Happy New Year

That's all. Bring on the party and keep it fresh for 2008!

Telling it like it is!

(this has nothing to do with me, it just uses my tune in order to hammer home its message! If only all health awareness campaigns used banging industrial technoise.)

Quick Demo

Progress Report

From backstage at Fri-Son in Fribourg:

By and large, the Kombine BeatHarvester has worked well. I've been pretty pleased with its performance, given that it's only 2 weeks old, but then again I did experience some nasty bugs while on dancefloor duty! I've just squashed the one which would render the whole program inactive if I tried to rewind to a minus beat number - for which I had to restart about 10 times while DJing in Zurich. Also before that gig, I changed some of the key commands, which wasn't such a good idea since one of the deck select keys was also assigned to "reverse." On the upside, I've been having fun with 4 deck playback and the reverse function, and with piling many loops on top of each other now and again.

State Of Play

Ok, so after 2 solid weeks of working on my Traktor replacement, my program is just about up and running enough to be able to use. However, there are certain caveats regarding its use. It can only read AIF files at the moment, and they have to be tagged manually, a process which is pretty time consuming. The more bar markers there are in a track, the better it will be kept in time without intervention. It works very well on a digitally recorded audio file, but on a vinyl rip of an old Detroit Techno tune, mastered on a wavering open-reel tape recorder and pressed off-centre, things get out of time very quickly! This is the biggest problem I face now, tagging enough tracks before Thursday comes around. I've done about 50 so far and it took me all evening. So I think what I will do is take both laptops and mix between Traktor and Kombine BeatHarvester, so that at least my DJ set will last for longer than 15 minutes.

Now that I have reached the stage where the program is usable, I have been learning how to use it! One nice trick is to mix 2 copies of the same track, with one going backwards. It can sound very trippy on Acid tunes. Despite the problems referred to above, short loops are a safe bet to keep in time, and having 4 different ones going at once, with odd loop lengths, can create some interesting polyrhythmic textures.

In answer to some questions in the comments a few posts ago: MP3 support is definitely possible. I would read the MP3 into an AIF buffer and go from there. Waveform scrolling is simply a matter of updating SuperCollider's waveform view a certain number of times per beat - at 10 times it looks very smooth, but is extremely CPU intensive, in fact ridiculously so. Now it only gets updated once per beat! At first I thought that was pretty poor, but in actual fact it can be seen much more clearly where the beat is matching up in the track and now I prefer it.

I won't have time to write much more before going away, but when I come back I plan to go into a bit more detail and maybe even post a video of the program in action.

Evil Rave in Zurich 22 Dec 2007

Nude man / beast hybrids will be raving along with us "norms."
Part of the Swiss end of year "don't mention the c-word" tour:

21 December 2007 - Schlachthofstrasse 10, Basel.
22 December 2007 - Kalkbreite, Zurich.
23 December 2007 - Fri-Son, Fribourg.
24 December 2007 - Himmel, Seewen.

9 Days of Effort

Almost there! it needs to be properly usable by next friday, or I'll be flying out to Switzerland with Traktor and my tail between my legs. I did a few mixes and it worked pretty well, except... the stop button doesn't have any effect. Ah, going to have to fix that.

This is what I'm up against

I mean, [insert name of your favourite deity here] wept!
Still, if it really does float your boat, don't let me stop you.

CYLOB.COM на Русском

CYLOB.COM на Русском (благодарю вас mr. rozet!)

First Glimpse Of Kombine Harvezter

It plays and scrolls the waveform already, and playback speed can be adjusted according to the target BPM - none of this plus or minus % nonsense!
I really have a bee in my bonnet about Traktor. For instance, it seems to take a staggering amount of CPU to simply play back an MP3, whereas this simple deck tops out at about 2%. I think the general philosophy of that program is wrong, it is both over complex and lacking in imagination.
When I've completed the first phase of this new patch, it will feature 4 decks, 3 crossfaders (2 top to bottom and one left to right) and a global pulse to keep them all in time, if desired. All controls will be assignable to MIDI or keyboard learn. The track selector will be in REALLY BIG LETTERS to minimise squinting in darkened clubs.
Phase two will feature granular and spectral synthesis, automatic remixing tools and various effects. I don't know how long those things will take, but the principles involved are not complicated.
I keep thinking that there must be something I'm missing about making a DJ program, some really big problem that I'll come across when I try to put it together, since as much as Traktor irritates me, it seems about the best of a bad bunch. So far, hacking this together has been relatively easy. Where's the catch?

Live Tonight (Thursday 6 December)

Just thought I'd flog this one again, it will be my last live date for a long time by the looks of it. Maybe last one ever, who knows.

CEASE TO EXIST

PRESENTS

CYLOB

DATE : THURSDAY 6TH DECEMBER 2007
TIMES : 7PM - 11PM


The Half Moon
10 Half Moon Lane
Herne Hill
London
SE24 9HU
020 7274 2733

www.halfmoonpub.co.uk

Pac-Man "Festive" Tree

I refuse to let the C-Word sully my page.



from Kartones Blog

Style-Free

I have not invented a "new style," composite, modified or otherwise that is set within distinct form as apart from "this" method or "that" method. On the contrary, I hope to free my followers from clinging to styles, patterns, or molds. Remember that Jeet Kune Do is merely a name used, a mirror in which to see "ourselves". . . Jeet Kune Do is not an organized institution that one can be a member of. Either you understand or you don't, and that is that.
There is no mystery about my style. My movements are simple, direct and non-classical. The extraordinary part of it lies in its simplicity. Every movement in Jeet Kune-Do is being so of itself. There is nothing artificial about it. I always believe that the easy way is the right way. Jeet Kune-Do is simply the direct expression of one's feelings with the minimum of movements and energy. The closer to the true way of Kung Fu, the less wastage of expression there is.
Finally, a Jeet Kune Do man who says Jeet Kune Do is exclusively Jeet Kune Do is simply not with it. He is still hung up on his self-closing resistance, in this case anchored down to reactionary pattern, and naturally is still bound by another modified pattern and can move within its limits. He has not digested the simple fact that truth exists outside all molds; pattern and awareness is never exclusive.
Again let me remind you Jeet Kune Do is just a name used, a boat to get one across, and once across it is to be discarded and not to be carried on one's back.

Link to source of quote

Swiss Tour

The details have been flooding in on the Cylobian Newswire, and we can now bring you the following HARD FACTS:


- 21.12.07
venue: schlachthofstrasse 10, basel
line-up: djs: cylob, tampon, pretuval, das konzentrat

- 22.12.07
venue: kalkbreite, zurich
line-up: djs: cylob, deadbybeats, bronkobitch, the dean soniks
hepp (live)

- 23.12.07
venue: fri-son, fribourg
line-up: dj cylob, dj aikon, tastatur (live)
link: www.fri-son.ch

- 24.12.07
venue: himmel, seewen (sz)
line-up: djs: cylob, tampon, pretuval
link: www.teknow.tk

Started Another Thing

The latest project is to remove my reliance on Traktor for DJing. I think it's possible to make something which automatically keeps 2 or 4 tracks in time, without having to constantly adjust them. All it takes is a little preparation beforehand - such as inserting a few simple tags into the soundfile. The DJ would then be free to tweak various crazy effects - another thing missing from Traktor (the version I use, at least.)

I hope to have it on the go by the time I get to Switzerland! Maybe not with all the effects but a basic working version at least. I need a name for it though. So far I'm torn between "Kombine Harvezter" and "Trowel."

Set List For Thursday

Just so you know which track will be coming next.
I wouldn't want there to be any surprises.

Vox / Morning
Turs
Grasshopper Lies Heavy
Get A Taste
Clasty
Face Something
Zhiko
Swarmy
Be My Waveguide
Beyond The Pale
Paper Piano
Elkwed
Twag
Semenoid
Clarboid
Unfaz
Rock The Trojan fader
Skoldin
Cog
Skrich
IFOAH

Deflated Hope

I've had about 5 queries (which counts as a deluge, in my book) about the non-appearance of CSR 005 - Inflatable Hope Songs EP. I've made 8 tracks and have been tweaking them, but hearing them together, it feels like listening to 2/3 of an album somehow, so I'm thinking that more songs are needed. There is not much of a theme at work, they vary from industrial to acid to um... style-free. Also I want to make sure that what eventually emerges is of top-notch quality. So I don't know when I will be finished, but in the meantime if you would like to focus some Positive Mental Energy nanowaves from your Vibe-O-Tron into my Mood Recepto-Dish, it would be much appreciated.

Synclair Remix

Buy from: Warpmart, BoomKat, Juno, Humpty, Chemical Records, Phonica.

You can preview the tracks on BoomKat and Juno, however BoomKat got the tracks mixed up, and what is marked as my remix in fact is not! Juno got it right though, this is what it sounds like. It's a chugging 4 on the floor number, with the occasional industrial outburst, and has been going down extremely well during recent DJ gigs.


Liegnitzerstr. 21 / 10999 Berlin – FON/FAX ++49(0) 30/343 959 9-8 /-7 – info @ areal-records.com

Synclair “Synclair Remixes” [Areal 046]
Artist: Synclair
Title: Synclair Remixes
Cat: Areal046
Produced by: Synclair (Michaela Dippel & Sebastian Riedl)
Remixed by: Expander Cylob Kid 606
Format: 12“
LC: LC-09165
EAN: 880319283314
Distribution: Kompakt / Rough Trade
Release Date: 26.11.2007

Writing about this release is really a great pleasure for us and makes us smile whimsically. And we proudly present: Expander (Sonic Culture / Portugal) with a mix that rolls up the Synclair theme from somewhere underneath and reminds us of all those wonderful parties we used to have. And Cylob (Rephlex / U.K.) does us
the incredible favour by transforming the gorgeous original material into a track that makes us old, die-hard aficionados go crazy (Basteriod in particular who, when asked for influences, always quotes Cylob first).
On the reverse side, we have fulfilled our heart’s desire and asked Kid606 to do a remix. And he really makes the most of our guideline “make whatever you want, man, we don’t f.....g care” and squeaks us into blissful happiness.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Um zu diesem Release etwas zu erzählen, bleibt es nicht aus zu erwähnen, wie viel Freude es uns selber einbringt. Mit verschmitztem Lächeln im Gesicht und voller Stolz präsentieren wir:
Expander (Sonic Culture / Portugal) mit einem Mix, der das Synclair Thema von unten her aufrollt und uns an die vielen, wunderbaren Parties erinnert, die wir mit ihm schon gefeiert haben. Cylob (Rephlex / U.K.) tut uns den unbeschreiblichen Gefallen, und transformiert für seinen Beitrag das Material in einen Track, der aus seiner
besten Zeit kommen könnte und verzückt natürlich uns eingefleischte, alte Fans. (Ganz besonders Basteroid, der, nach Einflüssen gefragt, immer schon zuerst Cylob gesagt hat).
Auf der Rückseite erfüllen wir uns ebenfalls einen Herzenswunsch und lassen Kid606 ran, der ebenfalls die klare Aufgabenstellung, „make whatever you want, man, we don`t f.....g care“ voll ausreizt und uns in die Glückseligkeit quietscht.


feedback: info @ areal-records.com / distribution: www.kompakt-net.de / booking: info @ gostimitovic.com

Piano Roll

I think my blog is pretty boring. I only set it up to hype whatever I am up to at any one moment, be it gigs or releases. Any opinions I write here are generally controversy -free, watered-down versions of what I say in private. After all, I wouldn't want to alienate any customers. I reckon that 95% of the people who read this know me personally anyway.
However, it is good to be reminded what I have been up to, when I look back over old posts. So for the benefit of myself in six months time, here's a screen shot of my piano-roll GUI widget, which I have been building on and off for the last few weeks. If you are not my future self, you must have dozed off by now, so sweet dreams.

Live in London 6 Dec 2007 - Tickets Link

Here you go:

http://wegottickets.com/event/23836

"World Tour 2007 - Only Live UK Date
Cylob (Cylob Industries, Rephlex, Breakin)
Playing Style-Free Synthetic Sounds"

This description of my music is one of my own devising. Is it a good one or not... well I don't know. Back in the early nineties, myself and the music makers I hung out with were tagged as "Intelligent Techno," which suggests a certain amount of fun-free chin stroking. This description was superseded later that decade by "Intelligent Dance Music" which is even worse, implying an utterly boring, glitchy, unfunky, mathematically constructed, MISERABLE sound - of which there was an abundance, none by myself I would suggest. It was about that time that the word "Braindance" was invented by Rephlex high command, originally meaning any and all types of music that have or ever will exist, i.e. music is music and that's all. However, even this has come to be a byword for a certain style. I think that words are really needed so that "people" know which box to put you into!

So now I want to call my music "Style-Free" after Happoshu, as it kind of sounds like real music, but it is fake and plasticy, lacks any real substance, and is unapologetically synthetic.

Hands

By Shane Willis via Boing Boing

More on the Swiss tour 21-24 December 2007

Another date added for the Cheese 'n' Chocolate Tour - Basel

21.12.07 - Basel
22.12.07 - Zurich, venue: kalkbreite
23.12.07 - Fribourg, venue: fri-son, www.fri-son.ch
24.12.07 - Seewen, venue: himmelclub, www.himmelclub.ch, line-up: dj cylob, tampon, pretuval

I have to update my website. I hate doing it though. If anyone knows a good Content Management System then hit me up with the details! I like the way Blogger works but you have to make a blog with it.

Taking The Mix - Illegal Autechre

Hey, you know about Mixes DB don't you? They have loads of things on there, quite a staggering number of rare and interesting stuff. I've been getting well into old Joey Beltram, Jeff Mills and Derrick May sets. In fact, this particular Del-Boy special features a track at the beginning which could only be the man himself, yet I don't recognise it from anything - maybe it's an unreleased treasure, or maybe I'm just forgetful. Anyway it's really good. The find of the day has to be an old Autechre set from summer 1991, broadcast on IBC Manchester - "Illegal Broadcasting Corporation." Not only an hour of great tunes, but the boys sounding very fresh and young! The rumour is that more of these recordings are due to surface. I can't wait.

Cylob Live in South London on 6 Dec 2007

The reason I put the title like that is so it shows up in web searches and RSS feeds and the like. Anyway here is the first bit of info:


CEASE TO EXIST

PRESENTS

CYLOB

DATE : THURSDAY 6TH DECEMBER 2007
TIMES : 7PM - 11PM


The Half Moon
10 Half Moon Lane
Herne Hill
London
SE24 9HU
020 7274 2733

www.halfmoonpub.co.uk

Note To Self

Don't forget to turn up to the following gigs:

6 December 2007 - Live @ Cease To Exist, The Half Moon, Herne Hill, London.
(This will most likely be my only live date in the UK this year.)

22 December 2007 - DJ in Zurich, Switzerland.
23 December 2007 - DJ in Fribourg, Switzerland.
24 December 2007 - DJ in Seewen, Switzerland.

12 April 2008 - DJ in Brussels, Belgium.

25-27 April 2008 - Bangface Weekender, UK. (In what capacity has yet to be decided.)

P.S. If you are a promoter reading this, and you would like some crazy hip sounds to jazz up your otherwise drab and feeble little event, it's easy to book me, simply send an email to dj_cylob@durftal.com. The music I play is in the "Style-Free" genre.

Ceephax Stage Invasion

It was a proper pub rave - the floor was really sticky. He introduced himself as Acid Andrew before launching into a ridiculous 303 line, followed by lots of banging 909 action and lo-fi rave stabs. I didn't feel well enough to jump around but couldn't help smiling on a frequent basis. A stage invasion briefly took place near the end.

London UK Weekend Rave Tip Sheet

This afternoon I started feeling a bit ill, as if flu is on its way, and then in a seperate development a chunk of fake tooth fell out of my mouth, so now one of my teeth is an empty shell, and I'll have to go back to the dentists, in order to single handedly put the dentist's children through their next year of school. That's if the one remaining tooth wall doesn't collapse of its own accord. I wouldn't mind so much, at least it doesn't hurt, and pirate-style gaps in teeth are cool.

So barring any further sickness, I'll be going to witness Ceephax play live on Friday night at the Amersham Arms, New Cross. On Saturday I'd have a look in to Mike Paradinas DJing at Ginglik, Shepherds Bush, if I hadn't already bought tickets to see Roman techno legend Lory D playing a 2 hour live set at Plex in Kingsland Road.

At the Meiji Shrine

There is an area where you can write your prayer or wish on a piece of wood, and hang it on the special prayer hanger thing...
Some prayers are more poignant than others:

"May you and your family find peace"


"Wish my wife recover from cancer fully"


"Red Sox to win 2007 World Championship"

New Track on MySpace

...if you want it. The song is made up of R-09 samples layered up into a simple loop. The kick drum was recorded at the Meiji Shinto temple in Harajuku, Tokyo. I was taken there by Rusher, one of my Japanese tour fixers, after we visited Five G (don't visit that place unless you have lots of money, otherwise you WILL feel like crying...) Shortly after our arrival, a ceremony took place and one of the temple crew was beating an enormous drum, so I took advantage of the opportunity and whipped out my recorder to capture the sound. Back home I beefed it up with some sub-bass. The claps are a composite from walking around my local area and clapping under various bridge arches, so they have stacks of natural ambience. Added to the basic beat are recordings of me banging my collection of gongs, cowbells and woodblocks in the kitchen, the door closing noise from the Japanese train journey recording below, and some river sounds. After a little while, some Gendy strings join in.

Sounds

I got myself an Edirol R-09 in Kyoto. It cost about 100 quid less than in the UK! It was used to record the sets posted below. I wanted one for ages just to be able to collect sounds, as I used to do when I first got a portable DAT recorder in 1992. I think it's a pretty cool gadget. The internal mic quality is excellent, although it would be good to have an external one to point at things, and the operating system is easy to navigate, which is unusual for Roland. Here are a couple of recordings what I did: some bells from a Kensington church, and a local train journey on the Osaka to Kyoto line.

http://durftal.com/music/cylob/jp/bells.mp3
http://durftal.com/music/cylob/jp/japantrain.mp3

Style Free

I love Japanese "fake beer." I didn't know it existed until my recent visit. It is brewed (or otherwise created) in such a way that it isn't actually "beer", so is taxed at a slightly less rate - you might pay 50 yen less for a can. It's as if the taste and texture of real beer have been seperated and then recombined, ending with something a bit like flat heineken. I really like the taste. One of the brands is called Asahi "Style Free." I want to start calling the music I make "Style Free" since it's just a plasticy approximation of real music.

Update: it's called Happoshu (thanks for the info Masayuki!)

Crunky Popjoy

lives up to its name:

Cylob Live in Osaka and Tokyo MP3

Live in Osaka:
http://durftal.com/music/cylob/jp/cylob_live_osaka_2007.mp3


(2nd pic (c) relaxmax)

Live in Tokyo:
http://durftal.com/music/cylob/jp/cylob_live_tokyo_2007.mp3

(2nd image (c) MIKI)

Streets of Osaka

Lamp person


Kitty detail


Life size Gundam, only 175,000 ¥


Advice


Unbelievably offensive record store name

Tokyo Trail

Sketches of Kyoto

Acid Lovin'

"hi everyone

next friday (26 October) is i love acid

SCHEDULE

live room
10pm - Ghost Explorer
11pm - Richard Wigglesworth
12am - B12
1am - Luke Vibert
3am - Doubtful Guest
4am - Mully
5am - Josh

dj room
10pm - Kone-R
11pm - Felson
12am - Shinra
1am - Hack The Tab
2am - John Power
3am - Cylob
5am - Sun Ov


COSTUMES -

its fancy dress. i've got loads of masks and stuff to give away on the
night, so feel free to dress up. this is a great opportunity to reveal
your hidden transexuality without anyone suspecting that you're
serious...go on, make the effort  :-) 


tickets are available online here -
http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=239032

website here - http://www.iheartacid.com"

Glasgow a Go Go

Osaka Happy Clapper

************************************************************
2007.10.19.FRI
TECHNO-CLUB CLAPPER 1st ANNIVERSARY party-
Cylob JAPAN TOUR 2007SPECIAL GUEST LIVE/
Cylob(Rephlex)

GUEST DJ/
DJ TUTTLE

DJ/
AKIHIRO(NIAGARA)

LIVE/
VD (kyoto)
obakejaa

ENTRANCE FLOOR DJ/
KUNIO ASAI(Brilliant)
MAKAJI
...and more

OPEN/START 23:00
DOOR￥3,000-(W/1D)
W/F ￥2,500-(W/1D)
ADV ￥2,500-(W/2D!!)
************************************************************

Tokyo Precision

**********************************
2007.10.20(SAT)
NUMBERSTOKYO×GROUNDCOBRA presents...
『KID606 VS CYLOB』
@NISHIAZABU COLORS STUDIO

OPEN　23:00〜7:00
DOOR　3500yen/1D
W/F 　3000yen/1D

【MAIN FLOOR】
GUEST LIVE/
　KID606 [TigerBeat6,ROMZ,] 　CYLOB [Rephlex,Breakin'Records,Cylob Industries]

LIVE/
　group_inou
　P.O.L STYLE[NUMBERS,OFF THE HOOK]
　VD
　RR [RebusTape&Rusher]

DJ/
　COM.A[ROMZ]
　P.O.L STYLE[NUMBERS,OFF THE HOOK]
　FURUMI[GCR]
　RYOTARO[GCR]
　BIG-J

【LOUNGE FLOOR】
DJ/
　DESIMA
　MADEMOISELLE YULIA
　HAL
　ISO
　DURIAN
　SQUAREYOSHER
　KISH
　orgamic

【DECO】
　ooer
**********************************
［MAIN FLOOR TIME TABLE］
23：00〜23：45　BIG-J
23：45〜24：15　VD
24：15〜01：00　RYOTARO
01：00〜01：30　group_inou
01：30〜02：30　P.O.L STYLE
02：30〜03：30　CYLOB
03：30〜05：00　KID 606
05：00〜05：45　COM.A
05：45〜06：15　RR
06：15〜07：00　FURUMI
**********************************

808080808080808

Acid friends reunited!
Equipment: 3 x 101, 808, 909, 727, Roland SBX-80 sync box, Pearl Syncussion, Soundcraft mixer, the 303 was placed on stage later, along with an Apple laptop, for what specific purpose it was unclear, at least to me.


TG 55 Guitar Synthesizer! I don't know either!


Twiddly...


Tenori-On...


By and large, the music itself didn't rock. We were all there for the history, and their mere presence on stage generated many cheers. I was as thrilled as anyone, but my ears don't lie, and they weren't impressed! It perked up at about 2.50 and 3.35, with some mildly frantic 101 riffs, but then didn't really go anywhere. There was very little 303 action, which surprised me. Do you think it's bad that I criticise? It's just my opinion. I wake up and think about music, spend all day either thinking about music or making music, then go to sleep and dream about music. So if I say it didn't move me, it's not the same as saying I think they are bad people. I have met many folk, including well regarded musicians, who don't make that distinction. I went to the gig with Ed DMX and we met Gerald beforehand, and it was good as ever to say hi to him.
We also met Tom J there, and Sean B was reputed to be in attendance too. It was a bit like a techno version of "an audience with..."
But yeah, if you want to experience what a 303 / 909 gig can really be, try Ceephax.

edit: I emailed MatrixSynth about the TG55, I knew he would take the bait! I didn't feel cheeky enough to actually leap on stage and have a proper look. I can't know for certain, but right at the beginning of the set there was a 303 riff with the resonance and cutoff turned down, so it was just a low muffle, and then it sounded like they put it through "something" and the timbre gained loads of harmonics and a sort of "tearing" quality, in a really nice analogue sounding way, so i presume that was it. Also they were doing some live vocals that sounded a bit mashed up in a weird way, perhaps it was responsible for that sound too.
I should mention I left the gig at 3.40, because I wanted to get home before my travelcard ran out, so my review is based on the first hour and a half, I don't know what happened after that! Also, I wouldn't want Electro Elvis to read this and think I didn't have a good time - I did, and was most honoured to have been on the list.

20th Century Voynich book

In about 1995 or 1996, I was in a bookshop in central London, I'm sure it was the one that used to be called "Dillons Arts" but that later turned into a Waterstones. There was a pile of mysterious booklets next to the main display near the entrance, and a note next to them indicated they were free. I asked one of the assistants what it was all about, and she said they didn't know, simply that some mysterious person was leaving them. I wonder if the symbols mean anything, or if it was just an elaborate and pointless joke.

Ryde Pier, Isle Of Wight

Bogdan's Alright!

His forthcoming album can be listened to in full at a crunching 16 kbps via the download link on his site. I would describe much of it as kiddie gabba! There is a definite flexing of Bogdan's melodic mastery. One of the tracks sounds eerily similar to "With or Without You" by U2, and the whole thing strays dangerously close to happy hardcore at times. Is it forward thinking genius or cheeseball tomfoolery grafted onto the usual mentastic beats? While my internal jury may be out trying to decide, in the meantime it puts a smile on my face.

edit: I'm enjoying it more the more I listen, it's very infectious and I've found the tunes going round and round in my head - for instance, when I'm trying to sleep! I'm a bit of a sucker for plinky-plonky melodies. I wouldn't mind hearing the treble at some point.

Additions

My live set at Bangface last year consisted of stepping through pre-programmed loops and mixing the individual elements. The other week at the Hague, I added knob tweaking of the sounds themselves. For the forthcoming Japan gigs, I have just finished coding some new functions that change the material in more radical ways during playback. Those under joypad control: Glitch (repeating a small part of the sequence until released), Repeat / speed change (can make live beats sound a bit like timestretching, or turn pitched sequences into space invaders), Nudge (moves the beat forwards or backwards a bit), Reverse (handy for getting the most out of a drum pattern), Freeze, and Fold (for the MIDI-style sequencer, takes the last material played live and folds it back into the sequence.) The keyboard can be used to transpose any or all of the sequencers currently playing, either all at once, cycling through each one with each key press, or picked at random. Parts can be programmed live, such as drum beats or step sequencer pitches. These additions will hopefully introduce a bit more spontaneity into the set.
I still never actually used my cyber-glove for anything, despite spending a week programming the interface / receiving code 2 years ago, maybe now is the time.

edit: Now with added jumbling of drum patterns. How to randomly shuffle a pattern without it resulting in total entropy (and therefore loss of the groove)? 2 ways I found, one: pin every 4th quarter note (keeps the kicks and snares in place, if you make vaguely "electro" music - which I do) and shuffle everything else. Two, shuffle the beats around but make them keep their place, in groups of 8. So the beat on step 2 might end up at 10, 18 or 26. The groove will change, but still retain something of its original meaning.

Rebuilding the future of days long passed

I was on the way to my local park in order to go for a little run when who should I bump into but Electro Elvis - it's been a few years so it was a bit of a wild coincidence. I was duly informed about the forthcoming Wang party, featuring the unexpected reunion of A Guy Called Gerald and Graham Massey, almost replicating the original 808 State lineup (i.e. Newbuild / Prebuild.) They will be jamming together on the old machines, which I take to mean all the Rolands from 101 to 909 and most stops inbetween. Apparently it's the first time since 88, and word is there won't be another time ever. I suppose whether this makes you even remotely excited or not depends if you're an old bastard, say, in your mid-thirties or so.

Taking the FLAC

This is the news, Formant Potaton is now available in lossless format. The end.

Glasgow on the 10th of November

will bear witness to my DJing at the following event:
miso @ The Ivy, Charing Cross, Glasgow. More info: www.ilovemiso.com.

SC Symposium and TodaysArt Festival

Last Thursday to Sunday I was in The Hague, checking out the SuperCollider Symposium and then spectating and finally performing at the TodaysArt Festival. There were many interesting presentations at the symposium, the ones that stick in my mind are IXI Quarks nifty composing and synthesis environment, Nick Collins' automatic synth-pop music generator, and a talk on dissonance curves. Thursdays electro-acoustic concert was a proper sit-down affair, with harpsichord, violin and flute performances all being put through the digital mangle in fine and spooky style. On friday evening, I had a wander around the TodaysArt event, which saw about 12 venues in the city hosting various gigs and events on the weekend. Pierre Bastien was playing in the Grote Kerk ("Great Church") and was entrancing as ever. I took him to see Kool Keith afterwards, but KK wasn't on stage unfortunately, it was someone else in a hood who was a bit boring to listen to. I didn't want to wait to see if he'd turn up, since I'd already seen him a few years ago (rapping about masturbation and throwing porn mags into the audience at the Parc de la Villette in Paris - most entertaining) but had never got the chance to hang out with Pierre before, so we went for a drink instead and had a good chat about music making methods and our touring experiences. Afterwards I went to lend an ear to Galaxy 2 Galaxy, the new Underground Resistance allied funk band. They were playing slap bass and excruciating saxophone solos over the top of Detroit classics such as Jupiter Jazz. It was even worse than my description, so I didn't stick around to witness the new incarnation of Model 500, featuring both Juan Atkins and Mad Mike, apparently. I heard it described as "nostalgic".
The next evening it was my turn to piss on my own legacy. After several short and stimulating sets from various SC posse members, I broke out a revised version of my live set with added sound tweaking elements. There were many unintentionally glitch-tastic moments as I struggled to control what was going on and pressed all the wrong buttons, but I managed to have fun by the end. It didn't feel like performing a piece of music though, more like attempting to complete a technical exercise a bit beyond my brain capacity. Still, a good dry run for the Japan trip next month.

Cylob.com en Français

Cylob.com en Français - page traduite par WéMè Crew. (Merci!)

Some of the people who use SuperCollider look like this

Taken 15 minutes ago.