Alistair Erskine's official blog

Where to find me

2012-01-11T00:32:00.003+11:00

Obviously, I havent rocked the blogspot for a good long while now.

If you want to keep up with my DJing and other thoughts you should head on over to my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/radfather where I post my upcoming gigs, whatever rad releases I find, and other things of interest, like radio playlists and such.

You can get my ramblings from my brain by checking my twitter

http://www.twitter.com/glassandahalf

which, when I actually have battery on my phone, I am usually using to blather on about whatever.

If you want to hear me on the radio, I currently present and produce Overdrive on 2SER 107.3FM in Sydney every Monday from 1600 to 1800 Australian Eastern Time, it can also be found on the DAB+ digital band (look for 2SER - i think we are third!) or by going to http://2ser.com/stream and getting the (now better quality!) webstream

And finally, if you want random lols, I have a tumblr too - check it at
http://glassandahalf.tumblr.com

Finally, have my most recent mix... I dont know how long it will be online for, but check the sunday hip hop styles...

Alistair Erskine - Sunday Afternoon Hip Hop mixup

Its been a while

2009-07-30T20:09:00.003+10:00

So... I kind of forgot about this for a while. Anyway, it should be imperative to give you all some upcoming dates.

Friday August 7 - Ug Beats, Transit Bar, Canberra
Friday August 21 - Purple Sneakers, Abercrombie Hotel, Sydney
Friday September 25 - Purple Sneakers, Transit Bar, Canberra

There are also mooted sets at Sosueme in the pipeline, as well as some very exciting news that is yet to be confirmed.

On top of that, you can hear me on the radio ever Thursday afternoon from 4-6pm on Overdrive on 2ser 107.3!

Hope you are all well!

Purple Sneakers -- Thursday, 7th of April

2009-04-07T15:33:00.001+10:00

I am playing from 9-10, a kind of "Learn How To Use CD Decks set) sooooo expect looping. looping. cue points. mistakes. good good good tunes ruined by an inexperienced dj trying to get experienced.

Just kidding, it will be radular

Ug Beats with Anthony Pappa, Friday April 3, Transit Bar, Canberra

2009-03-27T08:54:00.002+11:00

when jemist was all like "we should try and get anthony pappa", I was down. The dude has rocked my world so many times that its only fitting that the day before the wedding of Ug Beats founder Brother Rhys, we get a man who definitely inspired the start of it all.

I will be playing early at this one, from 8pm dropping a killer set of old progressive house from my collection.

Its free entry, so you should get along early, coz it will pack out.

Supporting on the night is local god DJ Peekz, new kid on the block and llik llik llik resident Gabe Gilmour, and ug kiddies DFP and Miss Universe will battle it out before the pappa starts his proggy preaching...

Bowl Lotta Love - Sunday March 15, Petersham Bowling Club

2009-03-09T15:12:00.004+11:00

I just got a call asking if I wanted to drop some records at this -- most certainly! A fundraiser for the two most awesome radio stations in Sydney -- my very own 2ser, and the rebel hipsters of Redfern, FBi... at Petersham Bowlo, the home of all those amazing Green Beats parties back back in the day.

Its a really rad spot, it should be a great day out, and my chance to mix it up with the Fbi djs is a bit of an awesome experience that I am really looking forward to :)

Come on down, have a roll, enjoy the bbq, and get to see what some of us radio presenters actually look like ;)

___________________________________

In big news, Im moving timeslot!

Tomorrow is my last hosting the Daily! Im moving to Thursday afternoons, from 4-6 on 2ser 107.3 FM, and my show will be awesome. Rap O Clock will stay, the hater will return, there will be gig guides, giveaways and a couple of new surprises...

Thursday Overdrive! The new home of Al on the radio! More details soon!

OH MY GOODNESS

2009-03-08T23:42:00.002+11:00

Im famous!

Check this out -- http://boundarysounds.com/events/17:boundary-bonds-with

Which is amazing coz that also appears int the Brag!

Ever since I moved to Sydney, I wanted to be the person in that little bit, and now I am!

Awesomeness.

Break Beats Not Hearts, Saturday 14th of March

2009-03-05T09:52:00.005+11:00

Amazingly this isn't a breaks night... Its an indie-pop-party explosion, at the Abercrombie with the best name ever.
EVER.

Its free entry, it features the awesome Vivienne Kingswood (aka the awesome dj that played that Arkana song that time) and I will be having a fair bit of fun playing rad rocking party music.

Flunked, Thursday 19th of Feb

2009-02-13T14:43:00.003+11:00

Come on down this Thursday to celebrate the return of Flunked!

Featuring amazing selectors Huwston, edseven, Sofie from the space is the place crew, and myself

BBQ with awesome vegie options!

Awesomeness.

A Tale of 3 shows

2008-12-14T14:27:00.003+11:00

So in these wild and wooley weeks, the silly season they call it, there is a massive amount of whiling away your time that you can spend at awesome shows. Thursday the 12th of December was the night most Sydney Meridith sideshows were on, and over The Bronx, That One Guy and Saul Williams, my friends and I tottled off to Holy Fuck @ The Annanadale.

We got there early enough to see local noise kids WOW doing their thing, now with added extra synth. I picked up a 7" of theirs a little while ago, called "Common Species/Pretend We're dead" and they played both songs off that, as well as a bunch more. Really worth checking out, and you can do that http://www.myspace.com/wowsydney

Mountains In The Sky were a band I first saw at the Melbourne Big Day Out this year (one of the very few highlights), and since then they have added a member. Im not sure if its added to their music, but they are still pretty awesome. You can check them out at http://www.myspace.com/mountainsinthesky1 , and their new album Electron Suite is out now through Love & Mercy records.

I had been waiting for this ever since I first heard their name really. Then my good friend DJ Not You send me a text message from some festival in Belgium saying Holy Fuck were amongst his festival highlights. Then I got their EP. Then I got their LP. Then I started dropping Holy Fuck in my sets. And asking questions about them at trivia nights. And finally, as we were at the New Pornographers show, outside we saw the adorable poster announcing HF's impending tour. Amazing. They surpassed my expectations as to how a Holy Fuck show should be -- bass guitar, drums, and two old as fuck synths that they repatch live and occasionally scream a bit. Pretty much the best thing ever. Dont miss them. http://www.myspace.com/holyfuck is their myspack, and Young Turks is their label.

The next night I went along to see some of my friends play. I got there just too late to have missed the live improv session between Kodama and Gentle Force, though apperantly that was a whole dose of wonderful awesomeness. The crowd was being lulled into a dubby state of security as some guy from melbourne played, but happily got kicked up a notch when Bec Paton came on and layed masses of bass down for us, happilly getting a bit grimier and hip hoppy by the end. Then Western Synthetics came on, and it was fabulous. On this wet and dreary night, a wonderful warm and cozy blanket surrounded everyone. Whilst I really could have done with a doona and a cup of hot chocolate and a window to push my face up against, watching the rain, it gave the effect of doing that inside me altogether. It was the launch of Western Synthetics 12", which you can check out on his myspace -- http://www.westernsynthetics.net/, and the 12" and mp3's are available from Subcontinental Dub.

Finally, on the Saturday night, I tottled down to my second or third installment of "Triangles Sideshow Alley", which was a long running monthly night a few years back at the Landsdowne, but now only really crops up once every few months. I got inside to be nicely droned out by Meat Safe, a band that kind of goes post-hardcore in points, other points nods totally towards goth-rock... It was awesome. Next up were Black Lion, who I probably would have been totally in love with 10 years ago (thats a good thing) and then The Mansons, who were absolutely awesome in the way that I wasnt actually trying to pay attention to them, but kept getting distracted from my conversations by the strength of their songs... Awesome stuff kids.

But the band I was there to see mainly were a fair few people's New Favourite Band -- Bosom.

Bosom are a three piece fronted by the vivacious, rude, charismatic and mega awesome Wiz, and an increasingly tight drums and guitar duo. Their songs range from flirting with high-school massacre gunmen to telling stalkers to fuck off, from pretend phone-sex lines to just how much better they are than coldplay... they are the greatest thing to happen to mankind of this generation of this decade, my friends so check em out http://www.myspace.com/bosomrocks

The New Pornographers, Live @ The Annandale, 12 October 2008

2008-12-08T15:52:00.003+11:00

Everything is starting to quieten down for me for the summer. Ive just returned from my weekend down in Canberra for my birthday Ug Beats, and between now and Febuary I only have one DJ gig booked. Trivia will stop for the summer on December 16, and there is no Flunked til Feb 19.

So to tide us over, I might try and recap some of the best things about this year. And definately one of the best things I did was go see my favourite active band in the world, The New Pornographers. In joyous news, an incredible audio/visual recording by these dudes called "Moshcam" is available on the web, so for your listening and singing along pleasure my friends, CLICK HERE and stream one of the best shows I've been to this year.

I'll put some other links up over the summer, but for now, BOOK ME FOR STUFF -- get in touch via this blog, and I'll rock your summer shows!

Seasonal Beats, Xmas Eve. Transit Bar

2008-12-04T00:03:00.000+11:00

Another Canberra gig... and again at Transit Bar.

This time, its a xmas eve party, featuring some of my favourite boys in the world. Firstly, the amazing D'opus & Roshambo (Website and MySpace), who's album The Switch is undeniably one of the hip hop releases of this year (the 12" is particularly hot if you can get you hands on a copy). They will be giving some good tidings, slick beats and special collabs on Xmas eve down the transit bar...

And then a band I was happy enough to support at their first ever gig, as well as their first album launch at a sold out show a few years back at the ANU Bar -- Casual Projects (MySpace) will be playing two sets, kind of as though the Transit Bar had turned into the Mac for the eve. I will be spinning tunes before, after and during, so come along and get boozy, funky and festive as we rock it, XMAS EVE party styles!

Ug Beats presents::: Jaytech Mostly

2008-12-03T17:03:00.000+11:00

UG Beats Entertainment is proud to announce the return of Jaytech for one special ‘Jaytech Mostly’ show in Canberra.

Jaytech Mostly is not just an event, it’s a 7 hour spectacle of sound, light and vision that features special intoxicating acts and surprise performers.

On the back of last weekend's massive festival performance, including ‘Foreshore’ at Commonweath Park and some afterparty in Dickson, Jaytech was voted by you as the ‘BEST DJ SLASH PRODUCER TO EVER WALK THE EARTH’ in our weekly "ZOMG What Rocked Your World This Week” poll.

And it seems the rest of the world agrees, with Jaytech also taking top spot for the first time in the DJ Mag Top 100 poll last year. This UG Beats date will mark the first time he has been here since taking out the prestigious top spot, which he won from Tiesto and John Digweed (ranked two and three respectively).

Other awards in 2008 included the most prestigious award in Dutch music, the Buma Cultuur Props Award, and at the International Dance Music Awards (IDMAs) in Miami, he took out Best Maker of Progressive Haus and Best and Most Soothing Album Title (for “Everything Is OK”).

The success of his Everything Is OK album has led to a signing session with ravenous fans everywhere he goes, often to the embarrassment of his friends.

Regardless, you too can come and experience the Jaytech fervor, this Friday December 5, at The Transit Bar, Akuna St, Civic.

For Free.

That’s right. FOR FREE.

No cover, just Jaytech.

Actually, mostly Jaytech.

Actually, Jaytech For A While, but it just didn't sound as good as Jaytech Mostly.

On the night there will be DJ sets from NOT YOU (Berlin), ALISTAIR ERSKINE (Syd), Jemist (USA-sounding), Pornstylus (Costa Rica), and local munchkin, DJ DFP (Ainslie).

But there is only to be one Jaytech Mostly party in the world! Be a part of history in the making!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=41950126734 is the place to go to confirm your attendance :) DO IT!

Welcome.

2008-11-26T19:50:00.000+11:00

This is going to be the weblog that I hopefully maintain just to put stuff up when its coming up. It wont be a personal blog - I think im done with them, at least for the time being. But deciding to share my upcoming events in one spot might be quite a nice experiement, and I havent had a Blogger account for a while, so I am also curious as to how it ties into google, the account that is slowly taking over my life.

Its quite quiet so far over summer, but I think its probably better that I try and do this when its not so hectic rather than attack when everything is very full on.

Anyway, feel free to get in contact with me about anything, especially

The Tuesday Daily on 2SER 107.3 FM or http://www.2ser.com
Ug Beats @ Transit Bar, Canberra
Flunked @ UTS Loft Bar, Sydney
Beat Geeks Music Trivia @ The Clare Hotel, Sydney
DJing in general.

Thanks for stopping by!