Without You I Would Fall Apart

Musically I am a very open minded person, I like most genres of music and language isn't a problem for me so I tend to listen to a lot of music and discover new artists all the time which I love to do. Now so far this year I have listened to lots of new music and have gained new musical obsessions and overplayed songs so much that I've begun to dislike them and now I think it’s time I shared the love. Firstly I want to mention Danish singer Medina, I first heard her single “You and I” last year when it was originally released here in the UK. I was lying on the sofa, more than likely hung over, flicking through the musical profferings of The Box and the other 80 or so music channels that come with Sky stumbling across “You and I” and I quite liked it but I didn’t really pay much attention to it, probably due to my hung over state. Earlier this year I was taking a look at the Danish Charts website because as a part of my “New Artist Discovery” mission, I like to see what is being listened to in other countries and such, anyway on said website I noticed a song called “Kun For Mig” (Just For Me) by Medina which had been in the Danish charts for a total of 52 weeks so naturally having forgotten all about “You and I” I investigated this track and stumbled across it’s English counterpart. Having looked at the video for this English version on YouTube, I noticed the Dash Berlin remix of it which is quite possibly THE best remix of any song ever, I decided right there and then, subconsciously, that I was going to become obsessed with this song and play it over and over again.

This leads me nicely onto the man himself, Jeff X. Sutorious a.k.a Dash Berlin. After the superb remix of “You and I” I started to take an interest in other music from Mr. Berlin and downloaded his debut album “The New Daylight” which is full of amazing dance music especially the likes of “Janeiro” and “Never Cry Again” both of which have phenomenal remixes on their single EP’s and I do like a good remix. Next up I want to mention a contestant from the Greek version of The X Factor, Ivi Adamou. I didn’t watch the Greek X Factor so I wasn’t really aware of Ivi but her debut single “A*G*A*P*I” (LOVE) was released soon after she was eliminated from the show and an English version called “Crashing Down”, I’m not a fan of either really as her vocals seem a little ‘shouty’ in both so I just let them pass without a flicker of interest. At the start of summer this year I noticed a new song by Ivi, “Sose Me” (Save Me) was a featured video on YouTube, as I mentioned before, Language is no barrier for me when it comes to music and I really like the Greek language and Greek music to start off with, so I had a listen of it and again just to make sure and I really liked it, it’s got such an international sound to it, sort of like a Beyoncé song but not generic and shit and I’m presuming there’ll be an English version considering the title is followed by an English title “Lights On”, here’s hoping.

Up next is Darin. I’ve been a fan of Darin since 2006 and have collected the majority of his released work. This year saw the release of his new album “Lovekiller”, his first release with his new record label; this also marked a new musical style for him and also the first album of his career on which he hasn’t worked with RedOne. Now Darin’s last album “Flashback” was one of the best albums this decade for me and his best album to date, this may be down to his work with David Jassey, who is a very creative and talented songwriter and producer but seeing as Jassey is serving 15 years for murder that has kind of put a stop to any further collaborations, for the near future at least. So anyway, this new album is mainly produced by Tony Nilsson who seems to be a musical god in Sweden but I’m not convinced. This seems to be Darin’s weakest album, it’s great, I do admit it but it’s a bit of a step down from his previous offering although it seems to be selling better. My opinions of Nilsson aside, this album has produced my new favourite Darin song, “Only You Can Save Me”, this song was performed live at Earth Hour months ago and sounded good but the album version is so much better.

Also this year another of my favourite artists, Greek singer Elena Paparizou, released her 5^th studio album “Giro Apo T’oneiro” (Around The Dream), this was a sort of semi change of style for her, she was moving towards the rock sound with her previous album “Vrisko To Logo Na Zo” (I Find The Reason To Live) but this time she seems to have rid herself of most of her old cheesy pop sounding songs like “My Number One” which I really don’t like. On the album is a mixture of pop/rock songs with the emphasis being on the rock genre, it’s not my favourite of her albums but it has given me a song to play obsessively over and over. “Oneiro” (Dream) is an up tempo number with an electro rock sound, the music was written by Hawksley Workman who has an interesting edge on his music and titled on the CD it’s displayed as “Oneiro (Chemical)” thus getting my hopes up for an English version by Elena but this bracketed section only serves to point out that the song is in fact a cover version of a song called “Chemical” by Hawksley Workman himself which is equally as good and to be honest, slightly better musically.

High on my iTunes 25 Most Played Songs list for the past few weeks has been a nice intercontinental (that’s probably not the right word to use but I’m not really bothered) number, a French/Greek duet “Toi + Moi (Esi + Ego)” (You +Me (You + I)) by French growler Grégoire and Belgian/Greek singer Katerine Avgoustakis. I also like “All Time Low” by The Wanted, which really annoys me because I don’t want to like it but I do. Finally a quick mention of a song I heard for the first time, no pun intended, yesterday. “For The First Time” is the first single from The Script’s new album “Science & Faith”, it’s a nice acoustic like ballad and I really really like it, it sounds so different to the songs from their first album, mainly because all the songs sounded the same on their debut effort.

Sunday Morning At The Circus

Yesterday I was having the Sunday morning stomach rumbles and set my mind on some cheese on toast, the kind that they make at work, it's so good but so bad for you. As usual there was no bread so I decided to haul my ass to the cash machine about 5 miles away from my house (to be honest it's barely a mile) and go into the local branch of 'Somerfield' to pick up some bread and cheese, I also wanted to purchase some real coffee seeing as my dad thinks it's acceptable to drink Maxwell House, which I didn't even think they made any more due to the fact that it tastes like burnt twigs soaked in vinegar. Upon entering the store I pick up a basket, you know you're in Ashton when even the 'Somerfield' baskets have got graffiti on them, I'm dubious about shopping here because I know it's crap for service, expensive and last time I came here 3 people asked me if I was lost (because I work for a different supermarket) but alas I pick up my wares and make my way to the till having nearly had to get a mortgage out to buy a jar of 'Carte Noire'! As I'm approaching the till I hear them tannoy another person to the till, that'd be because there is 1 checkout on and about 15 people in the queue. After about 10 minutes this beast comes to relieve "Raz", yes that is the name that was on this dudes badge, she's waving her bingo wings at the queue shouting "Jew wohha cum on dis wun?" so me and the dude in front of me move to this till, meanwhile I've got the Adams Family behind me moaning that their bags are packed too full from the previous shop and the daughter, who's a few crumbs short of a biscuit, blatantly telling her overweight mother to push in front of me in the queue. So after I've grappled past 'Stunners' from X Factor to get in the queue I am greeted by, I say greeted I mean she just looked at my, some girl who looks like she needs a bath and a shave if I'm honest.

The beauties in the queue behind me

Her opening line is "Jew wohha bag?" so I bought a "bag for life" not wanting the shame of carrying an actual see through plastic 'Somerfield' bag home, there's 10p I'll never see again. As I'm using my razor sharp reflexes to catch the stuff she's literally throwing at me she tells me the price £9.56, which doesn't sound that bad for 'Somerfield' but when you put into consideration that I bought 5 things and the offer on the bread I'd bought hadn't come off but I dare not go and see Godzilla behind customer services for the sake of 30p. So I hand her some money and she asks "Av Ewe gohha Co-Op kaird?" to which I reply "No" .. "Jew woh wun?", I don't know why she insists on referring to me as a Jew, again I reply "No", so she gives me my change and says "Ceeeee Yoh", which is a first as I've never been given a parting comment in 'Somerfield'.

Chill Out Mange Tout

Whilst I dream of a possibly imminent return to the Balearics or more specifically Ibiza and exercising like hunted pray to try and rid myself of one of my bellies, I thought I would take time to reflect on the memories of the last time I enjoyed a beverage or two on this splendid isle. So picture the scene, it's July 2009, it's sunny as hell so I'm already sweating like a nun, bear in mind we are still sat at Manchester airport. We being, Me, my friend Lauren, her sister Carisse and her friend Ruth. We were in the special luxury lounge suit area thing which considering it only cost an extra £20 was well worth it because it had proper seats, televisions, alcohol on tap and more importantly stem ginger biscuits. After 3 hours of airport loving and eating enough cheese crackers that I'm considering undoing the button on my pants, we board the plane. Now this is the first time I have ever flown so I don't really know what to expect, what I didn't expect was sitting on the plane for over and hour and a half at the airport because 6 drunken fools had also boarded the plane, naturally one of them sat in front of me and instantly put his chair back, now I'm 5' 11" so my kneecaps are taking a right bashing, so I'm not best pleased! Anyway one of said drunken fools decided he was going to start being racist towards an albino gentleman on the plane, which led to him being arrested and led off the plane thus postponing our flight even further, especially since their bags were clearly the first ones on the plane so in turn were the last ones off.

An example of the pure sweatage from myself.

So, after what was a relatively pleasant flight we arrive in Ibiza. By this time I have literally no knees left despite sneakily pushing the fat dudes chair forward every time he randomly stood up to call the Asian woman sat next to him 'Wendy Woo'. Inside the airport, which looks like a bus station, well the arrivals part anyway, some sultry Spanish guards quickly glance at your passport to make sure you slightly resemble the photo then it's onto the baggage collection area thing and then off to the coach and on our way to the Hotel Riviera. We get to the hotel about 3am-ish, we had to drop people off at hotels and such, we are staying in an apartment block seeing as there is 4 of us so we get the key and go on our merry way. Now it was 37 degrees on the first day so I've already lost 8 stone is sweat by the time we're at the apartment then we find there isn't a remote for the air-con so me and Lauren and some crazy bitch from the room next to us trot off to reception to enquire to Jóse, he probably wasn't called that but I called everyone Jóse or Consuelo. So Jóse told us we had to come back in the morning to sort out the remotes because there is only 1 remote for the whole hotel then after a slight rant from Lauren consisting of "It's too bloody hot in that room" her realised we were in a block and that he did indeed have a remote for us, 10 Euro deposit later and we're cool for the week.

Throughout the week it's basic holiday shizzle, extensive beveraging, a little moaning, a few death threats, mainly from me, and 3rd degree burns from the sun, again for me. On one of our ventures to the west end during the day we are approached by 2 southern blonde girls selling tickets to a boat party where the Freemansons will be on board with Sophie Ellis-Bextor promoting their new single. After we've been fleeced of 50 euros each and told to "dress up" we make our way to this magical boat ride. What followed was possibly the worst day of my life. We board this boat, there are 2 boats for all the victims of this scam - sorry I mean holiday goers, we're given a free drink which is very strong and very bad, also we took the option of NOT dressing up as did every other person on the boat. The boat sets sail, we are trapped there's no getting off now. After about 10 minutes of being on the boat we realise that Freemasons are not on our boat, neither is Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who I doubt was even in Ibiza, but we soldier on with this DJ that's already on the boat. We move downstairs to where the bar is, it's 5 euros for a bottle of water! There is some crazy man trying to sell us t-shirts for 25 euros that he had sprayed MJ on, Michael Jackson had died a few weeks prior. So, the boat comes to a stop, it's party time ... not for me, I didn't realise I got sea sick until this day. I was hanging my head out of the window dribbling like a comatose cripple, the only way for me not to be sick was to go to sleep. There's so much more tomfoolery that I haven't mention, pussy pillows, Josefa, Supermarket Jesus, Obamaniqua, the weird strip club, Capone hats...... so much more.

The view I managed to catch despite being a comatose cripple!

All in all it was a really good holiday and I loved it!!

The Undeniable Coolness of Dash Berlin

So, I have recently been releasing my inner chav by way of listening to a lot of dance music, I think the reason for this is because I desperately need a holiday and this kind of music gets me in the mood. Anyway, so here's how this all started .. I was scouting around the Danish Charts website, as you do, and I noticed a song Kun For Mig by Medina that had been in the charts for 52 weeks, that's an entire year people. So, I did a little investigating and found the English version of it "You And I" followed shortly by the amazing Dash Berlin Remix, I then naturally played this remix over 100 times ..

After wearing this remix out (although it never gets old) and probably annoying my neighbours I decided to further investigate Dash Berlin, I discovered the gems that are "Waiting", "Never Cry Again", "Man On The Run" and the latest single "Janeiro" which has got some great remixes. I would really advise you all to take a listen to the debut album "The New Daylight" it's full of cracking dance music.

Visit www.dashberlin.com for more information.