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Archive for the ‘music’ Category

Loscil and Toys

Posted in music, neat-O gang, tagged , , , , , , , on April 1, 2010| 2 Comments »

I love this album cover.  It is for Vancouver ambient artist Loscil… aka Scott Morgan.  I could look at this picture and just… look.

I read the review of his record, Endless Falls on Pitchfork the other day and downloaded a couple cuts right after.

I put the tracks on and let them space me out for a bit.  When they finished, I emailed Scott.  I went on the internet, and sent him a good old fashioned, “hey man, I like your style… how do you do it?”  And just like that, he messaged me back.

I was interested in HOW.  How does an electronic artist even make crazy ambient beats?  I’ve been listening and DJ other people’s music for so long that I am starting to get the itch to try and make my own.

Scott rocks the Ableton Live with something called Max. It looks sorta fun for a geek like me who stays up way too late at night thinking about stuff.  While trolling the net I also saw something from Akai that lets you “play” your Ableton.  The Akai APC 40.  Bad ass right?

of course, $$$ is a major road block.  Ableton with Max will run me somewhere north of $800 and then the Akai APC might be another $450.  Zoinks.  Not a poor man’s hobby, that is for sure.  This set up would run me something like $1,250 plus taxes and whatever other fees will end up in there.  Not an insurmountable cost, but one I don’t want to tackle right now as Coral and I aggressively continue our battle against consumer debt.

One idea I have is to try and get another DJ night or part-time job to generate the additional money I’ll need to buy toys without damaging our family finances.  I’d like to think, I’d buy the stuff… learn it quick like wizard… jam out some songs, sell them on iTunes and start shopping for sports cars… but seeing as I am the last person on the planet that still buys music… well I can only buy my own single so many times before Madelyn is wearing hand me down diapers, and that’s an ugly thought.

***

Toys aside, I did manage to jam out a very calming mix tonight, but Mixcloud and me are not getting along and it just won’t upload my set tonight, so that’ll be coming at you maybe tomorrow. Oh here it is, mix is uploaded: I love you, but you’re terrible at…

And in other podcasting news, Capital Rock City might be getting a bit of an overhaul as well.  Thinking about the idea of a “podcast” got me thinking… do I even need to make a long form “radio” show for the internet?  What if I just posted a weekly blog or maybe a “capital rock city” blog of its own.  I’d write about local Vic music and just post up the MP3s as I get them for download.   You could listen to songs individually, then if you like you’d download them and if not, you’d move on to the next cut?  Better or worse?

***

Go with yourself.

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MIX: Vanilla, Lavender, Comfort

Posted in music on March 30, 2010| 3 Comments »

Click to Listen: MIX: Vanilla, Lavender, Comfort

A collection of songs I discovered either as free downloads from http://pitchfork.com or trolling iTunes.

This mix takes on the same shape as my previous couple, starts out nice and calm before building to a more aggressive tempo, climaxing with some indie rock and then quickly calming down again with an instrumental from Real Estate.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to my selections.

***

DJ Notes

01) A Tribe Called Quest – “Check the Rhime”
02) Blondes – “Spanish Fly” (mp3)
03) Toro Y Moi – “Talamak”
04) Twin Sister – “All Around and Away We Go” (mp3)
05) Dub Tractor – “It All Went Wrong”
06) Kisses – “Bermuda” (mp3)
07) Delorean – “Stay Close” (mp3)
08) Jay Reatard – “Can’t Do It Anymore”
09) Real Estate – “Saturday Morning”

I like these Blondes kids to start the set.  Brooklyn 20 somethings that like to “jam” electronic music?  Is that even possible?  It is for these cats.  Pitchfork was yapping about them as a rising artist.  The interview they did is pretty funny and will make you like this lead off cut all the more.

From Brooklym we had to the American south and some chillwave from Toro Y Moi… a graphic designer who’s Christian name is Chazwick Bundick…really?  that has to be someone fucking with me on wikipedia.  Your name is Chazwick and you need to change that to have a cooler stage name?  I don’t believe that for one moment, Chaz.

Twin Sister is from New York somewhere, the city of… maybe?  This song travels around space on a unicorn made out of drugs.  Super duper cute.  And beneath those jibberishy anti-gravity lyrics rests an unrelenting beat.  Locks this song down.

I love tractors and I love beats… so its about time someone put them together.  too bad it had to be a Dane.  We’ll never surrender an inch of Hans Island to you viking invaders! (but your music pretty darn rad).

Have you ever thought… “man, why did I go to BCIT, get a job, have a kid, get married and a mortgage?  I could have just as easily moved to Southern California,  invested in a quality pair of deck shoes and got a job as a hand claps artist.” Yeah, me neither.

The closest this set dives into house music is Spain’s Delorean.  Pitchfork calls their style Blisscore.  ha, I love that.

RIP Jay Reatard.  Earlier this year, Memphis punker Jay Reatard was found dead in his apartment.  He was 29.  What a downer.

The set ends with an instrumental from another Brooklyn based band, Real Estate. Wikipedia calls is Psychedelic Surf Pop.  Coming up with music genres must be the best time ever.  I bet some nerd is out there right now inventing an online genre generator that will put a lot of music critics out of work.  Damn you Obama.

I can’t do it anymore, go with yourself.

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One is not enough MIX

Posted in music on March 23, 2010| 4 Comments »

Have a listen to my second Mixcloud Mix: One is not enough MIX

***

DJ Notes

01) Fang Island – Absolute Place (yeasayer remix)
02) The XX – Islands (CHLLNGR RemiXX)
03) Interpol – Not Even Jail (Daniel Kessler Remix)
04) Ladytron – Ghosts (Tonic Avenger Remix)
05) Yeasayer – O.N.E. (XXXChange Remix)
06) Pantha du Prince – Stick to My Side (Four Tet Remix)
07) Tanlines – Real Life
Sample: Steven Brown of the Listen Hear Sound Project – “Sunset and Stars, Nidri, Lefkas”
08) Happy Birthday – Girls FM
09) Dum Dum Girls – Jall La La
10) Best Coast – Wish He Was You
11) My Robot Friend – By Your Side

My second mix on the Numark NS7 using Serato ITCH for popular consumption. The set begins with some audio anarchy that I recorded of my two-year old Madelyn, then I launch into my favourite band of today, Fang Island. I am also enjoying an Interpol lust these past few days so I thought I’d get that indulgence out of the way early. Things get a bit more aggressive with Ladytron and Yeasayer before calming down with a Four Tet remix of Pantha du Prince.

Tanlines have an interesting sound to me then I dive into some garagey, lo-fi pop music. Lots of harmonies, fuzz, making out and guitars.

A couple of these transitions I wish I could have back after listening… but I guess that is practise right. The Ladytron/Yeasayer transition should have contained 600 percent more rad. Next time.

True story, I downloaded the band My Robot Friend because I liked the band name. I’m not ashamed. Cool band names win.

Go with yourself.

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For 3 days // I’ve bathed in nothing but sweat

Posted in ...this is your father speaking, life or something like it, music, neat-O gang, tagged , , , , , , , on March 22, 2010| 4 Comments »

Walked into the Zone today.  Seeing as it was so nice and Coral and I didn’t have a chance to do our weekend hike.  On ym way in, i rocked my one armed backpack which is quickly becoming my second fave purchase (the hiking shoes being number 1!).

I using this backpack for all sorts of stuff, lunch kit seems to be the best use.  But it is also my handy dandy diaper bag when out with Madelyn.  Diaper bags are the most emasculating invention ever.  Its bad enough its a purse type bag.  If it were filled with gun powder and musket balls, then I could at least handle it… but then its filled with baby powder and diapers.  No fun central.

This handy little bag, way smaller, out of the way, frees my hands.  Plus I think it’ll be a godsend at the Sasquatch Festival this year (If I can get there!).

If there is one thing I hate, its being encumbered with stuff.  I want to be free.  The flip is, free equals cold, or hungry or thirsty.

This year, I’ll have a little pack, outta the way.  Next, I’ll need some hipster pants that let me zip off the legs during the day to make shorts, then at night, zip them back on.  Plus some sort of sweater that can be tucked into this pack and pulled out when I when Coral gets cold at night.

This year I applied for a proper media pass.  I hope to get a chance to record the shenanigans for a kickass podcast.  My little pack might be big enough for an audio recorder too.  I’ll let the photog haul around the visual apparatus.

With the laptop and the motor home, I can produce up a show every night for broadcast. Go technology!

***

Stone Temple Pilots s/t album cover

The Stone Temple Pilots record cover looks pretty groovy… man.

The new record is supposed to have a 60s vibe.  really?  I’d believe that.

We all go through a classic rock phase at some point, I am glad that Scott and the rest of the boys are going through theirs.

STP released their first new single since… 2003? on Friday night.  Pretty weird, but the stunt worked.  According Alan Cross over at Explore Music, the single was spun over 500 times in a 60 hour period across North America.  Not bad.

Now if you really want to dive into some syrupy, 60’s acid rock from California, get involved with this band, Best Coast.  The song “When I’m With You” is rad (scroll down to the bottom of the player).  “When I’m with you I have fun.”  Oh very lo-fi a dirty.  Looks like the jumping off point for this week’s mix.  Plus I’ll tuck into some “Best New” tracks and music from Pitchfork and a couple other faves.  We’ll see what plays out.  Its hard to say before I am in pajamas standing in front of the blinking lights of my rig.  I kinda want to play “Show My Ass” (MP3) but uh, yeah that might not be my style.   Coming at you tonight or tomorrow.

Go with yourself.

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Plants and Records Mix

Posted in music, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on March 16, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Alrighty friends my first experiment with a podcast mix.  I uploaded it to Mixcloud for your streaming pleasure as I have not upgraded my blog for audio yet and likely won’t for a bit as I still decide… uhhh stuff.

Have a Listen: Plants and Records MIX

I figured out how to record a Serato Itch mix and set my Numark NS7 up in my living room on the coffee table.  I plugged in to my home stereo for a monitor.  A little dance party at Casa La Corj while everyone is asleep.

Then I  imported the file into Garageband and fooled around in there adding a little voice intro and bed.  I still had troubles getting around Garageband.  It feels very awkward to me to edit with this software, but I’m sure with time and practise it’ll come.

Lets talk about the music.

***

DJ Notes

01) Neon Indian – “Should Have Taken Acid With You”
02) Millionyoung – “Cynthia”
03) Kleerup – “Until We Bleed (Feat. Lykke Li)”
04) Winter Gloves – “Invisible”
05) Memory Cassette – “Surfin”
06) Frightened Rabbit – “Things”

And I do feature a taste of Cassie’s award winning Buckerfield’s commercial, hence the inspiration for the title of the mix.  The voice is Sheldon.

I downloaded her commercial last week to hear her great work writing and Sheldon’s production.  As I sat down today to draft up a mix and practise, I punched up the commercial (I am such a procrastinator) and played it through my rig.  It changed the whole direction and I needed to kick off with Neon Indian’s tale of regret… man he really should have taken acid with you then removed this clothes and jumped in the swimming pool.  Funny story… that exact same thing happened to me many moons ago in another life.

Millionyoung is pretty hot right now, I read about his style of chillwave on Pitchfork and downloaded the ep.  I love it, its like the emo of electronic beats.

I don’t hate this presentation until my final mix from Winter Gloves into Memory Cassette which I fuck up pretty good.  What can you do?  The whole set is basically 120 beats per minute, give or take, until Frightened Rabbit.

I hope you enjoy the 20 minutes.

Go with yourself.

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everyone high-fiving everyone

Posted in life or something like it, music, tagged , , , , , , , on March 15, 2010| 15 Comments »

Coral and I went for a nice hike on Saturday before the rains came.  We headed up to Mount Doug park.  It was the first time in a long time that I went for anything that resembled a “proper” hike.  We had to trek over mud, across puddles, under felled trees and scramble up rocks.

We must have looked pretty comical.  I was wearing white hipster street shoes and and huffing and puffing away.  Coral and I didn’t want to carry anything, so we left the water bottle in the Jeep.  yeah, bad idea.

But in the end, we felt really good getting our  hearts pounding (and pounding and pounding) in our chests (and throats).  We’ve decided we like doing a nice walk that is more challenging than a stroll but not running around a track on pavement.  We’ll try it again and again till we get ‘er that we can easily trail-blaze to the top.  Then maybe run down!

I had to hit Mountain Equipment Co-op today and buy some shoes.  That was fun… I put on a pair trail running shoes and couldn’t believe my feet.  Years of hipster slip-ons and  Chucks had me thinking that feet were supposed to just hurt all the time.  This is like walking on angels.  A road made out of baby angels.  so soft.  I am going to DJ in these shoes.

My new shoes ::Vasque Light Trail Shoe

It was pretty scary going into MEC and seeing the wall of shoes (and really all the out door stuff).  Luckily there was another gentleman in the shoe area buying shoes and he seemed the hiker type.  When I was explaining to the clerk lady about my needs and weekend warriornessisms… the dude interjected and said, “buy these shoes.  I am actually here to buy my next pair of them because the first ones were so so so good.”  Thanks old teacher hiker guy at MEC!

We’re going to hike again mid week.  Tuesday its supposed to rain and I am meeting with an accountant anyways… but Wednesday onward looks spectacular to get outside.  Then I was telling Coral about how in my youth Bob and I used trail run all the time at Buntzen Lake.  Next time we’re in Coquitlam I’ll have to take her.  Maybe we’ll need to drag Vancityrockgirl as she likes the nature hikes too and its her neighbourhood!  When I’m rich I am going to move to Anmore or Belcarra.  As kids, we used to explore back up in that area a lot.  The best shape I was ever in my life was the summers when Bob and I would trail run in the hills at Buntzen (didn’t hurt that I was like 17 at the time!).

***
What do you think of the name Ottoman Empire?

I’ve been thinking about a name or brand for DJing.  The easy answer is just to use my name.  People know it.  But boring (no offense Mom) and I wouldn’t mind splitting off from my radio DJ persona for the music I want to present and create as a DJ.  Sometimes I find when I DJ and people find out its ‘Jeremy Baker’ they get confused if I don’t lay down a Pearl Jam song and tell them the weather in the bar.  Weird, but true.

I like Orc as well but Coral was pretty meh on that.  I like Orc because its super nerdy and is short.

She sent me DJ Beatdown… but that sounds way to aggro for the chillwave/indie/classics that I normally lay down.   A spin on that that I like is Beatmonger.  Like a fishmonger, but of beats.  get it?

The other name I liked is National Sound Company because… well I love the National, so its like an homage to my favourite band.

Any thoughts you have are always appreciated.  I can use a name or maybe no name and keep trucking along under my actual name.  Whatever works I guess, just let it come naturally.

Go with yourself.

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3 Videos and an MP3

Posted in music, tagged , , , , , , on March 12, 2010| 4 Comments »

I wanted to share a few videos I came across this week and talked about on the radio.  Then if you care, you can watch them.

The first one is a promo for a new documentary coming out called One Nine Nine Four.  It is a movie about the California punk thing of the mid-90s.  Being a child of the 90s, it is all about the music I used to listen to all the time.  Lots of Offspring, Green Day, Rancid, Pennywise, Bad Religion… all that good stuff.

Next up is a school choir singing a Phoenix song a la Langley School Kids Music Project style. Super cute.

The final video comes from the UK where current Zoner buzz band Mumford and Sons jammed out a cover of Vampire Weekend’s “Cousins” for the BBC.

Download the MP3 from Abeano.com: Mumford and Sons – “Cousins”

That’s all I got for a Friday.  Happy weekend.  I’ll be DJing tonight & Saturday at The Veneto Lounge in the Rialto Hotel on Douglas at Pandora.  Come see me if you’re going out drinking this weekend downtown.

Go with yourself.

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if I knew what was in front of me, I might have stayed in bed

Posted in life or something like it, music, tagged , , , , , on March 10, 2010| 6 Comments »

Cue up Kings of Leon’s “Knocked Up (Lykke Li vs Rodeo Remix)”

I’ve always wanted to live in the desert (and oddly, Omaha, Nebraska… I have a recurring dream where I move to Omaha to be on the radio and live by the airport… weird).

But the desert, the desert is somewhere where I think I could live.  I suppose in a pinch I could settle for the Okanagan… but that’s not really what I’m thinking.  I want to live where its flat, desolate, strange creatures dwell, and its hot.

Living in the desert shouldn’t be that challenging of a goal to achieve one day.  No one wants to live there, so it should be matter of just going, and finding a patch of sand to settle.

What got my imagination turning was reading the story of the Meat Puppets.  The Meat Puppets started in the late 70s and early 80s in Phoenix, Arizona.  But not even right in Phoenix the city, but a suburb.  The Meat Puppets began as this crazy hardcore lo-fi (I guess all 80s indie rocker bands would be lo-fi by today’s standards) band but then evolved into a pioneering alternative group.  The Kirkwood brothers, Curt and Cris started the band in a town called Paradise Valley.  I don’t know what Paradise Valley might have been like in the late 70s, but today its one of the more affluent areas of Arizona.  I was reading their bio on wiki, and its a pretty straight forward, they did this, then this happened, then they did this and then this happened and next… you know how it is.  Doesn’t paint much of a picture.  But I was interested in what life might have been like, being a teenager in suburban Phoenix in 1979… being into hardcore music and starting a punk rock band.  What was happening in Curt and Cris’ world to shape them and create the Meat Puppets?  History tells us what happened after.  It took some time, but their sound gelled, they influenced Nirvana, they had some success in the mid 90s when the world went ape shit for grunge… but a lot of that happened 10 years or more after they were high school kids.  I wonder….

Does anyone remember that movie SLC Punk?  What a cool movie, a little goofy but maybe it kinda reminds me of the film I wish I could see about the Meat Puppets.  Fun fact, Jason Segel (who is 8 days my junior) makes one of his first movie appearances in SLC Punk.  huh?  He’ll later go on to star in I Love You, Man, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Knocked Up.

jeeze, all this talk on the 80s has me listening to old Fear and Exploited records.  Oi.

“Hold it, hold it! No way, pal. That’s a bald-faced lie! We caused $500,000 worth of damage, a cool half a million dollars worth of damage, ‘cause we’re professionals, and I counted the damage myself.” – Fear leader Lee Ving talking to the New York post in 1981 about trashing the set of Saturday Night Live.

Go with yourself.

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91 Things About 91 Songs :: Part 5

Posted in music, tagged on March 8, 2010| 2 Comments »

OK friends, its been quite sometime since the last installment of 91 Things About 91 Songs! A countdown of the The Zone’s Top 91 of the Decade.

If you can remember back to January 27th… I covered 59-50 and left off at Our Lady Peace’s “Innocent.”  Today I’ll tackle 49-40.

***

49) Brand New – “Sic Transit Gloria (Glory Fades)”

Sic Transit Gloria Mundi is a Latin phrase that translates to: “Thus passes the glory the glory of the world.”

Brand New heard the phrase  when they watched the film Rushmore.  Damn, that was a good film.

If I were a bigger music nerd collector, I’d want to track down the 7″ single.  Pressed on pink vinyl and backed with “Jaws Theme Swimming” which is a mighty track.

48) Radiohead – “There, There”

I don’t know what happened… Coral and I have every Radiohead record, a vinyl box set… MP3s… everything.  So I thought.  Then I wanted to play some Hail to the Thief at the Veneto Lounge a bunch of weeks ago and it was no where to be found.  I tore the bedroom apart trying to find the CD and it was the ONE missing!  This will not stand.

I cleaned the bedroom (and I am happy to report that as of last night, a months long project came to fruition and my bedroom is now an organized and clean sanctuary) and I bought Hail to the Thief.

As the great thief once said, “Mission Accomplished.”

47) Foo Fighters – “Times Like These”

Speaking of the the great Thief… in 2004 he rocked this song as his campaign theme.  Dave Grohl didn’t quite get that. so he helped John Kerry’s campaign.  Oh I hope John kicked George’s ass! I hope….

46) Creed – “My Sacrifice”

Creed?  On the Zone?  Well there was a time.

This song was a monster hit in 2001…. and you probably  could have guessed that it was used in WWE Wrestling.  Hey remember that song, “My own Prison?”  I used to LOVE that song.

Don’t read the comment section for the song “My Own Prison.” It’ll make you want to barf Amurika’s bathroom.

45) Nine inch Nails – “Discipline”

Trent’s first single as an independent.  Less than 24 hours after it was mastered, Reznor hit “send” on the email and it was on the radio.  Go technology!

44) Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker – “Hollow Point Snyper Hyperbole”

I want my business card to say “Hyperbolist.”  I think that explains what a radio presenter does most the day.  hyperbole, good word USS.

Hyperbole (pronounced /haɪˈpɜrbəli/[1], from ancient Greek ὑπερβολή ‘exaggeration’) is a rhetorical device in which statements are exaggerated. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally.

43) Metric – “Gimme Sympathy”

“Who’d you rather be?  The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?” and with that query, so many great cocktail party discussion were born.  Thank you Emily Hains.

The song also references the Beatles when Emily coos, “Come on baby play me a song, like here comes the sun.”

And the title of course… a play on two different Rolling Stones songs.  neat.

42) System of a Down – “Toxicity”

OK, permit me to quote Simon on American Idol, “I don’t get it.”

I mean that about System.  Kinda boring at times… and that is when I can handle them, the rest of the time they aggravate me.

AND they are always fighting and breaking up and getting back together and doing solo projects and fighting injustice and then getting back together, no wait they’re not, are they?  did they tweet something lately?

like I said, I don’t get it. Kids request these guys all the time.  I am happy they don’t have anything new out because people lose their minds and I can’t play SOAD enough in a show. No denying, they are a popular modern rock band and need to be on this list.

41) Metric – “Help, I’m Alive”

Metric’s Fantasies is a great record and monster on the Zone.  The first single was this cut.  Its good.  I really like the acoustic version as well which was a free download if you signed up for Metric’s email list.

40) City and Colour – “Sleeping Sickness”

I’d call this song Dallas Green’s biggest radio song.  It was heavily requested when it was new and continues to generate some interest to this day.

The song features the legendary Gord Downy on vocals.

“Sleeping Sickness” is from the album Show Me Your Love.  I kinda like this alternate cover.


Simple, but kinda cool right?

That’s all I got for you today.  next time we’ll count down songs 39-30.

Go with yourself.

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the drugs don’t work… they just make you worse

Posted in life or something like it, music, tagged , on March 5, 2010| 3 Comments »

Holy (bad word), allergies are kicking my ass.  I have been rocking Claritin pills lately and they just barely mask the allergy sickness.  They make it so I can just function enough to get to work and talk on the radio or stand in a lounge all night to play music.  But they make me feel like total shit.  its like that bad trip you took in high school where you said, “I am never doing drugs again!” but then you do drugs again.  ugh, every day, I go through bad highschool kid tweeker trip.

Hey, if you haven’t seen the music video for the new Gorillaz song, “Stylo,” its pretty fun.  Gorillaz won’t let me embed the video on the this here blog cuz they really want your nickle for watching Youtube ads, so click THIS LINK if you want to watch it.

I have finally started organizing my music into playlists and folders again.  Man, changing computer is a lot of work.  Its going to take some time to get my music sets back up to the quality they were before… now that said, last week when I was thrust into this new beast because the Toshiba died… I was really spinning trying to get something to play at the Veneto Lounge… but then after my shift, the manager guy Josh came up to me and said it was one of my better sets… so that was nice.

I brought my rig to the Clubhouse last night which is something I don’t normally do, but I really enjoyed my four hours there much more (or way more… I don’t how that sentence could work better).  I think I’ll go though that trouble more often.

OK, now I am just rambling… talk to you later.

Go with yourself.

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