Bricolage

After last month's interregnum, we're back to our search for mutant future jazz. The result: a cut'n'paste style mix of eight tracks, high on cinematic atmospheres, charged with drama, love and even some sexual tension. Hope you enjoy the experience.

1. Cex - Waiting 4 Yankovic from Sketchi on Temporary Residence Limited
2. Broadway Project - The World from In Finite on Grand Central Records
3. The Quantic Soul Orchestra - Talking Drums Whispering Vinyl from Keepintime: A Live Recording on Ninja Tune
4. Up, Bustle & Out - Coffee Contamination from Master Sessions Vol.2 on Ninja Tune
5. Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra - Tense Bossa from Voices and Choices on Ubiquity Records
6. DJ Spooky - Ibid, Desmarches, Ibid from Optometry on Thirsty Ear
7. The Cinematic Orchestra - As The Stars Fall from Ma Fleur on Ninja Tune
8. Forss - Flickermood from Belle Et Fou (Original Soundtrack) on Sonar Kollektiv

Please make sure to support these amazing artists buying their music, merchandising and by going to their shows! 

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When i first came to Porto to study, i knew that this would be the city were i wanted to live. Near my faculty there were a few blocks with really nice small old houses. Back then i wished i could own and live in one of them in the future.

They were originally build in the 50's during the dictatorship government to accommodated the workers from the various city services: mail, water, electricity, etc. One or more services per  neighborhood. These houses are really small, they basically have a main house, a small garden and garage and two storage rooms in back of the plot.

How it was: The whole plot has an area of around 150 m2. The main house is 40 m2 and contained 5 rooms including a tiny bathroom and a kitchen. The premiss behind the project was to alter as little as possible the outside volumes of the existing structure, yet making it suitable for today's living.

Usually most of the houses that are rebuilt become almost unrecognizable, since they usually grow an extra floor. Defeating in my opinion the whole concept of buying a nice little house.

So what the architect came up with was the idea of not altering the outside of the main house, remodeling just the interior. Rebuilding the whole volume (that use to be the garage and storage rooms) on the back  of the plot, creating an extra floor, making it grow downwards. The two volumes will then be connected by a glass passage, enclosing the patio "inside the house".

On September 11, 2001, i took the morning off work to go to the bank to sign the buying contract for the new old house. After what i head back home to make me lunch and enjoy the rest of the morning watching some TV. I knew that that day would be important to me but had no idea how important it would become to the world.

Now after almost six years designing, planning, licensing, budgeting, finding contractor and a lot of dreaming and waiting, this week finally started the remodeling and construction work for what will hopefully be my family little new house. I don't even believe that it's finally happening.

Acording to the contractor all the works will take about ten months, so if all goes well i'll be writing a post next April about me moving in.