After too long than I care to contemplate, I’ve finally re-released my Tunguska album. Originally released on the Russian netlabel Musica Excentrica which vanished a few months back, only to go through a few permutations since.
If you want to read more about the album, I refer you to the original blog entry I wrote when it was first released.
Here’s a charming & playful composition I discovered via one of Deputydog’s 8track mixes that’s created mostly with samples from Alice in Wonderland. I’ve been spending more and more time on 8tracks and anyone who likes discovering new music deserves to give it a go. I’ve got a few mixes I put together there a while back that you can get your feet wet with.
This is the first entry in what will be a recurring blog series titled ‘EarsOpen’ which gives me a platform to share some music that has caught my musical imagination. Let’s begin!
For a small and sparsely populated country, Iceland seems to have an abnormally large number of musicians. Undoubtedly, the astounding natural beauty and the rich cultural history play a significant role.
While a few Icelandic artists such as Björk and Sigur Rós have achieved fame outside the island nation, a majority of Icelandic music remains mostly unheard by foreign ears.
Hjálmar (myspace, youtube, last.fm) are an Icelandic reggae band who attained considerable fame in Iceland and beyond, with their debut album winning several awards. They’re a curious admixture of medieval Icelandic sagas and Jamaica’s music gift of reggae.
Those of you on twitter can follow them at @hjalmarband.
Phlow Magazine just published an article interviewing Sebastian Redenz discussing the closing of the venerable net label Autoplate. I’m flattered & humbled to see my name listed among the other talented contributers to the label. I’m proud to have been involved with Autoplate and I invite you to download my album ‘Solar Cycle 23′ for free from their archives. Be sure to explore the other albums as well.
I have yet to arrange a re-release the follow-up album ‘Tunguska’ which disappeared when the Russian netlabel Musica Excentrica went offline quite some time ago. Be assured that it is one of my priorities, and I will post an entry as soon as it is back online & available.
If you are looking for another net label in the same spirit as Autoplate, I recommened the Berlin-based Resting Bell, where you can find another album I composed entitled ‘Symmetries’.
The CBC Ideas Podcast (RSS Feed) is one of the most engaging podcasts I subscribe to. The latest episodes explore another type of (now extinct) human: Neanderthals. It’s a surprisingly complex and compelling story, with far more controversy and mystery than I expected. Voices from a number of thinkers and researchers covering anthropology, biology, creation myths and the Neanderthal in contemporary culture evoke the spectre of our ancient cousins.
Direct mp3 links: Homo (Sapiens) Neanderthalensis — Part 1, Part 2
Also, A friend shared this article on Google Reader recently that I empathized witha lot: Warning: The Internet Is Almost Full. It is slightly reassuring to know I’m not the only one who feels caught in a digital deluge!
I finally took the time out to watch Good Copy Bad Copy, a recent documentary exploring the contemporary clash of copyright and culture and possibilities for the future. In keeping with the theme, you can watch or download it for free via their website.
An unofficial trailer…
And on a completely unrelated topic, I happened upon a strange thing called sport stacking (aka cup stacking or speed stacking). It is exactly what it sounds like, and although I was tempted to dismiss it as ridiculous, I am astonished by the dexterity and speed required to compete. It doesn’t hurt that it is also entirely mesmerizing to watch. Somebody needs to make a behind-the-scenes documentary about this!
Electro-acoustic music, musique concrète and field recordings form the essence of K.M.Krebs’ music which delves into unique sonic worlds of flux and contrast. Through his moniker 833 – 45, he envelops his music in the tension fields of radio emissions, distilling the static of our extended radio ears into immense and dense disrupted drones. Deeply [...]more →
@spot Thanks for the info. I guess there's just something chaotic about fuse that appeals to me! in reply to spot4 days ago
@btdsys thanks! I've give it a shot when I get home. I find the output mesmerizing & I'm surprised no-one has developed it more. in reply to btdsys6 days ago
Help coders! Trying to compile Scott Drave's old cmd-line 'fuse' in cygwin with no love. Source on this page: http://bit.ly/9fLsXW6 days ago