The Cold Cut

Hey guys. Long time no speak. I just thought I would fill you in on the situation- wouldn't want you worrying about me after all!

The Cold Cut is not dead or dying- I like to think of this as a forced hiatus in which I can re-focus, brainstorm and generally miss my blog, writing and the sense of joy and achievment I get from a nice comment or popular post.

Over the last few weeks, a number of factors have prevented me from blogging. It all started around the 14th august when I got my exam results- I'm hugely relieved to have obtained straight a's- school doesn't feel like a waste anymore!

Next came lowlands music festival... This was a total blast- I'll be covering this on full later on- good news is I got my hands on my first festival press pass, which was fun.

The day that lowlands finished, my new job started. For the last week, I've had an intense induction week, and my real job commences on tuesday! I won't say who the company are, but they have an office in southbank and like using lotus notes. The more technically inclined of you will have no problems working out who I'm talking about. If you are interested in finding out more or have you own experiences with this company to share, send over and email.

And that brings us to my current situation. I'm just settling into my new house, which currently has no Internet. No posts this weekend then, buthopefull I will be able to start working g through the backlog soon. In other news, I think I might have found the perfect candidate for a new writer- which should take some of the strain off of me! If you feel you have the skills and music taste to write here, drop me a line. At this pont in time I could use all the help I can get. Cheers.

What would I do without scheduled blogging? At this point in time, I will be happily walking around Barcelona, in the sweltering August temperatures. I'm away for four days, returning on Sunday evening.

I'm not going to let that stop me blogging, though. I have a little time today (Thursday ) to upload a few tracks, and prepare some posts for you. I'm sorry to say that the posts aren't going to be mind-blowing, but updates are better than a slowly stagnating blog. You can expect daily updates around lunch-time (for my American readers). So enjoy, and look after the blog for me, okay?

CRS- Sky High Graduates (Dub Floyd Screamixx) (Link 2)
CRS (Child Rebel Soldier) released a mixtape a while back- it kept well under the radar, but I got my hands on a copy, and it really doesn't dissapoint. The concept of Lupe, Pharrell and Kanye sharing a track is always enough to set me salivating, and the T-shirt above does nothing to lessen teh hype.

Daft Punk?- Daft Gang (Link 2)
People have made a huge deal out of this new track from Daft Punk. The fans are going crazy, which I find a little weird considering this is clearly a fake. Daft Punk would never willingly put their stamp on something so textbook. Will the real Daft Punk please stand up?

The Joy Formidable- The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade (Link 2)
Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Will someone in a priveliged position cotton on to the fact that The Joy Formidable are awesome? Another few months pass, another few corkers from the band. Injustice? [Myspace]

Gnarls Barkley- Reckoner (Radiohead Cover) (Link 2)
As if anyone needed more proof of Gnarls Barkley's pedigree? Well, if you're in the minority, listen to this tastefully interpreted cover of 'Reckoner'. Cee-Lo even adopts Thom's 'unique' style of dancing:

Unfortunately, this post is going to have come and gone before you know it. Chemistry rules my life at this moment, but all this toil and trouble will be done (FOREVER) in a mere 36 hours. How fucking scary is that? You will actually have my undivided attention and focus for the summer.

Interpol- Rest My Chemistry

Went out this afternoon to buy some 'supplies' for post exam partying. Top of my list was a bottle of champagne (it just felt 'right'), and I was closely followed by my friends. One of whom, I might hasten to add, has promised me he is going to spray me with his champagne, just as in F1. I can be Lewis Hamilton for a few minutes, before getting off my face.

Shaggy- Intoxication

Walking out of the exam hall for the penultimate time today, I saw a guy in front of me literally doing a crotch grab and shouting 'FINISHED', a mere 10 metres from the door. Hilarious, and I can totally see where he is coming from. I can't kick the feeling that I'm going to cry when I walk out of that exam hall on Thursday: when having a conversation at lunch today, we decided that finishing exams was almost tear worthy, whereas leaving school would be emotional, but not too bad- friends stick around (if you are all willing to make the effort), whereas those are the final set of exams were I am actually forced to sit in that seat. From Thursday, my life is in my hands.

And I am looking forward to it. School has become difficult over the last few years, and my motivation almost completely dissapeared recently. However, I think I've regained a bit of face and I hope I can leave this school on a high, with a good set of grades, friends and achievments alongside me.

The Flash- All The Tunes.zip

Enough pondering: on to the tunes/news (download all: above, as promised!). Coldplay have been accused of copying Creaky Boards 'The Songs I Didn't Write' on 'Viva La Vida', their latest single. Our reply? Bullshit- listen to the two songs if you don't believe me: and even if Coldplay did copy them, 'immitation is the sincerest form of flattery'. Get over it! They did it better than you could? Nice publicity stunt, anyway...

Creaky Boards- The Songs I Didn't Write
Coldplay- Viva La Vida

Lil' Wayne continues to dominate in the rap world, with an official remix of 'A Milli' featuring both Jay-Z and Chris Brown. His songs seem to have the common trait of 'remixability'. 'Lollipop' has been tricked to death, and 'A Milli' is next in line.

Lil Wayne- A Millie (Remix Ft. Jay-Z & Chris Brown)

Oh, and Ratatat are getting remixed as well. Tres strange.

Ratatat- Falcon Jab (Them Jeans Remix)

I've just added a Skribit widget to the right: do leave a note if there's anything you think I've missed or need to write about. The aim of the blog is to keep both you and I informed, so share the knowledge and love.

Next time I write, I will be free. I imagine you can all sypathise with me. I'll catch up with comments/submissions soon!

As one line of a Hard-Fi song states, I was truly 'living for the weekend'. Last week was taxing, but the work I put in has made the brilliant weekend even more enjoyable, although I already have to start working for the next wave of exams, commencing Wednesday. Fortunately, music isn't my only interest, and many of the things that I care about are reaching critical turning points this weekend.

Ahead of Wimbledon, commencing at the end of June, Roland Garros, or the French Open, has been a really enjoyable tournament. The rivalries in tennis are as strong as ever, and even Justine Henin's shock retirement couldn't detract from this tournament. The women's final was fairly tame, and Ivanovic had the game wrapped up from the end of the first set.

However, the proposition of another meeting between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer was what really excited me. It's an intense rivalry; few people beat Federer, and no-one beats him regularly. Apart from Rafa, that is. As was proved today: he dominated the match, winning 6-1, 6-3, 6-0. That final set represent the first love set that Federer has lost in over 8 years. An omen for Wimbeldon? Possibly.

The 2009 Formula 1 season has been amazing thus far; I am bitterly dissapointed with today's Grand Prix in some respects, but am also ecstatic for Robert Kubica, and BMW Sauber. To be honest, the track was sub-par, and Lewis Hamilton's mistake was unfortunate. The only thing we (and McLaren) can do is to take positives: Lewis took out Kimi as well, and although Kubica has been strong, I believe that BMW will struggle in the second half of the season. Therefore Lewis still has a strong chance of winning the championship. The penalty both he and Rosberg will suffer is a ten place grid drop at the French GP.

Euro 2008 kicked off with a few promising games. The earlier game saw the hosts beaten by the Czech Republic, which was a fairly dull game. Portugal were impressive, however, beating Turkey 2-0. Today's games are still being played (as I write this), so we shall have to see if the tournament continues to be interesting. My money is on Spain.

Apple's WWDC begins in a couple of minutes, and the rumor mill (which I follow) is at it's peak. From experience, no one knows what the iPhone looks like: if it was on the net, Apple would have removed it by now. They always do. And as always, Cupertino is water tight- the original iPhone was in development for years, and yet no-one had a clear photo of it until it was officially unveiled. Expect the 3G iPhone, shipping on 15th June (AT&T's 'black-out days'), with GPS, video conferencing, exchange facilities. It will be thinner, with the facility to turn 3G on and off, and will be available in three colours: black, white, and product (RED). Oh, and also expect a similar multi-touch device (possibly with a 2.8 screen, or much larger), although no solid news has been heard concerning this yet. New cinema displays, a black mighty mouse and the new .Mac (me.com) will be unveiled. My wildcard guess goes for new Macbook's, with the similar black keyboard/aluminium enclosure that is featured on the Macbook Air.

As ever, there is so much music being released. A few notable tracks (some old, some new) are available below:

The Stills- Being Here (Link 2)
Beyonce- Beautiful Nightmare (Link 2)
Sam Sparro- Black And Gold (Link 2)
Immuzikation- Highly Selassie (Immuzikation DangDiDiDangDadBlend) (Link 2)
Coldplay- Lost! (Link 2)

Webbafied- Can't Tell Me Nothing/Garbage (Link 2)
Webbafied- Phantom Part II (Link 2)

One of my favourite up and coming artists, Webbafied, has started to make some serious progress. I wrote a 'Definitive Justice' post a few months ago, and his tracks went to the top of the hype machine, as well as the post receiving a huge volume of hits and comments.

I know Webb has a load of great friends and we are all rooting for him: if you haven't downloaded it yet, 'Webbafied Does It Justice' is one of the best free releases of last year (yes, including 'In Rainbows'). He sent me an email update recently:

"So...my band mate Morgane invited me to the Release Party for ED REC VOL.3...LIVE in Paris, France...Of course I accepted the invite and got into party mode...assume of you may know, my latest project 'WebbaFied Does It Justice' is a cover of the Ed Banger Records Release 'Cross'

So it was a very good look for me to be in the house with these folks..hmmmm...Lemme rephrase that....not in the house..but ON THE BOAT...these dudes rented a boat for the party...it was nuts...we we're on La Seine at midnight when the Eiffel Tower lights up and shit..It was so ill!!!

Despite all the great scenery and extreme inebriation I had some promotional work to do...the first Person I polly'd with was DJ A TRAK...i don't know what the hell he was doing there but I'm glad I got to build with him...he was cool...talked about the buzz surrounding the Glow in The Dark tour...chatted about my project...and kept bumpin into each other for the rest of the night...It wasn't that big of a boat...oh...and his set was crazy...I got to build with DJ Medhi and he seemed impressed by the concept of the project...

I met both of the dudes from Justice...I hit one of them with a CD...He loved the idea of the project and assured me he would check it out...one of the dudes from Justice and Medhi did a set...and body'd it...the crowd was huddled around the DJbooth...it was funky as hell..it smelled like hot locker room and onions... Last but not least was Busy P...he was cool as hell...me and him kicked a lot throughout the night...I told him the details of the project and he was impressed with the fact that we didn't chop up their music...that I just rode it out as it was...he seemed genuinely interested in what i did...we had drinks..talked some shit....we really got it popping...he knew some of the people I came with so we were all just going in!! It was classic...
Left the boat at like 4:30am...got a crepe...hit the train...and hit the sack..."

Webbafied sent me some great photos: I'm pleased to see that he's making some serious progress. Visit Webbafied's Myspace and download his 'Hits Of The Year: Volume 1' and 'Webbafied Does It Justice' albums free. Now that Justice have a copy of his album I'm pretty sure things are going to get mental: more online exposure and some magazine interviews over the summer, no doubt. I can't wait!

Some very scary and mind blowing events took place over the last few days. It has rapidly dawned on me that these next few weeks will be the end of an era. Just over a month today, I will be leaving school, and wont have anything to really work for any more. It's both exciting and frightening. Luckily, I've secured a brilliant placement for my gap year with IBM (in short- dream job), and have also lined up some work experience with a certain car manufacturer (a clue: initials AM) for summer 2009.

I had my first A2 exam yesterday: M1, or mechanics, something that I should really be good at considering its the basis of my degree (mechanical engineering). I thought it went well, and now I must get back to the pile of work/job stuff that is building up in my room.

Anyway, I must apologise for my lack of inspiration or originality lately: I'm right in the thick of exam revision, and compiling a mixtape or trawling through my inbox is proving a bit time-consuming. However, my mid-term break is coming up on Saturday, and I have nine days to do loads of work and infuse this blog with some much needed inventiveness.

---

Lupe Fiasco- The Coolest Vs. Let There Be Light (Justice Remix) (Link 2)
Lupe Fiasco- Lu Yourself (Link 2)

'Cross' and 'The Cool' were two of my favourite albums last year. I love Lupe Fiasco. I love Justice. Therefore nothing in the music world is as exciting as the prospect of Justice remixing the whole of Lupe's amazing second album. The above song is just the tip of the iceberg...

“I’m remixing the album with Justice, I’m gonna shout out to Justice”. It's comforting that the two outfits are working closely together, so the material can be treated with respect.

I've also included a Lupe rarity: Lupe is currently on the 'Glow In The Dark' tour, opening in front of N.E.R.D., Rihanna and Kanye West. Reviews have been varied: the general consensus is that Kanye's ego is growing a little too big even for a stage to accommodate (hence his solo performance... no backing singers etc.) and that Lupe Fiasco is a legend in the making. 'Lu Myslef' clarifies that fact: Lupe raps over Eminem's hit, exercising his huge lyrical wit:

"Since you don't have half the stance like an amputee, You don't have half the pants that it takes to command a family, a fan, or command a fee... So you will never get the ransom you demand from me! The goodnews' my foot's loose, my hands are free."

[Buy]

---

The Hold Steady- Sequestered In Memphis (Link 2)

A few days ago, The Hold Steady released their first single- 'Sequestered In Memphis'- from their forthcoming album 'Stay Positive'. This single shows no sign of progression, but really, do The Hold Steady need to change?

'Stay Positive' is more a message for the band than for their fans. They will need comforting when few people buy the album, regardless of the fact that they're one of the best bands making music at the moment.

[Buy]

---

Beck- Chemtrails (Link 2)

I haven't always been a Beck fan, 'Odelay' was the sound of undistilled talent, and a couple of tunes on his recent album were quite quirky. However, barring that, I don't agree with the view held by many of my contemporaries- that he is a genius.

'Chemtrails' highlights an eerie new direction; already miles away from the fun and games of 'Cellphones Dead'. The best way to describe this song would be 'ethereal': I felt like I was wading through it (in a good way). After a few plays it has done considerable work in bringing me over to the dark side.

[Buy]

---

Vampire Weekend- Campus (Rostam Batmanglij version) (Link 2)

Unreleased demos always cause a ruckus when they're set free: however, rarely are they superior to the studio version's. It's an interesting fact that in the recording process, 'Campus' has had something taken away from it. The strings arrangements on the album version are inferior, and the atmosphere of a uni campus on a summer's day is swiftly put across by the softer vocals.

And the most important thing this points out is that their self titled debut could have been even better. A scary thought.

[Buy]

---

Cool Stuff

1. If you weren't aware of Datpiff, head over there right now. It is far and away the best place to find up and coming hip hop, rap and RnB artists, and the great part is that all the music is free. I have rediscovered some great artists, and am getting into new ones (Wale's '100 Miles And Running'- Highly recommended).

2. Coldplay are the centrepiece of the new iTunes advert, and it's breathtaking. With the soundtrack of 'Viva La Vida', the band perform in marching band style, complete with Apple's tell tale visuals. 'Viva La Vida- Exclusive On iTunes'.

Finally. I can almost hear you breathe a sigh of relief. The Cold Cut has been looking a bit dated recently; my writing has come on in leaps and bounds (or so I'm told!), my reputation is starting to build, but I felt like the appearance of my blog was holding me back. Now, its time to become part of the major league. Welcome to The Cold Cut Version 2.0.

The new template has been a long time coming; this one looks a lot more professional, and forced me to learn my way around HTML. I can change the polaroid, and might even set it up so it changes between multiple images each time the page is refreshed. Ooh- edgy!

I hope this is a bit easier on the eyes. What caused the rapid change? Well, given 3 of my tracks sit in the 1, 2 and 3 most popular tracks spot on the hype machine (and another at 5!), I thought it was about time for something new...

I've been meaning to update the overall look of this blog for a while now, and today I finally got around to creating a new header and some better templates. Hope you like it- there will be some more changes coming over the next couple of weeks.