QC&S

Started off local

2009-08-28T18:07:00.003+01:00

This song could be so much better! It's not the usual stuff I listen to but with four powerhouses of rap and hip hop its worth a look in. The song Forever by Drake features Kanye, Lil Wayne and Eminem. Honestly this probably would have been better without Lil Wayne I just find him a bit whiny and his verse weak. Eminem on the other hand is right on form. Anyway have a listen.

Listen Here

In other news related to little Wayne is Swedish electro due JJ's "cover/reinterpretation" of Lil Wayne's Lollipop. Its pretty good and appropriately for the little man is called Ecstasy.

Listen Here

K'naan & Afrikan Boy - This Is Africa, HOORAY!!!!

2009-08-19T13:36:00.004+01:00

One's from Somalia the other London, but which? Well it ain't Afrikan Boy he's a 19 year old student at Brunel University. I quite like some afrobeat and this is prime. K'naans original lyrics combined with a few updated additions make an already good song just that little bit better.

Admittedly Afrikan Boy doesn't contribute a huge amount, but that's a good thing, sometimes remixes can mess around too much with the song. The humour in his lines lift the song to give it a more light hearted outlook.

If you don't know much about Somalia watch this and you'll be pretty much up to date with the current situation. And below that get the song K'naan - T.I.A. (Remix feat. Afrikan Boy).

Listen Here

Example

2009-08-18T12:44:00.003+01:00

At the moment, the likes of Dizzee Rascal and Calvin Harris are drawing the mainstream crowds, with their summer anthems and collaborations with each other. Some say who's Calvin while others say who's Dizzee? Who cares? Now the next thing to overtake Dizzee Rascal is here. Example from West London. An area Mister Rascal isn't too fond of.

Example has been around a while now, Zane Lowe champions him on Radio 1, Calvin Harris chose him to support him on his tour, (not Dizzee Rascal). The mainstream pop sensibilities combined with the rawer Streetsesque rapping are a huge improvement on his first album 'What We Made'.

The next single off the new album is called Watch The Sun Come Up. Listen to the excellent Fred Falke remix below.

Listen Here

Finger On The Pulse

2009-08-15T15:10:00.003+01:00

Everyone claims to have their fingers on the pulse, at the edge, perched precariously on the line of new quality and ludicrous experimentation. But how many people actually are caressing this line? The effort required, to find new music and keep up with what comes out, is enormous.

The best thing to do is to head down to the smaller festivals where new bands get their chance. Two years ago I went to the Electric Gardens, playing on the second stage, having just released their first album were Mr Hudson & the Library.

Now though the library is no longer open for public reference instead it's now more a private collection. This name change has transformed a once mediocre band into one with a little something. Admittedly though this something is being signed to Kanyes record label and having him pop up in your first single.

The band are a million miles from playing in a Kent field to a handful of people thanks to Kanye and Radio 1. While I like bands when they are small, independent, doing what they want, it is always good to see them succeed. Even if it requires an endorsement from Zane Lowe the man whose arrogance seems to know no bounds.

Anyway, I came across this version of the massively popular Supernova not that long ago, a stripped down, string version, with much rawer vocals just like back in 07. Beautiful.

Listen Here

Miike Snow

2009-08-13T12:18:00.005+01:00

Probably one of my favourite, if not absolute favourite band of the moment. Having started out as a group of writers for the likes of Britney, these three blokes finally decided to cut out the middle man and take their songs direct to the public. And what a result, when this album comes out in October it is going to be brilliant.

The album is already out in the rest of the world but not here in the UK! However, there are still plenty of tracks and remixes to listen to floating around the Internet. The biggest collection being here. Yet another fine product of Sweden.

Something Old Something New

2009-07-08T21:14:00.004+01:00

Seeing as posting on here has been rubbish, I'm in catch up mode, so here are two totally different songs both of which however share one thing in common they have been remixed. First up is a band that needs no introduction: Bloc Party and their new single One More Chance due for release early August

A definite continuation of Keles vision of making music for people to dance to, a really good song with a rather amusing video. Below is a remix of the song by Alex Metric which perhaps fiddles around a little too much and could make more of the opening piano riff in the original. Still a good effort with a catchy progression similar to the Deamau5 remix of I'm Not Alone by Calvin Harris.

Get it Here

Next up is something incredibly old school, more than a decade older than me and french! It's a song first released back in 1978 by La Bande à Basile a band formed with the aim to "faire la fête" or literally make the party. So clearly to any normal person this would mean some sort of 70's rock and roll or maybe early House music. Alas no this band produces songs about La Chenille (Caterpillar), Chaud! Chaud! (Hot Hot) and somewhat optimistically their first song on their first album was called Disco révolution française.

But hey the caterpillar sold 2 million copies so it can't have been that bad. And now it's been remixed making a for a somewhat different version. Check out the original video first, well the Karaoke version to sing along to.

La Bande à Basile - La Chenille

After that check out the "updated version" the Douster Gwada Remix and its equally mad video. Filmed I think in Africa but potentially somewhere like Marseille.

And you can also if you want download this strangely catchy tune as well here

Ayrton Senna

2009-07-07T17:35:00.004+01:00

Delorean a car in the Back to The Future films and an Electro Indie band from Barcelona. Anyway they are pretty good banging out some decent remixes of the Mystery Jets the Teenagers and the like.

Their new EP is out for free download, well it's more a mix tape than an EP but nevertheless it is brilliant opening with a really good House tune. This EP moves from their hardcore roots to a more mainstream house sound fantastically summery.

1- EL GUINCHO "KALISE (DELOREAN REMIX) - Short Edit” (YOUNG TURKS 2009)

2- DELOREAN "DELI - Short Edit" (FOOL HOUSE)

3- MYSTERY JETS "HALF IN LOVE WITH ELIZABETH (DELOREAN REMIX)”

4- THE TEENAGERS "LOVE NO (DELOREAN REMIX)” (XL)
5- DELOREAN "BIG DIPPER - Short Edit” (FOOL HOUSE)
6- DELOREAN "MOONSON - Short Edit" (UNRELEASED)
7- LEMONADE "BIG WEEKEND (DELOREAN REMIX)” (TRUE PHANTER SOUNDS 2009
8- GLASSER "GLAD" (DELOREAN REMIX) (TRUE PHANTER SOUNDS 2009)
9- THE BIG PINK " TOO YOUNG TO LOVE (DELOREAN REMIX)” (UNRELEASED)

Get it here

YACHT OOH AAH

2009-07-04T20:55:00.004+01:00

Yacht are mental, preachers they think they are, mainstream they are not. They were over in the UK not that long ago supporting the majestic Patrick Wolf on his last tour. To be honest when they came on with their video show and chat I really did not take to them. Until their last song Psychic City.

Psychic City is actually really good, and perhaps if I saw them again I would appreciate their music more but the recorded version of Psychic City is really top notch and a good one for the hot summer ahead.

Listen Here

Boom Boom Pow: Song of the Summer? more to follow

2009-05-19T20:32:00.007+01:00

The Return: So Cosmic...

2009-05-16T19:45:00.002+01:00

It has been a while since the last post, which incidentally no longer exists, removed by blogger no less, fair enough though of course. It was a post regarding Basement Jaxx's new single Raindrops, which if your interested is being released soon, there's always the hype machine if you can't wait.

Anyway to make up for the rather large posting break here is a huge mix by the Australian band Cut Copy. It is cold So Cosmic and is a little old now but nevertheless still brilliant. A great mix to listen to while working but at the same time fabulous for the summer nights. One of the best mixes of recent times.

Anyway the track listing is:

Aphex Twin - On

Cut Copy - So Haunted (Knightlife End Edit)

Panda Bear - Bros

Popolice - (Edit)

Delia & Gavin - Rise

Elitechnique - Fingerfood (Major Swellings Mix)

Nu Musik - Warp

Panthers - Goblin City (Holy Ghost! Dub)

Alan Braxe & Fred Falke - Horizon

Bell X1 - Flame (Chicken Lips Dub)

Giorgio - Knights In White Saturn

Aeroplane - Aeroplane

Fleetwood Mac -Never Forget

Lifelike - So Electric

Saturn 5 - Oscillations

International Music System - Runaway (Edit)

Cut Copy - Lights & Music

Jean Michel Jarre - Equinoxe (Edit)

Harmonia - Deluxe (Drum Edit)

The Bells - Target Group (C90 Mix)

Holy Ghost - Hold On!

Bag Raiders - Nil By Mouth

Space - Save Your Love

In Flagranti - Additional Alpha Blocker

Oran Juice Jones - The Rain

Cut Copy - Hearts On Fire (A Cappella)

Cut Copy - Hearts On Fire (Joakim Remix)

Listen Here

Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit [Comment]

2009-04-16T22:13:00.004+01:00

Just found this on my computer and thought I'd put it up, Johnny Flynn performing Eyeless In Holloway at Cargo, last Christmas at the Fee Fie Foe Fum Party. He was brilliant!

Just Do It [Suggestion]

2009-04-16T15:34:00.003+01:00

Springtime for those who may not know is here. Anyway new music is coming and it's upbeat, it's happy unlike the gloom of winter. One band of anti gloom protagonists is Copacabana Club, not that they probably have much gloom in Brazil. Only 1267 plays on Last.Fm they still be a small band, and over here pretty much minuscule. So the perfect band to pretend you know to look cool talking about.

Anyway there music is great, their single Just Do It is almost funk, and the Boss In Drama Remix pushes it even more down the route of beautiful summer tune. Like Black Kids when they were smaller time they have their EP King Of The Night on their myspace for free download. If you can't find the link on their myspace it's here

www.myspace.com/copacabanaclubmusic

King of The Night EP

Also here is the Boss in Drama remix of Just Do It, it's great so listen to it. Yeah.

Listen Here

Little Boots [Comment]

2009-04-10T15:07:00.003+01:00

She came top of the BBC's Sound of 2009 poll, so she will be big this year such is the BBC's influence still on music. Radio 1 will play her music none stop all somewhere and the average fan who may take a vague interest in music will hear it and be like she's new, therefore she's cool, I'll buy it and thus she becomes the sound of 2009. Not that this is a bad thing, she should be because she is quality. Yeah that's right I am psychic.

Her first band Dead Disco were good, never mainstream, however now her sound is for the masses and has come at a time when electro is the sound of the moment.

Anyway a lot of her new album is spreading round the Internet at the moment in the form of remixes. Here is a remix of her first single New In Town, which is due for release on the 25th of May this summer. The remix is by Fred Falke a middle aged French house producer and it is quite frankly banging.

Listen Here

Grum is Calling In Sick [Suggestion]

2009-04-08T14:01:00.005+01:00

Grum producer from Leeds, UK, Calling In Sick DJ's from Sydney Australia. The result of which produces a fantastic remix of Grum's Runaway.

There isn't much that needs to be said here except from Calling in Sick are fabulous and you should listen to their stuff.

Listen Here

Annie [Comment]

2009-04-07T17:56:00.002+01:00

Before Ladyhawke, Ladytron, Lady Gaga, Little Boots, La Roux and Lykke Li came Annie all the way from Norway. Can you spot the pattern the key to success this year is looking like starting your name with an L and being a woman with loads of synthesizers.

Many of the aforementioned claim to be Indie with one eye on the dancefloor and yes they are all very good, and I am big fan of all of them, but Annies new album is looking to be fantastic judging by the clips on her myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/anniemusic

But more exciting is the emergence of songs off the next album remixed, one floating around is the Designer Drugs Remix (these guys generally do fabulous mixes) of Anthonio the next single for release in May sometime I believe.

Well listen to it here and see if you agree, this should be a tune for 2009 and the coming summer. Absolutley brilliant.

Listen here

Frankmusik [Comment]

2009-04-05T18:48:00.003+01:00

I don't like him, he is quite good, but he should learn that changing a c to a k does not buy success. Well the world has heard of this boy by now seeing he is all over blogs, myspace and just about anything Internet related.

While most his songs are passable his cover of Rehab by Amy Winehouse is probably one of the most original things he has done EVER.

It turns the song (well parts of it do) into something danceable and almost a party anthem if he cut out some of the slower parts. Listen to it below.

Listen Here

Part Of Me [Comment]

2009-04-01T19:16:00.002+01:00

Chris Cornell rockstar lead singer of Audioslave and Soundgarden has revived his solo career! And his most recent efforts are most definately better than all those previous. It's probably got something to do with getting Timbaland to produce the album.

When someone like Timbaland is involved success is almost a certainty. Well for Chris it wasn't the first single only appeared at number 78 in the charts, however it is still a great tune.

So go find this song; ill post a link at some point

Chris Cornell feat. Timbaland - Part Of Me (LA Riots Remix)

Mongrel [Comment]

2009-03-24T21:27:00.004Z

I got this album when it was released in the Independent, being a paper which pretends to be intellectual the write up was massively over the top and the hype enormous. Mainly because of this I never really paid much attention to this album, until now.

I've just finished listening through to it and actually it is remarkably good, definitely a grower, one which requires proper listening too rather than just in the background. The lyrics are sharp even with the frequent brap brap braps in "Act Like That." They cover the many political issues rather well.

Whether the band would do better without the Reverend I am not sure. At first I thought he brought them down, however after listening a few more times this could well be his best work thus far. "Julian," a more laid back song is a easy listener and here Reverend excels in comparison to some of his earlier work.

So yeah if you didn't get a chance to get it for free with the Independent I would still go and buy it because it is actually rather listenable too.

http://www.myspace.com/wearemongrel

Musiccccccc [Suggestion]

2009-03-19T23:20:00.004Z

I have been rubbish at posting, so while I lose my head to Hollywood, my liver to London and my youth to Tokyo, lets go on with the show. So to carry on I am going to suggest some music, these are the songs I have been listening to the most this last week. With the beautiful sunny weather London has woken up again during the day so most the music this week is quite upbeat.

First up is a song called Come Back Lover by a New Zealand band called Charlie Ash. the make really good synth driven electro pop. Their sound is tight, and I'm going to put it out there that this year they might just break out from New Zealand and become recognised on a more international level, especially with their European tour this summer. Anyway go here and listen to Come Back Lover

http://www.myspace.com/charlieash

The next song I have practically had on repeat is Patrick Wolfs next single Vulture, dark, moody, heavy electro, a clear break from the Magic Position. It is brilliant that is all really just go and listen to it on his myspace and buy it when it is released on April 20th

http://www.myspace.com/officialpatrickwolf

And lastly In For The Kill by La Roux, personally I think the Twelves Remix is pretty much top notch. Tune

http://www.myspace.com/thetwelves

Free speech, originality where did it go? [Comment]

2009-03-17T23:06:00.003Z

University should surely be a place for someone to go to ask questions, to push, to probe, to look at things from new angles. Surely to encourage the future, this is what lecturers should likewise be encouraging. Without this sort of innovation in an environment where it is ok to make mistakes, the future will literally stagnate as everyone is too scared to push the boundaries, break out of the box.

The environment at uni is so phenomenally against the individual it is unreal. Communist orthodox Russian churches are more open to new ideas than college. If it's not their answer, it's the wrong answer and yes I can understand that in most cases when doing a science this is going to happen. However, in design, theres many many ways to solve a problem each with its own merits and drawbacks.

But not here, the path is fixed, jump through the hoops, don't have an opinion, this is the key to success. You don't need talent, you need to be stupid and ignorant enough not to question the methods of those supposedly above you. Those who are meant to be the experts, yes they know their stuff, whether or not they have a sufficient enough grasp of the English language to convey it is another matter, they waltz around thinking that they shouldn't be questioned, they are above it all.

To them taking two, maybe three months to mark a piece of work it's irrelevant, after all every ones a number so who cares? Currently I'm working on a design project, and I proposed an idea significantly more aesthetically pleasing than anything the old guard could ever come up with. However, it is not their way so the mark will probably be low, hence I'll submit it twice, one modern version and one prehistoric.

This is part of the issue, age, while experience is a necessity to be able to pass on knowledge, it is important to remain fresh and open to ideas, and realise that while you may have decades more of accumulated knowledge than me, it does not necessarily mean you can't learn anything from me.

I have the ignorance and arrogance to question what is before me, just because something could not be done before I am quite happy to see if it can be done now. I want to know why, I don't just simply want to be told integrate this then integrate that and then integrate some more and look you have answer.

So where did it all go? Probably away from imperial as it improved in the world rankings, pass rates increased and individualism decreased. Nightmare.

Through these hard times, lets work harder....[Comment]

2009-03-14T20:57:00.003Z

Last night I saw Patrick Wolf again for the second day. While he was up to the same dizzying standard as per usual, the crowd was lacking something, namely manners. I'm 6 ft 1 so not a giant, but not a midget, maybe a bit above average. When I go to gigs like everyone else I want to be near the front, in the middle, near the person I'm here to see. Last night, to get that position I waited for three hours.

The problem arises when, short arses, stand behind you and complain in a raised voice to their equally vertically challenged chums that tall people should stand at the back, because they can see over everyone. Granted I probably could, but this is KOKO with three balconies and a raised area at the back of the stalls, if your so short go stand there. You'll definitely be able to see over me from the third floor.

Why is it that I should be penalised, I've been waiting, the reason people want to be in front of me is yes so they can see better, but at the same time in order to be closer to the artist in question. Somewhere I want to be just ass much if not more.

It is however a completely different story if someone were to tap me on the shoulder and ask politely to let them in front. If this happened I would most probably allow one or two in front, not everyone as I would end up near the back.

If people are short and want to make sure they can see from the front then get there earlier, it really is not that hard, I only rocked up ten minutes before doors, so it would not require much effort to get in front of the majority of taller people.

Trying to prod someone till they move or insult or smack glow sticks in their face is not going to help your cause. I and I'm sure many others will just never let you past, and probably seeing we are a foot taller than you anyway, make sure you can't get past and stand even taller.

Short arse syndrome was a massive issue last night, along with women in heels at a gig, I mean whats that about? As well as other inconsiderate behaviour, yeah people should enjoy the music, forget about everything, go a bit wild, but don't go to start fights.

Unfortunately, I think I can put the crowd down to the fact it was a NME night, NME nights always attract a much more diverse crowd and not necessarily the hardcore resulting in many who don't care about the music if they don't recognise the song.

Another interesting thing I spotted yesterday was a man in front of me recording every song on his phone. when told to live his life and put it away he responded with a vicious fuck off I want to watch it later. Does this not defeat the point of the gig? Live for now, hold memories which will improve with age rather than poor quality mobile phone footage which will forever be mediocre.

So that's this post done, if your short please take note, and if you think your going to record the whole show, don't, live your life.

You Put My Generation To Sedation, Overload Of Information [Comment]

2009-03-12T11:52:00.000Z

An appropriate name for a club which tonight played host to a living wonder. Granted 90% of the limited male crowd where gay, and trying to impersonate (the countries supply of Auburn hair dye was used on the heads of many of the attendees) the great man Patrick Wolf, but hey ho who cares. This is where I was tonight, watching Patrick Wolf, Micachu & the Shapes, and Craig Template.

This was the first time I had ever been to Heaven, Under the Arches, seeing as it is mainly a gay bar, and not being that way inclined, it isn't too high on my list of places to go. However, with Wolf playing I was there. First up, was Craig Template, a largely uneventful set, but nonetheless a good set. I'm not sure if something was up with the sound at this point or not, because it did not sound quite right, his recordings sounded better.

Craig Template is signed to Patrick's Bloody Chamber Music record label as the labels first act. Yet although on the label of someone of relative fame, he himself is fairly unheard of. To describe his music is hard, quite dancey, most likely best described as a northern male version of Britney. Listen here:

http://www.last.fm/music/Craig+Template

Next up, came Micachu & the Shapes, last time I saw them they were supporting the Mystery Jets and singing into vacuum cleaners. This time the vacuum cleaners were no where to be seen, and for some funny reason singing into a microphone improved Micachu's voice. Well I say singing more like rapid talking. Yet this newish, weirdish music is somehow quite good. The borrowing of styles from across the musical spectrum results in a totally unique sound. A sound which many think will propel her to the forefront of modern music.

http://www.myspace.com/micayomusic

Then at 8:45 on came Patrick Wolf, with all the show expected. Elaborate costumes, leather trousers, Dr. Martens and peroxide hair, a definite departure from the happy Magic Position. The battle begun with this new harder, electro sound, yet still with the old Patrick Wolf still detectable. The set consisted of old and new, and was truly fantastic something that should be seen soon.

Tomorrow, I get to see it all again at KOKO, and I believe tickets are still around so you've just got to go...

http://uk.myspace.com/officialpatrickwolf

http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=310330&interface=koko

A-Trak Infinity + 1 [Suggestion]

2009-03-11T23:48:00.000Z

wear sunglasses, they protect the eyes

Another musical suggestion, the chap above as you can probably guess is A-Trak. A-Trak is releasing a new mix-tape called Infinity + 1 on March 31st. Up until then on the site shown below, he is putting loads of free stuff, such as songs which did not quite make the cut, for people to download. They may not have made the cut but still some of the songs are pretty fantastic, listen to DJ Mehdi - Tunisia Bambataa, it's rather high quality stuff.

http://www.thrivemusic.com/infinityplusone/

With half the month left to go there's likely to be plenty more tunes dropped on here for free, so I'd keep an eye on it if I was you...

Can You High Five?? Can You... [comment]

2009-03-10T23:32:00.007Z

Tiger Woods hasn't masterd it...

Today I learnt something quite extraordinary, not everyone has the co-ordination to high five! This is a pretty crucial and basic skill, which is becoming increasingly important in today's society. The advent of a new era is upon us, with Amerikaaaaaas first Black President. It won't be long before the United Kingdom has its first Black/Asian/foreign (should clearly be the foreign minister quite literally) Prime Minister. Obviously, it's going to happen, according to the many who pose the question why have we not, as a multicultural society, not had one of the aforementioned?

Clearly ethnic origin is the most important factor for these people, or even gender, though we have sort of done that one over here. Why should it be a big deal if Obama is black, who cares, it should be completely irrelevant. The point is it should be about the best man for the job and lets face it in a country where 92.1% of the population is white, there is a very good chance the best man for the job of prime minister, and infact, statistically most jobs is going to be white. So it's hardly something to shout about that we should have a black prime minister just because. Doors should not be kept closed but neither should they be forced open on grounds which are totally irrelevant to the job. Maybe the Prime Minister should wear full overalls and a helmet so no one can tell whether he is male or female, white or not, Stig style. Barack Obama definately held a massive advantage and gained extra publicity just because he is black, it makes no difference to politics. However, it does make a difference to high fives.

With the rise of black men in to positions of authority, the dominance of the gentlemanly handshake is going to be challenged. George Dubya being the confused man he is, started the revolution. But with Obamarama, it won't just be high fives stepping up to the big stage, but fist bumps, and words such as "hood","bro","wagwan".

Instead of a firm handshake at interview being a good sign, interviewers will perhaps look for who can high five with greatest precision and control. So this poses a problem for many, many who the concept of high fiving with the same hand as your opponent in order to avoid potentially embarrassing collisions, which would make you look more like a Frenchman locked in an amorous embrace, is a tad too difficult to grasp.

So to conclude this part, the art of street gestures is going to be increasingly important in the world, in business and when meeting total strangers. So I'd get practising if this fine art is not yet a strength on your C.V.

Patrick Wolf [Suggestion]

2009-03-09T23:45:00.006Z

If you don't know who this man is you are missing out. If you say he lacks talent, you are lying, he plays more instruments with greater accomplishment than many a classical musician. He is only 25, and yet has penned three albums with the next two out this year. He is good, and that is pretty much the end of the story.

However, each album is different, each with its own distinct sound, charting his life. Live he is astoundingly good, provided you don't have a bad back. Bad backs can really kill the enjoyment as I found out at his Grand Finale at Shepherds Bush Empire back in December 2007. Fortunately the set was not as good as it could have been, playing the same song twice!

But never mind, for he plays again this Thursday at Heaven, it's sold out so you can't go, though spare tickets are around. However, he then plays the next day at Club NME at KOKO which should be equally good, and it isn't sold out, so you've just got to go, so there you go, you should run the risk of losing £5. Even if you don't like him when it's over, Club NME starts up as per usual and that's worth the money in itself. So go listen to him, wherever you can, Youtube, Myspace or perhaps just maybe buy him.

Alternatively here is a site with some rarities and live sets to adore:

http://patrickssecretgarden.awardspace.com/

Oh yes, "maybe buy him" is not a grammatical error, because you can quite literally buy a share of his music. Unlike the stock markets his music has not crashed thanks to dodgy bankers who can't do maths. It's called bandstocks, giving some ownership of music to the fans, read about it here:

http://www.bandstocks.com/Project.htm?ProjectId=510

Robosex [Comment]

2009-03-08T12:26:00.000Z

Well I have already posted once so the next logical step would be to post again! I would try to post something current however it is a Sunday. When you haven't been in London on a Sunday well not much happens in your day of note. The outright highlight of the day however was most certainly saving 95p on the train ticket back in to the smoke. All thanks to an old man with a walking stick, trying to tout his most probably dodgy day travel card. Being the keen negotiator that I am when he offered the ticket for £3 (a saving of £1.95) I did not snap it up. Instead realising this man with his stick was clearly manically desperate and at a massive low in his life, after all he was trying to sell a used train ticket, I waited for him to lower his price, however that all went disastrously wrong when all of a sudden he increased the price to £4. Disappointed that my negotiations had been quite so passive, I took heart from the fact that this man was pretty low in his life. The only situation which could have been lower for him would be too cross the road to the pub and order a half pint of Fosters.

So I paid up and saved my money, in the end it turned out it was just as well I saved my 19.19%. For during the last twenty minutes of the journey I was serenaded by an irate man singing/praying in Arabic, and playing music/prayers out of his Kasbah blaster of a Nokia "I'm so cheap my speaker is awful but loud enough to piss off everyone else" phone. I don't blame him for being irate, the train was delayed by three minutes and I'm sure back in his homeland the trains are probably much more efficient, the word delay is probably not even in his vocabulary, seeing he must so clearly have never experienced one. It was not till the train reached the terminus did I have a conversation with him, it went like so:

Hmmmm, I wonder where we are?

Man: "waaaaarterloooooo?"

Me: "probably, I'm pretty certain that is what that sign says"

Man: "Alhamdulillah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (which if you don't know means praise be to god/or potentially and hopefully thank you kind sir)

Well that is all of the days excitement really, so I have decided to post something else as well, two for the price of one! Buy one get on free! You can't lose. What follows is an article I wrote back at school on the back of a presentation, unfortunately it did not quite make the magazine owing to the magazines diverse audience, which includes younger pupils and prospective parents...Oh well here it is for you to read and maybe enjoy or deride. It's about robots (you can tell which university I go to). Jus to make it clear I am not interested in robots or anything in this, but it was something amusing to give a presentation on.

Many of you will have seen the film Bi-centennial man, (if you have not yet been fortunate enough to see this cinematic wonder, it is highly recommended, not that I've seen it,) so imagine the scene, we inhabit this world where the lines between human and robot have been blurred, where humans form relationships with androids, and never die because every part of the body can be replaced.

Well what if I said we are not too far from that robotic utopia right now. You may not have imagined what it would be like to have sex with a robot utilising your hydraulic penis to its full mechanical advantage, but some have, mainly those who play world of warcraft or other pointless games or those off to university to study the most hardcore of geek subjects, such as computer science and maths [since being at Imperial it has become evident that the vast majority of these people are here so do not fear you're safe provided you avoid South Kensington]. Of course the man proposing this idea, Daniel Levy (not the Tottenham chairman though he probably likes it too) is a man of considerable importance as the president of the International Computer Games Association.

So for some who cannot find real love, then the future is looking silicon, and not as in breast implants, but rather the chip which will be implanted and form the core of your new male or female-bot. For the rest of the world, those who do not spend every night fiddling with computers, perhaps when it comes to love the hydraulic penis is a much more likely prospect.

Erectile dysfunction is a massive problem for many. It can get people down emotionally, and physically, and as a result can be detrimental to ones general health. Nearly all sufferers will turn to Viagra, and for the majority this is plenty strong enough, however for a select few not even the heaviest dose will cause a flinch. So these bands of brothers turn to the hydraulic penis a 5.6 inch long 1.2 inch diameter limiting implant. It utilises the same physical principles as the brakes in your car, moving fluids around to cause a movement. There is a saline solution reservoir connected to a pump which when gently squeezed causes a pressure differential drawing saline out of the storage reservoir into the elongated erectile reservoirs. [True mechanical engineering - real fluid mechanics]

Once all the saline has transferred the erection is ready to go, and all this in less than 15 seconds, according to the manufacturer this can be operated discreetly without killing the moment provided no one notices you pushing the button, however at £50000 and with only a 5 year limited warranty it might hurt the bank balance as well.

On the plus you control how long everything lasts, be it one hour, one day or one week, because to return to normal the system needs to be allowed to return by pressing on a valve which is also implanted. It can however take up to a day for the entire system to return to normal.

As well as the penis implant, there are a whole range of other upgrades, ranging from replacement nipples at around £50 each, up to mechanical hearts at £150000 each. So being able to replace parts, and with the recent development of intelligent prosthetics which are controlled merely through thought, you may think how can we die? Will the line between dead and alive also become blurred just like the one between robots and humans has potential to?

What to post first? [Suggestion]

2009-03-07T23:19:00.009Z

The way this is going to work is simple. I see,hear, think stuff and I write about it. This should result in something vaugely interesting and hopefully marginally amusing, but splashed with good music. Each post will be either a question (because I just don't have a clue what the answer is, a problem I find regularly doing what I do); a comment (that is something that has revealed itself to me in my brain, so in all likelihood will be totally pointless); or a suggestion.

This first post is a suggestion, and that suggestion would be read this blog, because it will make you feel better that there is someone more stupid than yourself. This will in turn make you feel smarter, education also makes you feel smarter, therefore by analogy THIS IS AN EDUCATION.

Aside from enlightening you to the fact that what I originally described as a source of rubbish is actually an education I am going to tip something big for this inaugral post. Afterall when commencing a new project it is important to mark it with something, Barack Obama closed Guantanamo Bay, so on a similarly important scale here is some music.

This is a song, well a reinterpretation of a song by a chap called Mateo, who is very much into giving his music away according to his website. Infact, if you head over to his website and his myspace there are two different mixtapes on them with more of his adaptations, and best of all they are both free. If I was you I would get them now while they are still like that. Anyhow the song is his version of T.I's song Live Your Life. It's quality.

http://pmatunes.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/03-get-out-of-my-mind-_-live-your-life-remix.mp3