Damn! I know I put that newsletter somewhere!

The observant ones of you may have noticed that James has been very clever (as usual!) and created an archive of our Trade Newsletters.  All you need to do is click on the tab above (next to the home tab) to take you to this wonderful resource.

Back issues cover the following fascinating subjects:

What type of glue to use for fixing wooden floor types

Underfloor Heating – Facts & Figures

Hardwax Oils vs. Waterbased Lacquers – Which is best?

Seven Ways to Keep Wooden Floors Looking Good

Text Alerts for Chauncey’s Deliveries

as well as photos of current projects and much more…

We’ll continue to add each month’s pearls of wisdom to the archive once we’ve sent them.

Meanwhile I’m afraid to report our canopy hasn’t progressed further yet – it’s due to be continued next week once the potential hitch over condensation in the double-walled construction is ironed out (not literally!).

Abby is back from her luxury snowboarding break – and with no broken bones – which is a big plus for us and our regular customers.  I’ve asked Abby for a suitable photo for the blog, so hopefully next post…

Mary xx

Human activity can cause destructive harm. Columbia University geophysical hazards research scientist, Christian Klose, studies how, including from mining…read more

Here is some official accounting according to the AP.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010904063_aplthaitiusaid.html

Even though the Haitian government is shattered and the President himself is sleeping in a tent, virtually no aid money from the US is not going directly to the government. This is supposedly to prevent corrupt officials from lining their own pockets with it.

Like the way corrupt US officials and other globalists line their pockets with money they leach from the populace? Is that what they meant?

Somehow, it makes more sense here to give 33 cents of every aid dollar to the US military so they can occupy the country, rather than to give more than 1 cent of it to the Haitian government itself so they can take care of their own business. And the US do use some of that 33 cents to provide medical services on that one ship, too, of course. I wonder if after they brutalized that kid while he was looking for food, they sent him to that ship?

I’m not saying we should just be giving all this money to the Haitian government, but it looks to me like it is deliberately being withheld from them to keep them dependent on the US and UN. I would be willing to bet that even the ‘corrupt Haitian government’ would have gotten food and water to its own people within the first week instead of military boots to the head. Besides, the ‘corrupt Haitian government’ is the one the US installed after they got rid of Aristide, so whose fault is that?

And of those 44 cents that go to the NGOs, how much of that actually goes to any kind of aid? They didn’t give any accounting of that.

In this second video, you will see former President Clinton symbolically unloading packs of supplies while trying to keep a straight face. I don’t know if he is capable of being such a hypocrite because he has been mind-controlled by the CIA or because he has just flat-out sold his soul to the Devil. Either way, it’s nauseating. This is followed by a clip of what appear to be mercenaries dealing with ‘looters’ (i.e. desperate people who are trying to survive) by shooting them and kicking them in the face. That’s right: KICKING THEM IN THE FACE. That’s humanitarian aid, New World Order-style.

Meanwhile, I have made contact with a man in Seattle who is working on fund-raising for Haitian grassroots organizations and for the local Haitian community, so they can send money back to their loved ones to help them get through this ordeal. Hopefully, he will soon give me a list of places that we can donate to directly instead of giving our money to the NWO NGOs who are, largely, not to be trusted. I’m sure that groups like Doctors Without Borders are there to do good work, but they are probably being slowed down by the American military occupation of Haiti having been made top priority. In the meantime, maybe we can help a little by giving directly to some of the victims. We’ll see what we can come up with.
]]> http://thetruthergirls.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/fas-are-conspiracy-theorists/ Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:30:32 +0000 thetruthergirls http://thetruthergirls.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/fas-are-conspiracy-theorists/

The Federation of American Scientists are such conspiracy theorists that they not only ‘believe’ in tectonic weapons, but have actually published the following Convention on their website, which was:

Signed in Geneva May 18, 1977
Entered into force October 5, 1978
Ratification by U.S. President December 13, 1979
U.S. ratification deposited at New York January 17, 1980

Entitled:

CONVENTION ON THE PROHIBITION OF MILITARY OR ANY OTHER HOSTILE USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MODIFICATION TECHNIQUES

“It is the understanding of the Committee that the following examples are illustrative of phenomena that could be caused by the use of environmental modification techniques as defined in Article II of the Convention: earthquakes, tsunamis; an upset in the ecological balance of a region; changes in weather patterns (clouds, precipitation, cyclones of various types and tornadic storms); changes in climate patterns; changes in ocean currents; changes in the state of the ozone layer; and changes in the state of the ionosphere.

It is further understood that all the phenomena listed above, when produced by military or any other hostile use of environmental modification techniques, would result, or could reasonably be expected to result, in widespread, long-lasting or severe destruction, damage or injury. Thus, military or any other hostile use of environmental modification techniques as defined in Article II, so as to cause those phenomena as a means of destruction, damage or injury to another State Party, would be prohibited.

It is recognized, moreover, that the list of examples set out above is not exhaustive. Other phenomena which could result from the use of environmental modification techniques as defined in Article II could also be appropriately included. The absence of such phenomena from the list does not in any way imply that the undertaking contained in Article I would not be applicable to those phenomena, provided the criteria set out in that article were met.”

http://fas.org/nuke/control/enmod/text/environ2.htm

The objective of the video piece was to address the subject of scale with the use of video, sound, and performance. With my passionate interest in dance performance, and my history of being a dance performer I wanted to recognize a type of dance that is not yet so popular in the United States. I was influenced to give recognition to Tecktonik/Electro House dance because I became very fond of it when I saw people dancing and even having dance battles at clubs. I followed up this interest by searching it on Youtube and looking at homemade dance videos and tutorials.

My work is largely influenced by growing up in an environment surrounded by music and dance videos that are created by music artists. In combination of both my interest in Tecktonik and music videos I wanted to create a dance video that would emphasize the dance moves in Tecktonik dance. In this video, I emphasized the comparison of different body parts to each other by cropping and zooming in on frames. We usually view a dance as a whole, and instead I wanted to break down the body parts and appreciate them as individuals. Keeping the music video style, the video is a creation to be enjoyed by viewers as any other music video but instead of having a narrative or story line the video is focused mainly on the dance and the dancer.

Also, in this video I played the role of the performer and had the chance to learn some of the Tecktonik/Electro dance myself. It gave me the freedom and control in which moves to learn and to perform. Being the one performing, I learned that the dance is as complicated as it looks, and that the difficult part is not executing the moves but transitioning from one move to the other. The dance can also be slowed and sped up depending on the music track.

The purpose of the video is to entertain a crowd of people whether in a club, a lounge, or at huge events such as parties, dances, or music performances. It sort of mimics the dance battles and body language seen at the clubs but instead of battling another person I’m battling myself. It kind of became a more personal video with the concept that I’m in a constant battle with myself, whether with personal ideas or thoughts.

installation for courtyard

urbansteve here, hoping you’re not all “listed out” from other blogs and sites.   2009 treated us with loads of amazing tracks, remixes, full-length albums, compilations, re-issues and  Dj mixes.   This is my attempt to sort through some of my favourite gems of 2009.

Favourite tech/dubstep tracks  (title-artist-label):

• History of the Sun (Agnes remix) - Dana Ruh [Perspectiv] listen
• Winds of Goree - Mr. Raoul K  [Mule Musiq]
• Mono Turn (Cryptic Monkey remix) - Broombeck [BCB tec] listen
• Mama Queen - Shonky [Contexterrior] listen
• Moth – Burial and Four Tet [Text] listen
• Tarantula - Zomby [Hyperdub] listen
• Junktion (Shed remix) - Peverelist  [Tectonic] listen
• Humber - Ramadanman [Apple Pips] listen
• My Time (Radio Slave’s Rekids Tribe mix) – Dance Disorder [Eskimo] listen
• Invisible Bitchslap – Levon Vincent [Deconstruct] listen
• Things Pass - Basic Soul Unit [Ostgut Ton] listen
• Silent State - STL [Smallville]  listen
• Hypnotize - Solomun [Diynamic] listen
• Grand Central Pt. 1 (Motorcity Drum Ensemble remix) - DJ Sprinkles [Mule Musiq] listen
• Letters Home - CFCF [Paper Bag]
• La Mezcla - Michel Cleis [Strictly Rhythm] listen 
• Storm on Lake Saint Claire - Claude VonStoke [Dirtybird] listen

Favourite albums/compilations (in no particular order)

With the reigning prevalence of digital download mp3 culture, full length albums tend to get lost in the shuffle.  It is my small role here to preserve the lost art and  integrity of listening to a whole album from start to finish.  As a Dj I should not be one to talk, but when did we become so ADD with music?  Often, the whole is greater than SOME of its parts .   Patience was a sonic virtue with these ones:

The xx -  The xx [XL Recordings]

Reminiscent of Tricky and Martina trading dark, sexy verses, this album was seductively irresistable!  Hard to believe a debut album by 20 year-olds can be this strong.

The Horrors – Primary Colours [XL Recordings]

Hey, what’s old is new again right?  Well, The Horrors blend My Bloody Valentine,  Echo & The Bunnymen and Jesus & Mary Chain with a fresh sense of urgency that is so beautifully messy. 

The Warlocks – The Mirror Explodes [Tee Pee Records]

More drug-induced, sludgy guitar sounds from one of my favourite bands.  They always manage to bury remnants of catchy melodies deep beneath the fuzzy guitar sounds and slightly distorted vocals.  If you like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Brian Jonestown Massacre then you know exactly what i’m talking about!

The Very Best -  Warm Heart of Africa [Green Owl]

To call your band “The Very Best” is a bold thing to do.  This aptly titled album,  Warm Heart of Africa was the most vibrant, uplifting album for me.  This was a total bad-mood buster.  Collaborations with Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend) and M.I.A only added to the colourful songs from this Malawian, French, Swedish trio.  It indeed may have been the very best.

Fever Ray- Fever Ray [Mute]

dark, brooding lyrics over dark, brooding beats from the singer from electronic/indie band The Knife – remember them?

Bibio- Ambivalence Avenue [Warp]

I love Boards of Canada.  Bibio is the only one that reminds me of them with his  folky-acoustic electronic sounds.  But this album is much more diverse- “Fire Ant” could pass as a Flying Lotus Track.  Other tracks are soul, crunchy techno, indie rock and leftfield hip-hop.   Bibio released 3  full length albums and one ep in 2009, but this one was supreme! 

Quantec – Cauldron Subsidence [Echocord]

Dubby techno, the way i’ve always liked it à la Basic Channel.  Echocord, the Danish label had a very solid year in ‘09. 

FaltyDL – Love is a Liability [Planet Mu]

The “where the f*** did this producer come from?” award winner goes to FaltyDL with this hybrid release that sounds like dubstep, drum ‘n bass, house, and IDM all wrapped into one.  New York’s answer to the mighty Burial!  His Bravery ep also released in 2009 was rather tasty as well.

Various – Tectonic Plates Vol. 2 [Tectonic]

Compilation album featuring a wicked roster of dubstep and like-minded heavyweights- Matryn, Peverelist, Joker, Benga, Pinch, 2562 and even HOT SAUCE’s beloved Flying Lotus.

Phantogram- Eyelid Movies [BBE]

Organic and electronic sounds with swirling guitars, spaced out synths and chopped up rhythms.  This female/male duo will no doubt rock it live in Toronto on Feb. 20 at the Drake Hotel….you heard it here first!

Solomun - Dance Baby! [Diynamic]

Yes! My favourite tech-house full length, hands down.  Most songs can stand on their own as a 12″.  Essential!

Jamie Jones – Don’t you Remember the Future? [Crosstown Rebels]

I blogged about this one back in Sept. ‘09 here . Great chunky basslines for the floor!

Luke Hess- Light in the Dark [Echocord]

The current generation of fine detroit techno producers like Deepchord, Echospace, Soultek, Omar S and now Luke Hess are keeping Detroit relevant with forward moving releases like Light in the Dark.  Fluid, sparse yet rich tracks that really get that deep, dubby tech sound going that I’ve always been in love with.

Dubstep Allstars vol. 06 mixed by Appleblim [Tempa]

This is the standard of what dubstep sets should sound like in my opinion!  techy dubstep, some reggae- infused sounds and some drum patterns and b-lines that should blow you down ‘pon your side.  Was great to catch Appleblim spin at the Mutek Festival in Montreal this year.  This is the dubstep sound I would fall in love and breed with (er..if it were possible)!   

Ghana Special: Modern Highlife, Afro-sounds & Ghanaian Blues 1968-81 [Soundway]

Part of Soundway’s ongoing series of reissuing golden nuggets from Africa, this one was a great  listen.  Lots of different styles going on here as the title suggests.  A perfect record to play and leave on for 2 hours as your friends get drunker and drunker on the amazing, feel-good vibes that could only be from Ghana (sorry, Nigeria).

Thanks for reading this far!  Happy HOT SAUCE New Year!

~urbansteve

My Top Ten Record Labels of 2009, in no order:

1. Brainfeeder
2. Muti Music
3. Hyperdub
4. Warp Records
5. Innerflight Music
6. Tectonic
7. Addictech
8. BPitch Control
9. Planet Mu
10. Alpha Pup Records

2010: Year of the PUP

contrast by form and materiality

in progress…

Ian and Sherry in our main Bristol office

Readers of our blog may remember that we recently had a new environmentally friendly skylight put in our main office to reduce the need for artificial lighting.

As we have underfloor heating throughout, our office is floored using Chauncey’s Tectonic boards (what else?).  Sadly though, our Tectonic boards have suffered two and a half years of us rolling our office chairs around on it plus the recent building work and were in dire need of some TLC!!

Friday was chaos as we had to move all the desks, files and computer equipment into the other office.  (Actually, I say ‘we’ but James and I very sensibly took the day off!)

Justin & Chris (from JB Flooring) gave  the floor a right good sanding on Saturday (thanks lads!) and then applied one coat of Treatex plus the hardener using a roller.

James and I then came in early on Sunday morning (!!) and rollered on a  second coat of Treatex Matt – again with the hardener!  A marital dispute was nearly in the offing as I had left the windows open for airing and then applied Treatex to that end of the office (oops!).  James manfully tiptoed across it in his size 12 working boots and I quickly tried to stretch and re-roller those bits!  Fortunately, Treatex is very forgiving and the office floor now looks 100% better – no worn patches under the chairs!

Of course, we are now promising ourselves that we will be role-models by carrying out the necessary on-going maintenance and not let the floor get into a state again!  All it needs is a weekly wash with the Treatex Wash & Care and an occasional re-apply of Treatex Hardwax oil when we have been especially frantic on our castors – not difficult or time-consuming really.

If you want to know more about maintenance of wooden floors look at this page on our website.

If you want to know more about Hardwax Oils vs. Water based Lacquers we have a new page so look here for some important information as to which you should choose.

Mary xx

2562 - Unbalance

As coisas estão começando a minguar para o dubstep, que já não parece mais tão sólido como antes. Simultaneamente a uma evidente redução do estilo à uma formula, em 2007 a cena entrou no grande circuito enquanto todos esperaram ansiosos pelo Untrue do Burial, a Skull Disco fez seu status de aposta para o futuro do gênero, a Punch Drunk fazia a cena de Bristol reconhecida. Em 2008, parecia que as coisas iam ser diferentes e tudo começou a seguir uma nova direção. Começou-se falar em wonky, UK Funky e a introdução de techno, enquanto Hudson Mohawke, Rustie, Zomby, Skull Disco e até mesmo a Hyperdub começaram a mostrar que as coisas deviam mudar. E mudaram: 2009 quase não ouviu clichês em dubstep.

Dessa rápida introdução, vale tomar um destaque a Unbalance, novo disco de 2562, projeto do holandês Dave Huismans. O músico fez uma das maiores revelações nesta cena com o lançamento de Aerial, atestando mutações no gênero ao evidenciar a influência de dub techno na cena. Unbalance, mantém a mesma direção, olhando adiante. Porém, dessa vez, parece haver menos distinção autoral para justificar as conquistas recentes do gênero.

Unbalance é repleto do bom e velho dub techno, mas com sua palheta de sons líquidos e metálicos enquadrados numa lógica dubstep. Flashback abre o disco com esta proposta e a tardia Superflight parece propor o mesmo. O som da Tectonic é logo reconhecível e são evidentes os ecos de Martyn e Flying Lotus, que se juntaram ao selo neste ano. Aqui, o dubstep é mero pretexto para algo muito mais evoluído, que destaca camadas rítmicas, ecos e teclados baleáricos.

2562: Divulgação (www.last.fm)

Por outro lado, o toque de grime, como nos teclados de Like a Dream e no baixo quase wobble da música soam fora de lugar. Com certeza um dos destaques do álbum, essa faixa soa como uma aposta no dubstep à moda antiga, quando ainda preso à vertente do hip hop inglês.

Unbalance transforma-se em algo muito rico ao seguir esta linha. Huismans parece ainda acreditar no dubstep como sonoridade, ainda que reconheça sua evolução em algo distinto, principalmente pelas mãos de nomes citados acima. E parece uma proposta clara, sugerindo dupla interpretação ao título. Afinal, não é de des-balanço que se fala ao considerar as batidas complexas e múltiplas deste disco; ao mesmo tempo em que sugere as variações de uma estrutura que parecia justamente engessar-se conforme passou a ser aceita?

2562 é o nome do projeto de dubstep do produtor holandês (Haia) Dave Huismans. Ele gravou a partir de 2004 sob os pseudônimos de Dogdaze e A Made Up Sound, mas só ganhou reconhecimento maior em 2007, quando lançou pelo selo Tectonic, do produtor Pinch, alguns singles que ganharam rapidamente atenção por parte de admiradores tanto de dubstep quanto de techno (Kameleon/Channel One, Channel Two/Circulate). Aerial, seu primeiro LP, saiu em 2008, com ótima recepção da crítica especializada, e em outubro desse ano veio seu sucessor, Unbalance. (RG/TF)

* # *

Como toda música eletrônica voltada para as pistas, o dubstep sofreu mutações severas. É admirável pensar que há pouco mais de um ano o que predominava no estilo era um sotaque dub-techno fortíssimo, muito utilizado e ampliado pelo próprio 2562. Curioso mencionar também que quase ninguém seguiu as tendências inovadoras e múltiplas arquitetadas pela dupla Dusk e Blackdown no álbum Margins Music. Pelo contrário: nesse ano vimos uma invasão maciça de DJ’s emulando sons de computador e de brinquedos eletrônicos, transformando o dubstep numa outra coisa (o wonky). Pois o wonky tratou de tirar toda a graça da crescente cena eletrônica inglesa: batidas sem criatividade unidas a barulhinhos infantis, primários, que talvez funcionem bem nas pistas, mas fora delas não possuem qualquer valor. Eis que depois de tanta baboseira somos obrigados a confrontar com City Limits Vol. 1 de Silkie, que demonstrara ótima ginga para construir suas batidas em singles anteriores, mas que acabou por arruinar o dubstep com seu disco de estreia: sax e guitarras nos arranjos, fazendo as faixas parecerem trilha lounge de restaurante chique. Pouco antes, Martyn lançara seu primeiro LP e surgia mais uma pequena decepção: aquele que parecia ser o mais sagaz de todos os produtores fez um disco morno, que só comprovava o quanto o dubstep não funcionava num long play (salvo as já sabidas exceções: Burial, Kode9, Dusk + Blackdown).

Porém, os mais recentes lançamentos dentro do que podemos chamar de dubstep, pós-dubstep, ou qualquer outra coisa subjacente a isso, apontam para uma revitalização, uma renovação do que parecia morto em meados desse ano: Three EPs de Shackleton e Unbalance de 2562, dois álbuns que estudam com minúcia a batida 4/4 contemporânea – o primeiro utilizando samples e o segundo criando um som completamente sintético. E como definir a música de Dave Huismans? Talvez esta seja a síntese perfeita do dubstep, pois nela podemos encontrar traços dos melhores produtores do gênero: a batida quebrada de Pinch, seu patrão de gravadora, o sintetizador pesado de Kode9, os acordes aéreos e ecoáveis de Martyn, e o perfeccionismo e detalhismo característicos de Burial. Ao mesmo tempo, há tantos aspectos de outras vertentes da eletrônica, como house, techno e garage presentes nas faixas que seria difícil classificar com precisão Unbalance. Até o maldito wonky aparece aqui (“Like a Dream”), mas utilizado de forma bastante dosada e consciente por Huismans.

Unbalance é tão bom, mas tão bom que é tarefa árdua destacar uma ou mais faixas – todas parecem indicar direções diferentes para a eletrônica e para o próprio trabalho do 2562 –, assim como é válido dizer que é um disco para todas as horas (manhã, tarde, noite), todos os tempos (sol, chuva) e todos os tipos de audição (caixas ou fone). Estamos diante de um álbum vanguardista na eletrônica, ao nível do melhor de Aphex Twin, Autechre, Metalheadz, 4Hero, Burial, Shackleton: um álbum que cava fundo, que inventa batidas, arranjos e, por pouco, sons. Mais ainda: um álbum que melhora a cada audição. (Thiago Filardi)

* # *

Não é muito complicado descrever em linhas básicas o que torna tão excitante e singular a música praticada por Dave Huismans em seu projeto 2562. É um dubstep de andamento ligeiro, com linhas de grave discretas que funcionam como espinhas dorsais e nada além disso, contratempos e/ou chocalhos fortes na suingueira do 2-step e uma depuração de meios e motivos soberba. Muitos acreditavam que aquilo que ligava o 2562 a um feeling techno eram os acordes amorfos e inesperados típicos do Basic Channel que apareciam em Aerial, seu primeiro álbum, mas se há alguma ligação mais decisiva é justamente essa relação entre andamento, precisão nos médios e senso de economia.

A passagem do primeiro para o segundo álbum não mudou a configuração geral. Apenas os motivos tornaram-se mais coloridos, mais discerníveis, e consequentemente de maior apelo. Mas se isso, a princípio, aproximaria o som do 2562 da média dos produtores de dubstep, a depuração e o notável senso de progressão das faixas ainda torna o projeto de Huismans totalmente singular dentro do gênero. Ainda que os motivos transpareçam de forma mais clara e grudem mais na cabeça, o fio condutor é ainda o ritmo e a evolução de cada faixa.

Unbalance se constrói em dois movimentos. Primeiro uma parte mais direta, festiva, acachapante, que vai desde o começo na faixa introdutória e culmina com a absoluta “Unbalance” no meio do disco, e uma segunda mais versátil, com estratégias mais distintas, que apontam para um interesse em outros modelos de composição. “Flashback”, a segunda faixa do disco, trabalha com dois “temas”: um é apenas um sinal agudo e outro é uma progressão de acordes quase-glitch, certamente gasosa, que serve como fundo melódico para as variações rítmicas executadas com enorme cuidado de timbre e colocação. “Lost” se baseia numa voz feminina repetindo em eco algo como “jo-way” com notas mantidas que lembram órgão. “Like a Dream” tem um motivo que evoca sinos tubulares, num primeiro momento de motivo melódico mais definido. Aí chegam “Dinosaur” e “Unbalance”, sem dúvida o centro pulsante do disco. A primeira trabalha com diversos barulhinhos e chiados intermitentes e uma linha de graves mais chamativa, com um ch-ch-ch chacoalhante de contratempo pra fazer a alegria de qualquer pista de dança. Quanto a “Unbalance”, é talvez a faixa mais imaginativa até agora de Huismans. Ela começa com uma longa introdução ambient climática que explode numa batida genial, que picota os sons percussivos só deixando a parte de ataque de caixa e contratempo, produzindo um efeito rico e intensamente suingante, justamente por conta desse “desequilíbrio” orquestrado pela supressão do decaimento e da sustentação na emissão do som. Fácil uma das faixas do ano.

Dali até o final, Unbalance aposta em novas estratégias. Faixas como “Yes/no” e “Who Are You Fooling?” optam por utilizar construções rítmicas mais intelectuais, daquelas que se esperam de um Autechre, por exemplo. O que se perde na carnalidade do dançável se ganha na aventura da percepção. “Love in Outer Space” vai por outro caminho, usando bateria eletrônica vintage e linhas de sintetizador que aproximam o som do 2562 da gratuidade do wonky (é também a melodia mais discernível de toda a obra de Huismans com seu projeto numérico; talvez ela estivesse até mais à vontade se fosse lançado sob o pseudônimo A Made Up Sound, o outro projeto mais ativo do produtor). “Escape Velocity” fecha o disco ainda em outra chave, próxima do house climático do 808 State no começo (“Pacific 202″, por exemplo) ou de coisas do Lemon Jelly.

Uma parte 2562 “clássico”, outra parte um 2562 apontando para diversos outros campos de interesse do artista por trás do número. Mas não há conflito. Nas duas, Dave Huismans dá enormes provas de seu fôlego de artista para criar batidas originais e ampliar seu escopo. Um discaço, que não deixa nada a dever em relação a Aerial. Reafirma o talento e ainda transita com autoridade por novas paragens. (Ruy Gardnier)

* # *

O fato de que os dois grandes lançamentos de dubstep do ano remetam a seus produtores mais relevantes demonstra que algo no gênero começa a enfrentar não exatamente um ocaso, mas uma espécie de crise da entresafra. O fato é que Shackleton e Dave Huismans, responsável pelo codinome 2562, produziram algo distanciados dos cânones do gênero, selando de vez seu caráter aventureiro e inovador. Ao que tudo indica, ao invés de mergulhar na auto-referência, eles partiram para a experimentação “de fundo”, por assim dizer, isto é: graves profundos, clima soturno e um ritmo semelhante a um 2 step reprocessado com timbres digitais já não lhes bastam mais. Assim como Three EPs, Unbalance manifesta um grau de novidade que indica a transposição do dubstep para um terreno independente de definições e sonoridades – como ocorreu por exemplo com o jazz… Assim como a música de Eno hoje é considerada sob uma gama de rótulos (ambient, eletronica…), e isto decorre não da filiação a um gênero mas de seu approach experimental, Shackleton e Huismans investem na autonomia, imprimindo outra conotação ao gênero. Mas não é o que ocorre nem em Three EPs nem em Unbalance, dois álbuns de um frescor inigualável e, o mais interessante, promissor.

Unbalance encerra uma unidade estética rigorosa. Na contramão da grande maioria dos lançamentos recentes, que não sei porque cargas d’água vem apresentando uma aceleração insana do dubstep, Unbalance trabalha basicamente com andamentos super ralentados.  A ousada construção rítmica, sempre imprevisíveis, lança mão de compassos compostos e, como procedem a maioria dos produtores, se esmera na elaboração dos desenhos melódicos dos graves, mas não se esgota ai: uma série de camadas extremamente básicas se entrelaçam criando momentos únicos que muitas vezes não se repetirão. Em uma forma musical basicamente repetitiva esta característica sobressai admiravelmente, pois cria a coesão entre dois elementos díspares, a saber: a repetição hipnótica e a modulação tensa e imprevisível, que a todo instante surpreende com um novo elemento. Junte-se a isso, a predileção por uma timbragem seca, com sons que variam da martelada até sons que lembram areia e limalhas caindo sobre uma superfície de aço. Trabalho de pesquisa, “laboratorial”, característica compartilhada com Shackleton. O resultado é seco, de alguma forma sutil e, sobretudo, estranho.

Apesar desta característica geral, cada faixa de Unbalance leva consigo uma entonação própria, como se Huismans estivesse abrindo portas, delimitando novas direções. “Unbalance” talvez seja a faixa que melhor exemplifique essas características me talvez seja a grande faixa do disco. Mas medir o restante por ela é covardia. Após uma introducão ambient acachapante, eclode uma das batidas mais refinadas e impressionantes da eletrônica dos últimos anos, composta por tambores e intrumentos de percussão inspirados em madeira e ferro, além dos ecos e tremulações retiradas do dub. Das faixas do ano, com certeza. Mas temos também outra faixas impressionantes. “Who are you fooling?”, com seus tambores e variação rítimicas imprevisíveis, incluindo a “maquinazinha” que emite estáticas e só aparece no final da faixa; “Flashback” com a sacação genial de manipular a sonoridade repetitiva de um CD arranhado – inclusive uma das poucas faixas do álbum que remetem diretamente a um 2step; a percussão “férrea” de “Yes/no”, a levada deliciosa, um quê de Burial, de “Lost”, a quebradeira e os teclados funky de “Love in Outer Space”… A única nota negativa, mas nem tão negativa assim, é pra acelerada (e adequadamente intitulada) “Escape Velocity”, que parece comungar com uma certa exigência que ronda o universo da música eletrônica por maior “dançabilidade” do dubstep. É bacana, mas é também a mais banal do álbum.

Huismans já habitava o panteão da eletrônica contemporânea com o ótimo, mas já superado, Aerial. Ocorre em Unbalance uma mudança arriscada e digna da maior atenção. Alguns poderiam notar: um retrocesso, haja visto que ele retoma elementos do dubstep de 2006… Mas eu acho que o que ele retoma é o espírito aventureiro que parece se dissipar conforme o gênero derruba barreiras, conforme ele desafia também a “audibilidade”. Unbalance é um álbum difícil, fato. Mas eu penso cá comigo que, reiterando a comparação com o jazz, o dubstep está se configurando naquilo que foi o Kraut na década de 70 e o pós-punk nos 80: uma plataforma de experimentação multiforme que possivelmente derivará formas musicais também experimentais e desbravadoras. E é neste contexto que Unbalance adquire o estatuto de obra-prima. (Bernardo Oliveira)

It seems that people all over the world are warming to Chauncey’s Timber Flooring. We were very excited last month when Mike took an order for a new customer in Yokohama, Japan. Mike coped magnificently with the language barrier and managed to communicate important information and advice about our Prefinished Continental Matt oiled solid oak board! Well done Mike.

Of course we have enquiries from all over the globe. Our Beach House boards are popular in Florida, USA with several follow up orders received since their first delivery.

Our customer in Zurich, Switzerland are currently fitting a large project of our Tectonic Regency Aged Oak over underfloor heating while using our matching Regency solid board for the stair treads. I can’t wait to see the photos!

Our largest order in the past year was for The British Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan where they laid our FSC Tectonic Oak. They liked it so much that they are also fitting a top-notch restaurant with the same flooring!

We are in the process of securing an order for a private residence in The Channel Islands. This customer made the journey all the way from Jersey to visit our showroom!

With other enquiries from The Isle of Mann, Guernsey, The Republic of Ireland and France, the best of British, Chauncey’s Timber could floor the world!

Sherry

Enjoy the video project I did for my intro class.

Part of the fun of blogging is checking out other people’s blogs. Wednesday I was on “The White House Blog” (www.whitehouse.gov/blog), which opened with these words: “Today the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act became law…a victory decades in the making and steeped in blood and pain.” The law adds federal protections against crimes based on gender, disability, gender identity or sexual orientation.

“I remember when Matthew Shepard was murdered in Laramie, Wyoming,” reflects A. Beck, Education Director for Phoenix Theatre and Founder/Director for QSpeak Theatre (which writes and produces works about “what it is like to live as an LGBTQ young person in the Valley today.”)

Shepard, a 21-year old gay college student, was savagely beaten, tied to a fence and left to die in October of 1998. Beck recalls: “Growing up in a small, rural community in Nebraska, this crime felt very close to home. It was only a few years earlier that Brandon Teena was murdered in my home state for living as a transgendered teen.”

After Shepard’s murder, Moises Kaufman and fellow company members from Tectonic Theater Project in New York, repeatedly traveled to Laramie to interview residents. They also studied court documents and media coverage of the event—which they refer to as “a watershed historical moment in civil rights in America.” The result was the 1999 play “The Laramie Project.”

Last weekend Beck, along with a member of the Tectonic Theater Project, led a three-day workshop for 19 local youth ages 14-22. My 16-year-old Lizabeth was among them. She’s always been deeply moved by works with social justice themes—such as Rent (which addresses HIV/AIDS, homelessness and substance abuse) and Urinetown (which addresses scarce resources and their unjust distribution).

We’re fortunate to have several local theater companies that tackle these types of works. Two of our favorites from last season were Columbinus by Stray Cat Theater in Tempe (which addressed the tragedy at Columbine High School in Colorado) and Closet Drama by Chyro Arts Venue in Scottsdale (which addressed religious extremism and sexuality). Lizabeth shared with me that she enjoys these types of works because they allow her to explore issues that people sometimes have a hard time talking about.

On October 12th we had the privilege of participating in a one-of-a-kind theater event as Tectonic Theater Project presented “The Laramie Project Epilogue” at the Lincoln Center in New York. We saw one of more than 120 simultaneous readings of the work presented at universities, stages and theaters nationwide—including the University of Arizona in Tucson and Arizona State University in Tempe—which included a live feed of remarks and discussion occurring in New York before and after the reading.

If you’ve never seen the Laramie Project (or even if you have), you’ll have the opportunity this spring when Greasepaint Youtheatre, which is now affiliated with Phoenix Theatre, presents the piece. It’s a great opportunity to witness the fine art of social justice, and to see the unique approach to theater—called “moment work”—that makes this work so powerful and unique.

But you won’t have to wait that long to enjoy a piece of controversial theater in the Valley. Scottsdale Community College Theatre Arts and ImageMakers Theatre Club are debuting a new work called “Distracted,” written by Lisa Loomer and directed by Randy Messersmith. SCC describes the work as “a fast-paced and disarmingly funny look at parenting in the age of the Internet and Ritalin.” 

For location and show dates/times, visit www.scottsdalecc.edu/news/distracted or call the Theatre Artists Studio at 480-423-6359. (Please note that the show contains strong language and mature content, and is therefore not recommended for students under age 16.)

If you’ve seen the Laramie Project and/or the Epilogue, I’d love to read your comments about the works. Also let me know if you have comments to share after seeing “Distracted.”

Tomorrow I’ll continue the theme of theater and social justice by sharing resources for parents, students and teachers who want to learn more—and tell you a bit more about QSpeak Theatre.

I’ll also share reminders about shows that close soon—so you can get out there and see them before it’s too late—and about weekend ticket specials.

As always, I invite you to send comments about the shows you recommend and the deals you are finding out there!

Lynn

Coming Soon: Childsplay, Valley Youth Theater and other family-friendly theater companies

Part of the fun of blogging is checking out other people’s blogs. Wednesday I was on “The White House Blog” (www.whitehouse.gov/blog), which opened with these words: “Today the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act became law…a victory decades in the making and steeped in blood and pain.” The law adds federal protections against crimes based on gender, disability, gender identity or sexual orientation.

“I remember when Matthew Shepard was murdered in Laramie, Wyoming,” reflects A. Beck, Director of Education for Phoenix Theatre and Founder/Director for QSpeak Theatre (which writes and produces works about “what it is like to live as an LGBTQ young person in the Valley today.”)

Shepard, a 21-year old gay college student, was savagely beaten, tied to a fence and left to die in October of 1998. Beck recalls: “Growing up in a small, rural community in Nebraska, this crime felt very close to home. It was only a few years earlier that Brandon Teena was murdered in my home state for living as a transgendered teen.”

After Shepard’s murder, Moises Kaufman and fellow company members from Tectonic Theater Project in New York, repeatedly traveled to Laramie to interview residents. They also studied court documents and media coverage of the event—which they refer to as “a watershed historical moment in civil rights in America.” The result was the 1999 play “The Laramie Project.”

Last weekend Beck, along with a member of the Tectonic Theater Project, Kelli Simpkins, led a three-day workshop for 19 local youth ages 14-22. My 16-year-old Lizabeth was among them. She’s always been deeply moved by works with social justice themes—such as Rent (which addresses HIV/AIDS, homelessness and substance abuse) and Urinetown (which addresses scarce resources and their unjust distribution).

We’re fortunate to have several local theater companies that tackle these types of works. Two of our favorites from last season were Columbinus by Stray Cat Theatre in Tempe (which addressed the tragedy at Columbine High School in Colorado) and Closet Drama by Chyro Arts Venue in Scottsdale (which addressed religious extremism and sexuality). Lizabeth shared with me that she enjoys these types of works because they allow her to explore issues that people sometimes have a hard time talking about.

On October 12th we had the privilege of participating in a one-of-a-kind theater event as Tectonic Theater Project presented “The Laramie Project Epilogue” at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York. We saw one of more than 120 simultaneous readings of the work presented at universities, stages and theaters nationwide—including the University of Arizona in Tucson and Arizona State University in Tempe—which included a live feed of remarks and discussion occurring in New York before and after the reading.

If you’ve never seen The Laramie Project (or even if you have), you’ll have the opportunity this spring when Greasepaint Youtheatre and QSpeak Theatre (both affiliated with Phoenix Theatre) present the piece. It’s a great opportunity to witness the fine art of social justice, and to see the unique approach to theater—called “moment work”—that makes this play so powerful and unique.

But you won’t have to wait that long to enjoy a piece of controversial theater in the Valley. Scottsdale Community College Theatre Arts and ImageMakers Theatre Club just debuted a new work called “Distracted,” written by Lisa Loomer and directed by Randy Messersmith. SCC describes the work as “a fast-paced and disarmingly funny look at parenting in the age of the Internet and Ritalin.”

For location and show dates/times, visit www.scottsdalecc.edu/news/distracted or call the Theatre Artists Studio at 480-423-6359. (Please note that the show contains strong language and mature content, and is therefore not recommended for students under age 16. There are just a few shows and the venue is small–so check on tickets right away if you want to be in on this!)

If you’ve seen The Laramie Project and/or the Epilogue, I’d love to read your comments about the works. Also let me know if you have comments to share after seeing “Distracted.”

Tomorrow I’ll continue the theme of theater and social justice by sharing resources for parents, students and teachers who want to learn more—and tell you a bit more about QSpeak Theatre.

As always, I invite you to send comments about the shows you recommend and the deals you are finding out there!

Lynn

Coming Soon: Childsplay, Valley Youth Theatre and other family-friendly theater companies

Yong Ju Lee +Brian Brush

photographed by Yuan Tang

GSAPP 2009

Label: Tectonic
Catalog#: TECCD006

Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. Flashback
3. Lost
4. Like A Dream
5. Dinosaur
6. Unbalance
7. Superflight
8. Yes/No
9. Who Are You Fooling?
10. Narita
11. Love In Outer Space

Buy here

Recommended!

With ‘Aerial’, 2562 created an album that felt as a pulse check of EDM in 2008 – something that felt inviting, welcoming and cheerful, with a perfect mixture of melancholic melodies and danceable rhythms and techniques. A process that has evolved a lot since then. With new releases in the same field by Martyn, Untold, A Made Up Sound (another alias for 2562) amongst a whole lot of producers getting into the same sonic scenery as 2562 himself.

One thing that makes Dave Huismans’ (2562) music so special, is the lack of external influence – what I mean is the disregard of current trends as well as a steady and consistant high quality output without a lot of hassle. The release schedule is sparse and slow, but once something is out it gets a tremendous amount of support from almost every big DJ worth dancing to.

‘Unbalance’ is a suitable name for an album that manages to intensify the music with utilising just that one word – the whole context and content of the album soars of unbalanced rhythms, patterns, sounds and structures. It’s very hard to define how Huismans manages to do it, but think of Shed being from both Bristol and Amsterdam and you might get a diffuse picture of it.

With ‘Intro’ getting the sonic pace in place, the three directly following tracks are very consisting and true to Huismans sound. They manage to somehow float together, with just enough variations to keep the sense of them being four separate tracks. The production skills are unique here, there are so much going on you can’t stop wondering how he actually managed to create these tracks.

‘Dinosaur’, being the fourth track, the whole pace is shifted into a more direct groove. Chopped up samples and melodies might scare some of the listerners off, but if the extremely concentrated beat gets the space it needs, the track displays some of the most talented productions this year. Five or six melodies goes through a large range of variations, until they finally meet and gets locked into each other – just to be brought apart again to get accompanied with new beats and shifted percussions. At the end, everything goes quiet, and the “glue” of the track comes through – a atmospheric recording of a transtation, harbour and roadwork lying steady as a foundation of the track.

The title track, ‘Unbalance’ displays a very daring experimental sound. Leaning towards early Tempa-dubstep and even more Bristol influenced darkness, 2562 elevates the album into something different. Being unprepared of how the album might sound, I would never have guessed that a track like this would be the title track. Electricity and a very visual sound defines this track, combined with a steady pulsating beat and a tremedously precise bass line that fills up all the space that the melody leaves for all the other elements. Haunting percussion and rhythmically advanced patterns are maintained throughout, being more consistent than the previous four tracks – but the increased tempo is very welcomed as early as this for an album. Just enough the keep the attention of the listener and placed perfectly as a fifth track.

As for the rest of the album, 2562 takes the previous variations and combines them in different way. There are absolutely no track that feels as something being placed on the release just to make up for an album – they have all different moods, grooves and spaces. The one thing I appreciate the most is how the album always seem to keep itself together, going from all sorts of places and experiments. The consistency is always there, which makes it interesting and fun to listen to.

This is one of the best albums of 2009, don’t miss out!

My favorite tracks:

Unbalance

Ok, I’m going to try to update this a bit more frequently.  HAHAHAHA.  I’m funny.  Anyway, it’s been awhile and thought I’d write a little.

So last entry had me speaking of female friends–THAT’S DONE.  Yep.  Pretty fast.  Along that same vein, I’m done with online dating.  Forever.  I completely and totally nuked all my accounts (three…which is ri-goddamn-diculous).   I decided I had given it all a pretty fair shake, but it just isn’t for me.  The big question at this point is: “How The Balls Do You Meet Someone Now?!”

This is a question that I do not have an answer for…so I’m not even going to attempt.  I think I’m just kind of done with the whole dating/relationship stuff for awhile.  I’m just going to enjoy work and friendships and not stress about it.  I have a tendency to over-think things (anyone who reads this blog knows this about me), so I’m just removing myself from that particular element of over-analysis.

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/gearshift

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This next week is the anniversary of the murder of Matthew Shepard.  The Tectonic Theatre Project (http://tectonictheaterproject.org/Tectonic.html) is mounting an updated version of “The Laramie Project” entitled “The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later” to honor Matthew, to show how the Laramie community is still affected and recovering,  and to show that hate crimes are still very much a part of our culture and society.  There have been staged readings springing up around the country, which is wonderful to see…and Dallas is no exception.  I’ll be heading over to the Dallas Theater Center (http://09-10season.dallastheatercenter.org/) on Monday.  This will mark my first theatrical outing in the Dallas area and I’m pretty excited.  Members of Tectonic will be there, including Moises Kaufman, who came to SMS (jesus, probably right around 10 years ago) to talk with the students.  I was present for that and had the pleasure of meeting Moises afterwards through my mentor (and a friend of Moises).  It’s thrilling to see that he continues to do exciting and important theatrical works.

There is a part of me that hopes that after seeing “Laramie”,  the spark inside of me will be ignited again.  There’s something missing in me right now… I think I’m starting to miss theatre.  I sure it’s probably because I have a LOT more free time these days and trying to figure out ways of filling the hours during my evenings and weekends, but I think I do miss it.  I thought after living in Chicago and working with my own theatre company (and several others), that I’d “gotten over it”.  But…No.  I think I miss going to rehearsal.  I certainly miss the people.  I miss the collaboration (when it’s good).  Wacky.  Apparently, I had to move to Texas to figure that out.  I might be slightly retarded.

I think I need to poke around at a few different theatre companies around town and try to find some that are doing works that I’m interested in…see how they stack up and then I’ll think about getting involved again.   The problem is I have these preconceived notions of what the theatre scene is like here in Dallas…and they aren’t good ones.  I hope I’m just being pessimistic and will be surprised.  SURELY there’s some cool stuff going on around here…I think every city has pockets of cool…otherwise our world would be on fire…right?  RIGHT??

Eh.  We’ll see I guess.  I’ll think positive.

Other news…Look what I had made for me!