Just Another Social Profile Really

Well, that’s 2011 more or less wrapped up. Where the bloody hell it went, I have no idea, but, as I do most years, I thought I’d finish it by wrapping up my favourite albums of the year. Now, I should probably add at this point that, because I’m no longer a teenager who buys [...]

So, he didn’t win the Mercury, though I think he should have done. But he is playing in Dublin next week (I’m going!) and he’s done this rather lovely accoustic version of the, excellent, Us Against Whatever Ever, from the equally excellent début Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam, for something called The Secret Sessions, which I’ve not [...]

As I said the other day, and again since, I’ve been thoroughly disappointed by Watch The Throne, the album by the (supposed) hip hop dream team of Jay Z and Kanye West. It’s the sound of millionaires coasting, phoning in an album for lulz, recycling their best work and devaluing it in the process. It’s [...]

It’s been a funny old week, as the saying almost goes. Last Friday I was visiting the UK, and spent a very enjoyable hour or two sipping ice cold lager in the roof garden of a pub in Wimbledon. 3 days later I was watching the city I called home for most of the last [...]

I was listening to a random playlist this morning when the epic Get Closer by my one-time hope for the future, Ben Westbeech, popped up. I’d forgotten quite what a great track it is, with Die’s piano-led drum & bass and Ben’s vocals melding perfectly. I’d not heard much of Mr Westbeech since he contributed [...]

So, after Dan’s weather effort beat Nina, it’s time for round 5. And today Dan is actually sending in his effort – the t-shirt above is one he wore yesterday and put in ‘the bank’. I have to say that I rather like his Tapes t-shirt, which seems to be by a company called Royal [...]

I just got pinged on Facebook by the José James page with the news that the first track from his latest album is now up on his MySpace page, and very nice Save Your Love For Me is; a very chilled slice of dinner jazz, but with a more modern, almost R&B style beat behind [...]

Anyone who has read this blog on more than one occasion is likely to have realised that I’m rather fond of Mr José James and just about everything that he does. I’m also, as all like-minded people are, rather partial to a bit of Jazzanova every now and then. So Little Bird, the collaboration between [...]

So apparently Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide show has been on Radio 1 for ten years. As with so many other things these days, that makes me feel a bit old as I still remember his show on Kiss (as I’m sure many others do too) and actually still think that the slot he had on a [...]

Not that long ago I put out a call for help to find more new music so that I could write a Best Of post for 2008. I felt like I hadn’t really listened to, or bought, that much new stuff. Quite a few people came up with suggestions and after downloading and listening to [...]