Bunk iTunes

iTunes 11 came out.  Really altered the view albums by cover art feature and it's really annoying.

As a child of vinyl culture, the album cover is the way I identify my music and, well, this doesn't quite seem to fit.  Maybe it's in there but it's the whole total revamp thing that is annoying.  They impose, we are forced to follow.

Also tired of the imposition of their media player inundating me at every turn with trying to sell me something and the sheer dependency on their whims.  

Can't even go back and re-upload older versions, gives me error messages all over the place.

They've become a big, lumbering behemoth.  The party is over.

Always remember: larger entities have crumbled.

Makes sense.  An entity as large as Apple makes a change and it affects everybody.  There is no personal, there is only control.

The true innovator provides a platform that allows the freedom to make it more personal with no need to own.  

So, done with iTunes.  

Based on suggestions below, I'm working on Foobar2000.   

Aside from having to reorganize my music files and troubles with the artwork, this looks to be the way to go. May take a while but it's the future.

Thanks for the recommendations.

You'll smile as soon as you get it:

Lights Out Asia ‎– Eyes Like Brontide (2008)

Truth be told I stumbled across this one because of the track "Radars Over The Ghosts Of Chernobyl" (and the album cover seems to match).

As someone whose formative years included adventuring around and in abandoned buildings in my hometown, Chernobyl/Pripyat has always had an air of mystery to it and, with the advent of the Web, I was able to view photos of the abandoned site.  Captivating is an understatement.  It's now become a Mecca of sorts to urban explorers everywhere.

Anyhow...

Before really investing time into listening to these guys I had always tended to lump them in with "post-rock" groups such as Godspeed You Black Emperor!,  A Silver Mt. Zion or Mogwai.  Though there are moments that share kinship with these groups - heavy guitars, spoken word samples - their use of electronics sets them apart and make this music much more atmospheric.

It never fails to evoke a mood when it pops up in my shuffle.  It instantly brings to mind late night drives with nothing but darkness and the wide open road.

High recommendation.

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Peter Kruder Pink Floyd Live Mix

Speaking of Pink Floyd in an interpretive sense (especially for those who experienced the 90s firsthand), the name Peter Kruder should ring a bell.

According to Peter:

"A live DJ mix of all the tripped out Pink Floyd bits that I love.  I did this for the FM4 Liquid Radio Show sometime in the 90ties and just recently found the DAT of this. Download and Enjoy..." 

He's a hardcore fan unearthing breaks that the average fan (including me) may not recognize.

Never thought of Floyd as a jam band but I'm rethinking a few things...

Drugs not required.

Mad props.

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Enjoy

Underground Resistance ‎– Interstellar Fugitives (1998)

Militant techno.  With a purpose.

Maroon.

All you need to know to start on your journey.

"So I say, 'come on down', order from submerge.com, support the retailers. We're still making cutting edge shit, man, it's wild shit, man, it's raw, I love that ghetto perspective on space and time and the future, because it's warped like a motherfucker, and as long as they're making it, I'll put it out." (Source) 

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To dig deeper and get back to the roots.

Documentary

Lo - Ten Years One Night EP (2010)

Listening to the shuffle this morning and a track drops with this great bassline.  I reach for the mp3 to see who it is and it's Lo's "Ten Years One Night" track.

His Soft Exposure (and digital Remixes file) from the Entropy Records label is one of my favorite dub techno albums of recent memory.

This is a free download from the Sound Source Netlabel and includes two Lo tracks plus remixes from a slew of other artists such Axs, Zzzzra, and Basicnoise.  

Deep, dubby, just the way it should be.

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Pulshar ‎– Nospheratu (2008)

The original track by Pulshar is one of my all-time favorite tracks.  It's a deep, dark dubbed out vibe with some muted soundbytes of quotes from the script and it lives up to the black and white cover (from the original Nosferatu film from the 1920s).  

If the film were made today, this would be the soundtrack.

The Echospace reduction on side two is the perfect introduction to the hazy analogue static bath washing over deep bass rhythms that is one of the defining features of the Echospace sound.

A copy of this vinyl right from the label sits in my collection.

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P.S. Also included are the cv313 and Sven Weisemann remixes of the track from Pulshar's Brotherhood album.

DeepChord Presents Echospace ‎– Vibrational Studies (In Echospace) (2010)

For those in the know "dub techno" had been around since the mid to late 90s pioneered most notably by  the duo Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus, aka Basic Channel (the name of the artists as well as the label).

Though its root go much deeper, Basic Channel, along with Deepchord (aka Rod Modell), are the foundation stones of the dub techno sound.

In 2007, Deepchord Presents Echospace (Modell's pairing with Steven Hitchell) dropped The Coldest Season and dub techno seemed to suddenly explode out of the underground earning many a Top 10 list for 2007.  It remains essential, no matter what one's music preference.

For the  next few years the depths of the Deepchord/Echospace catalogue, as well as their deft touch as remixers, emerged out of the underground and into the consciousness of those drawn to the sound.

In 2010, in anticipation of the follow-up Liumin, this 12" EP was released.  As hard as it was to imagine, they took what had become an almost formulaic sound and changed it.  The sub aquatic background noises, the depths of the bass and the warmth of the analogue were all preserved but it was different, new.

Once again, quietly, they had innovated and showed why they continued to lead rather than follow.

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P.S. The track 'Symbolism in Transition' receives a reworking as 'Orbital' on their 2012 release Silent World (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).

Cat People Soundtrack (1982)

Cat People was one of those movies that haunted my memories long after seeing it.

1982. Teenage hormones in full effect. Nastassja Kinski. Sex. Violence. Symbolism that escaped my pubescent mind but was visually arresting.

David Bowie's "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" is an incredible track, much better than the version that appeared on his Let's Dance album.

It was used in an episode of Miami Vice and it most recently appeared in Quentin Tarentino's Inglourious Basterds) which stars Nastassja Kinski. Yes, the circle remains unbroken...

Though far too short, the soundtrack to the film by Giorgio Moroder is amazing. It still sounds good.

Long before the advent of CDs and mp3s I mixed this with Risky Business from vinyl to cassette to create a Risky Cat Business People score that I used to play while driving late at night. Still have both on vinyl, Cat People still sealed.

FLAC

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Streets Of Fire Soundtrack (1984)

Just going back through some of the archives and doing a bit of updating.

In the context of one rather bizarre week at work, my boss stated that Diane Lane was the only thing right in the world and I mentioned that I had a huge crush on her when I was in high school.

"Streets of Fire!" he declared.  Obviously I was far from alone in feeling this way.

Directed by Walter Hill, director of The Warriors, with key songs contributed by the pen of Jim Steinman (think Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell) as well as songs from the pens of Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty and an underlying score by Ry Cooder, this is one of the best sleeper soundtracks ever. 

Still have a well worn copy on vinyl...

Rewatched the movie not too long ago and it took me right back to those feelings, that sense of urgency that only comes with youth (which is not the same as teenage angst...).

I hope the movies of today capture the urgency of youth and though this film does show its age this film gets it right...in a surrealistic amalgamated 50s meets the 80s alternate reality kind of way. 

FLAC

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P.S.

Vatican Shadow - Kneel Before Religious Icons (2010)

Vatican Shadow (aka Dominick Fernow) has emerged with an incredible slew of releases in the past two years that will engage the senses - aggression is the word that comes to mind - with an assault of electronic music's darker industrial side.

Comparisons to Muslimgauze are inevitable but Fernow has his own axe to grind - in this case Iraq war propaganda, fanaticism and desert combat are the themes of this album.   And grind he does.

If you dig the Demdike Stare aesthetic, you will not be disappointed. 

This saw a reissue in 2012 so it's too soon to post the album but you can stream all the tracks from the album here:

Vatican Shadow

Album Review

Discography

For a snippet of him live to really get a sense of what he's all about:

Acid Jazz

I picked up The Best of Acid Jazz Volume 2 on the now defunct but stellar Instinct label many moons ago (and I couldn't tell you where or why) but it has been a staple of my playlist ever since.

Couldn't tell you what "acid jazz" is and don't care too much.  Over the years it's blurred, as genres tend to do, into a fuzzy Ninja Tunes/Mo' Wax kind of jazzy thing (which makes sense considering you can find DJ Krush among others on some of these comps) which means I really like these.

Some of the tracks may sound familiar (especially from the After Hours comp) as they show up on a multitude of other compilations but both provide a sweet groove.

There are dozens and dozens of these compilations out there so if you dig these you're sure to find the others just as enjoyable.

The Best of Acid Jazz Volume 2 (1997)

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This Is Acid Jazz: After Hours (1994)

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Giriu Dvasios

While perusing the Cold Tear website, I noticed something interesting.  Giriu Dvasios, a dub techno artist out of Lithuania, has a subscription available to his site.  

For those who don't know the name (yet), he has released a few albums on various net labels and his works have appeared on many compilations from the same.

Here's a video to get you in the mood:

Most recently one of his tracks appeared on the IA Mix 75 from Rod Modell (aka Deepchord) on Inverted Audio.  I'm not sure there is any better recognition you could receive in the heavily populated universe of dub techno.

A couple of his tracks have been remixed by Quantec which attests to the quality of his music.  Here's one of the remixes:

You can find a few more videos here (recommend the 'live dubbing' video).

So for $1 a month (yes, $1) or $12 a year you have access to his music and will be on the inside scoop with new releases.  This also offers you the opportunity to get his music free on CD (see his comments below).

Rather cool concept.  I've seen a few artists dabble in this concept so if you dig his music please show him some genuine support.  

I subscribed so will be curious to see how this evolves.

Giriu Dvasios (to subscribe)

Sonitus Eco - Eku Neolitiku (2011)

Ok, so some music awards show is on tonite and it literally makes my blood curl (music awards shows always have but for some reason they seem to be getting more and more vapid...).  There's just something nauseating about them.

Obviously I don't rule the television in my household (thus violating a near universal stereotype).

The cure?  Bose QC15s and immersion into 80 GBs of bliss on the shuffle.

The first track was by Sonitus Eco who has been making a name for himself on various netlabels over the past few years but has recently released a full length LP on the Silent Season label, by far one of the best labels operating right now.

The track taking me away was from this EP released in 2011 on the Sound Source Netlabel.

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everythingonmyipod

Imagine if it was called everythingonmyharddrive.

Circlesquare

As I was evolving out of my Global Underground/DJ mix stage, I stumbled across Circlesquare on Disc 3 of Steve Lawler's Viva disc and was blown away by the tracks in the mix.

As with any discovery, I pillage the discography to discover if there's substance there.  In this case, there is much substance.

His Fight Sounds EP remains one of my favorite albums today and is aging well.

Songs About Dancing And Drugs with its chunky beats and funky off kilter rhythms is an engaging follow up and several remix albums came out of it.

He's an artists in a large sense of which music is a part of it.  There's more info on him here.

Dig in...

The Distance After (1999)

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Pre-Earthquake Anthem (2003)

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Fight Sounds EP (2007)

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Flavour Mix - Circlesquare's Super Late Night Music For People In The Dark (2008)

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Songs About Dancing And Drugs (2009)

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Hey You Guys/Dancers (Remixes) (2010)

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Outward Residence (2010)

One more limited release compilation from the Other Heights label, this one featuring Coppice Halifax (aka Brian Grainger), one of the more prolific and talented artists out there, along with Axs, another artist who continues to make more and more of a name for himself.

There is some really incredible music being made...it's like a drug.  

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Cismarine (2008)

Great compilation from the cism netlabel containing some tracks from bvdub, Mr. Cloudy, Grit and a host of others who continue to populate the dub techno universe.

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Mr. Cloudy ‎– Long Wandering (2008)

I've been living in the dub techno universe for a few years now. Sometimes you just find a style of music that speaks to you.  While I do mix it up with a variety (as my mother in law used to say in her thick Jamaican Patois accent, "Too much of one thing good for nothing"), it dominates my headspace.

Mr. Cloudy is running neck and neck with bvdub and Quantec in terms of musical output.  Like most dub tech there is a certain consistency and design in his work but it continues to evolve over time.  This is a good intro to his early work.

Mr. Cloudy's original "Long Wandering" track runs a hypnotic 16 minutes.  Marko Fürstenberg and Grad_U, both names you will become familiar with as you dig deeper into the sound, remix the track and put their own touch on it.

A great introduction to Mr. Cloudy and the modern evolution of dub techno.  This track remains one of my favorites to this day.

Originally found on cismsound.net (which appears to be in transition), you can download it below:

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Changes to the blog...

The world has changed in four years.  

I was going back through old posts and the vast majority of the links are dead.  Most are due to various file hosts (one in particular) being taken down or restricting access to I.P. addresses in the U.S. 

I've gone back through almost all posts and have placed them in draft status.  

I attribute the change to the world of blogging to a few things.

Obviously this is only scratching the surface.

People's tastes in music is evolving exponentially.  The classic rock of my youth is no longer required listening (and it is no longer relevant to me except as a time keeper of my past).  Albums such as The Dark Side of the Moon - an essential album, mind you - were basically issued at birth but cease to be as relevant as they were.  In fact, their relevance is often only in a re-interpretive sense (e.g. Dub Side of the Moon).

Genres have exploded and music has become as personal as it's ever been.  Artists and communities are continually creating and re-creating outside of the mainstream and the Web is the medium connecting everyone.  Shows such as The Voice and American Idol represent the last gasps of the "pop" artist and the big label.

Blogging has proliferated to the point that people no longer need a central resource such as a blog.  Links to albums are embedded in the Web and a simple search will reveal them.  

Other sites such as invite only sites, for those who are members, provide, quite literally, an unlimited medium in which to find any album.  This is community at its best.  

The efforts of the RIAA and the whole copyright mess has merely driven folks underground.  It has basically caused people to hate record labels even more and to avoid the artists represented on the majors.  Until the death of the independent artist and label (often by being consumed by a major label), this is the future.  

This may not be the big money future of, say, the 70s and 80s, but it may just be that middle ground that allows artists to subsist or even make a living doing music.  It also allows more intimate contact with music lovers and is more participatory in nature.  And who knows, as it evolves it may lead to an entirely different musical universe that we can not currently envision.

I have noticed dozens and dozens of blogs dropping over the past few months.  Perhaps they were shut down, perhaps the blog owners moved on to other things for whatever the reason.

As for this blog, it continues.  

Over four years there have been almost 1,500 posts (currently at under 150) and well over 300,000 hits on the blog.  Let's face it, anyone who blogs thrives on the hits whether out of vanity or from the practical reality of the need when it comes to running a blog.  

I intend, over time, to revisit the important posts and re-up them. I hated to put them in draft status because even in draft status they still show the depth of where this blog (and I) have been.

But I decided to take a bit more control of the blog and keep it personal.

For those who are here and for those who have been here throughout the four years, I thank you.

Intrusion ‎– RA.153 (320 kbps) (2009)

About a year or so ago, right in the midst of a slew of releases from the echospace [detroit] label  (on which I invested silly amounts of cash) that were driven by demand from folks on a discogs dub techno forum this upgrade was dropped, also shared by the label.

If you haven't heard this mix, it's one of the standouts in the series and is perhaps the best introduction to the dub techno sound.

Originally issued at 128 kbps, here's the scoop (from the label) on this rip:

"I took it right from [the] hard drive...and converted it from an AIFF to a 320 MP3 using Pro Tools, I don't think there is a better way."

May just be dub techno's Goa Mix, this style of music at its peak as it veered off into new directions leaving imitators in the dust.

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Quietus Recordings (2007-2011)

Though his music quietly grips your soul, bvdub exploded into the musical universe on his own label, for the most part releasing his own works but also capturing some early releases from Quantec and Arc Of Doves.

For those who may not be familiar with bvdub (aka Brock Van Wey) that is difficult to believe considering the incredible volume of musical output (8 albums in 2011 and 5 so far in 2012 not to mention EPs, remixes and other musical adventures).

His White Clouds Drift On And On is one of the best releases of this century and is one of those rare albums that ushered in a sound that is unmistakably his and his alone.  In fact, it caught the ear of Steven Hitchell who not only released it on his echospace [detroit] label but who was moved to create a series of remixes under his Intrusion moniker for Disc 2 of the release.

While this label is currently in hiatus and the albums long out of print (and going for lots of cash in the resale market) the quality of the releases continue to stand the test of time.

The label, the artist(s) and the music all get the highest recommendation.

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Quantec - Journey Of Mind (2009)

One more great release from Quantec.

As befits the Silent Season label, this one is on the quiet tip, something of a change-up from his normal association with the dub techno sound.

Another limited edition, now long out of print.

This is one to get lost in and warrants repeat immersion.

Don't forget to check out the podcasts on Silent Season's home page.

This is easily one of the best labels out there right now, a genuine labor of love.

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Now finally available digitally at Silent Season

HERE

Quantec - Distant Space (2008)

Just revisiting an old post posted back in December of 2009 here (well, at EOMI for those who remember...warm fuzzies anyone?).  Trying to filter through some of the older posts and bring them up to date.

Though there is a certain sameness to Quantec's sound and dub techno in general (and for fans of the genre this is not necessarily a negative thing), there have been some standouts that represent the genre well.

This series of EPs still remains some of my favorites from the early days of my discovery of dub techno when it began to reach a larger audience.

I enjoy them so much I purchased the vinyl.  It really is a beautiful series of records.  And, for digital fans, FLAC is available at various outlets.

Part 1

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Part 2

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Part 3

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Desolate - The Invisible Insurrection (2011)

Must be the onset of winter that's got me in a mood...

One of the best albums of 2011 from Sven Weisemann's Desolate moniker.

Comparisons to Burial are inevitable but aside from surface similarities this album sets off on its own trajectory into beautiful, haunting isolation.

His Celestial Light Beings release from this year is also worth picking up.

Perfect for those long, dark nights when introversion yields appreciation for the beauty hidden only in winter.

[Tucked in here is the bonus track only available on the vinyl release.]

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astrangelyisolatedplace - The Place Series

Couple of my favorite things - music (of course) from a variety of artists from around the world all set in the context of abandoned places, urban decay and isolation.

Currently up to 20 releases with plenty more on the horizon, if you haven't visited this site - and contributed - you are missing out on some amazing music.

There is also an amazing selection of mixes available from an amazing roster of artists.

Highest recommendation.  Dive in and get lost.  Links will keep you busy for days...

I know things are tough all over but please try and donate to keep this music alive.  Doesn't matter how little; small amounts spread across many adds up quickly.

Information, artist info and downloads (all free):

HERE

Living In The Ice Age Vols. 1 and 2

Two really good collections of downtempo tunes, some familiar, some not.

Guaranteed to help you chill

The first one can be found easily on the web, the second, while certainly not rare, is exclusive to HTCIS.

Living In The Ice Age - An Introduction To The Psychedelic Beat (1997)

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Living In The Ice Age Vol. 2 - Stamps, Headphone Music & Lazy Penpals (2000)

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