Posts by Jakub

Here is the 3rd installment of Images From Where? and By Who? So we all download and save images of items, graphics and photos from the internet daily and some of the time you have no idea where to give credit besides maybe the guy that posted it first or second randomly on a blog. I ‘d like to get some answers on a few of these but also just post some interesting pieces that we come across that might have been sitting on our drives for awhile that are go to for inspiration or just found randomly on a forum with no info attached and just look great. Either way hopefully the point that gets across here is that they are inspiring in some sort of way to you as well.

This first one with the polaroid packaging i’ve just always wanted to know if it was real, I mean the wear might just be too good to be true and the simplicity is just perfect, anyone know if this was an actual packaging for polaroid? if it is i’m going to find a few on ebay so I can just have the box.

If you know me I have a huge fear of large ships, just the sight of them freaks me out but its not the case here, this boat/plane is gorgeous, its like a fantasy vehicle and its soo perfect with the glass dome at the top.

Klopfer Holzhandel seems to be some kind of German company, who ever branded this company my hats off to them, i’m not sure if this is the logo or just a brochure/flyer, either way its eye catching every time I scroll by it.

I remember the first time hearing Piano Magic right before Greg Davis went on at the Magic Stick in Detroit, the song that was being played was called Halloween Boat, I was going to post that but its a 10USD MP3 everywhere but well worth the 18+ minute bliss. Well I dug deeper and asked a few friends on what albums I should hear and Snowfall Soon was a definite surprise, just some beautiful fuzzy guitar and strong lyrics from the post shoegaze era.

I remember there was a time when a ton of netlabels popped up and every releases was given out for free by all these labels but it also kind of hurt the industry in my opinion because full albums were going up with no one filtering them. A few stuck around and never updated their site(ugh I hate when that happens) and most of them just folded because it was a college students hobby to release friends music. One track that I remember during this time was this song by Digitalverein, I just love how the song jumps in at the beginning, so dark and angular, like some stiff and nerdy digital IDM/Dubstep without the low end and abit too much static.

Shuttle358 i’m pretty sure has a small following but the people that do follow him are always in for a treat. Its very minimal work but there are always hidden melodies and I feel like its more rewarding then most 12k releases that thrive on a sound like this.

Oh Black Moth Super Rainbow, can your crackles be more hash and lovely? can your synths be more piercing, upfront and heavy? oh god the nostalgia just oozes all over my memories of old store signs and sun splattered visions of car rides to school in the winter.

Piano Magic – Snowfall Soon

Digitalverein – Don’t Make Me Cry Again

Shuttle358 – Finch

Black Moth Super Rainbow – Seeds

To get the full effect of a lot of the music posted here I usually would suggest headphones because I want you to sometimes hear all the little changes and parts in a song kind of like this Yo La Tengo song and some of the ambient pieces. I remember listening to the Summer Sun album on vinyl years ago and worrying that I was going to ruin my copy because I playing it too much. The beginning sounds like a little satellite calling out for attention and then slowly it picks up and becomes a song that almost forces you to smile because it doesn’t scream for attention but so attractive. It just sounds like its gently just having fun in the corner and you’re invited to hang out with it. When I hear this song I always picture someone crying and then stopping and then trying to hold back a smile, good work Yo La Tengo.

I can’t say I like a lot of Clue To Kalo but this song Empty Save the Oxygen reminds me of Lemon Jelly meets early Dntel, a perfect way to change pace on a mixtape for a close friend.

Soul Jazz Records Ltd doesn’t mess around and if they experiment and sign something off the beat and path of electronic music i’m willing to follow it for a while and give it a chance. This is the first i’ve ever heard of Subway, the songs give off this vibe that detailed things are growing and building around you, its perfect music for suspenseful Nouveau Circus or fans of Tangerine Dream songs that get to the point or DFA’s Delia Gonzalez and Gavin Russom.

Have you heard Shadows of Tomorrow and tried not to nod your head? its impossible and thats a fact.

Yo La Tengo – Little Eyes

Clue To Kalo – Empty Save the Oxygen

Subway – Delta II

Madlib – Shadows of Tomorrow

Excuse the abstract image but i’ve already posted about this album in March which featured Cheerleader so I thought something a little different might be a good change of pace because every blog has been writing about this Brooklyn band. I still haven’t dove into this album completely because of DEMF but if I heard Ready, Able I wouldn’t of posted Cheerleader or Two Weeks. Ready, Able has a slow waltz and Eddie sounds abit like Benoit Pioulard to me, you see now that’s a duet I wanna hear in 2009.

One of the best voices i’ve heard live since i’ve moved to Brooklyn is a no brainer, 24 year old, Danish, Greek and Indonesian Jannis Noya Makrigiannis gave me goosebumps. He stayed at my place for about a week, one of the nicest guys, dressed like a southern European Italian Vogue farmer and right off the bat you could tell the guy had a kind heart and when he performed he looked like he was made to perform music and sing.

Nothing wrong with just throwing in a random Sonic Youth song to ground us.

Okay so i’ve become a Dubstep junkie, don’t tell anyone. I’ve looked high and low for the most energetic yet slow moving and heavy hitting tracks. I really think this might take over the US finally in 2010. This Joker cut has elements of a Top 40 rap anthem but its soo chunky, 8 bit, and twisted, i’m sure my neighbors love it too.

Grizzly Bear – Ready, Able

Choir Of Young Believers – Action/Reaction

Sonic Youth – The Sprawl

Joker – Solid State

As you can tell i’m a huge fan of Bibio and his new direction isn’t too surprising but definitely a noticeable difference, it’s less lo-fi and sounds like he added some dubstep kicks to makes the whole overall sound more round. A 7 inch vinyl single will be coming out on Warp on June 8th with this song will drop before the LP, I look forward to hearing the B side and all the other songs, should be a great surprise.

Type Records grabbed up the distant serenading City Center and this new LP is full of echoed vocals and gentle guitar strumming, such good atmosphere and timing in all his music, it really helps me to relax.

Deastro is giving away a free EP called Grower, its all instrumental and almost sounds like he woke up in the middle of the night and had an amazing brainstorm for an EP and knocked it out in hours by finessing very similar sounds. Its an epic masterpiece at times and its super kind of him to just give it away for free like that.

Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas are back at it again, first off they make me feel like I should never touch a synthesizer because really they make it sound soo easy. This track takes me on this journey like i’m riding into space on an all silk loosely put together yacht and I have an epic plan and a long to do list of how to save the universe but i’ll doing it at 15 MPH and not worrying about how and when I do it though. Within a minute of just listening you might end up starring at your computer and just thinking who are these guys and how do we make sure they never stop making new music.

Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue

City Center – Killer Whale

Deastro – Friends

Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas – Rothaus (Groove Edit)

With Detroit Electronic Music Festival over I needed to find a mix that summed how good it got at times and this recent Resident Advisor mix does a great job and I think some of you Tim and Eric fan might like the tracklist towards the end.
Seth Troxler has been the face of the new generation of DJs coming out the US that gets it because he has the depth when it comes to knowing new and old records, has the confidence to throw out that curve ball track to a full dance floor, and lives the lifestyle that many of us would just stare at and be floored that he can live thru it all by being able to DJ at 6pm or 5am or even noon the next day.

TRACKLIST
Home and Garden – Broken (Brennan Green (On The) Reprise) – Icon Recordings
Omar-S – I-Love-U-Alex – FXHE Records
Woolfy vs. Projections – The Return of Starlight – Permanent Vacation
Beat Happening – Our Secret – K
Chromatics –In The City – Italians Do It Better
Michael McDonald – I Keep Forgettin’– Warner
Talking Heads – Slippery People – Sire Records Company
Jimi Hendrix – Castles Made Of Sand – Polydor
Animal Collective – Prospect Hummer – FatCat Records
Cat Power – Can’t Get No Satisfaction – Matador
Louderbach – Autumn – M_nus< David Bowie – Space Oddity – RCA Victor
Arthur Russell – Your Motion Says – Rough Trade
Marine Girls – 20,000 Leagues – Whaam! Records
Handsome Boy Modeling School – I’ve Been Thinking – Elektra
Home and Garden – Sexuality – Classic
Home and Garden – Broken (Brennan Green (On The) Reprise) – Icon Recordings
Tim and Eric – Universe – Adult Swim
The Pack – Vans – Jive

DOWNLOAD THIS MIX

RA 156: Seth Troxler

I’m not sure how well they sound walking the streets but they might be worth(15 USD price tag) checking out if you have a few minutes to kill and your ears hurt from headphones, seems like the good guys at Turntable Lab enjoy them…

“From the makers of the bestselling Chill Pill speakers comes the Rapcap Mini iPod Microphone. This genius gumdrop-sized device allows you to record crisp, clear audio onto your iPod simply and easily (just plug into your iPod’s headphone port to switch on recording mode). A durable, ultra-compact design and plug-and-record functionality make this device an easy addition to your daily digital life. Use it to record memos, field samples, music sets, and more. The mic itself is wind-resistant, optimized for voice recordings and saves files in easy-to-edit WAV format. Works with iPod nano4G, iPod classic 120GB, iPod Tough 2G/3G, and iPhone 3G. No batteries required.”
15 USD @ Turntable Lab

ITunes has a decent layout, I mean you can’t do much especially if you end up updating it weekly and the artwork can range from pretty good small album art icons to just awful ones. One way of making the pages on iTunes more appealing is these custom artist pages that iTunes staff picks out, the photos seem to be exclusive which is always a nice addition.

Bradford Cox of Deerhunter has a great blog for a musician, it might be one of the best if you like humble, talented and informative people. I’m guessing he makes these mixes on the computer because there isn’t much mixing going on but the eclectic tracklist caught my eye even if the mix is a few seasons old.

TRACKLIST
Beach Boys – Three Blind Mice (Smile Demo)
Lee Hazlewood – My Autumn’s Done Come
Bobak, Jons, Malone – On a Meadow Lea
Telepathe – I Can’t Stand It
Supremes – Where Did Our Love Go
Residents – Is He Really Bringing Roses?
Suicide – Cheree
Evie Sands – I Can’t Let Go
Autechre – Drone
Nico – Camera Obscura
Aaron Neville – Tell It Like It Is
Shugie Otis – XI-30
Alvin Curran – At Harmony Ranch
Robert Wyatt – Little Red Robin Hood (Hit the Road)

DOWNLOAD IT HERE

Bradford Cox Micromix

So the BBC Radio seems to be the best known radio station in the world for exclusively having songs and being able to play them first and its no different in this case. Domino Recordings handed them a great remix of Animal Collective’s Summertime Clothes which included this Dam Funk remix that pretty much nails the remix if you love synths and funk at a uptempo pace, the remix has such a natural feel to it, it’s so unforced seems like it should be an original.

You may have already heard about the Animal Crack Box and how its only limited to 1000 pressed and how some someone already dropped 2,400USD+ on a copy on ebay. I have been listening to it, its pretty good, i’d maybe pay 40USD tops for a copy of the vinyls at most just for the collection aspect of it. This release just makes me think how much of a crackhead my parent’s thought I must of was collecting hockey cards and having to wake up on the weekends to drive me to the card shows so I could look at the 1000USD limited hockey cards that 45 year old men sold with their stained sweatpants and too small of New York Rangers matching sweatshirts and their bellies partially showing while I spent my allowance on mystery packets of a random collection on pieces of paper that i’d just organize and store later in the evening. I hope they didn’t think I was going to turn into one of those guys but i’m sure it crossed their mind more than once. ok. back to music.

Terrence Dixon, someone once called him the Aphex Twin of Detroit Techno, he is a minimalist not that minimal techno stuff but a true minimalist and a care taker of melody. If you sit and listen and hear what he repeats its pure gold, the magic really lies in the subtle panning of certain parts of the song and well placed additions that pop up perfectly, A must have in your collection if you like to just space out into your design work while the song is chopping away at the waves like your cruising in 1st place in a sailboat race.

So I just found about this Pink Floyd band, just kidding.

Animal Collective – Summertime Clothes (Dâm-Funk Remix)

Animal Collective – Don’t Believe The Pilot

Terrence Dixon – Emergency

Pink Floyd – Run Like Hell