical offerings and while it’s beyond me to comprehensively review everything I’ve been listening to lately, I wanted to mention a couple of things in no particular order, with examples!

Doomtree - Doomtree
Easily one of the most talented collectives in hip hop right now, Doomtree finally blessed us with a group album (self titled). It’s rather good. As with a lot of their stuff, there’s a big punk influence meshed with the straight up hip hop and it works gloriously. P.O.S. is probably the most noticeable face of the crew but there really is no weak link to be found.

The Game - LAX
3 albums and countless mixtapes in and Game is still superbly embodying almost everything you love about gangsta rap. There’s still no Dre reunion but to be honest, I’ve given up noticing. You can criticise The Game’s lyrics as much as you want - (the consistent name-dropping is getting to almost a parody of himself by now) - but one thing he’s always shown is an ear for a quality beat, and to his credit, while not necessarily stellar, he’s never weak on the tracks.

GZA/Genius - Pro Tools
Not a great album title, and to be honest, not a great album on the first couple of listens, but that’s probably because I can’t help but compare every GZA release to Liquid Swords and that’s not especially fair is it(?) There’s no denying that there’s just something lazy about his delivery these days though, and it’s a shame because lyrically, he’s still a beast.

Ice Cube - Raw Footage
Listening to this album it makes me wonder how the fuck films like Are We There Yet? ever got made. Ice Cube clearly isn’t meant for the kids. It’s a welcome return to form and is the reason I said that The Game is ‘almost’ everything you love about gangsta rap.. Because as much as he idolises NWA, his content isn’t a tenth as good as Cube at his peak (or even remotely close to his peak). Peep the video for Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It. Brilliant.

Also in rotation and worthy of a listen (and maybe a future more detailed post);

• Nas - Untitled (didn’t really live up to the hype but still, not bad for his NINTH ALBUM!!! mental.)
• The Wackness - Soundtrack (nothing new to be heard but a good one for reminiscing to when it wasn’t all business..)
• El-P - WeAreAllGoingToBurnInHellMeggamixxx2 (free on the def jux site and even better than the first one)
• One Day As A Lion (a fairly decent stand in for new RATM material)

I’m not sure if I really should admit this but I went to see High School Musical Live at the Hammersmith Apollo last weekend. And it was fun. There. I’ve said it. So what(?) If I say that it had some breakdancing in it does that make it better?

I really don’t think I’m the target demographic for something like that, and based on a quick scan of the audience there, I’d be about 95% right. However, there were a handful of other people like us who presumably were just there because it seemed like an entertaining way to spend a Saturday night that would have otherwise probably descended into watching the X-Factor or more Olympics.

My point for coming out with this (no homo) is just to say that despite the kiddie-centric theme of the show, it deserves kudos for being an incredibly slick operation. I’ve been to tonnes of other theatre based entertainment forms but few that were put together so seamlessly with so much going on. It was no Illyria but still, mad props (literally and figuratively). I suppose that’s what you expect from a massively-invested-in international smash hit Disney thing. Also, it never ceases to amaze me how much energy some people have; jumping and singing and smiling like a loon must really take it out of you.

So yeah, it was fun. It goes on a vaguely national tour soon I think so if you’re comfortable with your sexuality, go and see it. Oh, and it’s got Letitia Dean in it. Superstar. What more could you want?!

Regular readers should know by now that I’m a fan of Atmosphere. They’re easily my favourite group, and my last.fm profile proves it. I’m also a fairly decent Brother Ali fan. I’ve pretty much bought anything and everything that Atmosphere have put out in the last 10 years or so and consequently got put onto Brother Ali quite a while ago too. I’ve also seen Atmosphere before (in 2002/03?) but Mr Dibbs was playing the Ant role so technically I suppose it wasn’t quite ‘Atmosphere’. Blah blah. What I’m trying to get at is: there was simply no way at all I was going to miss the ‘3 The Hard Way‘ European tour this summer. Atmosphere (with Ant) and Brother Ali doing a joint show. Wowser.

They’ve already covered a hefty chunk of Europe but there’s quite a few dates left if you fancy it.. It comes heavily recommended. Last night was the Bristol stop, on board the legendary Thekla (which is actually much bigger than I remembered, but still easily small enough to be considered an ‘intimate’ venue. None of this stood-miles-away-and-cant-see-shit shit).

The drive to Bristol from Bournemouth is horrendously tedious but undoubtedly worth it. We arrived a little early and while generally, that’s not a great thing to do, it turned out alright because I got a chance to speak to Slug outside, and then Ant at the bar. I’m sure I said some stupid shit (I kinda told Ant, in a smug way, to give up smoking) but they both seemed cool about being interrupted by an over-excited me in a Rhymesayers shirt. It’s nice when your idols (strong word but seems apt) turn out to be normal and amiable isn’t it(?) Not that I thought they wouldn’t be but y’know..

Kidz In The Hall opened up, and though I’m only vaguely familiar with their music (a fact attributable to the vast majority of people there by the looks of it), I enjoyed the set. Credit due. Driving Down The Block was an obvious highlight. Also, I don’t want to sound old, but they were really really loud. My proximity to the stage/speakers didn’t help at all but still, loud loud loud.

After a short break, during which I randomly bumped into a couple of people I used to rap with back in Plymouth (word to The Cohorts), Ant came on and introduced Slug and Ali as ‘two of the best mcs in the world’. He wasn’t lying. For just under two hours, they weaved through their respective repertoires with ease. Haha.. That’s an awful line. I suck at reviews But they did do that; I don’t know how else to put it. With a group like Atmosphere who have such a massive back-catalogue, there were bound to be some tracks I’d've liked to have heard that they didn’t do but the set was more than diverse enough to keep me happy.. The tracks off the new album were dope - Guarantees is a great singalong, the bass drop on Puppets is immense - and the older tracks like The Woman With The Tattooed Hands are instant crowd pleasers by now. Scapegoat was a particular highlight for me.. *ahem* scpgt *ahem*.

Brother Ali proved why he’s such a renowned performer and I’m glad I’ve finally got to see him live. The man knows how to control a crowd.. Definitely an mc’s mc. Rain Water, Bitchslap, Forest Whitaker and Truth Is were stand outs. Throughout, they acted as each others hypeman and the whole sharing the stage thing worked really well, but it worked best with the songs they have together. Obviously. Blah Blah Blah and Cats Van Bags have always been favourites of mine, and seeing them done live, by both mcs, with Ant on the decks (/MacBook Pro) was sublime. When they walked off, my throat was red raw (haven’t had that happen in a looong time) but they reappeared to squeeze in an encore of Your Glass House and a little freestyle which is always entertaining. I don’t think I could’ve asked for a better show. Truly superb.

I got plenty of photos, a few of which are here and the rest are on flickr. Got a couple of bits of video too but the sound is atrocious. Ah well. You had to be there really

More photos on flickr.

Shortly, the new Atmosphere album “When Life Gives You Lemons You Paint That Shit Gold” will be out (April 22nd to be specific) and personally, I can’t wait. The couple of tracks that I’ve heard off of it have upheld my expectations and I’m sure the album wont disappoint (more on this next week. probably). The reason for this post however is to celebrate the way that Rhymesayers (or indeed, Slug and Ant) are promoting the album because it’s a definite change from the standard stickers/posters/myspace bulletins approach (although it includes those things as well).

Firstly there was the announcement..

..that in order to curb illegal downloading, they would not ship promo copies of the new Atmosphere disc. Instead, the label planned listening sessions in New York and Los Angeles. Either music reviewers made the trip, or they waited for the album to hit stores like everyone else.

- see here

It’s a bold move and until this morning, one that proved effective (the album leaked today.. only 6 days before the release.. not bad at all really). The rest of that article talks in more detail about the approach and puts it in context of the whole music industry / download ‘market’ thing. Go read it. It’s good.

There’s also been the recent talk of ‘Atmosphere Karaoke’ where the group are going to host a sing-a-long of their songs before each of the US tour dates. If they do this in Bristol this summer, I’ll be all over it. My Slug impression is fiyah!

What else(?) Oh yeah, the ‘moldy lemon in an envelope‘ thing which is quite funny as long as you weren’t the poor sap who ended up with rank lemon all over your hands.

And the free download on Christmas Day of ‘Strictly Leakage‘ was inspired. It’s still available if you missed it.

But the main thing I wanted to highlight is the ‘Paint It Gold‘ series that they’ve been putting out on Youtube. For the last couple of months leading up to the release date, Slug & Ant have been filming these 10 minute clips in their basement, answering questions emailed in, talking about random shit, and promoting the shit out of the album at any available opportunity. It’s entertaining. And genius. The episodes are getting better each time which makes the forthcoming release (and presumably, forthcoming end of the Youtube things) a bit upsetting. But fuck it, at least the album will be out :).

So yeah. I did have a summary in mind for this, talking about how it’s a clever ploy in today’s society which is so indifferent to modern advertising techniques. How utilising Youtube in (what I think is) a novel way is a great use of the service. That managing to fend off ‘leakage’ til so close the album release date is nothing short of a miracle these days. etc etc etc blah blah blah. But this’ll do. for now

BUY THE ALBUM!!

So, I spent most of Monday night hitting redial in the phone and refresh on 3 different computers trying to get tickets for this years Reading Festival and after many many hours (and a stack of money going from the account), I can now say I’ll be there on the Friday and Saturday this August. And I can’t wait.

Regular readers will be aware that I’m not really fussed about the type of bands that would generally play at a festival like this (though I did have fun a couple of years ago at Reading), however this year is clearly different. Rage Against The Machine with their only appearance in the country this year (possibly ever again??). Can I get a ‘fuck yeah!’?! Awesome. There’s actually also a few other names I’m quite up for seeing but really, let’s be honest, who’s going to be watching Babyshambles with RATM on the main stage? (Who would watch Babyshambles at ANY point come to think of it..)

Should be amazing. Can’t wait! Yay! etc.. Been waiting for this for years and although I’d rather’ve seen them at Rock The Bells last year with Wu-Tang, I’m sure this’ll do

Video for the remix/re-release of ‘Something Good (08)’ by Utah Saints. I like it. Though why they dropped the intro from the original, I don’t know.

It was the freshest move I’ve ever seen; it’s like he was floating on air..

http://www.glossyinc.com/sleeper/utahsaints.html

KRS-One; purveyor of true hip-hop to some, babbling mentalist to others, undisputed legend to all. He has his moments. One of the more positive things he has been orchestral to is the Stop The Violence Movement, which regardless of your opinion on hip-hop, is nothing but a good thing. Started in the late 80’s, they try to get people ‘to take responsibility for the way in which conflict is resolved‘. Noble. The site is worth a visit if the song ‘Self Destruction‘ means nothing to you. There was a west coast single too called ‘We’re All In The Same Gang‘ (with Ice-T, NWA and MC Hammer amongst others) which I actually prefer but that’s beside the point. Anyway, by most accounts, it’s been a fairly quiet few years for the movement, but they’re re-starting in 2008 with a potentially stonking new single..

Over a three day period from February 7-9, The Game, Chamillionaire, Nelly, David Banner and 55 other artists joined Kris at the Los Angeles Recording School to record new audio and video for the initiative. A number of artists from the LA underground also turned out to show support, including Rakaa Iriscience of Dilated Peoples, and Planet Asia. The legendary MC has also confirmed future contributions from artists such as 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Fat Joe, Cassidy, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Lil Mama, Talib Kweli and MC Lyte.

- XXL

It’s debatable as to how much clout KRS (/the STV Movement) can have nowadays but it’s good to see people like The Game and 50 Cent show their support (although even that poses questions about hypocrisy and whatnot).. I’m curious to see what comes out of this new lease of life. Could be interesting.