April, 2008 archive

Yamaha has introduced a collection of Yamaha Key designs for Milano Salone 2008, an international furniture design trade show and competition, based on the theme “key for you”.
According to the company, the designs use a Minimal Element/Maximum Effect concept.

Let me know what you think of these design concepts in the comments.

Glitch is a genre of electronic music derived from a fascination with the sound of technology failing in interesting ways. While the music originated with musicians exploring things like CDs skipping, the sound of glitch has been absorbed into all types of electronic music, with musicians using glitch noises and effects within a rhythmic framework.
Here [...]

The Moon Modular 563 is a Moog modular format trigger sequencer. Four rows of toggles control eight steps of four trigger voices.
Per YuSynth:
This Moon Modular 563 module is apparently the commercial version of a module that was custom-made for Gert Jalass. For Xmas 2006, Gert Jalass sent me a Xmas card showing his sequencer unit [...]

This may actually go back farther than the “steampunk” headline suggests. Is there such a thing as “cavepunk”?
If you can’t get your hands on an 808 or 909, that’s no excuse. This bizarre DIY project uses matches to create a primitive drum machine.

Synch 2008 will bring new music and alternative music to Athens, Greece June 13-15.
The line-up includes Parallel Worlds, Happy Mondays, Yo La Tengo, Holy Fuck, Sterolab, Juan Atkins and many others.

Scott at Bitnotic sent us some info on their new generative ambient music application, chill.
chill 1.0b1 is a generative ambient music program for Apple Macintosh computers that creates infinitely varying songs in a ambient/chill out style.
Songs played by chill can be saved in AIFF, Wave, and MIDI formats. Songs are royalty-free and can be used [...]

 

 Bitnotic Chill Demo [8:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The music video for Go Speed Racer Go, performed by Ali Dee and the Deekompressors, featuring footage from the new Speed Racer movie, starring Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, Matthew Fox, Susan Sarandon and John Goodman.
I could give you about a dozen reasons why I should hate this, from the music to the crapulous source material [...]

Hamster Sammy enjoys improvising on an Opal Sonome:
She gives herself a little wash and clean while holding down a minor 9th chord! The plastic sphere is her means of transport while chasing humans across the kitchen floor, her equivalent to a skateboard or bike.
The Opal Sonome looks substantially similar to the C-Thru Axis that we [...]

This Reactable demo from AHNE 2008 highlights a great DIY project.
Do you think this is an instrument, though, or more of a music toy?

Apple today updated iMac line with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors and the most powerful graphics ever available in an iMac.
The iMac now includes faster processors with 6MB L2 cache and a faster 1066 MHz front-side bus across the entire line, and 2GB of memory standard in most models. The 24-inch iMac now [...]