Sonic Heart

Awesome look at Herbie Hancock & Quincy Jones leading the...

Fri, 29 May 2009 10:15:27 -0400

Awesome look at Herbie Hancock & Quincy Jones leading the way in tweaked out synths, via Clampants

Virtual heart pumps up the realism. Fun to watch while listening...

Fri, 08 May 2009 14:03:35 -0400

Virtual heart pumps up the realism. Fun to watch while listening to Dubbel Problematik.

Black Lips' "The Drop I Hold" Featuring GZA

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:45:40 -0400

Black Lips' "The Drop I Hold" Featuring GZA

Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Old School Computer Remix

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:02:38 -0400

Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Old School Computer Remix

Auto-Tune the News #2: pirates. drugs. gay marriage. via Kottke

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 09:48:22 -0400

Auto-Tune the News #2: pirates. drugs. gay marriage. via Kottke

Green Bushes from Kill and Eat is great for a day like this. The...

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:35:34 -0400

Green Bushes from Kill and Eat is great for a day like this. The album is a free download and is available as a CD purchase too. Via Anti–Gravity Bunny, a local music blog I find myself loving every post of since we saw that Mind Wheel and Mountains show together last week.

Lullatone just released a cool Flash–based music composer called...

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:15:00 -0400

Lullatone just released a cool Flash–based music composer called Raindrop Melody Maker.

This looks so unbelievably hot that I may need to consider it as...

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:32:00 -0400

This looks so unbelievably hot that I may need to consider it as part of my everyday items when I buy a new bag.

jakelodwick:

The Operator 1, a not-yet-released synthesizer / controller from the company Teenage Engineering.

Demo video here.

Great news. I am excited to get my work there in the...

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:30:53 -0400

Great news. I am excited to get my work there in the future.

muxtape:

Muxtape has launched for bands.

We just released a major software update to Muxtape, including the ability for bands to invite other bands into the system. In addition to the bands currently on the site, we’re sending out invites to a number of randomly-selected artists who signed up for the mailing list or have otherwise expressed interest.

For now, it is not possible for bands to create accounts without an invite. Our goal for this phase of development is to grow at a controlled pace and update iteratively as we receive feedback and design the rest of the platform. We felt that an invitational system was the best way to achieve this while minimizing abuse and keeping the overall quality of service high.

Our top priorities moving forward are facilitating commerce (allowing bands to sell or give away downloads), developing meaningful connections between bands in the network (for the benefit of bands and listeners alike), and reintroducing curation in multiple forms (mixtapes and local featured artists). We have some exciting long-term plans, as well.

Today is a exciting milestone for us; thanks for your continued support and watch this space for further developments!

Mountains and Mind Wheel at Tufts Oxfam Cafe: A Review When...

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:45:00 -0400

Mountains and Mind Wheel at Tufts Oxfam Cafe: A Review

When Mind Wheel begins, some kind of music-induced serenity flows over the crowd of about 30 at Tufts Oxfam Cafe. Derek Kimball sits with his chin in his hand, facing an iMac and a blood-red keyboard he bought himself as a birthday gift. Meanwhile, Matt Brown and Artie Fischer sit cross-legged on the floor, Artie on the guitar, Matt with a sampler. The result flows over and around me like I’m a rock in a steady river. I feel relaxed and one with nature—I don’t know, maybe it’s the animals-in-nature scenes projected on the wall behind them. I close my eyes as Mind Wheel’s epic story plays in my mind’s eye. Everyone claps.

Then Brendon Anderegg and Koen Holtkamp walk onstage—really just a section of the cafe that’s been cleared of patron seating and replaced with tables and gear—and each sit behind two white MacBooks. I think about how truly clever it was for Apple to make its logo on the back of its laptops glow—perfect for ambient electronic music shows. I’m suddenly jolted out of my “oh this ‘ol laptop view” thoughts when I see Brendon pick up what looks to be a drum machine with a 2 to 3 foot tube attached and put the tube in his mouth and start to blow.

There is already a wash of sound going on in this modern opera, so at first it’s hard to associate his blowing with a specific sound, but then I hear it. I’m practically entranced and can’t look at anything but his cheeks, waiting to see when they’ll fill up with air again.

At some point, though, I guess I manage to tear myself away and close my eyes because to me the music is like a blanket that I want to feel but not see. Once it finishes and I open my eyes again, I realize that Koen had been playing harmonica and guitar as well.

That was cool.

-Alissa Mariello

[Photo: Illustration of Mountains at Tufts Oxfam Cafe on Wednesday, April 15 by Erik Mallinson]

Photos and review of Mind Wheel and Mountains from last...

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:17:28 -0400

Photos and review of Mind Wheel and Mountains from last Wednesday’s show at the Oxfam Café over at Anti-Gravity Bunny

I love the art on Pharoah Sanders - Izipho Zam.

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:15:00 -0400

I love the art on Pharoah Sanders - Izipho Zam.

I’m psyched for Gamelan Galak Tika at the Beeline Festival on...

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:58:20 -0400

I’m psyched for Gamelan Galak Tika at the Beeline Festival on Sunday afternoon.

Boston Cyberarts Blog: Checking Out CyberArtCentral

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:46:20 -0400

Boston Cyberarts Blog: Checking Out CyberArtCentral:

The bi-annual Boston Cyberarts Festival is upon us again. After nearly missing it for the third time in a row I am pretty sure this has to be one of the worst publicized but cool events in Boston.

THE 2009 BOSTON CYBERARTS FESTIVAL TAKES PLACE APRIL 24-MAY 10 AT MUSEUMS, GALLERIES, THEATRES, UNIVERSITIES, AND PUBLIC SPACES IN AND AROUND THE BOSTON AREA. THE FESTIVAL IS THE FIRST AND LARGEST COLLABORATION OF ARTISTS WORKING IN NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN ALL MEDIA IN NORTH AMERICA, ENCOMPASSING VISUAL ARTS, DANCE, MUSIC, ELECTRONIC LITERATURE, WEB ART, AND PUBLIC ART. THIS IS OUR BLOG.

Bjork - Nattura (Switch Remix) courtesy of NME via David Day.

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:20:23 -0400

Bjork - Nattura (Switch Remix) courtesy of NME via David Day.

em: Our friends over in Selbyville have a new website. Check it...

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 11:50:38 -0400

em:

Our friends over in Selbyville have a new website. Check it out!

Also check out their sister–city project Mindwheel at the Tufts Oxfam Café this Wednesday as they roll over Mountains.

boston skillshare - April 18 and 19, 2009

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:02:43 -0400

boston skillshare - April 18 and 19, 2009:

This event sounds awesome:

The Boston Skillshare is an annual weekend event organized by the volunteer Boston Skillshare Organizing Collective. We seek to create a temporary space for sharing practical skills to live more happy, creative, and sustainable lives. We believe learning is plentiful, everywhere, and need not come with price tags or expert degrees. We are all teachers. We are all students. We want to live with enthusiasm, so let us learn with vigor!

There’s events like making instruments, DIY solar, DIY screenprinting, bike mechanics, improv comedy, yoga, knitting and more! Check out the full list. via Jarrod.

KORG synth papercraft printable via MAKE

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:55:54 -0400

KORG synth papercraft printable via MAKE

Digital Project - Slow Down 5

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:45:00 -0400

Tabula Rasa - Sunset At The Cafe Del Mar
Peace Orchestra - Who am I
Sounds From The Ground - Rotorblade
The Future Sound of London - Cascade
Alexandre Desplat - The Commute
Trentemoller - The Very Last Resort
Boards Of Canada - Amo Bishop Roden
Leftfield - Melt
Karma Lounge - Dusk, You And Me
The Cinematic Orchestra - All That You Give (Featuring Fontella Bass)

[listen/download at Listenup.za.net]

The Ocarina of Rhyme

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 20:38:18 -0400

The Ocarina of Rhyme:

Rap + Zelda = Ocarina of Rhyme.