Gemma Dempsey, Host

The Big Reunion Chapter 2  Nov 28-30 at Butlins Entertainment Centre Skegness on the east coast of England. Despite disparaging comments from the ever subtle mayor of London Boris Johnson, Skegness is still a popular holiday spot for Brits and thousands will be heading there for a  weekend of dance music from DJs Tim Westwood, Dave Pearce and Judge Jules, with six stages designed by uber event producers Kinkymalinki and Kissdafunk.

Over to the Republic of Macedonia for Taksirat - a festival that began as a punk-ish underground event has grown in size but remains faithful to its roots - attracting music fans from surrounding Bulgaria, Serbia and Kosovo. On the bill - Audio Bullys, The Roots, Swayzak and Happy Mondays. Thanks to Cveta who responded to my email to the festival who explained Taksirat is an old Turkish word meaning 'destiny' both good and bad :)

Now to Australia for Stereosonic – an electronica and digital arts extravaganza – Brisbane’s already sold out but tickets are still available for Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and New Caledonia – on the bill - UK’s Carl Cox, Israel’s Infected Mushroom and Germany’s Booka Shade.

Melb_eflyer_02

Gigbeth gets is name from the area in which it is held – Digbeth – a historically industrial area of Birmingham known for its production of Typhoo Tea and Birds Custard – two items very close to this girls heart :)  Gigbeth features conferences and gigs at various venues around town– artists on the bill include The Guillemots, The Young Knives and The Getaways as well lots of new local bands...more info at the website.

Day of dead

What more do you need to celebrate your Halloween w/end? A festival called Day of the Dead at a cemetery! The Mexican El Dia De Los Muertos celebrates the lives of deceased loved ones with altars displaying traditional skeleton decorations, marigold flowers, fave food, beverages and photos of the dear departed - the idea being to remember them, honour their lives and invite them back to earth for a bit of a party .

The Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Santa Monica Boulevard between the Paramount Lot and the Hollywood Hills and is the final resting place for Rudolph Valentino, John Huston, Jayne Mansfield or Johnny Ramone.

I’d recommend going before dusk so you can still see all of the beautifully designed altars, wander the cemetery and catch some of the festivities on offer -  performers include  
La Santa Cecilia, The Mockingbirds ( Los Cenzontles ) and Javier Yxayotl  who uses traditional instruments and wears stunning feathered costumes of ancient Mexico.

Check out this promo film about the festival filmed at previous Day of the Dead festivals at the Cemetary - it really has to be seen to be believed - and you can even go home afterwards saying " I see Dead People' :)

Greetings - heard about this event on The World  on KCRW today...its a hip hop festival featuring 7 female rap artists including Priss'K, Nash and Ideal Black Girls . Waga refers to Ouagadougou, the capital of the West African landlocked nation of Burkina Faso. Listen to the interview on The World and check out some of the artist featured in the festival -  good to hear female artists are getting their view point across using rap - usually a macho genre... GD

So I didn't make it this year so would love to hear from YOU if you did - how were the bands? the vibe? the beer? the rain?!!
set list below incase its already a blur...

Settimes

Map

Hi folks - ok so I'm a bit late on this one and you may already have checked out KCRW DJ and Hollywood Bowl
host Raul Campos blog on this amazing night, but hey I've been busy! so I just downloaded this from my camera - check it out -  Sept 21st was the last of KCRW's World Festival season at the Bowl and it was a fantastic night...

G'day! the fact that I am typing this is proof that no black holes have been made by today's activation of the Hadron Collider near Geneva. What's the purpose of this mega expensive atom bashing operation ? 'So thunder doesn't scare you' as one scientist was quoted on BBC World Service. Its all about what really matters in the universe and while even the scientists admit they don't know what kind of chain reaction they are causing, one thing is for sure, its got the world talking about science, black holes and creation which is an amazing feat in itself! Plus its brought cultures together as the Collider team includes Brits, Russians, Palestinians and Israelis.

If you haven't a clue about this project and your knowledge of science is basic, check out this great rap video by Kate McAlpine, the Michigan State graduate who got permission to film in the caverns of Cern where the 17 mile Collider is housed. As quoted on CNN.com Kate says 'Rap and physics are culturally miles apart...and I find it amusing to throw them together'. Not only is it a fun video but it it got the seal of approval from a Cern spokesman - top marks Kate!

Hadrom

Thanks to my new Ashram Galactica friend Darrin for sending me some of his wonderful photos - sorry if I'm boring you folk who aren't interested in BM - I'll get over it sometime soon and return to regular programming :)