You want to know when you’ve arrived? When your monthly Residency is at Madison Square Garden. That’s right folks, Billy Joel himself will be doing monthly concerts in NYC at the Garden. In case you missed him in his prime, or wanted to do something nice for your folks/that cool aunt who always sneaks you the good wine at family gatherings, get tickets for this. But hurry, as it’s selling out obnoxiously quickly. Not Kraftwerk/Daft Punk quickly, but damn near close enough. (via Ticketbastard)
Just in case you didn’t know, Moogfest in Ashville NC is the premiere electronic legend event, celebrating the late Robert Moog & his fantastic work exploring, developing and ensuring the wonderful synth that we hear essentially everywhere these days. It’s fast become a mecca for those who are obsessed with creating those sounds, and the dance event associated with it has exploded to match. Just in case you’ve got a few extra days in April and you want to see where your roots come from in these crazy EDM days, you know what to do (via Beatport)
I’ve spoken about my sadness surrounding the death of Winamp before. It seems the good people at Spotify agree. If you have a premium account, you can use the Spotiamp, which is a fully featured music player that looks exactly like winamp. I’ve got 2 questions. 1, can I import my own music/playlists, and two, how are the visualizers? If I can get milkdrop using Spotify, I think I may just get that premium membership.
That is a picture of what Wikipedia sounded like when I screen-grabbed this from the Hatnote people. The idea is best described by them here:
Listen to the sound of Wikipedia’s recent changes feed. Bells indicate additions and string plucks indicate subtractions. Pitch changes according to the size of the edit; the larger the edit, the deeper the note. Green circles show edits from unregistered contributors, and purple circles mark edits performed by automated bots. You may see announcements for new users as they join the site, punctuated by a string swell.
It’s gorgeous and mystifyingly compelling. I found myself listening to it for almost half an hour while working. It’s surprisingly coherent, and while it probably punishes phone interfaces, I’d be interested in seeing this as a widget I could just turn on. Plus, then I can just listen to the internet directly, which, has to be an Xbox Live achievement or something.
This has been making the rounds around the blogosphere/reddit/facebookery. I think we need to stop kidding ourselves about exposure and faux reasons for exploitation. Pay musicians for their work, because, again, it’s their work. Reblog this far and wide, and let’s cut the shit when it comes to this. The model allows people to reward good artists, the marketing wing of humanity should be no different. Pay market rate or GTFO.
Julien Audigier drops an interesting concept when it comes to making drums interesting. The set up is generated in a host of different environments that provide varying acoustics. These different shots were cut together to produce a fun, mashed up, tune that gives the impression of being heavily mixed & reverb’d. But, it’s, you know, how we got reverb sounds before them new fangled computers. Watch it, then tell kids to get off your lawn 😉
McLaren has never been a car company that thought small, but it seems their most recent foray into luxury has led them into the realm of sound. As told to the Sunday Times (in the UK), the design chief at McLaren said they’re close to completing work on a system that will do away with wipers entirely. They’re essentially replacing the wipers with an ultrasonic tranducer that will send 30khz waves of ultrasound across the windshield to gently push away water. Apparently this would work for snow & even bugs. Which, considering the top speed of most McLaren autos, will be exceedingly necessary. Now I wonder when they’ll have the windshield wiper: dubstep edition (via CarsUK.net)
The Glitch Mob have been doing some quality work for years, with their last album and tour being one for the ages. The triumvirate of bass and sound and swagger reinvigorated the somewhat contrived genre, and their every move is tracked by a deep & loyal following. I’m nott sure how, but I didn’t realize they’d dropped a new track last week. It’s got the solid underpinnings of rock mixed with the signature resilient fusion of bass, synthy melodies and power chords. I really can’t be more excited for the album if it’s going to sound like this.
http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/447529?utm_source=MEL&utm_medium=53247
I can’t really overstate the significance of this performance. Yasin Bey (or Mos Def as many know him by) and Talib Kweli are quite awesome by themselves, but together, truly a sight to behold. The lyrical flow is tight and they’ve both done nothing but get better over time. This should be one for the ages, and tickets for either artist can cost as seeing both. Worth going out on a Tuesday. If you’re into EDM and have never really given hip hop a try, and you’re local, trust me on this one. One of the best places to be introduced to what is possible with words and beats. See below for the hotness from 1998.
This Tumblr just generally gets it right when it comes to picking the right quotes. Skewering geek culture, misogyny & general bad ideas, the memorable but simple drawings drive the point home. That point being, I need to shave more often. Check them out here.
Terry Gotham 