Electric Roulette

Spotify playlist: Detroitrocksampler

2012-05-10T20:16:59+01:00

No idea why this came to mind, but the original Detroitrocksampler compilation came into my head. That's a pain to play, so I decided to do a Spotify playlist of Detroitrocksampler.

But there's a problem. Spotify isn't really good on niche stuff, so I've only been able to find 23 of the original 38 tracks of Detroit's finest rockin' tunes. But they're here anyway, should you want to check those out. They're all top notch. I'll add the others as and when - or I'll find substitute tunes.

If you want the full thing, it's available to download from Julian Cope's site in two parts. You can get it here.

Manchester Hacienda is rebuilt - in miniature form

2012-05-08T12:27:05+01:00

Yes, that's right, Manchester's legendary club The Hacienda is back. But only in miniature form.

The man behind this amazing piece of model work is Nick Hardy of the Our Small World website. He's recreated the club in exacting detail for a new exhibition opening in Manchester, celebrating the Hacienda's 30th anniversary.

That takes place from Thursday 3rd May to Tuesday 29th May at the Manchester Photographic Gallery,Tariff Street Manchester, M1 2FF. In there', you'll find 'rare artefacts and artwork' along with photographs and this never before seen model of the original Hacienda, recreating Ben Kelly's original design, should you not have made it over there 'back in the day'.

It's a 1:50 scale model complete with DJ booth, opening and closing loading bay doors, projector screens, balcony tables and chairs, a main bar with stocked beer can chiller, glass apex roof and a canal footpath. It is also internally illuminated using a mains fed lighting system for 'an overall subtle effect'. Club lighting, if you like.

More details on the exhibition here or check out some images of the model below.

Cool boxset of the week: Kraftwerk - The Catalogue 2012 Black Edition

2012-04-05T21:46:22+01:00

If you don't rate Kraftwerk, you need to take a long, hard look at yourself. If that 'like' has drifted into 'love', you'll probably want to own The Catalogue 2012 Black Edition.

It's essentially all the Kraftwerk you'll ever need, throwing in some limited edition kudos and tasty packaging. The box is a limited (2000 worldwide) reissue of the Catalogue box set to coincide with the band's shows to hardly anyone (tickets were mighty limited) at New York's MoMA.

For your money, you get that black packaging, all eight remastered and repackaged albums in a 12 x 12-inch box, large format booklets and expanded artwork. All the audio has been carefully remastered, the sleeves redesigned, original titles restored (Electric Cafe has reverted back to its original title of Techno Pop), and there are even some audio additions - for example, 'Telephone Call has been extended and split into two tracks) for this release.

If you want it, you can get it at those shows or you can pre-order from Boomkat, which is selling it for £69.99. You can find out more about that here.

Bid for an authentic Smokey Robinson suit on eBay from the man himself (warning - it's from the '80s)

2012-02-29T21:42:34+00:00

He was a dapper chap in the '60s, but sadly, the suit being auctioned off by Smokey Robinson on eBay isn't from that era - it's from the 1980s.

Yes, Smokey is doing an eBay clearout. Ok, he's not really just clearing stuff out, this one is for charity, with money from the auction supporting the United Negro College Fund.

He obviously loves this showbiz number too, described as one of his 'favourite stage suits from his solo tours of the 1980's'. It's an off-white, with gold studs and trousers wide enough to house a small family. Not sure when you'll have chance to wear it, but that's probably not the point.

What is the point is that this could be worth a few bob in the future, as a certificate of authenticity signed by Smokey Robinson will accompany the winning bid and if you wish, Smokey will even sign the inside of the jacket.

If you can carry it off, $500 is the opening bid.

Find out more at the eBay website

Bring the toys! Public Enemy now available as vinyl figures

2012-02-29T21:29:26+00:00

No sign of Professor Griff, but both Chuck D and Flavour Flav are both represented as Public Enemy Pop! Vinyl Figures.

While I'm not surprised to see Flav as a toy, I'm raising at least one eyebrow at Chuck D giving the nod to the maker. But these seem to be official gear, so he's obviously pretty cool with the idea.

For your money, you can get a three and three-quarter inch model, with Chuck said to have a rotating head, red cap with band logo, along with a displayable window box. Opt for Flav and get that same rotating head and a signature cloak, again with the collector's box.

If you want one, they sell for £9.99 each.

Find out more at the Forbidden Planet website

Update: Run DMC available too, more on that here.

RIP Manchester's very own Monkee Davy Jones

2012-02-29T18:16:01+00:00

Sad to hear of the death of Davy Jones, Manchester lad and global superstar with The Monkees. He was no age at all, dying of a heart attack aged just 66.

What else can you say? We all grew up with The Monkees during our 'long holidays' off school, they were there, having all the fun in the sun, in hipster gear and cool haircuts, knocking out some superb tunes along the way (Headquarters is well worth digging out, if only to prove that they could play and write their own music).

Not bad for a lad who started out in Coronation Street. We'll miss you Davy. But we'll remember you whenever we hear some maracas. And of course, we'll always have stuff like this…

Noel Gallagher x Amorphous Androgynous - Shoot A Hole In The Sun - hear it here

2012-02-28T21:01:03+00:00

Can't say we're fans of Noel Gallagher or indeed Oasis round these parts, but we are very partial to the work of Amorphous Androgynous. However, the collaboration between both of those two parties has now been put back to 2013. Not good.

But on the plus side, a 'taster' of those sessions is now available, courtesy of Shoot A Hole In The Sun, which is sneaking out as a b-side the Noel Gallagher single, Dream On.

It's also available to hear online…below in fact…and really does leave you wanting more. Go on Noel, stick it out over summer. You could do with a decent release behind you.

Worst reggae song ever? Sandie Shaw - Unknown Reggae Song

2012-02-28T12:44:04+00:00

The title says it all - this is perhaps the worst example of cod reggae you could ever hope not to hear. Otherwise known as Unknown Reggae Song, 'sung' here by Sandie Shaw.

And to think this is the same Sandie that gave Reviewing The Situation. Check it out below and a tip of the hat to @rhodri on Twitter for picking it up.

Paul Weller, Elbow and a large telescope headline Live From Jodrell Bank

2012-02-28T11:14:38+00:00

Fancy listening to some live tunes whilst gazing in awe at a large telescope that's located about a half hour from Manchester? Well, you'll beer wanting tickets for Live From Jodrell Bank.

Following on from last year's Flaming Lips-led shenanigans, this year's event will be headlined by Elbow and Paul Weller - Elbow plus special guests on 23rd June 2012, with Mr Weller doing the honours on Sunday 24th June with his own guests.

On top of that, the large 'scope will act as a backdrop for the event, doubling up as the worlds most distinctive projection screen. Oh yes, the day will also offer experiments and workshops along with free access to the new visitor centre, should you be into that kinda thing.

Tickets go on sale at 9am on March 1st 2012. More details here. Wanna see how it panned out last year? Check out this video on the Flaming Lips playing the event…

The Smiths vs Lana Del Rey: This Charming Video Game

2012-02-27T22:44:01+00:00

Hey, it's mash up time - or should that be mashed up? That perhaps depends on your views on either The Smiths or Lana Del Rey, who have been merged together for This Charming Video Game.

Yes really…see below…

Best. Toys. Ever. Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone Pop! Rocks Vinyl Figures

2011-11-08T10:04:06+00:00

The picture tells the story. But if you need words, here's a description - these are Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone Pop! Rocks Vinyl Figures. We'll tell you some more about 'em over the page too.

Yes, you can recreate your very own wall of sound with your very own Ramones, available 'for the first time ever' as vinyl figures. Both are 3.75-inch tall vinyl figures with a touch of artistic license, but as you would expect, decked in traditional Ramones leather jackets and with distinctive stance and of course, guitar and bass respectively. According to the makers, 'they're detailed right down to Johnny's infamous frown, Dee Dee's enigmatic glare, and the matching shoulder chains that bookended them on stage while changing the face of rock 'n' roll'.

Ok, so where can you get one? Well, Aggronautix seems to be the place, taking orders now at $10.95 per figure. Give a pair to your kids. It'll make 'em cool at school. Trust us.

Aggronautix website

Creation Records night on BBC4

2011-10-26T16:56:36+01:00

I suspect we'll not see much footage of The Loft or the Jasmine Minks, let alone the Jazz Butcher. But that's not going to stop us watching Creation Records night on BBC4.

That night is this Froday, 28th October 2011, with the headline act being a screening of Upside Down: The Creation Story, which charts the rise and fall and rise etc etc of the independent (for a time) record label, with words from the people concerned. One to catch for sure.

If that's not enough, the channel is also showing Creation at the BBC (which apparently does feature The Loft, as well as the Weather Prophets and the likes of Oasis, Ride, The Boo Radleys, Super Furry Animals, Teenage Fanclub and so on from the BBC studios).

The night is rounded up by Omnibus documentary Alan McGee - the Man Who Discovered Oasis, plus yet another showing of Do it Yourself: The Story of Rough Trade (still very good though).

Get the cans in, should be a long night.

BBC4 website

Stone Roses Heaton Park sold out - but are these the dates for the extra gigs next year?

2011-10-21T15:32:41+01:00

Image via Stoneroses.org

Did you manage to get tickets for Heaton Park before the ticket sites fell over? Good for you. But if you are travelling the length of the country (or Europe) to see the Stone Roses, other dates are said to be announced this Monday morning. See over for the full list of alleged dates.

We don't know for sure if these are true. They have been posted on the unofficial Stone Roses site and have been pulled initially from a Stone Roses forum. But it makes sense for more dates to play out after the Manchester gigs.

The dates contain one error, which could be a typo (see second date of Heaton Park), but for the record, these are the dates being talked about as they were printed:

Fri 29 June Heaton Park, Manchester
Sat 20 June Heaton Park, Manchester
Thu 5 July Echo Arena, Liverpool
Sat 7 July O2 Arena, London
Sun 8 July O2 Arena, London
Wed 11 July SECC, Glasgow
Fri 13 July Slane Castle, Ireland
Sat 14 July Botanic Gardens, Belfast
Mon 16 July iTunes Festival, London
Fri 20 July Espacio Movistar, Barcelona, Spain
Sat 21 July Palacio de Deportes, Madrid, Spain
Mon 23 July Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris, France
Wed 25 July Futurshow Station, Bologna, Italy
Thur 26 July Datch Forum, Milan, Italy
Sat 28 July O2 World, Berlin, Germany
Sun 29 July Color Line Arena, Hamburg, Germany
Tue 2 Aug Globe Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
Wed 3 Aug Spektrum, Oslo, Norway

Festivals likely to be sneaked in too. So if you've missed out today for tickets, plenty more chances to see the band next year.

Big thanks to MarshCP on Twitter for the tip off.

Stone Roses announce Heaton Park gigs in Manchester for June 2012 - tickets on sale Friday

2011-10-18T15:34:29+01:00

Image via the stoneroses.org

Hey, headline has most of the details, but you can have more if you read on about the Stone Roses reunion gigs at Heaton Park.

Heaton Park, for the non-locals out there, is about four miles outside of Manchester. Huge open space, ideal for a huge open gig. Plenty have played there - Oasis, Take That, you know the kind of gigs.

Now the Stone Roses too. No doubt with hefty support and a few Manchester DJs from 'back in the day' hanging on their coat tails. You know who we're talking about.

The gigs have been confirmed for Heaton Park on 29th and 30th June, with the group playing old stuff and new material - they're already recording a new album, which will be released 'soon'. There are also rumours about them headlining Reading and Leeds - no doubt hoping to remove the memories of the band's last appearance there. A world tour is then to follow.

Tickets go on sale via Seetickets on Friday at 9:30am, well as Gigsandtours.com, Ticketmaster.co.uk and Ticketline.co.uk. All will have 'hospitality packages' available too, should you have got rich in our middle age.

Obviously this means no Seahorses reunion and no more art from Squire for the next year or so. You win some...

Animoog app for iPad - Best. App. Ever.

2011-10-18T11:34:01+01:00

We get through piles of apps, so when we say that Moog's Animoog app for iPad is best ever, we're saying something. It's only 69p too…at least, it is for a limited time.

That view might be tainted by our excitement over the app though, as we've been hammering it for the best part of 24 hours, making our own old school space age synthy grooves, as well as knocking out at least three tunes that would pass as b-sides for the early '80s version of the Human League.

If you want the technical lowdown, the app is powered by Moog’s new Anisotropic Synth Engine (ASE) - the first professional polyphonic synthesiser designed exclusively for the iPad. ASE allows you to 'move dynamically through an X/Y space of unique timbres to create a constantly evolving and expressive soundscape'. Oh yes.

It replicates the classic Moog sounds captured from classic Moog oscillators via the iPad touchscreen, which, we can assure you, is loads of fun for the enthusiastic amateur. A pile of presets and an endless number of setting - the sounds just keep on coming. If you are more of an expert, see the iTunes page for the full technical specification. We believe you'll be impressed.

If the tech spec doesn't, the price certainly will. Officially, it sells for £29.99, but to get the app out there, Moog is selling it for 69p for the first 30 days. So you really need to get it soon. Just make sure you don't have anything important coming up in the next few days…

Animoog for iPad on iTunes