Summer

Long summers, short dresses, cold drinks and hot bodies.

This is one of my favourite sets, ever. Any Paul Kalkbrenner set that starts with Dockyard and is followed by Since 77 does it for me. Sometimes you need to start with a couple of big tracks, to put yourself and your crowd in the mood. It all depends on the moment.

So, in two days, I'm leaving (on a jet plane) for a while. I haven't felt like this in ages. "Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall", according to Jordan from The Great Gatsby, but of course there's some irony in that (note the word 'fall'). But life for me? It starts all over again tomorrow.

And summer starts the day after that.

Hello Summer

It's been a while. Time to get back on the terrace, embrace the mid-20s temperatures (AKA spring weather in Cyprus terms), play lighter music, wear lighter clothes, carry a lighter soul.

The first festival of the season is already over, and despite the ridiculous clashes and the fact that the person taking care of set times should be jailed, it was pretty good. I couldn't miss Dixon and Âme for the world. Jon Hopkins and Todd Terje, I'll catch you in your full glory some other time.

Now, it's time to recuperate. Nine Inch Nails, followed by five crazy days and nights in Berlin, followed by Field Day and its after-party (despite the blurry mind, I'm sure Kristian played an almost identical set to their b2b a few hours earlier). No regrets, but this body needs some rest, and I think it's time to head to back the studio/my bedroom to produce some party music myself.

Change is on its way and it feels like the possibilities are back, and they're a lot more than ever before.

There must be more

As I stop, and take the time

To inventory, the inside of my mind
I realize, it’s not as full as it used to be.
With images of justice, or designs of liberty

The world has changed, or is it me that’s new?
A different set of morals from a different set of clues
So still I wonder, is this all there is to life?
The ever changing cycles of a world that’s damp and ripe

There must more, yeah in my heart I hold to this
I’ve known the joy of love and I’ve seen the peace and bliss
But as you know, all things must end, except the need for faith
And the spirit that’s within to keep you strong

When it seems you’re ’bout to break
Just call upon the strength within and plant it as your stake

Move forward with power, program yourself to feel
With depth enough to know what’s up and heart to sense the real

Where you at?

And now a picture for the frame we set aside
Below the baseline a secret place awaits for us to hide
To pass the time as the war goes on-and-on
Post-apocalyptic sunset, Post-apocalyptic dawn
But just the thought of the world we once possessed
A place that wasn’t ours is just a house with an address
A false existence, wrought with fear and mistrust, a life inside a box
No life inside of us.

Find your soul, and use your inner voice,
The road less traveled, is now the path of choice.
Realize, with time comes change
New attitudes, new values, priorities rearranged.

Move forward with power, program yourself to seek
Wear your shield of justice and wield your sword of liberty
Move forward, move now, program yourself to feel
With depth enough to know what’s up and heart to sense the real

Where you at?

There must be more…. more… more..
Is this all there is?
Is this it?

There will be time

A rainy Thursday in London. Yesterday seems so long ago. Radiohead and T.S.Eliot provide the mood, and comfort, for the day.




And indeed there will be time 
To wonder, "Do I dare?" and, "Do I dare?" 
Time to turn back and descend the stair, 
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—                              
[They will say: "How his hair is growing thin!"] 
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin, 
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin— 
[They will say: "But how his arms and legs are thin!"] 
Do I dare 
Disturb the universe? 
In a minute there is time 
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse. 


http://people.virginia.edu/~sfr/enam312/prufrock.html

Got that Monday feeling on a Friday

“My thought is me: that's why I can't stop. I exist because I think… and I can't stop myself from thinking. At this very moment - it's frightful - if I exist, it is because I am horrified at existing. I am the one who pulls myself from the nothingness to which I aspire.” ― Jean-Paul Sartre, Nausea



I have nothing else to add. I shall retract back into my thoughts now.

Moments of Introspection

Off to Berlin in exactly one week and one day.

Berlin has a special vibe that I haven't felt in any other place in the world. Money is not the main driving force behind the city. A combination of factors have made it what it is today: the people, the history, the music. Everything feels authentic. You don't feel ripped off in everything you do. It feels just right. You can be who you are, or who you want to be, and no one will judge you. There is an ongoing energy that makes you feel very much alive.

My Berlin Pinterest Board has been updated with new places I'd like to visit party in. I have also created a custom-made Google map, because I am a geek, which I may or may not share when we're back. I have been looking forward to next weekend for too long.

A weekend of getting lost in deep sounds and dark rooms. A weekend of getting lost in the moment (as the Innervisions crowd put it) and at the same time rediscovering yourself. It's one of the funny things about clubbing for hours - you can reach moments of profound clarity, because at the very moment that you close your eyes the magic begins to happen. It's only you, and the music, and the way you perceive it.

In a similar way, daylight saving time has prolonged the night and the hours of darkness every day, forcing us to spend more time in the dark. Ironically enough, sometimes we see things more clearly in the darkness, with our mind's eyes. Surrounded by people, yet experiencing everything alone, in our moments of introspection.

f@ck yeah

That is all. I have nothing else to say.

Free chocolate milk in the morning + this = I'm happy (ish, still can't get over this week's Game of Thrones episode). I can't wait for proper European tour dates. Not Reading festival. Not Leeds festival. Give us a proper London venue, and I'll be the first to stand in line.

DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT

PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK



I mean, this is probably not even the final version. But I can't stop listening to it and thinking of the beach, the sun and having a couple of these. (if you're too lazy to click on the link, it's a recipe for a smashed raspberry lemonade cocktail. Click away)

At least this year's music is good

2013 has not been disappointing when it comes to music releases. Yes, it's snowing in April. Yes, home is going through some (serious) sh1t, but a bunch of favourite artists are keeping us company through these cold, miserable times.

First of all, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs - a horrible album cover, but the music makes up for it. I can hear the dance remixes in my head:



P.S. Karen O, you are mental.


Up next, DAFT PUNK!




And, to set a more sombre tone, Nine Inch Nails. The release of their new album will probably be next year, which means 2013 will be spent listening to all the Halos and praying for a How To Destroy Angels European tour.

The smell of sunshine

I remember sometimes

At the time of posting...

...this video only had 2.7m views.



Unacceptable.


Layne Staley's voice is just out of this world. They say the eyes are the window to the soul, but with his shades on, Staley leaves you with no choice but to open up and hear every single emotion that is carried with every word he sings.

Perfect soundtrack to a grey, rainy London noon.

Caves and Fires - an exercise in ongoing writing while working

I'm having a Nick Cave/Arcade Fire morning. No deep basslines for now, no repetitive rhythms, no pads... Just 'proper' music. Sometimes a girl needs lyrics.

This blog post will be an exercise in ongoing writing while working. I will take you through my mind. It will be like Being John Malkovich, but without going through tiny doors or meaningless repetition of words.

So, another Friday and plans for the weekend are - to say the least - exciting. I am tempted to say 'eggciting' because of an inside joke that has been going on in the office, but  I won't. I'm lucky enough to have a 2pm finish today, which means I get to enjoy being in the cold for a little bit more.

It's 09:48 and Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) comes on:

Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small,
That we can never get away from the sprawl,
Living in the sprawl,
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains,
And there's no end in sight,
I need the darkness someone please cut the lights.



Moving on. There's something about Fridays. Like you can achieve something, your time is here. Although small achievements come on an everyday basis.

Achievements of the week:

- Made great cake as therapy for having broken my iPhone's screen (RIP)
- Reached 1,000 words in my book of short stories (est. publication date: 2041)
- Made great soup on Monday, and great soup on Wednesday
- Remained calm in times of challenge
- Went to the gym despite having the excuse of a swollen ankle (entirely my fault)

Anyway, Fridays. There's something special about Fridays. Going out on a Friday night means you wake up on Saturday morning with a feeling of fulfilment and without the pressure of needing to 'do something' for the weekend to make it meaningful. I acknowledge that a lot of people are not like that, but in the world of twenty-somethings, the weekend is that special little chunk of the week where your time is not being controlled by the hands of a clock but by how you would like to spread it out.

A taster of tonight (in a large scale version). Ellen Allien doing her thang at Fly Bermuda Festival: http://www.be-at.tv/brands/bermuda-berlin-music-days/fly-bermuda-festival/ellen-allien.go?0

So. Excited. This is what Fridays should be like.

And, tomorrow I've got my first 'solo' gig in London. 5 hours of playing the music I like (you gotta be selfish sometimes) to my friends and hopefully other people with a taste similar to mine.



Midday. Usual lunch time, but as I leave work in a while I'm going to have late lunch. For now, it's CAKE TIME! With the amazing aforementioned therapy cake.

12:37 - Armed with tea and a sugar high, it's time for that final push towards the end of the working week.

Malkovich Malkovich.

Push The Sky Away

Nick Cave!

New album!

European tour!

I'm not big on exclamation marks, but this man deserves them (and sometimes likes to use them himself).

So, while randomly browsing my twitter feed and dreaming of pancakes, I saw a teeny weeny tweet about Nick Cave. And European dates.

Nick Cave. Probably one of the hottest ugly men out there. Because he makes hot music, and he has a hot voice.

The Guardian has kindly posted a full stream of the whole album. Enjoy it here.

I think I know you from somewhere

Soooo. SUN. Finally.

Of course it's still absolutely freezing, but at least we got a little bit of a vitamin D boost. I went out for a walk and cigarette on my lunch break, and I stopped at traffic lights on purpose, although I had the chance to cross the road (twice, at a leisurely pace), so I could stand in a sunny spot for a few more seconds.



In other news, Pinterest and tumblr have proven to be great methods of procrastination, although I've been cheating somewhat with the latter, as I've only been uploading my favourite photos I took using instagram.

In O' Level Geography, back in my glorious high school days (I'm sure I'm showing my age now, which isn't that tragic, but still), we were taught about the term 'conurbation', which basically happens once two or more urban areas start developing and growing to such an extent that they start merging with each other and turning into one. I feel the same is happening with the online and social media landscape.

The big question that keeps revolving in my head is when these will stop working together and start working against each other. It may become a case of the big fish eating the small ones, or people will simply fall back into their own networks of choice.

Love is a struggle

 Truly beautiful video and sounds from Soulade.

 (warning: not really suitable for work)

A glimmer of hope

Saschienne are such a breath of fresh air. Their sets come from the heart and are the opposite of calculated. Yes, the songs complement each other, but some of the choices are unexpected and that's what makes them so unique.

  Saschienne's Clubberia Podcast by Kompakt

Music to travel to

...either mentally or physically.

Moderat - Rusty Nails

Beautiful music, beautiful video.

I can't wait for Bloc.

Just another Friday night in London

Soundtrack for the weekend 9.0

Haven't posted one of these in a while. And, although it's grey and miserable outside, I am tanned and carefree. It's time for the weekend and I'm listening to this piece of genius.

Mellow times

Spring is here, though it doesn't really feel like it (thanks, England). At least we always have good music to keep us company.