keep cool, babylon...

when sept 11th happened, i had just completed my junior year in art school at cmu, the automobile revision project & my first group art show (in holland with many other talented artists). i was taking a year off from school to re-assess and re-align... to figure out how to best use my last year of classes.

i was at my girlfriend's ancestral home when we saw the news... i was to fly to vermont to build a music studio with some friends the next day, and like many people, had to wait a few days until the planes started flying again. not much changed in those initial days, but the event certainly helped to define that year.

which brings me to reggae. i had just discovered reggae (beyond bob marley) through Suzie Silver recommending me Alton Ellis (and rocksteady in general) and listening to Lee Perry's Arkology. i had made a couple mixes, nothing special, but collecting my favorite songs i had been able to score off of napster (lol) or my friend Jim's palatial collection of dub & roots. i was (and still am) very fond of the Twinkle Brothers' album "Rasta Pon Top" with it's luscious harmonies and rock-of-gibraltar-solid rhythm section. i loved "Festival Wise", with it's imagery of people dancing outside evoking the outdoor raves and hippie festivals that had been so influential to me in the previous years.

but reggae became something much more to us after 9/11. to a young radical's mind, the patriot act, the violence & wars, the opportunistic business dealings, the utter perversion of justice... done in our name... brought us to a state of artistic, political and spiritual fervor. reggae embodied all of this. with it's soul fire, reggae was rife with referents we enjoyed identifying with. there was little questioning our appropriation of this black rebel music... it felt as if it was speaking to our very being... we let it educate us on the ills of babylon, political rhetoric & the wisdom of the spirit... that hot & cool play of the heart.

in reggae we saw the events of 9/11 connected to a historical context... the valentine's "blam blam fever" and not only spoke to the violence inherent in poverty, but offered a condemnation of our military reaction in afghanistan & iraq... "the gun fever is bad", indeed. the heptones (utterly, heart-breakingly beautiful) "country boy" offered a similar critique of gun violence (in a jamaican context), but also was an excellent diss to GW... "country boy, you shootin' up the place". despite feeling the immense pressure... the gravity of the situation, reggae taught us we could help... we could resist with righteousness & love... borrowed, though it was.

along with great books & greater people and experience... our resistance eventually took on an essence of it's own... artistically, politically & spiritually, we became more than the privileged caricatures we were that year in vermont. but everyone starts somewhere, and i'll always be thankful to reggae for being the kick in the pants that helped myself and my peers to have the courage to resist, the wisdom to connect our struggles with others' and the respect for the rhythms of the spirit... the time to go to battle, and the time to chill the fuck out and let things pass.

speaking of chilling the fuck out, we made a lot of reggae mixes that year, and sent them to our friends around the country. it was our little act of peace in the midst of all that war. they were in constant rotation. they we're our discipline, our meditation. "resistance reggae" vol. 3 and vol. 4 are below. enjoy them. light a fire. keep cool.


01. dave & ansel collins - double barrel
02. niney - blood & fire
03. the maytals - pressure drop
04. stranger cole & lester sterling - bangarang
05. justin hines & the dominoes - carry go bring come
06. lee perry - soul fire
07. yabby you - conquering lion
08. the upsetters & dillenger - rastaman shuffle
09. the heptones - coutry boy
10. ras michael - keep cool babylon
11. the melodians - rivers of babylon
12. lee perry & the upsetters - dread lion
13. johnny clarke - african people
14. alton ellis - arise black man
15. the congos - at the feast
16. desmond dekker - (007) shanty town
17. bob marley - bus dem shut (pyaka)
18. little roy - hurt not the earth
19. abyssinians - mark of the dub
20. black uhuru - guess who's coming to dinner
21. rhythm & sound w/ tikiman - spend some time

DOWNLOAD VOL. 3


01 - lee perry - good will dub
02 - the congos - education of brainwashing
03 - the valentines - blam blam fever
04 - johnny "dizzy" moore
05 - alton ellis & the flames - blessings of love
06 - herman marquis - tom's version
07 - u roy - festival wise
08 - cornell cambell - jah jah me no born yah
09 - prince far i - commandment of drugs
10 - honey boy martin - dreader than dread
11 - lee perry - perry's jump up
12 - lee perry - rub & squeeze
13 - the congos - youth man
14 - the ethiopians - train to skaville
15 - derrick morgan - blazing fire
16 - don drummond - don d lion
17 - blake boy - cambodia
18 - the maytals - take me home country road
19 - the heptones - cool rasta
20 - lee perry - city too hot
21 - ras michael - rise jah jah children
22 - lee perry - the upsetter
23 - heaven sisters - rasta dreadlocks

DOWNLOAD VOL. 4

note: jim mulhearn is at least equally to credit for these mixes. i couldn't find the version of the original artwork that properly titled. also... the struggle continues, modern reggae keeps moving.

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new d.j. mix - "for heads to nod"

james gyre, d.j.
"for heads to nod"

45:40 of bump & crunk
dedicated to mr. jennings
mixed entirely in ableton live

GET IT HERE

tracklist:

∞ Intro
∞ Loops Haunt - Impact Omnihammer
∞ Eskmo & Amon Tobin - Fine Objects
∞ Opiuo & J Wikid - Panty Slingshot
∞ Copyfokking - Knippelsuppe
∞ Virtual Boy - The Future Holds a Beat
∞ Heyoka - Sonidas De La Cabeza
∞ Freddy Todd - Just Taking My Blastoise For A Walk
∞ Architeq - Birds Of Prey (Debruit Remix)
∞ Débruit - Re-New Real
∞ Flying Lotus & Declaime - Lit Up
∞ Africa Hitech - One Two
∞ DJ Orion - The Undertow (instrumental)
∞ Lukid - 56
∞ Harmonic 313 - Dirtbox
∞ Mono/Poly - Beatles Bitch
∞ Boreta - Bubblin' In the Cut
∞ BD1982 - Water Faucet Rhythm
∞ Danny Breaks & DJ Adlib - The Sound
∞ Vordul Mega feat. Billy Woodz - Mind Control (Remix)
∞ EPROM & Prof.I.See - Zoning
∞ Ana Sia & ill.gates - Extraordinary Rendition feat. Chris Sia
∞ Santogold - You'll Find A Way (Switch & Sinden Remix)
∞ King Midas sound - Lost (flying lotus remix)
∞ Rustie - Just for Kicks (Instrumental)
∞ Yo Majesty - GET DOWN ON THE FLOOR
∞ Architeq - Sleeping Bear Lament (James Pants Remix)
∞ Eprom - elephantkillers2
∞ Nosaj Thing - FWD
∞ Vibesquad - Punchingbag
∞ Moloko - Fun For Me
∞ Heyoka - Paradox
∞ Autechre - Fermium
∞ Elemental - Triple 116
∞ KnowSleep - All Buddhas (Instrumental)
∞ Dj Vadim - Beijos (feat. Heidi Vogel)

you can also do the soundcloud thing here:

James gyre - for heads to nod by james gyre

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the music of the earth

So a friend of mine, Janus sunaJ (who happens to be quite a scholar of mysticism, particularly gnosticism & hermeticism), asked me to make him a mix of "armenian, sufi qawalli, persian, malian, balkan & morrocan music". i've been tinkering on it this past week and of course added in some other cultures... some tuvan, romani, indian, andalusian, egyptian, kenyan, japanese, native american, etc...

it's become a sprawling 5+ hour mix of beautiful music from around the globe, loosely based around a concept of an initiatory meditation journey. i had quite a lot of fun with it. i hope you enjoy listening as much as i did. each "disc" is approx 75 minutes long. i recommend downloading all 4 and listening to them in order (accompanied by your favorite person & favorite sacrament!)

Michael's Meditation Musics pt. 1 "the surface is scratched"

✓ huun huur tu - prayer
✓ unknown west africa - Karamako
✓ Armand Amar - Song of the Red Dervish
✓ unknown sufi - Ferahfeza
✓ Istambul Oriental Ensemble - Basbasa
✓ Talvin Singh Taksim - Master Musicians Of Jajouka
✓ Sheik Yasin Al Tuhami - Qalbi Yuhaddithuni
✓ Claude Chalhoub - kaa
✓ Nass el Ghiwan - El Gasba
✓ Debashish Bhattacharya - Sufi Bhakti
✓ Shivkumar Sharma & Zakir Hussain - Raga Kedar, Gat In Ektaal
✓ Madjid Khaladj - Dayre
✓ La Notte - unknown
✓ Zakir Hussain - Where deserts meet
✓ Musafir - Moria Badnawa
✓ unknown african - Anklung
✓ Boubacar Diagne - Laye Laye
✓ unknown south african - Domba
✓ unknown sumerian - Hurrian Hymns, 19 And 23
✓ Hideaki Kuribayashi - Shouhin 1

download pt. 1 here

Michael's Meditation Musics pt. 2 "the road is winding"

✓ Djivan Gasparian - My Home
✓ A Hawk And A Hacksaw - Kiraly Siratás
✓ Claude Chalhoub - Track 04
✓ Shri Subhankar Banerjee - Tabla Tale
✓ Hossam Ramzy - Sha-Awit Katie (Katie's Cheeky Playfulness)
✓ Hossam Ramzy & Rafa El Tachuela - Ahlam Ghernatah (Memories of Old Granada)
✓ Gritos De Guerra - Buleria
✓ Gnawa Diffusion - Gazel Au Fond De La Nuit
✓ Slonovski Bal & Krassen Lutzka - Oriental
✓ Boban Marković Orkestar - Magija [Magic]
✓ Rita Abadzi - Prepei Na Skeptetai Kaneis
✓ Romica Puceanu - Unde o--fie puiul de aseara
✓ Taraf de Haidouks - Balada Conducatorolui
✓ Shahram Nazeri - Selfless
✓ Huun-Huur-Tu - Mezhegei
✓ Sussan Deyhim - The Candle & The Moth

download pt. 2 here

Michael's Meditation Musics pt. 3 "the book is blank"

✓ Ensemble of the Bulgarian Republic - Polegnala e Todora
✓ Mohammad Reza Mortazavi - The Will
✓ Trio Chemirani - Le Retour de Molla Nasr'din
✓ Zakir Hussain - Kalpana
✓ unknown touareg - unknown
✓ unknown gnawa - Tramin
✓ unknown tuvan - tongue twister
✓ unknown native american - Beowawe
✓ unknown crow - Crow Traditional Song
✓ unknown african - Lukuji
✓ unknown inuit - girl's game & agnutn
✓ unknown new guinea - spirit flutes
✓ unknown navajo - night chant
✓ unknown northern japan - ainu hero narr
✓ Huun-Huur-Tu - Khöömei
✓ unknown javanese - pangkur
✓ Alemu Aga - Selamta (The Creation)
✓ unknown brazilian - Capoeira
✓ Master drummers of Dagbon - Gurinsi-Waa
✓ unknown haitian - Port-au-Prince Drumming Demonstration
✓ Boubacar Diagne - Dembe
✓ Idjah Gadidjah - Daun Pulus Keser Bojong
✓ Halima Chedli Ensemble - Healing in Morocco "Touhami Dikr (excerpt)"

download pt. 3 here

Michael's Meditation Musics pt. 4 "the child is born"

✓ Philip Glass & Foday Musa Suso - suso's song
✓ unknown ghanan - apatampa
✓ Ali Farka Toure - Savane
✓ Mamadou Sidibe & Jongo Traore - Prenpreni (Bush Spirit)
✓ Unknown Kalahari Bushmen - Nxai
✓ Umalali - Luwübüri Sigala (Hills of Tegucigalpa)
✓ Salif Keita - The Mansa of Mali
✓ Corale Corse - Paghjelle
✓ unknown indian - unknown
✓ unknown indian - unknown
✓ Carmen Amaya - unknown
✓ Toumani Diabaté & Ballake Sissoko - Kita Kaira
✓ Raul Garcia Zarate - Suenos
✓ Fernandor tor - unknown
✓ Qing ge le, Da ri ma - Jujube Tree On THe Holy Hill
✓ Unknown Tibetan Buddhist Monks - Nyen-seng
✓ Forward Kwenda - Mbira Spirit Ceremony "Tadzungaira & Gonamombe Rerume"

download pt. 4 here

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MOAR juke (UPDATED with mp3s!)

i kind of can't get enough of juke. i'm playing a lot of other music right now, but what i want to listen to is juke.

i've been mining this stuff for a while and it's amazing... particularly the footworking stuff (the more abstract sub-laden tunes for the dancers more than the run-of-the-mill booty house tunes). it can be abrasive at times, but having seen it go down live i love the energy and i think the style is worth trying to appreciate... it could be compared to bmore club stuff, and has isn't that far off the more hyper dubstep tunes... but it's nearly 20 years old... and has a whole culture of dancing.

o.k. so... some links...

if you know nothing about juke watch this first... this track like many juke tracks features a short vocal sample cut and pasted into a main instrument sound (in this case, bob marley...)

pretty good juke/footworking mix (by µ-ziq!) - (don't bother if you don't have serious woofers hooked up. the bass in this shit is LOW LOW LOW...

via jeff macarthur, an endless thread on the style HERE - (quality videos, links to individual producers, etc...)

a very popular juke video compilation (which i've already posted in my big dance video post...) -

a good juke dancing battle... 1:15 is AMAZING -

chicago reader article (with some video and beautiful photos, including the one above...)

UPDATES:

AMAZINGLY informative Dave Quam article on juke... (his blog is good, too...)

DJ Rashad & DJ Spinn drop a mix for XLR8R & a mix for Fact Magazine.

dj rupture wrote a short post on juke, but more importantly upped THIS.

also... i packed up a few mp3s i found... mostly weirder footwork tracks... & not the straight juke stuff. the tunes are:

DJ NATE - "back up kid", "my heart" & "3peat"
DJ RASHAD - "teknitian" & "In Da Club Before Eleven O' Clock"
DJ ELMOE - "Where yo ghost at, Where yo dead man"
& a bonus Kill Frenzy remix that appeared on Kingdom's mix for low end spasm that has some juke vibes to it.

JUKE MP3s HERE!

feel free to send me more info, and more tracks! always down for more juke heat.

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a choice eight (and some 2009 awards)

it's been a while since i posted any hot music. pardon that. life, and all... here's all the tracks below .zipped up on mediafire... but read! learn! click! (and when you can, find these artists and get them some money...)

first off, the best track of 2009 for me was undoubtedly James Blake's "Air & Lack Thereof". i'd think the tune had been hyped enough, but both DJ Ripley & DJ/rupture were unaware of it, so clearly it needs more props... besides having an excellent title, the tune is massive. and beautiful. and abstract. and melodic. and poised. it has great negative space, indecipherable voices and unbelievable humming bass. do it the favor of listening to it on your deepest system... better yet hand it to the deejay at a club with a look that says: "right fucking now".

James Blake "Air & Lack Thereof" mp3 320kbps (mediafire)

He's been off in a few more directions, made a hot remix of an untold track (that while annoying at times, is amazing in sets), pop remixes under an alias, a new tinkery solo release that diplo and others have taken notice of, and an e.p. with airhead that contains this far out gem:

James Blake & Airhead "Pembroke" mp3 320kbps (mediafire)

For me, the producer of the year for 2009 was Eskmo (Shackleton for 2nd place? 2562 for 3rd?) Watery, squishy bass, trudging along with humor, power & a sense of play. I've had a lot of fun going back into his early catalogue, with techy tracks like "process" & "willow grail" and the pots and pans freakout of "san fransisco: the rhythm". Late in 2009 he dropped this next tune, which combines a lot of these elements with a touch of his occasionally ascendant sonic drama. Wait for the late drop when the music box has been wound enough to spring:

Eskmo "Let Them Sing" mp3 320kbps (mediafire)

I don't have a ton to say about this next tune other than it has mined the vein that rustie opened up to new levels of 8 bit deviance. the tune "goulash" from the same e.p. is probably the better tune overall, but the opening is so alienating i didn't want to punish anyone with it. De-quantized to the max:

Slugabed "Ultra Heat-treated" mp3 320kbps (mediafire)

In a somewhat similar vein, though much smoother, is this one-off piece of brilliance from the diverse (and prolific) musical mind of mark pritchard. while pritchard has cranked out funky afrobeat sampling house jams, this 8 bit piece of swagger is a whole different animal. the vocal makes it a detroit booty tune, but luckily the sexual drama it plays out is very equal opportunity and dance-floor-centric. wind your butt! BIG TUNE at my parties...

Mark Pritchard & Om'Mas Keith "Wind it Up" mp3 320kbps (mediafire)

This next one is the farthest off my normal playlist... at 120 bpm, it's the only tune on this list out of the (holy!) 130-140 bpm range. it's synth filled and a touch cluttered, but it's got a sense of funk and groove that's infectious, walking & somehow restrained. Tune worked great at a recent fashion show i did... Don't know much about Mono/Poly, but i also like their tune "Beatles Bitch". A tad repetitive by the end, maybe, but they're working it slick.

Mono/Poly "The George Machine" mp3 320kbps (mediafire)

What's left? Monster bass. Another not to insult with your puny laptop speakers, this widdler tune (like almost all widdler tunes) features great sound design, a darkness flecked with tongue-in-cheek mood-lightening moments and cataclysmic sub-bass movement. Another artist I was a touch shocked Ripley & Rupture hadn't encountered. Big producer, in my opinion, just pure dubstep. The second drop in this one is the real prize. Squicky. Icky. Sicky.

The Widdler "Go Ask Alice" mp3 320kbps (mediafire)

All right... last one. This tune has so much going for it... Kuduro-influenced rhythmic structure, bright African guitar samples, Bassline house bottom end, great vocal cut-ups, and a tight, fast-paced phrasing that makes it a banger on every dance-floor. hell, i played this at all three of my last gigs to great effect, including the fancy wedding. Débruit. Get hip. One of my blog-crushes, Wizards are Better, have a nice little primer on the man with a ton more mpfrees...

Débruit "Nigeria What?" mp3 320kbps (mediafire)

that's all for now... someday i'll have to post some of the not-dubstep-at-all music i've been listening to, but i know i have to satisfy those bass fiends out there first... yinz get twitchy! I don't know how I'd get through the cravings without torrentech... i'd guess i'd just have to spend a lot more money at boomkat.

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stay strong.

things are awesome.
i've got a new daughter, violet ember gyre.
two of my all-time favorite deejays are coming into town soon...
i 'm fixing up a 95 year old house on an acre of woods within pittsburgh city limits.
replaced nearly all the utilities, removed lead & asbestos hazards
can now cook, clean, wash & sleep there...
play with the children.

also dojo. carpe noctem. u know who u r.

i'm going to try to use the internet less so i can blog more,
so look for more action soon at the event blog & here...
i owe the back catalogue of that veiled gazelle retagging...
i have tons of mp3s to post, and the sister mix to d.d.d.
.pdfs, book reviews, recipes, photos of the house, theory....

in the meantime you can join me on facebook.
note: my facebook links feed in here up top...

MORE MUSIC! MORE ART! MORE LOVE!










stay strong.

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james gyre - "don't don't dance" a mix @ 130 b.p.m.

james gyre - "don't don't dance"

recorded live 11/11/09

turntables/traktor

1. wAgAwAgA - maytime daytime sun
2. Mochipet - Get Your Whistle Wet (DJ Sep & Jason Short Dub Mix Feat. Juakali)
3. Von Magnet - Mostar Angels
4. madera limpia - la lenta (schlachthofbronx remix)
5. Tony Allen - Awa Nare (Bonde Do Role remix)
6. Busy Signal - Da style deh (Douster Dagga remix)
7. Malente, Dex - Gipsy Kings feat. Analogik
8. Stereotyp Meets Al-Haca - Nu Styling (feat. DJ Collage)
9. Com.a - Ghetto Magic
10. Guns N' Bombs - Riddle Of Steel (Original Mix)
11. Workidz - Work It (Glitch remix)
12. DJ Sega - Paper Planes (Philly Club remix)
13. DJ DEEKLEIN - Dont Smoke Da Reefer (Twocker's Superskunk Re-Rub)
14. DJ Quest & Eskmo - Speakers Corner
15. DJ Blaqstarr - Shake It To The Ground (Claude von stroke remix)
16. Bounce Camp - Big Dancin
17. Zero DB - Bongos, Bleeps & Basslines
18. Toadally Krossed Out! - Toads Theme
19. Dorian Concept - Color Sexist
20. A-Trak - Say Whoa (Boys Noize remix)
21. Jack Beats - What (Foamo Edit)
22. Bok Bok - Nntf09
23. dj tameil - get silly
24. DJ tim dolla - We Are Ur Friends
25. Hot City - Head Work
26. Akufen - Deck the house (Herbert stops like this mix)
27. BRACKLES - Sutorîto Faitâ
28. Gucci Vump - Sha, Shtil!
29. Wiley - Eyes Of The Lord (Prod. By Nathan Retro)
30. Horsepower Productions - special 131
31. 2562 - Flashback
32. Faltydl - Bravery
33. Illyah & Ltd. Candy - Fight the Formation

it's a fun, summery mix for mid-winter. clean your house. dance out of your clothes. it's 130 b.p.m. but not without bass-weight. one oldie, but mostly instant hipster classics.

props to and inspiration from dj ripley's "to the party members" mix, dj rupture in general, mad decent and cutups and keeb$ of lazercrunk! thanks to masala and wizards are better.

also, thanks to the party liberation front podcast / rva magazine for requesting the mix in the first place... sorry it took so long, and it's only pt.1! pt.2 will take it up a notch (10!) to 140 b.p.m...

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two dubstep mixes...

the first mix is called "dubstep a to z". it's a simple and quick concept mix... a challenge to my flexibility. each artists name starts with a, b, c, d, etc... in order. certain songs were picked for me because i only had 1 "x" artist and 1 "y" artist... other letters i had limited choices so i had to build the mix based on what worked for what was there. it's a pretty chill dubstep mix... not a lot of pummeling... i wouldn't exactly call it ambient, but it's percussive, textural and skankin'. i'll definitely do more of these if i could find some more "x" and "y" artists!

26 tracks. 55 minutes.

the track list is as follows:

Aardvarck - "untitled"

Boxcutter - "rusty break"

Coki - "all of a sudden"

Disrupt - "true creators"

Eleven8 - "static (promo mix)"

F - "phantom"

Giant - "rain mind"

Hurtdeer - "vasopressin"

Indigo - "cosmos"

Jack sparrow - "the chase"

Kromestar - "my sound"

L-wiz - "prayer room"

Martyn - "natural selection"

Nokea - "cassava"

Overcast radio - "vendetta"

Pangea - "bear witness"

Quest - "deep inside"

Ramadanman - "revenue"

Shackleton - "el din (pt. 2)"

Truth - "revelation"

Untold - "discipline"

Vibesquad - "clowncollege"

Wiley - "ground zero (devil's mix)"

XI - "distress signal"

Youthman - "bombs over baghdad"

Zomby - "strange fruit"

download "dubstep a to z" here!

the second mix is called "pummeled". this mix is short, dirty and VERY heavy. full contact bass-sauce mixed high and noisy... some of the blends are a little sloppy and or adventurous, but i think it fits the style... this mix was an outlet for my interest in more aggressive sounds that are absent from the a-z mix. i tried to capture the essence of a small but dedicated dancefloor of dubstep fiends... sweaty, raucous and LOUD. not for the faint-hearted... especially the end!

13 tracks. 21 minutes.

tracklist is as follows:

kromestar vs. hatcha - "twin towers"

the widdler - "froggy style"

ultrablack - "you need jesus"

guns n' bombs - "riddle of steel" (12th planet & teaLong remix)

max ulis - "soundkilla"

ganja white night - "strawberry cough"

borgore - "guided relaxation dub" (edit)

noah d & babylon system - "examination of time" (VIP mix)

distance vs. benga - "chokehold"

16 bit - "texaco"

bar 9 - "murda sound" (VIP mix)

reso - "beasts in the basement"

nero - "end of the world"

download "pummeled" here!

NOTE: none of these mixes contain any of the tracks on "tower of babel" which is my dubstep inspired opus mix... that mix wont progress until i work out some bugs with my ableton setup. but some day! in the meantime i hope you enjoy these mixes, and let me know what you think about them.... and come see me play records!

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tlen huicani

tlen huicani - "From the capital city of Veracruz, Jalapa, Tlen-Huicani (pronounced wee-KAH-ne) is one of the most faithful interpreters of the traditional folk music of that state and also that of much of Latin America. Tlen-Huicani, which means "the singers" in the indigenous Indian language of Nahuatl, has taken the beautiful "harpa jarocha" or folk harp, and has made it the centerpiece of their music."

(mp3)tlen - huicani - track 13 from "veracruz - son y huapango" (buyable!) this track is wonderous, flying and sparkling. the harp sounds right at home. genius. wish i spoke good enough spanish to interpret the words... carlos?

here the old dude explains the instruments and they play a little ditty:

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love.

due to some beautiful love from (one of my favorite bloggers and teachers) brian today, i feel i should make a quick post for any recent vistors... regular readers will know i've been a busy bee recently, and posting has fallen by the wayside... fear not! my wife and i begin two weeks of art and creative pursuit monday. blogging is included in the list of important fun to have.

but for now here's a taste...

• here is a mandala I made recently:

here is a song i've been really digging... it's a dubstep remix of a folk tune. it's pretty and broken. i bought it (& "soundkilla"!) and you can too over at maxulis.com

(mp3)max ulis - "i don't want you"

here is my little sister's new blog. she just graduated high school and is one sharp cookie. she's a writer, and artist, a free thinker and is just starting out... follow her journey there.

here is the michael jackson video that moved me to write brian... watch the eyes, people. bliss.

oh... and here's an 11 year old graffiti artist she's good! I have so much more to write, about michael, about iran, about all the things i've been saving up while busy working with my hands and my neighbors... but it will have to wait till next week. peace, my bredren and sistren.

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dubstep triumphant!

the original (which used different genres) from punditkitchen.com

bust out some speakers with bass response... some real boomin scorchers here, folks. dubstep continues to expand itself... not satisfied with absorbing most genres, it wants them all (but seriously... that joker tune with ben blackmore is basically a country dub... and it works!) NOTE: and as an added bonus, all these tracks are 320kbps for all you quality snobs... (so just click on any track to link to the .zip archive on media fire with all the tracks...)

(mp3) eskmo - "san francisco (The Rhythm)" from "hypercolor ep" this track takes a real glitchy organic halfstep funk sound, reminiscent of tipper, vibesquad and matthew herbert's dr. rockit of all things... super prodcution, great slow grinder to mix up the pounding shit...

(mp3) helixir - "capioera dub" from "the french connection" super funky dubstep tune that is exactly what it calls itself. capioera music in the form of berimbau and other percussion samples. add warm, phat roller bass and you've got a beautiful summer tune. i'm playing it may 1st!

(mp3) starkey - "creature" from forthcoming planet mu 12" this is a beautiful tune. in fact it almost brought one of my friends to tears. a heavy, wonky head-nodder in the style of rustie (and starkey of course!)... stepping, sliding, tweaked synths with beautiful spaces throughout. i'd play it at the end of a triumphant set. just beautiful, starkey... and i'll take this down if you ask... no problem.

(mp3) eleven8 - "chin up" from "this is risk ep" HUJE CHUNE HERE. big fucking wobbler. no offense to all the other loud bass wankers out there (caspa, rusko, bar 9, 16 bit, stenchman, chase & status, reso, etc...), but eleven8 has more melody and style packed into these basslines than anyone yet from dubstep. my only complaint is the treble isn't quite as hot as the bass... but cheers, mate!

(mp3) charlie p - "it's so crazy" feat. karma (original mix) from "it's so crazy" this song is clubstep, and i mean that in a very complimentary way... this tune has all kinds of beautiful stages and development... it maybe doesn't get quite as twisted as i want it, but that's what makes it such a crowd pleaser. lots of warm solid sub hum and pretty chopped up vocals saying "it's so crazY"...

(mp3) dreadfoxx - "pump up the volume" (remix) from "6 million ways ep" i kind of tossed this on as a bit of a throwaway, but i keep wanting to play this tune. screechy midrange whines, decent bass, silly scratches, bad vocal samples ("mars needs women") but somehow feels like a new and important addition to the dubstep range. i'd love to hear a tune in this vein done by dj craze...

(mp3) jamie vex'd - "in system travel" from "in system travel ep" this tune is real dusty, subtley glitchy, slow and gorgeous. dubstep only by a thread... owes a debt to flying lotus, atom™ and luomo. grainy, pretty, and nice enough to start the night with (as long as the night also starts with sensuous beverages in a candle-lit speakeasy...

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that veiled gazette #349

editor's note: sorry for the delay getting out this issue. i've been super busy, so blogging has been hard to get to, but admittedly i've also been a little geeked out on using facebook for the first time. finding old friends, writing letters, posting little things for them, becoming a "fan" of hummus, etc... for real though, it has been fascinating watching people from completely different periods of my life talking with each other. not that that doesn't ever happen here, but, well, it's a different audience. i love you both, and that veiled gazelle isn't going anywhere...

painter in bangladesh, via wall street journal's picture of the day

ART: the delicate special works of rachel sumpter. the composite (time not space!) photography of peter funch. the (street art blog) wooster collective truly continues to put out great stuff. check out sally's blue wall or this colorful wheatpaste. my old friend fran (thank you, facebook) documented a cool piece that involves ink drawing on walls and an air compressor. design is fun, but "hyperbolic bronnerism" is even more fun. it's a little hard to navigate, but the site neocha is a collection of independent chinese culture. also, check the vibrant, subtley pagan, mucha-like (mostly) nudes of svetlana valueva. also, while he's a bit miffed about watchmen (his work, originally...) that's o.k., because alan moore is a super-genius. witness video (direct link here):

MUSIC: wizards are better posts some good bassline & dubstep stuff (and some hipster crap). are you annoyed that pirating music takes so much time? take the wait out with skipscreen. blackdown makes a mind map on the origin of scenes. promotion services for world musicians. frieze article by dj rupture on the "decline" of digging. also, i hadn't heard about soul singer phyllis hyman, but she's got a nice voice (video) (and is from pittsburgh!) three more youtube music links here: kinsmen (indian jazz ensemble), carl craig classical remix, and some ethiopian heat. anyway, i've been posting A LOT of DUBSTEP. so here are seven songs that aren't:

(mp3) atom™ - "wellen und felder II" - bizarre, yet entrancing ambience from uwe!

(mp3) dinosaur l -"go bang" (walter gibbons mix) - classic arthur russell material

(mp3) amon tobin - "twelvses" - throwback gorgeousness, not two fingers style

(mp3) morteza - "morteza"? - weird iranian pop i was given for my nouruz gig

(mp3) isoleé - "a nightingale" (original mix) - abstract & beautiful tech-house

(mp3) hermutt lobby - "play" - twisted, wonky, slow glitch-hop type shiznit

(mp3) jakes - "swerve" - fun drum n bass track... with an mc! ~1996 style?

your's truly spinning at global beats march 2009. photo by carla.

TECHNOLOGY, SCIENCE, DIY: great rhyme writing resource in writerhymes. inflatable hood for sleepy travelers. do dumb shit to photographs with pikipimp. laura's always been a proponent for local currency... learn about algebra (i forgot all mine in art school...) create large wall posters with little printers. nice home-made picture frames out of jars. and for the record, artificial life could be created within 5 years, whatever that means...

ECO: meditate on the size of the earth and how lucky we are. 25 reasons why you should consider earth-sheltered technology. paris is grey, and sarkozy has a plan. another weird plan on the table for global warming issues. or is global warming all a hoax? i dunno, i'm not a scientist... something tells me that it's not a bad idea to act like it's real, if only because we might help with the bio-diversity problem. good soy milk recipe. candle-powered heat? i don't live in these cities, but: space in detroit. space in baltimore. i found some nice eco stuff on chelsea green, including this article on the case for "small" hydro-electric power.

british kid in thailand, via wall street journal's picture of the day

BABYLON, SCANDAL, POLITICS: you know about Carnivore and ECHELON, right? their giant spy networks that troll everyone's communications for these words, among others... well there is at least one more ghost-net recently discovered, this time in china. here's what you might look like to your government. there are some sneaky shenanigans in the obama copyright treaty... france is ready for rebirth of the "violent left"... that's a hilarious article, but to be fair, they have had some history of awesome riots (which in turn left us a lot of slogans.) there's been a tiny crack made in the travel restrictions to cuba, but then there's the wholeembargo thing. why? chomsky has some ideas on that... also an OLD scandal may be getting some light shed on it.

SUFI, WEIRD: perfect memory, anyone? bahauddin's book sounds pretty great. my friend found one of the (super rare) copies ofthis book in a junk shop... still haven't seen it yet. for free, an archive of female sacred poets. amazing horse dancing in pakistan (video... jump ahead for the fast parts.) the thousands of inscriptions are getting translated, finally. i'm starting to think i ought to learn a bit more about ramon llull. creationist science fairs... first prize in the high school division actually sounds pretty interesting... top ten secret scientologists. get your daily weird at the daily grail. finally, the sisters of perpetual indulgence celebrate 30 years.

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tease tease

i'm in the tropics now... promise a big digest soon!


teaser... (mp3) fantastic mr. fox & rich reason - "bleep show"

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dubstep is still awesome

fuck the haters...


dubstep is awesome part 2!
i'm just gonna keep giving away my favorite dubstep deejay tricks.
.zipped up on mediafire

(mp3) the widdler - "same way" HUGE BEAUTIFUL BANGeR!!!!
(mp3) babylon system - "hyphy" (feat. candy vox) - goofy intro track
(mp3) eleven8 - "this is risk" - dark shit with nice synth programming...
(mp3) starkey - "gutter music" feat. durrty goodz - been waiting for this one!
(mp3) jazzsteppa - "big swing sound" - AWESOME jazzy low-swingin' vocal track
(mp3) kromestar vs. hatcha - "bruce and the biscuits" - love these guys together...
(mp3) 2000f & j kamata - "you don't know what love is" - big 80's style vocoder
(mp3) 501 - "mind control" - i don't know anything about this artist... evil shit.

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