That's it, a few more hours and we're in a new decade.
Mad year, some good music... a lot of adventures, a lot of damage done to internal organs no doubt, a few new people entered my life and I got a swanky new job.
I'm not gonna summarise the year's music because, frankly, I can't be arsed. What I will say is that a lot of the people I've always supported have done well, which is great. There's been a lot of good shit made this year, and a lot of SHIT shit as well.
It's a time for giving and some of music world's artists decided to use Christmas Day for exactly that.
I don't usually go on the internet on Christmas Day - I'm too busy stuffing my guts with turkey and the trimmings, pudding and then piles of Pringles and whatnot - but yesterday I got online for a bit and I was glad for it.
There was a lot of music released for free and all of it by peeps I want to hear music from.
Skream's Freeizm LP was probably my pick of the bunch, a compilation featuring a tiny portion of the mountains of music he makes on an almost weekly basis. Tunes from 2007 up to now feature on the album and it's sick. Something I would definitely have paid money for, which makes the freeness all the better.
Other heads who got into the Christmas spirit include Ghetts, Dirty Danger and Rival - who was pissed off with his management and decided to chuck out the rest of his Murder Edition tracks.
No fucking about.
Check the rest below and a brilliant video of David Rodigan closing his set at the Macbeth earlier this week (23rd December) - that guy is amazing.
This past weekend I had one of the most intensely epic nights I've had since I was in Ibiza.
It all started when me and my mate Alex went down Deadmau5's show at Earl's Court - now, I'm not a huge fan of the mau5 it has to be said. Yeah, he has made some semi-decent music, but to me it's drug music and I think there's a lot better electronic music out there at the moment - but each to their own.
So, anyway, wow what a venue. The place saw a steady build up of people, from the time we got there when Magnetic Man were on.. and culminated in a sea of people, probably in the regions of 10,000 strong.
I'm very fortunate enough to have interviewed Artwork from Magnetic Man on several occasions and he brought me and Al backstage after they were on -- so we didn't see much of Deadmau5, but had a brilliant time anyway. What we did see of the Canadian prog house producer was IMMENSE. His whole Minority Report routine, where he performed with a touch screen on a platform in the middle of the crowd, was something else. Have a look...
Anyway, Artwork and Skream took us down to Annie Mac's night at Koko in Camden and we spent some time backstage in her dressing room with Toddla T and Redlight, Nick Grimshaw and some others. Crazy night. I have no words to describe it, but it was completely unexpected and one of those nights that will go down as one of the best of the year for sure.
Playing music while getting ready before a night out is a ritual around the globe, typically (alone or with your mates) you'll be blasting out some party tunes to get in the mood for the night ahead.
(As an aside, Wigfield was well fit... I think a lot of people will agree with me on that).
My little selection tonight is the usual mix of stuff, from garage to techno to DnB and so on...
Here are a few of the tunes/mixes I've been banging tonight...
"This is the voice from Planet Love. Have no fear, we are your friend. To bring peace and love to your world we are sending our very special agent... Her name is Love."
...this is wicked little track. Bubbles along nicely with nice old school sound to it and then, at about 3.10... BOY! It lets off.
Precious System - Planet Love (Dixon Chic a go Edit)
Oh yeah and this Benoit & Sergio tune (Walk & Talk) ... I need this in my life.
You can hear elements of disco, latin freestyle (which I LOVE) and even a few old classic acid/house anthems in this varied mix, played on WBMX back in 1987 (when I was six years old!).
Julian Jumpin' Perez... it's so cool that people hold on to their tapes from that era and some have even coverted them to mp3 and stuck them on YouTube.
I've got a HUGE collection of tapes dating back to 1995 - 300-odd in fact. One day I'll work through coverting the lot.
My Tape2mp3 convertor is collecting dust at the mo, but one day... one day, I'll get on it.
