Pete Hook, ex-bassist from New Order and over the last few years, international superstar DJ extraordinaire. But I ask - for how much longer?

Here’s some footage of him playing a club in Hong Kong. Now to the uneducated, it may seem like quite normal footage. However, he’s playing directly from a pre-mixed CD, and not just any CD, but one that appeared on the cover of Mixmag.

Peter Hook - the Milli Vanilli of ‘Superstar’ DJs. Now that’s something to be proud of.

Pioneering avant-garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen died on Wednesday aged 79. Stockhausen’s experimental electro-acoustic music influenced everyone from John Cage to the Beatles, David Bowie to Sonic Youth.

The first two minutes of this clip will give you an insight into what he was about, the involvement of mathematics in his music - his atonal theories. Unfortunately, the interview has the inability to ask any decent questions.

A six minute performance of Set Sail For The Sun

More quality videos coming at you, this one a little slicker than the one before. Here we have the Beatbox Cook preparing you a fresh break.

Yes. But Europe isn’t.

American Idol Kelly Pickler illustrates the fine state of affairs the American education system is in, or perhaps more likely, the fact that she’s a dimwit.

Certainly not normally my style of music, but it’s one hell of a clip - pure aggression from the Foo Fighters.

If the winner of Eurovision was based on kitschness, then the Ukraine would have won. All I can say is “Wow!”, oh and that the lead vocalist looked like a combination of Mrs. Doubtfire, Elton John and a mirror-ball.

A movie and a stroll with my girl. Some sunlight, some coffee and some photos. Notes On A Scandal comes highly recommended.

Object Gallery Stripes

Dave Chappelle knows how to throw a party. Chappelle organises a concert for a neighbourhood in Brooklyn and the result on film is Dave Chappelle’s Block Party, a highly entertaining mix of music and humour. At the start of the film, Chappelle himself says, “This is the concert I’ve always wanted to see.”

Now, when you pull together the likes of Erykah Badu, Common, The Fugees, Jill Scott, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli amongst others, who wouldn’t?

Chappelle sets the stage with some quiet, perhaps even endearing comedy. He walks around his neighbourhood in Dayton, Ohio, inviting various locals to the concert in Brooklyn and distributing special golden tickets for the occasion. His modus operandi is to give the everyday people he deals with - like the guy who he buys his cigarettes from for example, a chance to go to Brooklyn to join the fray.

In Brooklyn, he leads the cameras into the local Salvation Army store to find the furniture required for the concert. Once there, he plays the piano - a particular liking for Thelonius Monk is evident, and chats about the connection between musicians and comics.

Drumming up attention for the party, he’s seen driving around various areas in Brooklyn. Reminiscent of The Blues Brothers with Jake and Elwood announcing their special gig with a massive speaker riding on the roof, Chappelle tones it back-to-basics with a megaphone, but his witty delivery assist in drumming up attention for the upcoming party.

Attention Huxtables! There is a block party down the street. Bring Yourselves. BRING YOURSELVES! And bring Rudy, Theo, and Denise.

With the hard work done, he interviews people patiently waiting in line to get on a bus to the block party, some of whom don’t even know where they’re exactly going. The location was kept secret as long as possible, but just the promise of hip-hop music and a party was enough to get the fans out.

…And then there’s the concert itself. Quality live hip-hop, even if Kanye’s in the mix, he’s tolerable when you’ve got the likes of Mos Def, Talib Kweli and the freight-train delivery of Big Daddy Kane all on stage rocking the microphone.

Chappelle makes fun of himself and everybody else in Dave Chappelles’ Block Party, but just under the comedy layer is an interesting documentary on the role of music and the part in plays in society and assists in transcending community and social boundaries.

Ouch! Taking the corporate brand to a new level. I could just see the religious brand-whores out there… Concept by M. Leak.

On another level, it reminded me of a scene from the movie Jarhead. If you’re not familiar with the movie, Jarhead is a Gulf War memoir by author Anthony Swofford aka Swoff. This movie (and book on which the movie was based) recounts Swofford’s enlistment and service in the United States Marine Corps during the First Gulf War, in which he served as a scout sniper.

Swoff (Jake Gyllenhaal) is assigned to C Company upon his arrival at the Marine base. On entering the barracks, he finds other Marines struggling to use a homemade USMC brand on a guy’s leg. After they finish, they move on to Swoff. Struggling, he passes out as the brand hits his skin. When he wakes up, it is explained to him that he has to earn the brand; the whole thing was a show, for his benefit.

View the trailer below.

The fucking short version!