Tropical City was inspired by the likes of Santogold and De Tropix and designed for the summer festivals. Think forward thinking international sounds and feel good summer vibes, with added fancy dress fun. Our latest themed party was programmed to be held on several summer festival stages; Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party, Castle Palooza and Bloom Festival.

Music genres touched upon ranged from reggaeton, hip-hop, tropical, grime, bashment on an electronic tip. Conrad the Scoundrel kicked the night off with his up front mc style and comedy introductions. Then AJ Holmes presented his electric-hi-life tunage, sweet summer melodies ravished by all. Cherry B from De Tropix took the mic for the headline act, bumping and grinding her crotch in time with her lyrics! Finally our super hero DJ, Gabriel Heatwave drew in the crowd for two hours of bashment bliss. We rocked the boat to the early hours swinging our hips, arms in the air. We were truly impressed by Gabriel’s sounds and the party spirit that was created on the Tamesis boat.

Thanks to all that made the party so special- bring on the summer festivals! 

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Tropical City

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The countdown has begun……

Banished from the banality of modern life the cyber freaks, space pirates, punk mutants and star ship stowaways roam the city streets for sanctuary. An interstellar portal lies deep under St. Giles Church in Camberwell. The crew of this cryptic star ship is waiting to take you on an intergalactic odyssey of hyper Stella purgery.

The doors to this rocket from the crypt open for one night only, November 1st All Hallows Day when the boundary between the alive and the deceased dissolve. Bounce, bump and grind, raise your hands and be divine, the night is long the sound is strong.

The end is nigh, draw in the dawning of a new apocalypse with the sounds of low fi astral beats, gravitational grooves and sub atomic bass lines. Be petrified by scenes of demonic possession and shocking depravity. Prepare to be dazzled.

Doors: 7.30-9pm, show ends at 1.30am
Venue: The Crypt- Camberwell, London
Dress Code: Cosmic
Entry £10

www.myspace.com/wearehotmachine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3xZIJTWEHQ

www.myspace.com/thergbs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N9hegWeKLI

www.myspace.com/dimblebyandcapper

www.myspace.com/riksymmetrik

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After organizing two themed parties that were packed to the rafters with smiley, happy people, Secret Garden Party tapped into our party throwing talent and asked us to programme a stage at the boutique music festival. We happily obliged and ran the Thursday night in the ‘Come and Play’ area hosted by Eco Arcadia.

The theme for the evening was ‘Wind in the Willows’ – a childhood favorite about the eccentric animals Toad, Ratty, Badger and Mole. The theme was inspired by the setting at the site in Cambridgeshire- based over and around a stunning lake.

"It's never the wrong time to call on Toad. Early or late he's always the same fellow. Always good-tempered, always glad to see you, always sorry when you go!" Toad- Kenneth Grahame

I searched the land high and low for bands that fitted the traditional earthy feel of Wind in the Willows, combined with high-octane grooves to evoke the animals in people. First up were The Ratfinks providing ska-rap tunage straight from the West country, then Kid Id that rocked the dance floor, setting the party alight. To finish the night we were over the moon to present the PRS award winning band The Fontanas- who performed with musicians from Amy Winehouses band and Basement Jaxx. The evening was hosted by comedian Matt Reed, who kept the crowds a chuckle throughout the night.

Lisa Devaney from the Hai Media Group set the scene for the evening with a skit poets version of Wind in the Willows. The skit interspersed comical performances, along with some fun poetry readings by Toad, and hilarious antics from the cast of characters, along with dancing and singing, including audience interaction to all to join in on sing-a-long moments. The skit took place around a lavishly dressed banquet table, kindly dressed by set designer Amanda Birch.

This event was run on ZERO budget, so big up to all for being involved…

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This months Late at Tate Britain showcased a vibrant audiovisual collective NE1CO. NE1CO is a freshly squeezed group of audiovisual artists, specially selected by VJ Anyone, to meet the growing demands in moving-image production from the music, arts and entertainment industries. NE1CO presented a brilliant audiovisual event, the “AV Social”, including installations, performances and screenings from some of Europe's finest VJ’s and audiovisual artists.

I was blown away by Rod Maclachlan and Jem Noble’s installations from Black Out Arts who performed live audiovisual works projecting shadow images from a plant, chopsticks and sawdust- simply amazing! Blackout Arts are apparently playful, serious and open to suggestion! After speaking to Rod it seems that they are well up for collaboration with promoters, aiming to produce new and unique effects at events. This makes me a very excited about approaching them to work together in the future. They are also part of the Venn Festival/Bristol crew which strengthens our engagement.  I was also mesmerized by Bopa and Bruno Tait’s collaborative video installation that used moving head video projections and video works from artist Hiraki Sawa- check out the beautiful videos of the white busts and grandfather clock-esque projections.

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Put together a trapeze arist, zookeeper, sinister ring leader, and a pair of Zebras and you could be at the hedonistic themed party the Human Zoo. Creatively fusing performance art, music, magic and other surprising quirks, this one-off event saw a tremendous crowd of 250 fun loving party goers!

Musically The Gentle Mystics brought a powerfully psychedelic dose of Gyp-Hop- imagine circus freak show era Tom Waits on ecstasy and peyote. The Bohemianauts demonstrated new standards and squeezebox revivalism with gypsy jazz, songs about vodka and daring stunts. In addition to this Ophelia Blitz performed alongside the band, playing the washboard and divulging in sick cabaret, setting herself on fire!

Kid iD rocked the place with their original and upbeat performance, playing music from folk to funk and ska to drum'n'bass. I highlight for me was the point where Ian (one of the lead dudes) had to get his trousers gaffer taped up onstage as they were falling down- hilarious! Testimonial from the band;

"Absolutely tiptop. Quirky, fresh, fun and friendly. One of the best nights we've played in London town!" Ian Dudfield, Kid iD

Big thanks also go out to our DJ’s who took a wrapping by the venue manager for there apparent “strictly roots” music policy!! Symmetrik, Chin Suppressor, Spin-K, Burn Bros and Hungry Man took good care of the decks.

Standnotamazed were also a fantastic addition to the evening, creating a sexy and interactive element that is soooo important at our events. Watching the gents jaws drop wide when Lucy performed ‘The Rope’ on stage was a memory for me! The performance collective create work fusing contemporary magic with movement based theatre. Established by movement director Lucy Cullingford and contemporary magician John van der Put, the company seeks to create groundbreaking theatre blurring the line between the real and the imagined.

We very much missed the fabulous Lisa Devaney, our resident spit poet performer who was away jet-setting for the event. However, she has created a new show over the past few months that I’m excited to see at Madame Jo Jo’s for the Finger in the Pie festival this week end. Watch out for my business partner the fabulous Simon Harris performing as an American transvestite, hola hola!

Video footage of the night is in production and will be posted up on this site and the facebook event. Please add yourself to the guest list if you would like to keep informed about up and coming interactive puddings.

The only problem now is thinking up an original, quirky business name to put to our themed parties. Watch this space for our own next summer masterpiece, already in progress- think country mansion, think interactive, think summer sun…

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I’ve just got back from running the production office and artist liaison at Bloc Weekend. Bloc weekend is held just East from Norwich, three hours away from London and is in my opinion the best festival for innovative electronic music in the UK. Headline acts were Karl Bartos (Kraftwerk), Joey Beltram and Red Snapper. The artists sets that I most enjoyed were sets by Milanese, Amon Tobin, Mr Velcro Fastner, Ed Chamberlain, Radioactive Man and Ntype- all varying experimental electronics including electronica, techno, dubstep and electro. There were also some quality visual artists, providing projections in the Bass Bloc and two amazing lazers that were run throughout the weekend in the Tech Bloc.

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Human Zoo Logo

“Dance as if no one is watching;                                                          
love as if you can't be hurt.
Sing tho' no one is listening;
live as if it's heaven on earth.”
Author Unknown

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls. It’s feeding time at the Human Zoo. Come feast on the spoils of a millennia of civilization. The meek shall inherit the earth but the freaks will rule the night. Allow the Human Zoo to coax you from your cage to enjoy an evening of ‘dark beyond the fringes’ fun.

The team that brought you the Nativity Hoedown have joined forces with Standnotamazed, who provide the finest contemporary cabaret and magic. Expect another unforgettable night of rabble rousing bands and alternative entertainment. The Human Zoo is a celebration of the age of rubbernecking and an opportunity for all of you to get down and just show off. Expect the sounds of ska, klezmer, dub and folk.

Dress code : As inspired
£8 entry

March 29th at Passing Clouds 440 Kingsland Road, Dalston, London E8

PLEASE RSVP FOR COMPULSORY GUEST LIST- either by facebook or missrisk@gmail.com

www.standnotamazed.com

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What can I say other than the best Valentines experience that I’ve ever had- by far! My partner and I normally avoid over capitalising on trashy Valentines Day activities, but this year was different when I accidentally on purpose booked the feast two weeks ago.

 
We arrived at the River Cottage and were asked to wait for the next tractor and trailer to pick us up and take us down to the farm. We waited in excitement around burning oil drums and bantered with other couples who were attending the event. On arrival at the venue we entered a reception area - a cosy, modern yurt - and delighted in sipping rhubarb Bellini’s and munching canapés.

 
After a brief introduction by Steve Smith, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s right hand man, we were asked to be seated at the two huge banqueting tables. The tables were rustically decorated with red rose petals and fragrant herbs, rosemary and bay. Waiting for us at the table was a chilled bottle of champagne and many introductions from friendly couples. Below is the fantastic menu which used nothing but locally sourced ingredients- each guest having every single dish!

 
Chicken liver parfait on digestives
Confit pork belly, date and honey puree
Fresh organic trout tartare, rye toast
Cream of Jerusalem artichoke soup, chestnut and parsley pesto
Devon rock oysters
Paprikash of lamb's heart and tongue, mint yoghurt, toasted sourdough, herb salad
Poached pear, air dried ham and Dorset blue vinny salad with honey and thyme
Roast rump and loin of Park farm Lamb, slow cooked shoulder, parsnip puree, green herb sauce
Bramley apple parfait, cinnamon shortbread
Vanilla yoghurt pannacotta, poached rhubarb, ginger and cider brandy snaps
Coffee
Petits fours

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