lights in my eyes

Panhead#002 from Zachary Saitoti on Vimeo.

In new music we trust.

concrete heart.

Cyantific, 'Empty Streets'

What are you looking for?

chemical brothers live at rod laver arena, 09/03/11

The Chemical Brothers, 'Hey Boy, Hey Girl'

Before headlining Future Music Festival, still riding the highs from the release of their 2010 big-beat/psychedelic effort ‘Further’, the Chemical Brothers were kind enough to grace Melbourne with a full-length sideshow at the Rod Laver Arena on the ninth of March, supported by Art vs Science, James Holroyd and Zane Lowe of BBC Radio One. I got there about an hour after doors opened and caught the tail-end of Art vs Science, who sounded pretty tight and had the crowd going.

Don’t even get me started on James Holroyd: a total dickhead dropping appallingly bad commerical electro and top-forty rubbish with inane MCing over the top. Didn’t have a working subwoofer, either. Awful, awful. Was vaguely concerned by the fact that the crowd seemed to genuinely be getting into it – Future Entertainment gigs always seem to pull the most obnoxious kind of crowds, but in any case… Zane Lowe played for about forty-five minutes, from memory – musically speaking, a complete breath of fresh air. Rolling basslines; heavy, relentless cuts of deep house and minimal. Moody, evolving and always surprising, but not overwhelmingly so: an excellent build-up for the main act of the night.

The Chemical Brothers started around nine-fifteen and literally did not stop their aural assault for a full two hours. Aural assault of says it all about their set, really: a nonstop, absolute riot with a crowd of bodies that couldn’t stop dancing madly for the whole set. They’re the kind of electronic act that really know how to get a crowd off. One of the main weaknesses of most dance music acts who play live is that their performances can seem really stale and hackneyed – they don’t seem like they’re putting in any effort, it’s just pushing start and stop in front of a laptop or two. Not these guys, though, and I think that’s one of the main drawcards of the Chemical Brothers that puts them up there with the best in live dance music – their ability to respond to the feel of a crowd and work off them was incredible, a total joy to be a part of.

Two straight hours of watching them mix it up, playing both the old and the new with seamless transitions between tracks – everything from Exit Planet Dust to their latest album got love. ‘Block Rockin’ Beats’, ‘Leave Home’ and ‘Chemical Beats’ were highlights that had the old-school ravers rocking out hard, and hearing material fresh from Further was similarly incredible – ‘Horse Power’ had Rod Laver Arena completely letting loose to its roaring synthesisers and immense beats; the heady, unbridled joy of ‘Swoon’ had an ecstatic audience chanting “just remember to fall in love – there’s nothing else” as one, eyes closed and hands in the air.

‘Hey Boy Hey Girl’, ‘Star Guitar’, ‘Galvanise’, ‘Do It Again’ – hit after hit complemented perfectly by the stage setup they’ve developed for their Further tour, featuring video projections and clips from their music videos responding in time with the music, as well as an insane light show. Watching the lights slowly brighten as they made their presence on stage known, surrounded by a cage of lights – whoa.

A complete pleasure and an inspiration to watch – the brothers gonna work it out, indeed.

(Originally posted at Radio Monash.)

choose life on radio monash: episode #1

Choose Life On Radio Monash, Episode #1 by Autoimmunity on Mixcloud

Join the biggest party happening on Radio Monash this semester - Bill Murphy and Miki McLay are taking over the airwaves to bring you Choose Life, a fun and filthy mix of gratuitous shit-talkin' and the freshest in new music.

Your hosts are Bill, a second-year Science student at Clayton, whose comprehensive knowledge of indie music is rivalled only by his talent for finding a cheeky yet relevant 4chan references for almost every situation; and Miki, loudmouthed, hard-partying quintessential Arts-student cliche and Radio Monash's resident expert on all things in electronic music.

Tune in at 9AM on Wednesdays weekly for an hour-long, no-holds-barred aural assault consisting of the best in everything from techno to trip-hop, indie rock to IDM, dubstep to riot-pop and more. Excited? We sure as hell are, too.

Missed a show? Never fear: we'll be podcasting episodes here on The Whisper-Stream for listening at your leisure, with tracklistings included.

Choose your future: Choose Life on Radio Monash.

unanswered questions

Kito, 'What If'

Grey days. Where does it all end?

here i am, and there you are

UNKLE, 'Unreal'

A dyed blonde with a leather jacket and a tan standing on a corner in the depths of the city lights up a cigarette carefully with fingers like glass, waiting for lights to turn green. Junkies and cold hearts on the last train home. Urban living.

set myself on fire.

vaccine, 'fever'

--

How do I tell you all these things?

hands of silver, hands of gold

cut copy, 'pharaohs and pyramids'

--

Blinding lights and cold nights. The days are growing shorter and colder but I can't stop dancing.

chrome.

sonnet xi
pablo neruda

I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair.
Silent and starving, I prowl through the streets.
Bread does not nourish me, dawn disrupts me, all day
I hunt for the liquid measure of your steps.

I hunger for your sleek laugh,
your hands the color of a savage harvest,
hunger for the pale stones of your fingernails,
I want to eat your skin like a whole almond.

I want to eat the sunbeam flaring in your lovely body,
the sovereign nose of your arrogant face,
I want to eat the fleeting shade of your lashes,

and I pace around hungry, sniffing the twilight,
hunting for you, for your hot heart,
like a puma in the barrens of Quitratue.