A Smashing Debut Album, Courtesy of Ghost Culture

The London-based record label Phantasy may have found the cure to our ever-lasting, dull and cold days of January. Their latest gold nugget, Ghost Culture, released a mesmerizing self-titled debut album. 

The young producer has been working on his own and reveals a ten-track display of raw emotions and fancy electronic sounds. With the heart-breaking Lucky, to me Ghost Culture clearly signed of the best electronic track of the year. Keep an eye on his upcoming work and shows!

Only Real's New Video For 'Yesterdays'

It's safe to say that Jerk At The End Of The Line is the album I am looking forward to the most this year. 

Two years ago, I stumbled accross a demo of the beautiful Cadillac Girl by Only Real, and it was love at first sight. Niall Galvin is a Brit not much older than me and he's got everything I love about alternative hip-hop. 

I am pretty sure his first album will be worth the wait and the soundtrack to our Spring. Three singles have been released so far: a new version of Cadillac Girl (linked above), Pass The Pain and Yesterdays.

There is definitely no other sound like Niall's, and his self-mockery is delightful. He just released a new video for Yesterdays. Have a look for blue fried eggs, shaved cactus and ducks having a bath. Remember kids, don't do drugs.

Photo Credit : Phil Sharp

Ghostpoet Tells Us About His 'Off Peak Dreams'

I woke up this morning to this amazing news: Ghostpoet is releasing his third album Shedding Skin on March 2nd. His two first LPs are two goldmine for electronic music.

Particularly Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam, which entered my Top 10 Favourite Albums Ever soon after its release in 2011.

Ghostpoet released a first single, Off Peak Dreams, and this beautiful video to makes us looking forward to March!

Photo Credit: Charles Sheperd

About Embracing 2015

2015 is the first year where I actually understand that everything is up to me, and that the following months will be what I decided them to be. No more waiting for god-knows-what to knock at my door. 

I don't think it's cliché to associate January to fresh starts and new commitments, as it is probably the time of the year where it all seems easier. After a long month of indulging ourselves, January and its ever-longer days appears to me like that necessary slap on the face to make me actually do something. This is why, every where, I genuinely think about good resolutions to stick to.

However, no matter how hard I try, I just can't remember my resolutions for 2014. Last January was pretty dull and I wasn't in the bestest of moods. This motivates me even more not to let myself sink this year, so I came up with these simple resolutions:

- Doing Stuff: I hate reading. I haven't read many books, and when I do, it takes me ages anyway. It's just very, very hard to catch my attention for more than one minute. I am then challenging myself this year to go to the library to actually read and not just hanging out in the café admiring bookworms from afar. I'm starting with 'In Bloom' by Matt Haig and really got into it! 

I love writing, but I have a major issue with my consistency, which is one of the reasons why I started this blog. Plus, I bought this gorgeous notebook from Hema, god of stationery, the other day in Lille. 

I have a piano at home but I can't play. My little brother taught himself and in a few months, he started to be really good (he's a fast-learner though). So I thought I'd give it a try as it's one of my favourite instruments, and there's plenty of tutorials on YouTube! I'm learning Ingenue by Thom Yorke at the moment, such an amazing song. I also want to play the guitar more. I've been playing since 2008 and singing as well but I don't believe in what I do and that's a huge handicap. I want to stop worrying and play because I love to.

- Dealing with my Fear Of Not Being Good Enough: this has been a major obstacle in my life for way too long now. Mandy, an amazing British blogger, made a very good blogpost about it that I will link for you to read. I close my eyes and see all the millions of things I would love to achieve. I open them again and it's dark. I am a dreamer, a graduate and an art enthusiast. I am in my early twenties and there's millions of things I would love to see, do, create, manage, achieve, rearrange... Though so far I've always felt like I don't fit. I don't know where I want to be, where I have to be and question everything I do. I am terrible at making decisions and never have a minute of rest amongst all that anxiety.

I want 2015 to be a year of meeting new people and finding inspiration everywhere I can. Lack of self-confidence and anxiety are things way too many of us deal with, I am not alone. I had time to think about it, now it's time to do something about it. I hope that, in a few months, I will come back to this article with a proud smile on my face. 

Here's to another year, let's make it a good one.

À Charlie.

I will never write about politics. I haven't been given the words too, and I reckon it's a world I belong to. Though today isn't about politics but a terrible human loss for my country, France. 

I was on my way to a job interview in Lewes when it happened. I was using the wifi of the shopping centre in Brighton when I heard the news, a few hours later. I never felt more alone. As a French expat in the UK, I couldn't share my sorrow with anyone. Of course, people know what happened, media from all over the world relayed the news within the next few hours, and people were genuinely moved. But us, French citizens, are broken; and I wish I could have hold my journalism students friends tight that night, and tell them how respectful I am, and how sorry I am. I am scared because things will obviously never be the same from now on. I am scared for our freedom to express ourselves, for the Muslim community, for journalism. 

Paris terrorist attack took away twelve lives, and knocked a whole nation out. Charlie Hebdo are not going to close their doors. I trust them, and I know they will get out of this stronger. We all will.

Illustration by Jean Jullien.