(Oh, there's 2 "featuring Dizzee Rascal" tracks on there. I am not a big fan of party hard Lucky Star, it's much too crowded. Nothing like Fix Up Look Sharp which pushed Dizzee's ruff voice at the forefront and was dark stark punk hop.)

I have little interest in the upcoming Basement Jaxx. I have never liked dance that has too many rock(s) attached to it. It conjures up drunken blokes on the dance floor/ frat party. Prodigy - with its faux punk (Hello Kitty thrown in a Hard Candy/Gothic mixer) - and Chemical Bros belong to the same group. It's closer to Oasis than Kool Keith in mindset. Or maybe I have seen one too many bollox reports about Oasis and/or not enough Kool Keith stories. So I can pretend that the latter is throws off his persona after he's done his *shift*. But I still downloaded it. And I will - oh yeh prejudiced expectations - dislike it despite the northern soul/punk and electro influences.

There's nothing like buying an LP on the basis of the cover. You have expectations. In this case they were half-delivered. I expected a pure soul record, instead I got a lovers rock record. I especially love the soul tracks by Hortense Ellis, there's an understated deepness in her delivery. Nothing like the xtina aguilera bathroom belt (which has its place... exactly, in the shower). Something is off, something stolen. I love how they have appropriated a genre and tried to capture its essence. It's something one can hear in any/most non-UK/US records. I am not a big reggea fan, unless it's driven by R&B. I love the smoothness of soul coupled with the reggae basslines.

Tabula rasa. One part of me wants to start with a new website - albeit with the same silly name - and another part of me realizes that I will never get back to that giddy 2/3 FRESH records a week life again. There's no way I can start with a blank state because, well, those grooves are there. But then life invariably moves on, new things get in the way of music. So maybe now I only need to have more (uh oh) discipline and slip that record on the turn table instead of pushing (instant repeat) play on the stereo.

So anyway, Tokyo was sumo diet and blade runner all over again. Too many dorayakis and not enough records. But I did manage to find a few LPs (too discipline me into music again, duh): Wild Dub proves to be patchy. I love the Grace Jones rubbing sides with Slits. Although I was never a big fan of the Slits - too much dada skreems - maybe the dubbed out track on this comp will draw me over the line. The rest is mainly studium.

PS You can't imagine how utterly strange James Brown can make you feel when you walk around Shibuya hearing Sex Machine throught the loud speakers.