Just a sunny sunday afternoon in Berlin....

Berlin is full of surprises. Just sit down, relax and let yourself get entertained. In Mauerpark you'll have a variety of acts taking place right in front of your picknick blanket.
This weeks recommendation is Trap: live in Mauerpark (see youtube video 1 and 2).

Moderat

Despite my survival in Berlin for the last two weeks, it took until Thursday to receive my musical home feeling. And what a welcome!
Moderat (Modeselektor + Apparat) released their new album and celebrated with a party in WMF. As expected, it didn't start until 11.30 pm, although the programm said 9 pm. Being Dutch and anxious to miss out on all the good stuff, we were there half an hour after the original starting time. This, however, gave us the opportunity to acclimatize and join the support act for the warming-up. And hot it was. It must have been at least 45 degrees celsius by the time Moderat came up. I guess that's the best way to start a concert: with a crowd that pictures itself in one big orgy.

As soon as they started, the 'love' was literally dripping off the fans. Their powerful intro made girls scream like boys, excited the stiff, drove newly weds towards eternal love and pleased the rest of the greedy audience with their unconditional enthusiasm. To me, it felt like a two hour emotional voyage around the world of sounds, ending in Berlin by taking us through all Kiez, neighborhoods. And when the encore was given, the trip continued inside my body. Heavy basses in my toes, tickling Charleston under the skin of my arms, mosh pits in my head, people on swings in my stomach, soft feather belly dances around heart and Dita von Teese seductive on my lips.

Moderat definitely can do it, living up to expectated 'kick in the face'. It was oldskool dancing packed in a contemporary jacket. Sending people off with an immeasurable smile......

Pink is the new Black!

Just Pinky...

Give us some dance Rules!

Happy, happy, happy are the three words that pop up when I listen to this album.
It's taking over underground clubs, punkrock venues, record stores and your living room. We can't ignore it any longer: Disco is back and you might wanna ..1,2,3,4. 1,2,3, clap, clap. After Daft Punk, Hot Chip and Hercules and the Love Affair last years' hits, we have some 2009 skinny Berlin white boys telling us to dance. Clap, clap.

Listen to the newest The Whitest Boy Alive album Rules!

And go to one of their concerts if you happen to be in Europe in April!

Some rays in dark times.

Even though I've been enjoying the cozy feeling of the South American summer, I keep thinking of my friends and family who start getting annoyed by months of snow, rain and extreme low temperatures.

This is to cheer you up!

Originally from Cameroon Blink Bassy has a touch of South American due to his choice of instruments, his amazing voice and soft bossa nova rythms.
His first solo album, which was partially produced in Salif Keita’s studio in Bamako (Mali), was released recently. Léman can be heard on the Luisterpaal this week.



Léman.

On his myspace Blick Bassy explains: “Léman means ‘mirror’. For me a mirror is a reflection of what we are. You cannot lie in front of the mirror. You can also see behind you in a mirror. Léman is about my past, really, and about being African. I see the problems that Africa suffers from and cannot do anything. It’s one of the reasons why I sing in my own language, Bassa*, which is one of the 260 Cameroonian languages that fewer and fewer children know how to speak. With that, cultures and traditions are lost forever. The song ‘Africa’ talks about these issues and is maybe the key song of the album. The same song also talks about the richness of Africa. You can only see all that when you take a little distance. Now that I live in Europe, I see clearly where I’m coming from.”


* The word ‘bassa’ means ‘people from the earth'.

A Beautiful Mine

I was just listening to RJD2's theme song of the award winning drama series Mad Men
(written by Matthew Weiner of The Sopranes) and now I'm addicted.
Shame on you, Ramble John Krohn!

Italian Love

This turns out to be an Italian themed week. Quarterlife crisis seems provoke constant talking about emotions, character features and the past. Who am I? Why am I like this? Why do I react like this? Etc. After chatting with my friend Steve, who was my first sweetheart, I realized that Italian love apparently is a different kind of caring. This population seems to have some devious definitions with regard to loving. Devious to other people maybe, because in my humble opinion feeding is the most powerful and logical way to show someone you love him or her. What's weird about that?

According to Steve however, if you've ever been in a relationship or had a fling with an Italian woman, this should sound familiar to you...

Italian Girls by John Gorka

I used to fall for Italian girls
They filled my dreams, they made my world
If I had moved less awkwardly
They might have had their way with me

The longer names, the darker hair
They made me weak, they made me stare
I couldn't say a word to them
Their figures so full of vitamins

I wasn't cool, I wasn't bad
I was the only one I ever had
And they posessed the world's delights
Espresso mornings, lasagna nights

(Chorus)

Oh, the Italian girls
The Italian girls
They made my world

They were strong and they were proud
Some were sweet and some were loud
They'd fill me up with what they'd cook
And put me down with just one look

I followed them through summertime
I made them laugh, I made them rhymes
But they left me there for other ones
Who had the dough when day was done

Just one thing keep me free
They were not in love with me

Now they've married and gained some weight
But that weight I appreciate
For it's the work of all those meals
And what you eat is what you feel

(Chorus)

For the Italian girls
The Italian girls
They made my world

I used to fall for Italian girls
They filled my dreams, they made my world
But passion dies and fades away
Or lives to fight another day