CMU Daily - on the inside 4 Jul 2003
yesterday's Daily - Daily archive

In today's CMU Daily:
• Fabric safe after sale
• Mohammed supports Suge Knights innocence
• Rapture live
• Live review: Izzi Dunn At Rouge
• Weller pessimistic in Radio 2 music debate
• More murder
• Osbourne screen time
• Review: The French • Dagenham EP
• Bank supports Vivendi
• Ozzy speaks out
• Jack White loves the country
• Doves on the decks
• Travis not working with Ron Sexsmith
• J-lo sues former manager
• East End festival
• Sigue Sigue Sputnik play 333 tonight
• Gatecrasher refurb
• Review: The Kills - Pull A U (Domino)
• Woman in media power top ten
• Ben Folds: EPs not LPs.
• Stella speaks out
• Glasto next year

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FABRIC SAFE AFTER SALE
London club Fabric, who has to called in the administrators to look into their finances earlier this year, has announced they are no longer in administration following a management buy out led by Cameron Leslie and Steve Blond. More details regarding the buy out are expected to follow.

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MOHAMMED SUPPORTS SUGE KNIGHTS INNOCENCE
Suge Knight's lawyer, Rose Kogeman, is building his case in defence of the claim that Knight punched a parking valet last month. At a press conference in California she told reporters that her client had been arrested without cause and that she had eight witnesses have already given statements to the Parole and Community Services Department. One witness is none other than the western regional director of the Nation of Islam, Tony Mohammed, who supported Knight's claim that he wasn't involved. Knight's lawyer alleges that he met with Mohammed to work on plans for an upcoming 100,000-man March for Peace in October to promote peace among gangs. Mohammed, also present at the news conference, said that he saw no physical contact between Knight and the valet.

He said: "I saw Knight from the time [they] entered the club until he got in his car. I saw Mr. Knight enter into his car, never striking anyone. [I] never saw Mr. Knight touch anyone. In fact, when he first arrived, he tipped the parking attendant [$100]."

Parole officials have up to 45 days to determine whether he violated his parole. If Knight's parole is revoked, he faces up to a year in prison.

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RAPTURE LIVE
New York trio The Rapture are set to play at Cargo, London on 8 Jul. The band, who have worked in production with the DFA duo, James Murphy (Plantain Recordings) and Tim Goldsworthy (Mo'Wax/UNKLE), signed a European distribution deal with Output Recordings after bossman Trevor Jackson (Playgroup) heard their triple tracker, 'House of Jealous Lovers'. The band, whose 'Echoes' LP was released earlier this year, will also be playing at the Tribal Gathering Warehouse Party Saturday August 23.

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LIVE REVIEW: Izzi Dunn at Rouge, 4 Jul
I predict that Izzi is going to be one of the best new acts in the coming years. Not only does she write and play a mean tune - a perfect deep soul/hiphop/broken beat combo - but her live shows are exploding with energy: she reaches down inside her lungs and pulls out the most powerful soul textures since Aretha. And all this for a slim white girl who plays the cello. Having worked in session and live with the likes of Erykah Badu and Damage, Izzi's debut solo EP last year created a massive stir in the underground - particularly amongst the West London/hiphop scenes: her Roots Manuva and MCD collaborations being much heralded. Live, Izzi is the consummate performer: stunningly beautiful but warm and smiley, she rises from her feisty cello-stool intros and bridges to bellow out verses and choruses of unrivalled soul power - but always maintaining a modest balance of band instrumentation and vocal focus. The night was the preview for her forthcoming album on Fireworx, and judging from her performances of 'Betcha' and 'Fire' it's gonna be a massive one. Izzi is just sublime. JG

Press Contact: Watchmen Agency

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WELLER PESSIMISTIC IN RADIO 2 MUSIC DEBATE
Paul Weller called the record companies 'scum' this week as he warned that the best musicians were being dropped by labels not willing to be long-sighted. "Unfortunately these days if you don't get a hit single, or your first album doesn't sell one point whatever million, you don't get a chance to make your second one. I wonder whether The Jam would have got on to All Mod Cons - we would have probably been dropped by then, as the first two records didn't sell that well."

He was speaking as part of Radio 2's Music Debate. On the same panel Beverley Knight took a shot at manufactured pop: "It's hard to sit at home and watch bands you know have been put together by a TV show. It's mediocrity dressed up as greatness."

The programme centred on a listener poll as to whether people though the single has a future. 69% of the 12,500 who voted thought singles would be unable to survive as alternative formats become increasingly popular.

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MORE MURDER
A Jay-Z and 50 Cent gig at the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto was the site of a murder on Tuesday. Homicide Detective Cory Bockus said that Msemaji Granger, who attended the concert with a group of friends, was approached by at least two men as the show was ending. Granger was hit in the upper body and head. The gunmen then blended in with the crowd and evaded capture. Police now believe Granger was "targeted."

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OSBOURNE SCREEN TIME
Kelly Osbourne will shortly make her film debut in a contemporary reworking of 'Alice In Wonderland'. Following her support of Robbie Williams' tour Kelly will start filming 'Malice In Sunderland' in the UK later this year, having decided to try her hand at acting. Directed by Simon Fellows, the film will be shot in the North East of England and according to http://www.empireonline.co.uk, Kelly will star in the lead role of Alice.

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REVIEW: The French - Dagenham EP (Beggars/Too Pure)
The French is a top band name, and as it hides two ex-members of Hefner, whose 'Alan Bean' is one of my favourite records, this couldn't really fail. Lead track on the EP is 'The Animals' - a low-key electronic paean to animals, among other things: "Lord knows why God made the animals so beautiful/With their teeth so razor sharp/With their pure and simple hearts". 'Vanessa's Birthday' is mean and nasty. 'Living The Wrong Way', 'Anne And Bill' - the love song of the old - and 'The Day The Aliens Came' is just an ace tale of intergalactic shoplifting. The one criticism is that the EP's a touch too long. I for one can't wait for the album, though... MB
Release date: 14 Jul
Press contact: Beggars IH [all]

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BANK SUPPORTS VIVENDI
Vivendi Universal has been given a boost by investment bank Morgan Stanley who say they have been impressed by the demand for its US entertainment assets. As a result the firm's credit rating has been increased from "underweight" to "equal-weight".

The Morgan Stanley report reads: "Our new valuation of Vivendi Universal Entertainment reflects the premium that buyers of US media assets appear to be prepared to pay in the current environment, reflecting strategic value and potential synergy realisation."

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OZZY SPEAKS OUT
Ozzy Osbourne has spoken out about his son's battle with an addiction to the dangerous painkiller OxyContin. Ozzy admits that he has made parental mistakes and regrets giving his children so much freedom.

Ozzy said; "The mistake that Sharon and I both made, and we both agree on this, is we never set any boundaries. We never said, 'You must be in the house by a certain time.' We just let them have the freedom. Sharon and I are still learning. We're not the parents that say, 'We're always right,' because we're not."

Jack checked himself into Las Encinas Hospital in California earlier this year. The Food and Drug Administration has warned that the prescription medication can be as addictive as morphine and can be fatal when snorted or chewed.

Ozzy continued: "One thing I noticed is that he never cried. He never showed. He just locked it in, you know. I think what families should do more often is have family meetings and talk: get around the table and say, 'What's up? How you doing?' Every day I say to my family, 'I love you,' you know. And I do love my family. People forget to say 'I love you. I care for you. Are you OK? Is there anything you need?' "

Jack said: "There was the Jack Osbourne my parents knew, the Jack Osbourne my friends knew and the Jack Osbourne that the public knew. The one my parents knew was the funny, facetious, nice, loving son who's truly caring. To my friends I was a crazy, insane, drinking, drug using party animal who knew how to have a good time. And the public one was, well, the one they wanted to vote out of the house."

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JACK WHITE LOVES THE COUNTRY
The White Stripes' front man Jack White is producing tracks for country singer Loretta Lynn's forthcoming album.

The White Stripes' 'White Blood Cells' album included a dedication to Lynn. The band also covered her 1972 single, 'Rated X', and made it the B-side to the Hotel Yorba single. Lynn also made a guest appearance at a Stripes show in New York.

White said: "She makes amazing bread. Whenever I'm with her, I don't want to leave. I just want to hold her hand all day long."

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DOVES ON THE DECKS
The Doves aren't alone in the world of people in bands who like to play records (Jarvis Cocker's in there somewhere). And now the boys will get to flex at the decks, the ones and twos, the wheels of steel, at gigs in Dublin, Belfast and Leeds in between their live appearances at the Reading and Leeds festivals next month.

The Doves: "We played one new one the other day. We've got a new tune which is quite up, really, and we thought we'd play it and it went down alright didn't it? "We're just doing it for the money really. It's the only way you get paid. You can't get paid being in a band, so, we spent weeks and weeks in a grotty rehearsal room, sweating it out, doing a gig and not getting paid. The DJ walks in there with a box of records and gets paid silly money and it's like, Jesus!"

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TRAVIS NOT WORKING WITH RON SEXSMITH
The Canadian songwriter, Ron Sexsmith has apologised Travis after an untrue story about their imminent collaboration proliferated the music media.

Ron said: "That is something that I am kicking my manager about. I haven't even met them yet. Basically, the drummer and the bass player from Travis have been working with Mark Terefe on a record called Clarkesville for this new songwriter who is really good. They were fans of my records and next thing I get this call from Martin saying they would love to be the band on my next album. But that's as far as its gone so far. Then my manager just casually met this guy from Billboard magazine and next thing you know it is in Billboard that I am making my next album with Travis. We had to call them up and apologise because it was a bit awkward".

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J-LO SUES FORMER MANAGER
Jennifer Lopez is suing her former manager Benny Medina and his company Handprint Entertainment in an attempt to win back past commissions she has paid, and to void current contracts. It's a complicated case because she is using California's Talent Agency Act to do it. This law requires that any person who seeks to procure employment for a performer must be a licensed talent agent with the Labor Commissioner. Violation of the act by an unlicensed manager can result in a nullification of any and all contracts and a refund to the performer of any commissions paid to the manager in a one-year period before the filing of the petition. Lopez claims Medina was unlicensed and therefore any contracts between her and his company don't stand.

Medina issued the following response: "The accusation that I misappropriated money from Jennifer Lopez is both untrue and offensive. Jennifer Lopez, by making false allegations against me, is now trying to add me to the long list of people whom she has used and discarded after she took from them all she could get. It is unfortunate that Ms. Lopez is using a Labor Commission suit as a means of mitigating her outstanding financial contractual obligations to my company and me. I look forward to the opportunity to have the world come to know the real Jennifer Lopez. I will defend myself against these lies and will collect from her every dollar for which I am owed."

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EAST END FESTIVAL
The disparate parts of the massive Truman Brewery in London's East End, including Brick Lane's 93 Ft East, will unite for a one-off 12-hour event (12pm-12am) on 7 Sep. Five separate arenas will feature music from a number of genres including drum & bass, broken beat/West London, house, techno, electro and hiphop. The event is part of the annual Brick Lane festival, a celebration of trade and culture in the area, which draws huge numbers of visitors. Trufest organisers expect to attract around 5000 punters to the event. Artist line-ups tbc.

For more press info call 020 7907 9408

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SIGUE SIGUE SPUTNIK PLAY 333 TONIGHT
Legendary (infamous?) eighties act Sigue Sigue Sputnik are back - and they are taking a break from some new studio sessions to play at 333 on Old Street in full regalia. And as if that wasn't enough you can expect much mayhem from the gig's organiser Toogood on the wheels of steel. Doors open 10pm, fancy dress optional.

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GATECRASHER REFURB
Gatecrasher has revealed plans to become a Ministry style 'lifestyle club brand', rather than simply a club night. The plans are primarily based around a £1.5m refit of their Sheffield home Republic which will be renamed Gatecrasher One on 2 Sep and aims to be what Gatecrasher call 'the forerunner and blueprint of clubbing for the future.' The new venue will include colour changing acrylic walls, deep carved virgin timbers, fibreglass sculptural seating, resin floors, architectural planting, changing zones throughout the evening, massage chairs, an oxygen room, and table service.

As well as the usual musical diet of trance, they plan on having nights that play including disco, hip hop, fusions, house, electroclash, garage and R 'n' B.

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REVIEW: The Kills - Pull A U (Domino)
Yet more riff-tastic blues-rock/rock-blues from The Kills. This one, however, sounds only marginally like The White Stripes, though bears more than a passing resemblance to a certain PJ Harvey. So much so, that Ms Harvey might well get her lawyers on the case, if she's not too busy fox-hunting or singing about "washing her sins away down by the river" or suchlike. Meanwhile, B-side 'The Search For Cherry Red' (a Jonathan Fire Eater cover) is similarly loud, nasty and delightfully deranged, and so lo-fi and dirty it makes the likes of 'Elephant' sound like a lavish state-of-the-art Trevor Horn production. Rather pleasant then, all told. MS
Release date: 12 Jul
Press Contact: Ian Cheek [CP, RP]

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WOMAN IN MEDIA POWER TOP TEN
The Media Guardian 100, the annual power list of the most influential people in the media, has seen its first ever woman enter the top ten. Sun editor Rebekah Wade - who replaced David Yelland at the tabloid at the beginning of the year - is one of 19 women in this year's Media Guardian 100, the highest number since the survey began in 2001.

Female TV executives in the top 30 include Dawn Airey, the managing director of Sky Networks; Eileen Gallagher, the chairwoman of Pact and managing director of Shed Productions; and the BBC director of television, Jana Bennett.

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BEN FOLDS EPS NOT LPS
Ben Folds has said that the recent downturn in the music industry is allowing him to release three five-song EPs on Epic this year.

Folds said: "I'm going to do things that are really more about the music for me and less about the hype. Because I'm on a major label, there is no escaping the way that we have to do business when I release an album - everybody wants the 'Album of the Year' Rolling Stone bullshit where you get two-stars in the review and your face is all over the front. The way to bypass that for me is just to not go through the normal channels. And if I put out an EP, nobody can take it seriously."

Folds plans to sell the releases at concert dates on his Lottapianos Tour with Tori Amos later this year, on his official website and at Apple's iTunes Music Store. Vinyl copies will be available in stores and the discs will not go to radio for promotion.

Folds said: "This way, I don't have to kowtow to the big-ass record chains and then in order to get a certain number of records shipped, I don't have to kiss radio people's asses. And in turn, I don't have to do TV in order to get the radio slots and do certain kinds of press that I don't want to do. It's all kind of nice and the record business right now is going, 'Okay, any way you want to do it is totally fine because we're just barely getting by.' So, they are not arguing about that. [Epic] is pretty well aware that I'm not going to be competing with Shakira. It's a really nice musical way for me to do it. I just go into the studio, there is no 'How does this fit in with anything?' I just do five songs. It's music. People who know my music and know who I am can find it, and that's great."

"When it comes time to fulfill my contractual obligation, and put things into an album and put them out, then what the record company does for me is makes me look important. Probably get on MTV a couple of times, [in a] couple of major publications and people who come to the show will think I'm famous. And it works. But I think the institution of the album may be going away. That's my gut feeling. I feel that it is more about songs and the album is a formality that packages things so that you can hype them real big and I'm just not very hype-able. We've tried that a couple of times and it is just not very effective."

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GLASTO NEXT YEAR
Jumping the gun somewhat the tabloids have already reported that Paul McCartney, Prince and either Oasis or Coldplay will headline next year's Glastonbury.

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STELLA SPEAKS OUT
Leading fashion designer Stella McCartney has spoken out on BBC1 documentary 'Imagine: Stella's Story', about how she's more than a little annoying with incessantly being asked about her dad (he was a musician in a popular sixties band called the Beatles).

She said: "People don't generally go up to people and go 'Hi, how's your dad?' and that can get quite irritating after a while. So you're like 'Yeah, he's fine - how's your dad?' You can get quite aggressive. I'm not as bad now because hopefully people judge me on what I do for a living. You're definitely conscious of it and you're paranoid and you think that they hate you and you overhear things."

Stella's dad's band had a number of hits back in the day, and we've heard he still plays the occasional gig.

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