So, I uhhh, wrote a string quartet. Reading was by the masterful JACK Quartet, pictured above, recording care of Kirk McNally.
In other news, I’m frantically busy. More as it breaks.
back at it
Some quick thoughts:
– I was reading an article about “epic wins” in video games, and the term “Nintendo-hard” was used several times. This got me thinking about really difficult video games as as sort of twisted, eight-bit life lesson. Do serious video game players of my era tend to be exceptionally stubborn, or exceptionally focused? And, will the current movement to shorter, easier, more forgiving games result in more casual (but probably more social) people?
More generally, now that video games are functionally mainstream, what will the mainstream games (Gears, Halo, etc) teach people? And not about things like “values” (which I’m sure that Gears does a great job of), but about subconcious things like effort, flow, and focus?
– I’d also like to point you towards the work of Zoe Keating, who plays ‘cello with herself, using a Lidell / Final Fantasy-esq collection of looping pedals. She also does not sing, which immediately ranks her above Owen Pallett.
– Finally, what if there was a computer virus that downloaded music on to your computer, on the sly?
fractal – endless
Because I love Ewan Pearson, and Ewan Pearson loves you. Download here.
1: Cortney Tidwell – Don’t Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up (Ewan Pearson Remix) [Ever]
2: Silver City – Shiver (Ewan Pearon’s Bari Girl Remix) [20:20]
3: Silicone Soul – The Poisoner’s Diary (Ewan Pearson Instrumental) [Soma]
4: Alter Ego – Beat The Bush (Ewan Pearson’s Slow NRG Edit) [Klang]
5: Depeche Mode – Enjoy The Silence (Ewan Pearson Extended Remix) [Mute]
In other news, I am closing out the Sunset Room on New Year’s Eve, with Alan Smith. I’d be delighted if you decided to both come out and stay up.
2008: shows of the year
And this year there’s a clear, but surprising winner:
You wouldn’t know it, but San Fran DJ John Howard is a very hard man to find a picture of. He did, however, demolish the room at Hush last New Year’s Eve. There were no fancy tricks, no black magic scratching, no laptops, and not even very many CDs, as I recall. Just spectacularly lush house/disco, inch-perfect programming, great mixing, and wonderful flow. It was a set to restore one’s faith in dance music – Larry Levan would have been proud, to say nothing of Ron Hardy.
Honorable mentions in store for: Richie Hawtin, Heartthrob, James Zabiela, and Jamie Lidell. Seems to be a good year for the letter J.
2008: album of the year
This gets harder every year, it seems. With that said, here’s your winner:
STEINSKI – What Does It All Mean?
The key here is not just the first disc of cut-up, sample-built classic jams…but the second disc, a mix that Steve Stein did for Ninja Tune’s Solid Steel show back in 2002, and which ranks up there with Coldcut’s Journeys By DJ in terms of feel and scope and humanity. Calling Steinski the Kurt Vonnegut of hip-hop is probably a compliment that has no meaning – but it’s one hundred percent true just the same.
Honorable mentions to: Steve Reich, Jesse Somfay, Limbo, Portishead, Prefuse 73, Thom Yorke, Aesop Rock, and Radiohead.
2008: singles of the year
Cutting this to three was impossible, but here goes:
Best Love Letter To Video Games: COPY – It’s A Little Too Late [Audio Dregs]
I don’t think this came out in 2008, but I don’t care. Copy has more in common with Bach than Koji Kondo in terms of writing, but Bach didn’t get to work with pure square waves or huge, pulsing basslines. It’s a rare record that makes me want to dance and to finish Final Fantasy IV again.
Best They Did What?!?: The Rolling Stones – You Can’t Always Get What You Want (SOULWAX REMIX) [Columbia]
How tacky. “As featured in the…”. Honestly, what is dance music coming to? Oh wait, it’s coming to the utter, perfect apex of the edit heavy Justice / Paris / Nu-Rave style. Soulwax are beyond on point here, with this snappy, almost-downtempo remix. If this does not make your crowd dance, they might be dead.
Best Journey In To Outer Space, Around The Sun, And The To Unknown Stars: Garnica – Pink For Men (SOMFAY REMIX) [Elefant]
This track is almost eighteen minutes long, and not one second of that is extra. You may well forget your name, where you are, and what you were going to do for the rest of the day. An utterly stunning achivement.
Honorable Mentions to, and don’t think I don’t love these records:
Cortney Tidwell – Don’t Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up (Ewan Pearson Remix) [Ever]
Future Funk Square – Demystified (Andy Page Remix) [Default]
AFK & Dustin H – Seismic (Stefan Anion Remix) [Pacific Front]
K.I.M. – Fistogram [Modular]
Rennie Foster – Devil’s Water [Rebirth]
Hrdvsion – Playing For Keeps [Wagon Repair]
Miles Dyson – Live In Mexico []
2008: sets of the year
And here we are again, the best DJ sets of the last 300-and-some days. A higher standard overall, but maybe fewer standouts. At any rate:
Best Political Statement That Happens To Be An Amazing Mix As Well: Z-TRIP – THE OBAMA MIX
No, seriously. This is both a masterpiece of political theatre and a thousand thousand kinds of fly. Chuck D would be proud. It picks up where his 2003 Anti-War mix left off, uses a bunch of the same material, but is way more coherent and way more fun to dance to. Get down right here.
Best Reason To Be French: JUSTICE – Xmas Mix
This is cutting 2008 fine, but I go by the dates in my sets folder, so there. Not like it matters, as this breakneck set of disco, kitsch and blatant pop is as much as you can have without being, well, French. Find it here.
Best Soul: JEROME DERRADJI – Still Music
The set sounds exactly like the picture. Get it here.
Honorable mentions to: Flying Lotus, Caleb Fox, the Cloudcasts, Appleblim, Four Tet, Optimo, Dabbler, DJ Soo, Quiet Village, Sasha & Digweed, Chloe Harris, and so many many more.
‘sonata sonata! ‘sa rondo!
I’m delighted to report that the mad scientists over at OverClocked got the call to do the official soundtrack for the HD Remix of Super Street Fighter II Turbo. You can hear what they came up with here. It’s both super funky, surprisingly respectful, and another important moment for OverClocked and fan artwork in general.
In totally unrelated art, I was sent a video of a king-hell piece of choreography that the Royal Ballet did recently, called INFRA. It comes in 3 parts, and you owe it to yourself to watch in it what passes for “HD” on YouTube – it is uncanny, sublime, and amazing.
Jumping again: Pauline Oliveros came by UVic recently to talk about her music and her experiences with the San Fran Center for Tape Music. In addition to knowing her way around tape delay, she talked about her current work in making an “intelligent agent” that could improvise with her in a useful way. This is a king-hell problem – it would require detection of just about every musical aspect of sound, and then a non-random way of using that data to generate new sounds. Oof. I, of course, managed to miss her concert, so I have no idea what state her current system is in.
More on music: I went to see LaSaM do a concert called ‘Sonic Whisper’, and I came away all kinds of impressed. With the exception of a few moments of wankiness, the sounds and music were lush, detailed, and never overstayed their welcome. Hopefully I can get a recording of it soon.
breakin ur intertubes
The good people at DRGBLZ may have destroyed image macros forever…or given them a new and beautiful lease on life. Be sure to read from the bottom up.
In less ridiculous news, I am DJing at Hush on December 20th with Matt What, for another two hours of six-turntable + guitar dancefloor chaos. Davey B appears to be on opening duties once again. You, yes you, should come down and shake it.
Some other quick thoughts: I’m thinking about a composition system that involves lego blocks, a dynamic thing that imitates the flocking of birds, and about music that can only be played once. More on those as they slide through my brain.
Fractal – Awesome
You’d think it was reading break and I finally had time to DJ or something. Nahhh.
I blew some things on this, but it’s a lot of big dancey fun and the utterly s-i-c-k Kathy Brown bit more than makes up for it. That lady was serious business.
1: Sander Klienerberg – Work To Do [Little Mountain]
// Kyle Geiger – Glide [Drumcode]
2: Big Black Boot – Vibrate [Release]
3: Funk Harmony Park – The Winner (Martin H Remix) [Sumplus]
// Kathy Brown – Turn Me Out []
4: Hrdvsion – Playing For Keeps (Daddy’s Angel) [Wagon Repair]
5: Bart Van Wissen – More Fun [Audio Therapy]
6: Moulinex – Break Chops [Discotexas]