This must have taken quite some time to make... a whirlwind tour of the wonderful world of Leopard. Nice.
Create a simple mix tape to send to your friends.
This is a couple of weeks old now but still exciting and fun news that you will be able to run a virtual analogue synth and drum machine on your DS. Would be nice if it could sync to other users in your vicinity for orchestral action. Check it
I can sing a rainbow.. so can these guys too! Sound of Color (colour!! please!) features some amazing videos/music themed on colour. The Raveonettes track and video is just lush.
If I were a dj I'd have to make myself headphones made out of an old telephone (you'll remember seeing disc jockeys using them at d.i.s.c.o-s back in the 80's). Well here's a
how to guide.
All you need is an old telephone handset, a soldering iron, a mono male phone plug and a sharp utility blade and you're away.
Added a new category for ‘08 — Gadgets — I’m a bit of a gadget nut. This one is way cool… ladies and gentlemen meet the iPig.
More iPig from Gizmondo and a Flim Flam Gold Link™, Pigs In Space
It's inevitable that living in any town or city you're going to have to pump up the volume on your headphones to drown out the sound of traffic and stabbings. Until now the alternative has been noise cancelling headphones.
Outi – these headphones work by vibrating part of your ear bone, completely bypassing your ear drums and heading straight to the party in your head. Entirely removing any worries about going deaf in your old age you can listen to your music seriously loud, throw in some earplugs and you're well and truly ignoring everything around you in a sea of sound inaudible to the surrounding elderly. Amazing!
Via Engadget
A great 70 minute mix dedicated to one of the finest beat makers around — the RZA.
“What resulted was my most ambitious mix yet, a 70-minute juggernaut of
continuous music from this period, shading the dirtiest and darkest of
RZA’s early beats with the brighter, more melodic work that would
dominate Ironman (1996) and Wu-Tang Forever.
If I was enlightened by anything during its creation it would be this:
despite the staggering degree of familiarity, these beats remain
absolutely, undeniably timeless.”
There’s also a load of great stuff on the site from other mixes (Pete Rock + Dj Premier) to written pieces on beat making and producers. Quality.
Thanks to The Moif for the link
I used to love making compilation / mixtapes for self, friends and lovers. The time and care that would go into the crafting of a C90 tape; selecting the tracks, setting the recording levels, making fine (or seamless) edits and designing the cover. This art is lost today with the simplicity of burning a CD from iTunes. This USB device is pretty funny, we may have lost the fine art, but the memory lives on.
I've had my eye on these Tenori-On synth / sequencers for a while. They're made by the Japanese interactive artist Toshio Iwai who made Electroplankton for the Nintendo DS. I can only hope they come down in price when they go into full producion. Right now they're £600 a pop… Maybe I could do a whole load of eBaying to raise the funds…
Whilst digging for clips of the Beastie Boys @ Bestival I came across this clip of them on the Letterman show in 2004. I'm a massive fan — they remind me of times when hip hop was fun.
Whilst I’m on it, I have to say they played a fantastic set at Bestival on the Sunday afternoon — was great to see them play some of their instrumentals whilst also rocking the mic at the same time. More Beastie vibes.
Right now my fave record label has to be Stones Throw. They consistently put out great music (hip hop, funk, beats) and have a great attitude embracing digital culture. Their podcast is a perfect example. Each month they put up a new DJ mix for download and they put most commercial mixtapes to shame. If you're a fan, then wander over to here and subscribe and grab other free downloads.
I'm also hyped for the Percee P long player - this track below is too much!