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.

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.

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...

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!

One week in Manchester

Last week was a good one. I've realised I haven't told you much about "my life in Manchester", but there are a couple of reasons for that, though. 1. This blog was never meant to be autobiographical; 2. This last semester (when I started my blog) has been remarkably uneventful, considering most of my time has been spent reading and working in university. However, last week I finished my last exam! This means I've finally got more time to look around and focus on other stuff that's going on. These are some of the things observed in Manchester last week, by yours truly.

Remember last Saturday when the world was supposed to end? Well, there's a group of (fundamentalists) Christians who have been preaching about this in Market Street for quite some time. I don't know whether they are part of Harold Camping's following or if they follow their own agenda, but it's clear that they have seen one 'end ' or another coming for a long time. They rarely catch anyone's attention, though. Everyone just seems to pass them by, probably taking them for some crazy group of doomsday Christians. Except for a little group of kids. A little group of teenage protesters who find entertainment in standing next to them and shouting retorts at everything these Christians shout. You may call it childish, but it is no more childish than those Christians are eccentric and aggressive. Last Saturday I noticed that the group of kids had started wearing Justin Bieber masks as well. Here's a picture of the doomsday Christians with a Justin Bieber-masked kid next to him. (You'll have to forgive the poor picture quality as I took the picture with my mobile phone as I was rushing past).

Justin Bieber on the left, Manic (Market) Street Preacher on the right.

Not a very good picture. Here's one with added red ring so you can spot the Biebz.

"...And I was like Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ooooh..."

I think it's fair to assume that everyone took Harold Camping's doomsday prophecy with a pinch of salt. Still, the shelves in Marks&Spencer's on the Sunday (the day that was never meant to be!) seemed to indicate that a lot of people had taken a "better safe than sorry" stance and stocked up on food. You know, just in case... Either they must have thought "If I don't get chosen by Jesus, I'm still going to try to outlive this apocalypse! Better stock up!" or "If I get chosen I'm sure heaven's a long flight away. Better stock up!". Or perhaps the anticipation of doomsday or no doomsday make people hungry.

Get your doomsday ready meals now! Don't be hungry when you come to heaven or get left behind!

My beloved Manchester City finally won a trophy for the first time in 35 years (!) when they beat Stoke in the FA cup finals. Of course, this had to be celebrated! The streets of Manchester turned sky blue as fans gathered in the street to cheer on a parade with City players and City heroes. Good times.

What also happened this week is that I finally saw real Morris dancing!! This bizarre spectacle is an old English traditional dance. You might wonder why I've wanted to see this? The reason is I just find it hilarious because it's so fucking weird. Just look at it! 

According to wikipedia, they're not sure of the origins of this form of dance. I have my own theory, though. I believe that in the old days when societies were few and scattered, small villages would have designated 'guardsmen' or gate keepers who they would send out to scare away predators or unwelcome strangers. These guardsmen would wear bells on their legs for enhanced effect of loud noise, and also carry a stick for waving and potential mêlée battle. However, as societies grew it was inevitable that some villages would bump into each other. The conflicting villages would then send out their guardsmen with bells and sticks to chase each other away. However, these guardsmen were used to their opposition (usually just a wayward animal looking for food) turning around a fleeing just by the loud noise of the bells. Neither of the guardsmen had ever before experienced actual physical combat or an enemy that didn't flee. Hence, they clashed into each other in the middle of the field (or rather, a 'moor') and the men, not being used to direct confrontation, proceeded to jump and run around each other, bashing away with their sticks, rather incompetently and feebly. The spectacle of men with bells on their legs and sticks in their hands not hitting a single target rather than the other mens' sticks, must have been an entertaining one for the villagers watching. From that day on, the villages decided to join forces and relegate their inadequate guardsmen to entertainment dancers, or Morris dancers.

Scratch my eardrum!

When it comes to music I always used to be a 'rocker'. The more guitar, the better. Sounds were meant to be organic, pure, and "real". Even though all rock music uses distortion and overdrive effects to create their sounds, it didn't matter as long as the sound came from a guitar. That sound was unmistakable.

My intrigue for electronic music has always been lurking in the back of my minds, but my "rock'n'roll neurons" have fervently denied any acknowledgement of anything that isn't played by humans. But as I've mentioned before, that all changed drastically when I hit a musical drought and coincidentally went to see Tron: Legacy in the cinema, and had a spiritual awakening evoked by the Lords of electronica, Daft Punk. Hallelujah.

For me, there is something about the way those digital, synthetic noises seem to 'scratch your brain'. It's the best way I can describe it, a "brain scratch". It's like one of those itches or self-inflicted scratches that is ambiguously itching and therefore annoying, but at the same time nice and, for some reason, intriguingly pleasant. When I hear a sound like the one I'm trying to describe (I will give you examples) I imagine a 'sound' literally scratching my eardrums and consequently my brain. It is the weirdest and nicest and most fascinating feeling. A feeling to which my rock'n'roll-fibres have finally let me succumb, in a relieved sigh of musical bliss.

My "rock'n'roll-genes" and love for real music will never let go. Therefore, I love (and always have) electro artists/DJs who manage to take samples from other artists and create a brilliant electro track, or simply remix a pop tune (French electro artists are particularly known for their ability to use samples and create completely new and different sounding tracks) But at the same time I like listening to some electro that is very synthetic, distorted and 'raw'. So this weeks tracks are about that 'raw', hard electro sound.

First off is, rather fittingly, Daft Punk's hit track off the Tron: Legacy soundtrack. The sounds they created for the Tron universe fits perfectly with the dark, digital world of the Grid (the computer created world). What I love about this track is how all the sound are so synthetic and digital sounding. The 'hi-hat' sounds like someone is tapping on an electric wire! It all sounds very 'electric' if you ask me. What I also love about Daft Punk (except for EVERYTHING) is their exquisite 'solos'. The way the melody theme just goes mental during the song is so bloody brilliant.

This week's second track is from another famous French electro duo; Justice and their brilliant track Waters of Nazareth. This track starts out with what sounds like just annoying noise, but it quickly breaks into a hard-hitting rock/electronica extravaganza. Justice of course are known for their rock-influenced electronica and heavily distorted sounds. I particularly like how they keep a relatively clean and organic sound on their beats (drums) whereas the melody is spewed out by a distorted sound, so dirty that it makes you want to have a shower. Love it.

So yeah, you know how much I like Daft Punk. I don't mean to intentionally inundate every blogpost with how much I love them or force their music down your throats (or ears). But I need to share this track with you. It is actually a remix by SebastiAn (who I told you about last week) of Daft Punk's "Human After All". Daft Punk have actually called this remix the best remix they have ever heard of their music, and that's pretty special I think. Then again, SebastiAn is a bloody genius. He's got a very heavy sound with very 'raw' effects, some of them literally sounds like he's plugging his equipment in. I think it's brilliant how he manages to incorporate that into his music. Anyway, enjoy this expert remix of the track that named my blog.

Vendredi musique

"French do it better" is an expression that keeps popping up on the different music related websites that I browse, and with good reason: The French DO make a lot of insanely cool electro music. This week I want to share three tracks with you, all from French artists. The music videos are also some of the best/funniest I have ever seen.

First off is a track that's not so much electro as it is rock. I'm usually not a fan of electronic rock as I feel in most cases 'electro rock bands' will drown the pure organic sound of rock instruments in a mess of distorted synthesizer noises and electro beats. It almost feels like they're trying to hide the fact that they're not that good... But sometimes, very rarely (when the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars...?), electro and rock seem to come together in perfect symbiosis. This French band (at least I think it's a band) Poney Poney have got a rocking tune which is made even better with simple and subtle electro effects. You'll know what I mean when you hear it. Also, the music video for this track is really funny and original in its simplicity.

Ed Banger Records is a French record company that is home to many famous electronic acts such as Cassius, SebastiAn, Justice, DJ Mehdi, Uffie, etc. It is run by Pedro Winter, who until 2008 was Daft Punk's manager. Needless to say, this record company is suffused with electronic awesomeness. Therefore, I must share with you some tracks that have been concocted in the magical cauldrons of this electro factory extraordinaire. First off, a DJ called SebastiAn and this lovely lovely music video for his track Embody.

Finally, a track by DJ Mehdi called Signatune. This version is has been given the Midas Touch of the electro deity that is Thomas Bangalter - one half of Daft Punk. The song is quite dramatic and almost a bit sombre, which is conveyed brilliantly by the exquisite accompanying music video. However, this does not take away the awesomeness and power from the track, which is made even 'rawer' (and more awesome in my biased opinion) by Thomas Bangalter's remix. I recommend you turn the volume up a little bit more and enjoy the track.