Labels: Fun, Music, videos

As soon as we leave...

Labels: Baseball

Walter Kitundu, one of the recipients of this year's MacArthur Grants makes some truly spectacular instruments.

This photo is of him playing his 1200 phonoharp, a mix of live and pre-recorded analogue signals. He describes it on his website as, " incredibly versatile and can sound like bass guitar, a lap steel guitar, a hammered dulcimer, a drumset, chimes... many sounds are unique to this instrument. There are many ways to play it. The built in mixer and cross-fader allows cutting and scratching with the turntable and there is even a headphone jack for cueing records."

There's many more where that came from. Tons and tons of beautifully crafted pieces. Truly stunning.

Labels: MFA, Music, Technology

L- has been attempting to train the fat cat to use the toilet. Just one of the many reasons why I love that girl.

Labels: Life, Meow

Okay, I was wrong. Stanton's DaScratch is pretty darn fantastic.

Labels: MFA, Music, Technology

We're all about spending our time wisely around here. But we also like movies. Thankfully, here comes Movie a Minute to the rescue.

Armageddon

NASA: An asteroid is coming. We are in trouble.

Nerd: You must blow it up from the inside. Probably.

NASA: Let's teach drillers to be astronauts, on account of drilling is too hard for astronauts to learn.

Bruce Willis: Instead for a ninjillion dollars, we will only do it if we don't have to pay taxes anymore, because audiences can relate to that.

Audience: I can relate to that. Therefore, I love it.

The End

Labels: Film, Life

Is it just me, or are there actually a lot of new musical interfaces coming out recently? Maybe it's one of those perception things. Like when you worry about losing your hair and suddenly everyone you see is bald. Or, rather, like when you met your first co-worker in a wheelchair, and then there's people in wheelchairs all over the place. So innovation is like bald people in wheelchairs. Or bald wheelchairs.

Anyways, today's new interface: Stanton's Da Scratch, which Stanton claims will "change the DJ world forever." I'm not exactly sure how a virtual turntable will turn the world upside down, but we'll have to wait until tomorrow for the official unveiling to find out for sure. Maybe it will just mean less DJs with back aches. Either way, it's still pretty neat looking, and I'm so easily taken by touch sensors. And blue.

[ via create digital music ]

Labels: MFA, Music, Technology

I just got off the phone with the bank. They informed me that somebody stole our credit card information and bought a thousand dollars worth of shoes. I think it was Kelly.

Labels: Life

Continuing in my fervor for all things Raymond Scott, I am very excited about On to Something the documentary about his life that his son is currently working on. It looks amazing, but, as it's not done yet, the trailer will have to do for now.

[ via music thing ]

Labels: MFA, Music, Technology

has the large hadron collider destroyed the world yet?

[ via ]

Labels: Life

Raymond Scott is destroying my mind. He is bashing it in with a hammer and shooting it in to space. He is filling it full of dynamite and confetti, then igniting it from a short distance away to laugh and laugh as he is showered by my sparkling joy. He is the newest and brightest star in my sky of electronic musician/experimenter/inventor forefathers.

Scott (born 100 years ago today in Brooklyn, NY) built some of the earliest synthesizers in the 1960's. People said he was like a mad scientist. He invented all sort of great musical tools, including, some say, the first sequencer. He was one of Bob Moog's influences.

Check out his electronium.


That thing is hot.

Not only that, but he made amazing electronic music himself. It is fantastic. It's Brin Eno before Brian Eno. It's electronic when electronic was something new. He also collaborated on most of Jim Henson's experimental films. I just got the Manhattan Research INC collection and I cannot stop listening to it. Check out his song Lightwork from the late 50s early 60s. (If it sounds familiar, perhaps you recognize the sample from J Dilla's Donuts)



Lightwork - Raymond Scott


Pretty sweet, eh?

So, all that to say, here's to Raymond Scott, all-around musical genius and someone to look up to during this next 9 months of MFA exploration.

Labels: MFA, Music, Technology

While working on my thesis over the past few months, I've been exploring the different forms of musical expression that are possible in a synthesized environment.

Here is an experiment I did with automatically generated musique concrete. Using Max/Msp I can record 3 seconds or audio in to a buffer which then randomly moves the playhead through the recorded audio at a set speed.

I call it "When You Wish Upon a Synthesizer." This one's for all those avant-garde Disney fans out there.

Labels: MFA, Music

Being that it is Friday and laundry day, I just spent the last hour or so taking care of business. By taking care of business I mean drinking coffee and browsing through the classic film posters at the Polish Poster Shop.

Polish versions of American films! Who knew these would be so breathtaking. The graphic design on some of these is just fantastic. L and I have been in the market for some new art in the house. This may be the answer. Give 'em a look y'all.

[via]

Labels: Design, Film