issue 7 FREE
EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE HONEY, IS THIS DEPTFORD? TODAY DEPTFORD OLD POLICE STATION IDO TAVORI
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GRAVITY GUIDE Your local music and lifestyle guide to South &East London. www.gravityguide.co.uk www.myspace.com/gravityguidelondon www.facebook.com/gravityguide Next Issue8 Out: September 2009 Office Telephone: 07846 151062 Front cover ©Designed by Chris Levine (Artist Representation Management 020 7494 9800) Design - www.idandegodesign.com Made in Deptford, London Edge of the Universe \\info@edgeoftheuniverse.co.uk Created by Invisibe Silence
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Radical. Creative and unconventional. The highest academic standards of teaching and research.
TODAY DEPTFORD A DAY OF INDEPENDENCE
Open days in June, November and February.
Fri 3rd & Sat 4th July Free or cheerfully cheap. They will come... Kids Love Lies, Bleech, Edit/Select, Dynamo Garage, Sound Of Rum, Bogus Gasman, Anita Maj, Shiva, Blesbock, Lonesome Cowboys From Hell, Tape The Radio, Jimmy & The Banned, Debasers, Demi & THe Boys, Decks Ray Spex, Juke, Chinese Fireworks Company, OMDJs, Romantico Manifesto, DJ Dax, Basshoven, OddKidd, Damian Renouf, Anthony Love, Ant Morgan, Invisible Alex, Anita McKeown, Greatest Hits, Bella Donnas, Matt Daley, John Drain, My Pet Shadow, Limn, Gendre 18, The Little Devils, Bob Constant, Smoke And Money, One Foot Cow, Josh Fisher, Naked With Horses, Zej, Wagga Wagga, Jay Kenzo, Glitterpony, 462 Art, Music, Dance, DJs, Comedy, Foods, Word, Film Festival, Cabaret, Parties, Stalls, Juggling, Markets, BBQ, Open Studios, Tea Rooms, Horse, Cart and don’t miss the Magic Love Bus! It’s all going down in this old sailor’s town.
The Albany
Deptford - Cafe / Gardens from 3pm 4th July: The Albany presents Unplugged Sessions
The Birds Nest
Deptford - 3pm- late 3rd July / 4th July: Nestival Music, BBQ and Circus festivity. DJs and live music from country folk to ska/ reggae, alt experimenta, hip hop and blues.
The Bunker
Deptford Broadway 8pm- late 3rd July: OMDJs present their Summer Special bands/DJs 4th July: Reclaim The Beats DJs & Dance Beats
www.goldsmiths.ac.uk Committed to equal opportunities
Giffin Square Market
Deptford High Street - Starts 2pm 4th July – Local Independent Film Festival ASU present ‘Independence Day – ‘Southern Style’ Catch the People’s Cinema in the market. www.deptford45s.com
Deptford Arms
52 High Street - 3pm until late 4th July: Rocklands ToeJam presents some of the Best Buzz Bands around including Kids Love Lies, Bleech, Edit/Select and Dynamo Garage flying the flag for South East London’s reputation as a cool talent hotbed breeding ground.
The Old Police Station
114 Amersham Vale, New Cross 3rd July: Today Deptford and Open Studios Party - 7pm-11pm 4th July: Open Art Studios and the launch of The Tea Rooms - 2pm-6pm
Costa del Thames. ART BEAT of London. www.artfulfestival.co.uk TODAY DEPTFORD TOMORROW THE WORLD
is presented by A Madcap Coalition, ASU, Friends Of The Creek, & (The New Cross Boutique), OMDJs, Temporary Contemporary, Toejam, I’m Really Excited About Deptford, The Unplugged Sessions, Nestival, Solidarity Federation, Gravity Guide, Propoganda Radio, Music Tourist Board of Rocklands, Deptford Town Centre Management and some lively imaginations!
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COMPETITION
COMPETITION
Fifteen years old, fresher and more innovative than ever before, the pioneering festival returns with an unrivalled programme of music, comedy, art, spoken word, film and a field full of zombies. Led by a musical triumvirate that features the iconic David Byrne and dance legends Basement Jaxx. Alongside acts such as Spiritualized, David Shrigley Chris Cunningham Live and The Invisible.
The Hop Farm Festival returns as a truly unique experience, exclusively themed as an event totally free of ticket registration, with ‘No VIP areas, No Branding, and No Sponsorship
Sat 4th and 5th July Paddock Wood, Tonbridge, Kent
Thurs 6th Sun 9th Aug 09 Eastnor Castle Deer Park Herefordshire
Kooba Radio is a locally-based Internet radio station and pod-cast, run by people with a genuine passion for discovering new music. Since 2002, Kooba have been the first to air rising rock and indie stars such as Bloc Party, Hot Chip and The Rakes. They play unsigned and independent bands and combine the best of this music with good old-fashioned radio banter. Kooba recently launched KoobaTV - a Youtube channel featuring the best bands,as-well as coverage of their various antics and adventures.
www.koobaradio.co.uk www.youtube.com/koobatv
This years line up includes; Ash, The View and British Sea Power. Joining them are the highly acclaimed Irish rising stars Bell X1, the explosive indie trio Johnny Foreigner, brothers in arms The Chapman Family, fashion label Dior’s band du jour Eight Legs.
Win a pair of tickets to the Hop Farm festival, or the big chill just email: competition@gravityguide.co.uk with either ‘Hop Farm competition’ or big chill competition in the subject with your name and contact details the winner will be picked randomly on the 1st and 27th of July 2009. Does it get any easier? www.hopfarmfesival.com ww.bigchill.net www.seetickets.com
Creative Process working with London Councils to bring new music to new audiences Lewisham People’s Day I Danson Festival I Carshalton Environmental Fair Inspiration 09 I The Breakout Club I and many more
www.creativeprocess.org.uk 4
love poem Beneath the dungeons of London town the eclectic is brewing. Newly born Love Poem records, brings the acoustic traveler a new electronic approach and a home for abstract hip-hop, electronica, and indie.
Bank Hol Sun 30th Aug Clapham Common The legendary Orbital are back in the festival groove and will be headlining on the Common after 5 years away. There’s big live performances from:
Röyksopp, Laurent Garnier, Freeland, Miss Kitten & The Hacker and Sneaky Sound System who all have new albums out.
The only UK festival show of 2009 comes from Roni Sizeís Reprazent, plus techno pioneer Carl Craig is putting together a brand new lineup of musicians and a 10-piece string orchestra to re-scoring the entire ëInnerzone Orchestraí catalogue – which has never been seen or done before anywhere in the world! Fresh. Other highlights include live sets from Booka Shade and Magnetic Man feat. Skream & Benga, plus DJ sets from Pendulum, Felix Da Housecat, Chase & Status, Crookers, Rob Da Bank, Krafty Kuts, Steve Aoki, The Bloody Beetroots and Eddy Temple Morris. Rising stars Esser, Trip, Marina & The Diamonds and Devils Gun also star with more names on the way!
www.getloadedinthepark.com www.ticketmaster.co.uk 0844 847 2467
APPLY NOW FOR SEPTEMBER LEWISHAM COLLEGE THE GATEWAY TO YOUR FUTURE
Love Poem is all about regaining what is lost, and perhaps issuing a tribute to a newfound renaissance of analogue organic sounds and digital trickery. Expect a range of talents emanating from a label with the purpose of being unique and refusing to hole itself up into genres. So let us take a trip into the first child born of Love… the highly anticipated release Rhythm is a Beggar. This album showcases fresh talent from various parts of the globe, formed mainly by Ido Tavori with collaborators Blacksmith (Gabriel Ayomide Shoyoyi), (Kay) ; Kay Juviler-Bacon and Yve Yvette Barwood. Words: Ingrid Grasmo
LovePoem Records Presents… CD Launch Party “Rhythm Is A Beggar” Wednesday 29th July@ Bar Vinyl, Camden Town (8pm- late) www.myspace.com/lovepoemrecords www.lovepoemrecords.com
Full time and Part time courses www.lewisham.ac.uk text LEW to 88020 for a prospectus 5
WORD OF ADVICE TO YOU READING THIS, DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO DIE WITHOUT VISITING AFRICA AND GAMBIA recognition of services to the Gambian music industry. Whilst performing at a friend’s compound I coined the phrase UK - Gambian Connection. I now know the meaning of the old saying “the power of the word.” The word grew, took root in fertile minds - we toured Gambia under the banner UK Gambia Connection Tour.
son of man On the 6th February I set out for Gambia for a five week visit specifically to thank the people at the Senegambia Craft Market for the encouragement they had provided some three years previously on my first visit (I was in Gambia for a week in February 2006 to attend my sister’s wedding). This is how I described it in numerous radio interviews conducted.
In 2006 I left The Gambia with a suitcase full of love, that love has been transformed into an album which I have brought back to the people of The Gambia. I didn’t go there for the money or album 6 ORANGE & BLUE
sales, just for the love before heading for mainland Europe. And believe me if love was bankable I would be a trillionaire. Word of advice to you reading this, do not allow yourself to die without visiting Africa and Gambia The Smiling Coast is a good place to start.
I ended up staying for three months, drove the length of Gambia, collaborated and toured with a number of Gambian artists, wrote an album’s worth of songs, sat down and reasoned with a number of Gambian ministers and dignitaries. I was the only foreign artist to perform at the Gambian Music Awards and returned to the UK having been awarded by the Gambian music industry, as best international artist in
Three years ago upon being laid off at work I made a decision to live! Up until this point I had lived what I now recognize as a frivolous, meaningless life. All that mattered was the size of my salary, house, car and pension.
Having returned from my three- month visit to Gambia, I met some old colleagues for lunch. After lunch we returned to my former place of work. I spent many sleepless nights in this place building and diagnosing server faults, it is also the place where I started teaching myself to play guitar. Whilst there I spoke to an old colleague, she marveled at my exploits and then remarked “but not everyone is talented” to which I replied “everyone has talent in some shape or form.
What is lacking is the courage and fortitude of character to realise their potential.”
www.rebelzpromoter.com
ENJOY MUSIC
MAKE MUSIC NOT PROBLEMS.
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A few words from Babar Luck… Salaam Greetings and Hi… I have gained and got lot of experience from making music. The fact; that each experience in the studio, the rehearsal room, or the creative arena is different. I will stick to writing about music, but this I feel applies to all art forms. But some forget it is all about the music. But it will be at times the furthest thing from ones mind. And even if Gandhi was there, at times it takes all of ones patience to avoid saying ridiculous things with silly amounts of childish ego and damaged words. Ideally, one should always go into the studio with good hopes; the places of recording with modern leaps and bounds ‘studios’ everyone can have the capability to get much sound. However, like all music from the first to the last beat there are many good ones, meaning what we like and countless other ones that we don’t like. That is life. That is how it will always be in this artistic, musical field. When, I was sixteen I told myself, I would never play anything but heavy metal and hip- hop. Even though I still love those genres in music I feel I have and do, do many varieties of music, which I do love as much.
Music will change you will change. Not always the fact, but I make this point that is also the point.
Yes, I have made every musical and human mistake. Lets stick to the musical things for now. As in anything it is communicating and people who record them are and should be trying to help each other. I must reemphasize that ego and caring for ones music and art and letting peoples help you ‘to create that art and to make it happen is a very fragile thing’. We are all fragile, it may go against what I said about hard. Be both. Usually the long way round is more fun and creates greater art and better art. Not usually the most popular art. Can be. Some times. Back to the point, the point is to enjoy the music and making of it and the communication of it. Ego, pride, negativity- ain’t gonna help. Opinions everyone has one. That is also life. So aim high. Enjoy the music I make, you might get me… but please, please enjoy the day. Love always to all humans
www.babarluck.com www.myspace.com/ babarluck
So music and the making of it should be easy. Yes! Easy, easy, easy peasy… It should be, what I have noticed to be patterns including mine… Me, I am a low down excuse for a musician. I do want and need to get my songs recorded and documented. But, I use and manipulate all to get my songs done. Sad, but true. Like you know me. Well my heroes are plenty and the music that these heroes make is to tell things in different ways, to make the universe listen to this beautiful pain. I get caught up in it. But that is how it is, a vast endless pain that heals, that is why players of instruments are healers, I feel it was how it was in the beginning and how it will always be.
We heal ourselves with one hand and heal others with the other hand.
Some would be reading this and saying what is the point. The point is that one should be made to feel comfortable by the business and the studio and that money and the practicalities should be there. We all begin to feel that it is a normal thing, but the reality for those that know and don’t know is so different. Each experience, each time one goes into record to document, one must try to do it with positive images for all and the process to work together in unity with all and you may get something; really great. I have learnt the hard way, I am very hard and cold blooded about the music, maybe that is my failing. ORANGE & BLUE
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W to a always way to we their b - if em
T P H Is the human race a mess? Are human’s
naturally wasteful, self- fulfilling and underlyingly immoral? Does it really matter? Do we really care? To test a human, programmed to the wrong path. Floored in evolutionary design and religious belief. What do we seek?
Lost, arrogantly confused and spiralling out of control, with no
true strong leadership? Are we all truly alone? And why do we believe in the unproven? Simplicity states. Complicated confuses. Time fades and the mind is not advanced in thinking. There are only a few simple rules to succeed and flourish, but have we forgotten or ever truly known- the basics of existence and humanity?
There is nothing to life? Just as the past passes. But by wanting it all are we losing it all? Invisible Silence
THE COLLECTIVE WISDOM A beginning of new thoughts, asking the questions. Another way?
‘What are you thinking?’
To join the collective wisdom, please go to:
www.edgeoftheuniverse.co.uk A future thought collective to push consciousness forward and advance the fragile, ignorant thinking of the so-called civilized human race. To define, sub stain and elevate clear, intelligent thinking, not bent or warped. You will find out more…
Jus is a ani Thro hum hea is su mo Ma bel who ani all t our This Hum is, a com nee The and env the wise Suc sam the the lea ma ape
Hum non we
Words www 8
forthe and warped.
Why do humans need to look up to a higher level? Why do we need to think, believe, and have faith to live as human beings? is faith a control mechanism? A concept for power and control? Is belief always a lie? Should we believe in faith? Is having belief the only way we can live with ourselves as humans? What do humans need to do to evolve to a truly conscious and balanced way of life? Are we all stuck in a primitive emotional state? Are humans bound to their emotions of the prehistoric hunt? Do are emotions hold us back from evolving into higher beings? Why do we hate, lie and kill - if we can or can’t consciously control our thoughts, actions and emotions? Invisible Silence
The Primitive Human
HOW HUMANS CAME TO INVENT RELIGION
We humans are obviously social animals living in groups - just like our cousins, the chimps and bonobos and our more distant cousins amongst many other animals. The fact that the group Just one word makes an enormous difference. A human being often follows a ‘leader’ may be an inherited instinct, codified in is an animal, that much is certain. But is a human being just an each animal’s DNA. Social animals, if they are to survive in the animal? “Just”: one tiny word makes an enormous difference. group, probably also inherited the capacity to learn and then Throughout history, many have believed that the animality of follow set procedures: where they stood in the pecking order, humans threatens our dignity and value. The persistence of belief in when to mate and who not to mate with etc. Humans have heaven, gods and angels is due to many things, and one of them no doubt inherited these twin dispositions. When language is surely the desire to find something in our essence which is not developed, these habits could be expressed as rules and mortal, material flesh. incorporated into the tribe’s cultural practice. Many, perhaps most, people believe they have given up such However, humans can ask ‘why should I obey this rule?’ belief. We all accept we’re animals now, don’t we? But even those Therefore the group leader needed something to back up his who would agree often find that a residual desire to deny our (it was usually a ‘his’) authority besides his strength and (or) animality remains. They imagine a future in which we leave behind charisma. all that is beastly in us and live more rationally, no longer slaves to our primitive emotions. What better than to claim authority from a supernatural power? This is a mistake. As the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David The classic case here, is Moses coming down the mountain Hume put it, reason without emotion is impotent, because “reason carrying the ‘Ten Commandments’ chiselled on two stone is, and ought only to be, the slave of the passions.” Reason can tablets by the god himself. A good alternative is to dictate to a compute that 2+2=4, but it can never want to do so. The intellect scribe, that one of the god’s angels recited to you in a dream needs something to motivate it, and for that it must look to emotion. (Mahomet, pbuh). Or you could find in a cave some gold The goal, therefore, is not to rise above emotion but to educate leaves with an angel’s writing on them (Joseph Smith, Mormon). and cultivate it, so that love, compassion and curiosity win out over Millions of people still believe that one or more of the above did envy, hate and greed. Hume was only half right: passion may hold occur and are convinced that these divine messages have to the whip over reason, but only reason can teach passion to crack it be the foundation of their moral system. These religious systems wisely. The master needs the slave. are typically enforced by promises and threats concerning Such wisdom must accept that human beings cannot evolve at the one’s fate after death. After death. same rate as technology. Society has changed enormously, even in the last century, but modern human beings are almost identical to But is obedience to a mighty and fearful authority a virtue? their stone age cousins. And this is another reason why we cannot Following orders blindly can never be moral, as the Nuremburg leave behind what is “primitive” in our nature. Over a lifetime, we war trials (1945) showed. Humanists deny that obeying a god’s may cultivate our highest selves, but each baby is born a naked commands (even if there were a god and even if we knew his ape, and has to make that ascent for itself. wishes) would be right, ‘unless we ourselves had independently checked their goodness according to our own criteria’. The Human beings are not just animals. But if we forget we are animals simple truth is that in morality no one can ‘pass the buck’ nonetheless, we deny what we must be, and cannot become what and evade their personal responsibility for their decisions and we might be. actions.
Words: Julian Baggini www.julianbaggini.com
Words: Norman Bacrac (South Place Ethical Society) 9
croydon south London’s forgotten gem of cultural excellence and other shit Immortalised by the ‘Croydon Facelift’, famed for having trams and notorious for spawning an array of famous people with generally no talent, Croydon is often overlooked as a town with an abundance of venues and an ever-present, wide variety of musical events. From more high- brow facilities like the Fairfield Halls down to the pub-level of The Oval, the spectrum of live entertainment in Croydon is pretty remarkable with plenty of dress-up nights. Transport links are plentiful with trains and buses running to loads of places late into the night.
The Ship
Croydon’s premier rock/metal bar, not to be drunk in if you want a quiet chat. Live bands and DJs provide the abundant volume through the pub’s obese PA, which couples the fancy lighting rig. Regular hosts to: ‘Battle of the Bands’ nights. www.myspace.com/theshipofcroydon
Croydon Clocktower
An arts centre complete with library, cinema and theatre where musicians from all around the world come to play. A great place to catch an independent film, a jazz band or borrow some books. www.croydonclocktower.org.uk
Fairfield Halls
Croydon’s largest venue, a great performance area for: touring stand-up, comedians, orchestras, pop acts and pantos. Tom Jones, Steven Seagal, Omid Djalili, Level 42, Mitchell & Webb and Coolio(!) have all played there but far more importantly Brian Blessed was Captain Hook in 2008’s Peter Pan. www.fairfield.co.uk Wor ds: andy k
The Green Dragon
A massive range of music with jazz every Sunday afternoon, Tuesday nights acoustic ‘Freedom of Expression’ nights and the first Friday of every month’s experimental/ alternative ‘Dragon’s Ball!’ along with other stuff from death metal to indie. The pub was the location of the first ever UK-based Immersion Composition Society (ICS) gig and the first pub that the London Mozart Players performed in. Gigs here are almost always free and they have DJs at the weekends. www.myspace.com/greendragonpub
The Black Sheep Bar
A members-only club at weekends, the rest of the time they fill the walls with anything from drum n’ bass to metal, hence the appearance of big names like Pendulum and Killswitch Engage. They also do fantastic fun-filled theme nights with live music, like the Grease-themed Halloween party, Christmas slumber party and the more DJ-based fetish nights. Also hosts Croydon’s only live hip-hop night, ‘Bangers’ and has dubstep (Croydon is, after all, the home of dubstep) and noise nights. www.blacksheepbar.com
The Brief
A pub with a fantastic back room perfect for rockin’ out in! The lion’s share of Croydon’s indie bands play here along with rock and metal, with occasional expeditions into lo-fi theatre; ‘Nightmare At The Shoe Museum,’ a terrifying yet hilarious musical featuring wonk-punk band; Ten Foot Nun and The Breakfast Cat Theatre Company had its premier here. They do very tasty burgers too. www.myspace.com/thebrief
Frowser slam the senses and console emotions with their unique music, bringing many differing influences into their soundtrack for the modern life.
Think big, think small, think sharp, think blunt, there are no limits and no stone is left unturned. Starting with the release of their first CD “The hour of the coward” in 1999, the musical momentum was well and truly in motion by the time their second offering ‘Hibernation game’ was released in late 2000. Mid 2003 saw the arrival of Frowser’s ‘The king with personality plus’ EP and a conscious effort to push the musical progression a little further. ‘The king’ illustrates the many differing sides to Frowser’s unique sound and their unwillingness to be pigeonholed. The next offering was released in May 2005. ‘Humour and Apologies’ expands on all the previous recordings they had done in the past to collectively pummel and confuse, yet caress and refresh.
Frowser are currently in the studio working on new material. A new The Oval single titled ‘Mexico City’ that is Quietly tucked away from Central Croydon, you will often find already hailed as their best work acoustic and blues musicians playing on the floor (that’s right, yet: a more developed sound is no stage) making for an intimate experience. The bar staff also emerging. put on some great music during normal drinking hours. Bits of Peep Show were filmed in there too. www.myspace.com/ovaltavern
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orange and blue
www.frowser.com
Great music needs to be listened to
Isn’t Vinyl Brilliant
Before reading this I want everyone to find a record, it doesn’t matter what it is. Look at it. I mean really inspect it, smell it, feel the texture, trace the history of that particular album by the grooves that have been worn even deeper over time & the scratches that only add to it’s character. Now try to do that & get the same feeling from a CD or an MP3 player. I’m obviously a massive fan of vinyl & here’s why. When listening to music on vinyl it becomes more than just background music or something to dance to at a party you get a full experience. The care & attention taken just to get the record out of the sleeve, onto the turntable and to put the needle on in precisely the right place becomes quite the ritual. Look at the cover sleeves on vinyl; they’re full on works of art in their own right. Take the classic Beatles Sergeant Pepper album, there is no way you can even see a third of what is going on, on the cover of a CD, or Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin the detail & intricacy that has gone into the album sleeve is quite phenomenal. When buying vinyl you’re not just getting some great music it’s an art piece to be invested in & appreciated. If, like me, you’ve collected some classic good quality albums over the years, the entire room will fill with a smell that immediately invokes all sorts of memories & emotions. It reminds you of the first time you heard that record, the first time you braved your Dad’s collection as a child because you just had to hear a certain song at a certain moment (& if your parents are anything like mine you copped hell for it too). And once you got a little older the first time you really heard the lyrics & ‘got it’, the first time you noticed the subtle layers running through Cream’s White Room or just how genius the organ solo on Deep Purple’s Highway Star really is. It’s something of a ‘memory, musk if you will. It’s true; just listening to most songs on any format could do that to a certain extent.
The thing that really sets vinyl apart is the sound. That thick, dense, wall of noise that smacks you in the face & penetrates every fibre of your being with the most amazing charge in a way that the so-called ‘quality’ of a CD or MP3 could never begin to recreate.
Do you remember in days gone by going into a store, spending most of your Saturday pouring over what record to spend your hard earned money on, even occasionally just buying an album because you want some new music in your life & the sleeve looked interesting. Then taking said album, home & listening to it 14 times back to back at full blast until you knew all the words, & your parents/ neighbors have nearly called the police because they just can’t bear to hear that song again. That’s the real music experience, not turning on your computer clicking an icon then most of the time forgetting it’s even on your hard drive.
In short, vinyl is the complete & perfect music package; it plays with all your senses, has a personality of its own & provides you with emotions just not possible through any other medium. Most songs make you laugh, cry, dance and take you away to places long forgotten but you only get the full overpowering attack on the senses with vinyl.
Words: Cassie Wierzbicki
If you’re a fan of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Joni Mitchell or any artist of that era- I defy you to listen to their records on any format other than vinyl. Think about it, at that time the only music medium available was vinyl so their music was made to be listened to on this format, it’s just logical. It becomes part of that bands sound; they made the music to incorporate the clicks & squeaks & perfect ‘imperfections’ that you get with vinyl. Great music needs to be listened to & appreciated the way the band made the music to be
Music is becoming so impersonal. heard. How can you even try to hear the range of Joni Mitchell’s voice on Woodstock, or the almost impossible guitar work on anything by Rory Gallagher on a MP3. orange and blue
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hONEY… is This DEPTFORD?
I live on Deptford High Street, manage local businesses and pretty much spend most of my social life frequenting the bars, underground clubs and eclectic house parties in and around the area. But the press of late have treated Deptford & New Cross like some sort of media zoo, feeding off the local creative ‘independently generated’ community. Of late there has been many articles and news reviews about Deptford and the local area. One, which stood out to me, as being the most dubious (in the ‘have you actually been here’ stakes), is one by Fiona Hamilton from the London Times. It’s up to you to make your own mind up whether or not Fiona actually visited Deptford, or whether she visited it through Google Maps in fear of bumping into the ‘Druggies, Prostitutes & Gangsters’ which apparently roam the streets. Stereotypes I seem to miss when I go out… Yes there is crime in the area; yes the train station needs a paint job. But why is this bothering so many people who don’t actually live here, or even go out here. Deptford is full of it’s own local Celebes, but if Heat mag starts papping Bob the Bank Robber & Gary the Gangster, the romance of the fairy tales will be ruined. Where else in London can you sunbath on the pavement, buy a cup of tea for 30p (Goddards Pie shop), a Pint for £2 (Deptford Arms), walk to the shop in your PJ’s, buy a whole roast chicken for £3, or discover the most inspiring bands and underground DJs emerging in London?? DEPTFORD. With places in Deptford where a cup of coffee is the same price as a Fry Up there is quite obviously an economic divide in the area. But this is no bad thing. If you walk down the High Street on ‘Market Days’ you can lap up the community spirit. Who cares if some lady just spent £3 for a frappachino in one place and someone else spent the same on ham, egg & chips (with beans on the side), they would still pick someone up if they fell down
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or pass on a tissue if someone was upset. It’s about living together. I wouldn’t totally agree that Deptford can compete with Soho or Westminster with sight seeing attractions, but it’s not like the areas businesses and economy was built on relying from this sort of trade. Of course people from Deptford will welcome tourists to the area, just don’t expect the red carpet, yet! To celebrate the “hype” of Deptford & New Cross the Kate&Tristan Boutique has launched a Limited amount of “I heart Deptford” & “I Heart NX” T-Shirts, on sale from the boutique. wORDs BY TRisTAN sCuTT DEPTFORD REsiDENT, MusiC PROMOTER & BusiNEss PROPRiETOR www.kATEANDTRisTAN.CO.uk
FilM FEsTiVAls
CElEBRATiNG ThE CiNEMA The recession may have hit consumer’s wallets, but their love of film is as strong as ever. The readers of Gravity are lucky enough to live in one of the most vibrant and happening cities in the world, not least because of the film festivals organised here. If we start right at the top of the pile we have the BFI’s London Film Festival, running from mid-to-late October, now entering its 53rd year. Unlike Cannes, Venice and Berlin, the focus of LFF is far more international. Now whether that says more about the British film industry or the attitudes of the organizers is open to question. But one thing it does provide is the chance to not only see Hollywood and the critical darling films that won’t be released for months, but obscurely distributed movies from countries that produce golden gems. The likes of Poland, Romania and other parts of Eastern Europe can use festival like this as a means to introduce different types of cinema to everyday moviegoers. Moving away from the BFI family, we have the UK’s premier celebration of independent cinema at the Raindance Film Festival. Founded in 1992 by Canadianborn producer Elliot Grove. Raindance has been an integral supporter of not just British independent cinema, but independent projects from all over the globe. Movies that wound up becoming cult hits such as the mega sleeper hit The Blair Witch Project (1998) and Park Chan-Wook’s mindblowing Korean thriller Oldboy (2003) were lauded, premiered, and acclaimed by Grove’s prestigious award juries. Jurors of the past have included Lou Reed, Dame Judi Dench, and renowned indie filmmakers Ken Loach and Mike Figgis.
A much younger, but equally engrossing festival is the London Short Film Festival, the first of the year held in early January. Unlike behemoths LFF and Edinburgh, LSFF provides a platform for young budding filmmakers still looking for a way into the industry, showcasing the best post-graduate material from all over the country. Other, popular film festival in London includes East End Film Festival, which is in its 9th year. The East End Film Festival showcases hot new talent and home- grown films along side larger independent releases and special events, informing and inspiring a new generation of filmmakers and audiences from across London and beyond. “This was our biggest year yet, all the cross media events were a huge success, the live music, art installation and outdoor screenings all proved very popular with audiences. The assent of this festival continues at a great pace” Alison Poltock – Films Programmer
ThEN ThERE is sECRET CiNEMA, NOT sO MuCh A FilM FEsTiVAl BuT MORE OF A MOViE GOiNG ExPERiENCE, iT’s BEEN DEsCRiBED As ‘ThE BEsT NiGhT OuT AT ThE MOViEs iN BRiTAiN’ AND This isN’T AN ExAGGERATiON. Secret Cinema brings back some of that magic to the big screen, they arrange themed film screenings across London adding some of that thrill that used to accompany a night out at the cinema. Or perhaps you want something alternative? One of the most popular niche festivals is Film Four’s FrightFest. A magnificent celebration of past & future horror favourites during the August bank holiday weekend. FrightFest is situated within Leicester Square at the Empire cinema. In the past it has provided a national premier for such past hits as Takashi Miike’s majestically torturous horror classic Audition (2000), about the gory fate of a man searching for the perfect bride, and Greg McClane’s vicious Australian road movie from hell Wolf Creek (2005), the story of four backpackers who become the target of a sadistic outback mechanic. But more than just providing a healthy premier station for horror films, FrightFest also encourages young casual filmgoers to get into the spirit of festivals by advertising itself as pure fun and celebration, even hosting an all-night horror marathon at London’s ICA cinema. - Words: Alex Neve 13
Move over Simon Cowell and make way for TyTe, a judge of the Vauxhall UK Beatbox Championships... It has been a privilege to have watched the UK beatboxing scene grow since it first arrived at our shores back in the early 1980s. Back then, artists such as Doug E. Fresh, Buffy from the Fat Boys, and Biz Markie inspired a first generation of UK beatboxers, including myself, to take up the art form. Kids on the playground, formed themselves into crews and break-dance battles took place at Friday night discos. Yet, as DJing, MCing, Graffiti and B-Boying took centre stage, beatboxing, the fifth element of hip-hop, seemed to get left behind. During the 1990s, beatboxing had all but disappeared, however, since the turn of the millennium, all that has changed. For the past nine years, the art form has steadily grown in popularity and now, we can say with confidence that beatboxing has become mainstream. This has been thanks to performers such as Rahzel (USA) who has toured extensively in the UK and our home- grown talent such as Killa Kela. Artists such as Justin Timberlake and Daniel Beddingfield have jumped on the trend and used beatboxing to wow their audiences, and the Internet has helped bring beatboxing to a mass audience. The good news is that the UK has led the way. It was me, TyTe, who produced the world’s first beatboxing video tutorials - before MySpace and YouTube were even twinkles in their developer’s eyes. It was UK beatboxer and entrepreneur, Alex Tew (of million dollar homepage fame), that organised the first world beatboxing convention in London back in 2003, and it is Jim Wilde who now carries the responsibility for organizing both the world convention and the UK Beatboxing Championships. The UK boasts some of the finest beatboxers in the world - almost too many to mention - and each with a unique technique and style. Whether it’s the grime-oriented Faith SFX, the comedic performances of Beardyman, or the live vocal arrangements of Shlomo, the UK has put beatboxing firmly on the map.
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the old Police Station
Welcome to the very first Gravity page dedicated to art in your area. Each issue will see a guest contributor putting together news about up and coming art venues, local art projects and events.
This issue’s page is compiled by Anthony Gross, project director for’ The Old Police Station’, which has just opened. A Police Station since 1912 it has been converted into artist studios, a gallery in the old gym, an event space in the Edwardian interview Room and a lounge area in the old fingerprint room and prison cells. The Old Police Station is intended as a do-it-yourself art centre, a building that is there for everyone to use – so if you’ve been dying to put a show on or launch your new band or performance art piece get in touch. From July there will be Tea Rooms; open daily from 11- 5pm, with vintage cream teas and hang out in the private yard in nice weather. The gym will host a residency with artist Pil and Galia Kollectiv and after the summer there will be Deptford X, the yearly arts festival with lots going on for 2 weeks. For Deptford X, along with a solo show by Anthony Gross, (a film made at the police station with an actor playing Columbo.) There will be “The GrafWall”, a joint project by The Old Police Station and Gravity Guide, showcasing graffiti talent in a quarterly programme. We are all really excited to be able to announce a new art map and website. The art map will be available at all the local art venues and it shows where all the spaces are. The website will carry up to date listings. This map will be really useful in tying together the local art scene helping both locals and tourists from north of the border and further a field cohesive access to the Arts in Deptford.
www.deptfordartmap.com
Please pop in for cucumber sandwiches and cream teas and visit the web for listings.
The Old Police Station www.tempcontemp.co.uk/ oldpolicestation.html
arch gallery the butterfly effect:
is a phrase used to describe changes to the initial conditions of interdependent, complex systems in Chaos Theory. Humans, economic & social structures, nervous systems and climate are all examples of such systems. This term, first made popular by Edward Lorenz in the 1960s relates to the idea that a butterfly’s wings could cause small changes in the atmosphere, that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado. The flapping wing causes a small change in the initial condition, the effect of which results in a chain reaction leading to major changes in the system. The public gets what the public wants… Call for submissions ARCH is launching an annual contemporary OPEN exhibition for this years Deptford X festival. The aim is to catch a glimpse of the diverse nature of the art being made here and now in South East London. The artist receiving the most votes will be given a solo show at ARCH in 2010. Deadline for submissions is 31st July 2009. www.archgallery.net
show extended to 11th July
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No Dogs Please
THE BROADWAY STAGE
The Dualers, LONDON BREAKBEAT ORCHESTRA, The Zoomerators, Sandal St, Yokoko, Lewisham Music Service, Lewisham Schools Concert Band, Deptford Green Steelband, ABYSS, Gosplosion, Vortex, PRESSURE SOUNDS plus special guests
THE ALBANY STAGE
The James Taylor Quartet,
Brassroots, ZENA EDWARDS & BAND, The Gentle Mystics, Apples & Snakes,
Best of Albany Unplugged, DJ BID, MC Scoundrel, Fresh, POEMS ALIVE THE VILLAGE GREEN
Harare Dread, LIAM O’SULLIVAN’S GASTA,
Cut-a-Shine, BOLLYWOOD BALLROOM TEA DANCE, Katy Carr, Lewisham Concert Band, Plaster of Paris, Recommended Daily Allowance, BROCKLEY UKULELE GROUP, Simon Sheffield, Rún, Polina Proutskova
PLUS SOLAR CINEMA / ACOUSTIC ARTS CAFÉ / DANCE FOR LIFE / CIRCUS WORKSHOPS / WICKED FAERIE / BANDSTAND / CAKE AND ALE TAVERN / YOUNG MAYOR PRESENTS / YOUTH VILLAGE / GET ACTIVE ARENA / SPORTS FIELD / COLOURSCAPE / FLYING FOX / INTERNATIONAL FOOD STALLS / STREET THEATRE / EXTREME BIKE ARENA / CRAFT MARKET / ROCKLANDS / LOVE LEWISHAM / FANCY DRESS / HUGHJART
Sat 11 July 09 12-7pm Mountsfield Park Brownhill Road, Catford SE6 1AN 020 8314 7321 www.lewisham.gov.uk/peoplesday
Don’t forget to pick up your FREE programme on the day!
12-7pm
09 Sat 11 Julyeld Park Mountsfi ord SE6 1AN
ay Road, Catf Brownhill m.gov.uk/peoplesd www.lewishagramme Festival pro
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