DFF Sound System

so, here it is.

2011-02-17T14:50:00.003Z

Seeing as this still appears as the top item when you do a google search for me, thought i'd better do a post once in a while.
As you can tell, i'm not really using this blog much these days, i set up a Wordpress blog which i'll try and keep updated.
Also got a soundcloud and mixcloud page. i can also be found on twitter more than here.

so there you go, you'll find me there. Farewell for now.

DFFSS

far too long (again)

2010-03-08T22:43:00.005Z

I've not written a blog in ages, i guess i've not had much to write about. If i'm honest i've been feeling a bit uninspired of late. Been getting shit off people as well but i'm back to being positive, got rid of some negative people in my life as well as getting back into music at long last.
I've been DJing more, New Slang Wimbledon has gone fortnightly now, it's great being able to play music i love (and represent a club that i love) on a friday night. The Sundae Session is almost a year old and me and krip have been getting some great blends together. Also been involved at the old slang part of D.A.N.C.E., a great way to relive my misspent youth at various gig venues.
Gig wise there have been some great moments in the past few weeks, having seen So Many Dynamos and Animal Kingdom play instores at Banquet records plus had the joy of seeing the last night of the Los Campisinos!/Swanton Bombs/Islet tour last week and the Polar Bear Club/Shook Ones/Title Fight tour (with ace support from Pacer) on saturday. Also managed to catch Tubelord after too. One of those night where i shouldn't have gone out but is the very reason i do go out on those nights. Anyway, that'll do for now, far too many html links for me tonight. Do try and check out all these bands, or at least a few. The PBC tour line up showed me that there are hardcore bands pushing the boundaries and bringing dynamics back to punk and the LC! tour showed me how 3 amazing yet different bands can fit together.

More blogs soon, DFFSS

start of year blog (of sorts)

2010-01-17T17:59:00.003Z

or i found the scarf but the beards still here

"This is not a swan song but it goes
if we had known what we know now
one year later, we'd still be around"

So a bit late for the start of the year, but i've had issues with getting online. Well first off, i won the last Remixfight so get bragging rights for the whole of january, which is nice. Had an amazing new years eve, dancing with the best people i know and covering the dancefloor with confetti at the appropriate time. There's been good and bad times already this month, some of them seemed to overlap but overall good is winning out (i hope). I've started working on new music. I've found a new way to work in which i work out tittles first then start creating the actual music, it kind of gives me more of a plan to work to. I've also been writing lyrics, but still too scared to pick up that guitar, plenty of time for going back to that world. The quotes are from The Get Up Kids if anyone is interested. I got to see them at the kingston reunion show last year, which was plainly amazing, especially as i'd also seen them before they split a few times.
I was going to write a to do list in this blog, but i've forgotten what i was going to include. I know i want to put out a DFFSS album and maybe a couple of EPs. I think that's attainable. I also want to get back to playoing guitar, see if that still works. Again, i'm sure i can reach that. DJing wise, i've already got exiting stuff either happening there or in the pipeline so that's all good. Personal life, well that's just going to have to happen on it's own, every so often i'll try to push for something to happen and hope it works ok. "Everything will work out fine" in the words of The Get Up Kids (that was great on NYE). This blog is starting to meander out of control so i'll stop now and be back when i have something concrete to say and leave you with another quote.

"That i should stare at receivers to receive isn't fair, don't worry i'll catch you...... no need for reminding....."

dffss

End of year blog (of sorts)

2010-01-01T19:38:00.004Z

"It's the end of the year
I have just settled here
It may not be much, but it's enough"

So i'm sat here listening to punk tracks in preparation for a leatherface gig at the cocks [i started writing this piece mid december]. It's gonna be messy! I'm tired from yesterdays 11 hour day selling xmas trees, pondering a proper soak in the bath and also trying to sum up the year. As 2008 kicked into 2009 as i stood on a balcony releasing balloons and confetti onto a rammed dancefloor in kingston i got a text from a friend wishing me happy new year and telling me the coming year would be the best year. I've had a lot of points this year when i truly didn't believe that statement but a fair few when it's sentiment rung true. I guess at it's heart it's just a message of positivity for the future. "Your future's not been written yet" as Doc Brown said in Back To The Future part III.
Music wise i've got to see loads of great gigs this year, january alone saw The Steal, Ugly Duckling, White Lies, Frank Turner, Kris Roe, Bomb The Music Industry and Hot Damn to name but a few top moments. I got to be warm up DJ for Jack Penate and Jamie T (sort of!), saw bands such as The Get Up Kids, Freindly Fires, Fight Like Apes, The Maccabees, Shook Ones, Slow Club, Dananananaykroyd, Example, Broadway Calls, The Holloways, Johnny Foreigner and The Xcerts all play amazing local shows. I also saw lots of new bands to get exited about Slingshot Dakota, Swanton Bombs, The Heebiejeebies, Algernon Cadwallader, Youves and Findo Gask are just some of my faveourite moments. I saw bands like The King Blues, Golden Silvers and Mumford & Sons finally break through onto daytime radio and seen The Skints, Tellison, Luke Leighfield and Our Time Down Here go from stength to strength.
On a personal note i've had one amazing relationship, made loads of great new friends and done at least 52 remixes(some good, some bad and some just strange). I also made and released my first album, took a while but finally got there. The last couple of months have been a bit bad, making acquaintances of people best steered clear of and loosing some friends who i truly care about. Thanks to all of those that stuck by me. Kind of lost sight of who i was, even though i'm not sure who that was to start with.
Anyway to sum up i guess those words still ring true, we should all stay positive for the future, you never know what's around the corner. See you on the other side.

Dave / DFFSS

P.S. there is probably only going to be one more blog post that'll get shown on my facebook notes, i'm sure most people are bored of it by now so if you've read this far and want to keep up with them you'll have to do so at

A choice of three

2009-12-13T11:37:00.002Z

Yes people, the last Remixfight of the year is up for you perusal. There are only 3 entries this time around so it shouldn't take much time for you all to have a quick listen and vote. Italian ska into house music via 3/4 time d'n'b is how my entry rolled this month. Sorry this is a short post but expect a big end of year post in the next few days.

DFFSS

It's here

2009-11-08T13:56:00.003Z

The new Remixfight is up, so head over there and vote for me!! Although, i've not listened to the other entries yet, so they could all be amazing and mine might sound like a sock draw full of mice in comparison. If that's the case, vote for them!

Whoop!

DFFSS

Ends and Starts

2009-10-19T17:07:00.003+01:00

Things start. Things end. Things start again.........

I've been meaning to write this blog for a while now, every since the last Dartz! gig in september. They are one of those bands i'd known from the start due to me meeting Henry at a gig in Middlesbrough year ago, when he handed me a demo by his old band. There have been a few bands over the years who's first and last gigs i've witnessed. The Steal are another such band, who played their last gig a week before Dartz! last. I remember chatting to Dave about them forming when he used to live around the corner from me. We'd bumped into one another at the 24hour Tesco and on the way back he told me about his idea for a new band. He'd already talked to Rich about being involved and wanted to get Lindsay on board too. Both of these bands show, that just from little conversations, of the "let's start a band" type or even just letting people know you're going to form a band gives you more incentive. A snowball or cycle if you will. When i first started writing music, i wanted to do electronic music, mainly inspired by The KLF. I liked their big ideas and concepts, something which has stayed with me and buoyed me to make 101thoughts. Going back to those early days, all we could afford was a guitar, an amp, 1 mic and a 2 to 1 adapter to pug both the guitar and mic into the amp. Music made through necessity, i've always liked that.
So is the fact that i'm now making electronic music the end of the cycle or is it still going round? Answers on a postcard please

DFFSS

Q4

2009-10-13T20:21:00.003+01:00

So, it's getting cold and dark outside, but at least there's some decent music around again. First up the new LP from Parasites. Good time pop-punk from the US in the vein of Face To Face with a touch of The Replacements about them. There are various vinyl colours available from Unless You Try Records (Banquet also have copies if you wanna save on postage). Unless you try have also put out a great 10" from Atlantic/Pacific, well worth a check out too. There was loads of other stuff i was gonna talk about, but that can wait for another time.

DFFSS

Finished Stuff

2009-10-08T18:32:00.003+01:00

So the new remixfight went live today. Only 3 mixes this time around (including me!) but i guess the source material wasn't the easiest. I've already posted my reviews, which is a shock for those that know how slack i am at such things.

Also today, i finished my remix for Fiona Lynch of her track "Change Your Ways". You can check the original out below (or, with some other mixes here

My remix can be heard at my fan page on Facebook (are you a fan yet?). I sent Fiona a copy and she's pleased with it, which is always an honour, having the original artist liking your work.

All in all, a good day, DFFSS

No Contact

2009-10-02T20:12:00.003+01:00

Since saturday night our house has had no internet, something to do with non payment or something. Also on saturday, my phone decided it was time to give up. Currently, i'm sat here at 9AM on a monday morning waiting for my new phone to be delivered. I'd luckily ordered it online in the middle of last week. It's strange how you don't realise how much you rely on the internet and text messages until you are left with neither. I mean, it's not like i get loads of text messages per day or anything, but it's nice to know the option is there. There's been a couple of moments when i've felt the need to message a friend about a band, but not had the technology. One such band i feel the need to tell the world about is The Very Best, a collaboration between the production team of Radioclit and african singer Esau Mwamwaya. They met in london when Esau brought a bike off of one of the Radioclit team, then, after an exchange of a mixtape they ended up working together. They had already released a free mixtape on their myspace page (which is still available i think) that shows off the production skills to a tee. Now Moshi Moshi have released a CD over here, which i'm sure will feature in my end of year list. There will be interest from the indie kids as Ezra from Vampire Weekend and Architecture In Helsinki both feature as guests on the album, as does M.I.A. From my humble point of view, the whole album is a winner and i can see myself playing loads off it at Sundae Session. Here's the video for their Architecture In Helsinki collaboration "Kamphopo"

DFFSS

P.S. My phone didn't arrive until thursday, which was the same day as the internet returned

Back to the music

2009-09-17T18:17:00.005+01:00

So, after my rant a few days back i guess i 'd better get back to chatting more about music. It's a busy next few days, with lots going on, so pay attention! First up we have Kid Harpoon and Katie Malco playing New Slang tonight. Both act from the singer-songwriter school of rock and of course the usual indie/alternative DJ sets (some people may be pleased to know my residency is over in that particular dj booth). Tomorrow night at the peel hardcore punk legendsPaint It Black play with an outstanding support line up. Sadly part of this line up is The Steal's last ever gig. Get in the pit to give them a good send off! It's strange to think it was only a few years back, whilst chatting to Dave House on the way back from a 24 hour tesco at 3 in the morning he mentioned about starting a new band. I think at that point he even had Rich in mind to play drums and to get Lindsay involved too. Ah, the memories of the KT5 rock triangle!

Saturday night is gonna be a big one;

Click on the banner for more info. I'm gonna be in Room 3 playing 90's indie/britpop stuff. First 100 people in free, so get there early.

That's enough typing for now, DFFSS

You say you like music*

2009-09-15T21:37:00.003+01:00

I had a strange revelation the other day. For someone who makes music, DJ's and writes a music based blog, i don't listen to that much music! I mean, on an average day, i'll get up, listen to my MP3 player on the way to work. Then, at work, i'll listen to the radio. Sometimes this will be capital (same 15-20 songs repeated ad infinitum), sometimes Radio 2 (well worth it on a sunday for the crazy loon that is Elaine Paige, proper bonkers) or, if i'm at the small shop, i'll listen to Radio 1 or CDs. Then MP3s on the way home again. I guess the reason for the lack of music in my day to day life is that i buy most of my stuff on vinyl. I'll tend to give it a quick listen before i buy and then it goes into my DJing pile (to be played out) or my 'to listen to' pile if it's not dancefloor friendly. Now, the records i DJ with, i'll tend to play just the lead track (if it's a single) or maybe a choice of 2 or 3 tracks off an album. This tends to mean b-sides and other album tracks just don't get a listen and my 'to listen to' pile is getting bigger by the week. When i have a night in i usually end up working on my own music or just watching TV. I'm finding more and more when i'm out i'll go up to a DJ to ask what he's playing only to discover it's something i bought a few days before. THIS HAS TO STOP! Right now i'm listening to an import by TheDeathSet that i bought off Steve ages ago. I'd only listened to one track on it before tonight, although a lot of the tracks made it onto the UK album. Before that i listened to the new P.O.S LP (out this week, well worth a check, especially if you like your sage francis styled hip hop with a bit of punk thrown into the mix). I'm off to listen to more music now (or maybe go to bed as it's getting late).

DFFSS

*the title of this post is from the Gavin Osborn song "There's An Awful Lot Wrong With A Little Bump n Grind" you can find it on lastFM here. Well worth checking the rest of his stuff too.

Busy weekend

2009-09-06T12:52:00.004+01:00

Another day, another post for me to enjoy writing and for no one to read. It's a busy weekend this one! Went to see Broadway Calls last night at the cocks, my throat, screwed up knee and still sweaty t-shirt are testament to how good a show it was. The Don Ramos Players played an amazing support set as well, good to hear new stuff from them. I guess i should have got there early to see All Or Nothing but i failed there! All these bands defiantly worth checking out if you like your punk with fists in the air positivity.

Tonight me and krip DJ at bacchus, at our once a month shindig into beat heavy tunes. It's quite a mixed bag and i will at some point do a minimix so you can hear the kind of stuff we play, but suffice to say it involves krip playing everything from reggae to the who and me playing stuff from MIA to donna summer and scratching art of noise over everything. Fun times indeed!

Also at some point this weekend i need to start remixing groove based Hungarian gypsies Nomada for the latest remixfight.

To level myself out, i'm off to a horse show in a bit, get my head back to normal

Have a good weekend, whatever you're up to, DFFSS

nothing to see hear, move along

2009-08-31T19:34:00.003+01:00

And once again weeks go by, with no new posts from me. Although strangely this does not cause the end of the world or even mild uproar! Ah well.

So those that aren't aware the CCmixter summer mixup is, erm, up for your perusal. The idea being, you sign up, then get to remix one of the other competitors in secret. Kind of like a secret santa but with other peoples audio. I found this really fun (despite my laptop corrupting the first track i did, maybe it was trying to tell me something?)

That's all i can think of right now, back soon hopefully, DFFSS

Well........

2009-08-14T21:28:00.003+01:00

It's a friday night and i'm sat at home watching tele and writing on my blog. The fun life i lead :) In other news, i've been working on my CCmixup, you know me, always up for a challenge. Bit like a secret santa for the mixter community, click on the link if you want to know more.

Hope you're having a more fun friday night than me :)

DFFSS

Remixes ahoy!

2009-08-05T21:03:00.003+01:00

So, as you should have checked by now, the new Remixfight is up. It's a track called 'Bad' by some guy called Michael J. !!! Now, i'll be honest, i was never a massive MJ fan, just because he's died, i'm not gonna change my mind. So i guess i approached this remix with a certain degree of un-care. This approach can sometimes be the best when it comes to remixing a massive pop hit, i mean it's not as if you can make it more poppy! Other than that, i'm working on quite a few different remixes for people with a couple of interesting commissions around the corner. Also working on some new stuff of mine as well. I've been getting into using dubstep type rhythms but at a more hip hop tempo (90bpm-ish). I'm liking the openness of those rhythms as opposed to the shove everything in approach i normally take.

Anyhoo, enough babble from me

DFFSS

Wild Style

2009-07-29T20:52:00.005+01:00

Been listening to the wildstyle soundtrack today. Thought i'd share this vid with you, enjoy

DFFSS

Almost forgot.....

2009-07-20T10:27:00.000+01:00

New remixfight is up!!

DFFSS

I am........................

2009-07-20T09:28:00.003+01:00

I realised something the other night. The fact that i am an arsehole! At least when it comes to music that is. I've discovered that i tend to DJ with the mentality that "i think this is great,it is great, why are you not dancing". I know DJing relies a lot on the crowd and how far through the night it is, but i found it strange the other night when i played "shake a fist" by hot chip and it cleared the floor. The fact that someone, who wasn't dancing, came up and requested "ready for the floor" whilst "shake a fist" was playing should have told me something. That is, i guess, that people don't want to discover new music, they want to be told about it. But even then, they want to rely on the same source to tell them what is good. Now, this won't apply to everyone, there are still some people who have an insatiable hunger for the new, but sadly, these people are not always out on a Friday or Saturday night. My Saturday disaster in the DJ booth was probably made worse by the fact that my mixing was awful that night as well as my selection of tunes, but it defiantly served as a wake up call. I've just started reading Bill Drummond's book "The 17". Those that don't know who Bill Drummond is check out his wikipedia page, but he's probably most famous for being in the KLF back in the early 90's. The book centres around the fact that recorded music is redundant, that we have become so overrun with music, that it's lost its value. A large percentage of the population will just download things off the internet for free as opposed to going out and buying a physical copy. I've been at the forefront of this in my old band when manning the merch stall. We were playing a gig up in Middlesbrough, when a kid came up to the merch table, then the conversation went something lie this;

Kid (pointing at our mini-album); "Is this the only release you have?"
Me (smiling); "It is, did you want a copy?
Kid; "Nah, i'll just get it off the net"
Me(to myself); "Well thanks, i wasn't too bothered about eating anyway!"

Very frustrating, although i guess it's part of the reason for the resurgence of limited edition boxsets. I mean, who's gonna bother with just a CD copy of an album when they can get the music online. But offer them something that can't be downloaded and maybe you have a chance. The recent Franz Ferdinand boxset is defiantly worth checking out for just that reason. Not only do you get the normal CD, but you get a dub versions CD, a very insightful documentary "making of" DVD, the whole album on jukebox 7"s, a special dink for playing the 7"s and a hardback book with lyrics, credits and some amazing photos and it's so worth it. The vinyl junkie in me is happy and i have the CDs for DJing with (better for my back!). Job is a goodun'. I guess it's all about personal service and giving that something extra. Strangely, the same night in Middlesbrough, i was asked if we had posters for sale. We didn't, so i promptly drew one myself, now there's something you can't download!

My thought process is running away, where was i? Ah, yes, discovery! Even those in search of new music will hit the internet, but a lot will go no further than page 1 of hype machine. Even those clicking the "read full post" link to take them to the blog in question will just scroll down and hit the download link they wanted, not bothering to read the post let alone the rest of the blog. I know we live busy lives, but surley whilst the track is downloading, you can take some time to read what the blogger has taken time to write. You may even discover that the blogger has a similar taste in music and by adding their page to you favorites or following using RSS or whatever, you might discover amazing new music before it hits hype machine, making you the cool kid you always wanted to be!

Anyway, rant over, i'm off to grab some food and go to an actual record store (remember them from before the internet?)

Take care, DFFSS

it's been a long time..................

2009-06-25T20:24:00.003+01:00

.......i shouldn't have left you.........

So yeah, it's been a total age since my last post, over a month in fact!!!! First off the important stuff. The new Remixfight is up, in fact it's been up since the beginning of the month. Listens (and votes) are why we all do what we do. I'm almost at 50 fights in a row on there, a fact i didn't realise until someone mentioned it on the forum.

So why so long between posts, i hear the voices in my head ask. To be honest, i'm not sure. Just my terrible time management as ever i guess, too many distractions in life (some better than others :)). I'm working on getting a more hardware based setup together, partly for playing live and partly as a new way of working. More news on that as it comes. I'm also trying to get my new club night a bit more sorted, narrow down the music policy a bit more. The closest i've come to a proper music policy is "danceable beats", i guess it could be worse :)

Anyway, i'm gonna try and be more active in all areas of life, off for a night of dancing now at new slang!!

DFFSS

Time of the month

2009-05-04T19:04:00.003+01:00

Er, yes! It's time to give your ears a treat and take a stroll over to Remixfight. Fair few number of entries this month, including my 48th remix in a row for remixfight. Oh yes, do the math! That probably explains a lot about me and my life. Spending hours doing crazy tight edits on small snippets of audio. And some people wonder why i'm single :)
I must admit i did rush the mix a bit this month, took ages to decide on the style i was going for. Got there in the end though. Go and enjoy and, if you get time, try to vote (even if it's not for me). It's always nice to know what people think of these remixes.

over and out for now, DFFSS

Mercy me

2009-05-03T01:24:00.004+01:00

Thought i'd post this up for the few people that haven't actually heard it yet. Yes it's a cover of the Duffy track, yes some lazy people have said it's been ronsin-ized, but i think it's an amazing slice of northern soul styled funk! So there....

Also, quick thought for the night. I wrote 101 thoughts about dealing with fears but i now spend a lot of time checking to see if it's being listened to at all. Am i now scared of obscurity?

DFFSS

Spooky Cash Action

2009-04-28T22:47:00.003+01:00

Found this online a few days back, it's a remix (and by that i mean "remixed to the extreme") of Johnny Cash's "Hurt", itself a cover of aNIN song, by Phil RetroSpector. So stop what you're doing for 7 minutes and 17 seconds & absorb yourself fully in this little beauty.

Still Hurtin - Johnny Cash Remix from Phil RetroSpector on Vimeo.

Thanks for reading/listening, DFFSS

Stuff to do

2009-04-27T20:56:00.003+01:00

In short list form;

1) Go to see SAM ISAAC, JACOB'S STORIES, MY FIRST TOOTH & KATIE MALCO play live on Tuesday at the Peel in Kingston. Fun Pop times assured!

Facebook Event here!

2)If you haven't already go become a fan of Banquet Records. Fun Music times assured!

3)on a personal note i need to finish my remix of Mystic Fields for Remixfight. It's due Friday and my remix has gone through about 3 or 4 different styles so far, i hope something sticks!

4) Still on the personal, i need to sort loads of personal stuff out, but that news is best left for another time.....

Music wise, i thought i'd leave you with a couple of gems from Say Anything First off we have the hit! I only got around to getting this album recently, having picked up the 2 disc edition from Banquet a couple of weeks back.

Next, an acoustic version of Admit It. I love the honesty of this track (as i do with the whole album) There's a lot of lessons to learn.

Enough for today, DFFSS

so..............

2009-04-24T01:28:00.002+01:00

i was gonna write a blog when i got in tonight, i had all the words planned and everyything, but now it hardly seems worth writing what i was going to write. I should put that energy into something else. music i guess!!

Nothing to see hear, move on

DFFSS

Ape shall never kill ape

2009-04-22T23:55:00.006+01:00

Another video to get you through. I saw this band play at last years B & J Sundae mini festival thingy. It was silly hot that day, it has to be said and me and Frankie spent a lot of time trying to find shade. Anyway, back to the band. Fight like ape, go buy their album now (or as soon as you can). It is amazing, i know it Henry Dartz knows it and so should you. Imagine a noisier Le tigre bitching and self referencing. Or at least that's how it sounds in my head!! Enjoy

Fight like apes Myspace

DFFSS

Sundae Session

2009-04-20T11:39:00.003+01:00

So last night was fun, i never thought i'd mix black eyed peass with buckcherry, but it happened!!!! On to music hope this song gets you through monday morning.

This track has been a staple of my DJ sets since it came out on 7" a while back. They have an EP too which i must remember to buy today!

Visit first aid kit on Myspace

DFFSS

New decisions

2009-04-15T22:15:00.005+01:00

OK so here's some new decisions i've made;

1) This blog has very few (if any) regular readers, so i've decided i can write about stuff without offending anyone! So all those mindless rants at 3AM are gonna get published. If anyone was reading this, i'd say "you lucky people!!"

2)101thoughts is getting a full release in November. It's going to be a CD-r release of 101 copies with handmade artwork. Details of how to get copies i'll let you know nearer the release date. Up until then you can still stream the whole album on LastFM and now on Virb.

I've just realised that i'm still writting this blog as if people are reading, hmmmmmmm

DFFSS

Remix Time again

2009-04-04T20:16:00.002+01:00

Whoop whoop, oh yes indeed, it's time again for a new Remixfight. As if you didn't know that was coming by now!
Best get back to the other remixes i've got on the boil at the mo

DFFSS

hahahahahahahahahaha

2009-03-25T22:03:00.001Z

+3,300% listens on lastFM OH MY!!!!!!!!!!!

That is all for now

DFFSS

101 thoughts

2009-03-16T22:27:00.003Z

So 101 thoughts is all done, you can stream all the tracks on last fm here. Release date for the CD version is still to be finalised but i'll keep you informed.

DFFSS

Ohh facebook

2009-03-16T15:16:00.000Z

You can now be a fan of DFF Sound System on Facebook

Go here

DFFSS

One

2009-03-10T00:45:00.002Z

One more track to go! on 101thoughts that is. Should get this done tomorrow, the mix/master time.

I'll probably change the mix from the mp3 versions that are about to make it flow a bit better and i may even change one or two titles as well.

DFFSS

That time again!

2009-03-06T20:31:00.002Z

The new Remixfight is up and running and this fight is bat-tastic! That is to say they are all remixes of Christian Bale's rant (which i feel was justified) on the terminator 4 set.
So get over there and get listening/voting

DFFSS

Sundae

2009-03-05T23:31:00.003Z

All i'm saying at the mo is keep this sunday 8th march free if you're anywhere near Kingston. More to follow but it shouldn't be too hard to work out........................

DFFSS

Self indulgant i know

2009-02-15T14:46:00.003Z

101 thoughts is almost done. 3 tracks left to write then it's time to master it and let it out to the world.

In other news check out Dan le sac's blog for a top little mix he did for BBC Asian Network. Good times.

DFFSS

Well lookie here

2009-02-05T12:12:00.000Z

The new Remixfight is up!

That is all.

DFFSS

Yes, it's f**king political

2009-01-25T13:18:00.003Z

So , i'm off on a political rant again!!! The UK government want to set up a superdatabase to keep track of all our emails. Check this facebook group out for more info (or head to this website)

Although as this is supposed to be a music blog, check this

Skunk Anansie - Yes it's F**king political

It's a bit of a strange version a mate sent through to me. I remember years ago when the album came out, a radio one DJ played this mid afternoon (i think it may have been Simon Mayo). I guess he put the album CD into the player instead of their single.

DFFSS

Tellison remixed

2009-01-22T22:45:00.003Z

Missed out on getting mine done in time but still worth checking (probably more so seeing as my glitch and bass doesn't feature!!!)

Tellison Remixed

DFFSS

Action

2009-01-16T22:20:00.002Z

Couple of important items.

First up, from the horses mouth;

It has been brought to attention that the government wish to consider it a legal requirement in the new tax year to introduce laws insisting anyone applying or re-applying for an entertainment license must have a noise control device fitted to the venue. This will be the final NAIL for ALL entertainment in the UK as the level at which these devices CUT you off is dreadfully low and damaging.

PLEASE DO NOT INTRODUCE THIS LAW, WE LOVE LIVE MUSIC!

Apparently the limit will be 96db (about the volume of an un-miked drum kit, so pretty low). I've witnessed venues with these limiters and they do kick in at ridiculously low volumes!!!!!!!!

Click HERE
The deadline is 23rd of jan

Next up (and quoting because i'm not too good with words);

"The 696 Form compels licensees who wish to hold live music events in 21 London Boroughs to report to the police the names, addresses, aliases and telephone numbers of performers, and most worryingly, the likely ethnicity of their audience. Failure to comply could result in fines or imprisonment. We believe this places unnecessary and frankly Orwellian powers in the hands of the Metropolitan Police, an institution which does not have the best record of racial fairness. The 696 form can only serve to deter the staging of live musical events - a positive form of activity in London and all cities - stifle free expression and quite possible penalise certain genres of music and ethnic audiences. It is an intrusion too far"

Link is HERE

Stand up for your rights and the rights of live music

DFFSS

Whoop whoop

2009-01-07T22:07:00.003Z

Thought it was about time i wowed you with another of my productions. Taken from the forthcoming CD release 101thoughts, you can download it from below.

DFF Sound System - Pent up hang up (zShare link)

Enjoy, DFFSS

Best of 2008

2009-01-06T20:33:00.004Z

Should have posted about this end of last month really. If you check here you can read my best of 2008 that the lovely people at Banquet Records asked me to do. Just so you're not too confused it's listed under my Tall Dave alias!!!

DFFSS (or Td if you'd prefer)

Fight time

2009-01-05T18:24:00.001Z

It's that time again. The latest fight is up for your aural pleasure at Remixfight. I got another joint win last time so hopefully i'm on a roll!!!!

DFFSS

New Years Eve

2008-12-30T22:25:00.003Z

If you're still stuck for something to do.

Tickets from here
(collection only)

DFFSS

Remix action

2008-12-04T19:50:00.001Z

It's the beggining of the month, guess what?

New REMIXFIGHT, that's what. You should know the drill by now. I came joint 1st last month so i'm hoping this months effort can get at least one vote

Go, now

Now

yes you, now

DFFSS

For Those not paying attention

2008-11-27T19:27:00.002Z

I've been working on 101thoughts again as you can see from the list on the left, hopefully i should have it all done this side of christmas. No music in this blog. If you want some of that head over to Remixfight and don't forget to vote if you haven't already. Talking of which, i better get my latest effort ready

DFFSS

Go now!!

2008-11-23T19:11:00.004Z

................ to here and have a listen to the new Though shalt always edit with De la soul. Great stuff!

Then go here and be amazed.

Then go here and be amazed again.

Then eat some fruit, because fruit is nice, tasty and good for you.

DFFSS

Damn you

2008-11-16T20:02:00.001Z

ok, i've just noticed BT seemed to of blocked zShare again, i'm gonna spend tomorrow uploading stuff to another host.

Fun

DFFSS

Hot Tracks (on fire)

2008-11-16T19:07:00.005Z

Time for a themed post, methinks. First up we have Burning Metro from Buenos Aires, Argentina. They mix many styles including post-hardcore, jazz and rock, but my description does not do them justice. I've been meaning to post up some tracks from them for a while now. Listen, enjoy and then realise they're one of you're new favorite bands. Then tell me i'm right.

Burning Metro - Wine and what comes with it

Burning Metro - Turbinas

This brings me onto German band Pale who, for some reason, Burning Metro remind me of. I remember seeing them play many years ago in Kingston and buying 2 LP's by them that night. They are records that still sound great today, with the bands mix of rock, mod and emo influences. I was lucky enough to play with them a few years later when my old band supported them in London. A night i'll never forget.

Pale - Home Is Lost (When I'll Be Back in Your Heart)

(OK the fire link is tenuous, but you could lose your home in a fire!)

Finally for this post we have Hot Damn from down on the Brighton coast. Instrumental post rock landscapes some might say, i know i would.

Hot Damn - I Am Your Raft Commander... ...You Will Do As I Say

Enjoy, DFFSS

Stuff

2008-11-12T21:01:00.004Z

Long time no blog! As ever, it being near the begining of the month, the new
Remixfight is up!! Whoop whoop. And i already got a vote for my mix! Whoop again!!

all for now, DFFSS

As requested

2008-10-20T00:16:00.005+01:00

The title may change, but i thought i'd post one of my fave tracks that i play early on in my DJ sets. It's by Regina Spektor who's voice is simply amazing. The original of this track can be heard on her website radio player but it's well worth tracking down any of her stuff. This amazing remix was done by Morgan Page. Well worth checking out his other work too.

Regina Spektor - Fidelity (Morgan Page Unreleased Remix) [zShare]

DFFSS

I'm home again

2008-10-05T13:01:00.003+01:00

Ah yes, back from the wilds of Scotland. Lots of exiting stuff to report. First things first though, the new Remixfight is up. A big whole 11 entries to listen to this month, so get those voting fingers ready!!!

Also a few new tracks of mine to report on as well, but there are a few things to tidy up first, so you'll have to wait.

DFFSS

Na na, na na na, na na

2008-09-17T20:31:00.004+01:00

or words to that effect.

I've been meaning to post this track for ages, i can get a bit slack with internet type updates sometimes. It's been a staple of my disco donkey sets since i discovered it. Anyway this is what you get when you mix phantom menace with drum and bass;

Xtreemice Wars Star

It's also worth checking the video

Also star wars related is this remix from snobots of the capital letter hating mc chris;

mc chris "Fett's Vette" (Snobots Remix) zShare link

Enjoy, DFFSS

Remixfight

2008-09-14T21:40:00.002+01:00

It should be in you diary already, but for those that don't know the new Remixfight is up for your perusal. Someone out there has voted for me already, crazy

DFFSS

A thought

2008-08-29T23:09:00.002+01:00

I've noticed i've been getting a bit rock orientated with my posts.

It's donkey tomorrow so i guess i should get on the dance vibe.

I'm tired now.

DFFSS

zShare vs the uk

2008-08-17T11:26:00.004+01:00

Hmmm, as regular readers will know, i tend to use zShare to host tracks and as some people in the UK will have no doubt noticed it was blocked by a lot of UK ISPs the other week. I particularly enjoyed the fact that no announcement was made about this!!!!!! BT seemed to have unblocked it now but who knows for how long. Due to this a couple of the MP3s on my blog are unavailable at the moment. I'm thinking of transferring all the files to sharebee of another hosting site over the next couple of days.

Also, a quick reminder to go and vote on the latest Remixfight. What with the Olympics underway and the situation with Russia, human rights are more important than ever. Also please try and leave a short review here

Ta, DFFSS

I Declare!

2008-08-03T11:03:00.002+01:00

So the new Remixfight is up. It's the universal declaration of human rights as read by david barnes from Libravox Get downloading, get voting and maybe even get chatting on the forum.

That's all for now, i'm very tired from Disco Donkey last night

DFFSS

Mmmmmm Ice Cream

2008-07-27T09:39:00.003+01:00

Oh Yes indeed! I'm off to the Ben and jerry's Sundae today. Lots of live music from Ash, Lemonheads, Get cape. wear cape. fly, Slowclub and more. Also there is free ice cream (and some other stuff)
Any way, here's some ash for you to enjoy

Ash - I started a fire (Zshare link)

DFFSS

Wake Up Wednesday

2008-07-16T21:24:00.004+01:00

The second in a series of what may well be 2. I thought i'd introduce you to The Dauntless Elite. There a punk band from leeds who include ex members of Joe Ninety and Fig 4.0. Style wise the're close to Snuff and leatherface but will also apeal to fans of lawrence arms and their ilk (although it's fair to say they took a leaf out the leatherface book to start with). Enjoy then head out and buy Graft or check out thier amazing live show. It'll be the sing-a-long of your life!!

I am Ninja, My Life is Lonely and Difficult (Zshare)

DFFSS

Wake up it's monday morning

2008-07-14T10:23:00.003+01:00

so, i've not posted any music up for a while and it struck me this morning that i've not mentioned yes sir! mister machine yet in these pages. There one of those bands that sprung out from the myriad of myspace friend requests and scince getting hold of there music it's not been off my generic mp3 player! They're mainly based in the relms of hardcore but also dable in disco beats (without using samples or such like) and have a knack for coming up with those one liners that can be repeated over and over without boredom (you know kinda like brand new do). They also remind me of small brown bike in places, which is most definately a good thing. So download and enjoy the first track off thier EP below and then head to thier myspace and download "once more for matt roberts!" for free off their player.

the coast of arms (ataraxia bomb) - (Zshare)

DFFSS

Disco Donkey

2008-07-06T22:54:00.008+01:00

So, as you may know (and some of you may even care), i DJ at bacchus in kingston for the first couple of hours of disco donkey. Last nights set of mine iwas as follows;

Bloc Party "The Pioneers" (M83 remix)

Tokyo police club "Tessellate" (Tom Campesinos! Remix)

Friendly Fires "Photobooth"

Shout Out Louds "Tonight I Have To Leave It" (Kleerup Remix)

Arcade Fire "Black Mirror" (Team9 Remix)

frYars "happY"

The Helmholtz Resonators "La La"

Altum Schema "The Mould WIll Slowly Burn"

Son Of Dave "So good, So wrong"

The Mae Shi "Run To The Facts" (Remix by Yea Big, feat. Kid Static)

Will Smith Vs Mr Trick "Nod Ya Head" (Noddin' Black Mix)

Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop 8-BIT Style"

mc chris "Go Robot"

DJ Downfall "I am The Resurrection"

mc chris "Fett's Vette" (Snobots Remix)

XtreemIce "Star wars drum and bass remix"

The Qemists "Iron Shirt"

Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip "Look For The Woman" (DJ Yoda Remix)

Regina Spektor "Fidelity (Morgan Page Remix)"

The King Blues "Mr Music Man" (Project Serendipity Remix)

Soulja Boy "Crank Dat" (Travis Barker remix)

Litterthugz "Donkey Punch"

Stab "Renagade Glitcher"

Krafty Kuts "Stop The Nonesense"

Madonna "4 Minutes" (DJ Illo’s Stutter Mix)

Vampire Weekend "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" (Superprince Edit) Shawn Ryan/Peter Dragontail

James Yuill "She Said In Jest"

D*kline & Red Polo “Booty Beggin” (Defkline & Red Polo edit)

CSS "Alala" (Bonde Do Role Remix)

MIA "Bucky Done Gun" (Billion Dollar Djs

Wave Machines "I Go I Go I Go"

Alphabeat "Fasination"

Kelis "Milkshake"

I may at some point add some explanation for what i played

DFFSS

That time again

2008-07-02T20:20:00.004+01:00

Ah yes the new Remixfight is up. Nice!!

Also on a remixfight tip, the next fight is gonna be a rework of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights read by David Barnes from the Libravox site. Very topical i think you'll find

DFFSS

I'm not too fast at updates..

2008-06-15T19:00:00.003+01:00

So anyway, the new Remixfight is up, Get over there and download (or stream if that's your thing) the multitude of mixes. Don't forget to do some voting.

I listen to.............

2008-05-26T19:05:00.005+01:00

Far too much to list here and now but some of my latest faves are.....

James Yuill

Picked up his "No Surprise" 7" at banquet a while back and played it pretty much every time i DJ. Then saw him play live a few weeks ago and picked up his latest CD. Live, the best way i can describe him is like Erlend Øye jamming with the Chemical Brothers, utterly amazing!!!

No Surprise (Zshare)

She Said In Jest (Zshare)

Don Ramos Players

I like this band more every time i see them. They encompass the best bits of bands like hot water music and write the kind of songs you find yourself humming when you least expect it.

Red & Blue (Zshare)

New Western(Zshare)

enjoy, DFFSS

Download action

2008-05-19T11:31:00.004+01:00

Yeah boy!!! I've popped a mini release thingy up onto z-share for you all to enjoy, It's basically the release that's up on my last.fm page. A bit complicated having the download here, i know. But i wanted to include artwork and stuff. I'm new to this, OK.

Any way hope you enjoy, the link is below.

DFF Sound System - MPThrice (zip file) (z-share) (mediafire)

DFFSS

Almost forgot

2008-05-09T23:10:00.002+01:00

Don't forget to go check the latest Remixfight. I'll add some more to this post when i'm more awake

DFFSS

101 list

2008-04-27T22:40:00.003+01:00

As you can see, i've added a work in progress track list for 101 thoughts on the left hand side of the page. It's mainly so i can keep track of where i am. Also i've got some links up for some of my other sites. I now have a whole 3 track album up to stream on Last FM.

Gadzooks

A New Concept

2008-04-21T22:44:00.003+01:00

Ok so the idea has changed. I'm no longer looking at 101 tracks, but each track will be 1m01s long. A more finite approach and destination will follow. I finished a second track tonight but it will not be track 2. At the moment i will just keep forming tracks until the vision is complete, then maybe make 101 CDr's. I may well find that not even 1 person wants a copy, who knows.

New Track

2008-04-20T23:32:00.007+01:00

So i've got some music of sorts up here. I have a concept, 101 tracks as a way of dealing with life (room 101 and all that). So here is the first.

DFF Sound System - allthisrightnow (zshare) (mediafire)

More soon hopefully

DFFSS

remix a go go

2008-03-03T21:12:00.006Z

So the new fight is up at Remixfight so that's worth checking out. It's of the grammer club. That's all i have to say, i think. Still a bit new to this blog malarkey!!! In other news, i'm working on a few new tracks, one called "deeper dus" which is a noisey weird synty thing, and a track of indie/rock breaks. now, that is all.