New video Beyonce & Lady Gaga

This is brilliant! Absolutely compulsive viewing. These ladies are tops!

This is 'Mega'!

Brand new, big club tune from the Count & Sinden, 'Mega'.

Dancing baby

This is brilliant! And I bet Kanye West could use this to prove his point, that 'Beyonce really did have the best video of 2009'. Even babies can see the power of it ; )

Some great dance remixes for your pleasure

Fun house (Digital Dog remix), Pink



Head will roll (Tiesto remix)- Yeah, yeah, yeahs



And a great mashup: Nelly Furtado versus MJ versus Timbaland, by Kings of Orange and the mashup monsters

James Hyman/Quentin Tarantino mashup movie trailer

Anyone who ever listened to my radioshow will know that I love mashups. And that love was ignited many years ago by James Hyman's old mashups on the Partyzone, called the Partyzone mega-mixes. He since released several brilliant mashup albums and has become a music consultant on many movies, including the Guy Ritchie movies. Here's a video version of his Quentin Tarantino mix-CD (please note...this is not approapriate viewing for young kids)

If there is still anyone out there who hasn't yet watched Susan Boyle's performance...watch it now!

This is amazing! I can't embed the clip, but watch the performance of Susan Boyle on 'Britain's got talent'.

Her performance has so far received 5 million hits on Utube (It's been taken off the site by now). Even Hollywood actress Demi Moore has joined the legions of fans who have voiced their support on the internet.

Ms Boyle, who is currently unemployed, is a keen church-goer and community worker who is well-known for her Karaoke performances. She has shared with the audience that 'she has never been kissed' and has dreamed of being a singer since the age of 12 (she is now 47)

Watch this uplifting clip now!

A sucker for your sound, I Monster

What an original promo! Done by New York-based director Mike Ritchie. The single 'Sucker for your sound' has just been released (17th of Jan) and is available on 7" vinyl and download format through the Twins of Evil label.

The I Monster website is brilliant too. Go check it out!

Hallelujah! Christmas number 1 and 2

In the UK there is always this big hooha about who will be 'the Christmas number one'. This year it is the beautiful Leonard Cohen track of the very appropriate name 'Hallelujah' (which some people will know as 'the Shrek song', strangely enough)

Not only is it number one though, but also number two. The version that is topping the charts is the version from Alexandra Burke, the winner of this year's X-Factor. Whilst the number two spot is held by the 1994 Jeff Buckley version of the song. I have always been a fan of the Jeff Buckley version. It's like the raw emotion is dripping off that one. So haunting and so beautiful.

I once had the pleasure of interviewing Jeff Buckley at Glastonbury festival and- like everyone else- his strange and untimely death came as a huge shock to me. He drowned in 1997 at the age of 30. The world lost a great and honest talent on that sad day. But I'm thrilled to see that a new generation of music lovers is discovering Jeff Buckley's music again.

Alexandra's version of the track is good too & with a performance like that, how could she not win the competition?




Sadly enough, they wouldn't let me embed the Jeff Buckley version. You actually will have to go to Utube to watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKnxmkOAj88

Merry Christmas everyone!

Is Coldplay's 'Viva la Vida' a rip-off?

Thanks to James Hyman for forwarding me this Utube link. Pretty convincing stuff, I'm afraid. So my bet is that this will cost Coldplay a lot of money as Viva la Vida does sound almost exactly like Joe Satriani's 'If I could fly'.



On the other hand, alternative band Creaky board also accused Coldplay of ripping off parts of Viva la vida from their track 'Songs I didn't write' (that title sounds almost like a piss-take of the situation, doesn't it?)

Creaky Boards later retracted the accusations and now speculate that both songs may have been inspired by the video game The Legend of Zelda (do you think they were given something to retract their claim?)

Click here to hear the comparison between those & more 'songs that sound like other songs'.

I actually believe that people do this stuff by accident. They start humming a melody they have heard somewhere, somehow & they think it's their own idea. It just has this 'familiar feel' to it (which is normally a good thing when you write a song). And- even when they aren't 100% sure that is an original idea- when they run it by other people and ask them if they've ever heard it before, those people all say no. Because the original is quite obscure. So, before you know it, you've ripped someone off. When you rip someone off knowingly, you make enough little changes to your song so no one can sue you (something Noel Galagher, for instance, is a star at ; )

Please tell me your verdict. Guilty or not?

BBC's Best of 2009 list is out. And it is brilliant!

Fifteen of the best rising music stars have been announced as the longlist for the BBC's Sound of 2009.

The list is designed to find the best up-and-coming acts for the coming year, with the winner to be named in January.

More than 130 of the UK's leading music critics and broadcasters named their favourite new acts, and the 15 with the most votes have made the longlist.

Adele triumphed at number one in Sound of 2008, followed by Duffy, The Ting Tings and Glasvegas.

To see and hear the 2009 list, click here

I've checked out all the acts and think most of them are really good. Still, let me pick my favorite three & share them with you here. They are the most pop and the most catchy of the list, I think. It is possible that after several listens, I may start to prefer others that simply take longer to grow on you. But this is my list as it stands. Please let me know which of the list are your personal favorits. I'm curious to know.



Frankmusik: Dance singer, remixer and all-round whizz-kid Vincent Frank creates high-energy robopop in which fast neon beats jump out of '80s-tinged tunes.

Frank has remixed tracks for the likes of Mika, Radiohead and CSS. His debut album, Complete Me, has been co-produced by Stuart Price, who has worked with The Killers, Madonna and Keane.




Currently the hottest new hip-hop artist in the US, Kid Cudi has signed to Kanye West's label, features on the star's new album and has been supporting him on tour.



New York party princess Lady GaGa is making waves in the US, where her infectious top 10 single Just Dance has just been nominated for a Grammy for best dance recording. She has also written songs for Britney Spears, Pussycat Dolls and New Kids on the Block.

So, that's my (pop) list. Do also check out Temper Trap, La Roux, Passion Pit, Florence & the machine, and Master Shortie. As I said, the whole list is great. The BBC rocks yet again!

Still available as free download: the new Prodigy single!

Invaders must die is the name of the new album from the Prodigy and the title track will be available as a free download from their site for a few more days. Don't miss it!

I have to admit, for a while I felt like Liam had 'lost himself' somehow and I wasn't as crazy about the stuff he had done in the last few years (I also have to admit that I haven't heard everything he has done in these last years. Maybe I missed a gem somewhere)

But anyway, if he did lose himself for while, he's back now! And so are the Prodigy! What a top tune. Can't wait to hear to hear the whole album. This is what they are all about. Gritty, dark, intense dance music that just blows your head off. And I can already imagine them onstage with this track.

Having seen thousands of live performances over the years, I think that Prodigy are the best live act ever!!!!! And- of course- also the best dance act ever!!! (anyone disagree with me on that one?)

Good to have you back, old Braintree posse.



Obviously, I have many good memories of the Prodigy as I used to spend a lot of time with them. I'll share some of my favorites in the coming days.

Will.i.am.'s new video: It's a new day

I'm having such a wonderful time in Holland. Always good to spend time with family and enjoy the snow (My little boy and I seem to be the only people who are enjoying it, after all these years in the tropics ; )

By the way, it's been crazy to see how many nineties parties there are all over Holland. I had thought that people were getting nostalgic, but had no idea to what level.

Well, I'm keeping it short today. Too busy enjoying my time back in this cold little country.

Enjoy this one. The ultimate feel-good tune and video: It's a new day!

Gym Class Heroes feat. Estelle, Guilty as charged

Gym Class Heroes and Estelle, you almost can't go wrong there. They are both great acts and together they are also great. No surprises.

The vid is a bit of a 'Sabotage' throw-back, but fitting to the style of the tune. Still, when you put both the videos together I think that 'Sabotage' is the better one. Hands down! Not only because it was the first video of its kind, but also because it has a natural sense of humour that this Gym Class one lacks. The Beasty Boys are just naturally funny.

But what do you think?

Regardless of which vid is the better one though, it's a good tune.

Latest BPA release: Seattle ft.Emmy the Great

I want to love this track, but I don't. I have always been a huge fan of Norman Cook's work and love some of the stuff that Emmy the Great has done, but this track just doesn't do it for me. Maybe I should say 'yet'. Maybe it will grow on me.

Of course, with the US election going on right now (no results in yet whilst I am writing this), the song is well-timed. And if Obama wins and the world feels optimistic again about the future of America, it will be even more fitting. We will have to wait and see.

Personally, I am looking forward to the general release of the track 'He's Frank' from BPA, featuring Iggy Pop. Now that's a good tune. I wonder if it will ever be released as a single.

Wamdue project, King of my castle 2009

Another club classic gets the remake. This time it's the old Stricly Rythm smash, 'King of my castle' by 'Wamdue project'.

DJ/Producer Rowald Steyn has done his magic on the track this time. It was, of course, brilliant to begin with and sounds great in it's 2009 jacket. Could it follow in the footsteps of Robin S. and become another number one hit?

Some silly trivia for you...King of my castle was in the UK charts in 1999 and- in that year- was the track with the longest name in which none of the letters were repeated (unbelievable what people keep track off)

Thanks to Eurodance blog for pointing me towards the Armada Music site. I looked it up after seeing the clip of Dobenbeck on there (nice summery tune...fits my tropical lifestyle)

Anyway, here's 'King of my castle 2009'

Chase & Status ft. plan B, Pieces

I know I am late with this one as it is number one in the UK dance chart. But I gathered that many readers of this blog are from outside of the UK, so I'd like to share it anyhow. This track already blows my mind when I listen to it at home, so I can imagine the impact it would have when you hear it booming out in a club. F*****g brilliant!

Cage the elephant, the re-leased version of 'In one ear'

Jees, can you imagine living in a place called Bowling Green? Well, it really exists. It's in Kentucky and it's where the band Cage the Eelphant are from. After the modest success they had 'Aint no rest for the wicked', they have decided to re-release their first single 'In one ear' and have added a very 'Basket case' promo to it. (Greenday)

Rick Astley gets surprise MTV Europe Music Video Awards nomination.

How funny, it looks like MTV has been 'Rickrolled', less than a year after 25 million people were tricked into watching the video of Rick's biggest single 'Never Gonna Give You Up' (which reached number one in 16 countries in 1987). The promo was posted under the title of several other popular music artists on video sharing website YouTube, and the prank became known as 'Rickrolling'.

And now it has happened to MTV Europe. The public had been asked to nominate artists for the category 'Best act ever' & they have voted Rick Astley onto the shortlist alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Green Day, Tokio Hotel and U2.

This is his first ever nomination, 17 years after his last chart success! He must be in total shock!

By the way, I had a bit of an embarrassing Rick Astley moment a few years ago. I was having dinner with a friend who is record company executive and he told me that we were going to be joined by someone else, 'my friend Rick'.

Well, 'my friend Rick' turned out to be Rick Astley, together with his wife. He was about to be singed to the guy's label, I believe.

Anyway, I was rather surprised to see Rick Astley. Of course I remember seeing him on TV when I was a little girl, so it was weird to suddenly be sitting at a table with him. I was playing it cool (as you do) until-at one point during the dinner- there was an (uncomfortable) silence. Without realizing that I did it, I started humming to myself 'Never gonna give you up'.

Immediately, Rick's wife turned to me and said: 'Did you just...?'
'No, I didn't'
'Yes you did, I heard you'
'No I didn't'

At that point I went bright red and she just cracked up. How embarrassing! From that moment on, every time she looked at me she started laughing.
So there you go. How stupid can one be?

Katy Brand, funnny music clips

For those of you outside of the UK, I don't think you will have seen these before....They are clips from the Katy Brand's big ass show. There's tons of them on Utube, but these were my favorites. Be warned...it's all rather silly : )

Weekly music news

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