As remixed by Akira the Don and featuring Jay-Z, Dizzee Rascal, Bill Hicks and Haulden Caulfeild from Akira The Don’s mixtape, ATD20.

Finally created a downloadable/iPod version* for my Warm Heart of Africa video/remix. Download, enjoy etc.

*it’s .m4v which is basically a .mp4 with Apple’s wanky new suffix added. Dunno why they do this, but if you have probs try renaming it with the .mp4 suffix. A decent player such as VLC should play it, and Quicktime if you must

Calling All Shipping – MV Soundhog is broadcasting on all frequencies for possibly the last time with Radio Soundhog 7 (but then again Ben Hayes like his mate Frenchbloke always says ‘never again’ then pops up on the starboard bow when you least expect it).

It’s a wonderful and in some parts jaw-dropping hour-long mix, if you’ve tuned in before you’ll know what to expect, but if not you get funky 60’s grooves, modern electronica, 80’s tunes and rock all mixed like you’ve never heard before in one special transmission. Expecially amazing this time is the Renegades of Funk vs Human League section, and the Gang Of Four punk backed Mirror in the Bathroom going into manic drum and bass (has he been listening to DJ-C’s mix of ‘Mirror’?).

I hope he increases the frequency (hoho) of this sort of thing, if not long mixes like Radio Soundhog, then remixes or even *gasp* bootlegs or DJ gigs, basically he should stop moaning and get out there

And I love the Tempest quote it ends on, with Dr Who / Mr Wurzel Gummidge Jon Pertwee reading:

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp’d tow’rs, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.

And is that Stephen Fry at the end? LOL.

Checking my email after Africa and this note from Skyve Reuter, the Belgian dj and producer dropped in the inbox:

Hi blog friends,

I just released a free bootleg album called ‘Bootbox’, including 13 mashups of banging party tunes and two dj-friendly edits of tracks by Roy Orbison and MGMT. Several tracks were already picked up by international blogs and radio stations, but now it is time to give them all away, as a present to all party dj’s and music lovers around .

‘Bootbox’ features tracks by Goose, Jokers of the Scene, Surkin, I Robot, Saint-Germain, Lotterboys, Tiga, Caesars, Fake Blood, The Wiseguys, Alex Gopher, Dirt Crew, Franz & Shape, Jamie T and many others, all mashed together. Of course all bootlegs are made for everyone’s party pleasure only, and not to make money (it’s free).

Joris / Skyve Reuter

Well I don’t usually check out tracks from spec emails for various reasons but this one I did (note to those sending tracks – having a soundcloud/fairtilizer link really helps, as does artwork and bothering to send me the music I blog about e.g. mashup/bootleg/remixes rather than acoustic singer/songwriter drivel which goes in the Trash box immediately!), and I am really glad I did – love the rave attitude of these mixes, especially the Baggy Bottom Theme above cos they were right, RAVE WILL NEVER DIE. Despite bad ‘nu-rave’ attacks on it, it will like other genres have impossibly rude health despite those proclaiming the death of it (a bit like mashups in fact).

Also getting props is the ultra-hip Surkin vs I-Robot of Laidback Frau, I can imagine the US and Bootie SF crowd being all over the Eurythmics vs Kid Cudi of ‘Sweet Day (and Night)‘ and the Tiga-tastic Lotterboys mash ‘Can’t Control The Hotness‘ which although builds slowly is a total CHOON. Moar! Moar!

02. SKYVE REUTER – Baggy Bottom Theme by Skyve Reuter

You can download the full Bootbox set on Mediafire and Megaupload or download/listen to the tracks on ‘Soundcloud here. Very nice stuff indeed And also anyone who remixes Roy Orbison is a friend of mine (one of my early mashups was Roy Orbison vs Peaches)

The final part of this journey down bootleg history lane is probably the biggest project, covering all tracks from Blur’s legendary Parklife album, A-sides and B-sides in 2 CD set to honour it’s 10 year anniversary of release.

Conceived by McSleazy and helped out by RadioQuita then from Strangely Familiar and created as with London Booted from the people on Get Your Bootleg On messageboard, it came out a few months after the aforesaid Clash album and again was popular with many blogs.

This one didn’t get an physical release so probably in some ways is rarer, but there are some real gems on there. The star-studded international assortment of bootleg & mashup DJ names you’ll probably recognise (or should seeing what they went onto) that contribute tracks are Loo & Placido, Lenlow (Bootie Boston), Go Home Productions, McSleazy, Pojmasta and JoolsMF (both also the people behind DJ Hero creating most of those mixes), DJ Payroll, Gameover, Dunproofin, Mixomatosis, FakeID aka Lionel Vinyl/Geek Chic Soundsystem, DJ Tripp and Josh Console aka cry on my console (Pirate Soundsystem/again DJ Hero) and many more.

My tracks? Well I still stand by my b-side ‘Golden Beard‘ by my alter-ego ‘timbearcub’ – later just ‘tbc’ the world’s worst DJ name – as one of my best ever, Slowdive meets Nina Simone and only 3.4 seconds of Blur’s frankly terrible jazz-wankathon ‘Beard’. ‘Godlife‘ – well I love the intro, but really the Acapella of Doom although being in key (I checked, both are Eminor Dm or something) claimed another victim. It’s those evil Beach Boys harmonies…goes in to the ‘not bad, could do better folder’ really.

I’ve included both artworks (the ones shown here are by myself, the bumper cars/whippet) and an interview done by theconfidential with all the people involved and RadioQuita.

Girls who are boys who like boys to be girls who do boys like they’re girls who do girls like they’re boys can download the zip file via Mediafire here (164Mb) or failing that (and only if it doesn’t work) then try the direct link here which should never change (warning: any hammering of my server or sharing of the direct link and I will take it down again!).

Disc 1 – Parkspliced album

1. Blur – Grrls & Bots (JoolsMF and Duff Fader)
2. Blur – Tracy Jacks (McSleazy)
3. Blur – End Of The Century (Gameover)
4. Blur – Godlife (Instamatic)
5. Blur – Bank Holiday (Payroll)
6. Blur – Goodhead (Jet Set Alex)
7. Blur – The Cassette Dissector (10000 Spoons)
8. Blur – Even Further Out (Pop Razors featuring m3)
9. Blur – No Blur No Cry (Loo and Placido)
10. Blur – Londinium Loves (Go Home Productions)
11. Blur – System Error in the Msg Centre (FakeID)
12. Blur – Naughty Dover Girl (DJ Tripp)
13. Blur – Magic America (Fujikato)
14. Blur – Jubilee (Fujikato)
15. Blur – Is This A Bootleg? (Dunproofin and m3)
16. Blur – Lot 1110101111001101010105 (cry.on.my.console)

Disc 2 – Parkspliced B-sides

1. Blur – Hey Magpie (Ilunga)
2. Blur – People In Europe Spread Love (Miss Frenchie)
3. Blur – Pojjy Waltz (Pojmasta)
4. Blur – Peter Panic and the Wolf (Lenlow)
5. Blur – Miracle on Threadneedle Street (Faultside)
6. Blur – You Can’t Go To The End (Mixomatosis)
7. Blur – Goldenbeard (timbearcub)
8. Blur – Shop Like A Britpop Millionaire (DJ Nite)
9. Blur – Theme From An Imaginary Chameleon Affair (CompactRisk)
10. Blur – Red Neck (Bad Tattoo)
11. Blur – Alex’s Hidden Place (Softbot)
12. Blur – Got Yer Album Dun (DJ Porky)