 Last night I spun for the London Lifestyle Award nominations at the new Cafe Kaizen in the heart of Mayfair, Hanover Square. The London Lifestyle Awards celebrate groups and individuals that shape and greatly contribute to make London one of the best cities in the world. From clubs, restaurants, hotels to health and fitness ... any area of London living that makes London's lifestyle enviable. Was great to see some old faces in the crowd, and very happy to hear a few places that have had me spin were up for titles. Coya, Maddox, Barts ... congrats and fingers crossed ! Cafe Kaizen is a market place set up, casual yet cool with a cherry blossom tree smack bang in the middle. Very zen. Serving dumplings and tea (tested, approved), vegan cakes and juices along with fancy booze, Cafe Kaizen is a great hangout without the fuss. I'll be playing there most Fridays this month so get yourself down for a juice and beats to kick start the weekend. The crowd was mixed, it's a Tuesday and the sun was still shining - so the tracks had to be a little varied. Nothing too bam bam thankyou ma'am. The track list went a little something like this:
"Everyday People" - Arrested Development "Dear Miami" - Roisin Murphy "Love Never Felt So Good" - Michael Jackson "Fade Out Lines (E.M.B Project)" - Nouvelle Vague "No Eyes" - Claptone feat. Jaw "Waves (Robin Schulz Remix)" - Mr. Probz
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 Ibiza. The tiny island that explodes on a nightly basis. A place where you come with friends, and leave with a few more. Last night, I went to go see a few friends playing at Sunset Ashram - a beautiful hippy restaurant that's one of the last remaining true Ibizencan places to watch the sunset, mingle and not be charged two legs and an arm.  Milano, July 2010 I ran into a dear friend of mine from my Milano days back when I was carrying heels in my bag, a portfolio and spinning in small bars after castings. Emma - half of the DJ duo Hunter/Game has been enjoying great success after years of hard work and dedication. Also one of the sweetest Italian Stallions around, we had many good times in Milan. He introduced me to the guys from Tale of Us ... way back before they were famous and sitting in his studio fooling around. Below right is an interview I did with Emma for Pulse Radio to celebrate the release of their EP "The Island". Click on the picture to read up the news!  Under a luxurious crimson awning, past a heavy velvet curtain step into the opulent and dazzletastic world of Rififi. A small exclusive bar that hints speakeasy and where rumours are started. I came here for the first time just before I left for New York City. Despite it's small mirrored walls, it's able to house the charming partyers of London. Last night it played host to a dear friends birthday where I jumped on the decks till the early hours of the morning. The low lighting, hidden corners and dirty drinks give it an edge that London has long missed. Track list: "It's You (Mousse T's Teef Vocal Mix)" - FCL "Your Space" - El Mundo "The Path" - Teenage Mutants & Purple Disco Machine "Gentle" - Lovebirds  The first time I heard Eminem was huddled around the television screen, tuned into MTV that (dared) to screen his first single, "My Name Is" . Huddled around so that our parents wouldn't hear the lyrics. Now I stood, fifteen years later, at the historic Wembley Stadium, London in Eminem's changing room while he and Dr Dre listened to samples of upcoming, never released tracks. Dr Dre then offered me a baked potato with bacon from the food cart. And no, not that kind. Today Eminem made history - being the first rapper to ever hold a concert at Wembley Stadium. The show was nothing less than epic. A full piece band, vocalists and the man himself. No dazzling pyrotechnics, no flextastic dancers ... just the music, the moment, he owned it. For an hour and a half, Slim Shady rapped and rhymed around the stage. You can see Eminem's transition and journey as a songwriter throughout the years. From the very violent and aggressive lyrics, weirdtastic beats and trippy sounds to a more hopeful, recovered message with melodies and familiar mainstream song structure. Eminem has pretty much lived his traumas out in his lyrics. A kind of therapy some may argue. Now he is five years sober and as energetic as a boxer. He had the crowd the whole damn time. Some of my fav tracks admittedly, are from his earlier years. My Name Is - classic The Real Slim Shady - that beat Without Me - the punchy comeback Drug Ballad - personal fav Lose Yourself - change of tune Special thanks to Beats by Dre and Paulina for the chance to be a part of music history!  If your iPod is struggling for some new tunes look no further. Here are thirty of the best mixes of the year so far, most of them more than an hour and free to download so you can keep your backyard parties going. My contribution was the Flatboys mix which I discovered on Soundcloud. A great compilation of chilled summer tunes to help you ease into a boozy afternoon. Click here to shake up that shuffle  It's music festival time! Summer means lots of open-air activities and general frolicking in the sun aided by fruity ciders. Today my galpal Shannon managed to score us some backstage passes, so off to Finsbury Park we went. The standout acts of the day were Pharrell and Kanye West, according to PR management. But according to moi and the level of crowd hand action, earlier acts Iggy Azalea and Tinie Tempah had the stage and lights. I was interested to see Iggy, a fellow Aussie, live and boy did she have the stage at her control. Oozing sex appeal but keeping the attention on her rapping, this girl's got IT. Tinie Tempah had the crowd in the palm of his hand. Responding to his every command, the show was anything short of electric.  Today was the first day of testing the electric cars up at Donington Park Race Circuit, some 2 hours of north of London. It was also the first day the music team could work out how exactly to incorporate music during the race event. The cars are significantly quieter so music will play an integral part in keeping the audience entertained. Sam Cannon, the technical DJ who I will be working closely with, is a ex-Ministry of Sound resident and has worked on many of the Hed Kandi productions. We both played sets today as if it was the actual race, along with the commentator doing his thing.  The day only raised excitement and anticipation for the event. Everyone on the team in so much fun to work with and to be raising awareness of a great concept. Electric energy is the future ! Keep posted for more test days, rehearsals and news of the Formula E |
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