Deal With God - Number 1!

"Deal With God" - our version of Kate Bush's classic "Running Up That Hill" - has gone to number one on the EQ blog chart. Thanks very much!! We're really pleased and excited and all those giddy things that come with recognition ... 

If you haven't downloaded it already, here's a nudge ... its free as part of the Rewind 2 project from Buffet Libre DJs.

Depeche Mode - "Wrong"

Apart from the occasional Mick Jagger elbow angling, this is, well ... just right.

Looking forward to much, much more.

What Have I Done To Deserve This?

Four simple reasons why the Pet Shop Boys will be receiving the "Outstanding Contribution to Music" award at the BRITs tomorrow:

1. CONSISTENCY

50 million records sold and four number ones, their integrity remains intact by building upon their trademark sound - rather through zeitgeisty reinvention.

2. CRAFT

The duo of Tennant/Lowe are fantastic songwriters, with a panache for melody and creating both pop and art out of their music. One only needs to marvel at the genius of "Being Boring" to see how perfection can be manifested when sound meets poetry.

3. COLLABORATIONS

From day one PSB have selected incredible people to work with, when Neil Tennant tracked Bobby Orlando down to help bring "West End Girls" to life. From then they have hand picked a host of great talent to become part of their contribution to pop - be it Dusty Springfield, Harold Faltermeyer, Trevor Horn (may I include yours truly as well?). They have also brought great vision to their works through their involvement with designer Mark Farrow.

but most of all

4. CLASS

Sophisticated, intelligent, perfect.

MaJiKer - Tongue (The Tastebud Edit)

With pleasure we are offering a very special edit of Tongue by MaJiKer ... a small taste of his album Body-Piano-Machine - soon to be released on Gaymonkey.

You can download it here.

Let us know what you think.

Less Industry, More Music

"The music industry is really focused on the ‘industry’ part and not so much on the ‘music’ part. This is the greatest moment in the history of music if your dream is to distribute as much music as possible to as many people as possible, or if your goal is to make it as easy as possible to become heard as a musician. 

There’s never been a time like this before. So if your focus is on music, it’s great. If your focus is on the industry part and the limos, the advances, the lawyers, polycarbonate and vinyl, it’s horrible."  -- Seth Godin

Seth often chooses to look at the music industry as an example of how the world we live in is changing - and how the challenges presented are actually vast opportunities. I couldn't agree with him more. At Gaymonkey, we have always been about making brilliant electronic pop music.  Of course we like to make some money - but only so that we can make more music. 

And we like to share that opportunity with new people we love - like Ebb or MaJiKer. Or the boys from the Feed collective.

One of the greatest lessons I have learned on this journey was summed up on day in Amato's board room, when our account manager asked why we couldn't just get a "really good remixer to fuck up a track so that you can sell some records". A year later they went out of business. We're still making music.

Image by bdesign.be

Irrational

Yesterday's Independent carried a tiny story on the government's exploration into the possibility of rationing individual's flights as part of its carbon reduction strategy. (I would reference this story properly, however I left my copy of the paper on the floor of the Harcourt Arms following the kick off to this year's Melodifestivalen heats - that is another tale to a completely bizarre experience altogether!).

Enter the latest mixed message. Amidst insistence on a new runway for Heathrow, and after years of encouraging the population to travel with cut price airlines, the strategy to reverse the mass consumption our society has created is apparently through rationing.

We know that aviation is responsible for a sizable chunk of our carbon emissions. But we also know that the biggest area of concern is domestic and business energy consumption. So will enforcing travel restrictions make a difference? 

I now make conscious decisions on when and how to travel. And with family on the other side of the world, it is very difficult to not keep in touch without flying. A decision like rationing will never be supported or enforceable - if people need to fly, they will find a way. If we are to meet our reduction targets it will have to be done by changing people's behaviour to take responsibility for their overall consumption. And the government needs to support this by investing in technology, renewable energy, and encouraging more sustainable behaviour through making better choices - not through force.

The City's Taking a Day Off

I wanted so to have you 

and I wanted you to know

I wanted to write songs about 

how we're walking in the snow

-- Stina Nordenstam

London in the snow is pure perfection. And a reminder that we all need to slow down - if only mother nature can bring this giant beast of a city to a halt, then respect to her.