Recently I’ve got a bit bored of my desktop and wanted to add a few things different and fancy.

I tried GeekTool a while ago before it appeared on the Mac App Store and it was a bit buggy and wasn’t very sure what it was meant to be used for, so very quickly got rid of it.

Now it is on the App Store and I’ve started using it properly, I love it.

GeekTool is basically a tool that lets you add custom widgets to your desktop. These can be text, shell commands or images and because it can run shell commands, the wide of uses is endless. Screenshot of my desktop is below.

For me, I wanted something a bit simple. I tried using a few weather services within Chrome and the MenuBar on OS X (with WeatherHD and MenuWeather). They were good, but there weren’t the best for at a glance and kind of took up much wanted space. So I had a look and found a little script someone had written that shows the weather for your location. It basically gets the weather details and images and with a shell script, updates the image to the right one and updates the text to say the current weather forecast. And because it’s on your desktop, it’s not in the way of anything as you can place it where you like and as I have a hot corner top right to show desktop I can swipe my mouse up there and see the weather forecast. I’d like to extend this to perhaps a 5 day or a “predicted later” indication, but hey… It’s nice.

The second thing I’ve done is added a “Quote Of The Day” to the desktop. I basically found this wallpaper and really liked it. Came across a quote of the day script and checked it out. Sure enough, placing it with this wallpaper looks really nice and just gives the wallpaper an extra feel, so I kept it.

And thirdly, in the lower right hand corner I have the uptime. This seems to get quite buggy though. What I want it to do is tell me the uptime in days, hours, minutes. It did do it once, but hasn’t ever done it again. Now seems to say 4:08, which is actually 4 days 8 hours. Strange, huh? That again is a simple shell script.

Have you customised your desktop with GeekTool? what have you made? Lemme know! I need more ideas!

Recently done a mix for Hardcore Producer.org, this was Volume 3.

Sadly, they went with someone elses mix. But because I’m kind and they’ve let me, I am sharing it with everyone anyway .

Hardcore Producer 3 – Mixed by Ravenatic -

Listen: 

Youtube:

Download: http://bit.ly/hp3ravenatic

Share and Enjoy!

x

Hardcores best selling album, the Clubland X-Treme Hardcore series, is hitting it’s 8th number shortly.

3CDs mixed by Darren Styles and Mark Breeze, the god daddies of hardcore and getting it to it’s masses (remember Styles & Breeze – You’re Shining? Heartbeatz? Oh the days!).

It’s normally out around December since dropping to one album a year, but has been pushed back for some reason to 16th January 2012.

Already said to be perhaps the best album yet (2nd is my fave I think), you can now pre-order it on Play for £12.99 and free delivery.

Tracklisting is yet to be finalised and announced

Lauren Aquilina has released her debut single, ‘Get Here’, a few weeks a go.

Bristol-born Lauren Aquilina, is a “songstress armed with melancholic piano-driven melodies and lyrical content delivered with an overwhelming underlying honesty.”. Well, you can’t deny that.

Cover of the Brenda Russell classic, Lauren has released this as her debut single with all procedes going to the Meningitis Trust. According to Clixie, “Lauren hopes to be able to raise both money and awareness of the cause using music as the tool which she hopes can bridges boundaries in gender, glass, age and ethnic origin and hopefully unite people in joining together during the festive period.”.

This track was also recorded in her bedroom. Just her voice and a piano (and a bit of reverb, why not?). Great quality, considering!

The single is available on iTunes and Play for £0.79 and as all procedes are going to Meningitis Trust, it’s so worth it. Make sure you get it.

Find her on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and her Official Website.

Made this a few weeks ago. Not too sure on it, it was more of a play around. But it is available for free download if anyone does actually like it.

Love.

Kate McGill, the extremely talented singer/songwriter that has been featured by me and YouTube for a long time now, has finally got her debut album being released!

‘Replaced’ which features 7 tracks, including the single ‘Replaced’, has been anticipated for quite some time now. From the 26th September, you can pop in to any Caffé Nero store in the UK and purchase the album for £7 (And you get a free coffee?!). It is worth the purchase if you have been a fan of Kate for ages or not.

The album is also available on iTunes for download. Just search your store or if you are in the UK, clicky wicky on this linky.

If you have been following Kate for ages on YouTube and BlogTV, I highly advise you to listen to this with a fresh head. This is not your acoustic Kate, this is the Kate that wants her music to be sounding like this. She hasn’t gone away from the acousticness (if you listen closely, you can tell that from the album) but it is different, so do not be alarmed! It may even take a good few listens to be used to it, but you won’t be disappointed.

Her single ‘Replaced’ has already had a video made which can be viewed below. Release of the single is unknown however it has already been getting played on Radio 2!

Kate is about to embark on a month long tour of all Caffé Nero stores in the country. You can find where she is and get tickets by checking this event page out on Facebook. At posting, all are sold out apart from Newport! Kate has said that even if it is sold out, come along anyway for a chance to meet her! How bloody friendly is she?!

Go see her, get this album and enjoy it! You won’t be disappointed.

Follow Kate McGill on Twitter and Facebook.

One thing that always catches me with Nero compared to other Dubstep artist is that I find it so trancy and very symphonic. There are so many wonderful symphony kind of sounds (as noticable in the first two tracks) and yet such tight production and low low low bass rumbling that just makes every part of listening to this album, fun!

The whole album is a mix of trancy dubstep to gritty dubstep to fun funky dubstep. You can not go wrong with this. It has the right balance of everything.

‘Crush On You’ – Nero’s take on the classic The Jets track is a perfect example of a fun funky and gritty dubstep track.
It whines it brr’s it wubs yet it puts a smile on your face and keeps you singing along. During the breaks and verse later on its a full on just funk off. Or at least in my opinion .
Another track that does this is ‘Must Be The Feeling’ which follows on nicely from ‘Crush On You’.

If you get the deluxe version, you also get the ‘Symphony 2808′ track which was recorded at Maide Vale studios with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra as part of BBC Radio 1 and 1xtra’s “Dubstep Week”.
It has been re-mixed and mastered to give you the full on experience of this brilliant sounding masterpiece. It’s just such a great listen.

If you loved Nero’s past singles or even just liked them, I beg you to try this album out. It won’t let you down.

I’m in love with it.

Get it from iTunes here or visit your friendly music store in town.

All tickets are available for free, click here to get them. Tickets are selling fast!
Aside from that, there are also tickets to see her in Berlin and Dublin.

Kate has recently finished her album which is to be released later this year and is currently working to get a full band gig set up, which are also having a headline set in November.

Mumford & Sons singing a new song, presumably called ‘Home’ on KBCO Radio.

Enjoy!

(Source: http://clixie.co.uk - Check them out!)

First up is Bastille – Flaws.
I’ve never really known about this song or the band until (and this may sound very typical of me) Kate McGill did a cover of it.  I love it.
It’s quite an electro poppy track but very lovely and very lovely lyrics. Quite surprised I hadn’t bumped into it before hand.

Have a listen see what you think. Also check their SoundCloud for  two more tracks and a few remixes too.

Bright Light Bright Light – Disco Moments

I am a huge fan of Bright Light Bright Light. Saw them (Rod and his drummer dude) on the Ellie Goulding tour and they were brilliant. Their first EP was a small Tour EP and its such a great listen. It’s been a while since i’ve heard something new. Well that is about to change.

Rod recently tweeted about a new track called Disco Moments and it’s brilliant and I can see it getting a good response if it gets pushed out.
The video is slightly odd, going through different emotions and quick emotion changes of people. And the line “You make it so hard, to be around” I keep mistaking for “You make it so hard, to be aroused” which I keep managing to do with these guys tracks.

It’s another electro disco poppy kind of track, which seems to be quite my thing these days! So take a listen and love it.

DJ Fresh – Louder

Mwuahahaha, Dubstep time!
This isn’t really a new track, it’s been around for a while on the Lucozade adverts (With all the skaters). It’s *FINALLY* been released as a single and getting air play and I still love it.
The single is worth the buy, Theres a Flux Pavilion & Doctor P remix as well as a Drumsound & Bassline Smith remix which are probably my faves.
This is one of them tracks for you to just listen to loud and enjoy with a smile on your face. And it’s so bloody catchy!
And as wonderful as timing can be, it’s just started playing on BBC Radio 1 whilst I write this…. heh!

And the Drumsound & Bassline Smith remix! For a bit of fast DnB fun!

Example – Stay Awake

He’s back!
Coming out with a new album, named ‘Playing In The Shadows’ – Example has come out with this track from the album called ‘Stay Awake’.
I quite like this. It isn’t as anthemy as the past few singles but it is still a great track. It was also produced by Nero and some of that comes through in the track itself. Its surely a high charter!
It is clear (and he did admit) that his album is going to be quite dance orientated and dubstep sounding. With ‘Change The Way You Kiss Me‘ on there and the sound of this new single, it’s quite clear how the album is going to be.
Will this be a problem with Example? Naaaahh.

He still raps, he still sings and it still sounds great. So well looking forward to the album.

Thats all folks!
If you have something that will tickle my ear drum, do send me a tweet @Ravenatic and I will be sure to check it out!
And if you’re an artist yourself, then surely do send my way!