So I was super duper keen to get into the mind of Margot Molyneux, a Cape Town based young designer and what I found after my little adventure in her thoughts was determination and inspiration. Unfortunately due to my 9-5 job I wasn’t able to meet with her in person for cupcakes and tea (sigh)however thanks to technology we did just swimmingly by email…

MCBN: Heya Margot! I’m so excited to find out more about the lady behind the Margot Molyneux line. Before I begin, lets cast our minds back to where it all began for you, can you tell me a little about yourself? Where you from? What’s your educational background?

MM: I was born in Cape Town and lived here ever since. I started studying fashion design in 2006, after matriculating the previous year. I studied at a college in Woodstock called DAF, Design Academy of Fashion.

MCBN: When did you realise you wanted to become a fashion designer?

MM: I’m not actually sure. I’ve always loved making things, so I think it was just a case of what field of design I was going to go into. Tried Fashion design and turns out I really enjoy it.

MCBN:  Looking back, can you remember the first garment you ever created?

MM: I can’t remember the first garment I ever created, must have been years ago and must have been sewn terribly, but the first garment I made at college was a T-shirt which we had to make with our names on the front.

MCBN:  Where do you get your inspiration from to create your unique designs?

MM: I try to keep myself up to date with trends while looking to past styles for ideas on silhouettes etc. I also love watching people, interesting to understand the logic behind what they wear.

MCBN: I know exactly what you mean, do it all the time. It has been said that you have a very distinct style and that only a select few would wear a one piece outfit (as seen  in your recent summer range), how do you think it translates to the streets?

MM: I definitely don’t intend my clothes to be exclusive. I intend my outfits to be ‘street worn’ by anyone who likes them. I feel they are simple and understated while being fairly unique.

MCBN: Oh, and just for the record I would be in that one piece any day, loves it

You’re quite young to have started your own business- what has been the hardest part of the whole venture?

MM: I think the hardest part is having the confidence about your designs and ideas which is something I work at continually.

MCBN: What is the biggest lesson that you have learnt in this cut throat industry?

MM: If you are hard working and friendly, people will be willing to give you a hand. I must admit, I have met some great people this past year who have really helped me out.

MCBN: Who is your favourite local model that you have worked with?

MM: I haven’t really worked with many, shoots of my clothing have been organised by the photographers, but each of the girls who have worn my clothes have been great.

MCBN: What do you think is this season must have in the wardrobe?

MM: Items which make you feel good.

MCBN: And what trends do you see BIG for winter 2010?

MM: Accentuated shoulders and trench coats.

MCBN: What do you think of production being done mainly in China and not locally?

MM: I think it is sad, however understandable for large retailers. I do think that people should appreciate locally produced items and understand the difference in price to the China goods.

MCBN: Do you buy your fabrics locally or China?

MM: I buy my fabrics locally however they are imported from the east. Not many fabrics are made here locally anymore.

MCBN: There is a big trend at the moment for using organic fabric, do you try to stay “green”?

MM: It is very difficult to find organic fabrics here; as they are not readily available as in other countries. Although I would love to use them as I think most of us have no idea just how damaging the production of our fabrics are.

MCBN: What do you think is the biggest fashion mistake someone can make?

MM: Wearing something that they are not comfortable in, or unsuitable for their shape.

MCBN: When you are not designing where can we see you out and about?

MM: I love Cape Town and try to utilise all of its great spots.

MCBN: What do you have to say to the next generation, particularly for those hoping to follow in your footsteps?

MM: I don’t feel that I am even experienced enough to give advice, however I think with determination and the love of what you are doing you stand a good chance.

MCBN: Thank you so much Margot for making this interview possible, will probably bump into you on the ramp!

MM: Yip

Winter 2009

Summer 2009

Cape Town Fashion Week

The flyer is pretty sick innit? Burn In Noise and Starspine (Bent Sentient back in the day, local SA boy who is now DJing abroad) are the two main acts for the party and I have heard a bit of both of there stuff and all I can tell you is we are in for a little musical treat. Bruce has the sunrise set and I can’t tell you when the last time I saw him play the sunrise session but I know he wont fail because he is Cape Town’s favourite. Take a look at the line up times, its looking sweet!

16:00 – 17:30 Delphi (Groovy Troopers)
17:30 – 19:00 Yogi (Groovy Troopers)
19:00 – 20:30 Ninjah (Groovy Troopers)
20:30 – 21:30 Chabunk – Live (Groovy Troopers)
21:30 – 23:00 Psyguy (Organik)
23:00 – 00:00 Shockwave – Live (Groovy Troopers)
00:00 – 01:30 DillanM (Free Spirit)
01:30 – 03:00 Switchcache (PsynOpticz)
03:00 – 04:00 Rabdom L – Live (Nexus Media)
04:00 – 05:30 Phyx (Timecode)
05:30 – 06:30 Biorhythm – Live (The Village)
06:30 – 08:00 Bruce (Alien Safari)
08:00 – 09:30 Burn in Noise – Live (Alchemy)
09:30 – 11:00 Starspine (Alchemy)
11:00 – 12:00 The Commercial Hippies – Live (Nano)
12:00 – 13:30 Gandalf (Alchemy)
13:30 – 14:30 Static Flow-Live (Groovy Troopers)
14:30 – 16:30 Regan (Nano)
16:30 – 18:00 Sterealkey (Groovy Troopers)

Yoh, thats awesome…

From 1:30am onwards its all systems go. Things might get a little messy, I did warn you so don’t blame me if anything (good/bad) happens. I’m so keen for this weekend, I cant even wait anymore!

If anyone needs directions, write this down now:

Just over 100km away! From Cape Town take the N1 to Paarl. Take Exit 47, R44 towards Wellington. Cross straight over a fourway stop, and turn left at the next robot, onto the R44. Drive pass Voëlvry Dam and turn left towards Gouda onto the R44 again. Drive +- 19km and turn right towards De Hoek. Drive straight and follow the signs.

Ticket Prices:

R185 @ Outlets / R200 @ Gate

Now something to get you a little more amped up. Seeing as though Burn In Noise is playing the morning in early afternoon set, I thought I would show you this… Tell me this doesn’t get you psyched… cause I also did a backflip!

Hope to see you all Front Right…

Here are some of the most poorly named sites that I could find out there and my-oh-my, could they be MORE ambiguous!?! Haha

www.whorepresents.com – This is a site called ‘Who Represents’ where you can find the name of the agent that represents a particular celebrity
www.expertsexchange.com – Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views… Yes… hmm.
www.therapistfinder.com – Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder. Of course, that’s the first thing I thought the site was about.
www.molestationnursery.com – And now, we have the Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New South Wales. This is possibly the worst one of the bunch for sheer inappropriateness.
www.ipanywhere.com – If you’re looking for computer software
www.speedofart.com – Then, of course, there’s these brainless art designers
www.gotahoe.com – Want to go on holiday in Lake Tahoe?

I arrived to meet Ricky ByNight who was already inside and realised I was walking into a huger party then I could have expected. Kennedy’s and The Dubliner were filled to the brim with people, I really enjoyed the mix of local folk and tourists inside the Dubliner/Kennedy’s. Everyone sporting some kind of green outfit or had face painted with the Irish clover on it or some sort of disguise.

Very good night overall…

Even Greame Smith came through and made a little appearence with his stupid little broken middle finger.

Hope everyone had a great St Paddy’s Day

 I think Heinekens Slogan says it all: Made to Entertain!

What are your thoughts on this?

Considering that its St. Patrick’s day and that most of the varsity folk across the land will be going on Easter vacation soon I thought that it would be a good idea to provide some down the line factual advice on the effects that alcohol has on the brain.

You see, the effects of flaming Sambuca shots at the bar on your brain tend to resemble the career of Antonia Banderas- things get progressively worse as you put more effort in.

According to Dr Izak Loftus, forensic and anatomical pathologist from the Pathcare-Group, alcohol first suppresses the frontal lobes, progressing onto the back of your brain and then to the parts that lie deep in its centre.

In a paint-dryingly boring way he explains drunkenness as follows-

Alcohol is a suppressant as it suppresses the normal functions of your brain. This suppressing effect on the brain is almost like a wave crashing over your head (say what?). First it suppresses the frontal lobes, next it washes further backwards over the parietal lobes, then to the occipital lobes right at the back, then deeper into the brain to the cerebellum, on to the diencephalon and the mesencephalon (midbrain), finally ending up at the brainstem and the medulla oblongata.

This process is continuous, but certain functions, for example peripheral vision, may already be affected at an earlier stage.

Phew, almost dozed off there.

First Stage: The happy “this rounds on me” phase

The frontal lobes of the brain house the functions that control, among other things, your inhibitions, self-control, willpower, ability to judge and attention span. (Jaimie Foxx was definitely on to something with that “Blame it on the alcohol” tune)

If you suppress this area with booze, your self-confidence increases, you start getting jolly like a pirate, become more and more generous and start talking more. This is why alcohol is seen as one of the best social lubricants out there (next to a bag of ekkies of course).

Signs of this first stage can already be detected with blood alcohol levels as low as 0,01g/100ml – in other words, while you are within the legal limit of 0,05g/100ml.

This is generally the ideal zone where you want to stay if you want to keep members of the opposite/same sex interested in your “witty” conversation and avoid any jail time for drunken driving.

Second Stage: The slurring Jack Sparrow phase 

The next areas of the brain to come under fire from the magical fire water are the parietal lobes, affected at a blood alcohol level of approximately 0,10 g/100ml.

During this stage your motor skills become impaired, you have difficulty speaking in a manner other than that of the slurred mutterings of a constantly liquored Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Carribean (for some bizarre reason, you are the only one blissfully unaware of this).

You also begin to shiver randomly and complicated actions like unbuttoning blouses become very difficult to execute (although, I’ve never had this problem, generally I can undo that shit just by thinking really hard about global warming). Similarly your sensory abilities are hampered, which is why food that would generally cause you to turn a shade of green after munching, now seems rather tasty (see Kreg’s post over HERE).

Third Stage: The I can’t-see-properly-so that minger looks hot- phase

At this stage your visual perception ability becomes severely limited. You experience increased difficulty with movement and distance perception (which is why drunk people are always bumping into shit).

Your depth perception also becomes impaired and your peripheral vision decreases. If, at this stage, you are silly enough to drive you will have great difficulty seeing the doctor who is walking to the lab with the cure for AIDS and the little boy chasing a ball by the roadside, in all likelihood squishing them both in one not-so-deft drifting manoeuvre.

Fourth Stage: The falling-down on your face-phase

As early as the blood alcohol level of 0,15 g/100ml the cerebellum becomes affected and maintaining your balance could become difficult. As you dop (drink) more falling on your “fasch” becomes all the more likely. If your friends have any love for you, they will take you home and allow your reputation to remain intact before this happens.

Fifth Stage: The pass-out while sitting upright phase

Hopefully, by this stage you are somewhere safe, because with a blood alcohol level of around 0,25 g/100ml your diencephalon and the mesencephalon (midbrain) are affected and you become extremely tired as well as a target for penis drawings on your face .

You are pretty close to spewing streams of vomit (if you haven’t already), with your consciousness severely suppressed- hell you might even be comatose.

Sixth Stage: The-Grim Reaper is standing a tad bit too close-phase

Should your blood alcohol level reach between 0,35 and 0,40 g/100ml, the effects of your boozing reach your brain stem, which includes the medulla oblongata. This controls your breathing and blood circulation and if suppressed, you are technically busy dying and well on your way to the pearly gates.

The chronic drinker 

These effects refer to the social drinker. Chronic abuse of alcohol is a whole different ball park. Your tolerance is increased and thus the effects of alcohol only become apparent when you, a chronic drinker have reached much higher levels of alcohol in the blood than those mentioned above.

For the most part a chronic drinker would appear to be less under the influence at a specific blood alcohol concentration than your normal weekend party animal.

So now before you go out there and slam those tequilas down- just bear in mind that alcohol cares nothing for the body and you could die if you drink too much- or too little for that matter (ok the last part might not be true).  

Effects of alcohol on the occipital lobe can be seen when your blood alcohol level reaches around 0,20 g/100ml.

Check it out and let me know what you think…

I heard some very exciting news yesterday… The absolutely gorgeous Cape Town Stadium will be hosting a final test event for this year’s World Cup when four national under-20 teams will take part in the Cape Town International Challenge on the 10^th of April 2010.

South Africa’s young guns will be taking on Nigeria at 16:30 on the day, while Ghana will be facing the samba kings Brazil later that day at 19:00. This obviously means that we will all have the opportunity to see a game of footy at the stadium AT NIGHT!!!

The tickets will cost a measly R20 or R30 and will be available exclusively from Computicket (details as to when these will be available for purchase will follow as soon, as I know).

Cape Town’s Deputy Mayor- Ian Nielsen had this to say earlier this week-

“It is important that this fourth event tests us to the limits,” and thus this event would be used to test every aspect of Cape Town’s preparations for the World Cup.

Of the eight games scheduled to take place at Cape Town Stadium during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, seven are going to be held at night and thus it was of paramount importance to work out the best ways to get spectators home after the matches.

Norman Arendse, president of SAFA Cape Town, said that all 65 000 seats would be available for the Cape Town International Challenge- I am sooo there!!!! Kreg and I went to the last event there and it was AWESOME.

Apparently all tickets for Cape Town matches during the World Cup are already sold out (SNIFF) and that the Cape Town International Challenge would be the last chance for fans who missed out to see a game at the stadium until after the global spectacle has concluded.

Come on peeps, get involved!!!!

In the history of the world, certain individuals have had a proliferating effect on vital causes. Ghandi was all over world peace, Hugh Hefner brought exposed double D breasts to the general public and Dean FUEL helped revolutionise dance music to what we see around us in Cape Town today. The literal “golden boy” of the Mother City’s clubbing scene has been making speakers bleed and women weak since I was bunking choir practise. So what better way for us at MCBN to get to know this legend then by sitting him on a surgical table and dissecting his frontal lobe… I mean asking him some questions.

MCBN: So Mr. Fuel, do you mind if I call you Mr. Fuel? ? When and how did this journey start?

Dean: A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away…

The journey began for me on the day I was born! My family is heavily musical, and their influence was always around me! I played various instruments (piano and guitar) and even had a band with friends in High School… Experiencing early rave and trance culture, as well as discovering clubbing led me to be 100% in love with electronic music, and once I made Cape Town my home (about 10 years ago), it wasn’t long before I bought my first turntables, and started spinning!

MCBN: If you could go back to one single event you’ve played at, and almost struggled not to cry its been so awesome, what would it be?

Dean: Tough one… so many to think about! For sheer scale and production – hard to beat the playing inside the Godskitchen Boombox alongside Armin Van Buuren! For crowd interaction, opening for Sasha in Cape Town was incredible. He (Sasha) actually made a special effort to come and hear me play, which was such a sign and stamp of approval – it blew me away! The closing set for infected Mushroom was also a rush – not an easy act to follow, a full psychedelic-rock band followed by just ‘me’ … loved it though!

MCBN: Have you ever thought that glowsticks, white gloves, vapour rub and a pacifier, all at the same time, was a good idea?

Dean: Every damn day! Just depends in what context … think about it!

MCBN: If one day you had a child and it had red hair, do you really think you could ever truly love it?

Dean: A ginger? Sure … why not? Nothing a little peroxide couldn’t fix

MCBN: Your style has become somewhat unmistakeable around our city, so much so that I’m actually starting to see little mini Fuel’s at shopping malls. The long blonde hair, the bright cap, the quirky yet stylish t-shirt (of which I’ve never seen you wear the same one twice) all make up your unique appearance.  In retrospect I think that’s more of a general observation, I’m not quite sure how to put it into a question. So… ever had a threesome?

Dean: What can I say? … I am a cap and t-shirt fanatic… in fact I’m an addict!! I can never have enough!

Have I ever had a threesome? No comment… I have a girlfriend, and she’ll probably read this…

MCBN: Ok, I think its time we had a serious question. How would you describe the style of music you play? I know you play varying styles depending on your crowd and venue, but how do you choose?

Dean: My secret DJ Magic 8 ball … never fails me!

But seriously, it really does just depend on the crowd and energy as to how any set will go.

My style? It’s a fusion of all electronic music, from House to Techno, Psy to Prog, deep and funky through to hard and driving… its difficult to really pin down my style, suffice to say, that it’s MY style 

MCBN: We’ve seen you wet your toes with a bit of production over the years. How’s this going and will there ever be place for a fully Fuelled album?

Dean: But of course… stay tuned!! At this stage though I have set up a new studio in my apartment, and am getting to grips with it! I just need to try find some extra time in the day to spend focused on the music production side of life… it’s a HUGE future goal of mine!

MCBN: If you could pick one track that used to inspire you, one track that currently rocks your boat and one track that will forever have a place in your heart, could you kindly do so now.

Dean: Inspiration: Leftfield – Open Up

Rocks my boat: Neelix –  Chainsaw

Forever in my heart: Age of Love – Age of Love

MCBN: If you could hit any person on the planet who would it be? Please note that answers such as “no one, I’m really not a violent person” will not be taking kindly to round these parts.

Dean: The Digital Divas … spank their bottoms with my paddle! … Maybe that Ronald MacDonald guy … what a clown!

MCBN: What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen while playing?

Dean: I’ve seen a stripper bare it all, and not even while in a strip club, but at a massive Fez street party… she was just a guest, who then proceeded to strip down and flash her va-jay-jay to the entire crowd… man, I love being a DJ

MCBN: Finally the dreaded MCBN “Would you rather…” question. So would you rather bob for apples in a barrel of rotting fish chum, or play a remix of “I’m too sexy for my shorts”, while wearing a pink tutu and no undies in a dingy gay club?

Dean: Haven’t you ever see me play at MCQP??? … For the past 5 years I’ve played “I’m too sexy for my shorts”, while wearing a pink tutu and no undies!!! It’s a real showstopper!

Well thank you kindly for your time dearest sir, we shall endeavour to participate in some dancefloor antics with you in the not-to-distant future!

Dean: Awesome… I look forward to it!

Don’t forget to check out my website (www.deanfuel.com) , and facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/deanfuel) and also make sure you tune into me every Friday night on Goodhope FM between 10pm and 11pm!

Armin Van Buuren and Dean Fuel

If you haven’t heard by now, Steve Aoki will be hitting Cape Town on the 2nd of April. He will be slamming it at the Assembly playing a LIVE set. I’m rather enjoying all these insane DJ’s flowing into Cape Town. Seems like we getting lucky into the next few months, with some big names making there way down here. GTronic who has just been at the Assembly, Steve Aoki next, Cyberpunkers making there way down and even Paul Oakenfold both in May. I reckon its not going to stop either. Cape Town is the new Ibiza!

The line up looks like this:

STEVE AOKI (USA)
With photos by THE COBRASNAKE

Local support from:
- Battle Beyond the Stars
- Lapse
- Grave Danger
- Haezer

With a line up like that, I got no doubt we going to be in a for a killer evening. I can’t wait to see Haezer DJ again, he plays some of the meanest sets and always full of energy, very industrial sounding. But if you haven’t heard of anything Steve Aoki has done, then take a listen to this little number. A track which he collaborated with the Bloody Beetroots, banging!

Here is a little bit more about Steve Aoki:

The man behind Dim Mak Records who founded and released artists from Bloc Party, The Kills, Klaxons, MSTRKRFT, The Bloody Beetroots, Mystery Jets, The Rakes, The Gossip, Envy, also is the same man behind the production moniker Weird Science that has remixed Peaches, Snoop Dogg & Bloc Party. Under his own name, Aoki has remixed The Killers, Robin Thicke, Lenny Kravitz, Duran Duran and Timbaland, Chester French, S.P.A., All American Rejects, Chris Cornell & more. In the past he has collaborated w/artists from Boys Noize, The Faint, D.i.M., The Bloody Beetroots, & Junkie Xl.   Also involved in fashion, Aoki has developed lines for KR3W Apparel, Supra Footwear, headphones for WESC, and in ‘09 sunglasses with KSUBI, headwear with NEFF, bags with Burton, & a brand new mens/women’s range with his sister Devon. Check out dimmakcollection.com to buy tee shirts & hoodies and read on his blog on here that he keeps up to date. Hailing from Los Angeles you can check most of his antics up on his partner in crime’s website www.TheCobrasnake.com

This guy has done everything, I really think you should get your pre-sold tickets, as the early bird tickets have already been sold out!

R80 Earlybird *** SOLD OUT
R120 Presale
R150 Door (if available)

Between 18 and 25
A woman is like our home, Africa: Wild , naturally beautiful and full of mysterious , fertile deltas.

Between 26 and 34
A woman is like America : Well-developed and open for trade, especially for those with stacks of money. Also always keen to get involved other people’s business.

Between 35 and 44
A woman is like India : Sensual, relaxed, in full bloom and aware of her beauty.

Between 45 and 54
A woman is like France : Deliciously mature but still a very pleasant destination to visit from time to time.

Between 55 and 60
A woman is like Yugoslavia : A lost war, haunted by the mistakes of the past. Major reconstruction work is needed to restore former beauty.

Between 61 and 65
A woman is like Russia : Vast with undefined borders & frontiers. The cold climate puts off most potential visitors.

Between 66 and 70
A woman is like Mongolia : A glorious past, great conquests, but without a future.

After 70
A woman is like Afghanistan or the north pole: Many know its whereabouts, but no one dares to venture there……

MALE GEOGRAPHY

Sorry guys….
Between 15 and 90: A man is like Zimbabwe : Ruled by a dick…..

 Hehe… a bit of humour to start off your Wednesday! Happy Hump Day

Needing this game to win to make the semi finals, the UCT team came out firing. Taking a 10 – 0 lead early into the game. It must be said that the UCT team looked a lot fitter, stronger and more ready then the Tuks side (who couldn’t control the wind in Cape Town) they were playing against. The boys gave the crowd a good show down on the “Green Mile” with some good handling and some awesome running rugby. Definitely some future prospects for the WP/Stormers in the up coming season. There were a couple of player who looked really good, one was the massve prop Grant Kemp aswell as Marcello Sampson on wing, Kemp was subbed by Chris Heiburg who got the crowd going with a 40 metre sprint, knocking down anything in his path (I wouldn’t like to get in his way). Doug Mallett came in at Flyhalf for usual regular Matt Rosslee and played an excellent all round game at Flyhalf. I ended up seeing a few mates who I hadn’t seen in a while on the field and really enjoyed watching the game, even the Ikey Tiger himself was enjoying it:

Should have seen the Ikey Tiger’s mascot ”makking” the chicks, he didn’t hold back at all. What a legend! We should learn to take a page out of his book. Good luck to UCT in their semi final match, I am pretty sure I will end up going for some drinks again down at UCT to watch it, maybe we might even get lucky enough to see James on TV after I get him drunk enough to streak!

1. It’s an incentive for staff to show up.
2. It leads to more honest communications.
3. It reduces complaints about low pay.
4. Employees tell management what they think, not what they want to hear.
5. It encourages car pooling.
6. Increase job satisfaction because if you have a bad job, you don’t care when you are pissed.
7. It eliminates leave time because people would rather come to work.
8. It makes fellow employees look better.
9. It makes the cafeteria food taste better.
10. Bosses are more likely to hand out raises when they are drunk.
11. Salary negotiations are a lot more profitable.
12. Employees work later since there’s no longer a need to relax at a bar after work
13. It makes everyone more open with their ideas.
14. Eliminates the need for employees to get drunk only on their lunch break.
15. Employees no longer need coffee to sober up if they can stay drunk

The Post it on his back says: Please DO NOT wake me!

(Thanks Sandy)

You responded and now we have a super awesome team called THE FOOTBALL CLUB (TFC for short). Our first game is this week at Stadium on Main in Claremont and we’d be super stoked to have some supporters… ok well maybe not for our first game because we’re horribly unfit and the match may end in projectile vomiting, which is only fun to watch sometimes.

Anyways, I thought it would be a nice touch to have a little bit of a footballing lesson from two of the game’s greatest tricksters Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho…

Enjoy!!!

Paul Oakenfold is the Godfather of dance music and must be credited with sending shivers down people’s spines with his unbelievable sets and command of crowds for the better part of 20 odd years. He is my all-time favourite DJ, which is why when I found out that he’d be back in Cape Town and South Africa to drop a set I nearly did a backflip on the spot.

Technically superb and blessed with the know-how to take any crowd on a mystical journey through trance OAKEY will be ripping the dancefloor in Cape Town on the 7th of May 2010 (also happens to be the birthday of the other MCBN badboy Kreg- guess we’re all going to have to have a HUUUUUGGGGEEEE party).

Another quick fact you may not know about the legend who last played in the Cape Town at the Baxter Theatre is that he proposed to his wife while down here in the Mother City- pretty cool if you ask me.

Taken from the official event page:

*Droooools*

 Check out OAKEY’s official site over HERE for some more info and his latest radio mix (goodness, gracious its more epic than ever!)

For all of you who are feeling a little bit attached to Cape Town (me) and in need of a little bit of good live music there’s the annual Cape Town Festival coming up at the end of the week.

Its pre-world cup and the organisers are doing there best to provide the largest selection and variety of local and international acts to keep Cape Tonians and visitors to our FANTASTIC city bopping through the whole weekend.

Its starts on Friday 19th March and runs through until Sunday 21st March at the Company Gardens in Queen Victoria Street central town.

From the FB page-

I’ll probably pop down on one of the days just to check it out

Cape Town Festival 2010 Artist Schedule:

Friday 5 – 10pm
17.00 – 17.45 Hilton Schilder
18.00 – 18.45 Hip Hop Collective
19.00 – 19.45 Good Luck
20.00 – 20.45 Kings of Vegas
21.00 – 21.45 South Paw

Saturday 1 – 10pm
13.00 – 13.30 Country Conquerors
14.00 – 14.45 Keeno Lee
15.15 – 16.00 Under Kontrol – 2009 World Beatbox Champs
16.30 – 17.15 Claire Phillips
18.45 – 19.30 Zaki Ibrahim
20.00 – 20.45 Loading Zone & Allou April
21.15 – 22.00 Napalma

Sunday 1 – 10 pm
13.00 – 13.30 Gugulethu Tenors
14.00 – 14.45 Community Artists
15.15 – 16.00 Cultural Program
16.30 – 17.15 LOUD
18.45 – 19.30 Emo Adams
20.00 – 20.45 Anselmo Ralph
21.15 – 22.00 Rudimentals

We have something for EVERYBODY so don’t miss out this FREE music festival celebrating Human Rights Day!

This week, The Bulgarian is DJing and that usually means things will get a little crazy. With weekly resident Tommy Gun opening things up, Haasbroek and Grave Danger will also be rocking the decks slamming some of the finest beats for you. Check this out:

10-11:30 TOMMY GUN
11:30-1 HAASBROEK
1-2 THE BULGARIAN
2-close GRAVE DANGER

AND

its only R20 before 11pm, R30 there after…

This is the last time you’ll get to see the Bulgarian DJ before he sets off outta here, so dont miss out on this one… and also keep your eyes PEELED for the TOMMY GUN interview we got lined up for you.

Tuesday’s the new Friday!

Recently the MCBN team journeyed to the emphatic Elephants Eye. While huffing and “puffing” our way  through the local greenery, we felt fatigue slowly begin to settle, when low and behold we bumped into a strange carnivorous creature. While weary of its large fangs and erratic movements our intrigues got the better of us and slowly we gathered enough courage to take a closer inspection. Initially, when our eyes told our brains it was of the human variety we chalked it up to ridiculous exhaustion, dehydration and the toads Kenny had made us lick while at a mountain stream. But no, our visions did not deceive us, it was Vaughan from EMP. So we got chatting to him about parties, DJ’ing, Producing, some of the crazy things he has seen on the trance floor, and of course mountainous psychedelic amphibians.  

MCBN: So… EMP, im sure you get asked this quite a bit, but what does it stand for and how did you come up with it? 

EMP: Well, originally it stood for Electro Magnetic Pulse, but over the years some people have come up with some pretty imaginative ideas… One of the more popular versions is Eat My P*ssy.

MCBN: For me its wake up, try pee directly into the bowl with minimal spillage, make Weetbix with too much sugar, plan world domination, eat dinner, and then slowly cry myself to sleep. How does this compare to an average day in the life of EMP? You differ slightly? 

EMP: Well apart from obviously also aiming for minimal spillage, I’m usually doing something music related during the day like writing new stuff for my various projects or working on tracks, I prefer to work on trance at night though, makes more sense then I guess.

MCBN: Word on the street youre as talented a music producer as MCBN is at sweet love making. How did you start your musical career and how has it progressed? 

EMP: I did music at school but wasn’t sure what to do when I finished, so I went overseas for a year and all I did was pretty much listen to music. Then when I got back I decided to study it more so did a degree in Composition and Arrangement at UCT. I was just getting into trance parties before I left so on my return to SA I got totally hooked into the scene and started going to almost every one of them. I was trying to write almost every kind of music imaginable at that stage so I guess producing trance just came naturally. A lot of my friends were into it around that time as well so it was just something we were all learning together.

MCBN: When EMP DJ’s its a very distinct sound, you have made a couple our favourite songs in recent times, Renegade springs to mind immediately, possibly the “summer of 69” of trance music. What are you using to produce your sound and which DJ’s/Producers out there had an influence on your musical prowess? 

EMP: haha ye Renegade. I wanna do a serious remix of that for next season. Me and Franc (original member of EMP if you can remember that far back) were messing around with some new beats at my folk’s place in Kalk Bay one night, and I decided to try and write a trance track on the piano. And that’s pretty much how Renegade was born. As far as gear goes, I use Cubase (the greatest program EVER MADE!!!),  the Access Virus TI (the greatest synth IN THE WORLD!!!), and all the usual vst’s like vanguard, predator, zeta etc. And influences well, I really liked a lot of the old skool stuff like Infected back in the classical mushroom days, we used to listen to a lot of 3D vision around the time we started writing as well. I think I also draw a lot of influence from non-trance music as well, I listen to almost everything. My favourite trance of all time though is The Misted Muppet. They only ever made one album then disappeared (probably abducted by aliens or something) but it’s still my favourite album ever.

MCBN: Its an uber kuk question but being the hard edged journalists we are, constantly seeking the truth and leaving no stone unturned, we have to ask: what are you current top 3 tracks that are making the ears bleed? But the good kind of blood… 

EMP: Well I don’t listen to that much trance these days so here are three tracks from various styles that will melt your ear hole:

Boreta – Bubblin in the Cut

Noisia – The Tide

Noisecontrollers – Ctrl Alt Delete

MCBN: How do think the Cape Town trance scene compares on a global scale? Are we as awesome as I think I am…  I mean we think we are? 

EMP: Ye we are up there with the best, I mean if you ask any international who has played here they say the same and all beg to come back. We have the best locations and the hottest ladies.

MCBN: I remember coming to chat to you an hour before your first ever live set at Alien safari at Tokai. Your legs were shaking and you looked borderline tears, that all changed very quickly as soon as the first beat dropped. We have been lucky enough to have seen you go mental behind the decks at some of the biggest festivals in and around Cape Town since then. Which one’s stick out in your mind as the best so far? 

EMP: haha, legs shaking hey? I probably just had a huge hit of something… No, but seriously, pretty much all Alien Safari parties, there have been some killer Village parties (that one last year was insane), and I had a really good time at the last MMD party.

MCBN: If you could play a full live set with any DJ in the world, who would it be? Any genre, alive or dead.

EMP: Definitely Prodigy, just hope I could keep up though.

MCBN: If you had the choice to have a drink with 3 people, dead or alive… who would it be and why? Please note that George Michael in a public restroom will not be a suitable answer.

EMP: Mozart, Nikola Tesla and Freddy Mercury. Now that I think about it that would be a really really weird drink. Good times.

MCBN: Playing most of your music at night, things can get a little twisted on the dancefloor… Im sure you’ve seen some pretty deranged acts of depravity in your time, and that’s just from me! Whats the weirdest/most awesome thing you’ve ever seen from the vantage point of the DJ portal?

EMP: I was playing a Village party one morning and this dude climbs up onto the Rig dives off,  lands flat and on face and doesn’t move. The weird part of it though was no one on the dancefloor even flinched. They all just carried on as if nothing happened. Was pretty funny from where I was standing…

MCBN:  finally the dreaded MCBN “would you rather…” question. Be scared, but answer honestly. Would you rather be in a four way with Oprah Winfrey, Elton John and a goat, or would you rather have your daughter bare the 36^th child of Jacob Zuma, then star in nude photo shoot for the Sowetan? 

EMP: I’ll take the goat and we call it even?

Thanks for taking the time out to chat to us Vaughan and we pretty amped to check you out behind the decks again soon! Check out Vaughan’s fan page over here ( EMP )

What is the most addictive drug out there?  
This one is pretty easy- Nicotine, which is followed quite closely by Heroin then Tik (methamphetamines). Although as far as I am aware, Kreg is the most addictive drug known to women across the world…

Why don’t moths try to fly to the sun?  
Moths use the moon to navigate, always keeping it at right angles, so they can migrate. If they try to keep your normal household electric light at 90 degrees it just makes them go in irritating little spirals (apparently they never confuse the sun with moon in the same way they do with lights).

Why does sweat smell?  
Bacteria present on all of our bodies feed off of dried sweat, which causes the delightful “hot-dog with crispy onions and all the sauces” smell. Sweat itself isn’t actually stinky and instead has a slightly musky pong that unconsciously attracts us to each other.

Why doesn’t Donald Duck wear trousers?  
Really if you know the answer to this please let me know. I am however aware that he always wears a towel when coming out of the shower… Mysterious.  

Hellooo MyCityByNight family! As you may have heard, while we were down for a couple of weeks one of our favourite old people, Muriel (although she doesn’t like it when we call her old) got hold of us and asked if she might lend a hand in this business of blog writing. 

We gave it a bit of thought and after hours of planning and many “light” beers (because we’re both on a diet), Kreg and I knew exactly where Muriel could fit in. You see, Muriel is quite a wise lady who was quite a harlot back in her day and thus is well-positioned to pass on advice on relationships or lack thereof and life in general. She’s computer savvy, a huge fan of MyCityByNight and is willing to give advice on anything that might be plaguing you. 

Boys and Girls, MyCityByNight introduces to you our very own agony aunt- Muriel.

We’ll give it a day or two before we send off our first couple of questions off to her and then hopefully from there onwards she’ll be doing a feature on a weekly basis (obviously depending on her very busy schedule). ]]> http://www.mycitybynight.co.za/introducing-agony-aunt-muriel/feed/ 0 http://www.mycitybynight.co.za/escaping-from-being-tied-up/ http://www.mycitybynight.co.za/escaping-from-being-tied-up/#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:45:53 +0000 Ricky Bynight http://www.mycitybynight.co.za/?p=999

So the other night, this friend of mine (EDIT: it was actually Ricky- Kreg) had a bit of a… well lets call it an EXPERIENCE. He decided to “try new things” and get involved in a little bit of light bondage. 

It didn’t work out so well for him and he ended up nicely tied up, naked, forced to watch a dvd of our favourite purple dinosaur Barney placed on repeat by the femme fatale who tied him up and left him there in the first place. Luckily, he was aware of the basic techniques of rope-escape and was able to free himself and begin to piece together his dignity. 

So I thought that it might be a good idea to give all you loyal readers a bit of info about rope-escape just in case you are also tricked and humiliated by an equally kraysie (said with a Mexican accent) girl/guy… 

For Upper Torso Bonds:

 
1. When your captors start binding you, expand your body as much as possible (although this might be a little bit difficult if you were thinking that it was going to end well for you, My advice? Just do it every time, cos you NEVER know). 
• Take a deep breath, puff out your chest, and pull your shoulders back. 
• Flex your arms against the bonds. 
• Push against the bonds as much as possible.

2. When your captors are away, suck in your chest and stomach.

3. Wiggle free with the extra room you have given yourself.

Hand and Wrist Bonds:

 
1. Push or flex against the bonds as your captors are tying you.

2. Keep your wrists apart, if possible.

3. Use a pointed object that protrudes (a spike or hook) to work the bonds loose. 
You may also be able to work the knots free with your teeth by biting and pulling on the knots.

4. Free yourself by relaxing your hands and wrists and working until the slack can ride over your palms and fingertips.

Leg and Ankle Bonds:

 
1. While being bound, flex your thighs, knees, calves, and ankles against the bonds. 
• If being bound at the ankles, force them apart by bracing the toes of your shoes and knees together. 
• If being bound at the thighs or calves, force them apart by keeping the toes of your feet together and your legs turned slightly outward.

2. Relax your legs and work the bonds down. 
Use your hands to pull the bonds off your legs and ankles, even if your hands are bound.

Removing Gags

 
Rub your face or head against a wall, a piece of furniture, or anything projecting to slip the gag down over your chin.

You see… at MyCityByNight, we’re always trying to be informative… and helpful… ]]> http://www.mycitybynight.co.za/escaping-from-being-tied-up/feed/ 2 http://www.mycitybynight.co.za/back-from-suspension/ http://www.mycitybynight.co.za/back-from-suspension/#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:30:01 +0000 Ricky Bynight http://www.mycitybynight.co.za/?p=993

As all of you are most likely aware, if you tried to log onto MyCityByNight over the past couple of weeks you were greeted by this totally non-threatening message over here… 

At first Kreg and I thought that we had somehow got ridiculously drunk (likely) and forgot to pay our monthly hosting bills, instead using the money to fund various Eastern European strippers and their wishes to further their education (because that’s why they all strip). Upon further investigation and a chat with our tech guru the real reason behind our suspension became apparent… 

According to a report which we can neither confirm nor deny, Osama Bin Laden used one of the weapons of mass destruction that he is so obviously hiding to begin a global onslaught on free speech and online publishing beginning with- you guessed it… MyCityByNight. 

Naturally we were fairly pissed about this and proceeded to spam his email account with millions of invites to Kurt Darren’s Concert down in De Aar (isn’t that where he normally performs?)… Take that you bastard, try mess with us again! 

Anyways normal service has been resumed and there will be a couple of changes for you to look forward to on the site in the near future including the introduction of our favourite Agony Aunt- Muriel, stories on subjects chosen by YOU, a more dedicated fashion section with constant updates on what’s hot along with a whole new look and feel (which we’re quite excited to show you!!!) 

So… Lots to look forward to J 

Have a fantastic day and enjoy catching up on lost reading time. 

Mucho Love MyCityByNight xxx ]]> http://www.mycitybynight.co.za/back-from-suspension/feed/ 0 http://www.mycitybynight.co.za/nobucks-co-za-the-best-way-to-save-cash/ http://www.mycitybynight.co.za/nobucks-co-za-the-best-way-to-save-cash/#comments Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:05:26 +0000 Kreg http://www.mycitybynight.co.za/?p=1036 This is truly one of the best concepts I have seen in a long time and I just have to say big up’s to Luke Godfrey and Adam Lifshitz for all the hard work they have put in to give us what you see on NoBucks.co.za today!

What NoBucks.co.za is, is a website dedicated to keeping you up to date with all the specials at restuarants, clubs and bars in and around the Cape Town area, they have also done it for JHB and Durban, but we don’t care about them though so back to NoBucks.co.za. It has definitely saved me a couple of times during those lonely few days at the end of the month (yes, we know you spent all your money and alcohol and cigarettes) when you scraping the barrel for cash but are keen to go grab a chow somewhere at the lowest price, you know how it is either being a student or a hard working citizen at the end of the month.

NoBucks.co.za say that their main aim is “to help you save as much moola as possible, whilst still living it up in style”. So weather you’re going for the 2 for 1 cocktail specials at Col Cacchio’s on Monday evening between 18:00 and 20:00 or you going to the get the FULL English Breakfast for R25 at Primi every Tuesday until 12pm, NoBucks.co.za has it all for you.

What are you waiting for, going check it out… www.NoBucks.co.za

GO!!!!

Enjoy

Thanks Chris, you legend… awesome pictures… Sure we’ll see some more in the future!

Very clever from Zapiro I must say!

Pascal and Pearce – Saturday Night Surgery Live Mix 2010

Lovely stuff…

Keep a look out for the boys on Good Hope FM sometime in the near future!

Myself and Ricky ByNight ended up at the River Club driving range after a long debate about who could drive the ball the furthest, then we bumped into Skragg who had some serious wood and was owning the balls, his long game was terrific and we hadnt even started with the golf! Afterwards we sat down in the bar, wiped the sweat off our brow and got down to some business…..

MCBN: So, You use Rabdom L for your live gigs and I finally found out what Rabdom L stands for, care to tell everyone else…

Skragg: You don’t waste time do you? Its an acronym for something pretty random that I sucked out my thumb when I needed an artist name. Don’t want to elaborate more than that though……

MCBN: You played and still do every now and then with the Legendary Twisted System, how did you guys start and what has happened to South Africas favourite PSY group?

Skragg:Twisted System is myself, Shift and Phyx – we formed this project right at the beginning of this journey, using it as a vehicle to push the crazier edge of nighttime psy – with input from three of us we were able to write tracks quickly aswell as keep the tracks fresh and innovative. We released two albums and many singles as we tried to get the project exposure abroad however with three of us in the group we were not getting the bookings we needed to sustain the project viably. It’s a cutthroat industry this and all of us began focusing more on our respective solo projects. I don’t think you have heard the last of TS though….

MCBN: In terms of your production, you have been pumping out tunes regularly since Sept/Oct last year and with new tunes always being released, you must be working hard in the studio, are there any other projects you may be working on??

Skragg: No at the moment I’m focusing everything I have on RABDOM L – aim to take this project to the next level in the forthcoming years. Also doing a lot of collaborations with artists I like – I find working with other artists keeps me inspired and keeps the music exciting.

MCBN: So you’ve made people scream, girls faint and partygoers make savage faces in a variety of different spots all over the globe. Where is the best party the wind has blown you and why?

Skragg: WOW this is a very difficult question to answer because I’ve been lucky enough to experience so many awesome moments with all you nutters out there. Despite that I would have to say my best ever set was at the 2002 Solar Eclipse Festival in the Kruger Park. Vortex, Alien Safari and Etnicanet threw the most amazing event in the middle of nowhere where. Myself and Phyx were given 4 hours from late in the afternoon to early evening, back to back, 4^th or 5^th day of the party. What happened that day was truly mystical experience for me, connecting on so many levels with such a diverse crowd. By the end of our set the dancefloor was frothing at the mouth prompting all the big names in trance like Dino Psaris and GMS etc to try and hijack the decks after us because now the floor was popping and they wanted in on the action. In fact I’ve travelled to various places around the world where people have come up to me to talk about that set.

MCBN: As one of the most respected DJs on our dark continent you must get sent more tunes then Facebook Friend Requests, What are your top 3 tracks in you dig playing at the moment?

Skragg: I wish brutha – it always feels like there are so many tunes out there I don’t have. I’m lucky enough to know a lot of producers and that’s where I get most of the music I play in my DJ set. If you make music they want then you’ll get theirs and obviously it gives you an edge when you can drop exclusive quality material. Unreleased doesn’t mean not good enough, it means its red hot off the press and hasn’t been made available to the masses yet. My top three tracks right now are Rabdom L vs Cybernetix – Daywalker, Rabdom L – Braindead and Rabdom L vs Deliriant – Torque.

MCBN: Growing up as part of Cape Town’s PSY parties, have they changed for you at all, what do you think about the scene at the moment, the amount of International DJ’s flowing onto our shores is incredible?

Skragg: Yeah the parties have changed a lot since the early days. Firstly from a musical standpoint, we’ve seen the emergence of a digital era in the last few years whereas in the early days the music was restricted to powerful analogue platforms. Technology has advanced enabling musicians to access new realms of sound production and processing resulting in what we hear today – huge, full, pumping and massive sound. Then also the crowd has grown and become so diverse – in the early goa-trance era (Mark Allen, Tsuyoshi, Kox Box, X-Dream) we saw mainly hippies and real psykadelik freedom fighters, it was still very underground back then thus not many people had ever been exposed to it. Over the years it has become more and more mainstream in Cape Town. In the beginning there was only two party organizers – Vortex and Alien. Now we have at least 10 and there’s a party every weekend during the summer months – its off the hook! I think that leads me to your next point, with so many parties the respective organizers have to make their party attractive to make people want to attend – duh! Anyway, booking a big name from abroad is one way to do that. So we’re all lucky enough to see the top names in trance all summer long and believe me – they love coming here – who wouldn’t – we really know how to gooi uber gees down here in the south.

MCBN: Being able to play your own music to thousands of crazy and usually twisted fans on the dancefloor must be an awesome feeling, but at the same time, must have led you to see some special things, anything stick out in your mind as the craziest thing you have seen behind the DJ box?

Skragg: Not just one dewd, plenty but I’ll narrow it down to two things. The first was at a NYE Vortex, cant remember which year exactly – anyway I was jamming from 11-1 crossing over into the new year. 15 minutes before the clock struck 12 their was a power cut and everything went black and the sound system kupped om. The crowd went beserk, like Zombie’s just wanting to tear us limb from limb – hurling massive abuse and everyone so trollied and hyped up, thought they were going to storm the box and start biting the machines and shit – Luckily the power was restored 5 minutes prior to midnight and the rest is history. The other amongst so many craze things was getting a strip show virtually on the decks at some dodgy indoor by two hot brazilian lesbian strippers who just decided they couldn’t take it anymore and just had to get it on right there – needless to say no-one objected or did anything to prevent them from expressing themselves.

MCBN: We recently saw you up on stage with Biorythm, that was an awesome set to say the least. Who are your favourite local DJ’s and your favourite international DJ’s at the moment? And if you could play alongside anyone, alive, dead or yet to be born who would it be? PS: Ghandi on flute is not an answer.

Skragg: Nooit I heard Ghandi rocked Cubase bra – or did he use Logic? Yeah Biorythym invited me to join them on stage at the Rezonance 2010 festival – we jammed after the A-Team and was amazing playing on such a sick setup to a massive and charged up crowd. My favourite local DJ is The Jester but I think what you really want to know is who is my favourite local producer?? Well I have a few – firstly Lost and Found is definately my number one – but he is now one of the best in the world and certainly my pick for the worlds best psytrance maker – so powerfull, innovative and massive. Then I really like Biorythym and Rubix Qube, Cybernetix, Deliriant and Pitch Hikers, but the list goes on – Headroom is super phat and Solar Axis is a project I’m watching very closely when it comes to the daytime stuff. Zion Linguist is rocking, Dirty Motion, Frozen Ghost and Hiyarant and the list goes on – we have so many great producers in Cape Town now, certainly one of the highest concentration of quality producers in the world. 

MCBN: If one day Jacob Zuma declared Trance illegal and all offenders would be shot on the spot, what music would you turn to?

Skragg: I’d move bra, Trance is a part of me and I couldn’t fathom an existence without it.

MCBN: So youre sitting with Megan Fox in lingerie and she looks over to you and makes an R18 mouth gesture and begins to climb under the DJ table, is this the perfect dream? or is there another famous apple of your eye whose distraction you’d prefer?

Skragg: This is a weird question Dr. Phil. As far as Ms Fox goes – I doubt I’d try and prevent her from doing that

Been good talking with you, thanks to everyone for all the support and great times over the years. Lets keep it going!

If you haven’t already made up your mind about these two gorgeous girls, wait till you get a load of their delicious sounds! Knowing them on a personal level, they have always had clear intentions as to where they were headed: to rise to the top of the South African DJ scene. They have proven to me and many music fans that they don’t rely on their good looks to get bookings, their music that they pump through speakers at various local venues is what they rely on for their fan base.

For Blush N Bass it continues to be a hero’s journey conducted in their inimitable journey.  After i-Can asked Miss Pickett to spin a few tracks with her at a Cape Town Alive party it was only a matter of time that owners of clubs around Cape Town would be booking them into their venues.

Their sound is steeped in an indie electro/electronic tradition stretching back some forty odd years ago. They also play a selection of chilled lounge beats mixed with some funk and classic electronic infused listening music. Think Depeche Mode, The Cure, MGMT, The Futurheads, Miike Snow, DJ Krush, Empire of the Sun, Tosca, Phoenix, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the rest, you’d have to make it to one of their gigs to hear for yourself.

The girls have played at the likes of Assembly, Chevelle, the Bang Bang Club, Ivy League, Waiting Room, they have residency at Baraza every Sunday for sunset and last night was their debut at Fiction where they had the guys and girls on the dance floor squeaking some serious takkie. Candice Heyns and Taryn Pickett, these two girls are up for any challenge to make a dance floor move.

Press/promoter clipping: “i-CAN & MISS PICKETT whom form Blush N Bass have been creating a buzz across the Music scene, these two crazy gorgeous girls really get a dance floor rocking with their awesome indie electro sounds!”

Be sure to check Blush N Bass out this Saturday, 28 November at Saint Eves, which is the new Ignite in Camps Bay. They also will be playing at Bang Bang Club next Friday, 4 December and at the opening of FTV in East London on the Saturday, 5 December.