The legend of Sims

Some of his best mixes can be found on the link!

http://www.audiobeats.net/artist/show.php?id=47

CP Company Autumn/Winter 2010

Willa - Mixes on Soundcloud

Latest tracks by Willa

Upside Down - The Creation

This should be entertaining viewing for sure!



When an unsigned Noel Gallagher took the train from Manchester to meet the bosses of Creation records in 1993, he had little idea what to expect.

In a room above a sweatshop in the back streets of east London, surrounded by self-confessed "misfits, drug addicts and sociopaths", the Oasis songwriter found his spiritual home.

"He came to the Creation office and saw the words Northern Ignorance scrawled in magic marker across the roof of the reception," said Tim Abbott, the label's former managing director. "I'd done it the week before, when I was off my head on ecstasy, walking on the tables and drinking champagne. Noel saw it and went: 'Fucking 'ell, I'm having that. I like it here.'"

The full extent of the debauchery, precarious nature and genius of the independent label is to be laid bare in the most revealing rock'n'roll film since 24 Hour Party People, the story of the "Madchester" scene. Upside Down, due out in spring, reveals the label's unusual method of making sure new bands came on board, according to Abbot. "We often used to drink and drug the bands into submission," he said.

After the initial bond formed, Abbott said, Gallagher was frog-marched to the pub where, unsurprisingly, all involved got "stuck into a session".

A decade after Creation closed, and 25 years since the release of its first single, Upside Down charts the heady 15-year existence of the label that launched Primal Scream, Ride and My Bloody Valentine, as well as Oasis.

The label veered from one financial precipice to another, he said. Even after Primal Scream won the Mercury music prize in 1992, the resulting visibility did not translate into financial viability.

"We were always skint. It was like spinning plates, we were always trying to dodge the bailiffs," he said. "It was my job to go out and see them, probably because I was the smallest. Dick [co-founder Dick Green] would see to the manufacturers who we couldn't pay and Alan [co-founder Alan McGee] would just try to blag it. It couldn't go on like that."

Upside Down's director, Danny O'Connor, who admitted to going through "near bankruptcy and dementia and all the other things that come with Creation" during the making of the film, said he was drawn to telling the story of the label that had provided the soundtrack to his life.

"No one does excess like Creation, no one does great records like Creation," he said. "Creation was an indie, but it didn't wear a cardigan, it didn't apologise. There was a real power in its punch. If you think that rock'n'roll is all about swagger — this is your film."

And few do swagger like McGee. In a trailer for the film he admits: "I was absolutely delusional. I actually thought I was up there with Beethoven and Shakespeare, creating metaphysical history by running Creation."

The company behaved like the "ultimate dysfunctional family" but still managed to make great and intelligent records, said O'Connor.

Abbot agreed: "We were dysfunctional people working with dysfunctional bands but somehow we still managed to function — we got results. There were a whole cast of characters at Creation and the sum was greater than its parts."

For Abbot, when Sony bought 49% of the label in 1992, it spelled the end of its glory days. "When McGee sold creation to Sony, it was a curse," he said. "It took the pressure off financially but it changed everything. Sony brought in accountants and a major label culture. The offices moved from Hackney to Primrose Hill and it got stupid.Knebworth [Oasis's 2005 Knebworth concert] was a gig too far. It signed off the old culture."

He holds few regrets about the eventual closure of the label in 1999. "When the label folded it was sad, but it had been consumed by a monster. It stopped being a vehicle for music and started being a vehicle for egos. Alan and Dick sold the soul of Creation to the devil, and the devil wanted it back with interest."

He added: "I have no regrets. In its heyday Creation produced fantastic music and art, and I was lucky enough to be there. It's like asking Ronaldo if he regrets playing for United. If you get to play for the best team in the world, you can't ask for anything else."

A collection of Animals?

An amazing band in my opinion, been a fan from the first time I heard "Here comes the Indian" back in 2003. It was music like I'd never heard before, experimental and original, which contributed to their appeal tenfold.

Merriweather Post Pavilion was quite possibly my favourite album of 2009, and somehow I've only just purchased their most recent EP, "Fall Be Kind". I have to say its definitely some of their best work yet, musically it is extraordinary in my opinion, covering so many genres and soundscapes in a relatively short space of time can be only one thing, infinitely inspiring.

The Sunday Sessions

These will now be my new mix sets for this year, covering different genres depending on what mood I'm in, Volume 1 is Techno, and here it is.

Pizeta - Hard Sax - Digital Traffik
Eric Sneo - Mass Appeal Madness - Masters Of Disaster
Joey Beltram - Fractals - Kombination Research
Dolby D - U-C4 - Dj Mika Mix - Audio Donor Records
Vasileios Tsonopoulos - Street Beat 2 - Megatron Athens
DJ Kleber - S Bass - Killer Beats
Speedy - Plastic Disco - Unaffected
Samuel L. Session - Batucumba - SLS
Daniel D - Modern Disco - Ego Traxx
Raul Mezcolanza - Disco - Lactik Records
Elton D - Vataplas - Access Denied
Josh Love - Samba Magica - Patterns
Miche & Mirzinho - Terbium - Axel Karakasis Mix - Adult
DJ Stay - Nolita - Emphatic
Bob D - Bimbo - Prozak
Ben Sims - Remanipulator - Bootleg Mix - Ingoma
Marco Bailey - Infected - Pornographic
A. Paul - Absent - Primus Tech Mix - Naked Lunch
JOC - Oh Yes - CDR
Dj Baly - Break The Show - Work Hard Play Hard
Justin Berkovi - Can Feel The Sound - Max Walder Mix - Music Man Records
David Moleon - Sexyzero - Moop Up
Dj Gumja - Technaccio - Omega Drive Mix - Techno Artillery
Luky R.D.U. - Serious Audio - Subcult
Fer Br - Que Bailas - Patterns
Juan Lopez - Hipi - Aitor Ronda Mix - Prozak
Alexey Kotlyar - Inessa - Valvula Records
Wyrus & Matija Marinic - Spanish Bitch - Relatives
Organ Donors - Made In 2 Minutes - Tidy
DJ Nuke - Untitled - Unknown Vinyl

http://soundcloud.com/willa/willa-sunday-sessions-volume-1

The northern hemisphere

We are in the midst of the coldest winter in my relatively short existence on the planet so far. For years I have always welcomed a batch of snow over the festive period, it adds something extra to proceedings and cements the yuletide joy. Without it, christmas just isn't the same, somewhat empty in a strange sort of way.

But this winter season has been different from all previous I have experienced, for well over a fortnight the snow has been in free fall, its thicker than a jar of marmite and ankle deep, chin deep if you've got legs like Verne Troyer. It shows no sign of moving on at any point currently and the country, as it always is when any sort of adverse weather rears it head up, is in proverbial meltdown.

Now, for me, its a double edged sword. Because as much as I like snow, mainly due to the fact it gives people the opportunity to have a winge, which in turn gives people an excuse to go the pub. Which is fine by me, mines a Lager and a packet of Bacon fries, cheers. On the other hand though, I work outdoors so I get the full brunt of the winter chill everyday and feel like Christopher Dean for the best part of 4 hours. "You should be grateful you are working in this climate" I can hear people say. And yes, I am. (No pun intended there by the way). The body just isn't acclimatised to be grafting in -5 and less temperatures, my bollocks are usually tickling my oseophagus by the end of the shift. The company talk about Safety & Health, they switched the words around last year to "Move with the times" (its irrelevant to be perfectly honest), yet they send us out in what can only be described as "treacherous" conditions. Hypocrites. Still, I get to visit my favourite sandwich shop and talk about football with my favourite Jewish doctor, sublime stuff. Anyways, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, and that light is the fucking weekend.

Happy New Year

Lets look forward to an eventful and prosperous decade!

After a somewhat lairy festive period my body is now beginning to show signs of sustained abuse and needs a break, hopefully this break will come over the next fortnight!

But I doubt it.