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the alan moore project


So my somewhat mad friend Dave sent me a metric fuck-ton of poetry, written and read by legendary author Alan Moore. Now, Mr. Moore has an amazing touch for language and intimacy and urgency – but he also has an astonishing Northhampton accent. This means that about every 15th word sounds exactly like your jolly olde English Uncle, which totally ruins the mood.

Be that as it may, however, Dave has been harassing me to make some drum & bass that samples this epic collection of speech, and I am going to do it. Even better, I am going to do make said drum & bass using only and entirely samples of his speech. So not only will it be a massive techstep dancefloor scorcher, it will be a wonderful piece of audio geekery. More as it breaks.

irony, or mr. campbell

Just a quick burst of wisdom from Mr. Eddie Campbell, on current creative output:

“In the old days i’d have made a one-page ‘Alec’ out of this , but today we squander our narratives in a blog.”

the best player in the world…

…plays for Barca: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpzX5vGdmnM

The impressive thing, for me, about that goal is that his first touch *totally* lets him down, the ball goes 180 degrees away from where it should – and he scores anyways. Ridiculous.

In unrelated news, it’s snowing here in Victoria. Polar bears are roaming the streets, and cannibalism is expected within hours. More as it breaks.

calling blade runner

Meet the LASER KOTO: Almost certainly the most future thing you’ll see today. Wired has more about it.

why record stores matter

So there’s been a lot of drama on my local electronic music message board, about the whole vinyl vs. digital thing, and the value of analog and quality control in music and so on and so on and so on.  The dead horse continues to be beaten.

With that said, I’m almost entirely certain that record stores will never die.  Or, if they do, they probably shouldn’t.  This is because they’re there for music, not for attention.  The digital world is almost entirely a medium that is hungry for attention:  labels and artists and distros all shout out “HAMMERED BY ALL THE TOP JOCKS!  PETE TONG’S #1 TUNE!  HUGE FOR TIESTO AND VAN DYK!”  These people need your traffic and your money, and it shows.

A store, on the other hand, while it is no less needy in terms of customer dollars and cents, gives you things, forces them on you.  It filters the entire world of electronic music through the lens of the staff of the store.  They sort the wheat from the chaff, they tell you “here, give this a listen”, they say “I really like this”.  They are, or should be, there for you.  A record store offers another perspective on the gargantuan, fractal-expanding world of music.  It prevents you from totally disappearing up your own ass, and bludgeons you with the fact that you Do Not Know Everything.  All of those things are beyond valuable, and are the reason why the shops won’t go away any time soon.

Music I Just Bought

Nathan Fake – Silent Night [Border Communty]
Qbical – Warm Fuzzy Electrons [Manual]
Roel H – The Dancing Bears [Furry]
Audion – Mouth To Mouth [Spectral]
Alexander Kowalski & Barca – Start Chasing (Extrawelt Remix) [Different]
DJ Hell – Buttersaure (Perc Remix) [Kickin]
Mashtronic – Supernova (Demi & Lolitas Remix) [SexOnWax]
Jaytech – Manipulator [Rapid Response]
Andrew Kelly – She Thinks She’s Underground (Stuart McKeown’s Burial Remix)
The Rogue Element – Dead Drummers [Exceptional]

Edit:  Also just picked up the Prins Thomas remixes of ‘Tape’, by 2020 Soundsystem, and a release on Spectral by Sami Kovikko called ‘Paajaasa’.

Tide Pool Mix #2 – Vibrating Fishes

Check it out here:  It is by Limbo and is like a fine wine, only with more drums and shakers and sound, and less…wine.  Yeah.

tdpl14: Robsounds – Au Poids Du Feu

New hotness from London Rob Masterton.  Check out the techno madness here.

The Invincibles

So on this one, all your Manchester United fans with your titles, all you Liverpool fans with your European Cups, and all your new-school Chelsea blues…you can all take the back seat to Arsenal 2003-2004, the only side since 1889 to play an entire season unbeaten. 28 wins, 12 draws, EIGHTY-THREE goals for, twenty-seven goals against.

Start here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8OouWOQxuk

End here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVKGVd-gIy8

Youtube hero Saharali has just about all of them. Up the Gunners.