His Motorbike

Channel 4 - Speed with Guy Martin: Series 2 (2014)
HDTV | 1280x720 | .MP4/AVC @ 3037 Kbps | 4x~47min | Audio: English AAC 160 kbps, 2 channels | Subs: None | 4.21 GiB
Genre: Documentary

Motorcycle racer and mechanic Guy Martin undertakes a series of speed-based challenges, exploring the boundaries of physics and learning about the science of speed Guy takes on four more speed-based challenges. From racing a motorbike at altitude to trying to break the speed record for a hovercraft, Guy wants to find out what makes things go fast.

In the early 1970s the island of Jamaica, and in particular its reggae musicians, developed a love affair with small Japanese motor bikes. Honda bikes were eulogised in Big Youth’s ‘S90 Skank’ and Dillinger’s ‘CB200’, whilst their rival was lauded on Shorty The President’s ‘Yamaha Skank’, to name the most obvious examples. The plot of the film ‘Rockers’ revolved around how transformative a motorbike could be, providing a livelihood whilst projecting an image of success in the ghetto. Vivian ‘Yabby You’ Jackson had been fiercely independent as a singer and producer, and the success of his early self-pressed productions, mostly on the Prophets or Vivian Jackson labels, had given him a sense of hard earned autonomy.

The Ninth Gate, Roman Polanski's supernatural thriller about a book that can summon the devil, features an appropriately tense and eerie score by Wojciech Kilar, who also composed the award-winning music for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Sumi Jo's ethereal, operatic vocals grace "The Theme From The Ninth Gate," and the City of Prague Philharmonic and Chorus lend a brooding, Old World feel to pieces like "Corso" and "Bernie Is Dead." Piano and strings contribute to the ghostly, romantic aura of "Liana," while "Plane to Spain," "Chateau Saint Martin," and "The Motorbike" add to the score's continental atmosphere. Suspenseful in its own right, Kilar's music for The Ninth Gate reaffirms his skill as a film composer.

As part of The Stranglers' celebration of their Ruby Anniversary, the definitive collection of the B-side recordings they made whilst signed to Epic is released for the first time, via their own label. Appropriately, as befits a band marking forty years together, Here & There: The Epic B-sides Collection 1983-1991 gathers 40 tracks across 2 CDs and is also released as a 40 track digital package. The Stranglers released no less than 13 singles in the UK during this period, which saw them produce five albums: four studio and one live. The Stranglers signed to Epic Records in 1982 having been with United Artists / Liberty since 1977. The change of label coincided with changes in marketing policy across the UK industry - often dubbed "the Frankie Goes to Hollywood effect". Previously, The Stranglers' had released only one 12" single - an extended version of Bear Cage in 1980 - but from 2nd Epic single, Midnight Summer Dream until 1990, each release had a 12" version which required extra studio or, increasingly, live tracks to "add value" to the package.

Channel 4 - Our Guy in India (2015)
HDTV | 1280x720 | .MP4/AVC @ 3013 Kbps | 2x~46min | Audio: English AAC 160 kbps, 2 channels | Subs: None | 2.08 GiB
Genre: Documentary

Guy Martin sets off on a 1000-mile motorbike trip, exploring a rarely-seen side of modern India as he heads to one of the world's maddest bike races. Oil-stained Grimsby hero Guy Martin has set his heart on a trip around India. Not the usual kind of TV trip but one by his rules. He wants to buy a Royal Enfield motorbike, a machine largely forgotten here but venerated in India, and ride it to Goa, where he plans to take part in a famous local race – and win it. Before he even gets to the buying-a-bike scene Martin has immersed himself in the local vibe, stripping off to have his clothes ironed by a street vendor. He makes a hash of the price negotiation on the bike. But he ends up with a glorious-looking machine, which he first takes to see Asia’s biggest truck yard (Martin is a lorry mechanic at heart) and then, via train, to the edge of the Himalayas to indulge his other great love – tea.

Join Adventurer Charley Boorman as he sets off once more on an epic motorbike adventure, this time making his way through the stunning, rugged and often unknown South Africa. Teaming up once again with producer/director Russ Malkin, they journey in a circular route starting and finishing in Cape Town, taking on all corners of this wild and varied African country, experiencing the deeply rooted cultures, the extraordinary people, the remarkable wildlife and the heart stopping adventures along the way.