Gig time baby!

South Bay Beach is Hong Kong's answer to the South of France... just check the water quality before you dip!

Temperatures hit the mid-30s as I headed down to South Bay Beach Club to play with DJ Steve Bruce, who is a regular DJ at Soho joint Solas. Having chilled on the beach quite a few times, I knew what to expect but was still pretty nervous at the prospect of playing for the “South Bay Sessions”, which has included some of Hong Kong’s more well known DJs.

First set 4-5

Had a lime soda to start cause I didn’t want to come across as a total boozer. Pretty chilled openers to smooth things in, with afro beats, juju/highlife, reggae and funk. Roady by New Zealand dub/reggae outfit Fat Freddys Drop was a good one. Went for a swim afterwards (how many gigs can you go for a dip in between sets? Sweet!).

Second set 6-7

Started quite aggressively with a bit of old-school hip-hop, though didn’t get the good reaction I expected with De La Soul’s The Magic Number (plus I screwed up the mix). Got a bit heavy with Justice’s D.A.N.C.E., which always goes down well, followed by Freestylers’ rocky Electrified, a truly cracking track. Chilled it out with a few melancholic jazz numbers and brought it up with !!!’s Must Be The Moon and North American Scum by LCD Soundsystem, getting a pretty good reaction. Went to watch the sun go down with a cold beer and Steve playing some great tracks, like a scene from some cheesy movie (above).

Third set, 830-9

Finished it off with a bit of funky house. Not my favorite, but no worries about playing it and really kept the crowd moving. This got a bit much because we had to close down, so I put on something which I thought would drive them away. Chucked on The Klaxons’ Atlantis to Interzone, which I thought would be the perfect “f**k off” track with its “uh-uh-uhs” and off time electro-rock madness. Actually, it kept people going! Haha. I was like WTF?!?

Damn that was the perfect gig on the perfect day. I want another one soon!

One step forward, two back?

Activists claim another scalp as reggae star Buju Banton denounces homophobia in music. But will the perceived attack on Jamaican culture intensify violence against gays and lesbians in the country?


The Guardian reported that Jamaican singer Buju Banton (above) has joined the likes of fellow reggae superstars Beenie Man and Sizzla to sign the "Reggae Compassionate Act" set up by campaign group Stop Murder Music to denounce homophobia in music. The star's song “Boom Bye Bye” discusses burning, throwing acid on, and shooting queers (not one for the gay club playlist then!). Yet in a seeming contradiction, he has also lent considerable support to causes such as safe sex, poverty reduction and anti-violence. He reportedly wrote Boom Bye Bye as a teenager, but was filmed performing it at a concert in Miami last year.

And there’s really not much of a positive spin to put on the song's lyrics.

Gay rights groups have been a pain in the butt for the likes of these artists, who have experienced serious financial loss in terms of cancelled fees from sponsorships and concerts. But the economic motive to sign the declaration may be a stronger impulse then actual support for gays and lesbians.

The Jamaica Observer reported that Beenie Man has already distanced himself from the act. The star reportedly told press at a recent concert that "we don't need to kill dem” (gays )… “I not supporting a gay lifestyle because it's not wholesome to me"… "It's a ting from the promoters of Europe. They are getting so much fight from the Christian and ‘g’ organisation and everything."

It seems that the Reggae Compassionate Act is very much driven by European promoters and activists. But will forcing reggae stars to sign an anti-homophobic pledge do anything to lessen the violence against gays and lesbians in Jamaica, where gay sex is still illegal?

As campaigners continue their efforts against other artists such as Elephant Man, TOK, Bounty Killer and Vybz Kartel, it remains to be seen whether censorship, albeit in the form of a “Reggae Compassionate Act”, is the right move for gay and lesbians in Jamaica.

For their sake, let’s hope it is, because they are the ones that will suffer, not the activists.

Absolutely Fabio-lous!

A bunch of us headed down to Wanchai club Heat to check out drum n bass pioneer and famed UK radio DJ Fabio. Brought to Hong Kong by local collective Magnetic soul, Fabio played a drum n bass set that was informed by his varied soul, funk, breakbeats, techno and acid house background.

This was interesting because previous visiting drum n bass DJs such as Dieselboy demonstrated a sound infused with rock and hip-hop, with plenty of quick build-ups and hard tunes. One thing that impressed about Fabio was his ability to gradually construct his set over a couple of hours. Rather than just throw big tunes and hard fast sounds, you had to work to get into the flow. This is something that is lacking with many DJs today, who challenged by people’s three-second attention spans and unlimited choice in music, panic to throw down the big tunes and instant winners.

If Fabio showed one thing, it’s that sometimes a bit of patience goes a long way. And not only that, the guy is really down to earth and up for mixing with the crowd after his set (right with my friend), the total opposite of the “arrogant DJ”.

Young, fresh and new!

Here's some new(ish) stuff I've been checking out...

She badass, and she’s back, Sri Lanka/London rapper M.I.A. (top) is releasing the follow up to 2005’s explosive Arular this year. Check out her extremely colourful video for single Boys. Whether getting refused entry to the US, bigging up her Tamil Tiger roots or just generally being cool, she does it with style.

P.S. Epileptics or anyone with aversion to bright lights and colours should avoid!

Meanwhile, retro-tastic The Go! Team (right) are back with some material following the 2005 release of their buzzing Thunder, Lighting, Strike LP. New single Grip like a vice is out, and it’s in a similar vein to the retro rocking style we have become used to, with lots and lots of electronic handclaps for good measure. The album is expected in September.

Veterans The Chemical Brothers have just posted their latest, called We Are The Night. The video for Do It Again sees them back to their old tricks, with a narrative about two Moroccan kids (above) running away from a tooth-pulling session at the dentists and finding a magic boom box that makes everyone dance. Don’t think, just watch.

Billy Corgan and co have seen highs and lows throughout the years with The Smashing Pumpkins’ (right), but they’re back with a new album due soon, and based on the sounds from their latest, Tarantula, it could be alright. Since they got everyone excited, it better be good! The video is a bit, well, odd… and the strange outfits are back!

Mysterious and fond of rocking out electro style, German duo Digitalism have made a splash with singles on the Kitsuné Music label. Their Pogo video also features floating people (above) and nude figures posing. Intrigued? Check it out! New album Idealism recently out as well.

Ex Beta Band members The Aliens (right) have released album Astronomy for dogs. If the title wasn’t weird enough for you, check out their single Robot man. Be afraid... It’s like bloc party funk meets sixties pop-rock meets 80’s fashion. Go figure.