After you guys chose Lovelle as the UK ambassador on the Pepsi-back Akon single “Oh Africa”, the time has finally come!

On Sunday (31st January), the single will be released, and we all hope it gets to number one!

The song, featuring Akon and Keri Hilson (pictured with Lovelle, right) is giving proceeds from the sales to helping underprivileged African youth. Akon’s Konfidence Foundation, (Konfidence.org), will be one of the main charities set to receive a portion of the proceeds.

Check out konfidence.org to download the track, and check back here next week for more information and videos!

Maxcast Team

This is Maxcast’s longest video yet!

We sent Maxcast presenter Chungaiz Mumtaz to have a DJ Masterclass from the legendary Jedi himself Tom Middleton. Spinning some tracks, cutting, scratching, twangeing, thwipping, pointing….?

Feel the power of the deej, it’s powerful. Apologies for the length of this video! Sit down, get a cup of tea and enjoy it…

As promised, here’s Tom’s “Tom Yum” soup recipe…

Tom Yum is the most famous of Thai soups, being very popular in Thai restaurants in the US. It is a clear sour soup which is flavored with fresh lemon grass and kaffir lime leaf. The most well-known version uses shrimp (in Thai: goong, koon, kung), but you may also use firm white-flesh fish (see Tom Yum Taleh) or chicken (gy or kai).

Ingredients

4 cups of water

2 stalks fresh lemon grass, trim off the very end of the root and smash with the side of a cleaver of chef’s knife; cut into 1 inch pieces; or 2 pc dried

3 slices fresh galangal root(smashed) or 2 pc dried

3 fresh kaffir lime leave or 4 pc dried

1 Tbsp. tamarind paste, with or without seeds

1 Tbsp. fish sauce, Golden Boy preferred

3/4 lb shrimps, medium to large size, shelled and de-veined; butterfly if desired

12 fresh Thai chili peppers, whole or 2 medium sized jalepenos, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips.

1/2 small white onion, cut 1/4 inch slices

2 Tbsp. roasted chili paste (nam prik pao)

1 (16 oz.) can straw mushrooms, drained and rinsed

1 small ripe tomato, cut into wedges 1/4 inch thick

1 small lime, squeezed

2 sprigs fresh cilantro

Preparation

Bring water to boil over high heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the lemon grass, galangal, kaffir lime leaf, fish sauce and tamarind paste (break apart the tamarind paste with your fingers as you add it). Add the shrimp, bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes. Add the onion, nam prik pao and straw mushrooms. Boil for another 7 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through. Add the chile peppers and tomatoes. Turn off the heat. Add the lime juice. Taste to adjust the seasoning, adding fish sauce to taste. Garnish with cilatantro if desired and serve. Serves 3 to 4.

‘T for tremendous’ weekend, hung out with Dave Spoon on Friday (was up till silly o’clock listening to old school hardcore jungle techno..rewind!)

Up early to pick up my Sean aka MC Ribbz from Southampton station, boarded the HMS Bigboatmcferrything and sailed across the Solent to the Isle Of Wight. Bumped into a fair few Space Oddities on board!

Arrived on site, sun blazing, music pumping from every stage and thousands of bods all in fancy dress. Check the parade..bonkers! As promised, I checked out the food stalls, and they are getting well serious now. None of your usual bacon baps or chippy wagons. All kinds of global gourmet specialties and fine festival fare to munch on.

The winner of the best festy food was Carl Cox and his mate Hab..check the film for Carl Cooks Habs Kebabs!

The kings of synth pop Kraftwerk were top of my ‘to see’ list. And they didn’t disappoint either. Headlining the main stage in their well known ‘four men standing at lecturns’ formation infront of a whopping great big screen for the visuals. I heard all my favourites and even the newer tracks which I’ll be honest I thought were bordering on trance for me sounded amazing.

Had to scoot over to the Afterburner stage and take over the Djing duties from Bestival Curator and head honcho Rob Da Bank. The DJ booth was built into an inverted Jet engine on a circular stage made with scrap metal. It looked like a set from Mad Max complete with flame throwers and smoke blowers! I climbed up, then had a nightmare nail biter scenario, one of the CD players I normally use was missing! I had to play a track off the remaining CD deck and one from the laptop..but MC Ribbz kept the vibe going and I don’t think anyone noticed that I couldn’t mix for the first few tunes. Luckily a spare CD player materialized and I was back in business..phew!

I played a set inspired by the Space theme dropping in countless nuggets that all flowed together nicely. Off to Tokyo and Seoul next week..so ta ta for now (ttfn)!

You can also follow me on http://twitter.com/djtommiddleton
 
Here’s my top ten Bestival Space Tunes

Jeff Wayne – Eve Of The War (Tom Middleton Remix)
DJ Zinc – Star Wars Mashup
Lindstrom – I Feel Space
Elton John – Rocketman
David Bowie – Loving The Alien
The Prodigy – Out Of Space (Drum and Space Remix)
The Martian – Stardancer
Photek – U.F.O.
Fake Blood – Mars
Jamiroquai – Return Of The Space Cowboy

Massive thanks to everyone who ‘felt like putting their hands up in the air’ (and in the T for tune shape too) in the Club tent last Sunday at the Big Chill Festival – Eastnor Castle.

I landed on Saturday to catch the likes of Emiliana Torrini, Alice Russell on the Castle Stage, over to Krafty Kuts causing mash up mayhem and finally Orbital raving it up on the main stage.

On the Sunday I played a two hour set of end of night anthems and classic One More Tunes with an old friend, the legendary old school promoter/DJ/MC Ribbz (aka Sean Hill) working the crowd on the Mic.* see note 1

Yet again I had the challenge of following a stand up comedy session featuring Russell Howard, Dylan Moran and Noel Fielding! When I got to the tent it was packed, mostly with people sitting down on rugs and mini deck chairs having picnics..lol!

But didn’t take long for myself and Sean to get the place jumping.
Here are the biggest One More Tunes from the set.

The Prodigy ‘Out Of Space’ (Drum & Bass version)
Calvin Harris ‘Ready For The Weekend’ (High Contrast Version)
Dizzy Rascal ‘Bonkers’ (Doorly dubstep version)
Blur ‘Song 2’ (Tom Middleton Whoomp mash up)
Orbital ‘Halcyon’ (Tom Middleton remodel)
Groove Armada ‘Superstylin’ (Krafty Kuts Breakbeat-Dubstep mash up)
Talking Heads ‘Once In A Lifetime’
The Police ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’
The Stone Roses ‘Fools Gold’
Franz Ferdinand/The Scissor Sisters ‘Take Me Out’ (Daft Punk/Tom Middleton mash up)

’m back on the road this weekend headlining at the Beautiful Days Festitval in Ottery St Mary, Devon. Further One More Tunes and Old School anthems galore…full report next week.

Note 1*A bunch of us hardcore Cornish ravers including myself and Richard D James, used to take a bus to Plymouth to hear Sean spin alongside US DJ’s like Joey Beltram and Moby playing the craziest R&S hoover techno and acid, and most notably, Sean also hosted one of The Aphex Twin’s earliest live performances, he and I both worked at Mighty Force Records which was our local source for the freshest imported dance music. Without Richard D James teaching me studio production, Sean making me dance all night and Mighty Force releasing my first records I probably wouldn’t be writing this!

Big thanks! Tom