Tony Hawk Ride on wheels for real

Tony Hawk Ride pretty much failed at doing what it set out to: recreating the authentic thrill of skateboarding through a video game and plastic board peripheral. The controls and game were panned by reviewers, and in HMV's Oxford Street store I have seen huge piles of the unwanted game boxes in a corner with massive price reductions but still nobody wants to buy it. Even the TV spot for the game showed more of the player's carpet than the gameplay on-screen. Nice threads.

Some enterprising skaters have customised the plastic board with wheels and grip-tape, and it seems to stand up to the rigours of the ride. Unfortunately, the video does not catch any special move trick combos so we'll probably never know if the buttons still function.

[Via Kotaku]

Onra is on the beat

Onra - The One feat. T3 from Slum Village from Onra on Vimeo.

Another rising French producer, Onra, has just released his third album and it definitely hits the 80s old-school funk sweet-spot. Likened to Hudson Mohowke's debut record "Butter" (best track - "Joy Fantastic"), "Long Distance" also feature a collaboration with Olivier Daysoul ("Long Distance"), as well as T3 from Slum Village ("The One", see the video above), and a great cover of the S.O.S. Band's "High Hopes" with Reggie B. Love it.

Javelin!

I discovered Javelin a few days ago, and their Avalanches/Go! Team/DJ Shadow-esque style instantly had me hooked. "STD Fury" is a track they produced for a group called SEX/ED, and should probably be played in schools to teach the kids to strap it up.

Their album "No Mas" was released in May 2010, and you can download one of the stand-out tracks, "Oh! Centra", below courtesy of superb music blog RCRD LBL.

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!