Paul van Dyk’s hair has gone blonde but his ability to entertain a South African crowd and make it look seamless is as strong as when he first visited SA, more than a decade ago.
Truth night club hosted Paul van Dyk and a bunch of local house and trance DJs who enjoyed massive success at the end of the 1990s and beginning of the 2000s. Speedy, Morgan and most of their company made good use of the sound equipment available to them.
The event began at eight and ran smoothly until around 06:00 the next day. The bars were fairly well-manned. Sometimes it took a few minutes too many to get a beer but, on the whole, people were served. A bar did run out of vodka, however, at about 01:30. This may have upset some vodka Red Bull fans.
Truth has changed its look over the last few weeks. The decorations and marquee type covers were fresh on the eye on the first Friday in February; freshly set for one of the most professional DJs in clubbing history.
Mr van Dyk began by drinking something out of a coffee mug – he’s German, so let’s say it was coffee. This was while he was waiting in the DJ pit. He then knelt on the steps up to the stage as if he was asking the stage to accept him for his set. At 01:55, PVD, aka Matthias Paul, began a three hour plus set, with a smile.
A large portion of the set was dedicated to modern house typical of his newest album, Evolution. I wonder if he thinks he is evolving into a modern house DJ. His latest single, Verano was very exciting on Friday night.
Later in his set, he played some classics such as For An Angel. Towards the end, he remixed the likes of Snow Patrol and Hurts. His version of British art-rock newbies Hurts’ Sunday was moving. It was Saturday morning but he would do well to play it somewhere in the world on a Sunday.
Given that he has in the past had the second largest Miles & More frequent flyer account of Lufthansa, he definitely will.
For a man of 40, with over 20 years’ experience, he looked active and happy. If a DJ looks happy, his audience is likely to feel slightly too. He even threw his head phones around a bit, trying to look cool.
He looked cute instead but the audience kept on jamming. Maybe if he was full of pills and ripped his shirt off, he would look cool chucking things around. Actually, topless men at clubs do not look particularly cool. This is why it was even more entertaining to see Mr van Dyk, a slight man of about 5 foot 8 entertain hordes of clubbing maniacs and a few topless posers.
Paul van Dyk was one of the pioneers of the dance scene in Berlin in the early 90s. His brand has spread from that regularly trendy city to Johannesburg; a city which is trying to build an identity. Truth has helped develop the clubbing part of that identity.
Alistair Anderson
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Jozifest 2012
Jozifest was an interesting experience but it needed something special to be memorable.
The lineup was strong but too many recently popular acts pulled out or were rumoured to be playing and then did not. If festival organisers want to hold well-attended events in Johannesburg, they need to cater for their audience properly.
A few bands overcame some stage challenges but the event was average.
Apparently Haezer and Die Antwoord were supposed to play. They did not. Haezer played a Cape Town gig. He could not get a flight to play Johannesburg too. It seems rather odd to me but the independent dance music scene is small in SA. The organisers did apologise.
What is unclear is why Die Antwoord did not play. They played Pretoria on Friday but the Jozifest organizers claimed they had to do Letterman on the weekend too.
Then, it came to light they were playing Letterman on the Monday. They could have flown on Sunday night.
That is rather confusing. Surely, planning for Die Antwoord could have been better.
Nevertheless, Jozifest is a new event and it otherwise ran quite well in a few places.
The event took place in Newtown on Friday night and then from midday on Saturday until around 3am, more bands made noises on stages. Some even entertained their fans and one-off audiences. It got going by 8pm on Saturday, which is a pity because it meant most of the day bands played to small crowds. If locals claim to support local music, they should be at the festival for much of its allotted time.
One of the standout performances was Lark’s. The members’ chemistry does not wane. Inge Beckmann was very entertaining on stage too. Lark’s crowd was bigger than most other bands’ crowds. The large crowd may have given the performance something extra. It stands as a lesson to music goers in SA. If you can get a big crowd together, the gig will be better.
Other highlights were 340ml, with a rare appearance, also aKing and Josie Field.
The sound on the main stage was weak. Apparently, it is difficult to get good acoustics in this Newtown set-up. It was still disappointing. Although, by the time Lark played, the sound had improved. This was around 11pm, strange. The dance and DJ stages were decent and their sound was far superior.
Next time, the main acts for the main audience should perform on the stage with the best acoustics.
The food was decent even if beer choice was limited to Amstel for much of Saturday.
It was a fairly fun, if average event but R150 was not excessive for two days of entertainment. The lineup proved to be good. With Haezer, it would have been better and pulled more of a crowd.
Alistair Anderson
The lineup was strong but too many recently popular acts pulled out or were rumoured to be playing and then did not. If festival organisers want to hold well-attended events in Johannesburg, they need to cater for their audience properly.
A few bands overcame some stage challenges but the event was average.
Apparently Haezer and Die Antwoord were supposed to play. They did not. Haezer played a Cape Town gig. He could not get a flight to play Johannesburg too. It seems rather odd to me but the independent dance music scene is small in SA. The organisers did apologise.
What is unclear is why Die Antwoord did not play. They played Pretoria on Friday but the Jozifest organizers claimed they had to do Letterman on the weekend too.
Then, it came to light they were playing Letterman on the Monday. They could have flown on Sunday night.
That is rather confusing. Surely, planning for Die Antwoord could have been better.
Nevertheless, Jozifest is a new event and it otherwise ran quite well in a few places.
The event took place in Newtown on Friday night and then from midday on Saturday until around 3am, more bands made noises on stages. Some even entertained their fans and one-off audiences. It got going by 8pm on Saturday, which is a pity because it meant most of the day bands played to small crowds. If locals claim to support local music, they should be at the festival for much of its allotted time.
One of the standout performances was Lark’s. The members’ chemistry does not wane. Inge Beckmann was very entertaining on stage too. Lark’s crowd was bigger than most other bands’ crowds. The large crowd may have given the performance something extra. It stands as a lesson to music goers in SA. If you can get a big crowd together, the gig will be better.
Other highlights were 340ml, with a rare appearance, also aKing and Josie Field.
The sound on the main stage was weak. Apparently, it is difficult to get good acoustics in this Newtown set-up. It was still disappointing. Although, by the time Lark played, the sound had improved. This was around 11pm, strange. The dance and DJ stages were decent and their sound was far superior.
Next time, the main acts for the main audience should perform on the stage with the best acoustics.
The food was decent even if beer choice was limited to Amstel for much of Saturday.
It was a fairly fun, if average event but R150 was not excessive for two days of entertainment. The lineup proved to be good. With Haezer, it would have been better and pulled more of a crowd.
Alistair Anderson
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Liverpool sign Downing setting a precedent
Liverpool have signed Stewart Downing for 20m pounds. Does this mean that Luka Modric is worth 35m or 40m pounds. Could Cesc be worth 50m pounds?
One needs to remember that Downing was a lynchpin at Aston Villa...
One needs to remember that Downing was a lynchpin at Aston Villa...
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Kylie Minogue Aphrodite - Princess becomes Queen in Sun City
Long-time fans of Australia’s pop superstar, Kylie Minogue, would have been wowed by her slick performances this weekend at the Sun City Superbowl. She played nearly all of her hits and wore extravagant costumes designed by Dolce and Gabbana. A slightly weaker voice from over-use, or just too long a tour, was supported by two excellent backup singers. The audience was also transfixed by spectacular dancers and a stage with people swimming under water on it.
Minogue, who is 43-years-old, launched her singing career in 1987, releasing her first album, Kylie, in 1988. Her latest tour was for her 11th album, Aphrodite. In her 24-year career, she had not set foot on a South African stage until last weekend.
I do not want to call time on her career, but chances are slim that she will visit our stages again, at least not in the next few years. This is why it was pleasing to hear strong renditions of her songs covering pop trends in the 1980s, 90s, 2000s and 2010s.
Highlights of her Saturday show included Better The Devil You Know, Love At First Sight, Confide In Me and In My Arms.
Of course, there were plenty of tracks from Aphrodite, including all of the singles released off of the album so far, Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love), Better Than Today, Get Outta My Way and All The Lovers, which she closed with. They all worked very well live.
She really likes her audience. During her acoustic, If You Don’t Love Me, she paused for a while, looking overwhelmed by the energy of her performance on the night. The thinness of her voice did hinder her on this song though. She may have been slightly tired. SA’s shows are the last of her 77-show worldwide tour. Nevertheless, the golden circle crowd, especially moved to the vibe of the show, even if the seated folks could have jived a bit more.
Miss Minogue also asked the crowd for a request. She said she heard a call for it and sang her cover of Little Eva’s The Loco-Motion, while wearing hot-pants. Yes, her bum still looks decent, for all those who wanted to know. She also covered the Eurythmics’ There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart), which showed off a decent, slightly waning voice.
Some people will have been turned off by having to travel to Sun City from different parts of Gauteng and other provinces to see her and by ticket prices ranging from around R450 to just under R1800, adding to that cost.
Concert ticket prices pay for all sorts of aspects of as performance, with artists normally receiving about 10-15% of the takings, British studies have shown. In Kylie’s case, much of the takings would have gone to her superstar costume, set designers and dance troupe.
Her dancers, who have become a famous part of her live shows over the last decade, were mostly men scantily dressed in Ancient Greek-inspired outfits, for this tour. She credited them, her band and also two brilliant back-up singers, who often out-sang her, and who, I assume in their twenties, could move onto solo careers too.
Alistair Anderson
Minogue, who is 43-years-old, launched her singing career in 1987, releasing her first album, Kylie, in 1988. Her latest tour was for her 11th album, Aphrodite. In her 24-year career, she had not set foot on a South African stage until last weekend.
I do not want to call time on her career, but chances are slim that she will visit our stages again, at least not in the next few years. This is why it was pleasing to hear strong renditions of her songs covering pop trends in the 1980s, 90s, 2000s and 2010s.
Highlights of her Saturday show included Better The Devil You Know, Love At First Sight, Confide In Me and In My Arms.
Of course, there were plenty of tracks from Aphrodite, including all of the singles released off of the album so far, Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love), Better Than Today, Get Outta My Way and All The Lovers, which she closed with. They all worked very well live.
She really likes her audience. During her acoustic, If You Don’t Love Me, she paused for a while, looking overwhelmed by the energy of her performance on the night. The thinness of her voice did hinder her on this song though. She may have been slightly tired. SA’s shows are the last of her 77-show worldwide tour. Nevertheless, the golden circle crowd, especially moved to the vibe of the show, even if the seated folks could have jived a bit more.
Miss Minogue also asked the crowd for a request. She said she heard a call for it and sang her cover of Little Eva’s The Loco-Motion, while wearing hot-pants. Yes, her bum still looks decent, for all those who wanted to know. She also covered the Eurythmics’ There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart), which showed off a decent, slightly waning voice.
Some people will have been turned off by having to travel to Sun City from different parts of Gauteng and other provinces to see her and by ticket prices ranging from around R450 to just under R1800, adding to that cost.
Concert ticket prices pay for all sorts of aspects of as performance, with artists normally receiving about 10-15% of the takings, British studies have shown. In Kylie’s case, much of the takings would have gone to her superstar costume, set designers and dance troupe.
Her dancers, who have become a famous part of her live shows over the last decade, were mostly men scantily dressed in Ancient Greek-inspired outfits, for this tour. She credited them, her band and also two brilliant back-up singers, who often out-sang her, and who, I assume in their twenties, could move onto solo careers too.
Alistair Anderson
Sunday, July 3, 2011
DVD Review: Toy Story 3
Rating: 8.5/10 - Excellent
Poster picture courtesy of Wikipedia.org
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Toy Story 3 may be a seen as a child's film about talking toys but it was made for adults who grew up with its predecessors. The first film in the trilogy was groundbreaking for its use of 3-D animation and well-written story. The second was a decent follow-up. The third finishes the tale well. It may make some adult viewers feel nostalgic but will also gain some new child fans, who could then watch the first two films.
Director: Lee Unkrich. Screenplay: Michael Arndt. Story: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich. Producer: Darla K. Anderson. Cinematography: Jeremy Lasky and Kim White. Editing: Ken Schretzmann. Studio: Pixar. Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures. Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Don Rickles, Michael Keaton, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Blake Clark, Estelle Harris and Jodi Benson. Age Restriction: PG. Running Time: 103 Minutes.
Toy Story 3 features Andy, the owner of the toy characters in the film. Andy is leaving for university, which makes the toys worry that he will throw them away. Andy decides to take Woody with him and puts the other toys in a garbage bag for storage in the attic. But the toys are accidentally thrown out when Andy's mom finds the bag and puts it on the curb with the trash, causing them to think they are no longer wanted. They escape and climb in a box to be donated to the Sunnyside Daycare. Woody, the only toy who saw what really happened, is forced to follow the others and tries to explain they were thrown out by mistake, but they refuse to listen.
The lovable characters are back, including the cowboy, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, the cowgirl; Jessie, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Dinosaur and Barbie.
In its 15 year life from 1995 to 2010, Pixar made 11 films. These films are basically a list of classics. They are Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, WALL E and Up. Toy Story 2 was the eleventh. Cars 2 is due out in SA this year.
Verdict: Toy Story 3 is an entertaining film with various themes and strong character subplots within it. One of the most entertaining is how Barbie meets Ken. They were designed for each other but the film makers make their courtship rather cute. Essentially the movie forces its characters and the viewer to grow up. That is not to say that a child watching the film will not be a child anymore when it ends but those who watching Toy Story at the age of ten, when it was released in 1995, may break out into tears.
Alistair Anderson
Poster picture courtesy of Wikipedia.org
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Toy Story 3 may be a seen as a child's film about talking toys but it was made for adults who grew up with its predecessors. The first film in the trilogy was groundbreaking for its use of 3-D animation and well-written story. The second was a decent follow-up. The third finishes the tale well. It may make some adult viewers feel nostalgic but will also gain some new child fans, who could then watch the first two films.
Director: Lee Unkrich. Screenplay: Michael Arndt. Story: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich. Producer: Darla K. Anderson. Cinematography: Jeremy Lasky and Kim White. Editing: Ken Schretzmann. Studio: Pixar. Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures. Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Don Rickles, Michael Keaton, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Blake Clark, Estelle Harris and Jodi Benson. Age Restriction: PG. Running Time: 103 Minutes.
Toy Story 3 features Andy, the owner of the toy characters in the film. Andy is leaving for university, which makes the toys worry that he will throw them away. Andy decides to take Woody with him and puts the other toys in a garbage bag for storage in the attic. But the toys are accidentally thrown out when Andy's mom finds the bag and puts it on the curb with the trash, causing them to think they are no longer wanted. They escape and climb in a box to be donated to the Sunnyside Daycare. Woody, the only toy who saw what really happened, is forced to follow the others and tries to explain they were thrown out by mistake, but they refuse to listen.
The lovable characters are back, including the cowboy, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, the cowgirl; Jessie, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Dinosaur and Barbie.
In its 15 year life from 1995 to 2010, Pixar made 11 films. These films are basically a list of classics. They are Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, WALL E and Up. Toy Story 2 was the eleventh. Cars 2 is due out in SA this year.
Verdict: Toy Story 3 is an entertaining film with various themes and strong character subplots within it. One of the most entertaining is how Barbie meets Ken. They were designed for each other but the film makers make their courtship rather cute. Essentially the movie forces its characters and the viewer to grow up. That is not to say that a child watching the film will not be a child anymore when it ends but those who watching Toy Story at the age of ten, when it was released in 1995, may break out into tears.
Alistair Anderson
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Trailer: A Dangerous Method
Fright and thriller master David Cronenberg has made a biopic which will surely attract some award attention.
A Dangerous Method features the worsening relationship between psychiatrists Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and how they disagreed on how to treat a troubled patient called Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley). The movie also stars the talented Vincent Cassel and was filmed in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. I'm expecting an authentic but entertaining film. Freud and Jung have been considered to be rock stars of the psychology world in the past, so a potential bit of creative bending of the truth to make them appear more entertaining, may serve viewers well. Let us know what you think of the trailer. Fassbender looks on form to me but Knightley looks a bit silly. Maybe I need to get used to her accent.
Do you think Cronenberg, who made the brilliant Eastern Promises, with Mortensen, can pull this off?
Alistair Anderson
A Dangerous Method features the worsening relationship between psychiatrists Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and how they disagreed on how to treat a troubled patient called Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley). The movie also stars the talented Vincent Cassel and was filmed in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. I'm expecting an authentic but entertaining film. Freud and Jung have been considered to be rock stars of the psychology world in the past, so a potential bit of creative bending of the truth to make them appear more entertaining, may serve viewers well. Let us know what you think of the trailer. Fassbender looks on form to me but Knightley looks a bit silly. Maybe I need to get used to her accent.
Do you think Cronenberg, who made the brilliant Eastern Promises, with Mortensen, can pull this off?
Alistair Anderson
Thursday, June 23, 2011
This is when pop culture was better
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfFB7i7crEc
Uploaded by fckyeah90s on May 24, 2011
Uploaded by fckyeah90s on May 24, 2011
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