Quick fix

Sorry guys, I'm a bit pressed for time at the moment. I just handed in an illustration and now I've got to pack my stuff and go to Rotterdam to pick up the other Dutch Doll and Blanche, and take the train to Utrecht to play at a party tonight. So no personal disclosures, no background info and no uploads this time. Luckily embedding a video is done in a flash and I've been dying to blog about these two anyway!

Some my favorite female UK MCs (Envy, Mz Bratt, BabyBlue, Ruff Diamondz) are doing it for themselves on this remix of Tinchy Stryders' Game Over. For a while I was afraid grime was sliding down a steep slick slippery slope, but this track gives me hope.




While I was slaving over this impossible deadline, with the rain (and later snow - lots of it!) gushing down outside, all I had to do is look at this video and everything was alright again. A grinding cookie monster, what more do you want?!?

fan of a thousand dances

Back in the days when I was young and started going out I didn’t have a clue what to do with myself on the dance floor. So together with some friends I ‘invented’ a dance that gave us something to do to those idiotic eurodance tunes, and that prevented us from looking like total hay sticks. Our dance moves were based on domestic chores… Do the dishes! Iron! Vacuumclean! Clean the windows! Do some painting! With a little imagination you can picture it, right?! Och, it's a great dance. I still do the domestic-chores-dance every now and when I go dancing, and I’d like to think I can pull it off.

So I dig songs that are all about a dance instructions. I started to collect them. The Twist, The Locomotion, The Boomerang, The Zonk, The Kangeroo, The Mashed Potato, The Monster Mash, The Wah Watushi, The Shing A Ling, The Roach, The Bug, The 81, The Camel Walk, The Funky Chicken, The Duck, The Bird, Walking the Dog, The Harlem Shuffle, The Clapping Song, Footstompin’, Barefootin’, The Monkey Walk, the list goes on and on… Yeah, it was a real craze in the 60’s!

And it’s a real craze right now in the dancehall/UK funky/grime scene as well!! Migraine Skank, Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes, Stanky Legg, Stupid Skank… Watch the Fresh Az Ice Dancers do all these dances to this track by Doctor. Pretty brilliant!



So I’m leaving you with one oldie and one contemporary dance-song. Now go practice in front of the mirror.

Dee Dee Sharp – Mashed Potato Time. Get it here (YSI).

Gracious “Napa Man” K – Migraine Skank. Get it here (YSI).
Instructions on how to do the Migraine Skank here ;-)

These beats drive me MAD

But mad in a good way..

Even though I highly respect beatwizzard Amon Tobin for the mad skills, I'm not a big fan of technique for the technique. Give me something to bounce my head to in a way that doesn't give me a whiplash, thank you.

But when the wizzard gets dancy with UK-based producer Joe 'Doubleclick' Chapman, the soundexplosions are much more organised and magic happens. Together, they are known as Two Fingers and they bring a superdark yet delicate sound with a minimum input, well chosen silences and AWESOME vocals. These beats... pffff.... I can't stand 'em, they're so perfect. The collaboration with grimey rapper/producer Sway and female MC ms. Jade (a.o.) work really well too. Even though I really love it, I had to switch it off when I first heard it - too amazing. But oow hell yeah, once I can handle it, I'm gonna buy myself a copy of this one. I hereby promise to play a Two Fingers track once a day!

Two Fingers feat. Sway - What you Know get it here.