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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Ye Fre Mi Richy Pitch is the name of the album that showcases the latest creative endeavours from our friend, DJ, producer and author Richy Pitch. Reflecting two years spent in Ghana, Richy has collaborated with many local musicians, adding his own unique vibe to distinctly West African instrumentation. Check out exclusive footage of songs from the album being performed live, as well as an intimate discussion with Richy, who is accompanied by the international artist M.anifest. Together they discuss their musical collaborations including the album and the making of the song and video for the original track “Blackstar”.

Check out the Blackstar video and live performances from the Ye Fre Mi Richy Pitchy album after the jump…
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Aspecks would like to introduce our affiliation with I AM LDN Magazine, an enterprise focused on celebrating the vibrant arts, music, lifestyle, fashion, poetry and comedy that makes up London culture. The synergies with our own ethos here at Aspecks are obvious so keep an eye out for future collaborative events. I AM LDN is a trendsetter, an independent arts magazine, a philosophy, a fashion guru and a lifestyle, The magazine encourages a lifestyle based on knowledge, passion, humour and one that is deeply rooted in London’s style. I AM LDN documents observations of London Life and sometimes brings other cultures, arts and ideas to it’s readers attention. A magazine for urbanites; I AM LDN seeks to offer a fresh voice amongst all the corporate pillaging and celebrity madness. Consequently they offer creative people the opportunity to interact with an arts focused media publication that is not focused on the money. I AM LDN does it for the fun and for the love of it.

Look them up and check their website where you can find digital copies of their current issue and back-catalogue for your reading pleasure. Oh and as you can see above if you check out page 26 you will be able to see a nice feature on the Aspecks Global Citizen Campaign Competition.

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Ctrl.Alt.Shift is a UK youth initiative set up to engage the next generation in the fight against social and global injustice. Naturally there are many affiliations and synergies between such an organisation and Aspecks and after a meeting with the editor of the Ctrl.Alt.Shift magazine it became clear that through the exchange of knowledge and skills we could achieve a lot more by working together. As a movement they tackle issues such as global poverty, climate change, tax and corruption and HIV stigma though running events and campaigns nationwide, a UK-wide street team of reporters and a bi-annual magazine which can all be read about on their website: www.ctrlaltshift.co.uk. They have even been kind enough to plug the Aspecks Global Citizen Campaign Competition on their blog! Ctrl.Alt.Shift run a wide variety of events and promotions across the UK; from art exhibitions to raves and five a side football games. They even had time to choreograph a protest against the misguided philosophy of the BNP.  Check out the video below too see what we are talking about and do not forget to check their website for more info, or contact editor@ctrlaltshift.co.uk to get involved!

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Eighteen months on from our last interview with Wanlov and M3nsa a.k.a the FOKN BOIS, Aspecks managed to catch up with these pioneering artists to talk about the upcoming release of their unique pidgen musical “Coz Ov Moni”, which they filmed on location in Ghana.

The film has been accepted by the Pan-African Film festival in Los Angeles, the Black Film Makers Festival in London and on the day the promotion video above was released the FOKN BOIS received news that the Rio International Film Festival has accepted “Coz Ov Moni”. Check out the videos below from our conversation where M3nsa and Wanlov explain some of their motivations behind a film which they describe as a cultural exchange programme. Having been privileged to see a sneak preview of this fresh, funny film we cannot wait for the prospective international release dates (with subtitles in english, french, spanish and chinese) and for people to see what happens to the FOKN BOIS “Coz Ov Moni”.

Part Two after the jump…

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