You already have phone hacking, lies, chief spin person to David Cameron who used to be editor at a paper full of unethical journalists who say Andy Coulson knew what they were doing (really hard to believe a newspaper that wouldn’t discuss sources, especially with the boss who could take the rap or even jail for them?), the Murdoch family and their stinking pile that is called News International going after the BBC (the whole license fee and BBC Trust/6Music attacks are due to their political/media pressure and money they throw around) and ITV/Thames at varying times.

More worryingly the fact the Metropolitan Police buried evidence from the CPS, didn’t investigate other journalists despite obvious evidence that there was more than the 2 people involved, and that high up police and military and government ministers and MPs were on the lists they recovered. Is this blackmail? Does Rupert Murdoch know where the bodies (or protesters) are buried? Scary stuff.

The funny thing is they’re about to be sued by 4-5 people, one is actually someone who works at Sky, who was a victim of the hacking too.

The most damning thing though? It takes the New York Times to report this – and the FT and Guardian (and now Independent) to meekly follow suit, with nary a peep from anyone else apart from Private Eye who always cover this. They’re all too scared of Uncle Rupert. Cowards.

Well at least John Pilger dared write about it – it’s very true, some parts of Liverpool still don’t sell The Sun because of this shocking piece of hackery, and quite rightly so. If the Pakistan Cricket allegations also turn out to be false also, expect similar burnings of their newspapers (and hopefully not poor donkeys – LEAVE THE DONKEYS ALONE! May I suggest effigies of Murdoch?).

You might like these previous posts:

• My response to CPS dropping charges re: Ian Tomlinson – July 22, 2010

…also Ride On Zeitgeist Kleptones has done a quickie mash of said track with Flaming Lips ‘Do You Realise’. I think this is confirmation, along with the 4 million (!) hits in a week and a half this track is gonna be huge, and the corporate web censorin’ radio-friendly blanddogs are gonna be busy…not since Man Don’t Give a Fuck and Fuck the Pain Away has the bleepmachine probably gone into hystrionic meltdown, I bet…cos if it’s so evil why does it sound so GOOD? And why do you cheer Mr Green at the end of the video vs the bitch from hell when she gets her comuppance, reverse Cinders style.

You might like these previous posts:

• Cee Lo says ‘Fuck You’, internet goes crazy – August 22, 2010
• The Videotones are here – Welcome Back by The Kleptones (Instamatic video mashup) – February 10, 2010
• A Spaghetti Mash…Kleptones – Exit by Reborn Identity (Videotones) – August 3, 2010
• Videotones mash #3 Kleptones – Stay (Instamatic video mashup) – February 28, 2010
• Cee-Lo’s Stray Bullets and B-52′s (and a Red Right Hand) – June 9, 2010

Caused by coming across this scarily accurate list, for those who thought Swamp Thing, Rednex and Doop were bad we have equally bad delights to share (although I disagree on their additions of Rushin the House, Trip to Trumpton and SmartE’s although yes Roobarb and Custard was always bad and lazy even then)

Above is Slipstreem’s terrible version of Rod Stewart’s Sailing cannily renamed We are Raving, which not only should be scuttled and keelhauled; it was directed by Jarvis Cocker. I bet he sent a few scurvy dogs over the plank for that one…

Next is Scooter whose whole output should be on this list (apart from that quite-good Billy Idol cover of Eyes Without A Face, well I liked it) but taking a Shut Up and Dance classic, singing it badly then adding faux-acid and Scotland the Brave? No I’m not raving I’m sitting this one out.

I’m ashamed I used to like Oceanic but really, yes this is shite, and completely out of tune, on the upside if Florence leaves her Machine or La Roux needs another day job, safe to say here’s another singing job they could fill in on:

Fuck the macarena. Well fuck this fuck the macarena, it’s horrible too, probably worse than the Macarena actually.

I’d add these to this list:

The terrible DJ Miko What’s Up cover on the list cannot actually beat A.D.A.M. ft Amy’s scary version of Zombie. Yes the Cranberries one – which was an annoying track to start with – I know lets add happy hardcore to it, that’ll improve it! Err, maybe not. I blame Almighty for crap like this, even though I don’t think it’s one of theirs, the banal female diva cover plus happy handbag backing is totally their invention. And bane of the gay scene, I remember sitting in the Kings Arms when this first came on. I then despaired for the taste of my fellow gays.

Hmm I used to think a techno version of the Das Boot theme was a good idea. I was younger then.

Smash Hits lyrics: Poing, Poing, Poing, Poing, Poing, Poing, Poing, Poing, Poing, MAKE IT STOP!

I used to play this at the end of my Parkade sets as the ultimate in Edelweiss style Scooter good/badness. It’s so bad it transcends into goodness as it has passed the worst barrier into a new realm, Star Trekkin’ style.

And I refuse to even link to Crazy Frog – Axel F. Ugh.

So what are YOUR worst novelty dance records? It does seem rave, happy hardcore, trance and house spawned quite a few monsters…

You might like these previous posts:

• 2009 in music – December 30, 2009
• Radio Clash 89: DJNoNo is a Muppet – September 22, 2006
• Kleptones Shits & Giggles* – August 10, 2010
• Radiophonic Month at 3 blogs (Amor Dei found) – May 31, 2010
• Who will be big in 2010? BBC’s Sound of 2010 hits the meh barrier (again) – December 13, 2009

Thanks to Brian Greene for directing me to Free Radio (over an argument over the term Pirate Radio vs Free Radio) – I had heard about Free Radio Berkeley but didn’t know they had a site, and were still going teaching people how to make their own transmitters.

You see Pump up the Volume wasn’t a fantasy…I wonder if DAB will eventually get pirate radio, or whether the central approach nixes that? That would be a shame…Also sad that I doubt there will be more community/local radio access when the digital switchover leaves more frequency space, because in reality there could be 1000s of radio & TV channels once the very wideband TV frequencies are switched off – but I doubt Clearchannel and the BBC will want to allow that.

But in the US FRB was successful in getting some LPFM provisions through – although very limited, and sound similar to the provisions in the UK around ‘restricted services’.

If you want to setup your own station, Free Radio Berkeley has this handy video guides. Go to it, kids!

http://vimeo.com/4553821

You might like these previous posts:

• We’re living in a police state – March 4, 2009
• Amen! A Little bit of bass, little bit of drum – Suburban Base 91-97 – March 28, 2010
• Radio Clash 59: Happy New Ear! – January 6, 2006
• RC 149: Where Were You in ’92? (Rave – Hardcore pt 2) – February 11, 2008
• RC 187: Bright Lights, Bass City (London Part 3) – March 29, 2010

I wrote about DM50 a while back with Buraka Son Sistema’s great cover of Buffalo Stance, but although I get the emails I wasn’t so into the next few releases and had tuned it out…but Dunproofin posted the latest one to Facebook and I was entranced…the surreal and charming video (not involving the band) totally makes it – and harks back to a time where people made videos that didn’t have to make sense, nor had some brand manager insist they focus on the band to up their profile or sell more records…as Factory records proved the abstract and less commercial approach is far better – although ironically it takes what essentially is an extended ad for Doc Martens boots to have the freedom to do that.

Strange times indeed – sometimes I think the fashion industry – once the more conservative, now understands and supports radical and experimental statements now much more than their former homes of music and fine art – certainly within studio photography this is very true.

Anyway a band that’s been on my ‘must check out’ list for ages – I loved Dead Sound from Lust Lust Lust and Here Comes Mary according to Mr iTunes – cover I Wanna Be Adored in lovely floaty style, reminding me of XX and how the Raveonettes must be an influence of theirs. Still, I prefer the in-progress ‘in the studio version’ (below) without any drums or percussion, just feedback and vocals. Sometimes less is more…they should release that version too.

Oh and as before you can download the MP3s free from here. (requires registration)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSqOCsraFyQ

You might like these previous posts:

• Radio Clash 183: Take Me Back To Africa – video podcast now up! – December 1, 2009
• Buraka Son Sistema cover Neneh Cherry’s Buffalo Stance for Dr Martens – May 23, 2010
• 2009 in music – December 30, 2009
• Radio Clash – Take Me Back To Africa on MutantPopTV! – December 3, 2009
• Pop of the Tops – September 23, 2008

You know those full body scanners in airports that peek under your clothes? Well they now are in the street too, perving at you and your car/van/truck and indeed passing school bus for those security personnel of a Pedobear persuasion…and the AS&E’s Z Backscatter Van™ (ZBV) are seemingly sold to anyone, not just government, who in the US and foreign government agencies have bought 500 already.

Really next time I go to the airport – and it’s gonna be a big if, or where I choose to fly from, I’m requesting a pat down, and won’t go through one of those machines…and you know Little Brother/TV detector/X-Files style not to trust those big white vans passing by the neighbourhood unmarked with people with laptops at the front…Me paranoid? Well when it comes to any force wanting to see me naked because ‘you iz a terrist’, I get very paranoid. And very worried for the state of the world today…not that I think I will appear in some gay porn full body scan site, no fear of that!

Really although there is a few journeys I want to make that will include flying, over the last year or two I’ve flown far less than I used to (Ethiopia/South Africa in November was the last time, and you can’t get there overland and it takes a month by sea!) this is intentional as every time the security protocols get more and more draconian and puts me off flying entirely. I don’t think I am alone in this – which is strange the airports and carrier companies are putting up with it in this recession. The short hops we and I used to do over to the continent aren’t worth all this hassle and stress. I wish Eurostar wasn’t so hella expensive, otherwise I’d take that route. Far more preferable, although they are starting to go the scanner route too.

Via Jez CMP.

You might like these previous posts:

• RC 183: Take Me Back to Africa – video and audio podcasts! – November 29, 2009
• Radio Clash – Take Me Back To Africa on MutantPopTV! – December 3, 2009
• Make Chuggers* History – June 30, 2005
• Radio Clash 183: Take Me Back To Africa – video podcast now up! – December 1, 2009
• The Very Best – Warm Heart of Africa (fingertrouble remix) – December 4, 2009

LeeDM101 asked for someone to make a video for his excellent mashup and I jumped at the chance of editing Kraftwerk’s ‘Radioactivity’, Duran Duran’s ‘Girls on Film’, Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ and Calvin Harris ‘Girls’ together with Attack of the 50ft Woman and Public Service Announcements from the atomic age of the 1950′s. So this video is spanning the 50′s, 70′s, 80′s & 00′s, and prog, techno, house & pop, from the atomic age to the iPod age!

Worth it just to see Kraftwerk dancing along with Duran Duran and Mike Oldfield at least!

Thanks Lee – also on YouTube (strangely the PSA public domain content has been ID’d – it’s from a documentary from Atomic Cafe even though most or all of the footage for that is from the public domain – if get DMCA grief I’ll question it as I dunno how they can content ID and ‘own’ films formed from publicly owned archive.org/Prelinger/LOC footage?)

You might like these previous posts:

• Bloody Girls on Film – August 10, 2009
• Make money money money… – August 9, 2010
• Fleetwood Mix – Fleetwood Mac mashup LP – October 19, 2009
• Classic cheesy french disco – July 22, 2010
• One, two, three, count! The Count Rides Again – Mashed and Slashed Halloween EP! – October 27, 2009

This documentary looks really interesting, about Jamie Nabozny who after 4 years sued his school and won for not protecting him from anti-gay physical and mental abuse. Suicide amongst gay teens is many times the non-gay average; and the fact that schools tend to do very little about homophobic bullying is part of that.

Good on Jamie for wanting to fight back and help stop it from happening to others – schools are loco in parentis and such should be protecting children from abuse and harm.

If you know anyone teaching in school please forward this link as you can get a free copy and teachers kit for your students. I can’t think of anything better you should teach kids, to respect and tolerate others and that anti-gay abuse is not cool nor is it allowed nor sanctioned. It might not be visible but there WILL be gay students in your class, dealing with many issues – sometimes sadly bullying.

Via Boing Boing – thanks for alerting people to stuff like this.

You might like these previous posts:

• Crimes Against Pop set – July 5, 2010
• Shame in the East – June 1, 2007
• The Gay Bechdel Test – July 22, 2010
• It’s a sin – September 3, 2009
• I <3 Divine David – August 17, 2009

How many blogs go from early 70′s folk to up-to-date 2010 grime-pop? Not that many, that’s what!

More up to date I’ve been slowly wading through the gigabytes of tunes that Wiley released via Twitter in July – 11 zip files full of new Wiley music, variable (even demos and just beats in there) but The Elusive tracks are brilliant, as are quite a few other – as with Wiley’s career it’s a mix of pop and underground grime, a real mixture. The track below – Could Be featuring Jake Gosling (with a Chew Fu beat) is as good as anything B.o.B. and the like are doing…and has become a bit of an anthem for me.

Wiley – Could Be (Cought Up In Here)

I like Wiley’s more downbeat/serious songs, it’s obvious that he’s got a love/hate relationship with pop, wanting to keep it real, keep that depth but when everyone is bopping up and down to David Guetta’s latest it’s rather hard to do both (it is possible – see Shutterbugg by Big Boi for example). And I like the honesty in this, especially the line ‘No matter what he says I can’t go against Dylan’ – a reference to his former Roll Deep colleague Dizzee Rascal.

Other tracks I like:

Value for Money, a funny song about posh restaurants – only one of the Roll Deep crew could make a club banger about haute cuisine, over a rave-house backing!

Mz Bratt – Lose Your Love (Ft. Wiley) – a pop grime gem, could see this chart like ‘Could Be’ easily.

Wiley – Days Are Long
Wiley – What They Want – something about these two and subject of some of the lyrics suggest to me that Wiley has all this planned out, it’s not the random releasing of 100s of tracks, it’s intentional, and a message to the fans – going direct to them, and involving them in the ups and downs like some grime soap opera. I think he’s going to come back bigger and better…

Wiley – Still Gonna Miss – quite an odd interesting production on this, eastern grime? Maybe it was inspired by Chase & Status’s Eastern Jam.

Wiley – Stickin’ With You (?) – a banger in the same realm as Bonkers, I could see people going mad fer it in the clubs, if not already.

And a song included but from a previous LP is Music I Like – pointing out the eclectic music he listens to isn’t the music he makes.

It sounds like The Elusive would’ve been a good if not great album, and I hope he gets it together as ‘Never Be Your Woman’ was genius – he’s working on yet again a new album. And I think it’s a great tactic – his music is going far and wide, and will be shared…so the next album will have a larger audience I reckon – I’ll certainly check it out.

You can download the Wiley zip files from here.

You might like these previous posts:

• UK Funky – yup another new genre! – September 2, 2009
• Return of Big Boi – July 9, 2010
• Amen! A Little bit of bass, little bit of drum – Suburban Base 91-97 – March 28, 2010
• Saving 6 Music & Asian Network: Peel would be spinning in his grave – March 2, 2010
• Music Industry 101; or why the Xmas Factor Rage matters – December 16, 2009

Here’s a track that could’ve been on the Summerisle podcasts apart from the fact I’ve only just heard it. Keith Christmas played on Space Oddity and was one of those ‘lost’ folk generation, although lost to later disinterest in the early 70′s folk sound rather than a cult or drugs, I’m guessing.

This is very much of a hippie persuasion, slightly embarassingly so – but also unusually political, p-folk? P for paranoid too, but also sums up my current mood, and also an early 1970′s mood of general confusion and political strife, which seems to be making a comeback.

You might like these previous posts:

• RC 193: Return to Summerisle Part 2 – August 16, 2010
• RC 192: Return to Summerisle Part One – August 10, 2010
• Big Brother wants to see you naked – August 28, 2010