Thursday, August 31, 2006

Milk Inc. - Supersized

Today is a special day for the Milk Inc. fans. Belgium's most popular dance sensation is finally releasing their new album to the public. It's entitled "Supersized" and contains 14 tracks with the well-known Milk Inc. sound.

A few of its songs were already released the past couple of years, such as "Blind", "Whisper", "Go To Hell" and the recently released "Tainted Love". "Run", the first track of the album, will be released on single tomorrow, one day after the album release. Next to the album version, it will feature a Sunshine Mix and a Simple Mix.

This album is the runner-up for the already sold-out 10th anniversary concert "Milk Inc. Supersized" on September 30th in Antwerp. I will post more info on the concert in a next blog entry.

You can listen to samples of the new Milk Inc. album here

[ Click here to show or hide tracklist ]
  1. 1. Run
  2. 2. Tainted Love
  3. 3. No Angel
  4. 4. Go To Hell
  5. 5. Answer Me
  6. 6. It's Over
  7. 7. Blind
  8. 8. Fiction
  9. 9. Breakin'
  10. 10. Remember
  11. 11. Whisper
  12. 12. Secret
  13. 13. Morning Light
  14. 14. Things Change


Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Time-out

If you hope think I have disappeared off of the face of the earth, I hate to disappoint you. The truth is that I have been extremely busy the last couple of weeks, working in the house to get "stuff" done.

All the work and after-work relaxation leaves me with very ample time (and motivation) to sit in front of a smartass, windows-updating and coffeebeancrushingnoise-making computer.

I will post a status update as soon as I have time and feel like doing so :-)


Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest does the right thing as a sequel: it maintains the same spirit of the original and creates an even more fitting Pirates story.

After narrowly escaping the gallows - with the help of his friends Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) - and reclaiming his cursed Black Pearl, it still seems Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) has a few more fish to fry. More specifically the barnacle-encrusted undead on board the ghostly Flying Dutchman, lead by Mr. Octopus Face himself, Davy Jones (Bill Nighy).

Jack apparently owes a blood debt to the inky captain and if he can't find a way out of it, Sparrow will be doomed to eternal damnation and servitude in the afterlife. Making matters worse, Jack's problems manage to interfere with the wedding plans of Will and Elizabeth, who are forced to join Jack on yet another one of his mischievous adventures.

[ Click here to show or hide more info (contains minor spoilers) ]

Depp's Oscar-nominated performance as Captain Jack Sparrow is still marvellous in pirate behaviour: his speech, swaying swagger 'n slack and waving arms. It's the duality of the character that continues to intrigue: he is a lusty, fearless man with a deeply defiant and somewhat sneaky appearance but whose delicate features give him a subtly effeminate air that belies his macho behaviour.

This time around, young actors Knightley and Bloom have a little more to do, with Elizabeth's growing attraction to Jack and Will's reunion with his father, Bill "Bootstrap" Turner (Stellan Skarsgård). Nighy makes his mark as an effective villain, infusing his rather quirky acting ticks. His arrogance shines through all the special effects make-up, certainly rivaling Depp, even with tentacles for a face.

The other thing Dead Man's Chest does right is make things bigger and better. From a hair-raising swordfight on top of a spinning water wheel to the way Davy Jones and his crew look, the film is simply amazing. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski make sure the action sequences, the sets, the costumes, the make-up and the special effects give the audience a familiarity to the original while also taking them on a whole new adventure.

Dead Man's Chest does lag a bit from time to time, but that's ok since some elements are essential to this story, and possibly the next one. For those who'll want more adventure after this movie ends, Dead Man's Chest gives us a promise the third installment, planned for a May 25th 2007 release, will be just as much pirate fun.


Monday, August 14, 2006

Antwerp Sings 2006

Yesterday evening was the ninth edition of "Antwerp Sings". Whether your are a tenor or a soprano, whether you can sing or are completely tone deaf, everyone was welcome to this yearly Antwerpian singing fest.

No artists on stage, just a bunch of people creating a nice ambiance and giving the crowd, 30.000 according to the organisers, the good example. The crowd is the star of the night, singing mostly very well-known Flemish and English songs. The general idea of the event is that everyone sings from the top of their lungs.. and so they did, guided by the lyrics everyone received in print.

This is the third time in a row that I joined in. The weather during my first two times was absolutely horrible. This year, however, it couldn't be better. My head hurts, my voice sounds like a rusty watertap, but hey, I had a jolly good time together with my friends. The party went on until a little bit past midnight, after which we unfortunately had to return home. There's an extra edition on September 8th for charity. Who knows, perhaps I'll join in if I can find some other crazy voices to accompany me ...

[ Click here to show or hide playlist ]

  1. Rene Froger - Just Say Hello
  2. Guus Meeuwis & Vagant - Ik Ben Blij Dat Ik Je Niet Vergeten Ben
  3. André Van Duin - Als De Zon Schijnt
  4. Will Tura - Het Kan Niet Zijn
  5. André Hazes - Ik Meen Het
  6. Billy Paul - Your Song
  7. Rocco Granata - Marina
  8. Boney M - Hooray, It's A Holiday
  9. Jan Smit - Als De Nacht Verdwijnt
  10. Laura Lynn - Je Hebt Me Duizend Maal Bedrogen
  11. Frans Bauer - Heb Je Even Voor Mij
  12. Tina Turner - Proud Mary
  13. Dario - De Clown
  14. John Denver - Thank God I'm A Country Boy
  15. The Radios - I'm Into Folk
  16. The Charlie Daniels Band - The Devil Went Down To Georgia
  17. Vader Abraham - Het Kleine Café Aan De Haven
  18. Zangeres Zonder Naam - Mexico
    bonus: Hans De Booij & Wannes Van De Velde - Lichtjes Van De Schelde
    bonus: De Strangers - Aantwaarpe

    BREAK

  19. Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill
  20. De Kreuners - Layla
  21. Peter Koelewijn - Klap Maar In Je Handen
  22. Dean Martin - That's Amore
  23. Freddy Breck - Uberall Auf Der Welt
  24. Noordkaap - Ik Hou Van U
  25. Righteous Brothers - You've Lost That Loving Feeling
  26. Harry Nilson - Without You
  27. Gerry & The Pacemakers - You'll Never Walk Alone
  28. Raymond Van Het Groenewoud - Liefde Voor Muziek
  29. Village People - In The Navy
  30. Abba Medley
  31. Claude François - Alexandrie, Alexandra
  32. Hermes House Band - Que Sera Sera
  33. Paul De Leeuw - Vlieg Met Me Mee Naar De Regenboog
  34. Michel Sardou - Les Lacs Du Connemara
  35. Abba - Thank You For The Music
    bis: De Strangers - Aantwaarpe


Sunday, August 06, 2006

One hour photo

Today I went to a photo expedition that documented the art of seven photojournalists working for the Belgian newspaper De Morgen.

The five walls, each displaying about ten pictures, are easily done in an hour. It may not seem very much, but it is definitely worth it. Some photos tell a whole lifestory, while other photos are snapshots of concerts or festivals that take you back to the event itself.

The expedition runs in the Bozar in Brussels from June 21st until August 27th and the €5 entrance fee is fairly cheap.

[ Click here to show or hide exposition info ]

The text below is the introduction by the Editor in chief of De Morgen as it is displayed when you enter the exposition hall.



For more than a quarter of a century De Morgen has had something with photos and photographers something with De Morgen. Because we see photography not as the art of illustrating an article, but as a journalistic form in its own right. Our photographers are visual journalists who have opted for a camera rather than a word processor. The photos in De Morgen are more than items of news, they are both its background and interpretation, and often an opinion too. A cry of outrage, a nostalgic look back at what is on the point of disappearing, a sarcastic wink, a tear in the eye, and everything between. The photographers at De Morgen have over the years won just about every prize there is to be won in the world, several times over. We have almost started to consider it normal. But it isn 't. Because it is only the very best who can time and again weld a subject, technique, vision and creativity together to form an image that says more than a thousand words. We are very happy that they want to work for us.
Yves Desmet, Editor in chief

With Yann Bertrand, Filip Claus, Tim Dirven, Jimmy Kets, Stephan Vanfleteren, Thomas Vanhaute, Alex Vanhee




Al meer dan een kwarteeuw heeft De Morgen iets met foto's en hebben fotografen iets met De Morgen. Omdat fotografie voor ons niet de kunst van het illustreren van een artikel is, maar een eigen journalistieke vorm. Onze fotografen zijn beeldjournalisten, die voor een fototoestel hebben gekozen, en niet voor een toetsenbord. Foto's in De Morgen zijn meer dan nieuwsfeiten, ze zijn er tegelijk de achtergrond en de duiding van, en vaak zijn ze zelfs een opinie. Een schreeuw van verontwaardiging, een nostalgische terugblik naar wat nog net niet verdwenen is, een sarcastische knipoog, een krop in de keel, en alles daartussen. De fotografen van De Morgen hebben inmiddels al een paar keer zowat iedere prijs die er ter wereld te winnen valt, gewonnen. We zijn dat bijna normaal gaan vinden. Terwijl het dat niet is. Want iedere keer weer een onderwerp, techniek, visie en creativiteit kunnen samensmeden tot dat ene beeld dat meer zegt dan duizend woorden is alleen aan topmensen gegeven. We zijn blij dat ze voor ons willen werken.
Yves Desmet, Hoofdredacteur

Met Yann Bertrand, Filip Claus, Tim Dirven, Stephan Vanfleteren, Jimmy Kets, Thomas Vanhaute, Alex Vanhee.



The picture displayed in this blog is ©Stephan Vanfleteren.


Saturday, August 05, 2006

Hairy nuts

I have no idea what you were thinking of when you read this blog title and frankly, I don't wanna know.

Anyway, I'm fond of Pistache Nuts, but today I experienced something that groced me out so much that I won't touch a single one anytime soon!! Yeah you can laugh. Read on.

I was enjoying those nuts until I noticed a weird looking specimen. I took it out of its shell and subjected it to a very close look. It looked like part of the nut was some kind of a hairy cocoon. I opened it, and to my greatest amazement and disbelief, there was a roasted worm-alike thingy inside.

Like I said, no nuts for me anymore. I can appreciate a little extra now and then, but there are limits. And they have been crossed.


Thursday, August 03, 2006

DJ Control MP3

I've been doing a lot of experimenting with mixing music lately. Having created a few megamixes already, I wanted to try something closer to the real thing. Mostly because I was using software that's based on a timeline: you put your tracks (on strips) on a timeline and where two songs overlap they get mixed in the way you want them to. But this is not mixing. This is more like authoring.


So I started experimenting with DJ Software. Most DJs will give me the evil eye when I say that, but I have no ambition of becoming professional and therefore do not want to spend thousands of euros on vinyls and equipment.

So I've bought myself a new toy: the Hercules DJ Control MP3 for use with Virtual DJ. It's a device that, connected to your computer, behaves like a real set of turntables and a mixing console. The things you normally have to accomplish using your mouse and zillions of hotkeys on your keyboard, you can now control with this device. I'll post a review once I have it :-)