Archive for May, 2010

Solvent+Oval+Pictureplane+Light Asylum


I think i’ve posted 3 songs by Solvent this month, I guess I just can’t get enough, here’s a new one from his album that came out this month called Subject To Shift. Yesterday I got an email that he’ll be starting up his old label Suction Records which got me really geeked, some of the compilations on that label really kick started my love for this kind of synth pop.

Oval is back and i’m loving it, he’s touching on that sound that Caribou and Four Tet are known for, pretty ace.

I’m really into Pictureplane but I can’t imagine they’ve been sequencing electronic music for more than 2 years, either way i’m loving this track.

Light Asylum is the most unique project i’ve heard live in some time now. I can’t get enough, that vocal paired up synthesized percussion is bringing back nice memories.

Fiat City Car (1972)






Designed by Centro Stile Fiat, the 1972 Fiat X1/23 City Car concept was an all electric concept far ahead of it’s time. I can’t even explain how hard I would roll this thing all over San Francisco if I could get my hands on one and the battery lasted longer than 5 minutes (assuming they weren’t very efficient given that we still haven’t gotten the whole thing right 40 years later). I see a lot of those Smart Cars all around the city and get jealous when I see them park perpendicular. Does anyone have an ultra-compact like this? Did it live up to the hype?

Via ConceptCars.it

Academy of Art Spring Show: Tonight


Just a quick reminder that tonight is opening night for the Academy of Art 2010 Spring Show. I’m going to be judging this year so I’ll be headed down a bit early to get things started. All the info is here and if you’re not near San Francisco you can check out a live blog of the event here.

See you there.

Michaels/Sisson Residence




Miller/Hull designed this house for a young couple that had a high interest in modern architecture. The completed house fits perfectly with the Pacific Northwest theme and is situated in the woods of Mercer Island near Seattle.

Personally it’s one of my favorites in the Pacific Northwest. The ratio of wood to metal beams/siding seems nicely balanced, especially on the deck.

Memoryhouse: “Lately” Music Video


Maybe one of the top 10 songs of 2010? MemoryhouseLately has elements of some of my favorite music I post here on ISO50, I hope to share a few more by them this year.

Jake Sargeant








Above are some beautiful examples of Jake Sargeant’s photography. I’ve been following Jake’s work for a while now; you may recall that I used some of his textures in the Analog Visions print. At the time he said he had just purchased a Canon 5DMKII so I was really interested to check back in after a while to see what he’d come up with. He didn’t disappoint. His Flickr is full of breathtaking imagery that shows what a skilled artist can do with proper hardware. One caveat: I’m not entirely certain that all of these photos were taken with the 5D, but most seem to have that feeling. Jake, if you’re reading this perhaps you can fill us in on how things are going with the 5D in the comments.

Update from Jake in the comments:

Hey Scott & all….I’ve been shooting with the Canon 5DMII for just under a year now and really love it for still shooting and need to keep shooting more video with it. Everything over a year old on my Flickr was shot with a Canon 40D.

My main go-to lens is the Canon EF 24-105 f4 L IS. I also love shooting macro with my Canon 100mm Macro 2.8L IS.

Jake Sargeant on Flickr | MN8 Studio (Jake’s portfolio)

ISO50 Madrone Studio Giclee Released





ISO50 Studio Edition #008, Madrone, is now available through the ISO50 Shop. This print features updated artwork from the original poster for the Madrone show in San Francisco. Four limited edition formats are available: 14×24″, 18×30″, 24×40″, and 36×60″. All are printed on Hahnemühle German Etching 310 gsm (120# cover, 100% alpha-Cellulose white mould-made) using the Epson 9900 10 color UltraChrome HDR™ pigment-based ink system.

You can view the Madrone print here and view other Studio Editions here.

Alex Goes to Japan 2010


Right now I’m packing for my trip to Japan tomorrow. I will be in Tokyo for 10 days, exploring and adventuring around with a photographer friend. It will be my second time visiting Tokyo (I went by myself for two weeks in 2008). Since I’ve been before, my to-do list this time is quite different from the last; I plowed through about three guidebooks worth of tourist attractions last time. With this trip, I am going to try and stay off the beaten path and explore parts of Tokyo I either missed or hadn’t heard about yet.

I’ll also be focusing a lot more on my photography. I was shooting from the hip with my D40 two years ago (gallery) — this time I’ll take a little more care and consideration with my shots. I’ll be carting the MKII with me everywhere and will be posting periodic pictures and travel updates. My Twitter should also be fairly active with Tokyo related musings.

I’ll definitely be on the lookout for all sorts of design related artifcats and thingamabobs. If anyone has any Tokyo recommendations along these lines, I am all ears.

Related: Scott’s trip from 2008

Dusty Brown Live in Sacramento Friday



Dusty Brown will be playing live this Friday (May 28th, 2010) at Harlow’s in Sacramento. Their shows are always worth checking out — few can match the intensity and raw emotion they exude on stage — but this one promises to take things a step further. They’ve put together a full band and reworked all the songs with fully live arrangements for this set. It’s always interesting to hear how predominantly electronic music works in a live context, particularly with a drummer. I saw Caribou and Toro Y Moi last night here in San Francisco and that was certainly a treat to hear how the songs had changed between the studio and the stage (more so with Toro Y Moi as Caribou’s records are essentially rock at this point anyways). I’m looking forward to the same from Dusty and co. on Friday. Hope to see you out there.

More Info here

Awesome photos by RA OUL – Check out the rest of the set on his Flickr

Tauba Auerbach




These reconfigured typewriters are by Tauba Auerbach. Olivettis looks awesome to begin with, so these souped-up specimens take it to the next level. I can’t make sense of the altered readouts of these machines, but apparently there is a system at work:

Auerbach often bases her work on these sorts of solvable codes or systems. In one of her works, a series of reconfigured typewriters, she alters the keys so that their letters and symbols no longer correspond to what appears on the paper. The typewriters are painted with clues to the logic of their new operating systems; once each code is cracked, the machine becomes functional again. Link

She’ll show in the Whitney Museum in NYC until May 30th 2010.