Feature Song of the Day = 'Down By The River' by Bliss N Eso (2010)

Today's feature song is Down By The River by Sydney-Australia-based hip-hop group Bliss N Eso. Bliss N Eso have been active on the Aussie hip-hop scene since the year 2000, and the trio consists of MC Bliss, MC Eso, and DJ Izm, and they can currently be found on the Illusive Sounds record label. Down By The River comes off of their 4th studio album which was released in July of 2010, and is titled Running On Air. You can check out their website HERE, or their MySpace page HERE for more info and music. Running on Air

Mentionable Mashup of the Week = 'Big Booty Bi*#$*hes In Miami (Explicit Version)' by DJ Schmolli

This weeks mentionable mashup is Big Booty Bi*#$* In Miami, by Mashup artist DJ Schmolli. This mashup involves 4 songs by 4 artists as follows:  Big Booty Bit#$**s by Bombs Away,  I'm In Miami Bi*#$! by LMFAO, I Love My Bi$%#* by Busta Rhymes, and of course we can't forget Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot. Quite a good club mashup, and I might add brilliantly done. Do however ***Mind the Explicit Language Warning***. Also, check out more info and music by DJ Schmolli at his website HERE.

A Brief TV-Series Review for 'Around the World with Orson Welles' (1955)

TV series = Around The World With Orson Welles (1955)

Directed by and Starring = Orson Welles

4/5 Stars ****

An interesting British TV-series directed by, and starring the legendary Orson Welles, and maybe one of the first travel shows of its kind?? (anyone, anyone?) He visits and interviews interesting citizens in Paris, Basque-Spain, Britain, and Madrid in this series. Welles does a great job at making everyday interviews with the common people interesting and also humorous while at the same time teaching us a little about the character and culture of each region. If your looking for some entertainment involving travel in the 1950's then check this series out. Apparently some of them are up on youtube too?

Today's Feature Song = 'Way Back Home' by Bag Raiders (2010)

Today's feature song is Way Back Home by Sydney-based Australian house/electro duo Bag Raiders. Bag Raiders have been active out on the Sydney music scene since at least 2007, and the duo consists of DJs Chris Stracey and Jack Glass who most well known for their live-shows and of course their house-electro-remixes. Way Back Home comes off of their October 2010 self-titled debut full-studio album. If you fancy their work then don't hesitate to visit their website which can be found HERE, or naturally at their MySpace page HERE. Enjoy.

#25 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown: 'You Keep Me Hangin' On' by Kim Wilde (1986)

Here we are already, the final 25! Ranking at #25 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown and straight out of 1986 and now direct to you is You Keep Me Hangin' On by British singer/author/television presenter Kim Wilde. Kim Wilde was born on November 18th, 1960 in Chiswick, West London, England. She burst out onto the new wave music scene in 1981 with her chart-topping hit Kids In America (which incidentally was #85 on this countdown), but she didn't reach big success in the USA until the release of this song, which was a cover of the 1966 Supremes song You Keep Me Hangin' On. It was the second single released off of her 5th studio album released in 1986 and titled Another Step. After 1998 Kim Wilde continued on in music to some extent but took up an alternative career as a television gardener for 2 British TV programs called Better Gardens and Garden Invaders. She has also written 2 books on gardening for those who are interested. Getting back to the song, You Keep Me Hangin' On would prove to be her biggest hit peaking at #1 on the US, Canadian, Norwegian, and Australian charts. And so there is #25, and there are only 24 more to go before we are on to some other form of 80's countdown/party lists innit!

Fashionable Fragrances: 'DK Men (Leaded)' Men's Cologne (aka Fuel for Men)

Fragrance = DK Men Leaded Cologne (aka Fuel For Men)

5/5 Stars *****

Designer/Brand =  Donna Karan (now DKNY)

Circa 1994

This is the first official Men's cologne review to appear on this blog. So I am christening this first review with my top Men's colonge of all time, and it is....DK Men (Leaded) by the Donna Karan label. Now DK-Men Leaded (and Unleaded) have been discontinued in their original form since 2002 (when LVMH acquired the company that then owned Donna Karan). The good news is that in 2008 Donna Karan resurrected some of the previous fragrance collection, including this fragrance, and you can find it under the current brand name of Fuel for Men. This cologne is dark, handsome, and sensual, and yet distinguished, and for some trivia I've heard that the original container was shaped artistically to represent the gear shift of a sleek-sports car, so if you fancy yourself to be an undiscovered 007 then this cologne is for you. So, if you are keen you can still purchase this cologne under its new title as Fuel for Men at the Donna Karan Collection site HERE, just click the fragrances button once you get there. Also you can find this same review, as well as reviews for other Fragrances at the facebook Page HERE.

Feature Song of the Day = 'Bright Lit Blue Skies' by Ariel Pinks Haunted Graffiti (2010)

Today's feature song is Bright Lit Blue Skies, by Los Angeles based recording artists/psychedlic-indie-pop collaboration Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti. Ariel Pink (Ariel Marcus Rosenberg) is a recording artist who is the primary member of the band, which has had various other musicians and personnel do bits and pieces of work under the band name, and their are about 17 of them in total so I won't name them all here.  Rosenberg has been active on the music scene in L.A. since 1996. Bright Lit Blue Skies is the second track off of the lastest album titled Before Today, which was released on June, 8th 2010. If you like what you hear you can find this album on ITunes, or you can head over Ariel Pink's website HERE.

A Brief Book Review: Hermann Hesse's 'Steppenwolf' (1927)

Book: Steppenwolf (1927)

Author: Hermann Hesse

5/5 Stars *****

Today's brief book review is on an extraordinary piece of German literature that you may or may not have heard of, and that I personally consider to be a classic. The book is Steppenwolf (originally published in German in 1927, and translated to its English-publication first in 1929), and its author was German-born Swiss poet/novelist/painter Hermann Hesse. Now I wasn't around pre-1980's but I have heard from my elders that this book quickly became a staple in many personal-libraries following its publication in 1927. The Steppenwolf is one of Hesse's alter-ego's (so to speak), and we discover the tale of a man who is past his prime, single, and struggling to find a reason to keep living in Germany as it is clearly ramping up for World War II. Hesse explores his animalistic side, his spiritual side (although if you read the book you know that is a gross over-simplification) where he is gripped by a constant internal struggle as his consciousness awakens and the dying egoic self becomes more and more dysfunctional with its approaching collapse. I can relate to Hesse's writing as it becomes clear to me, as the reader, that much of his story comes out of personal-spiritual-psychosomatic experiences. If I go into it too much it starts to become abstract, and so I will tell you now that if you enjoy the writings of Aldous Huxley or Carlos Castaneda, then you will find that Hesse and Steppenwolf come from a similar exploration of existential-existence and experience that somehow connects the trans-personal to the personal in a brilliant manner. Also, Hesse's biographic is quite interesting but I will keep it brief. Now I am just trying to be a fancy-pants here, but seriously, check out this book, and if you are confused after reading it, do not fret, because you are not alone in that experience...it is after all exquisitely existential!

Feature Song of the Day = 'Need You Now' by Cut Copy (2011)

Today's feature song is...Need You Now, by Australian indie-synth-pop group Cut Copy. Cut Copy are fresh out of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia) and consists of members Dan Whitford (vocals, keyboards, and guitar), Tim Hoey (bass guitar and sampler), and Mitchell Scott (drums). It all began with Dan Whitford who is both a DJ and a graphic designer, and in fact Whitford released the first single and EP on his own before he recruited the other band members that comprise the band today. I have had the privilege of seen Cut Copy live on two occasions, and I highly recommend checking them out live if you ever get this chance, a very good show. Need You Now comes off of their recently released (February 8th, 2011) Zonoscope album. If you like what you hear from these lads then head on over to their MySpace page HERE, or head on over to the band website and get yourself a free mp3 download when you sign up for their mailing list HERE.
Cut Copy – Need You Now found on Pop

Feature Song of the Day = 'The Show Goes On' by Lupe Fiasco (2011)

Today's feature song is The Show Goes On by Chicago based rapper/hip-hop artist/producer/CEO Lupe Fiasco. Lupe Fiasco has been active out on the rap-pop music scene since 2000 and he was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois USA. He started off by recording songs in his father's basement and then became a member of a group called Da Pak, which would disband a short time following its inception. A little later on he met rapper/producer Jay-Z who helped get a record deal with Atlantic Records. By 2006 he had released his debut album, followed up by a second album in 2007 and charted hits as well. Its amazing how much a person's life can change or not change in the short span of just a year or two, which never ceases to amaze me. The Show Goes On is the first single release off of his upcoming third studio album titled LASERS. This single was released in the USA on November 9th, 2010 and it peaked at #57 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and at #23 on the US Rap Songs (Billboard). Check out his website HERE for more info and songs by Lupe Fiasco.

Mentionable Mashups: 'Shorty Shutup' by DJ BC

Today's mentionable mashup is Shorty Shutup by DJ BC. It is a mashup of Shut Up and Let Me Go by The Ting Tings with Shorty (Put It On The Floor) by Busta Rhymes (feat. Chingy), as well as Time Of The Season by The Zombies and snippets of Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye. I have heard a few mashups involving that particular Ting Tings song, which does have a great sample to it, and DJ BC has done another brilliant job of mixing/mashing these tracks. If you like what you hear then be sure to head on over to his website HERE.

Feature Song of the Day = 'King of the Stars' by Dr Don Don (2011)

Today's feature song is Australian mid-summer dance hit King Of The Stars, by Dr Don Don. Dr Don Don is actually the dance alter-ego of Sydney-based hip-hop producer Chasm (Chris Hamer-Smith). King of the Stars is his second single, which was released in Australia on January 15th, 2011. If you want to check out some of his other works you can head on over to his website HERE, or his MySpace page HERE, or even to his Facebook page HERE. He also has this song up for listening on a Soundcloud page HERE. Enjoy peeps!

A Brief Movie Review for 'The Girl Who Played with Fire (Flickan som lekte med elden)' (2009)

Movie  = The Girl Who Played with Fire (Flickan som lekte med elden) (2009)
Writer = Stieg Larsson
3/5 Stars ***

This is part 2 of the Millennium Series by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson. While part 2 still keeps you a bit on your seat it doesn't quite live up to the quality of the The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Part 1) but I have often found that this is how trilogies most often seem to be. The father of computer hacker Lisbeth re-emerges to wreak some havoc and as we uncover more of her past and family ties. The plot isn't quite as strong as the first story was, but it seems to all tie together in the end. Apparently Hollywood is re-making this movie already (despite the real-versions being made in 2009), although I doubt I will even bother to watch it as the Independent Swedish-versions are surely better than a Hollywood version could be. If you liked the first story you will probably like this one, and their is a third part to this series as well, so keep an eye out for that one too.