After a bleak and blank 2020, 2021 was the year we returned to party and started dancing (collectively) again. It took what seemed like forever to get there, but when we did, what a spectacular release that was! A truly “special” moment which seemed to make the traversée du désert that preceded it almost worthwhile. […]
Category: News
Lèspri Ka – New Directions in Gwoka (Time Capsule/Séance Centre)
Sometime in 2017, when my friend Kay Suzuki first came up with the idea of starting a high quality reissue label, asking a bunch of us to act as curators, the first idea that came to my mind was a project dedicated to gwoka in general, and gwoka moderne in particular. As a frequent visitor […]
Dance For Haiti
Earlier in the summer, I immersed myself into 𝘈 𝘋𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘢 𝘋𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘺, the fascinating book by famed ethnomusicologist Gage Averill, in which he narrates how Haiti’s vibrant and expressive music has been one of the most highly charged instruments in the struggle against oppression at the hands of colonial […]
20 songs to celebrate 20 years in London
Towards the end of November 2000 I landed in London with a backpack, one cassette tape and dreams aplenty. Years have mysteriously passed (who knows where the time goes?!) and here I found myself, as Londoner as can be, celebrating twenty years of trials and tribulations in the city. For 20 days (+ 1) in […]
SOUNDS OF 2020 – THE WEIRDEST YEAR IN MUSIC
“Music is the healing force of the Universe” This quote taken from Albert Ayler’s spiritual jazz masterpiece perhaps never sounded so accurate as it did in 2020. Most of us searched for solace in music in even deeper ways than ever. I for one spent even more time than usual consuming music, digging, seeking out, […]
Gratien Midonet Compilation on Time Capsule
It is finally here: the project started at the tail end of 2019 has finally become reality with the release of a retrospective of Midonet’s career highlights on double vinyl and in full audiophile glory. After tracking down Gratien in Noumea, New Caledonia, we spent the best part of 2020 exchanging long emails as I […]
2018 – My Year In Music
Starting with the party scene, Beauty & the Beat has been the source and inspiration for two brand new audiophile parties, one in Paris called Sweet Apric∞ts, and the secnd one in Sheffield called Apricot Ballroom Sound System. (Ah those apricots! Glad to see them back in fashion, half a decade after their first rise […]
Guest Mix for Ransom Note
Towards the end of 2018 I was invited by the ever excellent music blog Ransom Note to deliver a mix to add to their series “The Wednesday Alternative”. As always it’s a psychedelic and eclectic affair, which goes from ambient to krautrock to cosmic funk to island disco to upfront gwoka, deep kadans and much […]
XTERRA WORLD CHAMPS MAUI 2018
In 2009 I was a youthful and wide-eyed triathlete, landing in Maui for my first experience of the island (and my 2nd xterra ever). I’d flown in with my steel framed Kona Caldera mountain bike and aluminium wheels (must have weighted about 12 kg at least), and within a couple of days was sent out […]
XTERRA ROMANIA 2018
Yes yes, as you can see, this is a race report, despite the fact that I officially retired from racing last September, that I have barely trained in the meantime, that…well there were countless good reasons to stop (tired body, better things to do etc), but surely there has to be a ‘come-back’ before calling […]