Thinking back of the films that stood out for myself during 2010, so many great titles jump out at myself. Some not so great movies also stand out but this is a positive post and I will not vent my anger at 3D in this post.  I usually watch around 3-4 movies a week, so I consider myself to be somewhat of a movie critic. The following list is my personal section of movies that I enjoyed from 2010 (Some are not actually from 2010 but it was the first time I seen them) I would never try and put this list into any particular order, or name my top film, that’s just not going to happen.

There is also a list of movies I’m busting to watch, some of which I’m sure would probably be on this list. If I catch any of these ones I will update my list accordingly. Many may not agree with my choice but then again its my list, I will however listen to any valued points.

• Brothers Bloom – A very complete film, excellent actors, unpredictable story, amazing wardrobes, locations and touched off with clever humor. For me the Brothers Bloom is a must see and a stand out of 2010. Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo make this film a highly watchable tale of two brothers who are lovable con men. Mark Ruffalo really shines in this film for me.
• Flipped – Iv literally heard nothing about this film and would strongly recommend it. Its based around a story of two kids in America, in a time without computers, mobile phones etc. It captures the events between the two main characters perfectly, as the story flips back and forth we see both views of the same story. It’s something like the Wonder years from two separate viewpoints. I find films like this very refreshing in today’s movie land with all the big budget, CGI, 3D nonsense that we are subjected to.
• Ondine – It has to be said that I think Colin Farrell is an excellent actor, though he has done his fair share of duffs; Daredevil the first that springs to mind. With the right script he can shine and showcase his actual talent. Ondine is an remarkable film, Neil Jordan delivers an story set in Ireland that features a tingling score composed by Sigur Rós‘ ethereal keyboardist, Kjartan Sveinsson. This is well worth checking out.
• Social Network – This seems to be the movie that will finally get Jesse Eisenberg some recognission. Iv been saying for a while that he is heads and shoulders above all the other American teen type actors that are floating around (See Zombieland or Adventureland). This film is on everybody’s hit list and rightly so. As much as I hate to say it, I thought Justin Timberlake was also excellent in this one. Soundtrack is well worth checking out.
• A Prophet - This film is from 2009 but it took a while before I could get my hands on it. Set in a french prison, it tells the tale of Malik, sentenced to 6 years in jail for assault on a police officer. for me this was easily one of the best films of 2010.
• Black Swan – I cant begin to express how much I loved this film, Natalie Portman is outstanding as the fragile Nina. I think its the real dark side of this film that fascinated me. There is so much going on around Nina, with her mother and all, that I found myself thinking about this film for weeks. This is a sign of an excellent film, if you find your mind wandering back to examine the story at a deeper level.
• I Love You Phillip Morris – Jim Carrey is one of them actors that has a checkered past. He has such a varied history, its hard to say what or when he is at his best. In Phillip Morris its seems like he has been giving license to do as he pleases, which makes this film highly watchable. Ewan McGregor is perfect support for Carrey’s madness in a movie full of humorous twists and turns.
• Fantastic Mr Fox – As a kid I loved all of Roald Dahl‘s books, with The Fantastic Mr Fox being of my favorite. I didn’t know what to expect form this, as it looks like it was aimed at kids. Upon watching it I quickly realized that this is a normal Wes Anderson movie, that just happens to be done in animation.
• The Fighter - I never really took to Mark Wahlberg as an actor, though I like his interviews as a person. He seems to slot perfectly into this movie, about a boxer trying to make his mark. Christian Bale overshadows Wahlberg in this film immensely, however so does his character, which helps make this film fit together perfectly.
• Ponyo – It’s hard to knock anything that Studio Ghibli do, I could be here all day if I even started. Ponyo is excellent and has that special something to hold a kids and adults attention.
• The American – Iv only started to appreciate George Clooney recently, the American is a shinny example why. Iv heard people say that this film is very boring, I strongly disagree. It may not be packed full of action but that’s the point, it shows a different side to a hitman’s life.
• A Single Man – Tom ford can do no wrong, this is so slick its unreal. I never appreciated Colin Firth until I watched this. Iv seen the kings Speech, its ok but this for me is a millions times better.
• Inception – As we all know much of the film industry these days is all hype, the so-called big blockbuster. We get carried away with the hype, eventually catch the movie, then leave the cinema felling disappointed. Inception was gripping from start to finish, a clever blockbuster with big affects that actually works. I should also point out that Im not a big Leonardo DiCaprio fan, I can never fully explain this. That said I enjoyed this film and left the cinema thinking “whoa” how good was that.

So there you go, that’s my run down of movies that hit the mark, I dare say not everybody will agree with my list though.

While running around the madness that was Bestival 2010, I came across a band called Skinny Lister in a certain cider area. Spin on an hour or so of various songs, mixed in with crazy dancing and lots of cider, I left this performance in a blaze of happyness. Along with my friend we had this down as one of the best moments of our festival experience.

The reason that I am talking about Skinny lister now, is that i recentlydiscovered that they are recording an album. This has got my very excited as there is a real lack of their material online. A few videos here and there on YouTube and 3 tracks on itunes.

I keep hearing people saying the folk sound is getting bigger, i consider this to be a strange statement. When was it ever not big? Maybe the mainstream has just had their ears covered by the huge volume of rubbish that we are subjected to on a daily basis. There is always something hugely refreshing about seeing a band live and playing an actual instrument.

Skinny Lister sounded great, they even looked great, the audience was so involved and encourage to join in, the performance contained everything. Including a big swag jug of some cider passing through the crowd, if I remember correctly.

I literally cannot express how much I enjoyed this band live, so keep an eye out for them and the album. Worth checking out is “Plough & Orion” Perfect sunny times music.

Plough And Orion

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Following on from my most recent post about the much loved Technics turntable, I feel the need top share my thoughts on vinyl. I have many views and opinions on vinyl and this will mostly be a viewpoint of my own thoughts and experiences.

When I started really getting into music properly around 1992, turntables and vinyl where a must. All the proper DJ’s worked there trade this way, in fact at that time it was the only way. Buying records became a weekly occurrence, the day long trips alone or with friends on a Saturday (Often hungover from Fridays antics) to the records shops was always enjoyable. I was usually armed with my own needle and a small book i used to have full of vinyl that I was after. We would spend ages going through records old and new, looking for that killer track. The one that you knew would go off, also rare enough that you would be the only that had, thus becoming the envy of friends and DJ’s alike.

I used to pride myself on having songs that nobody else did, as do many DJ’s, its what gave each DJ that unique sound. You could travel to the next city and all the DJ’s would be playing completely different vinyl, this gave every DJ, city, town, country etc its own unique fresh sound. We moaned about how heavy the record bag was usually a 90 bag would be more than enough for a gig, sometimes i might grab the record box or bag if it was an extended party or gig. Carrying the bag or box around (It was a good few years before I got my first trolley bag) was quite noticeable and I suppose earned you some respect. I think this respect is an interesting point and something I want to look at more.

As a DJ people knew we would spend long hours looking for tunes, practicing and doing all things to produce excellent sets. They knew it took skill and not everybody was cut out for the job, it required a dedication on more than one level. Vinyl was also expensive so the DJ would often have made many sacrifices, something that may never have openly been discussed but was secretly respected. A respect that was earned via a combination of things including playing for everybody and handing out mix tapes.

When the internet really started to take off, vinyl was available online, I could by records from all over the world. This for myself was the tipping point, I was buying records from America, Finland, France, Holland all from the comfort of my house. I still went record hunting, but by now the shops in Belfast where stocking less on no vinyl. In most cases the record shop had closed down completely, this was indeed a big low point for the vinyl hunter in Belfast at the time. With that said I was finding amazing tracks online and of to the post office I went to get my postal order; at least until I got a proper bank card. Sometimes they arrived in a few days, others weeks, often it felt like an eternity. My parents knew the drill by now, don’t bend the vinyl, they also went and picked it up for me sometimes from the post office, as vinyl will not fit in a letter box. Something I’m very grateful for, I must have been like a kid every day looking to see if my vinyl had arrived.

Then the mighty CDJ came out, I’m not to sure what my thoughts at the time where, probably speechless. It wasn’t until the summer of 2004 I think before I got a proper use of them in Ibiza. I had burned about 10 CD’s worth of tracks, this was my chance to see what these things could do. At the time I also had two big bags of vinyl as did Mr Hooks as we aimed to wreck havoc on the island of Ibiza. At first they felt strange, after a few mixes my beats where getting tighter, within days I was mixing just as good as I could on vinyl. I stepped further into the CDJ’s world, looping beats and samples, it was heaven. Little at the time did I realize the affect that this would have on everything, I don’t think anybody would, it seemed beyond perfect.

This technology brought about a whole new revolution is DJ’ing. Record bags made way for CD bags, which made way to laptops and then portable drives. This for me was and still is a disaster from start to finish. I loved everything about vinyl, the look, feel, packaging design it had an aesthetic quality that made it special. The main thing was that it was actually worth something, it had a resale value. Are the piles of burnt CD’s or MP3′s I have actually worth anything? who would buy them off me?

With the modern DJ having literally thousands of songs on demand, I believe it can dilute there thought process. You can only take so many records to a gig, this encourage good preparation for any set. While it could be argued that having the ability to be versatile is good, what do we lose by having that? We lose a DJ who has a sound in his head that he wants to showcase, this is the unique sound that a DJ should have. Iv heard people saying things about a DJ playing to the crowd, something that is always a hot topic.

When the crowd seems to know every song on the Beatport top 100, surely the DJ is just a jukebox, mixing his way through this easily available list. The individualism is being pushed out, this isn’t the case with all DJ’s, if you are respected you can basically play what you wish. I travel here and there and there and I’m hearing the same songs all the time. This may be OK in a small city but how about when you start going to different countries. Is the whole world currently DJ’ing with Beatport’s top 100 Tracks? A young wanna be DJ could easily go down this road, why should they spend time thinking of a set, or wasting time and money searching for tunes. This is easily and freely available and beyond tempting.

I think with the absence of vinyl, many up and coming DJ’s are losing the education that it used to bring. This is where the true impact of technology can be seen or heard. For me personally I have no problem with a DJ using a laptop, judgment should be based on the sound and not the format. I have on more than one occasion seen a laptop crash mid set but I have also seen a CDJ freeze and vinyl skip, so nothing is perfect. A laptop crash however takes considerable more time to get going again. Technology also allows a DJ to push new areas and try new things, there is only so much you can do with a standard mixer and vinyl. Though the Technics DMC finals take that to a whole new area.

I’m sure I’m not alone in what this is all saying, its basically just my observations, What do the rest of you think?

I came across this mix from Bottin while looking for some new tracks, Bottin is an Italian DJ, Producer, sound designer who is based in Venice. With the rise of Nu-Disco, this is a sound that is getting bigger by the day. It is also a sound that has been around for years and years, so its not really new. Most of it is loops from classic disco tracks with heavy synths and driving basslines. Italian disco has always been big with me, in fact any disco is usually my thing. This CD mix comp was released by Nang Records, iv a good few tunes on this label and it is well worth a mention.

This Discoursive Diversions mix is right up my street, as Bottin takes a handfull or tracks and carefully edits them into this mix. Its finger snapping, head nodding grooves are perfect to inject some daily disco into your life.

you can download it from Soundcloud also, which is always a bonus.

Enjoy.

It was recently announced by Panasonic that they would stop production of the iconic Technics turntable. At this stage its hard to be sure if this is true or not, as Panasonic have said this before. With that in mind I feel this latest announcement is in fact, the end. With the rise and rise of digital music, vinyl let alone turntables are a rare sight indeed. Most clubs dont even have them now and if they do they are usually in a bad state. Having said that, I see some clubs give the decks the space and care that it should respect.

My journey with the Technics started in 1996, when i got my own set. I still have the same pair today and in decent condition too, which brings me to my point. A Technic turntable can be serviced for £25, they then function as good as new. Unless the deck is in a terrible state to begin with but decent ones are easily found online. As anyone who owns one will know, they are quite heavy thanks to the sturdy build, this is what I believe will help them last.

I personally will never sell my trusted turntables, I don’t see the point. They and my vinyl collection own me, they are the only thing that owns me. I de-cluttered my life of everything except my vinyl and Scaletrix tracks; which I just cant seem to let go.

The legend of the Technics will never die, this is merely just another notable point in its life span.

To say I stumbled across this track is an understatement. For many Years Radio 1 have been ditching their famous DJ’s in search of something new and fresh. This has resulted in many a great DJ being cast aside; though this was not the case with the late John Peel. I have often said that Rob Da Bank is one of the few great DJs on this stations airwaves. Rob is music through and through from his Sunday Best label, DJing and the various festival events he curates.

Rob is one of them DJs that covers such a wide range of genres, It easier to say he is just a great DJ. It was through Rob that I got my hands on this little number, “Summer Girl” by Family Of The Year. It was featured as a tune of the day on Robs Twitter page, a little bonus for anybody who follows the DJ.

Family of the year are a band that I know nothing about but i will be keeping an eye out for. This track has a distinctive summer feel to it, like the name suggests. It has similarities to that of the great Beach Boys, something that is often over used but certainly worthy in this case. I see nothing wrong with posting this mid November, something to help us think of warmer times.

I literally cannot stop listening to this track and have been forcing people to listen to it. For this reason it seems a good place to kick of my new blog with this post.

You can download this track for free here thanks to our friends at CRC Music.

Dedicated to the eternal summer girl, Miss Traffic.