Album Update 2

Sent off 12 press packs today to various publications and radio heads, still have more to make and send. Went all out on the design in an attempt to make it more interesting for the person receiving the package, now i just hope they listen to the CD and give it a good review!
Giant hi-5 to my sister, Anna, for helping me out with the whole process, no one else will ever know the many ridiculous draft messages that were written to David Stubbs and Derek Walmsley of The Wire magazine.
Each jiffy bag was spray painted matt black with the address written in silver.
On the back was a stencil of a halogen bulb (made by magic Jake) along with the return address.
As wells as a copy of the press release and the album, was a black card each with its own unique photo i had taken and a personal message. This was then bundled up with string and stuffed in the bag.

Unique Beat Podcast

My buddy IG88 informed of a new podcast that featured my track 'Not The Remix'. Alongside it are some other pretty interesting tunes as well as something special from the aforementioned IG88 who i recently completed a remix for. You can hear the podcast here.

Album Update

The Halogen - 'Baked' debut album is being printed and duplicated as we speak. Trying to locate some places to sell it, review it and play it. Release date set for 5th October - so get the word out.
Album track previews can be heard on the http://www.myspace.com/halogenbulbs

Retrospectre

'Retrospectre' will be dedicated to those dusty musical masterpieces that i have had the pleasure of rediscovering. Like 'Frequency' only with old stuff that's been around a while.
first up:

Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
My goodness. This album hit me in the face with such intensity i nearly wept at its ferocious magnitude. One of the greatest rock records of all time, fill of sweeping melodies, bone crushing riffs and BIG BEATS. Ozzy is on top form, reminding us why he deserve the legend that follows him, and Iommi's guitar is heavier than any over produced metal record ive heard the last 20 years. Stand out tracks: 'Sabbra Cadabra' / 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath' / 'A National Acrobat'

Coldplay - Parachutes
I've received a lot of stick for listening to the album, but it's fantastic.
Before Coldplay were a chart topping stadium rock band naming children after fruit baskets they were (still chart topping) post-uni boys making heart tugging tracks. The balance of instrumentation is impeccable (thanks to Ken Nelson production) and every member shows true skill with their instruments. The guitar have a post rock epicness to them, the bass is melodic and never stagnant, the drums are inventive and pronounced and Chris Martin's voice is angelic.
So so so so good.
Stand out tracks: 'Shiver' / 'Spies' / 'Sparks'

Junk Mail

SPAM and junk mail is a horrific defect of the cyber culture, clogging inboxes like matted hair in a sink. However, among the multitude of useless information lie some literary gems, albeit equally useless as the rest, they make selling Viagra far more cryptic and pseudo-philisophical than I had ever thought possible.
I used some edits of said junk mail for the artwork in my Recycled Broadcasts EP.
I fail to see the benefits of using these marketing techniques but would love to know how they are made. Here's a recent classic:

From: Stripling Arabajian
Subject: i yi ,h
M EXAMINATION PAPERS.* Ques. Give a rule for the use of the period? Ans. Every period must begin with a capital. Ans. A period is a dot written to the end of a sentence and is used to low the voice. Ans. A period is used for the topage of a sentence and to make our reading sound better than if we had no period. Ques. What is the chief occupation in the South Atlantic States? Ans. The ocoopations cold in the north part, but in the lower part rain seldom fails. FROM A SUNDAY-SCHOOL. The lesson was on The Ten Virgins, and the next Sunday the review question was asked, "What was the lesson about last Sunday?" and a bright boy gave the prompt answer, "About ten gals that went to a weddin." COMPOSITION LETTERS FROM YOUNG PUPILS. My dear teacher, God be with you witch I know he will, as the Song says God can see me every day when I work and when I play. again God is always near me when I pray. I shall nor for get Miss H. her name shall never die out Christ have mercy upon her If God calls her I will spect to meet her in heven at the last trumpet shall sound. I will be thair. Yours truly, Robert ---- Dear teacher, I wish I could write good. I have not done my duty. I will try the next time and do better. I am very sorry. I will try and do better. May God help me to obey my teacher. Miss F. is sick. I hope she will get better. I will try to be like Jesus. I have sign the pledge and have kept it. Now I will close my bad lines. I hope you will come back next year. Good by. Your aff Scholar, James ----

Frequency Eight

It's been a furiously intense few months; festivals, friends, graduation and 'real life' stuff that extends beyond the realms of cybersocial journal banter. However along the way, as usual, i have heard some awesome new music that must be shared. Enjoy.

The XX
Saw this band at Loop festival on recommendation of a friend. Apparently they use to be really bad but at present their songs hold a melancholy sweetness that remains upbeat without descending in to the 'slit your wrists' side of somber music. Very understated stage presence, all four members dressed in black looking very serious. They were awesome.
www.myspace.com/thexx

Sully
Another gem from my musical advisor Mr. Holderness. 2-step beautifulness with lush garage vocals. Tres Bo.
Listen to Phonebox EP: Last.FM
www.myspace.com/sullysg6

Junior Boys
Just the kind of 80s visionary pop magic that is in abundance at the moment; MGMT, La Roux, Ladyhawke, Empire of The Sun etc, except far more genuine sounding with less of that Hollywood gloss and ambitious hair.
www.myspace.com/juniorboys

University of Brighton Degree Show 2009

My time on the Digital Music and Sound Art course has come to its conclusion. For my final year university degree project i created an interactive installation using glass bowls and contact mics. The signal from the mics were sent to a mixer and then to a laptop where all the sound processing was done using the Plogue software Bidule. Each of the five mics used had a different chain of effects which created the strange sounds.
Included was:
*Music boxes
*Rubber tipped mallets
*Rulers
*A whisk
*Wooden spoons
*Bottle caps
Participants were invited to be creative and experiment and make their own compositions and soundscapes regardless of any previous musical experience or aptitude.
The installation was named Contact.
A huge thank you goes to Alain Guisan, without whom this would not have been possible.

see more photos here










Other amazing stuff included:

Hemisphere
Zak Norman

Another interacitve installation, Hemisphere used an EEG scanner (more commonly used in hospitals) which scans your brain frequencies and converts in to data that can automate parameters of a prefabricated musical composition as wells syncronize with visuals.
Different levels of thinking (concentration, logic, memory, emotion and facial expression) resonate at different frequencies which are picked up by the EEG consequently changing different aspects of the music and visuals.



The creator, Zak Norman, and his screens.



TEEJ
Tom Marshall

A live improvised performance with electric guitar, drums, keyboards and live looping using Ableton Live, all of it was played against a giant backdrop of audio responsive visuals. It was amazing, check his blog here.





Duffular
Dan Duff

A touch screen granular sampler. Users can select from a bank of samples and set loop points whilst effecting them with, filters, reverb, delay, pitchshifting and distortion. Generates beautiful soundscapes reminiscent of Tim Hecker.



The Listening Tree
Adam Ward

A walk-in environment consisting of a simulated tree surrounded by fake leaves, lights that look like fruits and real bark on the floor. There were eight speakers hung around the room that played a montage of field recording soundscapes, moving from a rainforest to the sea and into the busy urban sounds of Brighton's center. People could enter the space and sit on the bench provided to hear the 10 minute piece. This was one of my favourites.


Sadly, Dan was not part of the installation.

Lo-Fi Hi-Fi
Max Hart

Another notable piece was the work of Max Hart who studied Performance and Visual Art which was exhibited just down the hall from our room. Three perspex tubes were mounted on to three upward facing motor fans, each housed a steel rod that guided a vinyl up toward a tonearm needle, dismantled from an ordinary record player. The fans were automated by programme normally used for a lighting rig, they would push the vinyls to the top of tubes and cause them to spin against the needle which was played out through a loudspeaker. It looked and sounded genius-insane.