Low-Down Content

DLC - Gotta love it. Sure sometimes it's (the now infamous) Horse Armour, other times it represents the welcomed expansion of beloved fantasy. Fallout 3 had the excellent "The Pit", "Point Lookout", "Broken Steel" etc. Value continue to delight fans of Team Fortress 2 with continued (free) support. And who can deny the Kings of DLC - Rockstar Games with GTAIV: Tales from Liberty City. But what about exclusive DLC? The kind of promotional goodies reserved for the fortunate few who made their purchase from a specific (often American - but we'll get to that) retail outlet or took advantage of a promotional offer from a vertically integrated corporate cousin.

Red Dead Redemption - First impressions...

Well... I couldn't really see much of what was happening because of screen-glare. Its been rather sunny this weekend.

I did shoot some rabbits and got shot by lawmen, and that's about it so far. The game looks great though, with believable voice acting, and I even read in the manual that the animals were mo-capped. Makes the rabbit murdering more realistic I guess.

Second impressions to follow shortly.

Sunset Riders FTW

As the release of Rockstar Games' "Red Dead Redemption" is getting so much press at the moment (and rightly so... we at the Because Association are very much looking forward to the free-roam online multiplayer!), I though it might be a good time to refresh your memory of/introduce you to the best cowboy/western video game ever made (possibly until today): Sunset Riders. Check out the video above to see some awesome 4-player arcade action.

I have not been at all interested to play Gun, and had not even heard of Red Dead Revolver (until its sequel was announced), so was not really in need of or had an interest in another western-influenced game. However, all the articles I have read about Red Dead Redemption have piqued my interest and would have made it a Day One purchase if I had the chance to leave the office for a lunch break today. In the meantime I have been playing Sunset Riders on my Nokia N900 using the DrNokSNES emulator.

I first played Sunset Riders on a family caravan holiday, and was hooked straight away. Konami have made some great games in the past, and I would put this near the top of the list alongside International Superstar Soccer and Contra. The game is essentially a platform shooter with all the American Old West features you would expect (outlaws, saloon bars, wide-brimmed hats), some clever set pieces (buffalo stampedes) and challenging boss battles. It still has a lot to offer, and if you can find a physical copy for SNES or SEGA Mega Drive (or an emulator) it is well worth playing.

An open question for Londoners (including my fellow BA comrades)...

This is a typically beautiful London building in a fairly well known location... A prize for the first person who can tell me what road it is on.

Because Association DJs!

This Saturday sees the Because Association DJs - Joel Ninety and B-Roll - hit the road to deliver some tasty musical delights in aid of a very good cause.

The Thrill Billy Fete is being held at The Queen's Head in Stockwell on Saturday 22nd May (THIS SATURDAY!) to raise money for Cancer Research. Live music comes from Sir Richard Newman, and there will also be a burlesque show.

We will be DJing both upstairs and downstairs all night. So head on down, do your bit for charity, and have a dance to some awesome sounds.

All the details:

Thrill Billy Fete
Saturday 22nd May 2010
7pm - 2am
The Queen's Head, 144 Stockwell Road, London, SW9 9TQ
Entrance Free / Show £5

Soul and Funk Selections by Joel Ninety

Soul. Funk. Disco.

Nothing has influenced modern music as much as these three branches of the Black Music tree. Artists such as Barry White, Marvin Gaye, James Brown and Chic are without doubt the first names that come to mind for most people due to their countless hit records, and they have clearly left their musical footprints across the genre spectrum. Look beyond the tracks still in constant FM-radio rotation and there is a wealth of wonderful hidden gems to discover. I grew up on soul music courtesy of my Dad and his huge vinyl collection, and have had an interest in crate-digging since being deemed mature enough to look through his records and not destroy anything valuable.

These mixtapes are a series of samplers I put together, featuring scratchy vintage sounds alongside modern acts aiming to emulate their heroes. More to come soon!

Keep on dancing. Spread love.

Soul and Funk Selections by Joel Ninety

RIP Glade Festival

It is with a super-heavy heart that I read about the cancellation of this years Glade festival.

Even though I haven't been in a couple of years, this festie has a special place in my heart, I went the 2nd and 3rd year it was on. For me, this was my Glastonbury.

It was unbranded, with no corporate sponsorship, and a free and safe environment for people to dance their asses off to breaks, Psy, Tech and other quality dance music genres.

Security and police presence was always there, but minimal and unseen, which really made for a great, safe vibe.

It looks like councils and police are trying to milk as much money out of festivals as possible, and although I am gutted they cancelled the event, I do have to give respect to the Glade peeps for not giving in and paying out more money, to more people with their hands out.

As the scene becomes bigger, I guess more people want more money out of it. Lame.

In the end, had needed to pay more money out, it would have meant more corporate sponsors, more costs to the ravers.

I suspect the Police wanted a larger presence at the event as well.

Click the link for the full details:

Glade Sadness

The upside is we can all look forward to next years "Pepsi-Apple Dance Fest" - Headlined by SCOOTER!

Three TED Talks for Mind, Body and Soul

Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world

A particularly interesting lecture for Maverick - Jane McGonigal informs us how those millions of hours of computer gaming that humanity enjoys each day can be harnessed for our own good.

Jill Bolte Taylor's stroke of insight

An absolutely incredible story of a scientist conducting brain research, who through experiencing a stroke for herself, is able to break down, moment by moment, what messages are being transmitted between her mind and her body.

Daniel Kahneman: The riddle of experience vs. memory

Perhaps we are remembering happiness all wrong!

VEGA Pre Party Jamz for Nicky Digital

Alan Palomo is one very prolific music maker, and while his Neon Indian project is currently gaining him fans worldwide, another of his monikers deserves some coverage - VEGA. Under this pseudonym he released the "Well Known Pleasures EP" which showcased his take on the updated 1980s synth-funk sound that contemporaries such as Chromeo and Lifelike spin so well. This mix for Nicky Digital's party blog fuses tracks new and old with a few keytars thrown in for good measure.

Tracklist:
1. Miami Horror Vs. Dan Hartman - Starmaker
2. Gary Low - You Are Danger (Romeo Erotic Re-Edit)
3. B.W.H. - Livin Up (Putsch 79 Remix)
4. Casco - Cybernetic Love
5. Lifelike - L.O.V.E. Is What You Need
6. New Edition - Cool It Now
7. Alan Braxe/ Fred Falke - Arena
8. VEGA - No Reasons
9. Sebastian Tellier - Kilometer (Aeroplane ‘Italo 84’ Remix)
10. Kano - It’s A War (Serge Santiago Re-Edit)
11. Dynasty - I Don’t Want To Be A Freak (Lmr Edit)
12. Breakbot - Penelope Pitstop
13. Rhigeria - Vamos A La Playa
14. Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream (Treasure Fingers Remix)
15. VEGA - Kyoto Gardens (Unreleased)

VEGA - Pre Party Jamz (for NickyDigital.com)

Thoughts on the LAST SEASON of Lost

So I just spent the last day and a half watching the 1st 14 episodes of THE FINAL SQEASON of Lost.

Why am I calling it Sqeason?

Well, there is clearly going to be so much nonsense to "squeeze" into it so henceforth it shall be known as the final Sqeason.

Now I have been a steadfast fan of the show since series 1. Everyone knows that was the best one. Everyone knows that they had to string it out, it was such a huge success, so some of the seasons Lost their way.

Many of the fans dropped off too, season 2, season 3, numbers went down every season.

But I still kept watching. I HAD TO KNOW what the hell this show was all about. I will be damned if I will give up on this now, in the last leg of this thing. I was convinced the writers had a plan for this show, and I wanted to know what was inside their brains.

So I waited till I had a good amount of episodes of the final season to watch, and the combination of being ill, GF being away, and having 14 eps to watch... well, it just seemed like it was the right time to dig in.

But now, after consuming them, and some pizza and ice-cream (I was ill after all), I am mostly annoyed, and here is why: