Poetry: Top That

Top That

by Patrick Shortall

Getting out of bed is the biggest achievement of my day

I quickly reach my peak and then slowly fade away

I open up with greatness and I close with infamy

the dark hours of the night, I hit my lows

My energy is wasted simply trying to move my head,

Every time I wake up I think I'd prefer to be dead.

After my great achievement the rest of the day is a waste

My waking days are spent looking for a challenge to replace

The simple joy of starting a day, no longer so simple.

Not even joyous, just anti-climactic, delirious.

Instead of triumph, the hours stretch out in front of me,

Like a range of mountains to be traversed, an eternal fruitless quest.

The goals of life seems trivial when compared with my desire

to diminish the struggle but increase the glory of my morning mire

I strike before the iron is hot, before it's even burning,

I envy that infernal clock, the hands are always turning.

My secret struggle of every day, my life's biggest achievement

If I'm to ever top it, I need to give up

and asleep I stay.

Review: Peaks EP and Speaks (Remix) EP

Peaks EP - Peaks

Download

This twin release from EDM producer Peaks, from Dublin, is the 8t/9th release from fledgling label iH! audio. These four tracks and three remixes are a 46 minute trip of progressive electronic music.

These beats are immense. Each track clocks in around the 120-130 bpm mark but the rhythmic development is so engaging. Set to a fairly steady bass beat, the constant embellishments are surprisingly danceable. On top of this are layered rich synths and industrial glitches. It reminds me a lot of Sasha's Airdrawndagger and the Aphex Twin influences are also evident. Each track is minimal yet intense.

The opening track On Every Beach is the most chilled-out. Starting minimal, it builds slowly for almost the entire track until the beat finally evolves into the steady four for the last minute while the other elements fade away.

This EP falls into that sweet spot where you could listen to it chilled out in your room but also bang it out during a DJ set. These long evolving tracks are only a taster for what Peaks can do live. Check him out if you get a chance.

Speaks EP - Various (iH! Audio)

Download

The accompanying remixes feature some fellow iH! Audio producers chopping up three of the tracks from the Peaks EP. Speaks builds on all the original features of Peaks' music and pushes it further. Adding more swirling pads, chopped glitches and high-energy breaks.

The stand-out track is the On Every Beach remix by Ben Bix. The heavy distorted beat first grooving and funky before ramping it up. Bix's signature overload of timbre is so distracting that you hardly even notice it's in 5/4!This will make you move, even if you don't want to dance it will shake you into submission.

You can name-your-price download both from the iH! Audio bandcamp page.

Happy New Year! and stuff

Happy new year internet! It has been a hell of a 2012. First things first, I'm glad the Mayans were wrong! That would've been a really spectacular year. Part of me was looking forward to a post-apocoliptic world. Anyway, we're all stll here and we can get on with our lives.

Persoannly this year was a pretty eventful one for me. This tine last year I still had two sets of exams ahead of me which would make up 100% of my BA degree. I didn't know it yet, but also had a B.Phil dissertation ahead of me as well as a TEFL teaching course and a summer of work teaching Spanish students. So I'm very thankful that I made it through University and graduated and all that.

Next big change this year was my adventure in London and this little project here that are both still ongoing! Those last few months have really gone quickly for me. I'm pretty happy with how London is working out and this blog is going better than I expected too!

Milestones aside, it was all the good times that I had with my friends that really made this year memorable. I had a few memorable trips with some good friends including a weekend in Brussels where we drank a lot and wandered the streets at 3 am. There was the trip to London as well, where we drank cocktails and danced to cheesy 80's music with some great Kiwis. I also had a few memorable nights in Maynooth, Dublin and London. All accompanied with some of the best people I've ever met, both old and new.

I'd like to thank everybody who has read my little blog. I really love writing for others for a change. It's great to get a bit of feedback from you too! Now that I've left Ireland it's nice to have this outlet to keep in touch with people who are scattered all over the world. If anybody would like to send me some music or any links they want me to write about, I'd love to help promote people I know. Hopefully I'll keep writing and I might actually come up with something interesting to say one of these days!

So to everybody who's made this a great year, and to the friends that I have yet to meet in the future: Thank you and Happy Holidays!

See ya in 2013!