bootlegs, of course, have become big news recently. (spizzazzz will not discuss scenes until all the practitioners have declared it dead and nme has done a "whither the scene" article... i mean i only just really got into drum'n'bass.) kylie's brit awards thing was good fun, no doubt, and i enjoyed reading this article about them, but i cant shake the feeling that it's a bit arse. i don't know how these people manage to make two totally un-smug records sound infinitely smug when mixed together, but it's quite a trick! perhaps it's because (in spite of the authors' protestations) it sounds like they believe putting two famous records together in smirking recognition is somehow worthier and smarter than the raw materials they're using; as if it was a game to see who can slap on the most layers of knowingness. i doubt i would mind about that, if my reaction to these records extended beyond "this works well" all the way to "this doesn't work very well". that ain't a fun response to anything.