Surkin and homo-erotica

So, here's the second music themed post from your favourite Soho bully.
Firstly, this is what I've been listening to recently:

Surkin was one of those artists who, in the past, I had never really got in to. The sound always seemed a bit to simplistic and the 'just noise':catchy tune ratio swayed too heavily to the former.


This album, USA, and to an extent the prequel - Silver Island EP from last year, are a big leap forward. The above track demonstrates it well. It's a lovely mixture of 80's electro beats and zapping sounds with a modern sheen, if sheen is the right word. If it isn't, shut up. This track is the most 'pop' sounding, so if it's a bit cheesy for you, maybe try this one:

Fireworks Hotmix  is more staccato and sounds almost like a SebastiAn track, but it's still got that playful 16bit sound. This one and INYN are the ones that remind me most of Megadrive games, specifically Two Crude Dudes; a game which contained both insane homo-erotica and a great soundtrack. It's a winning formula for all games, TV shows and films:

Anyway, the fact that it's in the form of a radio station adds to the feeling that it's a snapshot from another time or place. The whole album sounds like it was born in the 1980s then got blasted through to now, picking up pieces to be influenced by on the way. Come to think of it, that's probably just a description of Surkin himself... with 'growing up' instead of the blasting.


Talking of blasting... I've learnt some important news. Stay tuned.

I am music

I am Music.


This blog will now include music I like.


This is partly because I like music. And partly because it means I will update it more than twice a year... probably.


So anyway, the first thing I'd like to show you is this, the new (OK, it's been out for almost a month) Justice album - Audio, Video, Disco


Listen to some. There's a lot of crashing and buffalo:

I thought I would start with this album because all of you know I love Justice. All my fans. Friends. Family. Right? Anyway, I do. So, the first thing that struck me about this album is that it's clear that they have made an album THEY want to make. Not a second '†'. Not that anyone thought they'd make that anyway if they were honest, but I think people were still thinking that it would still have a lot of distortion and a very electronic sound. I remember when they released the single above  I saw a comment on iTunes from someone who said something like, "Oh my God, what the hell is this? I'm disappointed, it sounds like some old prog rock group", and I thought, well yeah, that's probably EXACTLY what they wanted it to sound like. Remember, the old Justice album art was influenced by an old T.Rex album after all:

But anyway, I like the album, it's got a unique quality to it, and as with most Justice music, is expertly made. You can hear new little details and layers every time you listen to it. I like that they've started messing around with guitars, I like the sing-a-long feel, I like the fact that it feels like it doesn't really belong in this time or place, considering what most 'electronic' music is like these days. (I put electronic in inverted commas there because I know I implied earlier that it wasn't really electronic, but to my mind, Justice are still an electronic 'dance' act. (I put dance in inverted commas there because the word dance covers a fuckload of different artists.))

If you like Justice's old stuff you might like it, if you like prog/stadium/cheese rock or however you'd describe it, you might like it too... I'm not sure it's as good as † though.

The one thing I do get annoyed about though is that Ed Banger records albums tend to take an AGE to finally get released, so it's hyped up to obscene, unrealistic levels and you're expecting everything to tear you a new arsehole. But hey, it's not like I'm ever really disappointed.

Apart from that Uffie album.

Jeez, that's for another time.

Travel Emotion

People say "Oh, Jaymz T Wildz, oracle and idol of my life, why is everyone in London in a rush all the time?". We're not in a rush, we just want to get to where we're going before our sun slowly ends it's life and explodes, killing us all. Or maybe we just want to be away from a place that requires close contact with you! Move that buggy. Your businessman gut offends me. There's no room on this carri- Oh but you thought you'd squeeze on anyway. I hope your stupid fat head gets caught in the doors. Why do you need such a massive bag? Stand on the right! Stop being so fat! Stop dawdling! If you're going to eat KFC on here can you do it whilst you AND the food are in a sealed box so I can't smell the stench of death and MSG? Oh and make it opaque so I can't see you shovelling. It's too cold for shorts today. Why would you wear a jumper on the Victoria line you idiot? Stupid Victoria line, why are you an oven?! Alright poser? You think you're cool do you with your perfect haircut? Fuck you. Um, we're 100 ft underground mate so how about taking your FUCKING sunglasses off. Get out of my way out of the way get OUT the way MOVE!!

I get angry when I'm moving and I hate people.

Sometimes I think its a sort of physiological phenomenon, that the more I actually move my body, the more annoyed I get. But then I realise it only happens when I'm on public transport. Public transport meaning any place where other people are using it to move. A pavement counts. A supermarket counts. People + moving = anger. When I stop my anger dissapates. If a tube train stops in a tunnel, despite the mild annoyance that I might be late for, no doubt, an appointment at Soho House, I become more relaxed. Maybe It's because everyone else becomes more frustrated. There's something nice about seeing people you don't know become angrier than you. It makes you feel superior.

I see myself as an old man and I can't move without causing irreparable damage . A visitor brings my food to a table and as I lean forward to reach it I become angry and tell everyone to "just die". My minder kindly explains that you have to put it within 4 inches of my hand but "he likes his independence so DON'T EVER TRY TO FEED HIM!". They have to make this point Brita clear ever since the Cheddar Gorge trip. I'm in a wheelchair now, not because I'm unable to walk but because if I do I might get annoyed and punch wildly and unpredictably. I move occasionally just to trick other people into getting punched. Sometimes the air that's generated when a person passes in a hurry sets me off. I trip them up and hit them with my cane.

Perhaps if I was more calm, I could deal with this. Calm the fuck down. Be a better person.

But I can't.