Fanfarlo's gig

The indie pop of Fanfarlo was a massive success in the stage

A variety of instruments and sounds, literally, collapsed over the stage. The music couldn't stopped and the fans became insane with every song...

It was Fanfarlo playing at Rough Trade Records in east London.

The band played for about 30 minutes their most popular songs from their first album Reservoir released last year.

The audience enjoyed the gig with songs like Drowning Men, Fire escape and Talking Backwards.

And the magic kept filling the air as the minutes were passing by and the audience realized how magic Fanfarlo's music was.

This was specially due to the wide variety of instruments the band used to play each of their songs.

From a mandolin and violin to a trumpet and the add of different kinds of sounds like the soft whistle of birds, an energetic hands clapping and the fast move of feet going up and down.

The magic of this evening was also complemented as most of the members of the band sing along the leader of it, so it really gave each song something special.

Why don't let the whole team or members of the band sing along with the lead vocalist?

Fanfarlo did it and the audience were pleased with the results as they couldn't stop being excited when they performed the song Harold T. Wilkins.

*Photograph: Luis Dominguez.

The new sounds of 2010

Ellie Goulding, Marina and the Diamonds and Delphic topped the BBC Sound of 2010 list
A brand new year is beginning and with it promising British artists that might become the favourite and the most played around the country.
As it has happened in the past years, the BBC released by the end of last year a list of the 15 brand new artists of 2010 they consider the most talented and that might be the talk of the town.
This final list is a result of a very cautious selection and filters that 165 taste makers, broadcasters and music experts in the UK after listening and choosing from an extensive list of new acts.
This year Ellie Goulding, a female singer-songwriter from Hereford, topped the list with her magnificent and acclaimed style named "foltronika" which combines traditional acoustic music with a catchy electronic sound.
Goulding previously participated in different talent contests and started her career in her hometown Kington, Herefordshire. She also received the Brit Awards' Critics' Choice prize.
The second and third place were for the pop singer Marina and the Diamonds followed by Manchester based indie-electro band Delphic.
Other promising acts included in the list were Daisy Dares You, The Drums, Giggs and Two door cinema club.

Accuracy and success
This BBC selection always seems to be quite accurate as most of the acts named in past years have usually became the most popular and favourite for the people.
Just to name few examples, in 2009 Florence and the Machine, Little Boots and La Roux topped the list and undoubtedly they were amongst the favourites in Britain last year and also reached the top 10 of the UK charts.
Singles from these acts like Raise it up, New in town and In for the kill, were massive in the UK last year.
In previous years, Duffy, The Ting tings, Adele, Mika and Corinne Bailey Rae were the most outstanding in these lists and therefore the most successful.

Still the expectations are high for this year and the lights will surely be on these 15 artists but whether they become famous or not at the end, there is one thing they have in common: talent.

FULL SOUND OF 2010 LONGLIST
Daisy Dares You
Delphic
Devlin
The Drums
Everything Everything
Giggs
Gold Panda
Ellie Goulding
Hurts
Joy Orbison
Marina and the Diamonds
Owl City
Rox
Stornoway
Two Door Cinema Club
Source: BBC Online

The latin power in the UK

When it comes to popular music in the UK, Latin America stands itself

For the past ten years Britain has had a massive influence in the music that is broadcasted in radio or played in the clubs...the power of latin american music.
It is very common that nowadays in the clubs or even in pubs every time they played music that has some kind of latin american influence, people can do nothing but get excited and start to dance.
Everything started when singers like Ricky Martin, Bellini and Shakira tried to export some of their singles to the european music industry and the impact was positive.
In 1997, Ricky Martin reached the UK top ten with his song Maria, which was a clear example of what the popular latin american music is.
In the same period, the multi-cultural group Bellini became massive not only in UK but in across Europe with their song Samba de Janeiro which is mainly based in the traditional music from Brazil.
Shakira began to became popular with her album Donde estan los ladrones? with singles like Ciega, Sordomuda.
As years passed the latin american influence kept steady and even growing day by day as by the beginning of the new century UK artists like Lonyo and Basement Jaxx were touched by this influence when they released their singles Summer of love and Bingo Bango, both became quite popular amongst britons.

Growing more than ever
By 2004 and onwards the latin american movement became even bigger with the arrival of the musical genre: Reggaeton.
This was clearly showed when Daddy Yankee was dubbed the king of this genre - which fussion latin rhythms, hip-hop and reggae- and topped the charts with his first single Gasolina.
Even in the same year, and even though is not the same genre but at least is from Latin America, the youngest child of Bob Marley, Damian Marley released the single Welcome to Jamrock and became quite popular with was seen as an acclaimed contemporary reggae.
By that time Shakira and Ricky were well respected and popular in UK and some parts of Europe as well.
In the summer of 2006 Hips don't lie by Shakira -which has the collaboration of the icon Wycleff Jean- became an anthem across Britain.
In the same year another good example of good success was El Chombo, a guy from Panama that created this catchy song called Chacarron that people adored specially during Christmas time.
Lately, the name of Pitbull has became very popular in radio and clubs from the summer of last year, when he released the single I know you want me and later Hotel room service, which includes the collaboration of Nicole Scherzinger.
Shakira kept steady with her new album and the single She Wolf.
In the horizon, more artists around the world are becoming more and more interested in using the latin america sounds to create their new records.
So it seems my power, the power from latin america will keep stronger for a long time across the universe.

Here are some good examples of this massive influence, enjoy them:
1) Maria by Ricky Martin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdX07v0f9M4

2) I know you want me by Pitbull
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2tMV96xULk

3) Hips don't lie by Shakira
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLQgjEhH400

4) Samba de Janeiro by Bellini
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx1iclqbNyM

5) Metrosexual by Amandititita
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSJESyo5rnE

The hottest singles of 2009

Lady Gaga became the queen of the UK charts during 2009

Another year has gone, with it loads of songs that might never be forgotten either they reached the UK charts or they weren't that popular.
But when it comes to see which singles were the hottest and therefore the most selling in the UK, artists like Lady Gaga, Black eyed peas and Cheryl Cole are the first thing that comes to mind.
According to the Official Charts Company, Lady Gaga's single Poker Face was the favourite for the britons as it shifted 800,000 copies in 2009 claiming the top of the biggest selling singles in 2009.
The american singer also got into the third position of this list with her first single Just Dance.
Another american success were the Black Eyed Peas who made in the top 10 of the official singles of 2009 with their songs I gotta feeling, Boom boom pow and Meet me half way, all of them from their third album The E.N.D.
Former winners of X Factor Joe McElderry and Alexandra Burke also got in the list with their singles The Climb and Bad Boys.
Their former trainer Cheryl Cole made it to the number four with her first solo single Fight for this Love. She is also currently in the top ten of the single charts with her song Three words in which she has the collaboration of Will I Am from Black Eyed Peas.

TOP 10 OFFICIAL SINGLES OF 2009
1. Poker Face - Lady Gaga
2. I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas
3. Just Dance - Lady Gaga
4. Fight For This Love - Cheryl Cole
5. The Climb - Joe McElderry
6. In For The Kill - La Roux
7. Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas
8. Killing In The Name - Rage Against the Machine
9. Bad Boys - Alexandra Burke featuring Flo Rida
10. Meet Me Half Way - Black Eyed Peas
Source: BBC News online

The record cover prize of 2009
Not only songs, albums or artists can be awarded for their compositions but also the artwork of their cover's albums can have its own award. Its name: the Best Art Vinyl Prize.
This year the irish band Muse has named the best record cover of 2009 with their latest album The Resistance, which includes an eye-catching sleeve.
The artwork of this cover was in charge of the London design firm La Boca.
The second place was for the Manic Street Preachers and the record cover of their latest album Journal for Plague Lovers.
Massive Attack and Green Day were also remarkable amongst the 50 record cover competitors in 2009.
The winning sleeves will be presented in an exhibition in the Selfridges department store in central London.

The biggest selling albums of the decade

James Blunt's Back to Bedlam was considered the biggest selling album of the decade

Last decade some remarkable albums, records and artists made history as they became the hottest and most popular in the UK amongst people.
According to the Official Chart Company, during the past ten years the album Back to Bedham by James Blunt became the one which registered the highest sales in the UK.
You're beautiful was the responsible for this success as it topped the charts in the summer of 2005.
The second biggest selling albums in this country was acquired by Dido with No Angels in 2000. This album included the massive songs Here without you and Thank you.
The controversial Amy Winehouse made it to the number 3 with her acclaimed album Back to Black from which she released five singles. Each reached the top 20 in the singles chart of the UK.
Her most memorable songs from this album were definitely Rehab and You know I'm not good, both stayed in the Top 10 for weeks.
Leona Lewis and David Gray get the 4th and the 5th positions with their albums Spirit and White Ladder.
For Lewis, former winner of X-Factor show in 2006, the fame became when she released the single A moment like this but her single Bleeding love was responsible of making her massive all over the world. In UK this song became, indeed, the most selling song in 2007.
Back in 2000, David Gray was the biggest singer in the UK when he released the pop ballad Babylon.
I'm sure this song was the one who gave him this 5th position in the biggest selling albums of the past decade.
Now, a new decade has begun, let's wait what the results would be in 10 years and which albums become the hottest records in the music industry.

UK TOP FIVE ALBUMS OF THE DECADE
1. James Blunt - Back to Bedlam (2005)
2. Dido - No Angels (2000)
3. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (2006)
4. Leona Lewis - Spirit (2007)
5. David Gray - White Ladder (2000)

Source: Official Charts Company

Enigma...a mysterious 'voyage' in time

Like a timeless journey around the globe that make you feel all kinds of emotions is how Enigma can be described.
Inspired in new age music, gregorian chants, electronic innovations and mysterious voices and sounds the romanian producer and composer Michael Cretu created this musical project almost 30 years ago.
Everything began by the end of the 80's when Cretu started to produce some records for his wife Sandra Lauer, who was a very talented and popular singer.
After that by the beginning of the 90's he started to work as some solo production and he release his first creation MCMXC a.D., album that became massive through Europe specially with the release of the song Sadeness Part 1.
This album actually sold around 12 million units worldwide and became gold and platinum album in 25 countries.
In 1993, The Cross of changes was released and included a couple of special compositions for the movie Silver: Carly's song and Carly's loneliness.
In his following two albums, Cretu used a lot of chorus and old classical compositions to create most of the songs. He also decided to used the voice of famous singers, like the vocalist of the british band Olive.
In 2003 Cretu decided to change his musical creations and got more involved into the techno - pop - electronic music scene and sounds. Therefore, he released the album Voyageur, in which the first single, Voyageur reflected this new 'wave'.
His latest album, the seventh, was released in 2008 and it was a return to his basics with the use of old classical songs and mysterious sounds and a combination of techno - electronic sounds.
Seven Lives, Many faces was the name of this album which has been considered by many as a great return to Cretu's roots and creativity.
The most outstanding of Michael Cretu's creations is not only the creativity and originality but the magic that each composition has and the journey each make you feel.

* Source: www.enigma.de

Have a listen to some of my favourites songs from Enigma...

1) Sadeness Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F9DxYhqmKw

2) TNT for the brain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD6sMFyUtNk&feature=related

3) Voyageur
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTekA4vGLVU&feature=relate

4) Mea Culpa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itkzaT9yk9Y

5) Turn around
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtLkVbUq1pM

And the winner is...

Rage against the machine became this year's UK Christmas number one after beaten X Factor winner Joe McElderry to get to the top of the charts.
This Christmas was absolutely unexpected for the UK charts: for the first time the single of the X-Factor winner doesn't reach the number one.
After the past 4 years the name of the X-Factor winners was always in the top of the charts and their brand new songs became the number one in Christmas.
Alexandra Burke made it with 'Hallelujah' in 2008, Leon Jackson reached the top in 2007 with 'When you believe', Leona Lewis captivated the nation with 'A moment like this' in 2006 and finally the heart-throb Shayne Ward became the number one in 2005 with 'That's my goal'.
But 2009 will always be a remarkable year when Joe McElderry didn't get to the top of the charts with the single 'The Climb' (originally released by Miley Cirus).
The reason?
A campaign in Facebook started by a british couple with the aim of preventing another X-Factor number one in Christmas and supporting the song 'Killing in the name' by Rage Against the Machine to became the number one.
And this effort was successful when yesterday around 18:45 the Chart Show in BBC Radio 1 announced unexpectedly that this band was the number one Christmas with the sold of 500,000 downloads during the week.
Since that moment a lot of controversy has been in the news about people dissapointed with this results and claiming that this Rage against the machine's song is not proper for this time of the year as it is all about burning crosses, unholiness and rudeness.
Actually this song was released 17 years ago by this american band and it wasn't a massive success at all.
However, music experts predict that next sunday Joe McElderry will become the number one and might be the number one for New Year's Eve.

No Christmas in the UK Charts
This year seems to be quite different from, at least, last year. Here is the picture:
Last year during december and even january the UK charts were so full with classic Christmas songs and anthems, there was no much space for current singles, all you could see in the top 40 was Mariah Carey, Pogues, Wham, Chris Rea and some others, but was all about Christmas songs.
This year, so far, just a few Christmas songs have reached the chart, but when I say a few I really meant it: basically 4 or 5 songs at the most, while last year were like 10 or 12 songs.
And I reckon the same situation was in past years: in the Christmas period was a must to have the charts full by this kind of songs.
But, what is happening this year?
I guess, no one knows.