Vadim and you don't stop

When James Brown sadly passed away, his title as the hardest working man in music was inherited by a one DJ Vadim - at least in hip-hop circles. This Anglo-Russian beatsmith simply must be an insomniac such is the volume of his output and the incessant touring he embarks on. This was underlined late last year when he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer of the eye. Yet following an operation, here he is barely six months later with a new single - and a fricking excellent one at that - and yep he's still out there touring. Check out the fantastic video above. The release date is unclear for this but I'll add a link to buy it when it's available.

The National - New Songs

The new National album isn't due until 2010 but if you're a fan, and i know i am, here's a couple of new songs that they played at the Carnegie Hall in NYC back in February. They're live recordings but the quality is alright. This band mix a beautiful melancholy with with some sort of uplifting energy so effortlessly it's staggering. It always makes me want to chain smoke cigarettes on an overnight train somewhere (see picture from Wong Kar-Wai's 2046 for better description). Bryan Devendorf is also the best drummer recording today: discuss.

The National - Karamazov

The National - Wake Up Your Saints

Buy The National albums here