Well, so much for Summer. June was a bit of a washout altogether and we had to escape up to the North East of Scotland to get some beautiful sunshine this weekend. We were in Portsoy for the annual Boat Festival and had a great time, even though boats don’t do that much for me. I purchased Irn Bru flavoured fudge, drank Moray Cup, found lots of bargainous fabric in the charity shops, wandered round Cullen beach and generally had an amazing time.

I have also been staying away from the computer as I have been ordered to rest up by my doctor due to me aggravating my RSI again. So diskant updates are very slow at the moment but hopefully not for too much longer as I am back on the mend. If you’re waiting on a response from me then this is probably why.

Our new events page is coming along nicely although the above means I have a bit of a backlog of events to go through – sorry about that. At the moment we’ve got tickets to give away to two fantastic events happening at the end of July – TrocaBrahma and Indietracks. Get over to the events page for all the details on how to enter. There’s no questions to answer so you’ve got as good a chance as anyone. Also, if you know of any other exciting events coming up, let us know!

It’s also your last chance to help out with The Future of diskant by filling out the DISKANT READER SURVEY. We’ll be picking the winner of the amazing prize shortly so hurry up if you want to be in with a chance. It only takes a few minutes.

Current listening: M.I.A., Bonde do Role, Electrelane, Pet Shop Boys.
diskant interview slackness stats: Interviewees: 0, Me: 1

Punk Planet have sent out their final issue. Sad news. Punk Planet was a big influence on diskant, especially their columns and the range of stuff they covered (their Art & Design issues were always brilliant). They introduced me to two of my favourite ever writers (Jessica Hopper and Al Burian) as well as a lot of amazing bands, labels and people. I wasn’t aware they were having financial and distribution issues but then I haven’t seen an issue in the UK for a couple of years at least.

If nothing else, this is a timely reminder to keep buying your favourite magazines regularly and subscribe if possible. I’m off to renew my Plan B subscription. It may take me months to get round to reading them but I’d be very sad if they weren’t around.

Also, a reminder that I should do that zine roundup asap.

Thanks to everyone who made Punk Planet great.

Well, everyone has been very quiet lately so what are you up to? I have been up to my eyes in STUFF, both good and bad. So here you are:

YAY!

Miso Funky Shop
Can you believe it? Me and the Miso Funky gang are opening a real life actual SHOP at The Barras in Glasgow this weekend! If you’re in the area do come along to say hello, view our lovely handmade crafts (including MF’s hilarious Emo-broidery) and sample the free cake. Yes, I said FREE CAKE! More info here.

Giant Robot
Despite the fact that all their galleries are thousands of miles away, I am an avid subscriber of the Giant Robot email newsletter as all their shows look so cool and feature my favourite pop culture artists. When I eventually get to visit the USA, they will be top of my list of places to visit so I can buy everything in their shop. They also put out a magazine packed full of Asian art, design and kawaii. I picked up the latest issue in Edinburgh and it is awesome. Also, ROBOTS!

URRRRRRR
I am still very much into electronic music that goes URRRRRRRRRRRR. All hail then the marvellous Glasgow club night Kaput! whose recent downloadable promo mix is amazing and the new Optimo comp CD Walkabout which is similarly great. Other than that, I am mostly listening to the new Electrelane (glorious!), new M.I.A. tracks (stupidly, infectiously brilliant) and anything that still sounds okay with only one earphone (see below).

ARGH!

Broken Headphones
Boo hoo! I have a two hour bus journey for work every day plus numerous other buses and walkings so I rely very heavily on my iPod to entertain me (and stop my bus rage from exploding when having to wait for 20mins in the rain). But now my headphones have broken and only one ear works, the other stuttering in and out depending on what angle I hold my head. I have tried to buy some new ones but I cannot find any that aren’t crappy earbuds (always fall out, have dreadful sound leakage) or are massive over-ear things (great but too bulky to shove in your pocket). I have even been too busy to order something online. I am getting a lot of reading done though.

No Shellac
How is the new Shellac? 1000 Hurts was possibly the most eagerly anticipated album in diskant’s history and yet I have read virtually nothing about the new one. I went to purchase it last week but they had SOLD OUT of the vinyl! I picked up the CD but I couldn’t bring myself to actually buy it. Must have the vinyl! If anyone wants to, ahem, provide me with MP3s while I wait for an opportunity to get back down the shops let me know :)

Rainy Days
No really, where did Summer go? Was there a timeblip that pushed us back to February?

I’m always babbling on here about the new crafting revolution and its links to the indie DIY zine making community and I just found out someone is making a documentary about it all. Focusing on the USA craft community, Handmade Nation features a whole range of crafters including old hands like Nikki McClure and the Austin Craft Mafia and covers all the craft fairs, studios, art galleries, shops and other people involved in making it all happen. There’s a sneak preview up now on YouTube that shows the breadth of the topic and all the amazing things people are making. If we’d had the technology back then there would totally have been a film like this about zinemaking. Also so inspiring to see so many girls doing stuff! Sorry, I get so excited about all this – zines and DIY are what got me and diskant started and it’s all exploded in so many new ways over the last 15 years. Watch it!

Well, it really feels like Summer now and I spent most of my weekend sitting with the window open sewing tiny animals out of felt (from Aranzi Aronzo’s adorable Cute Book). I’d like to say I also reviewed a bunch of records but the nearest I got was posting out piles of CDs to our reviewers so at least some of those should be appearing on the site soon. Alasdair has kindly taken on the unenviable task of review box organisation so I figured out the genres and it seems to be working out so hopefully this will make the whole process a lot less tiresome.

The diskant rehaul continues but there’s not much new to show you yet. I’ve started on the new events section so you’ll notice we’re now doing little interviews with the organisers of the events we feature on the homepage. I thought it would be nice to hear from them what they’ve got planned and it’s more interesting than a couple of sentences summing up the event. There’s a new events page which will show all the upcoming events we’re recommending. It’s a bit MY FRIENDS cliquey at the moment (what can I say? They put on great events!) but we’ve been in touch with a whole lot more to feature soon. If you know of any exciting events coming up, let us know!

Don’t forget, if you’d like to help us figure out The Future of diskant then do fill out the DISKANT READER SURVEY. We really appreciate your feedback. It only takes a few minutes and there’s a great prize on offer!

Current listening:bis, Electrelane, M.I.A., Otterley, 1990s (even though the album is very disappointing).

diskant interview slackness stats: Interviewees: 0, Me: 1

Miso Funky have been putting on craft markets for a couple of years now showcasing the best of Scotland’s handmade amazingness. They recently teamed up with DADA, a Glasgow events company, for some even bigger and better events. This month the whole show is popping over to Edinburgh for the day with the usual array of jewellery, accessories, homewares, stationery, art, cosmetics and oh so much more, all with a funky style that puts a whole new fashionable face on crafting. I asked Claire to tell us more. Look out for the special discount just for diskant readers!

(Full disclosure – I will have a stall at the market and work very closely with the MF girls. I don’t have anything to do with organising the markets though!)

Can you tell us a little about Miso Funky and the ideas behind the market?

Miso Funky are a group of girls who banded together in a bid to show the world their crafting talents. The idea for the market is to spread the word of funky handmade-ness to the good people of Edinburgh! There is loads to see – from baby things, to knitted things, paper things and shiny things.

What have you got planned for the day?

On the day we’ll have roughly a dozen stalls with different delights to sample and buy. There will also be music, drinks and the opportunity to find out more about craft and how you can get involved yourself.

What would you say to people who wouldn’t be seen dead at a craft fair?

We’d say, get a grip! Handmade is the only way to ensure you’ve got an original, unusual piece of fashion – you need to wind your neck in and get down to the market!

What’s happening next with Miso Funky?

Miso Funky’s plans for world domination continue with plenty more markets coming up this year, as well as exciting plans for the website and online shop – watch this space!

Anything else you want to tell us?

Yes – for anyone too far from Edinburgh or too lazy to make the journey, you can also shop online with a special discount for diskant readers. Just quote diskant at the checkout at shop.misofunky.com to receive 10% off all purchases! No one loves you like Hamish … well, except maybe diskant.

Find out more at www.misofunky.com

Those of you who have been reading diskant for a while might remember Chris H. He was the one who wrote about films and politics and bike riding and experimental Japanese noise bands before it was fashionable. He was also a member of a collective in Glasgow who organised round the G8 summit and corresponding events in 2005 providing accommodation, resources etc. for protesters in a warehouse in the East End. The Evening Times, a Glasgow paper, printed an article about Chris and the group full of factual errors and misquotes. Chris subsequently took them to court for libel and is still stuck in all the legal processes two years on, putting him in financial and employment limbo.

He’s presenting his side of the story over at Making Lying History and I’d encourage you to read it if you have any interest in the power of the media, the courts and (what it all comes down to in the end) money in how events are portrayed to the world. I certainly never thought our tongue-in-cheek, stupid made-up staff biographies would end up getting used against someone in court.

Anyway, have a read and help out if you can. My one brush with the courts (a nasty solicitor’s letter for something a band said on diskant) turned me into a quivering wreck so I’m proud of Chris having the guts to stand up for himself in court. I don’t think I could do it.

A new feature here on the weblog as we pin down the organisers of the upcoming events we’re excited about and get them to tell us all about it.

First up the Gringo 10 year anniversary party. I’ve known Matt a looong time now since the very first issue of Damn You! zine and loved all the early Gringo bands – Hirameka Hi-Fi, Reynolds, Empire-Builder…I’m already blubbing with nostalgia. Gringo was even the first website we hosted here at diskant. Ten years later and they’re still releasing awesome records from the likes of Lords, The Unit Ama, Polaris and Souvaris and are planning a big old party in Nottingham to celebrate ten years of greatness. I hassled Matt to answer some questions.

Can you tell us a little about how Gringo started and what your reasons were?

Youthful enthusiasm for the IPU led five friends (Viva Joe, Jimi, Tom and Jason!) to blow their first pay packets on a slab of black vinyl put inside a badly photocopied paper sleeve. The mission: to put North East Essex on the musical map.

What have you got planned for the day?

LOVE

Also, 11 Gringo recording artists past and present. Tears at seeing old faces and missing good people who could not attend. Chris Summerlin projecting my face on to a large white screen. Me pulling down Chris Summerlin’s trousers. A Gringo DJ set which may include cuts from Mr T, Dennis Waterman and Reel 2 Real feat. The Mad Stuntman. No doubt there will be a lot of mess to clean up.

What have been the highlights and lowlights of the 10 years of Gringo?

The highs: every release; the first Gringo website; anything to do with John Peel (his reading of my first fax, the playing of the first Gringo release, the playing of Empire-Builder at the wrong speed and his reading of my fax pointing this out, the first Gringo Peel session, the 10minutemen live sessions); Hirameka supporting Mogwai back in the day; Meeting glorious people; Getting to watch Gringo bands play in different countries; starting to break even!

The lows: Southern Records; falling out with people over stupid shit because we were all too young to know better

What’s happening next with Gringo?

Souvaris album out now. Sailors 7″ out soon. Second albums from Bilge Pump, Lords, Soeza and Eska sometime this year. The Unit Ama should record again soon, if they are reading this. I would like to put out a record by The Horse Loom. I will continue to stalk The James Orr Complex until he submits.

Anything else you want to tell us?

You can buy tickets from me. Or Selectadisc in Nottingham. Or online. Lots of people are travelling and I’ll do my best to find you a place to stay! Please someone drive from Glasgow so that Marceline and Colin Kearney can attend. [yes, do! – M]

Find out more at www.gringorecords.com

It’s been another busy couple of weeks at diskant. First up we launched the new Films blog where we’ll be writing about new and old films, DVDs, YouTube nonsense, music videos and other film-related things. It’s already looking good so go have a read (and a watch). My other big task has been working out the best way to move all our blogs over to WordPress. Blogger has been a brilliant service but it’s time to move to something a bit more professional that we have more control over. I spent the other weekend categorising all 800 odd posts on the main blog and getting quite nostalgic for days long gone. So much so that I have been trying to coax back some of my favourite diskanteers of old to write for us again. Yay! Hopefully we’ll have some more new things to show you over the next few weeks.

Other than diskant, I have been busy with family visitations, the usual crafting, baking and photography and even a bit of writing for, gasp, other places. This has made me feel a bit guilty about my lack of reviewing and interviewing for diskant this year so I have good intentions on getting things done soon. Of course, just how soon remains to be seen.

Don’t forget, if you’d like to help us figure out The Future of diskant then do fill out the DISKANT READER SURVEY. We really appreciate your feedback. It only takes a few minutes and there’s a great prize on offer!

Current listening:bis, Electrelane, Margaret Berger, Belle and Sebastian, 1990s.
diskant interview slackness stats: Interviewees: 0, Me: 1

Yesterday was 05/05 and Flickr organised a 24 Hours of Flickr event. Everyone was invited to take photos of their day and post the best one in the group pool with the best ones being used in a charity photo book in aid of Médecins Sans Frontières. There’s currently almost 3000 photos in the pool and it’s an interesting view of what goes on around the world in any one day. My submission is here. 05/05 was a fairly uneventful day for me with most of it taken up with categorising diskant blog posts and eating homemade bread. The pool is open until May 21st so if you took any interesting photos yesterday, why not join in.

UPDATE: Yay, my photo made it into Interestingness, the 500 most interesting photos of the day.