Author: CircleMe

Pezzner’s Last Night In Utopia

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Dave Pezzner will seek to continue his success when he releases his sophomore album Last Night In Utopia in December. Pezzner got his start back in the late 1990’s when he was known as one-half of the musical pair known as Jacob London.

The musician who resides in Seattle, Washington, had his own breakthrough in 2008 with melodic sounds and deep house techno that was on the edge of mainstream house music.

The roamer doesn’t stick to one music label having hits across the board. Among the labels that have produced his songs are Crosstown Rebels, Smoke N’ Mirrors, 8bit, and Freerange Records. Freerange released his 2010 debut album The Tracks Are Alive.

Pezzner wrote much of Last Night In Utopia in 2011 in the island of Malta and in Italy’s capital Rome. During that period he was travelling.

Last Night In Utopia has 15 tracks and will be released through Marc Romboy‘s Systematic Recordings. Pezzner debuted on the label earlier this year with the single All Night Dancing Party.

Tracks to look out for include Birdsong, One Up, Prey, Bell And Whistle, and Step Away.

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Zabaglione with berries, simple and delicious

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Zabaglione (read here other news), this Italian dessert which sometimes doubles as a beverage, has been making waves in the United States for over 40 years.

As a dessert it is sometimes served in restaurants. It is also popular in France, Dalmatia, and in the South American countries of Argentina and Uruguay where it is known as sambayon.

To make this simple treat you will need 1 quart sliced strawberries, 1 tablespoon sugar, 5 egg yolks, 1 egg white, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon Marsala wine, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, salt, and biscotti.

To prepare, toss 1 quart sliced with 1 tablespoon of sugar in a bowl and allow to macerate for 10 minutes.

Place egg yolks, egg white, 3 tablespoons sugar, wine, vanilla and a pinch of salt in a large heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Be careful not to let the saucepan touch the bowl with water.

Whisk vigorously over medium to medium-high heat until thick and creamy, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately pour over the berries and serve with biscotti. 

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Axel Boman prepares for “Family Vacation”

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Swedish musician Axel Boman (edit something about Axel here) is in prep mode. The Stockholm-based musician is set to release his debut album “Family Vacation” in November.

The album will be released through Studio Banhus, another Stockholm native that Boman operates along with Kornél Kovács and Petter Nordkvist.

“I decided to go through the vast collection of ideas and sketches I had on my computer, as a final project before I set that machine on fire and let it all go up in flames, kind of like what Lee “Scratch” Perry did with The Black Ark in Kingston in the ’70s,” Boman told Resident Advisor.

“A friend says the album sounds like ‘weird Jamaican space disco,’ so maybe it’s a fitting reference.”

Boman hit the music scene in 2008 with an irreverent look at house music and he hasn’t looked back since. His music has been on labels such as DFA, Permanent Vacation, Hypercolour and DJ Koze‘s Pampa Records.

Pampa Records released Boman’s breakthrough beat Holy Love. HE has also teamed up with Talabot under the moniker Talaboman on a beat called “Sideral”. That track was included on Talabot’s upcoming DJ-Kicks mix.

Family Vacation will be released on double-vinyl, CD and digital.

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Tiramisu, tasty coffee cake

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tiramisu
Tiramisu… (read here other news) aah…what a guilty pleasure. This coffee and brandy flavoured cake has been winning hearts for generations.

To make, you need 6 large egg yolks, 3/4 cup sugar, 3/4 cup whole milk, 4 8-ounce mascarpone cheese,1 1/2 cups espresso, at room temperature, 1/2 cup brandy, 30 to 32 crispItalian ladyfingers, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, and bittersweet chocolate.

First line an 8-inch-square baking dish with plastic wrap. Leave a 3-inch overhang on all sides and fill a large bowl with ice water.

To make the custard whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water until the sugar dissolves. Be careful not to let the bowl touch the water. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook, whisking constantly, until the custard is light and foamy.

Remove the bowl from the saucepanand set in the bowl of ice water. Whish until the custard is cool for a minute. Place the mascarpone in a large bowl and fold in the custard with a rubber spatula until almost combined; whisk until just smooth.

Combine espresso and brandy and singly dip the ladyfingers until soaked but not soggy. Arrange 2 rows of about 5 biscuits each in the baking dish and spread 1/3 of the mascarpone custard over the ladyfingers. Repeat with a second layer while arranging in the opposite direction. Top with another 1/3 of custard. Repeat and dust with cocoa powder. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Invert a plate on top of the tiramisu. Flip the tiramisu with the plate. Remove baking dish and plastic wrap. Invert a serving plate on top and flip again so cocoa-side id up. Shave curls of on top. 

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Decibel Festival ten years on…

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It’s been ten years since the Decibel Festival (read here other news) first hit the airwaves. In the last decade, what was intended to be a festival to help Sean Horton’s city club scene has become a globally recognised electronic music event.

Decibel is staged in Seattle, Washington during the last week of September with more than 100 of the top artists in the business show up to entertain an eager audience.

Pezzner, Lusine, Kid Smpl… those are the acts that grace the stage in Seattle. Sean Horton started the festival in 2004 after exuberant reaction to the Dreaming In Stereo parties.

“There wasn’t much really going on at all in the way of electronic music events”,  he told Electronic Beats. “ The people that were coming out were basically thanking me and saying there was no other way for them to experience this music live. Those people are still what I’d consider to be our core audience today”.

Decibel moved from being called the Northwest Electronic Music Festival to its current moniker and according to Horton that title helped the festival grow leaps and bounds.

Decibel is a big attraction for club goers. What a way to enjoy a great afternoon with the family!

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Linguine Tuna Puttanesca, tangy Italian

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Linguine Puttanesca
The name Puttanesca (read other news here) may raise eyebrows but your taste buds will be even more aroused by the pungent tomato sauce of a Linguine Tuna Puttanesca.

To make this saucy Italian delight you will need salt, 12 ounces linguine, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 2 tablespoons capers, drained, 1/2 cup roughly chopped kalamata olives, 1 28-ounce can San Marzano plum tomatoes, 4 basil leaves, torn, plus more for garnish, 1 5-ounce can albacore tuna, packed in olive oil, and freshly ground pepper.

To prepare, first bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add linguine, and a few drops of oil and cook until al dente. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over a medium flame and add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until slightly toasted. Next add the capers and the olives and fry for about 2 minutes and add crushed tomatoes to the skillet. Cook the tomatoes until they are slightly dry and add tomato juice, basil, and salt, and cook until the sauce thickens.

Add the tuna in oil, drain the pasta, and return it to the pot. Add the sauce and toss; Season with pepper and garnish with more basil.

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Big city life is tough says Factory Floor

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Big city life can be tough the English band Factory Floor (write here something about Factory Floor) says. Speaking in this month’s edition of Electronic Beats Magazine, the band, which released its third album, recently said that living in East London or any other big city is a very difficult environment.

The release of the band has made Nik Void, Dominic Butler, and Gabe Gurnsey, the members of Factory Floor the leaders of contemporary electronic post-punk.

Dominic lives in Dorset while Nik Void, who now lives in Norfolk, says he loves the big city life. “I moved out of it and I miss it a lot. I’ve moved to the country now but at the time of doing the record in the first year, I think I had two jobs, as well. Going to work on the tube during rush hour and then coming back here and then it was like (scats).”

The band works out of a warehouse which Nik says was fortunate as spaces like that are hard to come by these days.

“There’s always been someone in here using it as an art space. I’m really conscious, knowing there’s hardly any space like this, that if someone was into the same things I was doing, I would start to get a bit like, ‘don’t start looking around because you’re not having this place’ [laughs]. You get really territorial”.

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Penny Penny launches album

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South African house musician Penny Penny is coming out with an album. The musician, who hails from the Rainbow Nation, is a product of the Awesome Tapes From Africa.

The album entitled Shaka Bandu is a full-length production. Penny Penny was the youngest of 68 children and after the end of apartheid, while still in his 30’s released an album which is now one of South Africa’s most celebrated house music albums.

Penny Penny is now a politician with the African National Congress (ANC). Shaka Bandu was released in Xitsgona language and sold over quarter million copies in his homeland.

The album also has a 100bpm and was put together with Atari, Korg M1 synthesiser, and reel-to-reel tape over a 1 week period.

Awesome Tapes From Africa started the year with a bang with the release of Hailu Mergia’s “Hailu Mergia And His Classical Instrument” which is being described as one of the “best reissues of the year”. The next edition edition will be released on November 12 across all formats. The album’s standout is ‘Shichangani’.

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Chicken parmesan

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Cheese, especially parmesan cheese (read here other news) adds a little touch of flavor to just about every meal. It spices up chicken, beef, or pork.

To make chicken parmesan, you need 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, salt, black pepper, 2 eggs, 4 cups bread crumbs, 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 cup fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes, 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, 1/2 cup grated provolone cheese, and 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Put chicken breasts between two sheets of heavy plastic on a solid, level surface. Firmly pound the chicken with the smooth side of a meat mallet to pieces ½ inch thick; season with salt and pepper. Next beat eggs and set aside. Then mix bread crumbs and 1/2 cup Parmesan in a separate bowl and set aside. Sift flour and sprinkle over chicken breasts, evenly coating both sides. Dip in beaten eggs and transfer to breadcrumb mixture, pressing the crumbs into both sides.

Repeat for each breast and set aside for about 15 minutes. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over a medium flame and cook chicken until golden for about 2 minutes on either side.

Place chicken in a baking dish and top with about 1/3 cup of tomato sauce. Then layer each breast with mozzarella, basil, and provolone. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is browned and bubbly, and chicken breasts are no longer pink in the center, 15 to 20 minutes.

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Bean and Chicken sausage stew

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bean_and_chicken_sausage_stew

There’s nothing like a hearty warm stew (read here other news) to fill you up and bring you back to those old nights by the fire at home.

Bean and chicken sausage stew is just one of those soups. The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 12-ounce package fully cooked chicken sausage links, sliced, 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced, 1 19-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed, 1 14.5-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth, 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, 1 bunch kale leaves, torn into 2-inch pieces, kosher salt and black pepper, and 1 loaf country bread.

To prepare first heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or a Dutch oven over a medium flame. Next add the sausage and cook, stirring once, until browned for about 2 to 3 minutes. Then stir in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the beans, broth, and tomatoes as well as their liquid and bring to a boil. Next add the kale and ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until wilted for 2 to 3 minutes. Warm the bread and serve with the stew.

For this recipe you may also use a variety of pork or beef sausages.

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