Upcoming - Gilles Peterson & The Turnaround @ Bacca Room

Joining the musical dots and colouring in your ears, Gilles Peterson is the tastemaker’s tastemaker.

From his origins in the halcyon days of UK pirate radio, through to his long standing and globally revered Worldwide show on Radio 1, a nod from Gilles on the airwaves is a priceless affirmation that can’t be bought or sold. If there’s any doubt about that, ask local recent recipients of his highly esteemed patronage, like 2005 Worldwide Album Of The Year winners Fat Freddy’s Drop, or the Turnaround tipped Electric Wire Hustle and Julien Dyne, both of whom were featured amongst his Worldwide tracks of 2009. Recent guests have included Digital Mystikz’ Mala, Mos Def, Joy Orbison and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, which should give a small clue to the depth and breadth, of this musically obsessed gentleman’s taste and reach.

Gilles’s Acid Jazz and Talkin’ Loud record labels came to symbolize, and embody, the top shelf of sideways jazz and elsewhere sounds, that permeated the progressive playlists of the late 80’s and 90’s. Now his latest imprint Brownswood Recordings (Jose James, Soil & Pimp Sessions, the Bubblers series etc) has become a vital valve on the most discerning retro rolled and futuristically flavoured sounds, based purely on ruthless quality control and superior beatsmanship.

His first New Zealand performances at the Box, back in the early/mid 90’s, still rate amongst the most spectacular and defining moments in Auckland club culture. However it has been too long since Gilles has been seen around these parts in his element, laying it down clubwise in the unique style and fashion he has honed since the legendary Dingwalls and Electric Ballroom days of over two decades ago.

While others may rely on mix tricks to make the most of not a great deal, Gilles has the goods, the real goods… to take you on a journey through crates that are the envy of collectors and new school beatheads globally. The chance to see the only NZ appearance of one of the worlds most in demand (and yet resolutely individual and adventurous) DJ’s, in the Turnaround atmosphere, is guaranteed to be one of the highlights of the year, and a full sell-out.  An elevated mind and open ears are essential, don’t miss!

Gilles Peterson @ The Turnaround
Fri 26th Feb, Bacco Room, 53 Nelson St, Auckland City
Tickets $35 + BF available from Conch Records, 115A Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby
More Info:

Gilles Peterson Worldwide Website

Modern Marvel – Mos Def (Video)

Hi all,

I was just sitting here enjoying the new phone, which is also a very good Personal Media Player, and the above song happened to play.

The song is  “Modern Marvel” by Mos Def and it’s from his 2004 released CD “The New Danger”.

Modern Marvel samples the hauntingly beautiful, classic Marvin Gaye song “What’s Going On”, which I’ve embedded below, and tells a tale of life in the 21st century ghetto which still hasn’t changed much in the almost 40 years since Marvin wrote his song dealing with many of same pressing social issues.

Will Mos Def’s telling of this story be designated as a classic as Marvin’s was? Only time will truly tell. However, I do believe the answer is a resounding yes.

Kind regards

Artists - Maz Melhuish aka Jaded Sphnix (Video)

Hi all,

I was just browsing the Web, as I do, looking for interesting things to blog about and I happened to run across the above featured video portfolio of multi-talented, New Zealand Maori artist Maz Melhish aka Jaded Sphnix.

When I write that Maz is multi-talented, what I’m referring to is the number of outlets in which she expresses herself. Her areas of creative pursuit include sketching, painting, sculpting, photography, make-up, special effects, body art, photo manipulation, website design and graphic design.

Oddly enough, she and I have spoken from time to time on Twitter. However, I wasn’t aware of the magnitude of her talents until now - I must have been sleeping on that one! ;)

Anyway, please do view Maz’s video portfolio – it’s a live one - and do check her out at the hyperlink above.

Kind regards

Upcoming - The Gaslamp Killer @ The Bacca Room!

The Gaslamp Killer is a Los Angeles-based DJ whose eclectic animal style ranges from psychedelia and world music to dubstep and left-field hip-hop. Associated with Flying Lotus Brainfeeder Records, he made his production debut in the late 2000s with a series of EPs.

Born William Benjamin Bensussen, he originally comes from San Diego, CA, whose downtown Gaslamp District’s bar scene inspired him to name himself The Gaslamp Killer in disgust for much of the patronage. But his real home is behind the turntables, where his wild style takes DJing into the realm of freak fest psychedelia.

Upon relocating to Los Angeles, he found a niche for himself amid the city’s massive underground party scene and ultimately found a home for himself as a resident DJ at the club Low End Theory, which resulted in a series of club-sponsored podcasts. He also released a series of mix CDs, among them Gaslamp Killers (2007), Its a Rocky Road (2007), I Spit On Your Grave (2008), Hell and the Lake of Fire Are Waiting For You! (2009) and All Killer (2009), the latter a label showcase for the London-based world psychedelia imprint Finders Keepers Records.

As a producer, The Gaslamp Killer made his debut in the late 2000s, releasing, a split single with Free the Robots The Killer Robots, in 2008 and EP My Troubled Mind in 2009.

Source/Beats People Movement

Imma Be Rockin’ That Body – Black Eyed Peas (Video)

Hi all,

I have to admit that I’ve never been a huge fan of the Black Eyed Peas. However, the above featured video may just change my mind about their work.

Since I’ve always been very interested in science and technology – I worked in Computer Science for close to two decades prior to my current incarnation as a social media person – and, I’ve always been a huge fan of dance music, after watching the video you’ll probably understand why it appeals to me.

Hopefully, it will appeal to you as well. ;)

Kind regards

Insensible – Mandalay (Video)

Video/dementialangel Music/Mandalay

Hi all,

For some reason this song passed through my mind as I was just about to fall asleep on the couch tonight, and I thought I’d share it with you all, before I got up and dragged my ass to bed. ;)

The song is ‘Insensible’, which was taken from the 2002 released CD ‘Solace’, by a British trip-hop duo consisting of multi-instrumentalist Saul Freeman and singer Nicola Hitchcock. The duo formed a band called Mandalay.

It’s rather unfortunate that Mandalay split up shortly after the release as I felt they had just fully matured musically and they were posed to take on America in a big way. Supposedly, the breakup was due to the commonly cited artistic and personal differences that we so often hear about in such situations.

Kind regards

Shot of the Day – Max says Hi!

Stillness Is The Move – Dirty Projectors (Video)

Hi all,

I was just watching one of New Zealand’s national music TV channels and they played the above featured video, by a band called Dirty Projectors, which I found very interesting.

What I found interesting about it is that the music has a very African feel to it and the lead vocalist, Amber Coffman, sings in style that is reminiscent of female African-American R&B singers.

This isn’t the first time that musicians of European descent have experimented with African and African-American invented musical styles, sometimes very successfully I might add, and I’ve never had a problem with them doing so as long as they acknowledge their influences. However, I still sit up and take notice every time they do and compare them to their Black contemporaries for authenticity.

Dirty Projectors are scheduled to perform at Auckland’s Montecristo Room on March 3. Perhaps I’ll go down and check them out in person.

Kind regards

Love Me or Hate Me – Lady Sovereign (Video)

Video/Universal Music Group

Just an oldie but goodie from British bad grrl rapper, Lady Sovereign!

I hear she’s got a new CD out entitled “Jigsaw”. I’ve yet to hear it but I’ll check it out soonish.

Kind regards

Noteput Interactive Music Table (Video)

Hi all,

I know some of my musician friends often get the urge to lay a track down, as they say in the industry. Well, now they can literally do so with the Noteput music table featured in the above video!

The Noteput is fully interactive and has a looping mode which allows one to compose on the fly.  Is that fucking cool or what? ;)

While it’s still early days for the device, I can see quite a potential for this sort of interface in composition and live performance.

Kind regards

Upcoming - LTJ Bukem & MC Conrad at Fu Bar!

Video/LTJ Bukem with MC Conrad live at Love NYC - 10/30/2009

Hi all,

Drum N Bass pioneer, LTJ Bukem, along with MC Conrad, will be playing at the Fu Bar on Albert Street this Friday night from 10pm onward. More info on the gig can be found here.

Kind regards

DJ Dan Aux – Who You Gunna Call?

 

George FM newsreader/C4 presenter Shannon Ryan (l) and DJ Dan Aux (r).

Hi all,

DJ Dan Aux’s February promotional mix, entitled “Who You Gunna Call?”, is now available and you can get it here!

Kind regards

Shots of the Day – Party People

Hi all,

These are just a bunch of dance club photos I had laying around that I thought I’d share with you all.

Kind regards

Shots of the Day – Britomart Morning

Just some heavily processed architectural and street photos I snapped early one morning down at Britomart Transport Centre while waiting for a bus to arrive.

Kind regards

Shots of the Day – Thursday Morning Pole Dancers

Hi all,

Last Wednesday night/Thursday morning, after the Lord Bishop gig, I decided to roam the dance clubs of Central Auckland looking for interesting people and things to photograph.

I very much enjoy dance club photography because, generally, people are at their most relaxed in such environments. They’re just there to have a good time and to forget their troubles and dance, if I may be so bold as to quote Bob Marley. ;)

Speaking of relaxed, the two young women featured above, totally unprompted by me of course, decided to perform for my camera’s benefit upon seeing me snapping away at this one club - I don’t recall the name -  I happened to walk into.

The results, I feel, are spectacular!

Now, I didn’t catch their names – I wasn’t really interested in them as people, just as photographic subjects - and I have no idea if either of them was a professionally trained dancer. However, I did very much enjoy their performance as it was very free, uninhibited and sensual without being overtly sexual. (I’m not some middle aged pervert with a camera going around stalking young women.)

Kind regards

Shots of the Day - Rollin’ with the Family (Bar)

Hi all,

Last Wednesday night/Thursday morning, after I got through snapping and chatting with Lord Bishop at The Bacca Room, I decided to roam the streets of downtown Auckland looking for other interesting people and places to photograph.

I roamed down the lower end of Queen Street for awhile, snapped some there, and eventually made my way up to K’ Road.

Since it was a very early on Thursday morning, and most regular people have regular jobs which eat into their leisure time, K’ Road was all but ghost town except for the Family Bar. 

Anyone that’s familiar with the Family Bar knows what it’s all about. However, for those of you that aren’t, it bills itself as “The Gayest Bar in New Zealand”. LOL! :)

Some of you are probably wondering what I, being a heterosexual man, was doing at a gay bar. There’s only one reason I was there, that being the place is damn fun. So, get your mind out of the gutter! ;)

The music at the Family Bar was very lively and the crowd was probably one of the most fun loving I’ve ever encountered during all my years of club going.

I did occasionally get some guy eyeing me up and attempting to chat me up for a leg-over (i.e. sex). Also, I had my hand held a bit too long upon offering it for handshakes during introductions. However, none of it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle as homophobia has no place in my life. Why would it, since I have many LGBT friends and family members?

Anyway, please do enjoy the photos above I snapped at the Family Bar that morning. And, if you get a chance, do pop in. I highly recommend it!

Kind regards

Shots of the Day - Lord Bishop at The Bacca Room

Hi all,

Please enjoy all these wonderful photos I took on Wednesday night during Lord Bishop’s black cock rocking performance at The Bacca Room in Central Auckland. ;)

Kind regards

Sade “Solider Of Love” live on David Letterman

I just caught this on the Late Show with David Letterman a few moments ago and thought I’d share with all of you that may have missed it.

Kind regards

Lord Bishop at The Bacca Room Photoset Preview

Hi all,

Anyone that was not at The Bacca Room last night, and that seemed to be everybody, missed a real treat as the and only Lord Bishop kicked off his first ever New Zealand tour there.

He played to a very small, intimate crowd of about ten people. Unfortunate really, as I was hoping for more. However, everyone else's loss was our gain!

I suspect the crowd was so small because it was a Wednesday night and Lord Bishop is not as well known in New Zealand as he is in Europe.

I chatted with him for awhile and found him to be a super nice guy, as well as a very talented musician.

While I’m not sure if anything is going to come of this, he asked me if I like to go on tour with him in Eastern Europe as the band photographer. Imagine that? ;)

I’ll post more photos from his set later tonight.

Kind regards

P.S. Lord Bishop will be playing at the Masonic Tavern in Devonport tonight!

Shout out to my readers!

Hi all,

I’ve noticed over the last month or so that this blog has gained a growing internationally following that I’m very happy to see! :)

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each of every one of you and to mention your countries.

Thank you, United States! Thank you, Germany! Thank you, Republic of Korea! Thank you, New Zealand! Thank you, Japan! Thank you, Romania! Thank you, France! Thank you, Australia! Thank you, Canada! Thank you, United Kingdom! Thank you, Singapore! Thank you, Philippines! Thank you, Lebanon! Thank you, Portugal! Thank you, Russian Federation! Thank you, Taiwan! Thank you, Indonesia! Thank you, Latvia!

If I overlooked mentioning your country, my deepest apologies! :)

Kind regards

Tiger Translate Presents Hit It and Quit It /w Trus’me!

Massive Attack “Heligoland” Released!

Flat of the Blade promo video directed by Ewen Spencer

Heligoland is the fifth regular studio album from the collaborative British music production duo Massive Attack, entitled after the German archipelago of the same name. It had been officially released everywhere except North America by the 8 February 2010 (US and Canada on February 9 2010) – seven years after the release of their previous non-soundtrack, standalone studio album, 100th Window. The record features always-chosen guest singer, Horace Andy and the following other invited vocalists: Tunde Adebimpe, Damon Albarn, Hope Sandoval, Guy Garvey and Martina Topley-Bird, as well as guitar playing by Adrian Utley of Portishead (on "Saturday Come Slow"), keys from Portishead collaborator John Baggott (most notably on "Atlas Air"), keys and synth bass from Damon Albarn ("Splitting the Atom" and "Flat of the Blade" respectively), bass by Neil Davidge ("Girl I Love You") and bass by Billy Fuller of Beak on various tracks.

The record features drumming from the recently deceased Jerry Fuchs. This is in addition to the work of regular session and touring drummer Damon Reece. On the sleeve notes, long-time session guitar collaborator, Angelo Bruschini is only recognised for live work and appears to have no studio credit. Dan Brown and Stew Jackson (Robot Club) co-wrote "Paradise Circus", played guitar, programmed and engineered. Tim Goldsworthy contributed additional production (specific tracks remain unstated). Most tracks were mixed with Mark "Spike" Stent and then all were mastered with Tim Young at Metropolis Studios, as with previous records. Overall, Neil Davidge co-produced all Heligoland's tracks with Robert Del Naja only (except 3, 7 and 9 where Grant Marshall was involved), though Marshall has a co-write credit on every track. The album is dedicated to the memory of acclaimed Blue Lines co-producer, Jonny Dollar.

The Deluxe Edition of Heligoland available digitally features bonus tracks (remixes and "False Flags" B-side, "United Snakes"). There will also be a vinyl release. Heligoland Remixed (amounting to the same as the Deluxe Edition's bonus tracks, except for "United Snakes" being replaced by a second Gui Boratto dub remix) has been uploaded for listening on the duo's Facebook page.

The announced release date of May 2010 for the post-Heligoland EP intended to feature leftover tracks, including some songs known by the public from past tours having previously been performed live, such as "Dobro" and/or possibly (the Guy Garvey co-penned) "Red Light" (or whatever those tracks end up being called), as well as one or more unheard songs, such as the Martina Topley-Bird-sung "Invade Me", now appears to have been delayed to at least June or July 2010, according to Marshall. As was the case in 2009, the duo will have to interweave their touring and studio schedules to finish the planned EP.

Source/Wikipedia

Lord Bishop Rocks The Bacca Room!

When: Wed 10 Feb, 9:00pm–11:45pm 

Where: The Bacco Room, 53 Nelson St, Auckland CBD

The king of sex-rock is coming to New Zealand!

He's flamboyant, sexy, rude, wild, he's the one and only Lord Bishop, performing live at the Bacco room in Auckland.

With support from with Source Force Five Surf Friends and The Dirty Sweets.

Lord Bishop could be called the original punk, resuming where MC5 left. He's filled with the energy of black rock icons like Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone. He's not exactly an overly talented guitar player, and he's also crafting his songs that they survive without solos, but the sheer energy he's putting into bullet fast songs like War Stop The War or Devil Inside put him apart from most other bands.

Lord Bishop is playing deliberately with clichés, hiding his cultivated and intelligent inner self behind a shocking stage persona that is as acutely sexist as it is radically anarchist, when it comes to political points of view. I know a lot of people who absolutely hate everything the Lord does, but I know just as many who adore his shameless take on punk and rock'n'roll. There is no middle ground possible here, and I am proud to tell that I belong to the latter group.

Source/Powertool Records

For the first time ever Lord Bishop Rocks! will be rocking New Zealand, doing a full national tour. Playing live and touring is what the Lord does best. He plays up to 200 shows a year and is a rock icon in Europe.

Shot of the Day - Self-Portrait #1

 

Fujifilm S200 EXR, f 2.8, 1/15 sec, iso 800, 7mm, flash off, pattern metering

Processed via Picasa 3.6.0 and Bibble 5.01 Pro.

Shot of the Day – Fire Dancers

Just a heavily processed, 1.5 second exposure shot I took at a club one night. Below is the original for a comparison.

Me and The Devil – Gil Scott-Heron

Gil Scott-Heron (born April 1, 1949) is an African-American poet, musician, and author known primarily for his late 1960s and early 1970s work as a spoken word soul performer and his collaborative work with musician Brian Jackson. His collaborative efforts with Jackson featured a musical fusion of jazz, blues and soul music, as well as lyrical content concerning social and political issues of the time, delivered in both rapping and decorative vocal styles by Scott-Heron. The music of these albums, most notably Pieces of a Man and Winter in America in the early 1970s, influenced and helped engender later African-American music genres such as hip hop and neo soul. Scott-Heron's recording work is often associated with black militant activism and has received much critical acclaim for one of his most well-known compositions "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". On his influence, Allmusic wrote "Scott-Heron's unique proto-rap style influenced a generation of hip-hop artists". Source/Wikipedia

The above video is taken from Gil’s first new CD in fifteen years, “I’m New Here”, due to be released on February 8/9th.

Kind regards

Weeds in the Gutter

Fujifilm S200 EXR, f 4.6, 1/140 sec, iso 200, 56mm, dr 200%, spot metering 

Hi all,

This is just a snap I took outside the backdoor of my home right around Sunset this evening.

While I did a little cross-processing in Bibble 5 Pro to punch in up a bit, other than that, the shot’s pretty raw.

Kind regards

Ink Presents Wasted on Waitangi with Concord Dawn!

Shots of the Day – Dig Deep 4 Haiti @ Zen

Hi all,

Here are the remainder of the photos from Dig Deep 4 Haiti @ Zen that I promised you.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the event raised a bit over $2,000 for Unicef NZ’s relief efforts in Haiti. However, If you feel to need to donate more, please click on the hyperlink above, and do as you see fit.

While I didn’t stay as long as I would have liked to, I was too tired from Saturday night/Sunday morning really, I did stay long enough to appreciate what was going on, and to have a few chats with some very interesting and nice people.

Auckland seems to be turning into a rather cosmopolitan city and this is being reflected in the makeup of it’s population. I’ve encountered people from all over the world here recently and quite enjoy the vibe they bring to the place.

As far as the music went, most of it was of the Hip-Hop, Reggae and Drum N’ Bass variety, and all of the performances were really quite good.

Kind regards

Dig Deep 4 Haiti @ Zen Photoset Preview

 

Hi all,

Above is just a preview of the photos I snapped on Sunday at the Dig Deep 4 Haiti benefit concert at Zen. I’ll upload the other photos sometime tonight.

According to the organizer, Danny Rawlings, a bit over $2,000 was raised and all of the money will be used by Unicef in it’s relief efforts in Haiti. Well done, Auckland!

Kind regards

Zoh Zoh Ensemble @ Khuja!

Shots of the Day – Fiesta Del Sol 2010

Hi all,

Featured above are a number of shots I took surrounding Fiesta Del Sol last Saturday night. I write “surrounding” because a number of the shots were taken later during the ride back to Auckland and at the Spy Bar where some of us held an unofficial afterparty.

Regarding the event, I found it quite entertaining and I had a wonderful time. As matter of fact, I had such a wonderful time that I didn’t wind up getting home until 10AM the next morning! LOL!

The music was good, the food was good, the facilities were good and so were most of the people.

I did find the layout of the venue, Stonyridge Vineyard, to be a bit confining for the number of people that actually attended. And, I would have preferred someplace flatter and more spacious, as I found myself having to watch my footing to avoid rolling down hill, and I had to fight my way through the crowd, on numerous occasions.

In the end it was all good though and everyone I spoke to about it mentioned having a great time.

Kind regards

Shot of the Day – Michelle Wilson and Bill Gray!

Hi all,

Featured above are fashion designer Michelle Wilson, of the designer label Michelle Yvette, and all around nice guy, citizen photojournalist, science whiz and oh-so-sexy Party Boy, Bill Gray. Yeah, that’s right! It’s meeeee! LOL! :)

Michelle and I were just hamming it up on our way back to the ferry off of Waiheke Island after I had spent a very enjoyable time with her and her friends at Fiesta Del Sol on Saturday night.

Since I don’t often get the camera turned on myself these days – I’m not really that much of a narcissist - Michelle suggested that I be featured in some photos and I was happy to comply! :)

I hear through the grapevine that Michelle has very recently become engaged. Now, I’ve met her fiancé, Bari, and he’s a very nice guy and I’m sure they’ll both be very happy together.

Kind regards

Bouncin’ with Carl Cox!

Hi all,

Remember I blogged about DJ Carl Cox vacationing here in New Zealand this month? Well, an associate of mine, Linda Mitchell, sent me the above photo of Carl playing to a crowd of 200 down in Queenstown on 30 January.

More news as I come by it!

Kind regards

Fiesta Del Sol Photoset Preview – The Streakers

Hi all,

Alright! Just a little something to whet your appetites until I can get the remaining photos I took at Fiesta Del Sol on Saturday night uploaded.

I have no idea why the guy featured above decided to strip down and run through the crowd with a woman on his back! However, I’m glad he did because it made for a very interesting photo. LOL!

The photo’s a little blurry because they were moving fast and I was chasing after them with the camera!

Kind regards

Sure-fire way to have your photo deleted!

Hi all,

It would seem that some people think they’ll get their photo featured on this blog if they demand I snap them when they encounter me at an event.

Depending on the person, and the way the demand is put forth, I may snap the photo without an argument or I may not. However, my not arguing isn’t due to being intimidated by them.

Sometimes I just don’t feel like butting heads with a control freak or a narcissist for whatever reason.

For the record, I am not an event photographer, unofficial or otherwise, and I don’t want to be one!

When I’m at a high profile event I’m there capturing and reviewing what’s important to me, and a growing international audience, so that I can feature it on this blog.  Therefore, I’m acting as a journalist who just happens to be carrying a high-end camera around with him.

If you’re not interesting enough, famous enough, or not a friend of mine, I have absolutely no desire to snap your photo! Sorry, but that’s just how it goes! However, if you ask me nicely I’ll most likely snap a photo and it’ll probably be featured on the blog.

Rule #1 when dealing with any photographer: Don’t be demanding with them, especially if you aren’t paying them, because I can guarantee you that even if they comply they’ll delete the photo at their first opportunity.

Kind regards

Shot of the Day – Danielle Moore at Fiesta Del Sol

Hi all,

Please enjoy the above photo of Danielle Moore, lead vocalist of Crazy Penis, taken during her performance at Fiesta Del Sol on Saturday night.

While I didn’t actually get to hear much of Danielle’s singing – when I’m snapping my eyesight gets priority and sounds tend to fade into the background - what I did hear sounded pretty damn good!

There are more photos from the event that I’ll put up later as I just got back from another and I’m tired.

Kind regards

Ahead - Wire

A rare video from classic punk group Wire. Enjoy!

Shot of the Day – DJ Norman Jay

 

Hi all,

Featured above is a snap of DJ Norman Jay, MBE, taken while he was enjoying his ferry ride over to Waiheke Island to play at Fiesta Del Sol yesterday evening. I happened to be on the very same ferry.

I recognized Norman almost immediately, when I spotted him on the ferry, having done my homework about who was going to be performing at the event. Also, with he and I being the only two people on the boat of obvious African descent, and my not being the one wearing the trademark hat, one would have had to be blind not to notice him! ;)

I spoke with him briefly after I took the shots and discovered that he had just flown in from London and was very tired as a result of the long flight. He explained to me he was keeping the sunglasses on to hide his tiredness.

Kind regards

Pussy Control - Prince

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! PUSSY CONTROL!

Pussy Control by Prince, all rights solely belong to Prince and affiliating record companies.
From "The Gold Experience" album.

For music groups:
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.

Dig Deep: Haiti Benefit at Zen on Sunday!

Dig Deep: Haiti Benefit at Zen, 17 Albert Street, Auckland CBD, Sunday 31 January.

Start time 10:00 PM

Tickets at the door $10

What is so little to us, could literally mean life or death for the children of Haiti.

UNICEF presents...
Homebrew
King Kapisi
The Feelstyle
The Arc
Bobby Brazuka
Mikey Rockwell
Switch & Kpz (Sunshine Sound System)
Scratch 22
The Newton Gutters
Tourettes
Jellyfish
Grassroots
R.I.A
Art Official
Dylan C
The Sandy Bay Social Club
Lucky Paul
Zeb
Ms Curious
Oohgun
Rhyas
Willie TheKid
Soul Science

The promoter says... Most of you are aware of the massive destruction that a recent earthquake has brought on Haiti. The earthquake decimated an already impoverished poverty-stricken nation.

This event brings together some of countries best Hip Hop, Reggae, Dubstep, Drum and Bass Acts, DJs and MCs, all performing for no fee.

All the proceeds donated to UNICEF for clean drinking water, food, medical supplies and the rebuilding of schools. We will be personally tracking this money to Haiti and will update you all on exactly where your money went.

"UNICEF is very active in Haiti and has been designated the lead agency for water, nutrition and education. I can guarantee this money will be used for Haiti as per your request."- Dennis McKinlay, Executive Director, UNICEF NZ.

Enquiries:
Danny Rawlins
danny@2020.co.nz

Fiesta Del Sol on Waiheke Island!

FIESTA DEL SOL returns to Waiheke Island's Stonyridge Vineyard this summer with a legendary international music line up of UK artists including NORMAN JAY and CRAZY P with DANIELLE MOORE! Its this Saturday.

Spanish for ‘Festival of the Sun’, FIESTA DEL SOL is a European flavoured event that caters to a mature social audience and celebrates all the great things that the summer season has to offer.

Don’t miss this magnificent day and night of partying perfection in the beautiful surrounds of Stonyridge Vineyard hosting International acts, live entertainment, DJ’s and musicians, Ibiza styled performers, multiple genres and areas of feel good music, barbeques, gourmet food, spa pools, secluded lounges, private party areas, fine wine and a top of the line event production and set up.

FIESTA DEL SOL only happens once a year and this is the only Stonyridge party of the summer! Get your friends together, book some accommodation and enjoy what promises to be a great long weekend summer holiday away from the city, on Waiheke Island.

FIESTA DEL SOL SATURDAY JANUARY 30TH ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND 1PM – 1AM / R20
STONYRIDGE VINEYARD
WAIHEKE ISLAND
NEW ZEALAND

STARRING
NORMAN JAY (UK)
http://www.normanjay.com/

CRAZY PENIS DJ & VOCALS SET
with DANIELLE MOORE (UK)
http://www.crazyp.co.uk/

SET TIMES:

SUNSET DECK:

1pm – 3pm Bobby Brazuka feat Jennifer Zea
3pm – 5.30pm Geoff Parker Feat Zeisha Fremaux
5.30pm – 7.30pm Bevan Keys
7.30pm – 9.30pm Crazy P (DJ SET) feat Danielle Moore
9.30pm – 11.30pm Norman Jay
11.30pm – 1am Jolyon Petch
5.30pm – 8.30pm Maya Dorcil on percussion
5.30pm – 7.30pm Lewis McCallum on Sax

VINEYARD MARQUEE:

1.30pm – 3.30pm Scotty Mayes
3.30pm – 5.30pm Jarrod Phillips
5.30pm – 7.30pm Grant Marshall
7.30pm – 9.30pm Karn Hall
9.30pm – 11pm Tim Phin
11pm – 1am Dick Johnson
6pm – 11pm Jabe on percussion

EVENT INFORMATION

START & FINISH TIMES:

The event kicks off at 1pm and runs through until a later than usual finish time of 1am. We suggest you get to the event as early as possible so you can get the most enjoyment out of your day and night.

FALLEN ANGEL VIP LOUNGE:

Purchase a ticket to the fallen Angel VIP lounge to enjoy a premium experience at Fiesta Del Sol.
VIP Tickets are very limited and include swift VIP entry to the event, a complimentary glass of Fallen Angel Wine on arrival, access to the exclusive VIP lounge and party deck, luxury toilets, leather furniture, glassware, table service, top shelf beverages, premium wines and more!

VIP tickets start from $110 + BF and are available from www.iticket.co.nz

SAMSUNG EXPERIENCE UPLOAD BOOTH:

Upload photos in real time onto your favourite social networking sites at the Samsung Experience upload booth. Equipped with connection cables for most cameras, this area will let you share your night at Fashion Beauty Music in real time online with your friends around the world! Oh, you forgot to bring a camera? – Not to worry, the Samsung team members will be on site with the all-new ST550 Samsung 2View Camera to take your pix for you!

SOL BEER SUNSET DECK:

Relax back on the Sol beer Sunset deck that overlooks the Vineyard.
The Sol hostesses will be there to ensure your stocked up on Sol and enjoying evening.

TAXIS & BUSES:

Taxi and Bus services will be available on the day/night to take people to and from the event from all locations on Waiheke Island.

FERRIES:

Extra Ferries will be organised for the day/night to take people to and from the Island for this event. http://www.fullers.co.nz/
The last Ferries off the island will be leaving at 11.45pm, 12.30am and 1am

WEATHER:

The weather is predicted for Sunshine on Waiheke this weekend so if its a bit crappy in Auckland, don’t let that fool you!
The weather over on the Island is always a lot better than the main land.
In the event of wet weather, there will be loads of shelter organised just incase.

LONG WEEKEND ACCOMMODATION:

Rent out a house or hire a hotel/motel room for the long weekend on Waiheke Island using the links below.
http://www.waihekeholidayhomes.co.nz
http://www.waihekeunlimited.co.nz
http://www.holidayhouses.co.nz/Waiheke_Island
http://www.waihekeholidayhomes.co.nz
http://www.bookabach.co.nz
http://www.holidayhomes.co.nz/search?q=Waiheke%20Island
http://www.amazingaccom.com/

TICKETS

$50 + BF Available from:
Online from Iticket http://iticket.co.nz/
Real Groovy – City: http://www.realgroovy.co.nz/
Route 66 – Newmarket http://route66.co.nz/
Stonyridge Vineyard – Waiheke Island http://www.stonyridgevineyard.com
Conch Records – Ponsonby Rd http://www.conch.co.nz/
By Phone +64 9 361 1000
By texting ‘FIESTA’ to 858

LIMITED DOOR SALES WILL BE AVAILABLE

THANKS TO
SAMSUNG
http://www.samsung.com/nz/
SOL BEER
http://www.solbeer.com.au
MINI
http://www.mini.co.nz/
RED BULL
http://www.redbull.co.nz/
FALLEN ANGEL WINE
http://www.fallenangelwine.com
THE ALIST
http://www.thealist.co.nz
HIGHLIFE ENTERTAINMENT
http://www.highlifeentertainment.co.nz
STONYRIDGE VINEYARD
http://www.stonyridgevineyard.com
GEORGE FM
http://www.georgefm.co.nz/

I’ll be there snapping as well. So if you see me coming at you with a camera you’ve got two choices: Smile or run! ;)

Kind regards

Public Enemy Goes Classical!

Public Enemy founding members Chuck D. (l) and Flava Flav (r).

PUBLIC ENEMY's booming beats and parental-advisory lyrics have rattled eardrums for nearly 30 years but band founders FLAVA FLAV and CHUCK D are softening with age.

The veteran hip hop outfit are booked to record with London's ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, one of the finest classical music institutions on the planet.

I hope it works out. It would be embarrassing if they were rebels without applause.

Source/The Sun

Shot of the Day – Approaching Full

Hi all,

This was taken just a few moments ago (11:30pm 28 January) and, as you can, see we’re getting close to a Full moon.

Time to howl! Owoooooooooo! ;)

Kind regards

Shot of the Day – Waning Gibbous

Hi all,

I was just outside a few minutes ago, enjoying a smoke, and I looked up to see the Moon hovering a bit above the horizon. I think it’s phase would be called Waning Gibbous. However, I’m not too sure as it’s been a long time since I was involved in Astronomy.

Anyway, I thought the Moon looked so nice and bright floating there that I just had to quick ran inside and grab the camera. I then snuck into the neighbour's yard and took the shot. I couldn’t shoot from my house as the view was obstructed by our trees.

So, this is what the Moon looks like from Auckland, New Zealand right now (1:54am January 27) for anyone that’s curious.

Kind regards

How To Grind

Shot of the Day: Pots and Pans

Max is in Jail!

Massive Attack coming to New Zealand!

Massive Attack founding members, Robert "3D" Del Naja, and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Image/Supplied

Hi all,

I’ve got some big news for you tonight!

I just found out that the original Bristol trip-hoppers, Massive Attack, are scheduled to play here in Auckland, at Vector Arena, on March the 25th!

Wooohooohooohooo! :D

Pre-sale tickets are going up on January 22nd and include a digital copy of the band's new CD, Heligoland. Regular tickets sales start on February 4th.

Kind regards

I Like Going to Concerts!

The Heavy on the Late Show with David Letterman

Video/TheAudioPerv.com

Hi all,

If you’ll recall last night I posted a blog entry about seeing The Heavy on the Late Show with David Letterman. Well, embedded above is a video of the actual performance!

Kind regards

The Heavy – How You Like Me Now?

The Heavy "How You Like Me Now?" promo. Shot in High Definition on Redcam, the video combines live action with Flash and traditional 2D hand drawn animation. Whilst bringing the Heavy graphic image to life, it tells the story of 2 ex-lovers and the chase by our lead "Wolf" of "Red" to see "How she likes me now". With reference to the classic 70's horror movie "Don't Look Now" there is a twist in the tale.

"How You Like Me Now?" is out on Counter Records on 31st August and is taken from their forthcoming album "The House That Dirt Built" released on 21st September.

Produced and Directed by Tabitha O'Connell
Director of Photography - Simon Weekes
Filmed in Rocks East Woodlands , Bath.

Just caught this band on the David Letterman Show and really enjoyed their performance. I thought you might like it too!

Holla!

Fire in the Sky

Queen Street and K’ Road at 6AM

Shots of the Day – Summerdayze-Auckland

Hi all,

Featured above are numerous snaps I took at the Summerdayze-Auckland 2010 dance party. Sorry for the delay in uploading these, but I have been very busy lately. And, I can only do so much while maintaining my physical and mental health! ;)

As for the party itself, I’d call it a hit and I had a great time, although I wouldn’t say that it packed the punch of the New Year’s Eve. However, New Year’s Eve would be hard for anyone to top as there is such buzz surrounding the day.

I’d like to thank Jared of Incline Events for hosting the event and for allowing me Media Access. It was a pleasure working with you, Jared, and perhaps we’ll do it again some day soon!

Kind regards

Zoh Zoh Ensemble at The Kingslander

Hi all,

Featured above are a number of shots I took at the Zoh Zoh Ensemble gig that was held on Friday night at The Kingslander.

While I could write up a full review of the gig, my thing is photography, so I’ll just show it to you and you can use your imagination to fill in the blanks. However, if I were so inclined to write a review, the best way to sum it up would be… Beautiful music and beautiful people!

Kind regards

Shot of the Day – Zoh Zoh Ensemble at the Kingslander

Hi all,

Just a little something to whet your appetites until I get the rest of the photos edited and uploaded.

I’m a bit behind at the moment and have yet to upload the majority of the photos I took at Summerdayze-Auckland.

The above shot was taken last night at The Kingslander after Zoh Zoh Ensemble had finished what proved to be a righteous set. More to come…

Kind regards

Happy Birthday, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. displaying the Nobel Peace Prize he just won in Oslo, Norway on December 10, 1964. The then 35 year old King was honoured for promoting the principle of non-violent resistance in the American Civil Rights Movement. Photo/Associated Press

Hi all,

On this day in 1929 at Atlanta, Georgia, someone who would be instrumental in forcing America to look at it’s horrible treatment of African-Americans and other ethnic minorities, Martin Luther King Jr., was born.

Having been born in 1962, I’m just old enough to remember the American Civil Rights Movement, the assassination of Dr. King, and the subsequent riots that that senseless act of murder sparked around the United States. I’m, also, fortunate enough to remember some of the speeches he gave, having seen them live on what was then a state-of-the-art Black and White television.

Please take a moment to remember Dr. King on this day and view the video I’ve embedded below. And, do keep what he stood for that in mind the next time you encounter someone who doesn’t look like you.

Kind regards

Shot of the Day - Macrotop

Making (some) sense out of camera sensor sizes

Image/DPReview.com

We regularly receive emails from readers confused as to the actual size of sensor used in digital cameras. Sensors (CCD / CMOS) are often refered to with an imperial fraction designation such as 1/1.8" or 2/3", this measurement actually originates back in the 1950's and the time of Vidicon tubes. Those who find the specification sheets for these sensors are then even more confused about the relationship between the fraction and the actual diagonal size of the sensor. Inside you'll find an explanation and a table of common sensor sizes. We'll be adding this information to our glossary for future reference.

It all started way back when...

The 'Type' designation given to toady's CCD sensors is that it harks back to a set of standard sizes given to TV camera tubes in the 50's. These sizes were typically 1/2", 2/3" etc. The size designation does not define the diagonal of the sensor area but rather the outer diameter of the long glass envelope of the tube. Engineers soon discovered that for various reasons the usable area of this imaging plane was approximately two thirds of the designated size. This designation has clearly stuck (although it should have been thrown out long ago). There appears to be no specific mathematical relationship between the diameter of the imaging circle and the sensor size, although it is always roughly two thirds.

Source/DPReview.com

A few top pro cameras now sport 35mm-size sensors and are referred to as full frame. Comparing this to Compact or Point and Shoot cameras today we generally find a 1/2.3" to 1/2.5" sensor. A few top-of-the-line compact cameras, like the Canon G9, feature a 1/1.8" to 1/1.7" sensor. To see the difference in the relative size of P&S sensors and DSLR sensors, look at the graphic below.

The very best compact cameras have sensors around the 1/3" to 1/2" range. The APS C to 4/3 sensors of the bulk of today's digital SLR cameras are huge by comparison. The developing push for full-frame at the top of the current DSLR market is a move to a sensor that is a bit more than double the size of today's APS C sensors. The approximate 24mm by 16mm APS C is the same size as the 1/2 frame 35mm championed by Olympus in the film era.

This size actually harkens back to 35mm motion picture film that became the standard on which most of the SLR lens systems are based. 35mm motion picture film contained images of around 24x16mm, and 35mm still film just turned the spool direction and used double the frame size. In fact, some early 35mm still cameras were referred to as "double-frame" cameras.

Why Does Sensor Size Matter?

In some of life's arenas bigger is better, but in computers and electronics we almost always see a trend toward smaller and smaller traces producing chips with higher and higher densities. So the question becomes why is a 10MP DSLR sensor any better than a 10MP Compact or Point and Shoot sensor?

The simple answer is that computer chips are digital devices, made up of transistors that register on and off (1 and 0) states, which are then combined to create the information we crunch in a computer. Digital sensors, on the other hand, are analog devices used to gather light and color information. Every digital camera then has some means to convert this analog sensor data to digital information in its processing path. Devices that communicate on and off do not require the sensitivity of devices that gather and convey more complex data like a digital sensor pixel.

Unlike digital data, all pixels are not created equal. Larger sensors, such as those used in digital SLR cameras, have larger pixels. All things being equal the larger pixels have more light-gathering ability over a given unit of time. This translates into two very important considerations for photography.

First, larger pixels exhibit lower noise than smaller pixels under the same conditions. This improved signal-to-noise ratio means that your 10MP DSLR image will likely produce better, sharper, clearer prints than the smaller 10MP compact (point and shoot) cameras. This improved SNR also means larger sensors produce a wider dynamic range (a greater range between the lightest and darkest elements of the photo).

The second aspect also relates to light gathering ability. Large DSLR sensors have more ability to gather light, which means they generally are more effective over a much wider range of lighting conditions than a compact camera. Many compact cameras are perfectly acceptable at ISO 100 but are very noisy by ISO 400. Most DSLR cameras with their larger sensors produce very acceptable results to ISO 800 or 1600 - ISO options not even available on most compact cameras. Some newer DSLR cameras even offer options of ISO 3200, ISO 6400, or even higher.

Source/AnandTech.com

Summerdayze-Auckland – The Carl Cox Live DJ Set

Hi all,

All those Summerdayze-Auckland photos are slowly but surely being edited and uploaded by me.

First up, simply because I admire the man so much, are a bunch of photos I snapped during Carl Cox’s live DJ set. These include onstage and offstage stuff, as well as some shots from the unofficial after-party that Carl attended!

As you can probably surmise from the liveliness of the people snapped, the set was absolutely awesome!

Please enjoy the photos and do be on the lookout for more to follow shortly!

Kind regards

Shot of the Day – Ilse at Summerdayze-Auckland

Hi all,

Featured above is a shot of electric violinist, Ilse, dancing onstage during Carl Cox’s set at Summerdayze-Auckland. Of course, the shot was taken by me, as I was onstage also! Holla! ;)

I found Ilse to be a lot of fun to be around and we spent quite a bit of time chatting with each other.

She seemed to take great pleasure in teasing me about the lump I’d acquired on my forehead from whacking it on a light fixture. As a matter of fact, she referred to it as a “mushroom”!  Ha ha ha! ;)

From what I understand, although I’ve yet to hear her perform myself, Ilse plays a mean electric violin and she’s played with such notables as Carl Cox and Yo-Yo Ma.

Below is her promo video.

Kind regards

ILSEVIOLIN - SHOW REEL 2009

ilse | MySpace Video
Video/Ilse Violin

Zoh Zoh Ensemble at The Kingslander!

Hi all,

Featured above are a few photos I snapped this afternoon out at Mission Bay where I ran into a several members of African music group Zoh Zoh Ensemble putting on a free performance for the beachgoers.

During a brief chat with Yaw Boateng (the guy with the dreadlocks) and François Byamana (the guy in the white Nike cap), principal members of Zoh Zoh, I found out that they were preparing for an upcoming gig.

The show is scheduled for this Friday, January 15, at The Kingslander and will run from 9PM until 12AM. Guess what? It’s free!

If you like African music, with a modern twist, please do come along and be prepared for a real treat!

Kind regards

Shot of the Day – Sharam at Summerdayze-Auckland

 

Hi all,

Featured above is a shot of Persian-American progressive house DJ and producer, Sharam, taken by myself backstage just moments before his knockout performance at Summerdayze-Auckland.

Sharam’s one half of the Grammy award-winning DJ/production duo, Deep Dish. And, as I’ve come to find out, a native of Washington D.C. - he’s a homeboy as I was born not to far from there in Virginia. ;)

Kind regards

Shot of the Day – Carl Cox at Summerdayze-Auckland

Hi all,

Featured above is a photo of the legendary Carl Cox taken by myself just minutes before he went on stage at Summerdayze-Auckland last night. And, below, is a shot of Carl and myself that was not taken by me and it shows. ;)

It was an absolute pleasure to meet Carl as I’ve been a fan of his work for a long time.

I was so excited to meet him all I could do was introduce myself, ask for some photos and then run away! LOL!  Nah! I wasn’t that bad really…

I chatted with him for a few minutes; asked about his visits to New Zealand – I found out there had been many; asked for a few candid shots and then pretty much left him alone to gather himself before his performance. I wasn’t trying to go hardcore journalist on him; I’d much rather just take photos of him, which I did, and enjoy the show!

As always, and this is just based on what I’ve seen in documentaries and YouTube videos, Carl put on a stellar performance! Having experienced him live for the first time I can clearly understand why he’s considered one of the world’s top DJs.

After Carl’s performance was over I managed to wrangle my way into the unofficial after-party at the Pyramid Lounge in Auckland’s CBD – there was an official one that Carl was not at – that Carl and a number of the other international DJs attended.

Just something to look out for…

I’ve heard it from a very reliable source that Carl will be vacationing here in New Zealand sometime this month. And, that he’ll be touring the country on a motorcycle as well as playing some shows along the way!

More news as I come by it and please do keep an eye out for more photos from and a brief review of Summerdayze-Auckland!

Kind regards

Shots of the Day – Highlife New Year’s Eve 2009/10

Hi all,

As promised by myself several days ago here are my best photos from Highlife New Year’s Eve Experience 2009/10.

The photos are all raw and unedited. Therefore, you’re going to see some anomalies that I normally wouldn’t let slip past me. (Please keep in mind that I was shooting under some very challenging conditions and the camera is still quite new to me.) However, since some of them made for “happy accidents” and interesting effects I’ve posted them anyway. ;)

There were so many sights that I wanted to share with you all. However, since I’m only one person, and I had to recharge the camera’s battery toward the end of the event as well as switching out storage cards, there’s only so much I can do, unfortunately.

As for the event itself, I’d call it an undeniable hit! I had massive fun!

There was something there for everyone! High profile VIP areas for those that are into that; Media rooms for onsite sharing of photos; Great bars; Makeup rooms; Helicopter rides; Great music from a number of different genres; And, it was very well organized and very health and security conscious so that everyone could just relax and enjoy to the fullest without having to worry about such matters themselves.

Well done, Adam and Anna, and the entire team!

Kind regards