PART FOUR: KEVIN SAUNDERSON

This one might be a stretch for some people if you aren’t a techno fan but let me say this, its how you listen to it really. Some people only hear repetition but when I talk to them usually they only list off musicians that rely on repetition as what they like so I get a bit confused and obviously bored of our conversation and walk away. When I listen to these songs I have to sometimes get myself ready for the faster tempo material, once i’m comfortable the songs almost slows down and my head just has a great time listening to all the parts of the song that are working with each other. With that mind set you end up enjoying repetition more because you find that beauty in whats looping and the slight additions/changes. This usually never involves your full attention, it’s not like listening to the radio in the car where you’re searching for a song to lip sync to or something that you already know.

To be honest listening to the mix in full is a lot better, I only grabbed a few tracks that I thought were the highlights and all of them just cut out at the end.

Having spent my teen years in Michigan I was fortunate to have access to the best techno by a long shot which is Detroit Techno. When it comes to dance music it all comes down to this mix for me, it was the seed that was planted in my head that made me obsessed with melodic 4/4 material that ranged from deep tribal to that speedy Jeff Mills sound which is what I DJed when I was in high school. I remember buying this CD in Poland at a small music shop, I must have been 15 just visiting my Polish family. I remember the clerk playing the CD in the shop and I had to have it, I remember spending all the money I had for the trip on it. I still have the CD actually, I got it signed by Kevin and also had him sign a Technics shirt[mega nerd]. I’m just trying to be honest here and share some sort of story that ties in my obsession.

Other parts: Dntel, Caribou, Prefuse 73

You may remember the lust-worthy Arc Encoder that I recently posted on. Well apparently there’s an Arc4 (four encoders) and Stretta has created a beautiful video of an Arc4 performance. I was already loving the Arc after seeing the stills, but seeing it in motion takes it to another level. I love the movement of the LEDs, very reminiscent of reel-to-reel tape. Makes you feel all warm and analog-ey inside.

Stretta – Holocene via Create Digital Music

Just installed the new Vimeo app for iPhone (iPad and Android versions are apparently in development). Very impressive stuff, I have a feeling this will have me doing more video work on my iPhone. Of course, that wouldn’t be hard considering I never use the video functionality. It’s strange, when I bought the phone I justified it to some degree by telling myself “you’ll have an HD video camera in you pocket”. I then proceeded to never use it.

How much do you use your phone for video? Ever done any creative projects with it?

Vimeo App via Engadget

This is the work of OK-RM, a London based design studio. The style reminds me a lot of Sulki and Min and maybe a little bit of Qubik. I enjoy this style; where type is placed all over the page, in a seemingly gridless manner, while still maintaining a sense of balance and proper hierarchy. To me it shows a kind of fearlessness, and a clear love of letterform.

via CTT

After hearing this song by Austra more then 15 times day I feel like i’ve officially fallen in love with this song, I can’t believe we have to wait until May for the album, nice signing Domino.

I first heard this song when Machinedrum sent it to me on aim years ago but it was a radio rip so it was never worthy of a post, finally I found a solid recording of this Daft Punk-ish track by Fred Falke, its one of those New Years night dancefloor must haves.

I think Slow Hands debuted on ISO50, if I remember correctly this mix he did for us was a huge hit and his covers of Aphex Twin and M83 as Addled were definitely loved. Well I have exciting news he recently just released on K7 Records on the famous DJ-Kicks compilation series with this original track, so congrats Ryan!

This won’t be the last Craft Spells song i’m posting I promise you that, I want more of this for the summer, hear’s a taste though.

On the evening of Tuesday, March 8, The Architectural League gave its President’s Medal to Lella and Massimo Vignelli. The award (past recipients of which include John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Hugh Ferriss, Joseph Urban, Richard Meier, Robert A.M. Stern, and Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown) was given to the Vignellis “in recognition of a body of work so influential in its breadth that it has shaped the very way we see the world.”

Pentagram’s Michael Bierut, an Architectural League vice president who began his career over 30 years ago as a junior designer at Vignelli Associates, designed the the program we see here. The five different covers featured a quote from Vignelli printed in PMS Super Warm Red and set in Helvetica of course.

So why are these five Vignelli-isms important?

When I first came across this I immediately saw five lessons to live by rather than just five miscellaneous quotes. They appear self explanatory but read each and give it a moment alone in your mind:

One life is too short for doing everything.

We like design to be visually powerful, intellectually elegant,
and above all timeless.

If you can design one thing, you can design everything.

If you do it right, it will last forever.

The life of a designer is a life of fight against the ugliness.

Posted via Wanken

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Just saw a Lincoln car commercial use a Kiln song soo well, it made me go back thru their huge catalog, soo glad I did since I love the song Templefrog. Can you imagine sitting down and composing this song? the guitars kind of sit in the back I love it.

Benoit Pioulard sent me this song by Jeans WIlder, reminds me of Pictureplane a bit, its almost too slow, it has that stutter on the release that makes me squint a little but the synth melody makes up for it.

Do you want to hear my favorite Top 40 cover? Courtship kills it here, FREE DOWNLOAD.

The cover art above is for this Pigon track on Dial, deep dub I can’t get away from it, I can’t believe I get soo excited about a closed hi-hat coming in, oh and the subtle breakdowns aren’t full of shitty sirens and coke infused trance piss streams just a perfect glide back into the song.

The Tycho San Francisco show is fast approaching and we’ve got some tickets and posters to give away. The first two winners picked will get a copy of the ISO50 Studio Edition print from the show along with two tickets. One runner-up will get two tickets.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post with a valid email address so that we can contact you. Please specify whether you can make it to the show or not, if not we’ll pass the tickets on to someone who will be in town for the show. Winners will be chosen Monday, April 3rd.

On a side note, I’ve completely re-worked the live show — stripped everything down and started from scratch including the visuals. I’ll also be playing most of the (now almost completed) new album. This should be an interesting one.

Tycho Live in SF April 7th Tickets | Info

If you’re Banjo Or Freakout please tell me what the second to the last song you played in Brooklyn the other night, its killin’ me BUT on the other hand I found 2 amazing songs by you.

This new Forma uses these soft hypnotic synth sounds that I probably couldn’t imagine living without after hearing them the first time, I love the daze it puts me in.

Bvdub never fails me, he always delivers what I want to hear and feel when I sit down and put him on.

P. S. I can’t find a photo credit for this photo of James Dean playing Ping Pong.

These drawings are by architectural draftsman Hugh Ferriss . His work is really incredible and demonstrates a fantastic imagination (not to mention patience). I prefer the style of the lighter, more detailed images, but I enjoyed the story behind the last few charcoal renderings. They are from The Metropolis of Tomorrow, where Ferriss imagined what a future megacity might look like. Delineator of Gotham indeed.

I recommend looking through this epic Flickr set to see more of his work.