Saturday 7 July 2012

Getting them out of my system!

To ensure that I do not go overboard with the music on this blog I am making this my last music post for a while....so I will try and make it a good one!

Both playlists recently have been very genre specific, which may not have been to everyones tastes. Here Im going to try and touch a few more bases in the hope that everyone might walk away with at least one new tune they like.

My first group of songs is in response to the news that my pals at We Own have a night featuring the AMAZING Disclosure. Out of nowhere these guys have got absolutely huge and depressingly they are incredibly young too! They are most famous for their remix of Jessie Ware's 'Running' but here Im hopefully going to give you a few more to sink your teeth into.

Disclosure - What's in Your Head?

Disclosure - Control

Disclosure - My Intention is War (Fig ii) (they have another version of this song but this is my fave)

I also have here a link to a recent set they did at the Boiler Room - if they do anything like this when they perform for We Own I will be extremely happy!


Next are just a few random party tunes I'm listening to at the moment...


Martin Solveig - The Night Out (A-Trak Remix)


Ellie Goulding - Lights (Joker Remix) 


Mak and Pasteman - Do the Same (VIP)


Joe Garston - Forever

Finally... I really recommend a YouTube channel called MajesticCasual, found here:

The guy has a really cool selection of songs from all different types of music, a few of which are below:


Bondax - Wet Summer


Ellie Goulding - High For This (The Weekend Cover)


WEKEED - Wild Child


Digital Farm Animals - Aint That Peculiar


Sweet Willie-Brown - Swag


Have a further look into this guy...although this tune above is very UKGarage he has a lot of Hip-Hop clips and other cool stuff on his Soundcloud.

Trap-Music?!

With Dubstep dying a slow and painful death - to the point you almost feel sorry for it - I'm now looking to new places to find that bass that makes you tingle.

My search has taken me back full circle to where I first satisfied my love of bass music...the world of Rap and Hip-Hop. The influences of bass-heavy electronic music have begun to sneak into modern Hip-Hop, as can be seen in a lot of Jay Z and Kanye's 'Watch The Throne' Album. Producers like Hit-Boy, Lunice and HudMo are gaining huge popularity in the production of Hip-Hop for major artists - whilst still producing their own individual pieces.

This more electronic and heavy-hitting form of Hip-Hop has been classified as 'Trap-Music' but I disagree with this obsession concerning genre in the music world. The artists themselves refer to it as Rap music - so that is what it is.

Regardless of its name I love it, and in the face of my previous music posts I present to you my Hip-Hop / 'Trap-Music' playlist. Just to add a bit more oomph to the chill that is Deep House.

P.S - check out Baauer's stuff on youtube if you like it - he's got a lot more but this is the only DL link i could find (same goes for Lunice)

P.P.S - end of July sees TNGHT (AKA Lunice X HudMo) release a record, if you like any of their individual stuff the tunes they have upcoming are sure to blow you away.

A$AP Rocky & Swizz Beatz - Street Knock

A$AP Rocky - Goldie

Baauer - Harlem Shake

Figgy - Talk That Talk

Gucci Mane - Party Animal (HudMo Remix)

Birdman - BBoyz

Zeds Dead & Omar LinX - No Prayer (Keys N Krates Remix)

And Finally....... A couple of videos.

Proof of the respect HudMo is gaining in the USA


Not really in keeping with the rest of the post but man I WISH I was in OddFuture they have too much fun making good tunes.




Summer House

No one ever seems to listen to a song and say, 'yeah that'll be my winter tune' - good music is always associated with fun in the sun. Sadly in Britain the sun doesn't seem to exist anymore but we can still have some great summer tunes.

This list is exclusively House orientated and is pretty much a follow on from my previous playlist as I continue to poach from Bristol. On top of this, however, I found a new technique of simply going to Beatport and listening through their Top 100 and noting down all the songs I liked. Their popularity pretty much ensures that if you type in the title of the song followed by the word 'zippy' a download file will appear. This is so much better than converting from YouTube with most of the file sizes being around 13-14Mb so you know its decent quality.

So without further hesitation here is my newest House playlist:

Amine Edge & Dance - Going to Heaven with the Goodie-Goodies
Daniel Dexter - Work Your Body (Audiojack Remix)
Daniel Dexter - Today
Danke - We Play Life (Andrey Loud Remix)
Finnebassen - Touching Me
Flashmob - Need in Me
George Fitzgerald - Child
Goldroom - Fifteen (Oxford Remix)
Joris Delacroix - Air France
Kindness - Gee Up (Erol Alkan's Extended Rework)
Nice7 - Time to Get Physical
Nice7 - Back to 90
Phunk Investigation and Schumacher - Critical
Robosonic - Worst Love
Tom Demac - Dirty Honey
Waze and Odyssey - Ah Baby

Ill give links to a few of my favourites so you can get an idea of the kind of music on here and if you think they're up your street search the rest, download and enjoy!

Daniel Dexter is a revelation to me and a bit of sexy sax never goes amiss.


Super popular on Beatport so you know its good.



This one simply because of the wicked sample used that everyone should recognise.


Friday 6 July 2012

The Best Job in Football?



Now bear with me because what I am about to propose may shock a few of you, but - regardless of my position as a Portsmouth supporter - I propose that Michael Appleton’s job is far more exciting than may initially seem the case. There are, of course, several caveats to this statement; like the looming specter of liquidation but as the saying goes, “every cloud…” And so, ‘IF’ - and some may argue that this is a big ‘IF’ - Portsmouth are able to find a new owner before the money runs out, then Michael Appleton will find himself in a fairly unique position.

A recent statement came out of the club suggesting that of the current squad, which was relegated from the Championship, probably only 4 will remain for the tour of League 1. This is understandable considering some shocking statistics based on wage bills in 2010. Whilst Portsmouth went into administration and were relegated to the Championship, Tottenham propelled themselves into the Champions League. Despite this, ESPN report that out of the 200 top sports teams in the world Portsmouth had the 72nd highest wage bill compared to Tottenham who ranked at 110th. Overall the average Portsmouth player was earning a full $10,000 more each week (sorry about the currency, ESPN is American after all). In light of these ridiculous numbers, and with so many relics of this regime still remaining at the club, it is unsurprising that the aim of cutting the wage bill is at the top of Portsmouth’s agenda. This means that the close season will see approximately 18 players exit Fratton Park and 18 new arrivals.

Is my argument now becoming clearer? Appleton has the opportunity to build his own squad from scratch, there is no need to deal with the inherited players of the previous manager, and there is no need to fit your tactics around the players available to you. Instead there will be an opportunity to have a vision of what style of football he wants to play and to build the squad he feels can achieve this vision.

Michael Appleton’s potential, with regards to building a League 1 team, is excellent. His loan signings, which have already been put on display at the end of this campaign, are inspired. His grounding in youth football at West Brom, along with connections to high profile clubs, make the prospect of young exciting talents - yet unable to break into the First XI of their parent clubs - arriving at Fratton Park a growing possibility. Marry this to the fact that Portsmouth will be the big name in League 1 next season and it will be a very likely promotion candidate. If Appleton is successfully able to convey that the club’s time in League 1 is only a short one, then all those players looking, and hoping, to cut their teeth in the Championship will surely see Portsmouth as an attractive offer.

There is no doubting Portsmouth are still in a terrible position but one only needs to look at the build of Michael Appleton to understand that this is a man that enjoys hard graft. He is also a man with a vision - not just for the First XI but also for the whole infrastructure of the club. Trevor Birch’s ‘hands off’ warning to all possible suitors of the young manager suggests that everyone at the club sees Appleton as the man to take the club forward. So not only does Appleton have the opportunity to build but he is also in the uncommon position of a manager with the full confidence of the club’s executives in his decision-making.

With the opportunity to build the club up from scratch and with the full confidence of the clubs management this is an exciting time. Of course the pay cheque Appleton receives every month will not be substantial and the quality of player under his tutelage will not be extraordinary but this is about a project. There will be no glitz or glamour but if Appleton is able to bring Portsmouth from its deepest depths back to where it belongs, and on a system by which the club lives within its means, then it will be a fantastic success and one he will be able to look upon with enormous pride.



This plaque was recently found outside Fratton Park as fans looked to mourn the woeful situation. Hopefully, however, given this opportunity, Mr. Appleton can go about restoring some pride.

Also for all those who doubt that those ridiculous statistics could possibly be true check them here:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=6354899