Lucky Cat Series 11 Episode 21 - Ultraman Special

Here's the Ultraman Special show from Saturday 12th March 2016.

Playlist: 

Ultraman Theme and other OST tunes from the records pictured (kindly given to me by DJ Food).
Tokyo Ondo - Kahondo Style (My Heart's In Motion LP)
Edo Matsuri - Festival Ensemble of Tokyo (A Musical Atlas of Japan EMI/Odeon)
Strange Whispering - The West Indians (7" Camel label)
True Confession - The Silvertones (Treasure Isle 7")
Silhouettes - Dennis Brown (Songbird 7")

Ultraman Facts

Check out this episode of old BBC show Japanorama - full of Ultraman facts.  I remember enjoying this series - back when Jonathan Ross was a BBC employee! This was one of the best things he did, sharing his passion for Japanese culture.

Here's another good documentary by NHK, this one covers the topic of special effects (Tokatsu) shows. It starts off with Godzilla, skip to 20 minutes in for Ultraman:

How about some Ultraman bento?  Ready to carve eyes out of a hard bolied egg yolk? I hope so:


A Great Top 30 of Ultraman Monsters:


Noh Masks and Ultraman:
http://zaruba-needslove.tumblr.com/post/93750159567

Tokatsu exhibition Facebook page, some great pics of the miniature sets:
https://www.facebook.com/tokusatsuten

Lucky Cat Series 11 Episode 19

Actor Yao Anlian plays the factory boss - a superb performance

Last week I was away so you had a show from the archives (series 6). Here is the previous week's show which has a review of the wonderful indie Chinese film Factory Boss (shown at the Asia House film festival) plus a preview of my Gaby Agis and The Raincoats DJ set.


Playlist:

I Know That You Will Want to Come Back - The Ethiopians (Jamaican blank 7")
Typical Girls - The Slits (from the LP Cut)
That Very Night - Hollie Cook (Mr Bongos 7")
Met Him on a Sunday - Laura Nyro
Gee, Baby, Gee - The Butterflys (The Red Bird Story vol 2, LP) 
All of Me - Ella Fitzgerald (Unesco LP)
Beijing Opera Si Lang Tan Mu - traditional (from The Grandmaster soundtrack LP)
Butterfly Among the Tea Leaves and Gently Flows the Stream (Shell National Folkloric Festival, Memories of China LP)
Night and Day - Maytals (Trojan label 7")
Rainy Night in Georgia - Lord Tanamo (Jamaican blank 7")

Today's show (episode 21) will definitely be an Ultraman special!  Apologies for the wait.

This Saturday - An Ultraman Special

Tune in this Saturday for a special programme on solar-powered Japanese superhero Ultraman.

3.30pm 104.4 FM resonancefm.com

Reminder - DJing at the Resonance FM Fundraiser Fri 19th Feb

I'll be on the decks tomorrow alongside Hannah Brown, Robin the Fog and DJ Food.
Come join us and support Resonance 104.4FM.

Obligatory Facebook event page here.

London International Ska Festival - Bid in the Resonance FM Fundraiser!

Yes folks it's that time of year, the annual Resonance FM fundraiser is in full swing!

There are many fabulous items and experiences on the auction site not least the AMAZING deal of two wristband tickets to the London International Ska Festival worth £130 each.
Ebay bidding on these tickets starts 17th Feb, see: http://fundraiser.resonance.fm/ and help us stay on air!

I've attended the festival in previous years and am looking forward to going this year - a top notch selection of live acts and DJs.  For me the highlight will be the makers of best Rocksteady LP ever - Carlton and The Shoes!

Happy bidding. Thanks to the generosity of the London International Ska Festival and thanks to you the listeners for your donations.  Without your help we could not broadcast from the best radio station in the world* Resonance FM.
*Stewart Lee says so!

Lucky Cat S11 E17 - Year of the Monkey

Apologies for the missing episode 16 of Lucky Cat Series 11 - somehow it did not make it to the mixcloud and has been lost in the radio waves of time....

Fear not though because episode 17 is here packed with musical niceness.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!  Gung Hey Fat Choy! May the year of the cheeky Monkey be filled with mischievous fun and wonderful good health.

Lucky Cat - 6th February 2016 by Resonance Fm on Mixcloud

Playlist:

• Happy New Year - Tsui Ping (EMI label Chinese New Year 7" EP)
• You're the One - Dorothy Russell (Duke Reid 7")
• Freedom Train - The Wailers (UK Island 7")
• Monkey Man - The Specials (The Specials LP, 2Tone)
• Monkey Girl - The Maytals (The King Kong Compilation LP, Island/Mango)
• Can't You Read - Big Maceo (Bi Maceo Vol 1 Flying Boogie 1941-1945, Document Records CD)
• Too Much Monkey Business - Chuck Berry (Rock n Roll Explosion CD)
• Monkey Hips and Rice - Hank Jacobs (Sue Instrumentals LP)
• The Higher the Monkey Climbs - Justin Hinds and the Dominoes (Intensified! Original Ska 1962-66, Island LP)
• I Wanna Be Like You - Louis Prima (Disney compilation LP)
• The Clapping Song - Shirley Ellis (The Complete Congress Recordings CD)
• Gong Xi Ni (Good luck to you) - Tsui Ping (EMI label Chinese New Year 7" EP)
• The Origins of Monkey - Godiego (Monkey Magic OST BBC LP)
• Judge Not - Robert Marley (Scandal Ska, Island compilation LP)
• Darling Don't Leave Me - The Jiving Juniors (Coxsone's Music, compilation 2xLPs, Soul Jazz Records)

Lucky Cat S11 E15 - Martial Arts Special!



Lucky Cat - 23rd January 2016 by Resonance Fm on Mixcloud

Martial Arts Special!

Crane style kung fu practitioner Sharmin Asia-Rohima Ahmed talks about martial arts and self defence and the new classes she will be teaching in Clapham. Sharmin has trained in crane style kung fu or 12 years both in China and the UK. Legend has it that crane style kung fu was developed by Fang Qi Niang, daughter of a respected Kung fu master in 18th Century China. Sharmin has competed in several UK and European sparring and patterns tournaments winning 5 gold medals, 3 silver and1 bronze medal.

The Tai Chi and Crane style Kung-fu classes will start Sat 6th Feb in Clapham, see: http://www.damospt.com/ or follow Sharmin via Instagram: damo_self_defense

This programme also features a brief review of Donnie Yen's Ip Man 3, out in UK cinemas now.
Also note that the art house martial arts movie The Assassin is currently showing at the BFI.  to get 2 for 1 tickets use the code ASSASSIN241 when booking online.

Playlist:

• Den Kick - Afronational (7" on No Wahala Sounds label)
• Crane Style - dub version of Madoo's Have you ever Been to Heaven (7" on the Prophet label, Far East rhythm)
• Rude Girls - Doreen and Her Allstars (7" on the Rainbow label)
• Oh Me Oh My - Lloyd Charmers (7" on the Bullet label)

Lucky cat S11 E14 - Sino-grime Special

Here's last week's show which was a Sino-grime special!  To be honest I got a bit confused - is it Grime or is it Dub Step? Digital bass driven music...Whatever the genre I was surprised to really enjoy it (well it is not lovely scratchy old vinyl after all) - especially stand out track Frozen Pagoda!  
Swimful's PM2.5 (named after a pollution particle) will be released on 1st Feb on SBVKVLT label:
https://soundcloud.com/svbkvlt

Lucky Cat - 16th January 2016 by Resonance Fm on Mixcloud

Reggae Sound Systems & DJing

Me with the Copesetic Sound system speakers 2014

I was thrilled to get a mention in this great article about women and reggae sound systems:
https://i-d.vice.com/en_gb/article/the-hidden-women-of-sound-system-culture

A couple of books I can recommend on sound system culture:
This one, Sound System Culture, is written by Paul Huxtable of Axis Sound system and focuses on the history and development of reggae sound systems in Huddersfield where Paul is from:
http://www.axissound.co.uk/sound-system-culture-project-and-book/

The Sonar System is a beautifully illustrated children's book emphasising the importance of sound systems in the cultural history of the 20th century:
http://www.factmag.com/2015/07/08/sonar-system-picture-book-sound-system-culture/

I am pleased to announce that I will be playing with Copesetic sound system again on Friday 6th May 2016 in Manchester.

 A little sooner than that on Wednesday 10th February I'll be playing reggae at David Katz's night Dub Me Always in Brixton alongside Sweetie.  Lots of reggae plans for 2016!

No Cars - Mixcloud link and Photos

Tomoko on keys

 

 

 

 

 

Haruna on lead guitar (and clarinet later)

 

 

Takaco on bass and 'Candy' on drums

I had so much fun with the brilliant band No Cars playing live in the studio last week.  Go see them live - they are amazing!  Check their Facebook for upcoming gigs in February: www.facebook.com/nocarsmusic/

Lucky Cat - 9th January 2016 by Resonance Fm on Mixcloud

Happy 2016!

Hope you all had a lovely festive break and are fresh and ready for the new year ahead!  Here is a mix I made for a friend - no East Asian tunes but plenty of toe tapping treats.

Lucky Cat returns to Resonance FM for a further 13 weeks of series 11 on Saturday 9th Jan 2016.
I will be joined live in the studio by the fabulous group No Cars for a live set and interview.  There may even be a curry taste off!

So far I have quite a few DJ dates booked in for 2016:

JAN:
Sunday 24th: Women's DJ relay at The Ritzy, Brixton


FEB:
Wednesday 10th: Dub Me Always at The Ritzy, Brixton
Monday 22nd: Asia House Film Festival Opening, Ham Yard, Soho 
Saturday 27th: Gaby Agis & The Raincoats, Greenwich

More dates to be confirmed soon!

Música!  Happy 2016! by Luckycatzoe on Mixcloud

Lucky Cat S11 E11 - Kids in the Studio!

Kids in the studio!  Snacks galore in the Dim Sum Lunch Box and engineer Laura samples a festive treasure  fried rice dish.

https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/lucky-cat-12th-december-2015/

Playlist:
Fade Away - Junior Byles (Rewind Selecta Vol 1 LP)
Celebratory Cantonese Music
Milord - Edith Piaf
I Wanna Love - The Jiving Juniors (Blue Beat 7")
Wei Cheng - ChaCha and JahJahWay (produced by Along, on Souncloud only)
Quando Salir de Cuba - Betty Chung (Love Story LP, EMI)
Down in the Basement - Sugarpie de Santo and Etta James (The Sweetest Peaches LP, Chess)
Where Do I Begin (Love Story) - Betty Chung (Love Story LP, EMI)
East Virginia - Elizabeth Laprelle (downloaded from An Immaculate Collection charity online musical advent calendar!)
Memories of China, Butterflies -  Sydney Chinese Music Society
Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Peggy Lee (Christmas Carousel LP)

The Immaculate Collection
A project to help raise money for pregnant and traumatised women in the refugee camp in Lesvos, Greece.
This is a really great project where you can donate to download lots of great tracks, do take a look and give if you can:

http://immaculatecollection.co.uk/

Lucky Cat S11 E10 - No Cars new album 'Yoko Goes to Bollywood'

On this week's show I play tracks from the fantastic new No Cars album Yoko Goes to Bollywood.
No Cars are a Japanese girl group based in Hackney, East London.  Their new album is a wonderful mix of funny, feel good, taste good, spicy pop!  The album is available as CD, cassette and download.  Warning it might make you hungry (of course I love the food themed songs).

Lucky Cat  - 5th December 2015 by Resonance Fm on Mixcloud

Playlist:

• Love and Understanding - John Holt (10", Channel 1 label)
• Gerrard Street - Guardian Angel (12", Laser label)
• Tears, Tears, Tears - Amos Milburn (Vicious, Vicious Vodka, Aladdin LP)
• Why Birds Follow - Hortense Ellis (Studio 1 7")
• Curry - No Cars (Yoko Goes to Bollywood CD, PostPop Records)
• Samosa - No Cars (Yoko Goes to Bollywood CD, PostPop Records)
• Vanilla Rooibos - No Cars (Yoko Goes to Bollywood CD, PostPop Records) 
• Godam Gunjar - Koto duet (Musical Atlas of Japan, Unesco Collection LP, EMI/Odeon)
• folk music from Okinawa islands (Musical Atlas of Japan, Unesco Collection LP, EMI/Odeon)
• Muchachas Del Vacilon / Girls Who  Fool Around - Antonio Flores and Manuel Valdez (Mexican Songsters from the Past 1920s and 30s Vol 2, Folklyric LP)
• Vicious, Vicious Vodka - Amos Milburn (Vicious, Vicious Vodka, Aladdin LP)

The Lady From Sham Shui Po

Today's show is an imaginary sound track for the Hong Kong noir The Lady from Sham Shui Po co-directed by Wong Kar Wai and Orson Welles.
Starring Marlene Dietrich, Maggie Cheung, Joseph Cotten and Simon Yam.

Bending the time space continuum to make this film, just imagine the possibilities.....

The Lady From Sham Shui Po by Luckycatzoe on Mixcloud

Track listing:

• Trois Morceaux En Forme de Poire - Erik Satie  
• Illusion - Nat King Cole
• The Flower of Tachai Blooms in Chien Men - Erhu and Cheng Duet
• Apres Moi - Eartha Kitt
• Luar Do Serato - Marlene Dietrich
• Pearls of the Ravine - Cheng solo
• Guardian Angels - Mahalia Jackson with Harpo Marx
• Love Without End - Carrie Koo Mei 
• Non Domenticar - Peggy Lee
• Take Good Care of Him - Kong Ling and the Fabulous Echoes
• Poinciana - Nat King Cole
• Dark Eyes - Tshornye Graza, P. Leschtchenko and his orchestra
• Black Market - Marlene Dietrich
• Purple The Schemer - Billy May
• The Sorrow of Lady Wang Chao-Sun - Lui Hung

Lucky Cat S11 E08 - Allen Toussaint Tribute, Reggae 7s & Yunnan Aubergine Recipe

Another ALL VINYL show for your listening pleasure.
RIP Allen Toussaint.
 

Lucky Cat  - 21st November 2015 by Resonance Fm on Mixcloud

Playlist:

• War No Right - Denise Darlington (Studio One 7")
• Yes We Can Can - Lee Dorsey (Saturday Night Fish Fry Soul Jazz 2xLP)
• Mean Man - Betty Harris (Saturday Night Fish Fry Soul Jazz 2xLP)
  Break in the Road - Betty Harris (Saturday Night Fish Fry Soul Jazz 2xLP)
• Cry to Me - Jusy Mowatt (Jamaican blank 7")
• Heart of the Knight - Lennox Brown (Jamaican blank 7")
• Green Collie - Roy Richards (Jamaican blank 7")
• You're No Good - Marcia Griffiths (Jamaican blank 7")
•  I Love You - Simms and Robinson (Wordisc label 7")
• Crying Over You - Simms and Robinson (Wordisc label 7") 
• Leave Her Alone - Derrick Morgan (Beverley's label 7")
• The Flower of Tachai Blooms in Chien Men - Erhu and Cheng Duet (10" LP Spring in Date Garden, China Record Company)
• I Can Never Go Home Anymore - The Shangri-Las (Golden Hits of the Shangri-Las, Phillips LP)
• Tiptina - Dr John (Gumbo LP, Atlantic)
• New Orleans - Big Boy Myles (The Greatest 15 Hits on ACE LP)
• Stu Mambo Cha Cha Cha - Marino Marini and his Quartet (10" LP Happy Music from Italy, Durium)

 

Simon Yam and Joseph Cotten

This Saturday's show will be an imaginary soundtrack for a romantic Hong Kong noir thriller. Think Wong Kar Wai meets Orson Welles for a few jugs of rice wine in the rain... Starring Marlene Dietrich, Maggie Cheung, Joseph Cotten and Simon Yam.

Just doing some research and look at how similar these photos of Joseph Cotten and Simon Yam are!  Both wonderful actors with charismatic faces, a twinkle in the eye and both can really smoke the hell out of a cigarette!

 

Come Drink With Me on Netflix

Netflix has recently added lots of old Shaw Brothers films - hurrah!  Including this stunning wu xia masterpiece with the beautiful Cheng Pei Pei.  

May I also recommend a documentary on there - General Tso's Chicken. It's basically the story of the Chinese American diaspora told through food.  This dish is not familiar here in the UK, I'm not sure what the equivalent is.  One of our national dishes is chicken tikka massala, a subverted Indian dish that has been created to appeal to British palates.  It would be interesting to see a documentary made about that.

Talking of documentaries there's a good one on Chinatowns of the world on BBC iPlayer Radio now: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0380gh0

Lucky Cat S11 E07 - Andy Martin on Chinese Cinema

Here's last weeks' show where I was joined writer and musician Andy Martin to discuss his book Chinese Cinema: A Study of Chinese Films from 1905 to 2005.

Lucky Cat  - 14th November 2015 by Resonance Fm on Mixcloud

Links
Buy the book:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/andy-martin/chinese-cinema/paperback/product-21225752.html

Andy's UNIT band web site:  
http://www.unit-united.co.uk/

Andy Martin's Top 10 Hong Kong Films

1. Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind directed by Tsui Hark


2. Boat People directed by Ann Hui


3. Tiger Cage directed by Yuen Woo Ping (produced by Michelle Yeoh's ex husband Dickson Poon, fact fans)


4. Daddy, Father and Papa directed by Clifton Ko Chi Sum


5. Men Behind the Sun directed by Mou Tun-Fei
This film documents unbearable atrocities carried out by the Japanese in a chinese prisoner of war camp in Harbin. I watched a clip on Youtube and it is so disturbing I am unable to post anything.  I notice is turns up in this list of the 50 most disturbing movies of all time!
Go search for yourself.  This looks so horrific, I cannot watch!

6. Cageman directed by Jacob Cheung


7. Young and Dangerous directed by Andrew Lau


8. 15 directed by Royston Tan, set in Singapore


9. Too Young directed by Derek Yee starring Jaycee Chan (Jackie's son)


10. Beseiged City directed by Lawrence Ah Mon



Andy recommends this East London shop for all your HK movie needs: Umit & Son
http://www.timeout.com/london/shopping/umit-son


 

Lucky Cat S11 E06 - Halloween Tunes & London Korean Film Festival

In this week's episode I play some spooky tuneage for Halloween, pay tribute to the sadly departed HK movie legend Tien Feng and interview Hyujin Cho, producer of the London Korean Film Festival.

The London Korean Film Festival celebrates it's 10th year in 2015 with a bumper programme.  I'm very excited that director Chung Chwang Hwa will be giving a Q&A and 3 of his films will be screening:

• Voodoo Women  - Smiley Smith (Zombie Horror CD Collection, Chrome Dreams CD)

• Vampire - The Upsetters (Loch Ness Monster, Trojan LP)

• Legend of Sleepy Hollow  - The Monotones (Zombie Horror CD Collection, Chrome Dreams CD)

• Dracula Prince of Darkness  - King Horror , thought to be Laurel Aitken (Loch Ness Monster, Trojan LP)

• Kung Fu Master  - Solo Banton (Music Addict, Jahtari EP)

• Last Blade  - Disrupt (Music Addict, Jahtari EP)

• Yunnan Reggae  - Lao Hei (soundcloud)

• Arriran  - Various (Korean Folk Volume 1 LP)

• Zombie Jamboree  -  King Flash and the Calypso Carnival (Zombie Horror CD Collection, Chrome Dreams CD)

• Evil Spirits  - Mighty Invaders (Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2015)

• Duppy Dance  - Aquarius Soul Band (Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2015)

• Hell Below  - Crystal Generation (Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2015)

• Mr Brown  - Cliff and the Organizers (Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2015)

http://koreanfilm.co.uk/directors/chung-chang-hwa

The Taiwanese director made these films in Korea with Korean cast and crew...including the 1967 martial arts movie A Swordsman in the Twilight.

There are also more populist movies in the Audience Choice strand of the festival.  HK actor Simon Yam stars alongside Kim Yun-seok, Kim Hye-soo, Lee Jung-jae and Gianna Jun in the heist movie The Thieves, which in 2013 was the secondhighest grossing movie of all time at the Korean box office.  

Lucky Cat - 31st October 2015 by Resonance Fm on Mixcloud

Playlist:

RIP TIEN FENG 1928 - 2015