1001 Albums You Should Die Before You Hear

From Collpase Board.




"Vote for your least favourite!

1. Kings Of Leon – Come Around Sundown
2. Zwan – Mary Star Of The Sea
3. Oasis – Be Here Now
4. Tin Machine – Tin Machine II
5. Chapterhouse – Blood Music
6. Mick Jagger – Primitive Cool
7. Pete Shelley – Sky Yen
8. Fanny – Charity Ball
9. The Very Best – Warm Heart Of Africa
10. The Style Council – Modernism: A New Decade"

More at http://www.collapseboard.com/1001-albums-you-should-die-before-you-hear-pt-1.

The End of Technics?

Yesterday Panasonic announced that it was going to stop production of the Technics 1200 turntable. It seems like a sad news day for djs and dance music in general. At the start of the last decade turntables (presumably mostly Technics, as they are the industry standard and most recognisable name) were outselling guitars. Well, it seems it may be a little premature to sound a death knell for turntables as a whole just yet - according to Gizmodo, the site that originally broke the story it is only the Technics 1200Mk6 that is going to stop being produced. And I hear nothing about the 1210 series, which is possible even more popular than the 1200s. Still, it's a shame and a sign of the times, but hey, in 10 years we will all be djing on touch screen displays anyway.

Neil Kulkarni Hip-Hop column.

Some people who read this blog will be too young to recognise the words "Melody Maker", but if you happened to read that paper in the 90's, and had any kind of interest in hip-hop, you should recognise the name Neil Kulkarni. He's still writing, about all different kinds of music, but he does a specifically hip-hop based column now for the Quietus. His new one is worth checking out, if only for the particularly fine rant at the beginning about mainstream hip-hop. But read further on and you'll find lots of names on the current underground scene worth checking out - Joell Ortiz, Willie The Kid, Nottz, Gunshot and loads more.

http://thequietus.com/articles/05156-hip-hop-state-of-the-art-report-end-of-play-2010-2

More Ari Up

The tributes to punk legend Ari Up of the Slits keep coming.

Ari, who died last week at the tragically young age of 49, is eulogised by none other than DJ Twitch of Optimo over at the Dummy magazine website, including the story of the first time he met her.

Melody Maker/Plan B editor Everett True has also posted his own tribute at Collapse Board. It includes extracts from some interviews he did with Ari, some videos, and best of all a link to download the "official" Slits bootleg record from 1980, jointly released by Rough Trade and Y Records.

NME Relaunch

If you've ever read the New Musical Express, then you might be interested in reading this interview with the new editor Krissi Murrison about the magazine's relaunch and new look.

Then again, you might not. Have we gone beyond caring about the "indie Heat"? Has the NME shaped void in our lives been filled many times over by the wealth of great music blogs out there?