Join.The.Dots is the duos 4th studio album with its title track providing a great mix of breakbeats and vocals with definite signs of a jungle influence.
The album as a whole is great mix of genre's, with elements of Dance,Bashment all the way through chillout to drum and bass. In my opinion the selection of featuring artists also gives the album a great balance with a personal favorite being that of Johnny Tarr on the track 'Rockets'.
In terms of relating the sound to that of another album I believe it has a distinct 'Ed Solo & School of Thought - Random Acts of Kindness' kinda feel to it, saying this that could be simply down to the fact that Dynamite MC leads the way throughout the album.
To sum up Join.The.Dots provides an interesting mix of sounds which in my eyes is certainly worth a listen.
01. Join The Dots 02. Round Of Applause Ft. Dynamite MC 03. Whisper Up Ft. Betty Steeles 04. The Lion’s Den Ft. Ms. Dynamite And Andy Cato 05. Love Someone Ft. Kivanc 06. Rockets Ft. Jonny Tarr 07. Stay At Home 08. Facts Ft. Jimmy Screech 09. Red Setter 10. So Many Girls Ft. Dynamite MC 11. Burn Ft. Lindsay West
So currently being in Stuttgart and living with a Porsche employee it would have been rude not to visit the Porsche Museum.
On arrival (in a Porsche) I was primarily taken back by its design; great architecture encompassing a blend of sharp white walls with large paned glass. The interior formed a spiral, taking you on a journey from the initial first shells to some of the latest Porsche concepts.
Throughout the visit I continuously found myself changing what I believed to be my favourite car. One minute I was opting for the stylish, timeless, old school 911s' next the bruised and used Dakar rally car, nevertheless each had there own character still with the scratches and bumps that had been occurred throughout it's lifetime.
I finished the trip in the Porsche shop which leads me too the relevant subject matter of this post. In the corner of the shop was a Porsche jacket. Ok initially you may think oh..dear another Subaru esc racing jacket...but no. The jacket was modest in appearance with a kind of Adidas originals feel to it...put it this way; it warranted a ‘try on’. The fit was great but the price tag not so much; I had to place it back.
I left the shop and the museum with a couple of postcards.
Well I suppose I’m up third then, I’m coming in big with a cheesecake so beastly it makes Belle go weak at the knees.
The other day I was dared by a lactose intolerant friend to make the richest, creamiest and most over indulgent cheesecake I possibly could. Naturally this sent me on a trail of utter debauchery, scouring high and low in my cook books and on the net, trying desperately to find a unique idea that would tip my cheesecake from the normal run of the mill, all the way to the full decadence fit for a French duke.
In the end I couldn’t find one recipe that would fit the bill, so I took to separate recipes and bodged them together with a few of my own tweaks. Basically it’s a brownie base filled with large chunks of chocolate, with layer upon layer of Mascarpone Cheese and melted chocolate this time filled with Mini Oreos (recipe for homemade Oreos coming soon) and the final layer is whipped cream with icing sugar and yet more melted chocolate. (Sneaky Little Tip: in the ingredients for this I’ve just stated chocolate and left it up to you to decide your preference, but if like me your going for ultimate decadence I’d recommend you get a even split of milk, white and dark chocolate)
Right let’s get on with it, for this beast you will need.
For the brownie
200g dark chocolate, roughly choppedand another 50g of Chocolate for the chunks
2. Let’s start with the brownie; Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer. Add the eggs one at a time mixing well and scraping any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl after each egg.
3. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (don't let the base of the bowl touch the water).
4. Gradually beat in the flour then turn the mixer up to the max for a little longer until the mixture is smooth. Now Slowly add in the melted chocolate and give it a good mix.
5. Pour the mixture into a fairly large and deep baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and smooth it all. Press in the chocolate chunks making sure you spread them around.
6. Next up is the cheesecake layer; using the mixer again, combine the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract and whizz it until it’s smooth and thick.
7. Chuck the eggs in one egg at a time, again scraping any unmixed ingredients form the side of the bowl. Be careful not to overdue the mixing as the mixture can split.
8. Spread this mix all over the top of the brownie mixture and again smooth it all over. Throw it in the oven for about 35 minutes
9. Pop it on the side and press in the Oreos. Then leave to cool completely and once it’s down to room temp place it in the fridge overnight.
10. For the top of the tower beat the cream and sugar until firm. Melt the remaining chocolate the same way as before. Turn the chilled cake out onto a board. Spread some of the cream mix all over, followed by a layer of melted chocolate, sporadically chucking in Oreos and chocolate chunks as you go. Repeat this until you run out of ingredients.
