Thursday, June 30, 2011

Hove, day 2: What you see is what you get.

I find the festival atmosphere quite charming, with people being slightly inebriated, excited, happy, and generally silly. I think people become who they really want to be when they're a bit tipsy. People like being sociable, happy, merry. It's just that we let sobriety tether these moods usually. But during a festival, these qualities bloom and prosper. A week of fun and frolic, and some quality music. No wonder people pay the frankly ridiculous price for a full week ticket.

Day 2 of the Hove festival started of in a weird way. My friends recommended I come along to see an art performance. Now, I'm the kind of person who gets a bit sceptical when I hear the phrase 'performance art'... ("Oh no, pretentious, eccentric, spaced-out hippie art?"). But I convinced myself to drop my arrogant prejudices and tag along. I was also convinced by the share number of people who were present. So as we entered the forest where the performance would take place, we were met by this sight...

Eerie and mind-blowing performance art

The woman you see hanging from the tree (apparently by her own hair?!) is the artist, and the people sat in the trees are musicians playing saws...! Then this spine-chilling and ethereal music started playing, as the performance artist (Tori Wrånes) was singing along in an operatic manner while the saw blades were playing. It was mesmerisingly beautiful. If performance art can be this awesome, consider me a convert. Thanks to my good friend, Signe (you are now involuntarily mentioned in my 'zuper blawg') for dragging me along.

Das ist Signe.

Music-wise, the second day of the festival was 'my day'. Kasabian's first gig ever in Norway, the return of The Strokes (have they played Norway before? Thorough blog research...), and Brandon Flowers' solo project. I'm a fan of all of these bands, so I was just looking forward to some good gigs with music that I knew would be solid.

Kasabian finally arrived in Norway.

Kasabian's first gig was convincing in my opinion. It was about time they played Norway! I loved seeing Tom Meighan's arrogant British swagger on a Norwegian stage. Unfortunately, the sound was rubbish. For the main part of the concert all you could hear was bass drum and bass guitar, almost no snare or guitar or electronic sound effects. It really put a dampener on Kasabian's usual pompous and strong sound. Especially their more electronica heavy songs suffered. But their performance was solid. The best bit was when Tom Meighan thanked the Norwegian crowd for being awesome and did the sign of the cross. Funny man.

Next on were The Strokes. I read in the music press that there is murmurings about trouble within the band. But so what? Who cares? Of course, I don't want to see The Strokes break up again, but why focus on trouble in paradise prior to a gig that so many fans are looking forward to? Journalists bug the hell out of me. Anyways, the gig was awesome. The Strokes are awesome. Julian is sexy as hell (despite his slightly Elvis-chubby appearance) and a great laid-back rock'n'roll frontman. The way he talked to the crowd between the songs, leisurely asking how they were doing, letting them know what was going on on stage, changing mics, even stopping a song because he forgot the words. Perhaps not very professional in a conventional sense, but it was all just so laid-back and cool. You almost felt like you were present at a slightly rusty comeback-Strokes rehearsal.

The (casual) Strokes

Then there was the Las Vegas charmer that is Brandon Flowers. He comes across as such a shy, humble, polite and lovable person. His movements on stage are almost a bit awkward and stilted, but at the same time he exudes a stylish arrogance and confidence that only a rockstar can. I love how he makes the crowd feel appreciated and included in the concert. A true master of the stage, even own his own without the bigger presence of The Killers. He even did a guest appearance during Bright Eyes' gig later on, which made the otherwise calm and swaying Bright Eyes fans go absolutely crazy.

Now, as you're looking at the pictures in the blogpost you're probably thinking the same as I am: Rubbish. Sad to say, I don't have a fancy blogger's SLR camera, only my crappy camera phone. But it's not just that. Gig pictures in general are quite uninteresting to watch. As I was snapping a blurry photo of the Brandon Flowers gig with the intention of including it on my blog, this 18 year old girl say to me: "Are you taking a photo of a gig? How old are you? You know those pictures are going to turn out shit anyway, so why don't you put it down and enjoy the gig instead?". Touché. She was right. A picture of a stage in the distance with artists looking like single pixels is not especially interesting for anyone who wasn't there to see. It's not even satisfying for yourself to watch later on! It doesn't capture any of the magic or atmosphere of when you were there. It's nothing but a feeble 'proof' that "I was there!". And so what? You know you were there, and so do the people you want to share it with. So for the next festival blogpost I shan't spam you with blurry gig photos, but rather try a take pictures of... Other stuff...? Like these guys:

My friends Kai Olav, Mari and Erling. They love clapping.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

The Hove festival, day 1: Stumbled upon treasure

My humble little hometown of Arendal hosts one of the biggest music festivals in Norway. Since it's in my Hometown I usually go every year. This year's lineup was not particularly interesting for me personally, except for the second day when Kasabian, The Strokes, and Brandon Flowers will be playing. However, I want to tell you about the first day which wasn't really looking that interesting to me... Until I found out that one of my favourite DJs was playing.

I like the mood in festivals. People are happy, smiling, laughing, dancing, drinking, and just generally having a good time. Of course there will always be idiots, arrogant pricks, overly drunk yobbos, and a lot of people who seem more preoccupied with looking good than having a good time. But you've got ignore these people, put a smile on your face and keep on dancing. Or drinking. Or festival-ing. The lineup on the first day was perhaps meant to hit a younger, more 'emo' audience with All Time Low, 30 Seconds to Mars and nu-metal heroes Linkin Park as headliners on the main stage. The stage where I was stood most of the day because I was 'working', ushering photographers in and out of the gap in front of the stage during concerts. The view was good, shame the same can't be said about the music.

But then I had a look in the Festival's own newspaper. A 'band' called Carte Blanche was playing the closing gig at the smallest stage. The face of on of the 'band members' immediately caught my eye. Fucking DJ Mehdi! The DJ whose gig I had missed out when he played Manchester at the Parklife festival! Carte Blanche wasn't a band, it was a DJ duo with DJ Mehdi and a British DJ called Riton. So off to this concert I ran, skipped and jumped, giggling like a little girl who had just been kissed by Jared Leto.

About 200 people were there. Everyone else was watching Chase & Status. They missed out, big time. Proper, proper, world class house music from one of the best DJs in the world and this other British fellow who I had never heard of before, but Oh lawd, he knew his stuff. No one in that tent was standing still, it was impossible not to dance to the music coming out of those speakers. They even had dancers! Two girls who came on now and then to spice up the live show. I know what you're thinking, dancers on the stage sounds a little cheesy, tacky, 'techno club in the 90's-ish', but somehow it wasn't. They did all the funny 80s/90s funny dance moves that people in the crowd hopelessly tried to copy, but they also showed of some real skill with both handstands and dancing on roller skates. It sounds silly, and it was but in a good way. Sort of inspired by the music video from their first single:



Carte Blanche and their roller skating dancers. DJ Mehdi in white, Riton wearing black.

Robot dancing never went out of fashion

The masters at work

I know I'm biased since I'm such a sycophant for French house music, but this truly was a good gig. I seriously doubt you would have been able to be at that gig and not dance (unless you were one of the testosterone-overdosed security guards who kept watch in front of the stage but seemed more preoccupied with pointing at people in the crowd giving them menacing frowns). You know you've seen a good gig when you leave with the feeling that you don't need to see any more bands or artists. For all you care the festival could just finish up and close down. And you're smiling so much it hurts your face. Just listen to this:


But I AM looking forward to today's lineup... Stay tuned for more biased gig reviews.

Monday, June 27, 2011

It's now or ever...

I'm quite lazy. I often give myself the excuse "I'm going to do it, but later when the time is right and I've got more time on my hands". The problem is that a time like that never comes. There is never a time when I think "Now I've got time to do that thing (or all those things) which I promised myself I'd do". Even worse, whenever I get a free slot in my "busy" schedule, the motivation which I had at the time when I thought "I'd do it later" is gone. And I do nothing.

So many times have I been lying in bed unable to sleep and suddenly come up with a (ostensibly) brilliant idea. Did I write it down? No, I thought "I'd work on it tomorrow. This idea is so good there's no way I'll forget it". Next day it's gone. It's weird how after 26 years I still do these things, even though I know the outcome. I know the ideal thing to do is act on an idea as soon as possible or at least write it down. If not I'll never do anything about it.

As I'm writing this I'm sat in my childhood home in Norway thinking about loads of stuff I should be doing. Working on my applications for education next year, writing a CV, try to learn a new music making software I've acquired, play the drums, work out... Some of it is important business, but some of it is just hobbies! And still I struggle to muster the motivation to do stuff? What's wrong with me?? Perhaps I'm thinking too much about it...? Less thinking, more doing?

My point is the 'right time' you are waiting for might never come because there's something else you'll be preoccupied with. So try and act on an idea/a chore/an assignment/whatever as soon as possible or at least put it down in your schedule or diary. Or blog for that matter... Because this is just as much an admonition toward myself as it is potentially a reminder to you. Now, I'm off to... Do stuff.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Time for some 'Ed banging

I know I am forever banging the drum for French house, but what can I do? It's like when someone has just fallen in love; they won't shut up about their new 'perfect partner' - kind of charming, kind of annoying, but in the end it's passion and enthusiasm. And these are good times if you are a fan of French house! (If you're not you should check it out; it makes for cracking party music). Ed Banger Records (which I have blogged about before) are currently releasing a wave of awesomeness on the world of electro music with releases from SebastiAn, Breakbot, and the slightly more exoteric and popular Justice. Here are some examples of how the "French do it better"!

I've already talked about SebastiAn in other blogposts, but I recently bought his album 'Total' which was released on the 6th of June. SebastiAn has been a producer, DJ and remixer for years and has only now released his own debut album. And what an awesome album it is! Electrorgasm! (A bit of journalistic neologism for you there. I do apologise...). The way he plays around with samples, melody lines, string sections, and distortions is just mind boggling. It's dark and twisted, it's pompous and feel-good. It's ear candy! ("Life is like a box of chocolate..." and so on). In the blogpost I've linked to in the first paragraph you can find his first single 'Embody', but I thought I should share with you another track of the album which I very much like: 'Love in Motion'.


Breakbot is another DJ on Ed Banger records who also is getting ready to release a proper album, but information is still sparse and vague. However, his track 'Fantasy' which was on an Ed Banger compilation album already in 2010 has just been released with a new music video, fuelling the speculations of an album release. Breakbot's music can be described as sort of feel-good disco. And the new video is truly funny, charming and sweet. Such a good track too.


And then there are the Titans of electro, Justice. Their latest single 'Civilization' has already been played lots on the radio. It also appeared in an extended Adidas commercial prior to the official release. I love this track and  I cannot wait for the album! Now the official music video has been released, adding further symbolism and depth to the pompous and awesome (in the literal sense of the word) sound of the track. I think the video is kind of sad in a way. Check it out for yourselves.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Chicken soup? Some facts about the seafood industry

Every year as many as 73 million sharks are killed for their fins. That's 200 000 sharks EVERYDAY. Their fins are simply cut off and the shark is dumped back into the ocean to die. The reason for this ridiculously high number of shark deaths is the deeply rooted luxurious and medical status shark fin has the Chinese culture, but also an increased interest for exotic Eastern cuisine in the Western world. The funny thing is that shark fin on its own is completely tasteless. The taste comes from hours of boiling with ginger, spring onions, an chicken stock. I'm sorry (actually I'm not) but HOW RIDICULOUS IS THAT???

Here's a video from Washington Post about the issue, and if you want to you can read the original article yourself.



Thankfully, activists are trying to confront and deal with the industry which is rapidly growing due to a increasingly wealthy Chinese population in addition to the interest for exotic cuisine in the Occident (the west). What scares me is that a growing world population is putting more and more strain on food resources which is particularly problematic with oceanic resources. An increased demand for seafood and fish due to a healthier dietary focus in the wealthy Occident opens economic possibilities for Asian countries where these resources can be harvested more amply, not to mention cheaply.

For example, food like scampi is a popular dish in Britain as well as Europe and America. It says 'scampi' on the menu, but it is highly likely that what you get served is prawns. Real scampi is actually a kind of lobster called (believe it or not) Norway lobster which is quite exclusive. Instead, you're likely to be eating king prawns in your 'scampi dish' - king prawns that are cultivated in shrimp farms in Asia. These farms are responsible for grave impacts on natural habitats.

To get an impression of the impact we have had on the resources in the ocean, have a look at this article from the Guardian. The infographic might be somewhat confusing considering the choice of colour, but I think you can appreciate that the fish stocks are heavily depleted. Did you know that during the 20th century the amount of predators in the ocean was reduced by 90%? And think about how much tuna is consumed everyday in Britain alone, not only in cheap sandwiches and jacket potatoes but also in increasingly popular, healthy and trendy sushi.


Personally I find these facts disturbing and they are that reason why I went from being a pescetarian to being a vegetarian. I'm not trying to convert anyone but I think it is important make people aware of the impact our eating habits have on nature's resources so that they will perhaps think twice the next time they order food.

Thankfully, there are forces at work (like Ocean2012) who work to stop overfishing and destructive fishing practices. I'm not saying the world needs to stop eating fish, but we NEED to stop eating cheap seafood which is caught or farmed in uncontrolled and potentially illegal circumstances, only to satiate a perpetual demand for seafood. And for the love of God, don't eat shark fin soup. It's fucking chicken soup...

Friday, June 3, 2011

Sunny Friday

Finally a bit of summer! At last it feels like the summer is really coming on. For those who are finished with their academic or professional duties it is a chance to enjoy the weather and appreciate the freedom. Others are unfortunately still revising or doing work, which means they might not be able to enjoy the outdoors as much as they'd wish. But that doesn't mean you cannot get in the right summer mood! All it takes is some summer music; music that makes you dream of white beaches and good times. Here are three summer-inducing musical suggestions.

The first track is by Thomas Bangalter who released his own material outside of Daft Punk on his own record label Roulé. Both Thomas and Guy-Manuel's extracurricular music is quite different to the Daft Punk music as it is more pure house than a pop track. It's as if the tracks are designed to be mixed and DJ'ed with. Some might think of the tracks as quite repetitive, but I'll quote a youtube-DJ who said about french house: "It's your favourite parts of the song on repeat". Couldn't agree more. Plus, you've got to love the opening on this track, especially considering the title. Makes me thirsty.


The next track is one I found on the French Express website. It's a track by a band from San Francisco called Social Studies which has been remixed by an LA based DJ calling himself Plastic Plates. He has remixed their song 'Body language' into a proper beach party track.


The last track is by Chris Malinchak, French Express' wonder boy. In my opinion, all of his music evokes a yearning for long summer nights, unnecessarily ornate cocktails, and beach parties. This track is his last release. Just look at the Baywatch-like, California-in-the-90s video. Bring on the summer!