Bright lights, big city

Spring was big. It always is. But this year particularly so. Here are some things we saw, we heard and inserted into our gobs. Delicious...

Little and large

Breakfast for din dins

The Seven Sisters snail

'chicken experts' - trust!

'Do you not think she's a bit hot?' 

Fuck you Goldman

Livers

Yes boss

Lost Map Records on Soho Radio

Just before we fucked off for far away climes, we did a Soho Radio show as M magazine with Lost Map Records.

Lost Map, for those not in the know, is an indie label located on the remote Isle of Eigg and run by Pictish Trail. We had Lost Map artists Rozi Plain and Manuela in over the two hour show that was something of a shambles when it came to chat and links. Hopefully this was more endearing than hateful although it is hard to say as I'm too scared to listen back. Some highlights were continually pronouncing 'Rozi' as 'Rosie' and Rosie also booting a hole in the studio desk. Ouch. Listen back below if you dare...
 

An interview with his highness, Julian Cope

Months off are few and far between if not none existent now we're all kinda fully fledged grown ups . But we've just come back off one with our kid and it was totally mega. So it's time for a 'catch up'...

While we were away, wheels continued rolling, one of which was this interview with former Teardrop Explode Julian Cope dropping on the internet. A little like a lead balloon as no one really noticed but whatever, this was one of the best half hours ever with a dude who has lived a life totally unhinged.

From heavy LSD consumption to an intense love for old stones, to dressing like, as he says, 'Odin's biker', Copey has done pretty much everything while keeping the tuneage heavy and uniquely him. His latest LP, Drunken Songs, is just that, a collection of ditties about getting back on the sauce. What a hero! Click the link and dig into a chinwag with the number one arch druid...

Julian Cope feature.

The Circle

Dystopian futures are the subject of more books and films than you can wave an evil robot's finger at yet Dave Eggers' The Circle manages to construct one all freshly sinister from the dream reality of working for the ultimate Silicon Valley giant.

The job the book's main protagonist lands sounds wunderbar if your idea of bean bags, a great canteen, working on a 'campus' and sharing your every move is the one.

But the reality is a company acting as a nightmarish collision of Google, Amazon and Facebook conducting the ultimate invasion of privacy into their workers' lives. Eek, eek and eek again.  

Akin to the Circle, our office at work has tried to create its own 'ultimate work life' space but reassuringly, there's nothing too sinister about the mess they've actually made. Instead, after a year or two, the reality is that the toilets don't work, there aren't enough lifts and every time you eat porridge in the canteen you get charged a new, weirdly different amount of dosh. Creepy watching perfection is someway off thank fuck.

Dig The Circle here.

Fifi Rong on Soho Radio

We were back on Soho Radio the other week with the ace Fifi Rong. If you've heard the latest Skepta album, then she's the first voice you'll hear while she's also worked with electronic legends Yello. Have a listen below... it's less gaff fuelled than usual...

Oh dear oh dear oh dear

It's been quite the year so far... 

Richard Norris

We were on Soho Radio this week with ace producer Richard Norris.

You may know Richard from his various excursions into electronic music under a range of different aliases. From his early days in chart botherers, The Grid to more recent work as half of Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve alongside Erol Alkan and as another 50 percent of Circle Sky, he's had his hands in more musical pies than an aural Gregg's.

So we were excited to have him on Soho Radio for our wee show. You can listen below which begins fairly rustily but then gets going about ten minutes in. I'm a fucking nervous bastard when confronted with a microphone...