Studies in Tokyo and Munich led Hito Steyerl to choose film as the medium to explore questions of globalisation, urbanism, racism and nationalism. Two of her videos will be screened and discussed. November (2004) is a biography of Andrea Wolf, a friend of the filmmaker who was shot as a Kurdish terrorist in Eastern Anatolia in 1998. It's also an essay on the nature of terrorism and its representations in popular culture. The Empty Centre (1998) chronicles the social and economic factors that led to the construction of Berlin's Potsdamer Platz.

NB: make sure you catch the Albert Oehlen - I Will Always Champion Good Painting exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery (runs till 03/09).

The main aim of the Foldback festival is to bring about collaboration between artists in various fields working in the medium of sound, in order to feed off one another and to generally see where we've got to as far as using technology is concerned. Each day has a different theme; Thursday looks at the relationship between sound and moving image, Friday between new instruments and new ways of interfacing with computers, and finally Saturday breaks away from the musical cage of 4/4 time into more unusual meters. Meanwhile, installations will be displayed from Friday and on weekends until 13/08 at Meals & SUVs. Many artists are performing over the weekend, although Janek Schaefer's modified turntablism seems to bridge over the whole event.

NB: Folback runs from 03/08 till 05/08.

Sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll: perfect for an evening in the park. Performance was an outrage when it first came out in 1970, what with the violence of the sharp-suited gangsters, the mushrooms and the three-in-a-bath scene. However, co-directors Donald Cammell and Nicholas Roeg's first feature is a complex look at identity, power, madness and reality. Gangster Chas (James Fox) is on the run when he ends up hiding in the Notting Hill basement of creatively-stalled rock-star Turner (a very young Mick Jagger). As the two feed off of one another, psychologically jousting, their identities begin to meld together. An under-rated classic, with a great soundtrack.

NB: on the following night at the same time catch David Lynch's Blue Velvet (both films are screened outside on a 50-foot screen).

Now we know that KF readers are a tolerant bunch: politically aware, socially sensitive, sexually liberated. And nothing gets your back up more than social hypocrisy and outdated taboos. So chances are that many of you've already signed up for this Saturday's first UK Masturbate-A-Thon, where you'll be spending the day wanking to raise money for sex-positive charities Terrence Higgins Trust and Marie Stopes. Whether you choose private cubicles or mixed-sex public areas, you'll be guaranteed the most stimulating circumstances -- Moroccan cushions, plenty of lubricant and free batteries for all your favourite toys. Altogether now: Oooooooh! Ahhhhhhhh!

Terms like "spastic disco", "elastic breaks", even "wonky techno" have been thrown about when it comes to describing Erik Wiegand's Errorsmith project. With only a handful of releases and even less live visibility, this is a rare treat for anyone interested in the more experimental end of dancefloor rhythms. He'll be treating us to an improvised three-hour Ableton Live set that'll see dancehall / dubstep / disco as well as his own twisted creations being thrown into a heady mix. Just bear in mind that he comes from Berlin's revered Basic Channel family of artists and you'll be fine. Sonic perfection stretched to breaking point.

NB: call 07977.420.999 / 07989.571.552 or email info@littletony.net for more info.

Easily the coolest heist movie ever, ever, ever. Adapted from his own TV film La Takedown, Michael Mann pits the heavyweights of American cinema De Niro and Pacino against the harsh, uncompromising backdrop of Los Angeles. Add to that memorable support from Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, John Voight and Ashley Judd and it adds up to an epic crime story. There are many brilliant moments in this film but the key scene is the celebrated bank heist midway through the movie. Brian Eno's pulsating melodic "Force Marker" soundtracks the tense build-up before it spills over into a street-level gun battle that's as exciting as it is shocking. Possibly the greatest film of the '90s.

NB: Heat screens at the NFT on 06/08, 08/08 and 11/08. It has been programmed in conjunction with the Michael Mann retrospective that runs till 31/08. Mann's Miami Vice is released in London this week on 04/08.

London's been feeling decidedly Mediterranean lately -- some of us have even been leaving the house without socks on. So what could be better than some truly continental culture, in the form of the Architecture Foundation's Summer Nights series? Each features a genuinely up-and-coming young European practice, with the bonus that one day you'll be able to say "I remember them ages before they were famous...".

Jakob Dunkl - Querkraft
Wed 09/08 at 7pm
Querkraft are award-winning Austrian architects who already have a considerable portfolio of realised work under their belts.

Silvia Ullmayer and Allan Sylvester - Ullmayer / Sylvester
Wed 16/08 at 7pm
London based practice (although one half is German) who've already made an impact with their first building.

Teresa Sapey - Teresa Sapey Architects
Wed 23/08 at 7pm
Madrid based Sapey joined architecture's big hitters when she designed the carpark for Madrid's starchitect-drenched Hotel Puerta America, but her "independent" work is becoming increasingly well known.

NB: for architecture flashers make sure you catch the Barbican's Future City exhibition (runs till 17/09).

Tideland comes straight from the mothership of Terry Gilliam's imagination, the kind of movie that will have the Hollywood money men tapping their calculators in pure deluded hope. The plot skirts Alice in Wonderland before settling on a girl called Jeliza Rose who begins to communicate only with Barbie Doll heads and a next door neighbour constantly hidden by a beekeeper's veil. A worthy addition to the Gilliam canon but still a hot feverish dream that will require you to be led from the screen in astonishment.

NB: Tideland is released in London on 11/08 (for Gilliam fans catch a double bill of Monty Python And The Meaning Of Life and Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas on 13/08 at the Curzon Soho). Other films of note released in August and early September are A Scanner Darkly (18/08) and Look Both Ways (25/08).

The release of the Junior Boys' debut album was a tale of triumph over adversity. Their brand of '80s synth-pop fused with influences from Timbaland to Basic Channel was rejected by almost every label going. Until Nick Kilroy, an ex-Warp Records employee, decided it was so brilliant, so refreshing, so original that he quit and started up his own record label purely to release it. Last Exit was subsequently hailed by bloggers, critics and genuine music lovers as the best album of 2004. Since then, a lot has happened: Nick tragically passed away, they've moved onto the mighty Domino Records and we've almost forgotten their sound. Tonight's UK debut should remind us as to why we fell in love with them in the first place.

NB: support from Metronomy and Caribou (DJ set).

Take advantage of the welcome hot summer nights this year to take in a movie under the stars. From August 10th to 19th London gets its own outdoor cinema -- just a stone's throw from the West End, and right on the river -- in the courtyard of Somerset House. The season has something for everybody's taste -- including sci-fi, classic, animation and horror -- both new and old films. Bring a blanket and settle down to watch Cary Grant get paranoid in Hitchcock's North By Northwest (10/08); see Jack Nicholson go mad in the mountains in Kubrick's The Shining (12/08) and get mean and moody at a rumble with Greaser Matt Dillon in Coppola's The Outsiders (13/08).

NB: Film4 Summer Screen 2006 runs nightly from 10/09 till 19/09.

Fret not ravers -- Bang Face are hosting another event this summer, so crack out the glowsticks. Bang Face have an uncanny knack of tempting rave legends out for their events, which combine acid, electro, breaks, techno, hardcore and drum and bass. This time SL2 -- Slipmatt's chart-friendly crossover act whose "On A Ragga Tip" soundtracked many a provincial clubgoer's first "lost it on the Ritzy dancefloor" experience, alongside hardcore junglist Shy FX and something a bit more contemplative from techno pioneers B12. Usual suspects like Saint Acid provide the back-up.

A joint collaboration with [no-signal] and Sprawl bring us a rare London outing for San Francisco Bay Area experimental Christopher Willits. His debut album Folding, And The Tea on the revered 12k label is a masterclass in guitar / electronics fusion. Later works on Fallt and Ghostly International broadened his sound to ever more abstract territories. Serene landscapes formed with ambient structures are quickly eroded away with digital decay. Expect interludes that can flip from gentle to forceful at the flick of a switch. With support from Melbourne's Beddoes and London's Fail HDJ.

Original acid house pioneer and one of the few producers who, whether it has been acid, drum and bass or minimal techno, has been consistently at the top of their game throughout their career, A Guy Called Gerald jets into town from Berlin tonight to celebrate the release of his latest album Proto Acid - The Berlin Sessions. Joining Gerald will be the aforementioned Andrea Parker and sometimes Gescom member Rob Hall, both of whom would be a welcome addition to any night. And if that wasn't enough, all proceeds from the event go towards the Get Kids Going charity, so you'll have more than just the chemicals to make you feel good about yourself.

Philip K Dick used to have a typing speed of 120 words a minute fuelled by whisky, amphetamines, younger wives and visitations from alien spacecrafts. A Scanner Darkly is the latest screen adaptation to be pulled from the wild landscapes of his fiction and for looks alone it's perilously close to his visionary world. Director Richard Linklater has retraced the live animation procedures he used for Waking Life and cloaked his actors, including a revolutionary return from Winona Ryder, in a somewhat disorientating live action form. The story often feels like visiting the very centre of a hallucination albeit one where Dick has the future down with prodigious foresight.

NB: A Scanner Darkly is released in London on 18/08. Other films of note released in August and early September are Look Both Ways (25/08) and Tideland (11/08).

You've got to give it to the modern culture industry for their commitment to instant gratification -- we get what we want before we even know that we wanted it. The trick lies in a deceptively simple logic of marketing: you take two or three highly desirable things and combine them into an ultimate fantasy. This is how we got Brangelina, and more importantly, this is how we discovered the depth of our need to see Johnny Depp as a gay pirate. The Wheels Instead of Hooves crew understands this, and that's why for the third year they bring us Acid On Sea -- a voyage down the Thames aboard the Dutch Master that brings together the various pleasures of booze, bass and floating debauchery. Parrots and puns concerning "seamen" and "poop decks" are highly encouraged.

NB: it's almost sold out so buy your tickets asap from Phonica and Rough Tade.

Steeped in pre-war American folk, jazz and blues, Portland's Matt Ward is a wonderful throwback. It's ironic, then, that his new album should be called Post-War (4AD) -- though perhaps he's just yearning for a less bellicose geo-political situation than the one we're currently "enjoying"... Whatever the reasoning, it's an album that imputably ups the ante on his once lo-fi palette, welcoming lavish strings, Neko Case harmonies and vigorous percussion into Ward's habitually sepia domain. Its timeless, melody-saturated songs should transfer well to the intimate, baroque (if, sadly, un-air-conditioned) environs of Bush Hall.

NB: his 11/08 Bush Hull date is sold out and his 20/08 will too so get your tickets fast!

Argentine Juana Molina has had an odd career trajectory. Initially a comedienne and actress who'd risen to minor star status across Latin America, Molina took a left turn at the Millennium, swapping TV studio cameras and limousines for tiny club stages, her acoustic guitar and non-comedic singer-songwriting. On tour promoting her lilting, elegant third album, Son (Domino), Molina is slowly carving out her own niche, garnering discerning new fans with music that -- Spanish lyrics notwithstanding -- seems universally accessible. Expect a cabal of South American fans and some side-splitting between-song asides.

NB: Juana Molina plays at the Greenwich Picturehouse on 21/08 and the Ritzy Picturehouse on 23/08.

During a blistering hot Adelaide weekend, a group of individuals, each undergoing personal crises, are brought together by an accidental death on the train tracks. Look Both Ways blends film with the animated inner thoughts of the two main characters: Nick (director Sarah Watt's husband William McInnes), who is facing testicular cancer, and Meryl (Justine Clarke), a sympathy card illustrator who is obsessed with death and destruction. Interweaving stories of the group, a la Robert Altman, are all concerned with mortality, inner demons and the stuff that life chucks at you. So -- cancer, train wrecks -- it all sounds like hard work, but it's surprisingly funny and optimistic, with wit, black humour and the crazy quirks of life that plague us all. Great performances all around.

NB: Look Both Ways is released in London on 25/08. Other films of note released in August and early September are A Scanner Darkly (18/08) and Tideland (11/08).

Vinyl, there's really no real reason why this format should provoke such outpourings of devotion; audiophiles may go on about its warmer sound but to 99% of the population the difference in quality between the finest heavyweight record and a decent MP3 is negligible. Long beyond its supposed sell by date, new labels dedicated to vinyl continue to appear, and on 25/08 93 Feet East is taken over by one such venture, Stars Of Safari, a "disco, hip-hop, electro, whatever we want label" that embraces the fetishism behind much record collecting with coloured vinyl, limited numbered editions and screen printed sleeves. Debut signings Bussetti, a hotly tipped seven-piece leftfield funk, hip-hop band will be playing live alongside the wildly eclectic and admirably exotic Burt Latino and label boss and sometime animal impersonator John Power.

A two-day festival in King's Cross which caters for hedonists steering clear of the Carnival vibes, TDK Cross Central this year boasts an impressive line-up. Get selective with your marker pen and highlight a few stand-out acts on the schedule -- the unmissable Hot Chip, whose The Warning album has soundtracked the summer for fans of rock / dance crossover, play alongside Nightmares On Wax, Bugz In The Attic and the Beastie Boys' keyboardist Money Mark, and DJ Food, DK, Coldcut and Amon Tobin (live) are among Sunday's highlights.

NB: TDK Cross Central runs on both 26/08 and 27/08 and takes place at Canvas, The Cross and The Key.

Lost is a testament to the power of London's underground music fans and the hard work of organisers -- relying on the strength of the guests they attract, the devotion of promoters Steve Bicknell and Sheree Rashit and happy punters' word of mouth, they've carved out a niche of their own. Techno fans are in for a treat this forthcoming Bank Holiday as they play host to Jeff Mills and Laurent Garnier (who has not played at Lost in 12 years!). Support for the legendary DJs comes in the form of Rhythm & Sound and Bicknell.

NB: for more Detroit Techno check out the Underground Resistance party at the Coronet Theatre on 11/08.

New York has been one of the main hubs in alt-rock-noise, Brooklyn paving the way with bands such as Animal Collective and Black Dice. Gang Gang Dance -- a quartet (occasionally quintet) -- diversify so well their influences that it becomes confusing to spot their actual origins. The blend is made by colliding elements of Asian and Middle Eastern music, hip-hop, rock, free-noise, experimental and electronic, as clearly shown on their great God's Money album on The Social Registry label. Cyclic rhythms, synthetic motifs, MIDI guitar and delay, eccentric vocals... what else to expect apart from pure euphoria on stage?

NB this GGD show follows a slot at this year's TDK Cross Central Festival.

Tapes 'n Tapes have been riding a wave of hype since the inaugural SXSW Festival in March. Their sound is a delicate mix of seminal indie bands Pixies and Pavement; although hardly original, they are undoubtedly making some of the best indie rock around right now. Debut full length The Loon has recently been re-released, yet those accustomed to devouring music based on hype will probably be disappointed. It's an understated album, full of charm and flourishes of exquisite songwriting. Standout tracks such as "Insistor" and "10 Gallon Ascot" display not only the poise of a great band, but hint at a definite potential for development. Their rise to success will surely be gradual, but this gig remains an interesting opportunity to catch them in an intimate environment.

At first glance this looks horribly garish and for anyone even slightly reluctant to go down the "musical" entertainment path, doubly so. But the line-up here obliterates any concern -- some of our favourite artists and performers have been brought together by home to play skilfully with our concept of the cabaret / burlesque / sing-along / music hall genres. Featuring Bob and Roberta Smith, Mat Fraser, Ursula Martinez and Kazuko Hohki's Frank Chickens among many others, this three-date event will take place in Covent Garden's Theatre Museum with the archives of this somewhat kitsch venue being incorporated into the proceedings.

NB: runs on 01/09 (7:30 - 11pm) and 02/09 (5:30 - 11pm) with a debate on 08/09.

For those of us who only recognise the Japanese delicacy of eel (unagi) in the context of the more adventurous end of the sushi menu, the Barbican is offering a filmic alternative. Winner of the 1997 coveted Palme d'Or award at Cannes, Japanese filmmaker Shohei Imamura and his award winning film The Eel have long been a delight to the Western palate. In a story of revenge and redemption, interjected with a slice of comedy, Imamura presents a Japan of the people, as an ex prisoner protagonist tries to re-integrate himself into a small rural Japanese community. A man's isolation is poignantly played out through his relationship to his pet eel, a demanding and subtle role for any fish. Expect to order salmon next time round.

Proving that sex still trades high, even in the inflated art market, Destricted has received a lot of coverage in the past year. As the genres of horror and pornography continue to converge with films like Hostel, it seems logical that someone would eventually want to probe the bankruptcy of contemporary porn for artistic potential, and vice-versa. Putting themselves to the task in 2004, Andrew Hale, Mel Agace and Neville Wakefield have spliced together seven shorts from some real heavies (Marina Abramovic, Matthew Barney, Marco Brambilla, Larry Clark, Gaspar Noe, Richard Prince and Sam Taylor-Wood), and watched the critics at Sundance and Cannes this year squirm in delight and disdain. This is the first time the film has been screened to the general public.

NB: Destricted screens at Tate Modern on 06/09 at 6:30pm, 09/09 at 3pm, 10/09 at 3pm, 12/09 at 6:30pm and 13/09 at 6:30pm. On 09/09 (7 - 9pm) catch the special Destricted panel discussion with Bruce Hainley, Catherine Millet, Larry Clark and Neville Wakefield.

There are only three things you need to know about Grizzly Bear. One is that any time their name is mentioned you have four seconds to bring up Animal Collective. Second, this whole "freak folk" explosion of which they are part -- meaning the proliferation of zoologically-inclined experimental post-hippie quartets coming out of Brooklyn -- has the tendency to seem a little too contrived when you overanalyse it, so don't. The third thing is that Yellow House, their second LP of measured yet effortless finger-plucked melodies and detuned ambience, is being released this month by Warp Records, the infamous electronic label, and amongst all of this forced urban-rustic animal band eccentricity, this is probably the greatest irony of all.

NB: support by Frightened Rabbit and Emma Pollock (of The Delgados).

Jeremy Thomas finally gets the retrospective treatment. The broad range of films that Thomas has made happen within a near non-existent British film industry is astounding. The Hit, directed by Stephen Frears and produced by Thomas, is a KultureFlash favourite. Tim Roth has razors in his lapels, a nasty looking leather cosh and mirror shades -- what more do you need! The Hit is being shown by the Barbican as part of a season dedicated to the big man himself, entitled Jeremy Thomas: 30 Years A Maverick.

NB: Jeremy Thomas: 30 Years A Maverick runs from 07/09 till 12/09. Catch Thomas on 07/09 as he gives a talk in conjunction with the screening of The Last Emperor, again on 11/09 with Nicholas Roeg for the screening of Bad Timing and finally on 12/09 as he chats with Stephen Frears about The Hit.

Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe met in 1967 and were lovers for a time. They remained close until Mapplethorpe's death in 1989, and throughout their friendship collaborated on many occasions. Mapplethorpe financed the recording of The Patti Smith Band's first single in 1974, and also took the legendary photograph of Smith for the Horses album cover. One of their collaborative works bein