Broken Fader Review

Synth Britannia and a tangent.

2012-02-10T18:26:00.000-08:00

So, Modulations it's not, but I still think this is an excellent and basically essential documentary. In particular, I was reminded of it when responding to Jason's last post; one of the middle-aged British guys appearing here (I don't think it's the dude from Human League, but he does say something kind of similar at one point) basically calls bullshit on the notion of DIY punk, because you've still got to learn those 3 chords. Real DIY, in an appropriately defeatist, dystopian sense, is making a machine do it for you (neither stance adequately addresses how one affords an instrument of any kind). Brian's comment about, you know, all the kids with their preset-core dance parties reminded me of this attitude- except now almost everybody (OK, admittedly every-middle-class-and-up-body) has a computer.
I guess what I'm getting at is, we have this established notion in western popular music of celebrating intense amateurism (1977ish-present) and an increasing accessibility of sound software (1999ish to present? I don't really know when Garage Band came about), now coming home to roost in various forms- hipster noise, Girl Talk, "Witch House," Animal Collective, Dan Deacon (BTW I think Dan Deacon is awesome), and Brian's umbrella concept of "PCG," which I like because it's a catch-all, like EBM or IDM.
I'm not trying to bring taste into this by any means, or I wouldn't be posting a YouTube video that is partially about Yazoo. I just want to know what the kids are up to; to see them coming before they're all over my lawn and it's too late for the prize-winning begonias.

This feels like I am coming out of the closet in a way . . . .

2012-02-09T15:33:00.000-08:00

The Ironiception Post led me to something I wanted to share with you all. I haven't been making my usual sqrt type of music for the last year or so. I have done a few beat brainstorms and a few ambient tracks, but nothing I would consider BFC-esc. I have been recording bands with most of my music time (aka free-time). I have also been making music with this guy-

His name is Rolf and he plays sax in this band I record on the regular called Karma Vision. We have been working together over the past few months on some random song chunks, mostly for shits and giggles. The main process is he records random shit into a handheld cassette deck. Most of it is Casio Jams and Sax Solos. I take this cassette and sample dig on it, and then lay some beats down. Then we get together, brainstorm and skullfuck the drafts, and then get "finished song" with them. Sometimes, one of our friends then lays some funny white boy rhyme type things over top.

When I first started to get into this project, I was worried that it would come off sounding like the James Ferraro dude. While this project is pretty far outside my typical compositional style, it is really fun!

Above is a 12 min track (right click to download HERE). Feel free to use the comment section to give any feedback, good, bad, or ugly. Do keep in mind it is a draft around 85% done and is mostly a fun side project.

Steinvord files

2012-02-09T14:32:00.001-08:00

Anybody got em? Hook it up.

Lapalux - Gone

2012-02-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

Ironiception

2012-02-07T14:34:00.000-08:00

James Ferraro. Let's talk about it.

I could go on and on about the post title meaning that I can't tell where the irony stops and starts with this thing, or how that linked article intimates that there shouldn't be any irony in it at all (which I have a hard time believing). I've had a hard time getting into the Rustie record for the same reason. With both of those artists, I have moments in the record where I'm like, "this is good... I'm liking it". Then some fucking Yamaha keyboard horn preset or some other such thing that sounds like a scratch track from a Huey Lewis record happens and I'm like, "nope. still annoying."

Maybe this means I just can't look past timbre and appreciate things that sound like fucking garbage but are compositionally inventive. Or I'm just old, and get off my lawn.

The whole reason I even listened past the first track of that Ferraro record is Mike P put it on his year-end list.

Selected Ambient Works Vol II Vinyl Reissue

2012-01-27T06:56:00.001-08:00

Pre-ordered like whoah.

cop dat

learning to like it

2012-01-22T20:52:00.000-08:00

"you know it's funny... i really like seltzer water.. i learned that people really like to steal your soda"

Kool Keith would be a good candidate to host a D-list home makeover show in this entertainment climate. Just saying, if I worked in programming for HGTV3 or something and "Kool Kitchen Makeovers" came across my desk, I'd green-light that bad boy faster than you could say 'there's a horse in the hospital'.

Hope y'all are well
A

666 Ya Heard!

2012-01-16T11:50:00.000-08:00

A$AP Rocky

2012-01-08T06:25:00.000-08:00

Maybe this is old news, but this shit is pretty good. If nothing else, all the Clams Casino tracks are retarded.

Old School Autechre Tasties

2011-12-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

Lego Feet reissued on CD/download on boomkat:

The Push Button Objects - Unauthorized EP reissued on vinyl. Has one of the best damn Gescom/Autechre remixes ever:

Paul Nudd makes swampy things.

2011-11-30T09:43:00.000-08:00

Check out the video clips.

A bit like arriving at a party 10 minutes before the cops-

2011-11-26T15:01:00.000-08:00

I know I am hell of unfashionably late to liking Rustie, but I would like to briefly express my enthusiasm for his debut Warp full-length, Glass Swords.

SEINFELD BASS

It has the same fuck-you, everything-in-the-blender quality that made me like Squarepusher back when most people didn't know you could use blenders for that kind of thing, except that all the things going into Rustie's blender have been invented in my adult life and are as simultaneously esoteric and boring to me as is everything else about teenagers, so I can only enjoy them through these cavalier and disrespectful hybridizations.
Also, the Seinfeld-sounding-bass in that one track cracks me up every time.

The Hipsterfication Of America- NPR article

2011-11-17T15:38:00.000-08:00

An NPR article here-
"What's funny is that people who aren't hipsters generally express distaste for them and those who appear to be hipsters hate to be identified as such. Everybody hates hipsters ... especially hipsters."

wanderlust

2011-11-13T10:08:00.000-08:00

aphex/lfo - same place, back to back sets. kinda like jesus/moses, elvis/m.j., sagan/hawking, muggsy bogues/spud webb, yoda/darth vader.

I wonder....

2011-11-09T13:50:00.001-08:00

if BikeSnobNYC read the review of that discount plastic surgery release?

"One of these shows is "Bored to Death," which does for Brooklyn what "Portlandia" does for Portland (only a bit more deftly and urbanely), and which has been featuring an entertaining subplot about an "artisanal" restaurant."

Clarence Park?

2011-10-24T09:32:00.001-07:00

Anyone have files for this? Lost my CD and can't find them anywhere.

eLan

2011-10-21T18:40:00.001-07:00

And i think Ian meant to post this....

2011-10-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

Gescom

I think maybe Andrew meant to post this

2011-10-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

AFX / Autechre Saint Etienne Rmxs

sweet, sweet nectar

Here we go.

2011-10-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the emergent King of the Hill/Dubstep meme.

Bonus:

boom

2011-10-10T14:03:00.001-07:00

never forget

2011-10-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

dubstep had some brilliant moments.

So in case you didn't know already...

2011-10-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

Dubstep is officially over.

On that note I saw Zomby last night, and that shit was weak. He basically just stood there wearing a Guy Fawkes mask (really? a mask? are you in Slipknot?) drinking and getting baked, while pushing play on each track of early-naughts-sounding grime bullshit.

In other news I am old and grumpy.

shit i'm on right now

2011-10-01T14:42:00.001-07:00

i signed up for spotify premium and i'm diggin' it. i've never heard of this band before, but i like it.

Before Cavity Job...there were Lego Feet

2011-09-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one who didn't know about this shit? Slipping.

College

2011-09-17T07:38:00.001-07:00

This band is probably about to get pretty popular since they have a song in that new movie Drive (which looks like it might be great). The song they have in the movie has vocals that are sort of annoying, but their earlier EP and full length are pretty excellent nostalgic synth pop:

The label they're on, Valerie, has some other stuff that's kind of interesting but tends more towards italo disco. At the least, their releases tend to have pretty badass cover art.

Good Question?

2011-09-06T16:04:00.000-07:00

btw i made this.

2011-08-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

and this

andthis

d00dz! decibel festival

2011-08-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

as usual i'm behind the curve on electronic music, who should i see this year?
is anyone coming to seattle?

http://www.dbfestival.com/

Getcho shit together

2011-08-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

Boosh.

'Bout time (?)

2011-08-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

So, new Plaid, huh? I had half given up on this happening. In a way, I'm not sure it actually has, I mean check the link if you haven't heard this new track already. It kinda does everything I would ever think to ask of Plaid, but minus the, I guess, "oomph?" Dunno, sounds more like an innocuous intro or segue, like they normally drop on album right before they totally ball out. Not sure of it as a lead single, at any rate.

Ad Astra Arkestra Video Clip

2011-08-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

I played a show a couple of weeks ago with the band I am in, the Ad Astra Arkestra, and someone filmed it. I got no hair. It was about 102 degrees when we were playing this song. I play bass drum and they want me to act like an lunatic. There is a 12" being pressed right now and here is a link to some hype and a clip from the EP is below.

I think this picture summarizes 30 VV

2011-08-01T23:38:00.001-07:00

Isn't that the same couch, even?

Mike Patton might be on to something here

2011-07-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

HOW WE EAT OUR YOUNG
By Mike Patton

If music is dying, musicians are killing it. Composers are the ones decomposing it. We are as responsible as anyone--although we'd love not to admit it. We lash out at "The Industry", blaming things like corporate structure for our shitty music--but we are the ones making it. We open the box they've given us and jump in, wrap ourselves up, and even lick the stamp. Why? Insecurity--the need for acceptance--maybe even money. We're not thinking about our music, just how it looks. One would rather have the warm tongue of a critic licking his asshole than the tongue of his spouse. It gives him a sense of validity and power. He seems to defy gravity. Maybe it is because he doesn't know what the hell else to do. He sees it coming--but freezes with panic like a deer in the headlights. Don't laugh--I've done it and you probably have too. And it has undoubtedly effected our music. (But have we learned anything from it?) We know that we are mostly a lot of slobbering babies who need constant stroking. We realize also in the moral order of society, we occupy positions similar to the thief, pimp, or peeping tom. We know that even if one has the pride of a bull, it is hard enough just to remain focused in this world. It gives us millions upon millions of images--distractions--all saying the same thing at the same time: DO NOT THINK. If your fantasy and desire give you migraines, how easy it is to forget them when there is so much to look at. Our creations die quickly when abandoned like this. Do we realize that we are eating our young? It seems the passion that moves us is accompanied by an incredible urge to squash it. It is as quick as a fucking reflex--a conditioned response. Is it a sexual problem? A puritanical one? The most intense and convincing music achieves a sexual level of expression, but what we normally feel is frigidity and limpness. It is just too easy for an artist to 'socialize' his desires when life tells him cardboard is OK. You should be ashamed of yourself! What is your fucking problem? If you don't come out, sooner or later you will die in there. Use chunks of yourself. Bodily fluids. Look left and right. Sift through others' belongings. Borrow. Steal. And try to achieve some sort of pleasure while doing it. This excitement should increase and intensify when you visualize it being shared by a number of people. Think about it. If it comes from inside you, it is automatically valid--it just may or may not be good. Because if it is not communicating in some way, its pleasure is as short-lived as a quick fuck in the back room. It doesn't mean shit. The labor of many composers is to construct elaborate walls of sound--but we often forget to leave a window or door to crawl out of. How can we survive in these clever little rooms? We must eat our creation or we will starve. At this point, we have heard what we wanted to hear--our ears have shut down. We've resigned as slaves to our own gluttony. But if we have boarded up our learning environment, our only way out is to teach what we know. Will they listen? Why should they? Because they need you as much as you need them. You can save them from being swallowed up by the world--they can save you from being swallowed up by the world. Young and old players should be seeking each other out and using each other. They should develop a healthy exchange of smut--and learn to wear each other's masks. In this kind of environment, incredible things can happen. Music can emerge that is athletic and personal. Music that is riddled with contradictions--impossibilities. And that is the shit that can defy gravity.

(The End)

- Taken from the book Arcana: Musicians on Music, edited by John Zorn - taken from http://brainwashaudio.com/patton_is_god.htm

I give up, WTF T-Pain

2011-07-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

T-Pain is suing Antares. The world is coming to a fucking end. Someone explain this shit to me. Does anyone remember that UNCA concert with Dr. Kirby and Futureman where Kirby was jamming on the auto-tune effect with his voice in like 2000?

John O'Donnell

2011-07-21T04:31:00.000-07:00

a woman i work with showed me this dude's site.. i'm particularly fond of the 'Shark Burglar' series

have a good day.
dj twan loco

The Areth up There(eth)

2011-07-20T06:14:00.000-07:00

Phoebs sent me this last night. 's pretty cool. enjoy the website. the layout is fancy, huh.

And should you want to buy a physical version they (25 of em) are available on good Ole Etsy. Be sure to get a hand - woven hemp book hutch for your new treasure while you're at it.

your buddy
DJ me J

48 hour Reverse Hawk

2011-07-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

I am 36 hours into a 48 hour Reverse Mohawk test. I like the ventilation in the 100 degree heat here.

Stream: Zomby’s Dedication LP then get it through 4AD

2011-07-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

Stream: Zomby’s Dedication LP

Please buy this shirt for me.

2011-07-09T01:03:00.000-07:00

sausage party

2011-06-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

dunno how many of y'all a) work in front of computers, and b) aren't listening to tri rep on repeat all day (like me), but if you meet both of the above criteria you should hit up:

http://turntable.fm/broken_fader_cartel

it takes two to make a thing go right.

Wise beyond his years.

2011-06-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

This child so does not want to listen to Phish that it makes him cry.
I like to think we can all relate.

Thundercat - Daylight (prod. Flying Lotus)

2011-06-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

Thundercat - Daylight (prod. Flying Lotus): "Thundercat - Daylight (prod. Flying Lotus)"

What jason does on the weekend.

2011-06-16T17:46:00.001-07:00

SubQ didn't tell us he got contacts.

Pukecore

2011-06-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

The most metal thing I've ever seen:

i told y'all he's alive.

2011-05-30T01:40:00.000-07:00

Tupak Shakur found living in New Zealand(PBS.org)

But you probably already seen it on the twitters...

WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT DA DIRTY CORPORATE RADIO SOUF?

2011-05-29T11:32:00.000-07:00

John Boy and Billy was a terribly obnoxious morning show that started in Charlotte when I was a kid. I always made my dad play it on the radio on the way to school and I think I remember it being funny, prolly because it was terribly obnoxious. They're still on the air and Charlotte is still chock full of Larry the Cable Guy wannabes (and angsty David Cross wannabes who wish they would all just take their Taz and Tweety confederate flag memorabilia and move to South Carolina where they belong).

Sound Install

2011-05-24T10:36:00.000-07:00

slam

2011-05-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

oh shit

2011-05-07T07:48:00.001-07:00

YES

2011-04-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

OMFG

2011-04-18T22:29:00.000-07:00

http://www.korg.com/monotribe

Lorn scraps

2011-04-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

Jason turned me on about 6 months ago, so you guys have prolly all been up on it for years...but dude is probably my favorite "new" electronic musician since Starkey. The Nothing Else album is a must if you don't already own it.

If you do, then come grab this here free shit.

amen amon

2011-04-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

ISAM

aaatttttttccchhhhhrrrrrrrrrrr

2011-04-10T09:04:00.001-07:00

new autechre track that bangs

Monotron++

2011-04-06T19:49:00.000-07:00

Boom.

Ford & Lopatin - Emergency Room

2011-04-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

Ford & Lopatin - Emergency Room

one reason nc is better

2011-04-03T20:49:00.000-07:00

cop that

2011-03-26T00:21:00.000-07:00

http://www.filesonic.com/file/323946981/GGT.rar
new global goon bitches!

Actual Official Rebecca Black Antidote

2011-03-25T18:52:00.000-07:00

Yep. I went there.

Gray, it's your turn to bring out the Revocation.

OFWGKTA Industry

2011-03-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

These cats hit the industry in the other direction, not giving a fuck and just doing it and putting it out. Dudes went on Jimmy Fallon with out even having a release, just freebee downloads and two songs on itunes put up the day before. All I am saying is I want some of Earl's milkshake/smoothie. and I apoligize if I am late on this this and everyone knows about it, I live under a rock.

the industry

2011-03-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

i try not to obliquely promote this type of smeg, but this thing already has 29 million hits, so fuggit.

first , watch the video, the whole thing, no matter how painful:

then at least start to read this article (or better yet, if you've got the time and willpower, see the complete version here ):

In less than a week, Rebecca Black's debut single has been called the "worst song of all time", praised by Simon Cowell ("Anyone who can create this much controversy within a week, I want to meet"), received over 26 million hits on YouTube and lead to her name trending globally on Twitter (above Charlie Sheen, no less). Appearing on Good Morning America last Friday, Black read out a post that had appeared online in the aftermath of the song in which an anonymous commenter said, "I hope you cut yourself and I hope you get an eating disorder so you'll look pretty, and I hope you go cut and die". Oh, and Black is only 13 years old.

The reason for all the attention is Friday, an inane, illegally catchy ditty sung in an oddly detached monotone (with the help of auto-tune, natch) with lyrics about how Friday comes after Thursday and before Saturday and is, like, totally a really fun day to be hanging out with your friends and stuff. It's accompanied by an equally mind-bogglingly literal video, the highlight of which is a bit involving her (hopefully older) friends deciding which seat to take in the car to school.

The speed with which the song and video went viral is an astonishing snapshot of how things work in the Twitter era. Comedy blog Tosh.O featured the song under the headline "Songwriting Isn't For Everyone" on 11 March, before Gawker got hold of it, calling it the "worst music video ever". From there the video spread across Twitter, with commentators referring to Black as the new Justin Bieber and various news shows quick to label her the latest "pop phenomenon".....

oh and if you are feeling poisoned by all of this, here's the antidote:

Mutt a Cur

2011-03-20T18:34:00.000-07:00

Check that shit. It's not official but there might be some good nuggets in there that aren't on the batch of MP3s Gray's been distributing for a while now.

Also, if you're not keeping tabs on that site (RSS / whatever), you're fucking crazy.

RIP Nate Dogg

2011-03-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

Fuckin A. Who will save Warren G now? RIP

James Blake

2011-03-12T10:52:00.000-08:00

This new album is so good. I finally got tickets to see him in NY today. He's playing on Monday, but I'm going to see Godspeed. There was another show added that went on sale yesterday, but it sold out instantly and tickets were showing up on Stubhub for ~$200 (Ticketmaster can suck it hard). But they added a show at Le Poisson Rouge, which is a really nice club and they had tickets actual human beings can buy.

Gray - if you're at SXSW he'll be playing there, you should try to make it.

PDX people see here.

Did the Mount Kimbie show in Portland already happen? How was it? When I saw them here it kind of sucked because it was retarded crowded. They're playing here again though at this same club, though, so it should be better.

ice dude.

2011-02-21T18:35:00.000-08:00

Talk about selling mushrooms at Phish show

2011-02-15T14:30:00.000-08:00

I made a disc! If anyone wants a physical copy, email me your address and I will get you one in the USPS. This link take you to a streaming/download page. Warning- they aint no beats on this here music.

talk about selling water to a well

2011-02-15T08:43:00.000-08:00

I'm actually considering buying this. I have a problem.

Interdimensional Travel Explained as Game Fowl of the Northern Americas

2011-02-10T13:39:00.001-08:00

Patch Bays

2011-02-05T11:17:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking about getting a patch bay for signal cables. I've been using hardware gear more, and my 8-in 8-out MOTU is getting impractical. I never run everything at once, though, so I don't need everything going into the computer at a time. Also, a lot of my synths and such have audio ins as well as outs, so it'd be nice to be able to route one piece of gear to another to run one synth through another's filters/effects.

I'm thinking that something with about 24 ins and 24 outs would do it. I'm a little vague now on whether I need TRS ins and outs or TS or what.

Anybody set something like this up before? Brian, I thought you might know since you're still pretty deep into recording. Any advice on what to get or how to set it up?

Bleep Top 100 tracks of 2010

2011-02-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

http://nodata.tv/8968

There's this comp that bleep released. A lot of it is garbage but there are some surprising tracks. They're all from previously released materials so no surprises here. Lots of overlap with what we all probably already have. Highlights include, Model500, anodyne, om unit, forest swords, girl unit, and an appearance by our old pal Blixa Bargeld singing "i wish i was a mole in the ground."
I listened to a lot of it on random and deleted the bullshit and duplicates, now serves as tasty toast topper tracklist.

The Dark Side

2011-01-31T20:57:00.000-08:00

Hot Shit

2011-01-30T18:42:00.000-08:00

Half of you have probably already got this. The other half of you should quit fucking around:

Jams F. Kennedy - A Heart-Breaking Work of Swagger & G Ness by Earnest Endeavours

2011-01-20T22:17:00.000-08:00

We’ve always known Cloud Control had good things going for them: catchy lyrics, great basslines, cool haircuts, surprising harmonies, and heaps of low-key charm – all the ingredients for sold(sp) indie gold.
http://shoottheplayer.com/blog/2009/04/19/cloud-control-2/

Damn

2011-01-13T17:05:00.000-08:00

I guess it's time to start renting out my teeth.

Siriusmo: Einmal in der Woche Schreien

2011-01-08T06:19:00.000-08:00

SIRIUSMO "EINMAL IN DER WOCHE SCHREIEN" from ∆ ∆ ∆ on Vimeo.

"Einmal in der Woche Schreien", or "Cry Once a Week" from The Plasterer of Love. This video is kind of old, but I hadn't seen it until it was posted over hur.

Siriusmo is pals with Modeselektor and has recently been putting stuff out on their Monkeytown label.

Previously:

Letterman did some lines last night, and pulled a Gallagher all show

2011-01-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

I don't watch this shit usually, but I was too krunk to change the TV station. Letterman started smashing shit with a big gavel (I think it was a political joke) and he had a huge microphone, which he also broke. I think it was a Neumann mic. I love breaking shit. Jump to 1:30 to see breaking.

www.brokenfaders.com

2011-01-05T15:59:00.001-08:00

I like the way you added that lens flare.

Gatekeeper

2011-01-01T11:01:00.000-08:00

Never mind all this witch house business, these dudes have clearly done their 80's industrial/EBM homework. Perfect soundtrack for an imaginary John Carpenter movie with dancing werewolves. The album cover looks like box art to a super rad Amiga game.

Best Combination since Fried Chicken and Biscuits

2010-12-20T22:47:00.000-08:00

this is legit, came out on skam a while back.

decent quality dl of this and other unreleased boc here.

Sometimes I want to throw pies in the faces of all of you

2010-12-16T23:39:00.001-08:00

subsonic

2010-12-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

http://www.subsonic.org/

I've had a subsonic server up and running for a couple months now, but it hadn't occurred to me until right now to mention it.

If any of you guys are familiar with subsonic you probably know it's awesome. For those who don't know about it yet, here's the nitty gritty.

SubSonic is an open source (free) audio streaming server that allows you to access your music collection from any computer, there are also android and iphone apps, so you can literally listen to your own stuff anywhere. The service also allows you to share your catalog with your friends. Not to mention that it also serves up download/upload capabilities.

If anyone has a computer that's always on, it's totally worth setting up a server.

If you want to check it out i've set up a temporary BFR user account sharing my itunes music. I'm kinda nervous about posting access info, so i'm only going to let this account run for a few days, after that you can send me a message and i'll set you up with a permanent account with UP/DOWNLOAD privileges, and a higher quality stream.

I highly encourage all of you guys to set up a server and share yer shit!

radam.subsonic.org
U: BFR
P: cartel

last night - fake joy division - nosaj thing - mary ann hobbs

2010-12-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

Last night I saw some band that is not Joy Division play Unknown Pleasures. It was rather lame - the one guy actually from Joy Division barely played his bass at all, instead leaving the other bass player (yes, 2 bass players) to do most of the work. He also apparently couldn't be bothered to learn the lyrics to the 32-year-old album, as evidenced by the music stand with lyrics next to him on stage. The rest of the band was pretty good though.

So then I went back to BK to see Nosaj Thing and Mary Anne Hobbs who both fucking killed it. Check the bottom video for a Photek dubstep track, played last night for the first time anywhere. Also, huge ups for the girl doing live visuals for Nosaj Thing. Sorry for the video/sound quality - taken on an iPhone in drunkvision.

When I got home there was a giant dead raccoon on my street. Who knew they had raccoons in Brooklyn?

choonzer

2010-11-29T20:22:00.000-08:00

somebody posted this on FB earlier, but i'm reposting here

i listened to some other tracks from the album, and they're not all so blatantly BOC inspired, but they're all pretty pleasant submerged house / UKF stuff with synths that are all type of warbly. check it.

drum sequencing plus more gear nerdery as requested

2010-11-28T16:50:00.000-08:00

So I've been working on some tracks lately, and I've been having a hard time finding an ideal workflow for sequencing drums. I've been working a lot in Ableton, but I've been doing drums mostly in Logic once I bounce down some synth parts and start mixing them (I love Live for working out ideas quickly and non-linearly, but all the bread and butter stuff like EQ, compression, reverb, etc. is a lot better in Logic IMO). I really like Ultrabeat as a sequencer for drums, but it's not nearly as good at working with samples as Battery, and it's hard to get past much more than a two or four bar pattern using that interface. What I've been doing sometimes is coming up with patterns in Ultrabeat with some stock sounds, then dragging the MIDI pattern to a Battery track and mapping it to my real sounds. I like using the piano roll editor to slide notes around and fine tune the pattern, but for just writing beats, I really like the step sequencer feel.

Understandably, this work flow is kind of annoying, but I wind up coming up with better patterns, I think, than I would with the piano roll editor; I wind up spending too much time trying to remember what note triggers what sound working that way. Unfortunately, there's no way to get realtime midi output from Ultrabeat. So I was just wondering what solutions you guys use for drum sequencing. I think I'm going to download the Geist demo and give it a try; I just really don't feel like learning a new piece of software, since I'm using software less and less lately.

On the gear lust tip, I've been looking at these two bitches lately:

The Jomox Mbrane - single voice analog drum synth

and

The MFB-503, an analog drum machine with programmable voices. I saw one of these at this local store that carries a bunch of refurbished analog synths and drum machines.

I still think the Machinedrum looks pretty rad, but I don't imagine I'd use the built-in sequencer much, so I just want something I can get some ballsy analog drum sounds from.

Also, I picked up one of these lately:

It's a German-made analog 303 clone with midi (just note messages) and a filter you can run external audio through. I saw it on Craigslist for $100. I could hardly find anything about it online, but I went to try it out, and it sounded good enough for a $100 analog monosynth. I can't say how close it sounds to a real 303, but it's certainly a usable piece of kit, and I thought I'd hip you guys to it as I don't think there's a big demand for them, so you might could find it on CL, a pawnshop, Ebay etc.

stoopid retarded

2010-11-27T17:45:00.000-08:00

the lineup at bloc next march is bonkers.

it's like an artificial intelligence reunion or somethin....

and these dudes barely ever do gigs, much less all under one roof:

aphex
lfo
b12
global goon
speedy j
more....

if you can find reasonable airfare (i can't seem to), it is well worth the trip.

i went a few years ago and it was tight. try to hide the fact that you're american, though....the

brits, especially the ones at bloc, file us under "douchebag" by default (and we are).

gear lust part 50/11

2010-11-14T19:43:00.001-08:00

For real analog polysynthness, holy crapstain that's cheap. Basically 4 of the Mophos Alex posted about earlier in one box.

Still way infatuated with this thing. Almost have the impetus saved up to purchase one.

Hey, Roland made a new VA synth with knobs and shit that doesn't look like it was made for 3rd graders, and isn't ridiculously large. Got to play with it a bit at a music store today. It's not bad. the voice selection switches that let you either edit one voice or any combination of them is kind of sweet, but you tend to get lost a little with the knobs' previous positions when you change groupings. It probably wouldn't be that bad after actually using it for a while, and I obviously didn't read the manual or anything.

In the non-plastic-and-metal realm, this is a pretty straightforward, cheap, and CPU-efficient plugin that sounds pretty boss. Or deck, or phat, or whatever the fucking kids are saying nowadays. Not that I would know, but my less law-abiding friends tell me crax are easy to find for both platforms. The built-in effects are kinda crap, but that's not the reason to use it. The reason to use it is 8 unison voices x 4 oscillators = 32 waveforms that'll make your shit thicker than Orson Welles, and the buttery (for a plugin) filters.

C'mon peeps. Share your funtime friends / wannabe fuck buddies. And I mean that metaphorically. Don't make me start doing some of my font diarrhea.

Living in the Internet is Weird and Surreal

2010-11-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

movin' like bernie, as in "weekend at bernie's"

Living in NC is Weird and Surreal

2010-11-12T17:40:00.000-08:00

This thing was ten foot tall. He had beautiful hair.

Living in the Midwest is Weird and Surreal

2010-11-07T11:43:00.000-08:00

I should have called this post "Give me mo Cowbell!!!!" This is a photo I took somewhere in Missouri of a full cattle truck going to market with a cowbell tied to the bumper. Beef, it's what's for dinner.

Wu-Tang Muppet Babies

2010-11-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

happy halloween y'all

2010-10-31T17:09:00.000-07:00

Better Than the Last Video

2010-10-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

Reactable Systems

2010-10-20T12:36:00.000-07:00

Continuing the iPod commercial theme. Mobile app actually looks pretty cool.

38 seconds in: Pianos

2010-10-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

Can't get enough of that rave piano.

Whatever sampler/rompler they were using that crushes the decay and makes them sound all chunky is effing brilliant.

Nice video, too, if you're into castro hats, break dancing without doing cool tricks, and 2004 era ipod commercials.

Maybe it helps more than it hurts?

2010-10-14T08:53:00.001-07:00

My Wife Rolls with these folks, so make it Rain on the Midwives

2010-10-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

Seriously, Tiff went to Guatemala of the the summer and worked with this organization, so pull a Trina yall.

Wuqu' Kawoq is an NGO that provides health care in the highlands of Guatamala to Kaqchikel-speaking patients in their language. Tomorrow, we have a big campaign with Global Giving to raise money for our project with midwives. Starting at 12:01am Eastern on October 12th, Global Giving will match any donations over $10 by at least 30%.

The money will be used to expand our work in the past with midwives to more broadly address issues related to human and reproductive rights. Specifically, we will offer expanded educational offerings targeted at sexually transmitted disease, STI, contraception, and sexual rights. We will couple this to offer free of charge screenings for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases as well as access to contraceptive methods.

Here is the webpage from global giving:
http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/guatemalamidwives/http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/guatemalamidwives/

And, here is a statement from Brent Henderson, Wuqu' Kawoq Board Secretary:
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Tuesday-is-the-Day-to-Support-Midwives-.html?soid=1102026328962&aid=aYD6hQgY0rY

Please consider making a donation. Every little bit helps!

MIDI Animation

2010-10-09T11:19:00.001-07:00

My Memorex performed tape decks

2010-10-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

(I rocked the shit out of these when I was like 7, then I became more distinguished and progressed to Maxell)

Find your old joints here - www.tapedeck.org.

P.S. Watch out for Haiti bitches.

Dude be Wearin a Pirate's Hat

2010-10-07T09:39:00.000-07:00