Number 103
the Borg Pony by Aikarin
October 29, 2004
October 27, 2004
Indie act reaches no 2 in the UK's download chart
Marillion and Recordstore are celebrating a number two Download Chart new entry for Marillions new single 'The Damage. The single was released on 11th October as a download only (with cover artwork) for a period of a month. It was made available only through a Marillion-branded download shop at www.marillion.com.The number two position, is the highest for any independent-signed act since the launch of the Download Chart.
Said Recordstores Russel Coultart, "Marillion have proven that a band can reach the charts upper echelons solely from sales via their web site. This is proof positive of the democratising effect of the Internet and is great news for the health of British music. Its a shame we didnt reach number 1, but we have U2 to thank for that"
This is what Chelfyn and I have been calling 'The Marillion Effect'. They left their record label a few years ago after being hauled in front of management for 'low' sales. They realised that they had enough fans buying everything they released to live comfortably ever after. So they ditched their label, and now sell to their fans directly online.
Other indies are doing well too. Independent online music retailer CD Baby has now paid over $10 million directly to musicians for CDs sold worldwide through their online store at cdbaby.com. While record labels are blaming piracy for a lack of sales, music sold through CD Baby has almost doubled every year for the past six years.
"It's easier than ever for music fans to find great non-mainstream music," says CD Baby founder Derek Sivers. "So what's reported as a sales decline for a huge pop star is actually a sales boost for the less-famous but more-talented musicians of the world. We sell thousands of CDs a day by artists you've never heard, but will love when you do."
Marillion and Recordstore are celebrating a number two Download Chart new entry for Marillions new single 'The Damage. The single was released on 11th October as a download only (with cover artwork) for a period of a month. It was made available only through a Marillion-branded download shop at www.marillion.com.The number two position, is the highest for any independent-signed act since the launch of the Download Chart.
Said Recordstores Russel Coultart, "Marillion have proven that a band can reach the charts upper echelons solely from sales via their web site. This is proof positive of the democratising effect of the Internet and is great news for the health of British music. Its a shame we didnt reach number 1, but we have U2 to thank for that"
This is what Chelfyn and I have been calling 'The Marillion Effect'. They left their record label a few years ago after being hauled in front of management for 'low' sales. They realised that they had enough fans buying everything they released to live comfortably ever after. So they ditched their label, and now sell to their fans directly online.
Other indies are doing well too. Independent online music retailer CD Baby has now paid over $10 million directly to musicians for CDs sold worldwide through their online store at cdbaby.com. While record labels are blaming piracy for a lack of sales, music sold through CD Baby has almost doubled every year for the past six years.
"It's easier than ever for music fans to find great non-mainstream music," says CD Baby founder Derek Sivers. "So what's reported as a sales decline for a huge pop star is actually a sales boost for the less-famous but more-talented musicians of the world. We sell thousands of CDs a day by artists you've never heard, but will love when you do."
October 25, 2004
"A mix that starts off quite mentally expressive pondering oneself on deep thoughts, you go quickly from swallowing that first lucid mushroom (isn't that what everyone in Psy-trance does?) through from Psy-trance to hard-Psy to feeling like your in the middle of mexican salsa festival, I was pleasantly surprised to find Didgeridont from Mr Sentience, followed by the 'On Fire' guitar strings of Astrix and ending on a political speech in true ‘Evil Plans’ fashion!
Chelfyn's new direction is a sign of his maturity into his music, age brings with it much stature, the mind looks for more expressive ways in which the music can channel in deep within your thoughts and this expression channels just that keeping his roots of hard acid Bristol techno!
Tempo fluctuates throughout the mix but none of this is too sudden or overpowering and flow remains continuous, its one of those musical styles that keeps the mind deep within itself whilst you dance and constantly ponder the inner realms of the universe!
To put it another way, its not 3 bad, I quite like this aging hippy music."
Review: Justin Sane
You can hear Astral Raveling at the Twisted DJ database and find out more about Chelfyn/Psychelfyn at www.chelfyn.com.
October 24, 2004
Twisted Breakfast
Chelfyn and I have been hosting the Twisted breakfast shows all week. Mistress Dirtbag has been on holiday in Sydney and she's not allowed to go away again. I hate getting up that early. Bfm reckon that Camilla is the only solo female breakfast host. That's rubbish. We have our very own Breakfast bitch at Twisted radio. Catch her weekdays from 8 - 10 a.m.
Chelfyn and I have been hosting the Twisted breakfast shows all week. Mistress Dirtbag has been on holiday in Sydney and she's not allowed to go away again. I hate getting up that early. Bfm reckon that Camilla is the only solo female breakfast host. That's rubbish. We have our very own Breakfast bitch at Twisted radio. Catch her weekdays from 8 - 10 a.m.
October 23, 2004
Romanian Ravers' alien invasion
Residents of the Romanian village Christinesti are the collective Dumbass of the Day award recipients for their antics last Friday night. As the sun went down, bright multi-colored lights began flashing across the sky causing the residents to flee in terror fearing, of all things, an alien invasion. Police immediately began investigating the situation and quickly discovered that the "invasion" was actually just lights from a stage set up for a festival in a neighboring town. Ironically, the band playing was UFO.
From the 'morning dumbass-of the day' page of a Chicago Rock Station.
Residents of the Romanian village Christinesti are the collective Dumbass of the Day award recipients for their antics last Friday night. As the sun went down, bright multi-colored lights began flashing across the sky causing the residents to flee in terror fearing, of all things, an alien invasion. Police immediately began investigating the situation and quickly discovered that the "invasion" was actually just lights from a stage set up for a festival in a neighboring town. Ironically, the band playing was UFO.
From the 'morning dumbass-of the day' page of a Chicago Rock Station.
You can now visit the online art gallery of my good mate Stacey Stewart and buy her work online. This piece is called Pink Two Piece and is part of her rainbow bright 'Smalls' collection, a witty observation of the underpinnings in every girls life. She also has this new piece that I love called 'Serenity'.
Serenity by Stacey Stewart: Oil and acrylic on canvas
(Measurement - 80 x 100 cm - $195)
For a Good Cause Guys!
The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman:
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com
Please tell ten friends to tell ten today!
The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman:
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com
Please tell ten friends to tell ten today!
October 22, 2004
Mental Illness II: Back in the Community
This review of Mental Illness II: Back in the Community, the new release from the Data:Bass Collective has just been published in New Zealand Musician Magazine:
"Whilst data:bass takes care of the drum'n bass underground in Auckland with it's DJ Collective, club nights and music releases, Mental Illness offers both the drum'n bass heads and the left-of- centre local electronic composer an outlet for more experimental forays.
This is the second major compilation and offers everything from hip-hop, chilled lounge, dubby steppers, blunted beats, electro tech, trance twistedness, to a bit of drill'n bass. The range of artists and styles represented is vast but by no means disparate or jarring. Essentially the living, breathing definition of "sampler" in all it's true marvellous multifariousness- it's great to hear so much creativity out there. You'd do well to check out tyhe likes of Dialator, Audioslut, Jamie Newman, The Downlow, Doctor Lovelazy, Atomik, Further, Emu and others now or in the near future. The discs are available for peanuts through In Music or at play records on K- Road. The underground is alive and well!"
For those of you outside Auckland who may want to get hold of a copy, we'll have Mental Illness II: Back in the Community CDs up for sale in the TMet store next week.
Well done to Matt (Romantech) and the Data:Bass crew!
This review of Mental Illness II: Back in the Community, the new release from the Data:Bass Collective has just been published in New Zealand Musician Magazine:
"Whilst data:bass takes care of the drum'n bass underground in Auckland with it's DJ Collective, club nights and music releases, Mental Illness offers both the drum'n bass heads and the left-of- centre local electronic composer an outlet for more experimental forays.
This is the second major compilation and offers everything from hip-hop, chilled lounge, dubby steppers, blunted beats, electro tech, trance twistedness, to a bit of drill'n bass. The range of artists and styles represented is vast but by no means disparate or jarring. Essentially the living, breathing definition of "sampler" in all it's true marvellous multifariousness- it's great to hear so much creativity out there. You'd do well to check out tyhe likes of Dialator, Audioslut, Jamie Newman, The Downlow, Doctor Lovelazy, Atomik, Further, Emu and others now or in the near future. The discs are available for peanuts through In Music or at play records on K- Road. The underground is alive and well!"
For those of you outside Auckland who may want to get hold of a copy, we'll have Mental Illness II: Back in the Community CDs up for sale in the TMet store next week.
Well done to Matt (Romantech) and the Data:Bass crew!
October 20, 2004
International Buy Nothing Day
November 26th is Buy Nothing Day. Refuse to participate. Flip your routines and discover new angles. Get active in your communities. And some of you go out and create some mayhem.
Here's a good place to get started: http://adbusters.org/ See what other people around the world are doing this year. Discover a new way to meet other activists in your city. Visit the Action Pyramid and help make this BND the blast that's heard around the world.
November 26th is Buy Nothing Day. Refuse to participate. Flip your routines and discover new angles. Get active in your communities. And some of you go out and create some mayhem.
Here's a good place to get started: http://adbusters.org/ See what other people around the world are doing this year. Discover a new way to meet other activists in your city. Visit the Action Pyramid and help make this BND the blast that's heard around the world.
October 19, 2004
The Women
"Mary Haines is a nice girl. Nice house, nice family, nice life. When a vicious little gold-digger hooks her talons into Mary's man, frocks, friendships and fidelity fly. Undone by the easy mouths of a troupe of adder-fanged New York socialites, Mary lets down her hair and turns the tables. Odious harpies. Brazen hussies. Tittle-tattlers. These women gossip and gloat, then gossip all over again, not caring about the consequences. These are truly the ladies who lunch, but who lunch on each other. Sex, sin and the city. A cunning little comedy unfolds into the quintessential theatrical catfight, with dialogue so snappy it could have been written by a hairdresser."
The Women was written over 70 years ago, and sounds surprisingly up to date in a modern world. It's currently playing at The Silo Theatre, and I'm hoping to catch it as it's had good reviews.
"Mary Haines is a nice girl. Nice house, nice family, nice life. When a vicious little gold-digger hooks her talons into Mary's man, frocks, friendships and fidelity fly. Undone by the easy mouths of a troupe of adder-fanged New York socialites, Mary lets down her hair and turns the tables. Odious harpies. Brazen hussies. Tittle-tattlers. These women gossip and gloat, then gossip all over again, not caring about the consequences. These are truly the ladies who lunch, but who lunch on each other. Sex, sin and the city. A cunning little comedy unfolds into the quintessential theatrical catfight, with dialogue so snappy it could have been written by a hairdresser."
The Women was written over 70 years ago, and sounds surprisingly up to date in a modern world. It's currently playing at The Silo Theatre, and I'm hoping to catch it as it's had good reviews.
A$500 lawsuit against Aussie filesharer
"Downloading music from the internet could get even tougher following a landmark copyright case due to begin in the Federal Court next week. The Australian Recording Industry Association hopes the A$500 million ($538 million) lawsuit by Australian and international record companies against a man who ran a song-sharing website will help end music piracy."
"Downloading music from the internet could get even tougher following a landmark copyright case due to begin in the Federal Court next week. The Australian Recording Industry Association hopes the A$500 million ($538 million) lawsuit by Australian and international record companies against a man who ran a song-sharing website will help end music piracy."
October 18, 2004
The Top 10 NZ Indie Albums in September
1: TrinityRoots - Home Land & Sea
2: SJD - Southern Lights
3: Shapeshifter - Riddim Wise
4: David Kilgour - Frozen Orange
5: TrinityRoots - True
6: Katchafire - Revival
7: Bleeders - Bleeding Heart EP
8: Adeaze - Always And For Real
9: Te Vaka Tutuki - Warm Earth
10: Minuit - The 88
From Indies.co.nz
1: TrinityRoots - Home Land & Sea
2: SJD - Southern Lights
3: Shapeshifter - Riddim Wise
4: David Kilgour - Frozen Orange
5: TrinityRoots - True
6: Katchafire - Revival
7: Bleeders - Bleeding Heart EP
8: Adeaze - Always And For Real
9: Te Vaka Tutuki - Warm Earth
10: Minuit - The 88
From Indies.co.nz
October 15, 2004
Polaris nukes turkey-neck
Via Popbitch: Age-cheating witches embrace the laser:
Now Botox has gone high street, celebrities
are turning to Polaris. A high-intensity
laser which tightens "skin laxity", it's
particularly good for those places where
Botox doesn't work, like the neck.
Our surgery spy tells us Kylie and Dannii,
Sadie Frost and Meg Mathews are all
among the early adopters.
Skin Laxity. So that's what wrinkles are called these days.
Via Popbitch: Age-cheating witches embrace the laser:
Now Botox has gone high street, celebrities
are turning to Polaris. A high-intensity
laser which tightens "skin laxity", it's
particularly good for those places where
Botox doesn't work, like the neck.
Our surgery spy tells us Kylie and Dannii,
Sadie Frost and Meg Mathews are all
among the early adopters.
Skin Laxity. So that's what wrinkles are called these days.
October 14, 2004
October 12, 2004
Fantasy Friday
I have only just recovered from the weekend. We put on a birthday party on Friday night for Mistress Dirtbag, Niddies, the lovely Lulu (a VJ) and Splats who is working on The Chronicles of Narnia. It was a fetish theme, most people dressed up, and everyone had a fabulous time. Chelfyn wore an Enjoy Cock tshirt by Manic, and I wore my blood red wedding dress.
There were bunny girls, school girls, divas and doms. I got to stick electrical tape on Dirtbag's nipples. She wore little else for most of the night.
I have only just recovered from the weekend. We put on a birthday party on Friday night for Mistress Dirtbag, Niddies, the lovely Lulu (a VJ) and Splats who is working on The Chronicles of Narnia. It was a fetish theme, most people dressed up, and everyone had a fabulous time. Chelfyn wore an Enjoy Cock tshirt by Manic, and I wore my blood red wedding dress.
There were bunny girls, school girls, divas and doms. I got to stick electrical tape on Dirtbag's nipples. She wore little else for most of the night.
October 07, 2004
Lords of the Rhymes
"We are Bombadil and Quickbeam, and we bring it heavy - hobbit style. In order to truly experience the wild hysteria of Hobbit Rap."
They have recently completed a West Coast Tour titled - "No Sleep Til...Hobbiton!"
"We are Bombadil and Quickbeam, and we bring it heavy - hobbit style. In order to truly experience the wild hysteria of Hobbit Rap."
They have recently completed a West Coast Tour titled - "No Sleep Til...Hobbiton!"
October 06, 2004
The Battle of the Bands
The New Zealand leg of the World Battle of the Bands was last Friday. Well done to Rich Manic from Running House for winning best vocalist.
The final results were:
WINNER:Chuganaut from Hamilton
2nd: Exiter who play 'NZ Spaz Rock'
3rd: Ample Cleavage a Kiwi punk band with a great name.
The New Zealand leg of the World Battle of the Bands was last Friday. Well done to Rich Manic from Running House for winning best vocalist.
The final results were:
WINNER:Chuganaut from Hamilton
2nd: Exiter who play 'NZ Spaz Rock'
3rd: Ample Cleavage a Kiwi punk band with a great name.
October 05, 2004
Ishkur's Guide to Electronic Music
Like House? What sort? Deep? Funky? Hard? Progressive? If you have no idea and actually care about all the subgenres in computer generated music then head over to Ishkur's Guide to Electronic Music. You'll be a trackspotter in no time.
Let's hope 'Casiocore' doesn't catch on.
Like House? What sort? Deep? Funky? Hard? Progressive? If you have no idea and actually care about all the subgenres in computer generated music then head over to Ishkur's Guide to Electronic Music. You'll be a trackspotter in no time.
Let's hope 'Casiocore' doesn't catch on.
October 02, 2004
Slave Leia Costume
"Yes, you read it right, Slave Leia Version 3.0. It would seem that I am on a never ending quest to make the ultimate Slave Leia costume. This costume I think has become an obsession for me- I keep finding ways to improve it and make it better."
MsBehaviour says: Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrooooowwww.
"Yes, you read it right, Slave Leia Version 3.0. It would seem that I am on a never ending quest to make the ultimate Slave Leia costume. This costume I think has become an obsession for me- I keep finding ways to improve it and make it better."
MsBehaviour says: Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrooooowwww.
October 01, 2004
Tidy Trax goes digital
Now officially the world’s biggest label for the Harder Generation, tidy trax is to reduce the amount of new tracks it sells through record shops in favour of its award winning website tidy.com.
From 01 November 2004 the amount of tidy trax releases available to buy from high-street stores will be reduced from the current three to four titles per month to just one. In addition to this full retail release tidy will be selling two tracks per month exclusively through tidy.com which already boasts 30,000 regular users. From November these two releases cannot be bought anywhere else apart from the tidy store.
Richard Skaife, from tidy comments; “The way people buy their music is changing. Increasingly djs and dance fans prefer to buy their music via the web as they find it much quicker, easier and cheaper. The great thing about Internet music shopping which appeals to dance fans is new releases can be bought anytime of the day or night without having to waste valuable mixing time with a trip down to the high-street.”
“The rapid increase in MP3 and hard copy online music sales coupled together with a worldwide base of tidy trax fans means the Internet is going to be playing a major part the label’s future over the next 12 months.
Watch this space as very shortly we will have a bigger announcement to make.”
Now officially the world’s biggest label for the Harder Generation, tidy trax is to reduce the amount of new tracks it sells through record shops in favour of its award winning website tidy.com.
From 01 November 2004 the amount of tidy trax releases available to buy from high-street stores will be reduced from the current three to four titles per month to just one. In addition to this full retail release tidy will be selling two tracks per month exclusively through tidy.com which already boasts 30,000 regular users. From November these two releases cannot be bought anywhere else apart from the tidy store.
Richard Skaife, from tidy comments; “The way people buy their music is changing. Increasingly djs and dance fans prefer to buy their music via the web as they find it much quicker, easier and cheaper. The great thing about Internet music shopping which appeals to dance fans is new releases can be bought anytime of the day or night without having to waste valuable mixing time with a trip down to the high-street.”
“The rapid increase in MP3 and hard copy online music sales coupled together with a worldwide base of tidy trax fans means the Internet is going to be playing a major part the label’s future over the next 12 months.
Watch this space as very shortly we will have a bigger announcement to make.”
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