March, 2008 archive

The latest video from Björk - Wanderlust - continues her tradition of mind-boggling videos.

Here’s one for the ladies that are still pissed off about that sexist deckadance ad: Moby getting naked in a portable bathtub.
Rubber Tub (2008) is a soft bathtub by designer Ole Jensen, made in white EPDM rubber and cork
“A soft tub for the body. For children and adults. For play and healing. In the garden […]

The awesome Pamelia Kurstin performing at TED!
SHe discusses the theremin and performs Autumn Leaves, Billy Strayhorn’s Lush Life and a composition by David Mash, Listen: the Words Are Gone. Piano: Makoto Ozone
Born in Los Angeles, Kurstin currently resides in Vienna, and performs with acclaimed eccentric rockers Barbez, among many others. Her latest solo CD, Thinking […]

This video effectively combines audio and video sampling.
Many people were filmed in St Michael’s church in Byker Newcastle, indidivudally, over the course of a day, playing single notes on various insruments to create a note bank that composer Andy Jackson used to create the score that you see and hear. Most of the participants had […]

The guys at Haken Audio, the creators of the Continuum Keyboard, have published a video that showcases the awesome power of MIDI-controlled Tesla coils.
Here’s the story behind it:
Mark Smart performs live in Urbana, Illinois on March 7, 2008.
This outdoor concert was part of a student-run open house for the College of Engineering at the University […]

OT: Terje Isungset makes instruments out of ice and performs at nordic ice festivals.
Most of the information on him and his music seems to be in Norwegian, but here’s the official blurb on it from his label:
The instruments are made from top quality ice. It must be free of any air bubbles. The instruments are […]

Mike Dory is a master’s candidate at NYU Tisch’s Interactive Telecommunictions Program (ITP), musician, writer, snowboarder, interaction designer, physical computing researcher and coffee addict.
His Concrete Crickets project is a type of audio graffiti that uses electronically generated sounds as graffiti:
Graffiti is one of the most powerful and most personal displays in the urban experience, and […]

Psychedelic Electronic Music Toy

The Zizzle Zoundz is a psychedelic electronic music toy that looks to me like it might be as much fun for parents as it is for kids.
Apparently it uses RFID embedded in the pieces that act as triggers.
Here’s the official description:
Zoundz creates a fusion of self- composed music with an accompanying light show. With it, […]

An abstract music video by Stretta, made by animating particle generators for each musical part.
The music is Coalescence and Luxation, which was created on an analog modular synth, one monophonic line at a time, primarily with Cwejman modules. Full synth nerd details at Stretta’s site.

There’s a been a lot of interesting synth and electronic music news this week, but it’s always hard to predict what people are going to find interesting.
Here are the stories that got people talking this week, along with some of the most interesting comments:

What do you think of Holy Fuck? - a lot of discussion […]

Matador records filmed a set of short documentaries on the all-analog mastering process by which Mission of Burma’s landmark recordings from the early 1980’s were re-mastered.
The process documented is vintage, old-school tape process. The gear is original. The vinyl is live cut.
It’s an interesting and timely set of videos:
Mission of Burma- Burma Reissue Mastering Sessions […]

René van der Wouden’s Universal Quiet is a collection of retro synth music that is a treat for fans of 70’s Berlin School music.van der Wouden is a Dutch composer and synthesist who describes his style as retro, Berliner Schule and progressive. van der Wouden builds on Klaus Schulze’s pioneering mid-seventies sound, modernizing it and […]

There’s a great profile of synth guru turned radical life-extension advocate Ray Kurzweil over at Wired.
As a Kurzweil 2500 owner, I appreciate Kurzweil’s genius. But after reading this article, it’s hard not to think that he’s a bit wacky, too:
Kurzweil is writing and producing an autobiographical movie, with walk-ons by Alan Dershowitz and Tony […]

This is off topic a bit, but you gotta love this remake of the classic Lightcycle scene from Tron. The original may have had a great soundtrack by Wendy Carlos, but this one has a low-budget cool of its own.
via Kotaku

DJ/producer Paul Oakenfold has scored the upcoming video game Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy.
Oakenfold follows a long string of electronic music artists, including NIN & Amon Tobin, to score video games.
“It was a rewarding experience to score The Bourne Conspiracy video game — I have always been a fan of the series and the pace […]