First published in Montreal in 1994, VICE Magazine began as a reaction against the gloss over grit style magazines of the 90′s and has grown into an international success story with offices in over 30 countries.

Commercial success in UK publishing doesn’t really go hand in hand with the kind of investigative journalism and risqué stories fearlessly published by VICE Magazine so success is a testament to UK editor Andy Capper and his team.

Whether you are new to the world of VICE Magazine or a hardened convert we recommend reading this collection of best articles from this irreverent and compelling magazine. The book is available from the 25th November with a cover price of £20.

Thievery Corporation are releasing a retrospective compilation called ‘It Takes A Thief’ to mark their 15th anniversary. Here’s a taster with a snippet of ‘Exilio Rewound’:

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Blakula is the soundtrack to a black funky vampire that has been unfrozen in 70′s New York. In this urban backdrop Blakula ventures out and explores the city as he begins to become more and more human with his wild exploits; dancing with Andy Warhol at Studio 54, jamming with Miles Davis, dating Vanessa Del Rio and dabbling with heavy drugs.

The synthesized strings and eerie baselines of ‘Permanent Midnight’ draws a picture of the Vampire’s slow adventure through a dark yet vibrant city. As there is no actual film to accompany this funk/voodoo enlaced album the soundtrack gives listeners the opportunity for their minds to wonder and visualise this modern Gothic narrative.

Available now on Bear Funk. Here’s a snippet of ‘Blood Supreme’:

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Just a little heads up about a free download by one of our favourite emerging artists GHOSTPOET. You can download his new EP absolutely FREE here.

Neon recommends new album from Cologne based Bosnian techno producer and DJ Adnan Duric a.k.a. Filterwolf. The album is available now via Process Recordings.

For more info see Filterwolf on MySpace. We have also included an excerpt of our favourite track ‘Love Code’:

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Uneven Terrain, is devoted to urban exploration and uncovering the hidden, underground and forgotten corners of the world’s leading metropolises.

The series has been inspired by iconic footwear brand Palladium Boots; initially a tire manufacturer, Palladium Boots combined their rubber expertise with canvas and crafted an iconic and durable boot that was worn by the French Foreign Legion.  Sixty years later, the brand continues to symbolise adventure, and is now traveling the globe, investigating the cities we live in and places around us.

London Pirate Frequencies the first film of this series explores the world of Pirate Radio, a phenomenon born out of British sea forts in the ’60s. This episode follows the team as they sail to the mouth of the Thames to find the forts to see where it all began, meeting the pioneers of pirate radio who defined an era by playing the music London wanted to hear.

When the authorities shut them down, pirate sounds went underground. Pirate stations are now an established scene in London, broadcasting music and the sounds of youth culture, from secret tower block studios. In constant contact with listeners via text messaging and chat forums, today’s pirates are the essence of mobile. Today you can find it in urban centers around the UK, pushing youth culture forward one neighborhood at a time.

During the making of Uneven Terrain, VBS.TV climbed to the tops of urban tower blocks to find homemade pirate antennas and were blindfolded and driven to the secret London studios where pirate culture thrives today. Host of the show Matt Mason, a former pirate radio broadcaster and author of best selling book The Pirate’s Dilemma, meet with DJs and station managers, rappers and MCs, and interviewed DJ Scratcha from RINSE FM, MC Flirt from old-school KOOL FM, J2K, Jammer and KISS FM’s Logan Sama.

Ulrich Shnauss combines multilayered synthesisers with beats and ethereal vocals, serving as an aural escape route from the trappings of reality: “I’ve always used making and listening to music as a way to escape – putting on headphones is a great way to leave reality behind for a while, reminding yourself why it still makes sense to carry on”…

See www.rocketgirl.co.uk for more details

Here is an excerpt from Madrid ‘Out To Sea’ (Ulrich Schnauss Remix):

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Neon just received a copy of the new Alex Smoke album LUX out now on Hum and Haw records. If you like deep atmospheric techno we seriously recommend you check this beast out!

Here is an excerpt of ‘Platitudes’ from the album. See www.humandhaw.com for more details:

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Mien Tay on Kingsland Road is an easy stroll away from the Neon office and lately we seem to be going there more and more, once we went for lunch and dinner.

The food is divine and the service sweet but Neon are stuck in a self-induced Vietnamese Groundhog Day. We can’t stop ordering the same dishes, generally some or all of below – depending on hunger and/or guest.

Neon are putting this down in writing to state that from now will not order any of the below and move on, stepping away from our fix. But you can try them and you should, but be warned they can take a hold on you ….

Salt, Pepper and Garlic Squid
This is the original addiction. So amazing rumor has it one man repeat ordered this dish 7 times in one sitting.

 
Chargrilled Quail with Honey, Garlic and Spices
“At just £4.50, this (quail) is one of London’s most affordable luxuries” says Love Food Love Drink

 
Fresh Green Papaya Salad with Dried Spicy Beef
Light, fragrant, bursts of spicy beef, this is perfect balance to order with heavier dishes

 
Sliced Beef with Watercress & Fresh Lime
An alternative way to enjoy beef, sliced thinly and cooked in the lime juice

 
Seafood Hot Pot
Perfect sharing/prawn pinching dish, vast amounts of food and a boiling pot of broth tocook it at the table

Full menu can be drooled over here.