As you can tell by the lovely picture, we are covering the Way Out West festival, which Robyn, Santigold and the lovely Prince are playing. We hear rave review of the festival and how greatly it was organized. We will keep you posted it with the write-ups soon. Meanwhile, enjoy the crowd cheering to Robyn below.
Come see us this Thurday August 11, 2011 at 9pm!
We know this is a music blog, but we can’t not cram in a little something we have been working on. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kuwait is glad to invite you to its first ever celebration of International Youth Day. In a bid to further expand its youth programme, UNDP Kuwait is throwing the world-renowned PechaKucha night for youth to attend. Comedienne Hoda Marafie will be the hostess for the evening. The event will also have an exhibition with corporate and organization booths that cater to the youth of Kuwait.
This little blog from Kuwait is going great places! Technorati has given us branding new ratings and they are the highest this blog has ever gotten. We haven’t updated you lately on the blog, but we figured we’d wait until our 3rd anniversary this September! But, this piece of fantastic news came our way and we couldn’t resist but divulge. Loft965.com has nestled comfortable in the Top 50 range for quite a while now with the other music blogs, but this month we took a leap higher. According to the most highly respected rating system for blogs online Technorati.com, these are our ratings as of now:
#29 Most-Visited Music Blog Worldwide
#120 Most-Visited Celebrity Blog Worldwide
#312 Most-Visited Entertainment Worldwide
#2585 Most-Visited Blog Worldwide
This has, of course, turned our month around and gave a stamp of approval to our efforts unlike anytime before. This is a great step forward for us. The music industry is taking notice by the influx of email offers we receive daily and our readership keeps increasing. Thank you for visiting us as always and we promise to give you the freshest in music.
Our 2011 Accolades as on now:
Top Music Blog from Technorati.com
Top Authority from TopicsBest.com
Authority Music aBlog from Wikio.com
Much thanks and appreciation. We have you keep coming b y the tens of thousands like you have and never hesitate to drop us some feedback, commentary or a little note. Also, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook! Join our community and be forever updated with the the beats that will soundtrack your life.
Thanks again and we hope you are having a monumental summer, as busy as it was for us, we are trying to make the best of it and also to ensure we fill it with festive music for you. There’s more to come from this little blog and we hope you join us for the entirety of the journey. Your participation is intrinsic for the succes of this site and it is never forgotten. Cheers to the freakin’ weekend!
This is one of our favorite Amy Winehouse tracks ever. One time we spent 6 hours listening to it on repeat on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuwait. Lovely song and her reference to Erykah Badu was so timely, her voice flawless.
You’ve been following Loft965.com for a while now, it’s time you looked into being part of the team.
So, the big 3-0 is here and its fierce. Dirty thirty never felt so good. The celebrations are not over yet, I assume and I like this pinnacle in my life. A lot his changed for this date, even though I don’t feel a day over 21 (Okay, maybe 24)! All my loved ones made sure to spend some quality time with me or just give me a lengthy phone call since its summer season in Kuwait and everyone is tryna get the hell outta here! AM (above) who is an avid reader of the blog dropped us a video, which was very nice of him and was one of the things that made my day! Thank you, again.
Keep it tight and thank you for all the birthday well-wishes! Follow me on Twitter!
Marina FM’s Talal Malik came up with a great idea to somehow feature the music we compile here at Loft965.com on the radio! So, “Bnaider Summer Lounge” has come to fruition. It’s an hour’s worth of Splashine 2‘s best tracks on Kuwaiti FM. It’s going to air on midnight tonight. Please tune into Marina FM 88.8 at 12 am to catch some chill summer beats that will be to your liking and watch what happens when two local music mediums join forces. This is the promo track for the hour and it’s airing now. We hope you like it and be sure to give us some feedback.
1. Greetings from Kuwait! Loft965.com picked your album as an “Album to look forward to in 2011.” How do you feel about that and what do you think this year holds for you?
So happy that you dig rabbits. Making this record was personally transformative…..people connecting to the finished product is wonderful and makes me feel less alone I think.
2. We love the first single. What will be your next single?
Not sure. “I Don’t Want To Be A Bride?,” “Dear California?”
3. How do you find your departure from mainstream labels to be and do you prefer it this way?
I cut ties from everything 2 years ago. I self funded the record and became my own little arts and crafts shop. I am so lucky to have been able to do that. Since then I found this indie label called Razor and Tie. They loved the vibe of this album and are on the same page in terms of the direction I’m heading. Again….I feel less alone. Nice.
4. Your new album, Rabbits On The Run, is very different than your previous releases. What was your inspiration behind making it?
It’s taken me 10 years to get back to the honest vibe of my earlier demos. How many times do you hear demos of songs and prefer them to the overly embellished record version? I NEVER want to feel that way again. I made a very honest and simple record. I was inspired by the sound of my vinyl record collection in terms of aesthetic. The songs are a meditation of 2 books….Watership Down by Richard Adams and A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. The art work is inspired by the Hill’s Manuel….an etiquette book from the 1900′s.
5. We love quotes, what is your favorite quote or motto?
My motto is this: Pin. The. Tail. On. The. Donkey.
We actually don’t know where this blog got this from, but its all over. It’s not new to us. Mariah’s Rainbow cover was turned from David LaChappelle sex-candy chic into an advert for a nursery. But at any rate, here is Rihanna modified by official to look like for us the people.
1. Greetings from Kuwait! Loft965.com picked your song “End Of The World” as a “Sexy Track” of 2011. How do you feel about that and what’s the inspiration behind the song?
Awesome thanks! That song is a romantic fantasy, but also expresses my fears about “armageddon” and the world changing and falling apart… I thought if i put it into a song, maybe it’ll all be alright!
2. We love “Heart Skips A Beat.” What will be your next single?
Not sure yet, maybe “Two?” Each territory might choose a different 2nd single!
3. Your first solo single “The Show” was featured heavily from everything to shampoo ads to TV shows to the soundtrack of the movie Easy A. How do you feel about that and were you expecting this kind of reception when you put the song out?
I wasn’t expecting it, but i definitely welcomed it! Especially the film placements. I get really excited when my songs are used creatively, and i’m very grateful for the new listeners it creates…
4. Your new album, the aptly-titled Two, is already out. How would you describe it and who were you influences during the recording process?
There aren’t really any direct influences, only that i wanted to make an upbeat, danceable LOVE record that is pop, but not too pop. I worked with Guy Sigsworth, who was a long-time Bjork collaborator, and I think her early albums have always been a strong influence for me. I love that spirited, celebratory energy.
5. We love quotes, what is your favorite quote or motto?
“Every dark cloud has a silver lining.”
Click here to visit Lenka’s official website.
It looks like Erykah Badu did some local shopping recently when she visited Dubai for a concert and took it back home with her. She wore this to one of her Coachella appearances. What do you think?
On the 10th of March! And stupid conservatives say global warming is a farce!
“A civilization which leaves so large a number of its participants unsatisfied and drives them into revolt neither has nor deserves the prospect of a lasting existence.”
Jose Gonzalez, one of our favorite sombre folkies, is coming to Kuwait. REUSE 4.0 is clocking him in between his Australian and European tour with his new band Junip to stop over in Kuwait City for a one night only show at the environmentally conscious exhibition. His show will be of his solo material from both his albums, Veneer and In Our Nature, which are Loft965.com favorites. The show will take place in the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK).
Let’s hope we hear some new songs alongside classics like “Heartbeats,” “Crosses” and the impeccable cover of Kylie Minogue’s “Hand On Your Heart.” Click below for more information on how to buy the tickets for the January 11th show.
“The test of democracy is freedom of criticism.” - David Ben-Gurion
You know that we don’t write about anything local, unless it is of international standards. Also, you know that we don’t have a sweet tooth at all. These two things should be reason enough for you to open up your eyes to Athba’s Bakery. A new culinary company in Kuwait that caters to all your sweet temptations. Simply put, everything we’ve ever tasted from Athba’s Bakery has been mouth-wateringly palatable and succulently delicious. From the signature chocolate-chip cookies to the variety of muffins and cupcakes. So, click here to order a session of finger-licking and lip-smacking goodness.
Normally, we don’t ever head out to see movies on 3D with big Hollywood blockbuster written all over them. It’s just not our thing. In fact, cinema in most places rarely carry anything we are interested in seeing, art house and foreign films just don’t get that kind of exposure. But, we were gently coerced into seeing this with a whole gaggle of queens. Yes, it was a weekday and we were on a vacay. The result is as expected. A hugely-produced mock-up of a classic. Not the book, but the Disney animated film. A bunch of top-notch stars, “amazing” special effects and a new angle on an old story couldn’t save this hodgepodge of overproduction and manufactured sap. To top all that off we have to sit through Anne Hathaway’s incredulously hideous acting.
A Kuwaiti DJ by the name of Kilo has released a dance track to the world. He is signed to Next Plateau/Universal Music. It’s called “What I See” and it features Funk Generation. The single is available on iTunes. Click here to download the song. Also, visit his MySpace page. For a preview of the song click below.
A sight of new beginnings.
