TRON: Legacy Special Edition Soundtrack Review

Oh wow guys and girlies it sure has been a hell of a long time since I last posted on here. I say this every time but so sorry about that. I have been rather busy since we last spoke but I will not bore you with that depressing nonsense. Although, I do want to tell you that 2011 will be a fresh start for the blog and for me in general. I will keep up with it and I already have ideas for posts. Expect a lot of "Best Of" posts from now until the end of the year. Phew... finally got that awkward metaphorical family cuddle out of the way. On with the post!

I figured that I would get back into the groove of blogging by talking about something that excites me both culturally and sexually... kinda. Unless you live under a rock you will know that THE film of the year is coming out (well as I'm writing this, the premier has already happened and luckier, well informed bloggers have seen it and posted) and not only is it going to be a landmark event but it also means that we have a treat musically. Again, unless you have been living under a rock Daft Punk have come out of Sleep Mode and produced the soundtrack to what should be the best film of the year (sorry Inception and Toy Story 3... you have had your fun, Flynn is back). Before I delve into this soundtrack review I just want to say I hate 3D. However, a film like this is what 3D should be about! Enough if a pre viewing film review! Let's get on with the soundtrack review!


The version I will be reviewing today is the pre order special edition version which comes with the free glow in the dark poster, which we will talk about in a little while. The special edition 2 dis album itself is just the same special edition 2 disc digipack you can buy in the shops. First things first, let's talk about the packaging of the CD. To sum it up in one word; beautiful! However, that would be cop out of the century so I'm going to go more in depth. It's a nice chunky digipack so you feel like you have bought more than just another CD. The card used for the packaging is a gorgeous mix of glossy and matte card has a really nice feel to it and isn't too hard yet not too soft. I don't know what type of card it is or the grain (if card is measured that way?) but I definitely believe it's the perfect balance and more albums should be brought out this way.

Next we move on to the actual design on and inside. The front cover is nice and simple. You can see the image above so I have no need to go in depth. However, there is one vital thing I must point out. The whole CD has a nice shiny, metallic look to it. When hit by the light, the blue design looks absolutely gorgeous especially the fact it's metallic blue on a black background. The same runs throughout the whole pakaging and the back of the CD is just as lovely. Inside the inner case of the CD does the same and looks awesome. The inner packaging has a Tron Disc which looks lovely. The CD's are also designed in the same style but aren't as shiny.

However, they still look amazing. Finally we get on to the nice booklet that comes w

ith the CD. Nothing to really go on about here, just what you expect. Various stills from the movie and lots of credits. Overall, this is a gorgeous package and I would definitely pay the extra couple of quid for the packaging alone. I haven't seen a digipack this nice since Moderat's debut album.


Before we get on with the actual music (which is what it's really about maaaaaan!) there is one thing I need to mention and that is the special edition glow in the dark Daft Punk poster. This was part of the pre order bonus but I think you may be able to still pick up the package from the official Tron soundtrack site. This poster is HUGE! A brilliant piece of merchandise for the hardcore Daft Punk fans. I am still yet to frame mine because who knows, this might be a really rare piece of kit in a few years (that was my greed talking). It's got a gorgeous look to it and the best thing about it is, it looks amazing glowing in the dark. I don't really need to say anymore about the poster so let's talk about the music.


Before I start I am going to have to have a sit down and talk with you (especially some of you clueless teenagers). Do not buy this album if you are one of the many idiots who can't develop their own taste and like to follow the trends. Some of you may be expecting another Daft Punk album full of future floor fillers... well I'm sorry this album is not for you. This album will be loved by fellow music lovers and people who are fans of Daft Punk's actual production skills. There are a couple of obvious Daft Punk productions here which sound like songs that didn't make it on to Human After All (which is one of my favourite Daft Punk albums) that you could find in a DJ set but the rest of this soundtrack is nothing like a Daft Punk album but more of a showcase of versatility and talent but I'm guessing most of you have a brain and can think for yourself so hopefully what I said won't apply to you. Usually when I review albums I go for a track by track review. However, considering there are so many tracks and some songs are either carrying on from another piece or are just variations, I don't think that would work here.

For the most part of this album, we are treated with the phenomenal sound of the London Orchestra. If you are familiar with the soundtrack to the original Tron film by Wendy Carlos you pretty much know what to expect from the French house maestros. The balance between orchestral and electronic music is perfect in this score. Daft Punk could have gone the more electro way with this but thankfully there are only a couple of songs on here that do that. However, they have picked a way where although there may be an orchestra playing, you can detect subtle hints of French fingertips tinkering with various technological sounds and gorgeous, deep waves of synth. There are tracks that are dark, haunting and sometimes ooze with peril. There are tracks that are uplifting, beautiful and bright in places. There also some genuinely epic and stirring songs which no lie, made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on edge. Hopefully, going off the musical sequences, the film should be just as atmospheric as the soundtrack. If you liked the original score and if you liked the beautiful soundtrack by Vangelis for Blade Runner, this is going to be an absolute dream for you. This isn't just another generic soundtrack to a big budget movie, this is a genuinely beautiful, dark and moving body of work and a great branching out from Daft Punk who just showcase how talented they are at music production full stop.

Stand out tracks are hard to pick seeing as not once did I even feel the urge to skip tracks when I listened to this on the first play through. If I had to pick 5 tracks from this album they would be Tron Legacy (End Titles), Flynn Lives, Disc Wars, Solar Sailor and Adagio For Tron for no specific reason other than each track showcases different aspects of the soundtrack. Some peeople's obvious choices would be songs like Derezzed and End Of The Line but in all honesty I think they would have been better as stand a lone singles. That being said, it all depends how in context tracks like that fit into the film. I urge people to overlook these tracks at first and give the other more atmospheric and orchestral numbers a chance because that for me is the strong point of this soundtrack.

Finally we come to the 2nd disc; the extra tracks. I am guessing these are just tracks that either didn't end up making it into the film itself, are extra tracks that Daft Punk wanted to record or where for some reason just dropped from the main soundtrack release. I would say however, that these 5 extra songs have a more spacey and synthy feel and it really takes me back to hearing the also beautiful Blade Runner soundtrack for the first time. This collection of songs is just as beautiful as the ones on the main disc.

In terms of special features you obviously have the awesome poster, extra music and you also get some added content when you put the discs in the computer. It's just the usual stuff like making of features, trailers and image galleries but they are great companians with the soundtrack (although my only gripe of all comes in to play, on the 1st disc I had to input all the song data into itunes because the extra content for some reason stopped the tracks and all info being placed on the album which was annoying). You get a lot and it's a great example of you getting more for buying the best edition.

Overall, this is a fantastic package altogether. High quality packaging, amazing music, awesome poster and lots of extras to wet your taste buds for the film out later this month. I will admit, I love electronic music but Daft Punk are not in my top 10 so I was more than surprised and overjoyed with the final product. I have untold respect for Daft Punk and knew I would get a high quality body of music but the dread I felt that this would be just another Daft Punk album did make me worry. Needless to say, this is an amazing album and I cannot stress how amazing this is. I urge you all to buy it. It can only become a better listen after watching the film and I am really looking forward to hearing this on a decent cinema's soundsystem. This is one of the best albums of the year and one of my favourite Daft Punk albums, such a welcome change to the norm and like I said, it proves how talented our French robot friends really are. I hope you enjoy this album as much as I did.

CD 1
Tracklisting:
01. Overture
02. The Grid
03. The Son Of Flynn
04. Recognizer
05. Armory
06. Arena
07. Rinzler
08. The Game Has Changed
09. Outlands
10. Adagio For Tron
11. Nocturne
12. End Of Line
13. Derezzed
14. Fall
15. Solar Sailer
16. Rectifier
17. Disc Wars
18. C.L.U.
19. Arrival
20. Flynn Lives
21. Tron Legacy (End Titles)
22. Finale

Bonus Features:
Music Video, Trailers, Photo Gallery

CD 1
Tracklisting:
Encom Part 1
Encom Part 2
Round One
Castor
Reflections

Bonus Features:
Videos including Making Of and The World Of Tron

.acdx

BONUS!!!!

Below is a video I made of myself unpacking the parcel when I received the soundtrack so please feel free to check it out and hear my first impressions lol I will also be recording a mini review of the soundtrack to go with this more in depth review. Enjoy!

I Haves A Twitter!

I Haves A Twitter!
Originally uploaded by anotherclicheddesign

So I have linked my blog and flickr so I thought I would try it out to see if it works well.... so I figured I would let you know I have twitter now too... so please feel free to follow me :)

http://twitter.com/Pete_acdx

.acdx

Transform A Triangle

I have realised that I haven't done a lot of posts here regarding any of my actual work and just seem to talk about music. So I figured I would post something about a project I got invited to take part in. The group I am talking about is a little group on Facebook by the name of Transform A Triangle which was set up bt a lovely designer by the name of danielleyc. You should really click on the links below to check out her blog and art.

Transform A Triangle is exactly what it says on the tin (I was going to put exactly what it says on the triangle but that would have been Stinking Bishoply cheesy of me). You print off the triangle provided and transform it in whatever way you want as long as it's still a triangle and it's black and white. It is a fun little project to be involved with and you will really surprised how unique the outcome will be if you really just let your creativity flow. I really had fun with this one and for my first submission to anything like this, I am really happy.

So if you have an artistic flair I urge you to at least check out the other submissions and have a go for yourself. Aparently, if all goes well there is talk of a mini zine being produced of all the submissions so that would be awesome :).

Transform A Triangle Group

danielleyc's flickr

danielleyc's blog

Again guys, go check out the group, look at her work and check her blog out. It's all good stuff and you will enjoy.

.acdx

10 Terje Re Edits!

(artwork by me included in the zip folder)

Hey gang. It's me again (if you hadn't already guessed).
It's been a while since my last post which is mainly due the fact that I wanted more people to download the compilation (which I hope you all did or else I'm giving you all a smacked bottom... even thought I would do it anyway) and partly because I'm a lazy cretin! So to make up for my laziness this post is a stonker!

The story behind this post is a very humble and very heart warming (OK, maybe not at all but come on I need to pull you in). I was just chilling in my bedroom with my dad listening to music and I thought I would see what he thought of Digit 2 by Mock & Toof (which for all of you who aren't in the know it's basically a re edit of 10cc's amazing "Good Morning Judge" which was released as part of RVNG's RVNG of the NRDS project... which you should all look up by the way.) and to my surprise he loved it. So I promised I would compile all the songs of the RVNG the NRDS and burn them to disc for him. I am still yet to do that but because I am a brilliant son I decided to give him a little gift. So I compiled a CD of 10 of my favourite Todd Terje Re edits. The tracklisting was so awesome I thought I would post it here for you all.

So without further or do let me give you a track by track guide to the compilation:

1. Chaz Jankel- Glad To Know You (Todd Terje Re- Edit)
So we start off with a nice little re edit of one of my favourite artists/ pioneers. I first heard this on the fabulous Tirk 02 compilation (again... all go and buy/ download it). This is more of a "if Todd Terje produced the song" edit and is a great little take on an already great song.

2. The Crusaders- My Lady (Todd Terje Tangoterje Edit)
If you have heard the original you will notice one main thing; this re edit is basically a sped up version of the original. The original is a more moody and deep. This re edit is a lot more sexier and brighter. Let's say the original is Barry White and the re edit is.... hmmmm... I wanna say Smokey Robinson.... if that's a good visual analogy... yeah that's a shit one but you get what I mean. This is one of my favourite of the Terje re edits. Hope you and your lady like this one guys ;).

3. Skip Jackson- Microwave Boogie (Todd Terje Rekutt)
Now this is where things get interesting and jolly. This is an awesome sing a long re edit, you will find yourself singing along and moving with the song. Just a nice little edit for you all.

4. Imagination- Just An Illusion (Lindstrom v.s Todd Terje Dub)
Now I confess, I really don't know what the difference is between this version and the two original edits that Lindstrom did an excellent job on. However, it's got Terje's name in the title... it's a great edit... it's a great song anyway so it goes on the compilation. This has got a really nice groove to it and like the original... it's kinda sexy!

5. Dennis Parker- Like An Eagle (Todd Terje Mix)
Now this is a classic. One of my favourite songs ever! This is literally an extended mix of the original. This re edit really turned me on to more of Terje's work. I cannot stress how much you have to listen to this one. Listen to this at 3 in the morning when you can't sleep. Believe me, it's a trip!

6. Curtis Mayfield- Give Me Your Love (Todd Terje Tangoterje Edit)
This one is hot. Basically another extended version of the original (which is from the AMAZING Superfly soundtrack... why are you still reading!? Go download it... I can wait!... You back?... OK let's carry on).

7. Chic- I Want Your Love (Todd Terje Edit)
Another one of my favourites from Terje and one of the best re edits in general. We start off with what aparently is a tribute to Moodyman with the extended intro (I say that because I don't who released what first) but man what a great song for a party. I recently heard this gem being played at Creamfields. Suffice to say, that DJ is now one of my heroes. You need to play this at a party and if you are a DJ... put this in your set!

8. Brothers Johnson- Ain't We Funkin' Now? (Todd Terje Radio Miks)
This is a beast, it's fast, it's funky and you are going to shake your arse to this one. I haven't heard the original but I'm guessing it is just as good (judging by other Brothers Johnson songs). You are gonna love this one guys.

9. Bee Gees- You Should Be Dancin' (Todd Terje Edit)
ESSENTIAL LISTENING! ESSENTIAL LISTENING! ESSENTIAL LISTENING! Guys I cannot stress how amazing this edit is. I first heard this on one of James Murphy's DFA Radio Mixes from 06 (again... essential listening). I had been looking for this ever since and accidently stumbled across it last year when I first became aware of Todd Terje and literally listen to it as much as I can.

10. America- Horse With No Shame (Wade Nichols Edit)
Now to finish this compilation, we aren't gonna have a song to dance or shake your booty to. Let's just sit back, relax and chill out. This is a gorgeous little edit of such an atmospheric and mysterious song. I actually prefer this to the original because again, it's pretty much an extended version with a little bit more percussion and some of the trippiest/ atmospheric fading out at the end of a song I have heard in while. This is of course an edit he did under the guise of Wade Nichols (who is the real name of Dennis Parker from before) for the RVNG of the NRDS project.

There you have it, another little compilation for you all to try. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did compiling it. Pretty much every Terje production (whether it be a re edit, remix, original song or even when he helps out Prins Thomas or Lindstrom on their own work) is worth listening to. Also you guys have to check out the amazing Todd Terje- Remaster Of The Universe compilation that's out on Permanent Vacation now.

Enjoy:

.acdx Presents 10 Todd Terje Edits

.acdx

Lovesploitation Volume 1!

So if you don't already know, I have cancelled Oizo Week purely because dedicating time to purely the blog with my current situation (creating design packs whilst having no money, whilst trying to find a job) just was not possible. Fear not though my friends, I am sure when the time is right, we can finish where we left off with that so look out for the next installment of Oizo Week in the hopefully near future. I do apologise and I hope all my readers (probably a select few) will forgive me. You are probably wondering what this post is going to be from "Mr. Has No Time To Blog Yet He's Blogging Now!". Well, let me explain! I have been wanting to do this post for a hell of a long time and I have a few hours I can spare so might as well take this window and show face with a new post. This is almost an apology as it is a normal post. Today is time for another compilation of songs hand picked by yours truly and as you might have worked out from the title; it has something to do with exploitation films... but what is Lovesploitation I don't hear you asking? Let me explain...

I love exploitation cinema. I love the cult classics. I hate the mainstream film business. Bring back the animatronics and fuck CGI. OK some films need CGI but come on, Transformers a classic? NO! Bring back the directors who actually ideas and stories to tell. Where are our Bruno Mattei's? Where are our Lucio Fulci's? Long live George .A. Romero still making great zombie films. What has happened to great story telling and directors bordering on taste. Tarintino, I salute you! Films are shit now. I want Cannibals, I want zombies, I want exploitation flicks that aren't shit straight to DVD student projects. YOU SEE MY POINT! I could rant on and tell you my favourite films but hey, that's for another blog. Today is a celebration of one of the famous aspects of exploitation/ cult flicks from yesteryear... the soundtrack.

A soundtrack makes or breaks a film for me. A soundtrack can make a bad film good. A soundtrack can make a good film great. A soundtrack can make you ignore the film and concentrate on the music. I present to you the first in a series of compilations celebrating the music of some great classics. Wether it be blacksploitation, zombie flicks, vintage porn, sexploitation, nazisploitation... it doesn't matter. If the jam is killer, it goes on the compilation. The compilation today is called Lovesploitation #1. This is celebrating all songs sexy or lovely. With the slow funk jams from Blacksploitation cinema, some love songs from zombie flicks, a couple of tracks from Deepthroat and more to mention, this compilation is cheesy, romantic, sexy and overall, enjoyable. Here is a track by track rundown for all you cool cats:

1. Fabio Frizz- Ann & Peter (From Zombi 2)
We start off with a lovely little gem from the amazing soundtrack to the amazing film; Zombi 2. Just a short song to introduce what you can expect from the rest of the soundtrack.

2. Goblin- Zombie (Sexy) (From Dawn Of The Dead)
The first song of probably many by the amazing band Goblin. This is from the original Dawn Of The Dead (or as I like to call it; the best film ever made). This is actually from the Argento cut of the film, which if you have seen the original and haven't seen this cut, go see it. This song is a smooth, sexy jazz number.

3. Curtis Mayfield- Give Me Your Love (From Superfly)
This is the classic love track from the blacksploitation flick; Superfly. Written by the amazing Curtis Mayfield who wrote the whole soundtrack for this great film. Forgive if I'm wrong but is this song taken from the bath scene? It's just a nice slow funky ballad and the first of many songs from a blacksploitation film that will feature in the sploitation series.

Unknown- Saxy (From Deep Throat)
The first of 2 songs taken from the classic porn flick; Deep Throat. Not only is this film controversial because it's a hardcore porn flick (yep, lot's of pubic hair throughout this film, so much you find yourself coughing up imaginary fur balls) but because the lead star and the most famous pornstar of all time Linda Lovelace was apparently underage when she filmed this. This is just pure cheese but what do you expect from a vintage porno? It's epic.

Harold Faltermeyer- Love Theme From Thief Of Hearts (From Thief Of Hearts)
Now this isn't really an exploitation film at all. It is an erotic thriller but to be honest, it is the same vein. This film is genuinely a sensual experience and you find yourself wanting to be in this scenario. The song itself is one of those 80's dark, synth numbers that is more haunting than anything else but my god does it have an atmosphere.

Isaac Hayes- Now We're One (From Truck Turner)
Another song lifted from a blacksploitation classic. Isaac wrote the soundtrack and even starred in the film as the lead role. This is a kick ass film and the soundtrack is just as cool. The song picked is genuinely one of the most beautiful and charming love songs I have heard. It's instrumental, has nice guitar and keys and has strings. This is gorgeous, you are going to love it.

Riz Ortolani- Love With Fun (From Cannibal Holocaust)
Who knew that one of the most shocking and gruesome cannibal flicks (if not all time shocking films) carry such a lovely song. In fact, the whole soundtrack seems out of place somehow which just adds another scale of weirdness to the film (the scene where they slice open the giant turtle will always haunt me). The song isn't a love song or from a sex scene but it's still a romantic, somewhat psychedelic song and actually quite cheery.

Unknown- She's Got To Have It (From Deep Throat)
Yes it's another song from Deep Throat. This song is the definition of cheesy. With in your face innuendo lyrics and the cliche' funk sex music that is overly sattired (I don't think that's even the proper word). This is a fun song and you will find yourself clicking your fingers and singing along.

Bonnie Pointer- The Beast In Me (From Heavenly Bodies)
Like Thief Of Hearts, this sin't really an exploitation flick. Well, it could be classed leotardsploitation or workoutsploitation. The song however is yet another genuinely sexy song from the 80's. It's taken from the scene where the leads are undressing each other with their eyes while it keeps cutting back to them making love so I think this totally belongs on this comp.

Dennis Coffey- Sexy (From Black Belt Jones)
The final song on the compilation and like the first, it's only a short and sweet one but unlike the romantic intro, this is one of those funky, sexy jams. Taken from a film that I still need to watch, Black Belt Jones. Great sax on this beast with a bit of dialogue from the film scattered on top. A great way to end a great compilation.

So there you have it. The first in the series of compilations. I hope you enjoy the music as much as I have enjoyed it. Films are a great way to get into good music and I confess, that most of these films, I actually heard the soundtrack first. Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas for similar compilations just let me know.

Lovesploitation Volume 1

.acdx

Oizo Week Day 1

It has finally arrived. It's the Second Coming of Our Lord.... Quentin Dupieux.....

Mr. Oizo! The start of a 5 day celebration of all things French, all things beardy, all things glitch, all things messed up.... why it's the first day of Oizo Week of course! It is long overdue over here in the .acdx camp. So what can we expect this week I hear you say? Well, this post today is an introduction and a review of the brilliant (no don't worry, I am gonna go more in depth) Rubber EP. You can also expect a post with Oizo's story, a post on the brilliant back catalogue of music from his humble beginnings making hip hop electronica all the way through to the fucked up electro we hear today (including the sax samples of course). I will also be talking about the films of Oizo and I will finish off with some of my favourite Oizo tracks and showcase some of my Oizo inspired art. I do hope that this week will run smoother than the DFA Week but I'm gonna try and go all out for this one because Oizo is by far my favourite from the Ed Banger camp (sorry SO ME) and my favourite producers today. So please join me and I hope you enjoy this coming week, wether you are a Oizo fan or you want to try something new.

So what inspired me to have Oizo Week? Well, it's been a long time coming my friends. Mr. Oizo is probably one of my favourite people in the whole world. He is an amazing producer, giving a massive middle finger to conventional dance music and creating his own brand of anti dancefloor yet dancefloor friendly music (work that one out). He is also an amazing film producer and I am looking forward to Rubber (but we will leave the films for another post this week). He is just an amazing person. I just think it is time for me to show my appreciation to someone who has provided me (and still is) with so much entertainment.

Now on to the post! To kick off I am going to review the highly anticipated EP from Mr. Oizo and Gapard Auge (mmmmm what a combo!). We have been waiting for Rubber for a long time. It looks like an amazing film and it looks even more amazing that Dupieux and Auge are on soundtrack duty. The Rubber EP is out soon and I managed to find a copy of it (I am fully intending to buy it so shh!) online and had to listen. The EP contains the tracks Rubber, Polocaust, Tricycle Express and a Flying Lotus remix of the title track. I am guessing Polocaust and Tricycle Express are taken from the full soundtrack, if not, it just shows what we can expect from the full release.

This EP is a great little taster of what's to come. The title track is a signature Oizo number, it has all the things we love about Oizo, it has brass loops, rave sounds, poppy (I mean that in an audible way not a 'pop music' way) beats, crazy editing and great samples. You can hear Gaspard in the beat and the great Justice Sirens taken from Stress. This is a great way to start the EP. It's dirty, it's loud and I expect this to get crowds jumping up and down to whoever plays this in a set. The Flying Lotus remix of Rubber is just as good as the original, it takes the track apart and mashes it up with some signature Lotus traits. The perfect person to remix this song; Flying Lotus we love you. The final two songs are just as good as Rubber. You can hear Gapards talent a lot more in these two. Polocaust is a moody throwback to 70's exploitation soundtracks and actually sounds a lot like Giorgio Moroder in the 21st Century. Something tells me Gaspard is the main producer in this track because it references literally almost of Gaspards influences such as Goblin, Moroder and Space, great job from the best half of Justice. Finally we have Tricycle Express which is amazing just for the fact that the name parodies Kraftwerk and the song itself actually starts like Trans-Europe Express and then kicks in with this awesome distored, deep, low key piano. This is a monster of a track and by the sounds of it, Quentin and Gaspard are both in full force for this track. Overall, this is a great EP. It would make a great release on its own but the fact that we can expect a lot more of this for the whole soundtrack excites me greatly and it should excite you too. As a little treat I have provided you with a song from the EP; Polocaust. Enjoy...

Mr. Oizo & Gaspard Augé- Polocaust

So there you have it, day 1 over. Please join me for the rest of the week as the posts will be a lot better (wow I have written a lot today). I just thought I would share my thoughts on the EP and share with you the song that isn't the best from the EP but the most interesting one. I urge you to download the EP for yourself and buy it when it's released.

.acdx

OIZO WEEEEEEEEEK!

STARTS TOMMOROW!

.acdx

We All Love Mr. Oizo!

So about a week a go I get a message on Facebook (link in the blogroll) regarding a status update about the one and only Mr. Oizo (pictured above). A friend of mine by the name of Soraan (what a fucking amazing name!) asked if he could send me an illustration for the blog of the great Quentin Dupreux a.k.a God a.k.a Mr. Oizo. I being the Oizo fanboy I am jumped on the chance of this! So this is just a wee little blog post and a small shoutout if you will to a talented guy called Soraan. If you guys get the chance you should go check him out, he has mad skillz bruv. Soraan, thanks for the awesome illustration and the least I can do is give you a blog post dedicated to you and a mini shout out. Again guys please, please, please check him out. Hope evryone is having a great week so far!

Soraan's facebook

His design portfolio

.acdx

Uffie- Sex Dreams and Denin Jeans Review

A few weeks back I was searching on HMV and thought I would see when Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans is released. To my surprise and joy I was greeted with picture of the Ltd Edition version of the album to pre order for an awesome £7.99 so I pre ordered it and forgot to check the release date! Roll on Thursday just gone and I get a package in the post, to my delight it's my copy of the album about 4 days before general release! The album was not due until the Monday (being the 14th). So I was happy and it made my shit weekend to come that little bit better. I realise that I have rambled on a lot about something so silly and you are probably wanting the review? The way I'm going to do this is review is give my first impression on the artwork and then give you a track by track review of the album, s

o I am basically writing this as I listen. I will also be making comments on the production of each song basically because on this album we see productions from the likes of God (a.k.a Mr. Oizo). SebastiAn and Feadz, amongst others. So let's begin...

Artwork and Presentation:
If like me you purchased the Ltd. Edition of the album you will be a very happy camper indeed. For those who don't let me explain why. The album itself comes in a denim pocket with the Uffie logo printed in a white font. The denim is a gorgeous dark blue and the stitching is a nice touch. The denim feels nice and the production value of the denim pocket is itself very high. When you pop the button we have the proper album artwork. On the cover we have a gorgeous black and white photo of Uffie wearing a lovely sparkly number, there is a red paint smudge running across her face which is nice and simple. The logo and album title are in a really nice hand drawn scribble style. Open up the CD case a

nd we are greeted to more B&W photos of Uffie and some really nice typography in the same style as the "Wasted German Youth" text. The same is throughout the booklet aswell. Overall, this is a great presentation and a great addition visually to your album collection. Now on to the good stuff...

Tracks
1. Pop The Glock (Prod. Feadz)
This is the song that probably got everyone into Uffie in the first place. The music has been updated slightly, mainly just more sound effects and a lot more crisper. The lyrics are again one of the things that got people into Uffie in the first place. This song has a great beat and it's good to see it on the album. I don't really need to say anymore because you have most probably heard this song and you what it's all about!
2. Art Of Uff (Prod. Mr. Oizo)
The first song on the album which has the touch of God... I mean Oizo on it. If you know Oizo, this is Oizo doing what he does best, making anti electronic yet still nightclub friendly music. It starts off with this awesome vocal stab, Uffie comes in addressing her haters. A nice synth loop kicks in and then the song kicks in properly. Oizo using the single, deep piano sounds and a simple drum loop. Vocally, Uffie is at her best here. Talking about the art of Uff. This is a great song mainly for the Oizo music, this would be a great instrumental track but overall, a good song, especially towards the end when we hear this nice little distortion thing going left to right in your ears.

3. ADD SUV (feat. Pharrell Williams) (Prod. Mirwais)This is the second single from the album. We are introduced by a cool little synth styled engine noise. Then the song kicks in and in my honest opinion, it sounds like a chart single. It reaks of mainstream and something you might expect from Fools Gold... this isn't a bad thing, in fact it makes for an interesting task for Uffie. Pharrell Williams doing what he does, adds a quirky rap in between verses. There is a cool effect on Uffies voice, especially in the chorus. This is as mainstream as Uffie has ever has sounded.

4. Give It Away (Prod. Feadz)The next Feadz song on the album and one of the newer songs (to me anyway). This is again another pop sounding song. Not the greatest song so far, sounds more like a generic pop/ r&b song. Uffies voice does sound nice though, we seem to have lost some attitude in this song whixh is a nice refreshing change. Feadz doesn't sound like.... Feadz which again is good but not what you expect for an Uffie production. The ending of the song is my favourite part not because it's ending but because the music is picking up a bit. Overall, this is a nice song but it just doesn't feel like Uffie, more like some girl who loves Uffie.
5. MC's Can Kiss (Prod. Mr. Oizo)
You don't need me to even talk about this one. This is an anthem and one of Uffie's greatest, partly because of the genius of Oizo but also because it's the Uffie we know and she has a great flow in this one. Plus who doesn't love the Oizo sax solo at the end!?
6. Difficult (Prod. SebastiAn)
The first (and only) song off the album produced by probably the second most talented producer on the Ed Banger Crew; SebastiAn. Starting off and we are thrown straight into Uffie and a strong piano stab. A few seconds in and the magic of SebastiAn kicks in, we have an awesome drum beat. This seems to be the only high point of this song musically. This is a very tame SebastiAn production but it goes well with Uffies vocals which are top drawer. Nothing much to add on this song, SebastiAn.... good job but was expecting some signature cut and paste.

7. First Love (Prod. Oizo)Another Uffie song that you have heard before. I just love the Oizo signature weird but it works drum sounds and mad skills. The "record sounds like its scratched" loops, the awesome harsh drum sounds, the sampled 80's loops and the parts where he fucks with Uffies vocals. This is awesome, I want to hear the instrumental.... Uffie is being nice and pleasant in this one, which is a nice change. Again no no need to say more because you've heard this already. The editing at the end is fucking amazing, I love you Oizo!
8. Sex Dreams And Denim Jeans (Prod. Miwais)
Mirwais has the job of producing the title track which again is another "American mainstream club" sounding song. The vocals are played with a lot here which makes it sound fake but the music backing is very indie and guitar based. This sounds like a really good Soulwax/ 2manydjs mashup from 2006. Mirwais does a great job and this song makes me want to investigate more.

9. Our Song (Prod. Oizo)God produces again and like always makes an awesome track for Uffie to rap/ sing/ talk over. If you have heard Oizo play around with a guitar based tracks, you will already have a great audio picture in your head. Got a nice steady beat and Uffie is doing what she does best, addressing her haters (which she has a lot of). Words can't describe the epicness of Oizo in this tune. One of the high points.
10. Illusion Of Love (feat. Mattie Safer) (Prod. Mirwais)
Probably the weirdest song off this album, which is saying a hell of a lot. It's a quite spacey, zoned out romance song from a 70's exploitation film. You could not get an Uffie-esque sounding Uffie song ever. It's strangely beautiful but I don't know who Mattie Safer is (I probably do but can't remember) but he does a good job here helping Uffie out while she is working her magic over lovely deep synths and violins.
11. Neuneu (Prod. Mr. Oizo)
The best song off the album for sure! You want to know why? Here is a clue; he is French and he has a beard... which narrows it down to literally every relevant producer in France today.... it's Mr. Oizo of course. Before I ramble let's get Uff out the way first, she is bragging. Now the music... amazing. Oizo you do it again. I don't know what song you sampled but I want to hear it! The production value is out of this world, I can't tell you how amazing it is, Youtube this motherfucker!
12. Brand New Car (Prod. Feadz)
Yet another song that's bee around for a while, I can't be arsed telling you what you already know lol. Awesome track though!

13. Hong Kong Garden (Prod. Mirwais)
The last Mirwais song on here. Really like the guitar edit at the start. Uffie is again on top form. This sounds like she would enjoy doing this song live because of the lalalaing and stuff. The music is really good. The best out of all the Mirwais productions. Would be great at a party.
14. Ricky (Prod. Feadz)
The best Feadz production on the album and probably one of the best Uffie performances. It's hard to describe the sound Feadz is making but it's epic. There's a great beat and the little breaks with the cheesy little synth parts are awesome plus this song has the best Uffie lyric ever; "Oh you're H&M? I'm Paul Smith bitch". Overall, a great song to finish the album off.
So there you have it, a rather lackluster review of the album. Overall, I'm not the biggest Uffie fan, I prefer the music but Uffie is great on this album, my appreciation has risen a lot. If you are an Uffie fan you are going to love this, if you are an Uffie hater you will hate it. If like me you love Oizo, you are going to love it also. The music is definitely the high point of this album. As a whole package, it is great. The denim sleeve is just amazing, the artwork is amazing, Uffie looks and sounds amazing, the production is amazing but what did you expect from Feadz, SebastiAn, Mirwais and of course; Mr. Oizo. Songs that you should listen to our; Pop The Glock, MC's Can Kiss, Difficult, Our Song, Neuneu, Hong Kong Garden and Ricky. Definitely worth a listen overall but some people aren't as nice as me:


.acdx

Sketchbook Excerpt #1

Hello guys :)
Hope you all enjoyed the little mixtape I compiled for you in the last post. Expect more compilations on the blog because it's nice to share some of my favourite music with you all. If you haven't checked it out, my last post is definitely worth a read. Anyways, like I said I'm going to be posting on a regular basis from now on. So on with the show...

As you can tell by the title (I'm sure you can read or why wou

ld you be here? lol) I'm going to be sharing different than some music. As you might know, I am a designer. More specifically, an illustrator. Seeing as this is a blog primarily for my design works and ramblings, I thought I would actually do a design related post. This is going to be the first in a series of posts where I share parts of my sketchbook. I love my sketchbooks. I love looking at other peoples sketchbooks. They can tell you a hell of a lot about the designer and it's always interesting to see how people develop their work and how their creative minds work. Before I show you my (rather untidy) sketchbook (which when you look at my work, it's not surprising) I would like to turn your attention to something extremely interesting.... to me at least!

The picture above is of a collection of replicated Art Spiegelman sketchbooks. For you who don't know who he is go look him up. He wrote/ inked a lovely graphic novel called Maus which I highly recommend you illustrators and pop culture fans alike. You can buy both products on Amazon and any major bookshops/ websites. I have to admit that I knew NOTHING AT ALL about Art Spiegelman a few months a go. I was just browing the graphic novel section in Waterstones when I came across the Be A Nose collection. They where sealed in plastic wrapping but as soon as I saw the word "sketchbooks" I HAD to buy it. The rest is history my friends, maybe I shall have to write another blog just on him because I cannot stress how awesome his work is. Anyway, enough of the rambling let's get on with the real reason we are all here... gentleman if you will please follow me to the boardroom..... why is

everyone looking at me?


Basically, the story behind the image is this. These past few days I've been feeling really frustrated/ depressed creatively, not mentally, if that makes sense. I'm sure if you are a creative you will know how frustrating it is in the early part of your career when you are not getting work, you start to question what you're doing... it's quite horrible and crushes the soul lol. So yeah, on the left page it says "Being An Illustrator Is Wank", it's exactly what it says on the tin. The ironic thing is, I was feeling pissed off but in a funny way when I was doing that part because I realised on the next page was an illustration (that I actually like for once). The whole idea that there is such a negative comment right next a cute drawing really did make me laugh so all the negativity vanished. I'm actually proud of the writing, I think there's a potential series or possibly could be my own tagline haha. So yeah there is potential in both pieces for several pieces of work, so let's see how it goes.

Haha wow, I rambled then. I probably bored you to death too right? I dunno I just like sharing little things like that and I hope you enjoyed it too :)

.acdx

Oh I'm Sorry I've Been Distant... Have Some Music!

Hello Bloggers, long time no see!
I apologise for not posting but a lot of stuff has happened over the past couple of months. Right now I'm sitting in my musty room, it's raining and I feel sick. I should be on my way home from a jaunt in Newcastle but hey, after all my hard drinking since I've been drinking, I think I am what you call "FUCKED!". So being in this condition, I thought I would post something on here for all of you!

So what have I been up to? Well, first I dropped out of uni. I just didn't think it was benefiting me with my creative path. So after that weight off my mind was lifted another weight fell and smashed me on the head when I realised that this is the real deal now. I need to find some illustration work because as of now, I am officially a freelance illustrator. So I took the first step and started putting my portfolio together by creating a Flickr. Please feel free to have a look over there if you are interested in me doing some illustrations for you or if you like design, I have befriended some talented people on there so go check them out too!

I also have set up a Facebook page but you can find that link (with the flickr) in the side of the page because I don't care to link you there because it's a lazy, ill Sunday.

What else? Well I have been spending time with friends a lot more and went to a great wedding last week so I have been busy on that front too.

I have also been quite active on Youtube too. I now have over 80 subs so that's good. Please feel free to go over there by finding the link in my blogroll and friend and sub me if you wish. Same with the Flickr and Facebook.

So what is on the horizon for me? I don't know, if I'm being honest I'm in a state of depression with the worry of what I am going to do. I'm finding contacts, clients, places and building up my folio and other stuff of that calibre. I am also going to be a lot more active here too. I have a post coming up in a few days so be sure to check that out when it's done.

Well you are probably bored of me going on about me. So on that note I present to you a little compilation of music. This comp is gonna be the first in hopefully a continuing series because I like to share music.... or I will until I get told off by the music world! Like I always say, when I share music chances are I have already purchased the music and I urge you to do the same. Support the good artists and fuck the mainstream! This compilation is quite a mixed bag but contains mostly disco tracks and it's a representation of the songs I have been listening to lately, so I hope you enjoy :)

Well guys, I just thought I would post this little update. I won't leave you again, I promise! I'M A CHANGED MAN!

I Was Lacking So I Give You These Songs 

.acdx

lcd soundsystem- this is happening review!

Well it sure is nice to be back here. I apologise for the lack of posting on here but I really have been focusing on my youtube account and pondering about what to do with uni. Hopefully, I can get back into a good pace with my blogging. Anyways, over the weekend I discovered that there was a leak of the new lcd LP. So, being the easily excitable music buff, I HAD to download it! Now, many of you know that I have so much love and time for anything to do with James Murphy so this is amazing for me. I thought I would do a track by track review of the album. I have been listening to bits and bobs of the album over the weekend but mostly certain songs have been on reapt so for this review I am going to listen to each track and then write a little piece on each. Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce... Lcd Soundsystem- This Is Happening....

1. Dance Yrself Clean

First of all, what an amazing first name for a track! Good start! The song starts off with a nice little percussion loop. James with his quirky lyrics and wonderful kinda in, kinda outta tune harmonies and then a nice little O.M.D sounding synth loop. So far this is a nice little slow song to get you in the happy mood. This continues for a little bit and then the drums kick in and the low sounding synth gets a little deeper and sharper not to mention Murphy's vocals having more of an impact. So this goes on for a few minutes more and slows right back down to end as it started. A great little opener and makes you want more!

2. Drunk Girls

The first single from the album. You have all heard this song anyway. All I need to say is that this is of the same vain of the disco punk feel of North American Scum. Again, Murphys vocals, harmonies and lyrics are on top form.

3. One Touch

We start of with a synth heavy intro that reminds me of a hard hitting synth song from the 70's. We are also treated to the Murphy signature raw drum sound. The deep vocals of Murphy kick in, adding to 70's kraut-robot-pop electro sound... not forgetting the occasional shout from Nancy Whang on certain words. The synth in the background escalating and in away, going out of control. This song reminds me of the music that was floating round on the DFA label from around 2004 to 2006. I hate to say this but this has a Kraftwerk crossed with a hip NY band feel. Awesome stuff.

4. All I Want

Opening with the feedback and the drums and guitar. This song sounds like lcd back on the first album and then after a little bit of feet tapping joy the Bowie style guitar droops over the top making this sound like a future anthem in the making. Murphys vocals are similar to Julian Casablancas' on an early Strokes song. This is a really nice summer sounding chill song. After some lovely vocal work and harmonies a lovely little synth loop kicks in making this sound even more of like an 80's indie kids anthem. A stand out song and one that is destined for a pressing and a sepia tone music video.

5. I Can Change

James has just got weird.... wait he always is. The start sounds like an 80's techno classic with its handclaps and cowbel style percussion (see Man Parrish) and then a bendy synth eases in adding the quirkiness that we love and it just adds to the fact that Murphy can genre blend as well as ever. This sounds like a Depeche Mode demo musically, which by the way, is not a bad thing. We Murphy fans like the almost "yep it's not perfect but it will do" feel. This is the most lcd have sounded like an 80's band. Murphys vocals again are the icing on the cake.

6. You Wanted A Hit

The song actually starts off with some of the sweetest synth work I have heard for a long time. For some reason images of Japanese anime from the 80's period pop in my head, just the mystical sound of it. It's rather haunting. So after your mind has been taken away on a magic cloud ride, the signature raw drums and palm muted guitar kicks in nice and slowly. Already you can tell that this has single written all over it. James's witty lyrics adds to the already amazing song. The pace is just right and every so often the coolest sounding synth stabs hang round in the back and we are treated to a Gang Of Four style scratchy guitar sound. When will this awesome trip end? I don't want it to! It's just nice and simple. It ends how it started, like you where dreaming within a dream. This is definitely one of the best songs on the album.

7. Pow Pow

I have been waiting for this a long fucking time! It's finally here! What am I talking about? Well, this is obviously Losing My Edge part 2! The steady drum pace, the witty and painfully trendy words from Murphy, the 2004 sounding synth sweeps and the bongos. If you liked lcd when they where producing 12's before their first album you will know how special this song is. It's as if this is a song they didn't put on the first album, this is Murphy at his finest. It takes you back to 2004 when you first heard Yeah, Yr Cities A Sucker and Losing my Edge for the first time. This is why you fell in love with lcd. Murphy is thanking you for staying with him these years. When the simple yet bass line kicks in, the song is HERE! The best song on the album by far. If you are a real lcd fan, this is your song!

8. Somebody's Calling Me

It starts off with the simplest piano sounds ever and we get yet another throwback synth to accompany it. The music is cool and spaced out and Murphys voice is too. This is an early hours of the morning song after you have drunk a little bit too much and yr stumbling home clicking yr fingers because you feel invincible. POW! Out of nowhere the most obnoxious synth kicks in for the chorus but you don't care because it adds to the trippy feel of the song. This carries on for a bit and yr drunkern walk home continues... does Murphy want to catch you off guard or butter you up for the next song?

9. Home

I think he just wanted to get you in the mood for this song because after only a few seconds in you know this is the climax that this album deserves. The raw drums, the deep yet sharp bass and the itty bitty guitar riff bring that smile on your face. Then the woodblocks kick in. Next a nice deep synth sound joins the journey and adds warmth. I'm in love already. James you devil! Some heart warming lyrics from Murphy and a funky little synth loop in the background. As the drums get hit harder and the deep synth gets used more the journey is in full force. This is a lovely way to end an amazing album.

So being a die hard lcd fan what do I think? OK, so it doesn't have the dancier tones of the first album or really the sound of the second but that works in it's favour. This album is more mature sounding and actually sounds like lcd would sound like if they start during the late 90's in a loft in New York. It has more character and a deeper feeling to it. Some people will miss the Dance punk elements this album lacks but after only listening to it for a few days this is already rating high in my books. The first album will always be my favourite and the most memorable but this album has some wonderful songs on it and shows how much of great musician and songwriter Murphy is. I highly recommend you go listen to this album for free on the website or if you want to; download it because it's worth a listen. Before you ask, I will not be posting the album up here and yes I will be buying the album upon it's release.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this special moment in modern music. The best stuff I have so far this year.

.acdx

Salò or 120 Days Of Sodom

Now I have to warn you, this post is not for the easily offended. There are some pictures and general content regarding the film in question that will probably make you sick so be warned!

Now, it's been a hell of a long time since I posted on here, I have been spending lots of time on my Youtube page, got about 60 videos up and finally starting to get subscribers and views so please go check that out. For this post I thought I would come back with a bang! Over the past few weeks I have started to look back and watch some of the greatest gems in movie history. No, I'm not talking blockbusters, I am talking about the exploitation films of the past. Bruno Mattei's masterpiece Hell Of The Living Dead, Zombie Flesh Eaters trilogy, Shivers, Nightmares In A Damaged Brain and lots of other great video nasties. The latest film is one I got turned onto by watching the review from the Cinema Snob.



The film in question is called Salò or 120 Days Of Sodom from 1975 from the director Pier Paolo Pasolini. The film is based on a book called 120 Days Of Sodom by Marquis de Sade. For all the info check out the wikipedia page for more information because it would be one boring post me telling you every detail. The film is basically about 4 wealthy fascist libertines in Italy in 1944. They kidnap a total of 18 teenage boys and girls and basically subject them to 120 days worth of torture, sexual abuse and even death. The film is based in 3 chapters with each chapter focusing on a story told by a different old aged prostitute. The stories told by each prostitute sexually excite the libertines and influence the torture brought upon the teenagers.



Now to the detailed part. I will go over some of the parts of the film that shocked me (trust me it takes a lot for a film to do that). Aside from the rape and buggery (sometimes we get libertine on libertine action too) there are some pretty harsh and sometimes genuinely disturbing scenes. Probably the most notorious being a scene where all the girls in the group have been giving specific diets so that when they shit their shit is let's say.... even more foul than usual... and later on the scene there is a banquet where we are treated to seeing everyone eating the shit that has been served on a nice big silver platter! There is a scene of one of the teenagers being made to urinate on one of the libertines faces. Body fluids aside we are also lucky to witness the teenagers being treated like dogs and being thrown scraps and just for measure one of the teenagers is made to eat the food with nails hidden inside... although not visually graphic... the idea of it made my throat feel rather strange. There are lots os horrible scenes but one of the worst for me personally is when one of the prostitutes is talking about a girl she knew who had a rat inserted into her vagina and then to make it worse the vagina being sewn up... thank god we only hear about that.



The finale of the film is where most of the action is. This is when all those who have broken the rules set by the libertines get subject to slow painful deaths. This scene is composed through the viewpoint of each libertine while they watch the others commit the torture. Here we see lashings, nipples burnt, rape, tongues being cut off, eyes being cut out and other ghastly deeds. Like I said, this film is not those of a weak stomach! I did genuinely enjoy this film (I don't know what that says about me). It was filmed beautifully. Some scenes are genuine pieces of art. The story is interesting, it's unwillingly a examination of the human condition. There are lots of metaphors and symbolism in the film. For example, the shit easting feast (which is in the humourously named Circle Of Shit chapter) is a reference to mass produced food... shit basically. Most of the sexual intercourse contained in the film is always of a degrading fashion and could be a reference to how sex mad the human species can be.



Overall, this film is a shocking and rather disturbing piece of film. However, it is beautifully filmed and it does actually tackle some rather important topics. This is a film you will either love or hate. I personally, enjoyed it (not in a perverted way of course, more in an artistic way) and it's now one of my favourite films.

As a little treat check out the opening of the film below. No, there is no graphic content just a wonderful piece of music from Mr. Morricone. Enjoy!



.acdx

Sketchbook Diary

Hey Children Of The Blog!
(A very poor Children Of The Corn satire title I know!)
For the past couple of days I have done something that I have never dared do before. I decided to start a diary. Yeah that doesn't sound all that exciting I know but hear me out. I was almost afraid of starting a diary, the idea of being in a dark place.... getting yourself into a good place.... coming across your diary... reminders of the dark place.... later at some unknown time, feelings and reminders of that time running through your head... yeah you get the picture.
That does sound very melodramatic I know but thanks to the comedy of Larry David, I think about stupid social occasions and reading into the slightest thing.... that little too much. You see, I am not a normal person. No, I'm not the sort that ends up shooting up a school or turning to child pornography. I mean, my brain thinks in silly ways. I would explain it to you but I would get paranoid and probably bore or annoy you to death.
(Ed: Peter seems to have gone off track here, we do apologise. His pills have been administered.)
ANYWAY! Where was I? Oh yes that's right! Diary!. Now I didn't want to be boring have one of those old fashioned text based diaries (DUH! That is so 20th Century!). No, I thought I would have a visual kind of diary. A place where I can draw what I see and feel and such. It might not be an original idea but already it is helping me. It's nice to have somewhere private where you can let even the smallest thing on your mind out. Below I are a couple of pictures of my Little Black Book as it where. I do suggest anyone with a complex brain or an artistic brain do this. It is pretty damn good and it does help.



I would show you some other pages but you are going to have to wait until I am famous and don't care about anything before you get to see what's inside. It's private buddy! OK!?

But seriously, if you don't already do this, I mightily suggest you give it a try, it's like most things to be honest; it's a bit tedious at the start and you feel nervous but just roll with it, it gets better as you go along.

So there you have it!
A little post about something creative for once! On the design front I haven't really done anything apart from little things in my diary, some Youtube videos and some crappy uni work. As a little treat for the people who have made it this far, I have a little song for you!

Hall & Oates- Private Eyes

.acdx

Oh before I go!
Look out over the next few days for a post about the sketchbooks of Art Spiegelman. Some really interesting stuff.

Viva La ZEVOLUTION!

Hello once again Bloggers and Blogettes.
Uncle .acdx is back for another post with some added disco goodness. Today I went to one of my favourite shops ever; Piccadilly Records. I love this shop. It's seriously on par with American Apparel (yeah I don't know if that's spelt right). If you shop in Manchester often, you probably know this shop, you probably know of this shop anyway but if you don't..... go check it out. They have EVERYTHING. I have bought so many good albums, 12's, singles and such from there, most of the stuff you can't find in a mainstream shop.



I digress, please forgive me. So while I was in this fine establishment (wait! I thought you already digressed!?) I picked up a couple of beasts! I want to share one of these fine purchases with you. Today, if you haven't guessed by the picture at the top, I am sharing ZEVOLUTION- ZE Records Re-edited. Now, ikeepforgettin' (check my blog roll for their page) have already posted this amazing album but hey, I want to aswell because I'm all about the good music and design right (psssst... awesome new design related post up soon)! Every song on this album is awesome but my choices are the Greg Wilson, Rub 'n' Tug and Social Disco Club edits. You will love this album and hopefully, like me; go look for the originals and start your quest to find the ZE back catalogue (do I detect a potential post there too?).

VA: ZEVOLUTION: ZE Records Re-Edited

<3>

lcd soundsystem NEWS!

A couple of weeks ago I posted some really interesting lcd soundsystem news. Well, a lot has happened in that time; Murphy has announced a tour, cancelled a DJ set and released a couple of new teaser videos:





Exciting stuff yeah?.... Well I have some even better news for you lcd fans (if you don't already know this shit).... THE ALBUM IS FINISHED!

So there you have it folks, just a little bit of filler while I try and post something nice and original. Just throwing ideas around at the moment but I have the idea of doing the old film critic thing and reviewing some of my favourite 70'- 80's cult exploitation films. I want to get in front of the camera and talk about them instead of just typing about them so watch this space.

I have new videos on the youtube for you all:
www.youtube.com/anotherclicheddesign

Have a great weekend!

.acdx

Lake District Post 2- The videos

Yeah I thought for my next post I would talk a little more about my weekend away in the gorgeous Lake District. This post is about some of the videos I recorded of my stay. Now you are gonna watch these and seriously wonder what the hell they mean, allow me to explain. I figured that there must be a whole load of well shot videos of the Lake District and seeing as I am not a professional cameraman (although I was one of the cameramen back in my skating days) I thought I would do something fun and original. Please enjoy the the videos:

Stairs:

The pretentious film maker film. I thought I would record the journey of the stairs in the apartment we where staying at. I just thought it was funny because it almost looked like the viewpoint of a dwarf. Don't ask me why! So, I thought I would put some nice BOC music to it and pay homage to Tim and Eric with the bit at the end.

Silent Hill Lakes #1:

For some reason beyond my reach I thought I would turn some of my videos into a satire/ homage to the brilliant Silent Hill series. This video was originally meant to be a tour video of our apartment along with the lovely (and misty) view. However, looking back at the video, Silent Hill 4: The Room came into mind so what the heck, I did it... and it's generally scary from the feedback of some people. Job Done! This one of a few Silent Hill-esque videos I made.

The Bible!:

This one I just HAD to do from the moment I discovered we had a Bible in our apartment! Some of you who read this blog or know me personally will know that I am an Atheist. Anything like this makes me laugh. I don't mean to offend anyone with my religion videos but come on, it is fun right!? The reason why I slowed it down is because you do not realise how cringe worthy my voice sounded normally in that video!

Satanist Bird Lover:

This video started off as a normal "ooo the lake looks nice today" video. All of a sudden I notice the man near the birds. So I thought how funny and random it would be to film a man near ducks and shit. Little did I know he was a strange man and I seriously don't know if he's talking to the animals or trying to hit them. I added Angel Of Death for comic effect... because I'm witty like that :p.

Leaving Silent Hill:

Another video that came about by accident. Whilst we where driving home I realised how foggy it was at the top of the hill so I generally had a fondness for it and figured it would make a nice video... all of a sudden... a stupid lorry comes and ruins the shot. So yeah this ended up as another Silent Hill video because that's the only way I figured the video would work.

Silent Hill Puzzle:

This was the original Silent Hill video. The paintings reminded me of one of the many puzzles found in all Silent Hill games. Plus, the fact that one of them had no name really made it feel like Silent Hill. This is the first and my favourite of the Silent Hill: Lake District videos I have made.

Comfy Sofa Bed Valentine!:

This is a result of boredom and my affection for the comfiest sofa bed I have slept on! The Valentines middle finger is genuine by the way. I was so depressed on Valentines Day this year, the fact that it was my 21st a few days before just added! So yeah sit on that... in fact why don't you and your other half take turns!........
Only joking!

So there you go folks and folkettes (?). Let me just explain my videos in general. I have a very strange sense of humour and I am heavily influenced by the genius of Tim and Eric so if you like stupid videos you should like these and teh rest of my vids as a matter of fact!

www.youtube.com/anotherclicheddesign

.acdx

Lake District Birthday Weekend

For my birthday last Thursday I spent the weekend in the lovely town of Bowness which is right next to Windermere in the beautiful Lake District. Initially I was supposed to be there with a couple of my friends but due to the fact that I am so timid that I didn't really want to to anything for my 21st I left everythin untill last minute and they couldn't get the whole weekend off so my mum and her boyfriend joined me instead. As you can tell from the photos above, I wasn't very inspired and I was very off my game photo taking wise! However, I did have a wonderful time in such a beautiful place. The only downside was Valentines Day. Yeah, 21 years old and never had a Valentine.... never had a relationship (yeah this stuff can saved for another time... or post). So as you can imagine, being in such a beautiful place with no one to share it with at a time like that is not fun but that being said, I still really enjoyed the peacefulness and the sights. I could do with that view of the misty lake right now. We didn't really venture out that much because we all just wanted to chill. Our apartment was gorgeous and uber cosy! I also recorded some video that's on my Youtube right now. It's not what you think but I hope you will find teh funny side!

So yeah, not really posted for a while so I thought I would share that with my small audience (I love you all by the way).

www.youtube.com/anotherclicheddesign

.acdx

My Late Thoughts On Stickman Sculpture

Yes I know it is rather late to be posting about this but I thought, seeing as I am a graphic designer; an artist, I need to give my opinion about stuff like this. Now, if you don't already know this already the picture above is of Alberto Giacometti's piece called L'Homme qui marche. Now if you have eyes like me, it's just a statue right? Wrong! That piece cost a whopping £65m! Now that, as you might have guessed (Why am I still talking to you as if you don't know anything about this story?) is a world record and of course it was a centre of a massive debate. Which is rightly so because we live in hard times financially and people are still willing to shell out these vast sums of money for something so trivial. As you have probably guessed, I am annoyed by this. Let me tell you why.



First off. Let's not beat around the bush. It's just a piece of sculpture. Yeah it's nice but it isn't really anything that special. ANYONE could have made this. I just do not see the appeal. Sure, it's a nice looking piece but maybe £50 would even be a stretch! I mean i too. I would be a bit annoyed if I had to pay £50 for this. This leads me onto another point. People seem to pay these stupid amounts for pieces because of the critics and the museums saying "This is a must have piece" and stuff like that. Why not pay £10 for something that looks nice instead of paying silly amounts for something that is priced based on a "professionals" opinion? There are a lot of pretentious people out there (just go to the Tate Modern) who have more money than sense. At the end of the day I personally feel 2 people with big wallets got into a debate war and it went a bit over the top. I think it is a stupid example of the human condition. If art is about expression and visual impact, why are we swarmed with this pretentious attitude? Where have the days gone where you would buy a piece that looks nice? Why are we living in a world where it always about status? That's just my opinion anyway. Nice piece but overpriced. Nonsense!

.acdx