Strictly Electronic

It recently came to my attention that my significant other isn't familiar with a fuckton of the music I hold dear, namely key players in the world of electronica. This is unacceptable and must be remedied. Solution: PLAYLIST TIME! While I can't claim this is even remotely close to a History Of  or even Comprehensive Introduction to Techno,  I can put together a fun mixtape of songs and artists that were essential in developing my own personal appreciation of genre.

Because it turned out so long, I've divided into two movements. The songs are pretty much grouped by artist and somewhat organized by subgenre (...as defined by me). PART ONE starts off with Ed Banger bros and moves through artists based on what I consider to be incestuous remix relationships. It stays mostly within the confines of  minimalist, experimental house, if that's even a thing. PART TWO explores the more lyrical, danceable, psychadelic and poppy sides of electronica. So basically, everything else. It even has some dips into trance, drumNbass and triphop. God this was fun to make. A most productive trip down memory lane. Enjoy!

Listen on Grooveshark, Spotify or Download from Dropbox

PART 1

PART 2

Illustration by So Me.

HEADS UP: For the life of me, I can't find any of The Chemical Brothers on Grooveshark, so sadface. Also, in the zipfile version, the Lemon Jelly tracks aren't obeying my requested changes in their ID3 tags. They are supposed to be songs 63 and 64-- down with the triphop, out of electrohouse territory.

Lastly, no post about electronica is complete without a flowchart. Eventually I have plans to map out the artists featured in this mix based on their country of origin, remix connections and general subgenre tendencies. But that's a good amount of effort and research I'll reserve for another day. Til then, you get this classic:

(toothpastefordinner.com)

Yell at me for leaving your favorites out, I dare you. Some crucial dudes only had tiny roles because I believe their contribution to be universally acknowledged (yeah, I'm looking at YOU DPunk) and this lesson in techno was getting pretty lengthy as it was. But there are people I may have legitmately forgotten and I'm never opposed to expanding my music library -TEACH ME. This way I can have them all in the same thread. Actually I'll go ahead and start: "UHH...KRAFTWERK???"

And in case you need moaaarrrr, have some RELATED POSTS:

nom nom electronica

Sounds of Soulwax

It's not you, it's the E talking

Music for people who should know better

I've Measured Out My Life in Coffee Pots

Fellow Caffeine Addicts, this is a note for you. I'd like propose an quasi-experiment based purely on information gleaned from a Futurama episode . We will be utilizing qualitative methods so if you want to participate, I will expect serious field notes of experiences and observations. Here's a rundown of the procedure:
Step 1: Drink 100 cups of coffee in a 24 hour period. (YouTube user incrediblydownfallen recommends you accomplish this to the tune of a Dethklok song and I am inclined to agree)



Step 2: Observe and document the phenomenological effects on time perception. You don't have to set your house/workplace on fire, but hey let's just face facts, it can only make things more interesting.



Allright, who's down? I've already started supersaturating my bloodstream with delicious Colombian-Dark-Roast goodness ...FOR SCIENCE! *twitch*


edit: Oh wait, just in case I'm legally obligated to write this somewhere, "Seriously though guys, I'm not actually advocating you drink yourself to death by means of heart explosion. Be responsible. No more than 63...64 cups a day. Anything more is just reckless."

Science is art, art science

—that is all

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know

I'm going through another one of those phases where I obsess over the people I want to be when I grow up instead of working on the steps to become them (like tracking down their address and social security information). Actually that's not quite fair, I have been trying to work on a fun side-project animation for about a month now but keep getting distracted by my job, responsibilities to my future, and fantastic animators who blow my mind open with their science-art.

First up: Candaş Şişman dives into the artistic side of math with F L U X.

Dedicated to the sculptor İlhan Koman, this animation explores new perspectives on his works "Pi, 3D Moebius, Whirlpool and To Infinity" with hypontic audio-visual textures. Remember Peripetics? Similar animation style, but overall F L U X is more fluid and less... strange.

(via Change the Thought)

Next: David Bolinksy's 2007 TED talk, The Inner Life of a Cell. He chats about truth, beauty and the exciting field of medical animation. You can can check out more of his studio's work on their website. Seriously Jeremiah, your dad is a bamf.

Now, I know I've been saying this a lot lately but how has someone not made a live action remake of the Magic School Bus series yet?! WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY. I'm looking at you, Spike Jonze, for apparently not having any qualms rewriting our generation's collective childhood memories anyway. Wait, I take that back. The only person I would completely trust with my favorite book series is Michel Gondry. So you guys should to work on it together. Mmkay, good talk.

Last but not certainly not least, I present to you one of my all-time favorite animations: Procrastination, an unassuming masterpiece that perfectly captures how it feels to resist productivity at all costs. This is Johnny Kelly's graduation film from the Royal College of Art in 2007 and while it might not have anything to do with the science-of-art or art-of-science, I trust in your abilities to figure out how it's relevant.

Aaaaaand that's my cue.

Crystal Head Cult

When I left my job at the Business School this past January, one of my Coworkers gave me a Crystal Head Skull full of vodka. Easily the best going-away gift ever. However, while I can't yet attest to the quality of the vodka (I'm waiting for the right occasion! It's too beautiful!) I do have a few things to say about the company. Like WOW DAN AKROYD HAS GONE BATSHIT INSANE.

"Connect to the message of the crystal heads here on earth- the enlightenment of human kind and the spiritual awakening which can occur in all of us and the acceptance that there is more to life than mere material reality."

Uh... what?

Go ahead, go to the website (if you dare). He's completely serious. I watched the entire introductory video waiting desperately for some sort of punchline.

"We chose Newfoundland for the purity of their land and water...We [quadruple distill the vodka] through carbon... and then triple filter it through 500 million year old crystals known as Herkamer diamonds."

Oh. my. god.

Do these people not realize that the novelty of buying liquor in a skull is enough to make this a marketable product? Are there actually customers out there that only prefer this brand because of its "purity of spirit" and ethereal connection to other planes of existence? Either this website is one huge flawless joke on pretentiousness in general or they're a just few steps away from moving to Guyana and mixing up some Koolaid, Cyanide & Vodka cocktails. Yeah, I went there. (OHHHHHH YEAAA.)

Speaking of cults, the whole POINT of this post was to bring up an awesome thought I had the other day: why does Crystal Head co. limit themselves to skulls? Animator David O'Reilly allows people to download a free version of his 3D model Walt Disney Head from his internet website. You might remember it from his remarkably adorable (/absurd) animation ?????:

????? from David OReilly on Vimeo.

I don't think I'm alone when I say I'd LOVE to do shots out of a Disney head I keep in the freezer. I mean come on, that's like a million cryogenic preservation jokes just waiting to happen. Am I right, guys? Guys?

Historical Justification for my Obsession with Scion

or It's Hip To Be Square.

If there's one thing Scion does well, it's stand out. On the highway, in their advertising, and even from the traditional definition of a car. Sounds like I'm exaggerating but honestly, the more I research their marketing strategies and campaigns, the more infatuated I become with their revolutionary take on branding. Sure, I'm biased--I fall smack dab in the focal point of their target market but that doesn't make this company any less groOovy, maaan.

A (NOT SO) BRIEF HISTORY

This subset of Toyota was founded in 2002 with a very specific market segment in mind: Generation Y of the United States. (You heard right, this brand isn't sold anywhere else in the world. Yet. September 2010 marks its release in Canada.) Given such a limited target, they were allowed certain freedoms in marketing strategies that wouldn't have been feasible on a massive scale. Honestly, the company's promotions resemble the evolution of a cultural trend than product-pushing which is either awesomely authentic or brilliantly engineered. Either way, remarkable. Observe:

• The first year of sales were contained to California.
• Advertising started at the ground level- local events, concerts, art shows. TV ads didn't come til later.
• When TV ads did appear, they were alt as shit

Unsurprisingly, the Scion has been heralded as "one of the auto industry's most extraordinary marketing success stories" for empowering consumers and creating a market for (what used to be) a new car at a used car price (Ad Age). I think the keys to Scion’s success are sincerity, consistency, and customizability. After all, marketing to Gen Y doesn’t just mean throwing around recycled buzzwords to catch consumer attention, it means creating an experience that is reflected on every level of interaction with the brand.

In doing this, Scion created more than a marque of cars, it paved the way for a new kind of relationship with your car. Because, let’s face it, anyone can make a square car: Pontiac has the Aztek (2001), Chrysler has the PT Cruiser (1999) and Nissan has the Cube (1998), Honda has the Element (2003). No big. What Scion offers, on the other hand, is literally and figuratively a vechicle for your creativity. Back in 2008, the company estimated that on average, Scion owners spent as much on accessories and customizations for their car in the first 36 months of ownership as they did on the car itself. That's anything but normal. Did you know that Scion prices are nonnegotiable? If a Toyota dealership charges you more or less than the listed MSRP, their license to sell Scions is revoked. So no matter where you live or where you go, you pay the same price. This creates an easy, open environment for car buying and completely removes the frustration of playing cat and mouse with the pushy salesmen. Why? Because Gen Y is fucking tired of games.

Backing up the no-nonsense Pure Price policy is the (perceived) sincerity of their advertising. Scion continues to sponsor and support local-level musicians and artists. They even have their own music festival in Oregon (of course). Browsing through the website, you get the distinct impression that they selling you the community as much as a car. Call me a sucker, but this is a nice change from every other brand listing endless specs.Anyhow, enough of my soapbox, now for the fun part:

THE COMMERCIALS!

Divided into my three favorite campaigns: United by Individuality, What Moves You, and Want2BSquare.

UNITED BY INDIVIDUALITY

The is the commercial that caught my eye and started the ball rolling on my obsession. One of many reasons to stay up late watching adult swim on a large HD screen. The ad pairs visually stunning graphics of the infinite creative possibilities with custom-made sample-based mashups to represent the remix potential of the car’s (and the owner’s) identity.

Microsampling

Splicer

Just in case consumers start wondering "How can I be unique if we're all buying the same cars?" They throw in some catchy (/cheesy) taglines: “Stand with us by Standing out,” “Become one of us by becoming none of us,” “Create a following by never following.” etc

Declaration

This is my least favorite of the series. It seems a little cheesy. But it definitely ties the room together. Baseline of the campaign: The car is a blank canvas of expression that is as alternative and eccentric as the individual behind the wheel.

WHAT MOVES YOU

Any company trying to embrace counter-culture advertising is forced to walk a fine line between garnering support and scorning mass appeal. In a sense, the Scion cars were the perfect product for this balancing act. Consumers can immediately appreciate the quality, as each is essentially a Corolla, which is one of, if not the, best-selling car in its class. At the same time, the aesthetics of each model almost guarantee limited popularity. I’ll admit it, the first time I saw an XB I thought it was horrible. Scion takes advantage of this guttural reaction and markets it as a strength. And THAT’s good advertising.

Pendulum

I love the creepy little kid's voice, it definitely adds to the overall eeriness of the commercial.

Or Not

We know some of you think it's ugly. But we don't care what you think.

What Moves You

This one fits more into the customizing theme of the other campaign, but I'm categorizing it by tagline. Yup.

WANT 2 B SQUARE

This was one of their most successful guerilla marketing campaigns because it took advantage of the internet back when viral marketing was still ramping up. The websites associated with the campaign featured games, interactive activities and a quirky online atmosphere to draw users in. Nowadays, we expect this from a website. Then again, nowadays we’re all overstimulated, attention-deficit brats spoiled by information overload. So the context is a little different. But I think these commercials transcend context and will remain awesome forever and ever amen.

Plus, the “Being Square” pun is pretty clever (cuz the cars are square, get it?)

Oh and back to the idea of supporting local—all three of these ads were created by individuals that ATTIK found by scouring youtube for quirky aspiring animators/filmmakers. Pretty sweet, if you ask me.

Surgery

Reminiscent of Saw this ad follows mad-scientist Christopher-Walken-lookalike in his exploits.

Round to be Square

Delightfully whimsical for such a morbid cartoon.

CONCLUSION
H’okay. That’s enough for today. Eventually I want tackle the crazy topic that is SCION CONCEPT CARS, PAST PRESENT, FUTURE. But mehh this post is TL;DR enough as it is. Am I right? I'm pretty sure I already mentioned something about information overload but I’m too lazy to scroll back up...well whatever nevermind.

IN THE END, I believe the marketing department of Scion (and those cool cats at ATTIK) are fucking geniuses. They’ve pumped out 8 years of solid, smart eye candy all the while remaining true to their original target and goal. That said, I think the brand is at a cross-roads. Whether Scion sticks with the young-hip-cultural vibe or decides to age along with Gen Y, they’ll have to reassess their strategies and values.

Parting thoughts-- Sadly, no matter how much I love and admire the company on an abstract level, I couldn't bring myself to buy one of their new cars. I miss the First Generation of XBs.Maybe this is a sad sign I'm slipping out of their target demographic.

Well THAT is a sentence I never thought I would utter.

The Sound of Surrealism

Isn't it fascinating how our brains have trained themselves to interpret reality? All we're doing is inputting vibrations from the environment. Somehow this assault of stimuli is translated into electrochemical signals and sorted into networks, popping out the other end as sound, color, and meaning. (It's magic! ...fucking magnets...)

After awhile we get pretty used to how things are supposed to sound, look and feel. I mean, we've built up a lifetime of experience to tell us what is or is not physically possible. And that is why surrealism rocks so hard. I like to think of it as the art of stomping on your expectations. Ironic, absurd, subconsciously extracted- call it what you will. Sometimes it means transcending reality by drawing inspiration from internal reservoirs (ex: dreams). Sometimes it means messing with the fundamental laws of nature (ex: melting clocks). Sometimes it means disturbing you on a fundamental level, forcing you to question what exactly it is that you've been experiencing all along.

So, here to wake you up from this perceptual operating system we call reality, I present Zeitguised, a 3D motion-design group, self-described as "the strange, obscure twin of contemporary zeitgeist imagineering." I found their videos browsing through Vimeo staffer's favorites (a very redeeming way to waste time, for sure).

This audio-visual candy comes from a six-act (but only three-minute) exhibit they aired for the opening of the Zirkel Gallery. It presents a hyperrealistic fusion of plants, human bodies, textures, sounds and architecture. Watch it fullscreen. With headphones. Relax let yourself travel to a reality controlled by sound waves and fueled with lysergic acid diethylamide. Delicious.

First up, the original Peripetics. And because I so love the way they describe themselves, this is an "installation of an irreversible axis on a dynamic timeline."

Don't worry, there's more : Peripetics Ex Machina features scenes, outtakes, and iterations of the exhibition that didn't make it into the final cut.

(and that is why I want to learn 3D modeling)

Other gems among their work include Room Zoo, commercials for the Toyota Aygo & Yaris TVC and Untitled Geometries: Booleay. They remind me a lot of ATTIK's work on the new Scion ad campaign, but that's a whole different can of worms (/blog post).

Honestly, I'm curious how watching these videos makes other people feel. After all, that's the best part about perception, maaaaaaan. Even when presented with the same stimuli, we all walk away with our own personal gut-feelings. Brilliant or nonsensical, you decide!

: : : : : Want MORE Zeitguised? Visit their portfolio, blog, or videos

And I've decided to make playlists again.Partly because it's fun to think of songs that are conceptually linked to posts and partly because I like documenting what I'm listening to. Unfortunately, seeqpod is dead and buried and took all of my previous playlists with it. So it goes. Cristina-from-the-future, this is for you.

The Sound of Surrealism

Alan Parsons, Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve, Chemical Bros, Lemon Jelly, MM MMM GOOD.

Mmm, Walt Disney's Head on a Platter

Obsession of the week: David O'Reilly, animator extraordinnaire!

I like that even though he toys with abstract/absurd images, he still manages to achieve some sense of realism and poignancy. After stalking him on Vimeo , I've come up with a list of MUST-SEEs for all you bored internet fiends.  First, ????? (my favorite) a clip from a previous film collaboration. 

Yes, that is Walt Disney's head.  Yes, you can have one of your very own. Take up OReilly's challenge and create something fun out of it. (Download- 3D WALT DISNEY HEAD.)

Next, Please Say Something  is a short film about a cat and mouse in a "troubled relationship." This has been winning all kinds of awards (Golden Bear at 2009 Berlinale, Best German film at Oberhausen).  I love the way he uses sound in this short- he seems to channel everything I love about David Lynch.

There's also Son of Rambow - an episodic depiction of how a young  illustrator sees the world, Floaters - a short starring the bio- debris that floats around in your eyeball jelly (is that awesome or WHAT?), BANG - some explosive graphics for an M.I.A song, which apparently COME OUT OF THE SCREEN AND SHOOT YOU if you wear 3-d glasses, Identity - is his logo a pooping dog or a flying duck? The world may never know!, and his iPhone app of a kitty hologram.

You can follow David on Twitter or go to his website for more info/works/stuff.

Sunshine State is not living up to its nickname...

I have some downtime for the moment so here goes a short documentaiton of the flawrida road trip thus far. First, highlights of the 10 hour drive:
-In Baton Rouge, Abhinav's GPS system, Alfred, decided to use private driveways, back alleys and condominium parking lots as "roads" to lead us through the ghetto to a restaurant. Of course, at the end of the journey, there was a construction fence separating us from our destination.
-Later, in Alabama, we got pulled over for "swerving" by some profiling cop who really just wanted an excuse to question this dark foreigner sporting out-of-state plates and white girl in the passenger seat. We'd been making jokes about this possibility the entire way there, but the fact that it actually happened: priceless.

By the time we got to the condo at 12:57am(Alfred had projected 1:13. HA! We showed him.) every one had already fallen asleep. But honestly, being welcomed by a fridge stuffed full of beer and cheese was good enough.

Next day, I wake up to natural light and the sound of the ocean... heaven. After an amazing breakfast at Waffle House followed by some Krispy Kreme minis, we split into two groups: the girls (sans me) ran off to take advantage of the desperate outlet malls' sales, and the rest of us decided to make like beached whales and head straight for the sand. Unfortunately (as the title of this post has already hinted) there was no sunshine in sight, only a thick misty fog blanketing the beach for miles. This is where the fun comes in: terrible laying-out-on-the-beach weather makes for fantastic fucking-massive-waves. Kayaking attempts failed for the most part, so we turned to body-boarding and the old-school childhood method of entertainment- jumping into breaking waves. I forget how much I like real beaches. Living 45 minutes away from the murky, (and no doubt disease infested) waters of Galveston beach you quickly learn that there are more safe and entertaining ways to die young.
Anyhow, the awesome-waves soon turned too scary for even us reckless adolescents to crash. Now we're back inside watching Crowder play Zombie Nazis. I love summertime.

Beyond Wizard's Sleeve

Now that school is FINALLY done interfereing with my music stalking abilities: here's something I seem to have missed in the past months...

Apparently Erol Alkan and his buddy Richard Norris (aka Beyond the Wizard’s Sleeve) have putting out new albums without telling me! Unlike Erol's usual M.O. of high intensity club remix, this side-group demonstrates his mind-blowing electro skillz taken off into another direction: experimental electro trip-hop (or whaever). The use of audio reminds me of The Avalanches and Lemon Jelly, but past that it's hard to really tie them down to a genre. Too bad I found this after finals, it’s the perfect study music: interesting enough to keep you awake, but not so much that it’s distracting. The good ol’ interwebz has sponsored the first album- Ark 1 and a neat 2007 DJ set they did if anyone is interested. I'm still searching for the Re-Animation, their remix compilation album, so till I actually find it, I'll just post the tracklist to drool over:

01. The Chemical Brothers - Battle Scars (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation)
02. Franz Ferdinand - Ulysses (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation)
03. Late Of The Pier - The Bears Are Coming (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation)
04. Peter, Bjorn And John feat. Victoria Bergman - Young Folks (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation)
05. Tracey Thorn - Raise The Roof (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation)
06. Badly Drawn Boy - Promises (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation)
07. Goldfrapp - Happiness (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation)
08. Midlake - Roscoe (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation)
09. Dust Galaxy - Come Hear The Trumpets (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve
Re-Animation)
10. Real Ones - Outlaw (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation)
11. Simian Mobile Disco - Love (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation)
12. Findlay Brown - Losing The Will To Survive (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation)

update: posting links as I find them!

thanks to Feeder, Kumo, 

Mini Sirloin Cupcakes!

Best excuse to take a break from crunch-cram-final-writing ever.

Also, most delicious excuse.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYLE!!

The idea for these delicious mini-nomz came entirely from Smiley's Sweets and Creations where she called them "Little Slider Cupcakes." Adorable and super creative! Buy stuff from her!

Let them eat crack.

This week's edition of Mild Obsessions is brought to you by British badass BANKSY:
a somewhat anonymous Graffiti artist from Bristol who specializes in satirical street art and drawing rats. Visit his site for more sTuFf: outdoor stencils, indoor installations, a video, a "gift shop" of downloadable images. Saweeeet.

"Pissing Guard"

"Artiste"

"Media" (My favorite)
"Let them eat crack."
You shouldn't mess with graffiti writers...

And just so it's out there: Houston has a pretty kickass street-art scene as well.
CHECK IT @ Marco From Houston's Flickr

Because Kyle wouldn't give the Maître d' head.

Mmmm REEF.
Having dinner at this mid-town seafood restaurant is an experience, to say the least. You get to hear yourself order trendy things, such as the the snapper carpaccio, with grapefruit agra dolce and garlic bruschetta as an appetizer and then the grilled amberjack with plantain and long bean saute in pickled plum jus as an entree. Don't forget the Thyme after Lime martini made with a base of grapefruit juice and gin.

Absolutely Delicious, highly recommended for peeps who like seafood, drinks and pretentious menus.

I don't care for fancy things

Since I know you probably have better things to do with your lives than obsess over music blogs, I'll help spread the word. Merriweather Post Pavilion, Animal Collective's new album, leaked a few days ago. And it is beautiful (even beyond the trip-tastic album art.)

In all honesty, it's not my favorite album of theirs. At first I thought it was overly repetitive and, considering it's Animal Collective, tame. But second time around, it hit me. This album is repetitive in the same way that techno is repetitive: a certain acoustic elegance emerges from patterns and echoes. It allows you to focus in on various sounds by playing with slight variations in these patterns, and each time around the chorus you unravel different layers of sound. Or maybe I'm listening way too much into this (hey, I had to think of a way to justify my electrohouse obsessions somehow...) As for the album's "tame-ness," I guess I can appreciate a chill album every once in a while. BUT I EXPECT THE NEXT ONE TO BE OFF THE WALLS, MMKAY?

Anyway, in the end, who could turn down fiftyfour minutes of cheerful tinkling, ethereal reverberations, warm harmonies, and well... all of the other soundbyte goodies that come with an experimental-psychadelic-freakfolk-band? Not me, that's who.

Torrent link
MOAR Animal Collective

Ah, the Fourth of July.
There's nothing more American spending obscene amounts of money towards blowing pretty shit up to appease the masses. (Bread and circuses are sooooo Roman Empire.) Besides, fireworks show how much we truly care about the environment. And the poor. And our National debt. (Calm down and remember Rule #20 mmk? No matter how much I mock the holiday, I still ADORE it. Even if this leaves me slightly disgusted with myself...)

Buy the ticket, watch the FILM.
(Seriously though. Go do it. Now.) Gonzo, the Hunter S. Thompson documentary, came out today. I thought it was pretty amazing, especially since I didn't know most of his background story going in. Then again, I can't objectively say whether or not it was actually a good movie since I'd probably end up enjoying anything that has to do the good Doctor. (This explains why I intend to buy all promotional material for the flick: the movie poster pictured here and a handful of severed kitten heads seared with F&L quotes. Delicious.)

And then there was the BBQ,
and it was good.
Learned something new today: apparently they make jalapeño flavored burger patties. Apparently they are quite delicious.
Many props to Alex-Randy-Viren on being great hosts. I can't wait to kill you all and claim the house. *ahem* I mean, move in for the school year.
Daft Punk is Playing in My Head, MY HEAD.
The walk back to the Esplanade to watch fireworks was trippy as fuck. Mostly because the medical center at night is absolutely GORGEOUS. You lose yourself in the pretty colors. (And find yourself in the Bright Lights, Big City *happy sigh*) And just so you know, I did actually have Daft Punk and LCD Soundsystem reverberating through my skull the entire time. I was living a James Murphy music video. I can now die happy.

Fireworks. are. visual. orgasms.
I have just decided this.

Soulwax remix, anyone?

It's not you, it's the E talking.

Newest musical obsession:
Erol Alkan: Bugged Out Classics (Disc 1 and 2)

I originally met him through his rework of Interpol's Mammoth, but fell in love when he remixed Justice's Waters of Nazareth. Listening to this mix has just confirmed that I want to have his children. (Even if it means giving the lame-emo-hair gene a chance at surviving for another generation.)

Basically, the tracklist is a compilation made for those of us who do not have the luxury of attending Bugged Out! parties. Personally, I like the first disk a lot better because it really captures the club feel-- the songs are more intense, upbeat, and basically overwhelm you with the urge to do the D.A.N.C.E. The second disc is aptly dubbed the "Bugged in" mix since it's built of the more chilled-out tracks. Keeping it on shuffle creates a dynamic bouncing-around-the-room experience, since you alternate between frenzied rock-out and soothing trip-out. All in all, LOVE IT. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go yell at my mom for birthing me on this side of the Atlantic.

My two favorites (so far) :

Adventures in Local Music Pt 2

Meet the Future Blondes, a trance-like experimental industrial* project.

Start with Numbers' dark, hollow, shell of a room. Then, abruptly bathe the stage in red light. Cue drum machine and synthesizer. Add one well-dressed man who stares intensely into the audience as he murmurs an ambiguous string of words into an echoing microphone. Shake well. Lather, rinse, and repeat. Listen here.

(Honestly, we were pretty sure he just repeated iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou for the entire 20+ minutes of the song, but once you take a linguistic stream out of context it's almost impossible to interpret. Whatta mystery! We basically have to assume it was something profound!)

Strange as it was, the experience reminded me of how much I adore live music. You don't have to recognizing or even like the band playing. It's all about being pummeled by the surround sound. Thrilling.

Oooh, and speaking of cool experimental music:
Who knew that my freshman-year-roommate's older sister was an PhD certified avant-garde composer? NOT ME, THAT'S WHO. Good stuff though- really trippy. Imagine walking through Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory at night all alone. A bit eerie, but fascinating nonetheless. And delicious! Listen here.

*Wow, that was some terrible musical hairsplitting, even for me. It doesn't help much that the band refers to themselves as "other/other/other" on their website. Listen and decide for yourself. If you DARE.

Look, there's two women fucking a polar bear!

DAY SEVEN

This was our first intentional trip to "The City, " so I was pretty excited (last time we ended up here by heading 40 minutes in the wrong direction.) Basically spent the day perusing Pier 39 which is a slightly classier, more commercial version of Kemah.
It's really too bad I've already filled my quota of Fear & Loathing references for the year, because Fisherman's Wharf was just asking for it. We rode a carousel. Got my picture taken with a Hannah Montana signed guitar. Fortunte told by Zoltar. Saw a store selling pearl-bearing oysters. Guaranteed. This is not a good town for psychedelic drugs. Reality itself is too twisted.

Though in the Pier's defense, I must add, the (completely sober, in case you were wondering) carousel ride was amazing. There's nothing like riding a creepy gem-encrusted horse spinning round and round to eerie tinkling background music. Just like the good ol' days. Besides, I enjoy wandering around these cute little tourist hot-spots, no matter how much I mock them. Besides, they served a mean clam chowder-bread bowl.


After the Pier, we headed back for the San Rafael Street Fair. Every Thursday, the city shuts down an entire street for people to set up tents and tables to sell their stuff. Fresh fruits, veggies, baked goods, earrings, hippie purses, clothing, vietnamese children. Really, something for everyone. I bought a sundress and a can of homeade mixed pepper preserves. Good day, it was.

Aerobics and Tissue Engineering in a Coast Guard Hangar... Hiking with Cows... Oysters!... Accepting Official Shiny Happy Status.

DAY THREE

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Today started bright and early. Even though I woke up cursing my Office-Themed ringtone alarm, something about the California sunlight streaming in through my window didn't let me stay angry long (I bet you thought those raisins were just on crazy drugs. It's the sun, I tell you, the sun!) But waking up ridiculously early was most definitely worth it- I got to go to a Sunday morning aerobics class with my older cousin. What makes this class so amazing you ask? Let me count the ways: First off, the YMCA is located at his workplace, which, if you remember, is actually just a redecorated World War II hangar (saweeeet!) This means I got to pretend that I was training to be an secret agent sniper marine pilot as I liquefied my major muscle groups (double saweeeet!). Secondly, my 24 yr old cousin and I were the only people under the age of 50. It was almost surreal, as if I was acting out some cheesy movie scene: punch-jab-hook-ing invisible assailants while completely surrounded by little old asian ladies.
Oh, but then it gets better!

After the class, my cousin took me on a tour of his office. In case I haven't mentioned it yet, he works for a tissue engineering company that focuses on making blood vessels. As a mechie, his job is to build the reactors that hold media for the growing the tissues (triple saweeeet!) I got to see his cubicle, the labs where they work with the tissues and the fridges that hold the cultures. Surreal moment of the day #2: the overwhelming sense that I was walking through a Michael Crichton novel (I can die happy now.) I wanted to take more pictures, but a man in a nice pressed suit stepped out of the shadows and informed me it was against company policy. Too bad. But no matter, I was soon hit with yet another wowmylifeisamovie moment when I saw that the glass walls of his boss's office were covered complicated dry erase markings- equations, notes, diagrams etc. (Ok, it's official. This whole thing is a sham. The office is too desperately modeling the stereotypical bioengineering lab, I don't buy it. I wonder how long they spent trying to make the dry erase markings on the glass walls of his boss's office look sincere... Seriously guys, you're not fooling anyone.)
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All memories of events that followed the return to cousin's apartment have been repressed for my own sanity's sake. Wait... I think it might be coming back to me.... something about how I will always love my Rice Baseball team even if they lose 17-5 to Fresno State and I drink myself into a stupor to numb the pain... No, that can't be right. I probably just fell asleep or something.

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Next on the itinerary was a quaint little hike through a cow pasture. Don't worry, it was a real and intentional tourist site, we didn't just hope a barbed wire fence and wander around on someone's private land (*cough*.) The weather was thisclose to being perfect, but the wind had the terrible tendency of blowing away all of the warm sun rays. Blast you, wind! (I think I have to give in and buy a pair of pants. To wear. During the summer. Yuck.) Something interesting about hanging out with my grandma & cousins the past few days: now that we're all adults it's a completely different dynamic. It's very.... comfortable. I like it.
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After our little bonding-wandering session, we set up a little picnic by the bay. We bought 50 oysters, 1lb of clams and 1lb of mussels to grill. I've never been a big fan of shellfish, but I have to say, I'm a convert. Maybe it's because everything was so fresh, or because we grilled it ourselves. No matter. It was quite the experience.
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Seriously?
Did this day really happen?
An aerobics class, hiking in happy cow pastures, and the grilling oysters on the bay? This has been the most stereotypically authentic California experience ever. (Tomorrow I'm getting a nose-job and overdosing on my inattentive mother's antidepressants!)
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Actually, I have a confession to make.
Try as I might, lately it's been hard to be cynical. No matter how much I want to write scathingly critical posts revealing the shallow wasteland that is Ellis' California, I can't help but just sit back and just enjoy its shiny happy surface (It's the sun, I tell you, the sun!). This trip has been nothing but wonderful so far. I guess even my inner nihilist is taking a temporary vacay. And I can't blame all negativity on Houston's heat, humidity, pollution, traffic, or mosquitos, because I know that this is what vacations are for, right? Throwing obligations and responsibilities to the wind and existing for awhile. As gorgeous/friendly/organic as California is, I don't think it's actually the catalyst in temporarily melting my cold heart (besides, it's fucking freezing here. 60 degrees is NOT okay for June). It's just summertime in general. *happy sigh* I'm lovin' it.

To add to the cheesy perfection of it all, we listened to Beck's "Mutations" in the car ride to the hike and bay. If you ignore the tone of the lyrics for a moment and just appreciate the mellow flow of music, it fits perfectly. (AH! LAME LIFE METAPHOR, you should have known you couldn't hide for long!) Anyway, the true essence of the day (and light) is captured by this song:

"Music for people who should know better..."

Leaving for California tomorrow. Be in San Francisco till the 24th.
Hm. Probably should start packing.
...Or I could stay up finding new music.
Sounds like a plan.

Here's where my recent obsession with music blogs has its perks-- avoiding life!
A big "thank you" to Missingtoof for introducing me to Heads We Dance , Dopplereffekt, and Gescom. Exploring them led to the roundabout discovery of Geek Chic Soundsystem, Autechre, Sounds like Silver (LCD Soundsystem Remixed!) and a Busy P mix I didn't have yet. Scoooore. Then, thanks to Stereogum I met the Remix Artist Collective (a bit of Bloc Party, The Shins, Justice, and Chemical Brothers) which led to CSS, which led to furry porn, which led to our old friend Erol Alkan. Fucking glorious. I'll never sleep again!

Apologies for the excessive linkage. Long is the way, and hard, that leads to relatively unknown electropop, experimental, and industrial musica. Meh. Here's a taste test:

Day off = QUESTS!

First, I walked to Target to get groceries and a delicious sandwich. That is 40 minutes each direction, by the way. But it was so nice outside, I couldn't resist! It may or may not have been 96 degrees at the time. It may or may not have been midday. (My glory is exceeded only by my foolishness.) I don't know, something about walking places makes me feel more productive. Maybe because it just takes longer. Or maybe getting sweaty has become intricately associated with accomplishing things. Either way- now I have groceries and a tank tan. w00t.
The second quest of the day is going to sound a little more lame, since it was an internet quest. However, I was just as excited about the end result. This commercial has been eluding my feverish search for quite some time (translation: 2 days) and I finally FOUND IT. The only clues I had to go off of were that it was a Justice song and that there were people in masks dancing to it. It's amusing how I have come to expect every clip I have ever seen IRL to be on Youtube. Oh well, we'll ponder the repercussions of that later. For now, victory is mine!