The four seasons don’t ever stop to rest
The years come and the years go
The ten thousand things
Succeed themselves endlessly
But the universe itself does not die or decay
The east is bright and the west is dark
Flowers fall and flowers bloom again
Only the travelers to the Yellow Springs
Go shrouded in mystery and don’t return --Han-shan
Happy new year. My belated Best of 2008 list is coming soon...
posted by Maximus |
3:55 am EST |
2009.01.04 |
link
One more Christmas gift: A group of David Lynch fans who are also mashup producers have created a dazzling tribute to the surrealist auteur, called Mashed In Plastic.
It features music and audio from Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, and almost every other Lynch production (including his recent audiobook)... merged with assorted pop songs and other sonic material.
The results are better than... well, better than cherry pie and coffee after a soul-harrowing night of detective work in the dark woods. The double album is a free download (available as either 2 continuous mixes, or 18 separate tracks) at mashedinplastic.co.uk.
Here's a video for the first, and one of the most sublime, tracks: a melding of "The Voice of Love" from Fire Walk With Me and "Llorando" from Mulholland Drive:
- FPU - "Waiting For Snow" - This is a wintry selection from FPU's 2003 Traxxdata album (which also featured a sensational cover of Jan Hammer's "Crockett's Theme"), released by Tiga's Turbo Recordings. Stockholm native Peter Benisch is a longtime house and techno producer; this album was his foray into refined, melancholy, and coldly melodic '80s-style electropop. It's sadly out of print, but you can still grab a copy here.
Songs posted on Voltage are offered for a limited time only, for evaluation purposes, with the goal of promoting the artists and encouraging listeners to support them and buy their music. If you are the copyright holder for any recording posted on this site and would like it removed, let me know.
posted by Maximus |
1:46 pm EST |
2008.12.24 |
link
Jorge Luis Borges is one of my favorite writers... certainly my favorite modern author. Years ago I designed a hypertext game based on his story "The Book of Sand", originally translated into English by Norman Thomas Di Giovanni.
Unfortunately, the anthology in which I found "The Book of Sand" has long been out of print; I only knew about it because I found it on a library shelf. I knew that Di Giovanni and Borges worked very closely together, to the extent that many of the translated stories they produced together actually differed from their Spanish originals in significant respects. (I exchanged some e-mails with Di Giovanni's son several years back, when he found my puzzle online, but have never corresponded with the translator himself.)
I also knew that new English translations of much of Borges' work, made by Andrew Hurley, appeared in the 1990s. I sampled them, but -- whether because the earlier versions were shaped by the author's own hand, or because I'd just imprinted on those versions first -- I didn't warm to them.
What I didn't know, until now, is that both the unavailability of the original translations and the publication of the new editions were the result of a longrunning feud between Di Giovanni and Borges' widow and literary executor, Maria Kodama:
You will find these books, if you find them at all, in secondhand bookshops. Kodama has repeatedly refused to allow reprints of any of them, for the single reason that Norman Thomas di Giovanni had a hand in translating or editing the text. Their feud has its origin in the contract Dutton signed with Di Giovanni in 1969 for his translation of the first book, The Book of Imaginary Beings, and his work as translator for all the books to come. The contract, inexplicably, gave the author a smaller share of the royalties than the translator. Kodama now regards Di Giovanni as a thief who stole thousands of dollars from her estate. No reconciliation is in sight.
Too bad. I hope this gets worked out. For now, the (in my opinion) superior Di Giovanni/Borges translations will have to continue to circulate only as samizdat.
Orbital's In Sides was one of my favorite albums of the '90s. But I never saw the eerie video for the third track, "The Box", until yesterday:
The clip was directed by Jes Benstock and Luke Losey; the mysterious traveler from somewhere (somewhen?) else is played by Tilda Swinton. Note the Douglas Coupland reference at 3:11.
posted by Maximus |
8:49 pm EST |
2008.12.07 |
link
Atrios likes to talk about the SUPERTRAIN, as shorthand for all kinds of proposed high-speed and commuter rail projects that would make this country a better place to live, work, and travel.
Turns out there really is a Supertrain -- a super-cheesy NBC TV series that only aired for nine weeks in 1979. The title vehicle was supposed to be a double-wide, nuclear-powered luxury train that went from NYC to LA in 36 hours; it was equipped with amenities like a swimming pool, a movie theater, and (this being the 70s) a discotheque. (Swimming and dancing at 200mph? Obviously one thing the Supertrain lacked was good legal counsel.)
The show was apparently intended to be something like The Love Boat on rails, but it bombed miserably. It's not available on DVD, but bits and pieces can be found on YouTube. Here are the original disco-tastic opening credits:
After recovering from an epic Thanksgiving feast, my brother and I went to see Quantum of Solace on Thursday night. It had its strengths and weaknesses; I'm still not sure where it ranks in the Bond canon.
But I greatly enjoyed the Tosca sequence, set at the Bregenz Festspiele in Austria. This was filmed at Bregenz's outdoor stage, which floats at the edge of Lake Constance; the backdrop for the action is a scene from the actual 2007 staging of Puccini's opera. Here's an excerpt:
Some surprising names may show up in the liner notes for Christina Aguilera's next record:
Billboard.com today confirmed that the electro group Ladytron have been communicating with the pop princess with a view to collaborating, early next year, on her forthcoming fourth studio album.
posted by Maximus |
9:56 am EST |
2008.11.25 |
link
Señor Coconut has returned, with a new album called Around the World. The title track is a swinging Daft Punk cover; there are also remakes of Prince, Telex, and Antonio Carlos Jobim.
But the most deliriously cool cut may be a tropicalized rendition of Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams" (grab the MP3 here). It reminds me a lot of Locust's icy jazz version of "Master and Servant", off the 1998 Depeche Mode tribute album For the Masses.
posted by Maximus |
3:36 pm EST |
2008.11.24 |
link
________________
I HEARD YOU HAVE A COMPILATION OF EVERY GOOD SONG EVER DONE BY ANYBODY
»General
This author makes a lot of good points about why Pitchfork Media is generally insufferable. But he's more than a little insufferable himself along the way.
Pop music is supposed to be fun.
posted by Maximus |
1:04 am EST |
2008.11.17 |
link
- Pet Shop Boys - "Gomorrah" (Dettinger Remix) - Dettinger, crafter of haunted microhouse and ambient for the legendary Kompakt label, retooled this track off the last PSB album. The lush, campy synthpop of the original is replaced with a desolate expanse of glitchy rhythms and synthetic winds. The song's tale of self-discovery feels somehow more intimate and world-weary.
Related: The Boys are releasing a new single on Kompakt, with remixes by Jürgen Paape, Mark Reeder and Gui Boratto.
Songs posted on Voltage are offered for a limited time only, for evaluation purposes, with the goal of promoting the artists and encouraging listeners to support them and buy their music. If you are the copyright holder for any recording posted on this site and would like it removed, let me know.
posted by Maximus |
8:31 pm EST |
2008.11.07 |
link
We take a break from the real world to dip into whatever dimension Björk lives in. Here's a vintage clip from the late '80s in which she explains how her TV works:
posted by Maximus |
11:14 am EST |
2008.11.06 |
link
UPDATE 2: Seattle's gay club Neighbors hauled its sound system outside and ignited a street party with the dance remix of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing."
posted by Maximus |
6:35 pm EST |
2008.11.05 |
link
IDOL TALK @ Monkeytown with Maxx Klaxon, Get Your War On, R. Luke DuBois, and more
6 days before the election...
2 days before Halloween...
1 night of politics and pop culture:
IDOL TALK
Featuring videos and performances from Maxx Klaxon, David Rees, R. Luke DuBois, Rusty Ward, and more!
» See how we got from "gentlemen" to "terror" in 43 easy steps
» Eavesdrop on the political banter of clip-art office workers
» Learn who America's greatest superheroes are voting for
» Groove to the beat of Bill O'Reilly's rage
» Catch the shocking season finale of Authoritarian Idol
Come on out (and bring your friends) for the four-screen multimedia experience, Monkeytown's excellent food and drinks, and this fall's best night of political art and entertainment! Full details below.
NOTE: This event is one night only, and seating is limited -- reservations are strongly recommended! RSVP online here.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
IDOL TALK: New Political Video and Performance
@ Monkeytown
58 N. 3rd St. (b/t Wythe + Kent Aves.)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC
L train to Bedford Avenue
8:30-10pm
$7 ($5 with politically-themed costume)
$10 minimum
All ages Map
posted by Maximus |
5:06 pm EST |
2008.10.27 |
link
Back in the States. While I convert my money from pounds back to dollars -- and my brain back from Greenwich Mean Time to Eastern Standard Time -- here are some tips on converting your TV from analog to digital:
posted by Maximus |
12:11 am EST |
2008.10.21 |
link
Maud and I are in England for a week. These last few days we've been in Oxford, where she's attended a celebration of the 80th anniversary of the OED, and I've just wandered around the town.
Yesterday I explored Oxford buildings ancient and modern. I also had a chance to pick up a copy of I Love Dubstep, which I'll listen to on the bus to London tomorrow.
posted by Maximus |
9:57 pm EST |
2008.10.14 |
link
Northeast Power Exchange presents
NPX NEW YORK
Saturday, October 11
@ The Tank / Chashama
6 block-rocking hours of the Northeast's best underground electronics!
The Northeast Power Exchange collective -- a joint venture of Splice (NYC), Broketronica (Philadelphia), and other folks from around the region -- has already touched down in Philly, Baltimore, and Wilmington.
Now NPX brings the noise to New York!
It happens at Chashama, the art and performance space at 217 East 42nd Street. There, in the shadow of the Chrysler Building, a night of high-powered, all-ages audiovisual action will be unleashed.
NPX New York is produced in association with The Tank, a non-profit arts organization supporting new work by emerging performers, designers, writers, directors and producers.
ARTIST BIOS:
Panzer Division (Philadelphia, PA)
Panzer Division's scalding response to the realities of modern war is brewed in a boiling cauldron of powernoise, EBM, and minimal techno.
Maxx Klaxon (Brooklyn, NY)
Electro insurgent Maxx Klaxon marshals analog synths, hard beats, vocoders, and video propaganda for a smart, dark take on love, sex and politics.
Glomag (Brooklyn, NY)
Glomag is an internationally renowned chiptune artist, whose creative, high-energy tracks are produced entirely with handheld game consoles.
_vectorzero (Brooklyn, NY)
This mysterious Peruvian coaxes explosive rhythms and delicately sinister tunes from a tangle of filters, drum machines, and mutant toys.
MAD (Philadelphia, PA)
MAD -- mastermind of Philly's Broketronica parties -- brings deep dub melodics and fatally infectious drums into the laptop/controller universe.
I Synthesist (NYC)
In composer/producer Chris Ianuzzi's ecstatic electropop, avant-garde sonic effects collide with lyrical surrealism and vintage new-wave harmonies.
Megadrives (Baltimore, MD)
This powerhouse duo conjures up an intense, continuous live mix of psychedelic sounds, guaranteed to melt genres, move bodies, and open minds.
Blipvert (NYC)
Ex-Californian Will Redmond genetically recombines fractured percussion, free-jazz riffs, and alien soundscapes into hybrid mayhem.
Yohei Nishiyama (NYC)
Yohei Nishiyama's elegant electronics flow from a rich musical background of classical training, film scoring, jazz performance, and hip-hop production.
NPX NEW YORK
9:00 pm - 3:00 am
@ The Tank / Chashama
217 East 42nd St.
(b/t 2nd + 3rd Aves.)
$10 / all ages
