First of all an apology is owed for the poor attempt at humour in the title of this post because actually the meaning is much more literal. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization is currently downplaying fears of a global food crisis being flamed by the widespread drought in Russia which caused a drop in wheat production and a subsequent Government ban on grain exports. Senior economists at the FAO claim that overall crop production levels are historically high although they do admit to being concerned by the speed of the recent rises, which has seen grain prices hit two year highs on the commodity markets while the price of wheat has risen by 50% since the start of July.

World Food Programme delivers food to Haiti – Image: Peter Casier /UNWFP

Clearly the ability of one large exporting state to cause prolonged volatility in the commodity markets coupled with the unpredictable effects of climate change means that the potential of increasing food prices and possible shortages gives us all a reason to be concerned. Of course while some of us will be more than a little annoyed as the price of a decent pint goes past £4, it is in poorer households globally that the increase in prices is most keenly felt. Indeed, some of the world’s poorest countries are already suffering the consequences as witnessed by the death of six people in the Mozambique capital Maputo this week. Maputo saw riots have break out in response to the 25% rise in the price of bread this year, the declining currency and rising water and fuel prices all of which could potentially lead to political unrest.

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Clean nuclear energy? Impossible!! What hair-brained scheme has been concocted now I wonder? Are there any potentially disastrous consequences? What new and wonderous technological development has occured and why did I not know about this sooner? These are just a few of the questions that you may be currently asking yourself having seen the title of this post, but let me be the first to disappoint you; no new technological development has occured, no crazy scheme that could destroy the world has been thought up by some scientists deep underground in a cave in Switzerland (actually there has but that is another story!) but clean nuclear energy is a distinct possibility and the solution has been under our feet the whole time.

image: www.soutenworks.com

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Check it out!!! The album “Ye Fre Mi Richy Pitch” was officially launched on BBE records on 31 August 2010 and is available to buy on iTunes and on the BBE website. You can also find out loads more about the album and its’s creator at his new website www.richypitch.com, so sit back, relax and enjoy the sounds of a musical journey to Ghana through the ears of a producer from London!! Check the footage below of Richy and M3nsa performing some tracks from the new album at London’s legendary hip hop night Scratch.

Click the link to see Richy talking about Scratch and being an author. Also you can see the final segment of our interview with Richy and M.anifest where they discuss their inspiration and global influences.
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Although the website has been dormant for a while Aspecks has been busy over the Summer. Check the video below for a look behind the scenes at some of the things what we have been up to.

Smooth on the outside, crunchy on the inside and guaranteed to make you cry! Meet Onion ….. an up and coming three piece rock band whose sound fuses together an eclectic mix of funk, rock, metal and surf. Heavily inspired by guitar based rock Onion are in their own words “all about riffage” and have been busy over the past 9 months making a name for themselves across the Berkshire area. Onion have also recently recorded their first professional quality EP ‘Pull the Strings’ at Bossman Studios, Swindon, with producer Joe Lawrence (who has worked with engineers such as Jim Warren (Radiohead, Peter Gabriel, Nine Inch Nails) and Adam Whittaker (Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson).  The EP was released in early August this year with fantastic artwork created especially for the band by master craftsman Tom Shepherd (see www.inkyhollow.co.uk). In the interview below the band discusses what they have been up to recently, their influences and their plans for the future. Check after the jump for exclusive Onion performances and if you like what you see and hear then the EP is available from their MySpace Page or their website – which is also doing a nice deal on Onion t-shirts!!

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You can’t help being enthused and inspired by our affiliate Pan Jazz International which is a truly global music community that brings young people of all backgrounds together from across the globe with music.  Not just any music, they play funky jazz with orchestras built around the Carribean-style steel pan drum. They are a collective of music enthusiasts who starting with only six youngsters in the 1980s have managed to grow into a global family that spans three continents and boasts a wealth of diversity.  Their community comprises the founding UK-based Porchester Panyard; the South Africa Pan Jazz Project and Pan Jazz Project India.  These three groups are funded in part by the proceeds from their own performances and other fundraising efforts.  In the spirit of cultural exchange and global community a contingency of 45 members of the Porchester Pan Yard has recently returned from a tour in South Africa.

There they had the appropriate honour of playing concerts as part of (and in the spirit of) the just ended football World Cup festivities alongside members of the South Africa Pan Jazz Project. Through interaction and cultural exchange based around the medium of music; the two groups have developed lasting bonds in a web which will continue to perpetuate as the Pan Jazz fervor continues to grow with more and more exchange programmes. Their work is especially poignant in a place like South Africa; where social divisions from the past have left inevitable scars.

Pictures and a testimonial from one of instructors on the recent trip are available after the ‘read more’ jump.
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