Anyone remember cassettes? Here, for some odd reason, is a Russian site totally obsessed with these sonic disasters. They are, now, apparently, collectable....go figure

As a result of the birthday party yesterday and its associated muddy head (I admit full responsibility for the causes...I just won't admit it too loudly), I completely forgot to write down the tracks I played on George today, but it was more or less my best of the year and it's covered below. I apologized for the noisy Kraftwerk track for anyone with a hangover and got the text of the day from a guy who had a massive hangover but said he had taken two pills and gone to work and wanted me to turn it up....didn't ask what pills.... So, instead, a few records I'm liking right now:

The Futureheads- lovely noisy punchy latter day retro punk from the north of England. Partly produced by The Gang of 4's Andy Gill, it's like the album The Jam forgot to make, or Paul Weller decided he didn't want to make anymore (it's a little sad that the only good Paul Weller album of the last ten years is his Back to Mine thingy)...great car music-by myself-everyone else tells me to take it off

The latest Fabric album matches one of the UK's most interesting DJs (I won't say best as he's so bloody all over the place which is part of the charm), Andy Weatherall, with the world's best mix series, bar none. Heading off on a lightish techy slant, this is a fairly accessible mix for Andy, served up with a generous helping over his reknown dry humour. And it includes the glorious "Dexter" from Villalobos in it's Two Lone Swordsman mix, and the only Joy Division cover I've ever heard that even comes close to working. Best described as charming and loveable. Pete Heller's "Timewarp" is a bit of a return to form from a pioneer lost in the big rooms of recent, in an Ibadan / Jerome Sydenham & Dennis Ferrer style (before Defected fuck it up as they seeem to with everything they touch...). And there is a new Roach Motel due too......soon please.... I was lucky enough to scam a copy of the LCD Soundsystem album, out in January, and it's as good as I hoped..maybe a little better, irreverent, punky, funky, dirty, rough, and just fun. Completely entranced by the Henrik Schwarz track "Chicago" on Germany's Moodmusic , a long grinding deep houser that sounds like the sort of record that Kenny Dixon used to make and maybe should make again. I've had the Larry Levan mix of Steve Arrington's "Summertime Lovin'" , on Salsoul, for god knows how long and it didn't ever really click until the other day. An ace new Slave record, because that's what it sounds like to me....kool Finally, (actually there are more but it's late and I've got a hell of a day tomorrow) Starship 727 is a wicked 3 track old school (as in Chicago house) ep from Italy's Mario Pierro that recycles as only the Italians can. Guess I'm a sucker for anything with a a 303 in it. The ongoing acid revival is something that I'm really enjoying. And, after all these years I have taught myself to touch type......

My god.... I'm unable to put in words the horror that I feel looking at the death and devastation after the Tsunami in South Asia. It makes a person, sitting in a comfortable and secure living room in central Auckland, with satellite news, feel so absolutely impotent, helpless and insignificant. It puts everything in perspective, it really does... And the west's reaction to date has been nothing less than appalling...the US's initial offer of US$35 million sits next to its hourly expenditure (excluding Iraq)of over $50 million on its military.

Hundreds of millions of dollars would need to be delivered by international governments within days to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, a spokesman said. The United Nations said that US$80m (£41.5m) had been pledged, although donors would need to raise more than four times that amount to cope.

says The Independent today The US government has spent hundreds of billions of dollars in recent times causing great misery and death in its strategic maneuvering around the world but seems unable to find the money to alleviate pain, money that wouldn't cause a blip on it's military economy. And Bush is on holiday again. Then there is this... Obscene and inexcusable.

Happy birthday to this fella today:

Bloody awful picture (where do they find these bloody things) but I've known the old bugger now for some 30 years and he's one of the most decent loyal people you could hope to meet And happy birthday to James Pinker, who I first met at a Suburban Reptiles gig at VUSA in 1977, another close and good buddy (he had pink hair at the time but that's another story). Big party yesterday which has left me with another stonking headache (see above). Ain't nothing like an old friend..I'm allowed to get a little over sentimental at Christmas