Neon are looking forward to seeing Ladyhawke during her UK Tour. With the exception of an intimate, one-off show in London last year, New Zealand’s Ladyhawke aka Pip Brown, hasn’t played in the UK for over two years.

Her much anticipated second album, ‘Anxiety’ is due for release in May 2012 and is tipped to see Pip develop her sound further. You can watch the music video for her latest song ‘Sunday Drive’ here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tickets such as V Festival Tickets along with Ladyhawke Tickets are available via Get Me In. See below for her UK tour dates for April and May:

April 2012
Gloucester, Guildhall (25)
Oxford, O2 Academy 2 (27)
Nottingham, Rescue Rooms (28)
Edinburgh, Liquid Rooms (30)

May 2012
Gateshead, Sage (1)
Manchester, Ruby Lounge (2)
Sheffield, Leadmill (4)
Birmingham, Glee Club (6)
Norwich, Waterfront (8)
Cambridge, Junction (9)
London, O2 Shepherds Bush Empire (11)

Neon are really looking forward to the next instalment of DJ-Kicks series from Maya Jane Coles, which is being released on April 17th by !K7 records.

Tp say Maya Jane Coles had a big year in 2011 would be an incredible understatement. In the space of twelve months, the 24 year old East Londoner went from a hotly tipped favorite of house music connoisseurs to, well, pretty much taking over the world.

“I wanted this mix to showcase my diversity,” she says. “I don’t just do one thing and I wanted it to reflect that. Most of the mixes I’ve put out there so far have been house-based, but I also produce stuff under the Nocturnal Sunshine moniker, which is more two-step/bass influenced stuff. This mix evolved into something that wasn’t just four-to-the-floor.”

See below for the full tracklist, and keep up with Maya on Facebook & Twitter for latest news, tour dates, and more than likely your first taste of her DJ-Kicks mix.

1. Deft – Loqux & Past
2. Kris Wadsworth – Mainline (Jimmy Edgar Remix)
3. Chasing Kurt – Money
4. Bozzwell – In My Cocoon (Original Mix)
5. Larse – Karoo (Original)
6. Milscot feat. Angela Sheik – All Alone (Domyan Just Slow Remix)
7. Adam Stacks – Hey Love (Original)
8. Phil Kieran & White Noise Sound – Never Believed
9. Sigward – Nuerd (Original Mix)
10. Maya Jane Coles – Not Listening (DJ-KICKS) *
11. Virgo Four – It’s A Crime (Caribou Remix)
12. Roberto Bardini – Hate Me (Muteoscillator Fairy Tall Remix)
13. Tripmastaz – Guess Who
14. Standard Fair – Little Helper 16-3
15. Nocturnal Sunshine – Meant To Be *
16. Zenker Brothers – Berg 10 (Original Mix)
17. Last Magpie – No More Stories
18. Zoe Zoe – Church
19. Gerry Read – Roomland (Youandewan Remix)
20. T. Williams – Analog Tour
21. Marcel Dettmann – Translation Two
22. Claro Intelecto – Hunter’s Rocket To The Sky

* = DJ-Kicks exclusive

Here at neon we like to explore London and immerse ourselves in what this city has to offer. Sometimes we hear our friends would rather watch ‘The Voice’ or something Kardashian related than join us at an event. While we often watch these shows the notion that they may cause us to stay in is UNTHINKABLE.

It’s the same for the folks at PUMA who have created this video in celebration of reality over ‘reality tv’. Watch this video and then send it over to your friends who are missing out on creating their own reality.

Video sponsored by PUMA.

Neon favourites Belleruche release their new album ‘Rollerchain’ via Tru Thoughts on 7th May 2012.

‘Rollerchain’ is the fourth album from Belleruche, and also our favourite. The album reveals a progression in sound for the London trio and is preceded by new single ‘Stormbird’ in March, which has already received 75,000 YouTube views and radio support on BBC 6Music.

Fans will notice a darker, more bass heavy and evocative sound which still retains the melodic soulful touch that from their previous work. ‘Stormbird’ is a sub bass driven pop song with clipped drums, tempo shifts and swells of looped feedback.

Here’s the official video via Tru Thoughts YouTube channel:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Love Saves The Day a brand new festival for Bristol has recently announced an impressive early line up with Jamie Jones, Koreless Live, Maya Jane Coles, Pearson Sound & Joy Orbison, Annie Mac Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Bonobo, Joy Orbison, Greg Wilson, Mr Scruff and more.

The festival is organised by the team behind Glastonbury Dance Village’s Wow! stage, last year’s incredible See No Evil and one half of the brains behind In:Motion. Hopefully their experience will come together to create a fantastic festival.

Further acts and information to be announced soon.

Tickets available here at Resident Advisor

Priced at £19.50 + booking fee

Pencil is a new music project that gathers high calibre acts from across the world to create a visual and audio show. It is an event where audience and artists experience a night in unison.

There are no breaks between acts, no standing around, no waiting. This is a spontaneous event that develops and responds to the people inside the club.

Pencil Creative Director Greg Batsleer has spent his career as a Music Supervisor bringing diverse music to life through his work with Jools Holland as well as Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett and Gavin Turk for Monkey: Journey To The West and collaborating with Mercury Prize-winning band Elbow and the Hallé Orchestra for their performance at the Manchester International Festival.

The event will be bursting with added extras: expect live percussion, musical experimentation, fire juggling, local artists, culinary delights and more as Pencil brings music to life every month in London.

Eric Ness
Norwegian new kid and his six-piece funk/folk band
Gabby Young and Other Animals
A unique and bold blend of music they call ‘Circus-Swing’
The Haggis Horns
“The best f*cking horn section in the world” says Mark Ronson
The Herbaliser
The unmistakable sounds of current !K7 jazz rap group

Batsleer says: “There are lots of gigs you can go to where you listen to a set and the audience is not involved in the creative process. You turn up, you listen, you leave. We want to play with the format that everyone accepts, we want to set up an environment where people can feel the music developing and remind them that music is a form of emotion.”

9pm to 4am
£16.50 eb/£19 adv/£22 otd
Entry from 00.30am onwards £10 otd
Tickets from Skiddle and SeeTickets
Village Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, EC2A 3PQ

If you are looking to try a new form of exercise give Bikram Yoga a try at Hot Bikram Yoga studios in Balham, Fulham and London Bridge.

Neon went to the Fulham studio which is easy to find, clean and friendly. The Bikram room takes up most of the space with a small bright reception, separate sex changing rooms and separate toilets. It is about 3 minutes walk from Parsons Green tube, 2 minutes to bus stops and if you go past 6pm there is parking close by.

The staff are very friendly which gives a relaxed atmosphere and the instructors give you continual instruction which helps guide you through the postures. As each of the 26 postures (asanas) is repeated twice you soon get the hang of the movements, the issue is whether you can stretch your body enough to get there but there is no pressure to achieve these positions, everyone works to their own individual levels.

What Neon loves most about Bikram Yoga is that the room is hot so in this weather you really warm your bones and while your heart rate is increased ticking the cardio box you are still stationary. Basically amazing.

Make sure you take a big bottle of water, a few towels and be understanding that you might get a whiff of a strangers sweat.

Hot Bikram Yoga has a 20 consecutive days for £35 offer for new students.

In honour of The Gaucho International Polo try some Flash Hobbying. Turn up and get a stick, ball and hobby horse and start playing polo.

If you want to go to the main event at the O2 on March 21st tickets are priced between £22.50 and £72 per person (inc booking fees).

1. In the Hindi language “Bas” means aroma and Mati means “full of”

2. Basmati is only grown in the Northern Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and parts of western Uttar Pradesh, Jammar and Kashmir

3. Only one crop of Basmati rice can be grown per year

4. 2.2 million tonnes of Basmati is exported to 100 countries every year

5. Basmati is unique in it’s characteristics of being exceptionally long and slender

6. The average volume expansion of Basmati rice is 3.5mm

7. The minimum cooked rice length is 12mm

8. Basmati rice is gluten free

9. Basmati rice is sodium, cholesterol and fat free

10. As well as boiled and steamed Basmati can also be ground for use in cooking. Take a look at a simple recipe for Chawal-E-Zohara here.

Chawal-E-Zohara

Preparation – 15 minutes
Cooking – 5 minutes
Serves 1 (5 pieces)

Ingredients
100g Basmati Rice
200g Mashed Potato
5g Fresh Green Chilli
10g Chopped Ginger
2g Turmeric Powder
2g Chilli Powder
5g Caraway Seeds
15g Cream Cheese and 10g Sour Cream mixed together
2 tbs Butter
Oil for shallow frying

Method
1. Powder Basmati rice using a mortar and pestle
2. Heat butter in pan and add caraway seeds and allow them to crackle
3. Add chopped green chilli and ginger and sauté
4. Add mashed potato, turmeric and chilli powder and mix well for 5 minutes
5. Remove pan and let mixture cool to room temperature
6. Add Basmati rice powder and mix well
7. Divide mixture into equal portions.
8. Take each portion, make a whole in the centre to stuff with the sour cream and cream cheese mix and seal together
9. Reshape into circular ‘tikki’ and shallow fry until crisp
10. Serve with mint chutney and Lacha onion salad

Shilpi Gupta is the Executive Chef at The Grand, New Delhi