Four years ago I posted about the fledgling Audio Foundation website.

Four years on and they're still going strong, true to their mission to "support, promote and preserve innovative audio culture in NZ". What's even better is that they've recently relaunched with a new a vastly superior website.

Check out the seht page; there's audio and everything. I am committed to regularly uploading new tunes and sketches on an ongoing basis. Sweet.

Labels: favourite new blog, seht

More goodness from Awesome Tapes From Africa: the other day I ran across this. Straight outta Ghana, Black Monkz are celebrated for being West Africa's best and truest English-language hip-hop crew, and they may also possibly be the most ardent followers of the Wu Tang Clan in the entire continent.


These guys are seriously awesome. Supposedly, the Black Monkz have so much respect and admiration for Wu Tang they held a Ghanaian-style funeral for Ol' Dirty Bastard when he passed away. And in their recordings I can hear distinct echoes of the MC-styles of -- at the very least -- Method Man, Ghostface Killah, and GZA The Genius. Check Monk Funk Classic:

Black Monkz - Classic Instrumentals (2.64 MB mp3: right-click and Save As to download; play using the handy little embedded player below)

I'd quite like to be able to soup up the audio on these tracks sometime; keep an eye out and I'll post if I upload any re-mastered mp3s.

Black Monkz are also well into some Deep Black [Ghanian] Consciousness, as demonstrated in this track and video:

Labels: favourite new blog, music

One of the cool things about the shops in Newtown is that as a general rule, they make a bit more of an effort with the ethnic diversity of their showroom dummies. I particularly enjoyed this little hybrid/multi-cultural family in a Riddiford St window:




Especially the accidental pseudo-religious effect produced by my phone camera when trying to deal with the blow-out from the from-above lighting. Sorry about the crappy photos.

Tilahun Gessesse with the Walias Band - Untitled wailing Ethio-funk classic (14.4 MB mp3: right-click and Save As to download; play using the handy little embedded player below)

Awesome Tapes from Africa is not exactly my Favourite New Blog; more like a perennial favourite for a long time now. If I had time I'd possibly start one in kind: "Awesome Tapes from Newtown", or something.

Labels: favourite new blog, mai new house, photos

I really like this song.

The JPS Experience - Flex (5.64 MB mp3: right-click and Save As to download; play using the handy little embedded player below)

I found it on KiwiTapes.

Labels: favourite new blog, music, new zealand post-punk

Shirley The Great: Shirley Shirley bo Burley, Banana Fana mo Murley, Fee fi fo Furley, Shirrrleeeee!!

Two sample posts:

Chillax
Oh sweet baby Jesus, I think my cafeteria cooks with laxatives... (ouch)

Fork You
omg, I'm so hungover that I almost started eating my lunch with a pen.


I bleeve my work here is done.

Labels: blog, favourite new blog

Robyn lives in Auckland at the base of a volcano:


(that's not a volcano per se, just some lovely swirly lanterns.)

"Sometimes I talk about internetty and pop culturey and writerly things, like at the National Young Writers Festival, The Great Blend and Radio NZ National.

You can see my photos at Flickr, and I even have an IMDB profile."

Robyn's stuff is fast and streetwise and funny, and if you have the chance I recommend you browse the archives -- just be careful you don't lose an afternoon in there.

...

Robyn has graciously accepted my invitation to join my Drinking Buddies over there on the right.

Labels: blog, drinking buddies, favourite new blog

College Dating Diary:

"I am writing this blog not only to drain some of the sexual aggression I'm building up from all these sucky dates, but to amuse whoever happens upon this. My dating history is varied and those boys who've been the braves souls to take me on have ended up anywhere from jail to rehab to gay bars to fatherhood.

After a particularly brutal blow from a guy I really liked, I can't stand to keep it all in anymore. Welcome to the circus that is my dating life!"

It's hilarious and quite often, NSFW.

It was very quiet for quite awhile, but suddenly there's life again!

Labels: blog, favourite new blog

Eavesdroppers is not fiction. These are real snippets of conversations heard by this blog's contributors. We do not use names of those quoted to protect their privacy. If you see something you said and feel that you need to receive credit for it, feel free to claim it. We know who you are. However, we're not trying to offend anyone, just to quote those things that brighten our days...

Their favorite posts:
• Cue Nirvana.

• Four days, definitely.

• Frankly, it stinks. [Pun intended.]

• He's taught you so much, though!

• I met them in Philadelphia.

• Off to write my obituary...

• Wrong Answer.

• Yes, we sell stuff for that.

Labels: blog, favourite new blog

George Lunt's Corporate-Alien Blog:

Favourite two recent posts:

• Conflict of Interest between Drug Companies and Doctors

Malevolent extra-terrestrials and alien corporations are trying to poison us through substandard pharmeceuticals.

• The "Click It Or Ticket" Road to Fascism

Emotional propaganda used to encourage people to observe seatbelt laws is analogous to campaigns used by Hitler to "get his people to let him make important decisions for them".

The blog actually just seems to be a wrapper/index for the Corporate/Aliens site.

Blog author George Lunt also writes Lunt's World.

Labels: aliens are in our midst, blog, favourite new blog, miscellany

Things I Find... is a blog about finding stuff (mostly writing, and pictures, on bits of paper):

Yeah, I do realise that this is not an earth-shatteringly original concept (Found magazine; Dirty Found magazine.)

Blog author James Aaron Lindsey also writes OCD-MAN.

Labels: blog, favourite new blog

100 word blog: "with the short of attention in mind" -- great concept, posts of no more than 100 words. For example, where he kinda pwns Che's toasted-sandwich post.

Good stuff.

Labels: blog, favourite new blog

Hee hee.. (former-)New Zealand National Front dude Kyle Chapman (wikipedia; scoop).

(thanks, 100word blog).

Didya notice how the first two photos of last politicle [sic] campaign look like before & after examples of one of those creepy Stalin-era "erasing history" photo alterations?

Kyle is currently campaigning to become mayor of Christchurch.
(updated 2007-09-14)

Labels: blog, favourite new blog