Lubomyr Melnyk Live in Toronto 1985

In the early ’70s Melnyk developed a unique approach to the piano called Continuous Music, a physical and mental technique that allowed Melnyk to play an incredible amount of notes at an incredible speed. In fact he holds two world records, one as the fastest pianist in the world, sustaining speeds of over 19.5 notes per second in each hand, simultaneously! And two, for the most number of notes played in one hour! In 60 minutes, Melnyk sustained an average speed of over 13 notes per second in each hand, yielding a total of 93,650 INDIVIDUAL notes. Holy shit!! But don’t be mislead, this is not some Yngwie bullshit, where songs and composition are sacrificed for mere shredding. No, there is a method to Melnyk’s madness, and the result says all that needs to be said. Continuous Music as you might have surmised, involves generating an extremely rapid flow of notes, with the pedal sustained non stop, patterns, broken chords, the sound is dense and dizzying, like glimpsing the inner workings of some tiny lifeform and watching atoms and molecules spin and swirl. The result of so many notes, played so quickly and so close together, with the overtones drifting and bleeding into each other, is some of the most breathtaking music we’ve ever heard. It’s almost like a waterfall of piano notes, a frothy cascade of tinkling sparkling melody, or a laying beneath a perfectly black night sky, watching a million fireflies dance and flit, a sky full of tiny little streaks of light.

– From a review of the album “Wave Lox” by Aquarius Records




(Originally from the Unseen Worlds Records blog)

Ear to Ear Documentation

I contributed two mix CDs to the exhibition Ear to Ear organized by Jeff Khonsary last year. The first mix compiled all my favorite songs from 1996 (the height of my riot grrrl days) and the second was a selection of “ice music” – music that was either made with ice or sounds like music made with ice. My old fanzine from middle school/high school Suburbia was also on view. Here are some photos:

Black Pus - Flower Devour

Black Pus were AMAZING last night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. I didn’t take any photos, but here’s a music video by Dave Fischer below.

No Fun: Infinite Sound and Image at the New Museum May 16th at 3pm


Makino Takashi, The Seasons, 2008 (Still)

Come to the New Museum tomorrow at 3pm for No Fun 2009: Infinite Sound and Image. I had a hand in getting this together, really pumped about it. The event is organized in collaboration with this year’s No Fun Festival, and is part of Rhizome’s New Silent Series at the New Museum. Full details below.

No Fun: Infinite Sound and Image

Saturday, May 16th, at 3pm
at the New Museum
$8 General/ $6 Members

BUY TICKETS HERE


In its sixth year, the No Fun Festival has emerged as one of the most unique and vital festivals for experimental music worldwide. Curated by No Fun organizer and label head Carlos Giffoni, this special screening will present moving image work by a selection of artists performing in the 2009 Festival. Jim O’Rourke and filmmaker Makino Takashi collaborate on The Seasons, a dense abstract film that fluctuates in tandem with O’Rourke’s dramatic and resonant score. Robert Beatty (of Hair Police and Three Legged Race) will provide a live soundtrack to artist Takeshi Murata’s hypnotic videos and animations. Experimental filmmaker and sound artist Sarah Lipstate (of Noveller) presents Interior Variations, a collage of 16 mm hand-painted film, black-and-white super 8mm, and found footage, which will be accompanied by a new Noveller composition titled Telecine. Dominick Fernow/Prurient will screen spins the worlds wheel again, a short film inspired by his 180-page hardcover book of collages, Rose Pillar published by Heartworm Press,which deals directly with mortality within the family structure. Sound artist/composer C. Spencer Yeh (of Burning Star Core), known for his arrangements that draw on both aural and physical experience, will premiere a new work using voice as its central component. Megan Ellis and Carlos Giffoni will also showcase a new piece, created specifically for this show, which will pair minimalist visuals with an evolving electronic sound score.

Do an art project with the Dead Kennedy's "Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables"


Alternative Tentacles need to get rid of 1200 copies of the Dead Kennedy’s “Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables” because they can’t sell them. I am sure there is someone out there who can reuse them – if you are that someone, email George at press[at]alternativetentacles.com

Scores to Matsumoto Toshio's Films

I’ve been in Oberhausen all this week for the International Short Film Festival. This year the festival organized a series of screenings dedicated to Matsumoto Toshio’s work, which has been a real treat. I’ve only ever seen his work on Ubu, and I reposted some of those videos to A Million Keys a few months back. I love the scores used in his films. I was particularly struck by Yosuke Inagaki’s compositions for Connection and Shift, which were screened in the first program (posted below). I asked Matsumoto about Inagaki during the Q&A session, and he responded that he was a graduate student who studied with him. He mentioned that he was a video artist but did not go into much detail. I’d be interested in knowing more, if anyone reading this could provide some insight into Inagaki’s work.


Connection (1981)


Shift (1982)

The scores by Toshio Ichiyanagi were also fantastic. I saw these today:


Atman (1975)


Everything Visible Is Empty (1975)

Swine Flu

Now seems like an opportune time to post this up – “Swine Flu” from my old band (from high school!) Boxleitner.

Listen to Boxleitner + swineflu

Enjoy!

Also, special bonus:

Listen to Boxleitner + outtake

I distributed this on Soulseek and Napster as a “Boxleitner” track.

More tracks here, on my buddy BJ’s blog Pukekos.


That’s us above, posing with vegetables in Olympia 1999

::: Good things from Pitchfork TV :::

Jacqueline from (Make the) Product sent me this video she made for Blank Dogs the other day. Her show, which airs Wednesdays 8-9pm on WNYU, is a new favorite of mine.

And here’s a new Ducktails video directed by Alice Cohen from a forthcoming release on Olde English Spelling Bee. Fun with geometric shapes!

Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Old School Computer Remix


Via Networked Music Review

Snatch/Judy Nylon Live

This just in, from the Typical Girls mailing list.


Snatch Live in NYC


Judy Nylon – Jailhouse Rock, 1979

Peter Nowogrodzki's "Riding That Wave" at EVR March 2009

I screened Peter Nowogrodzki’s video Riding That Wave this past March in EVR’s storefront studio. See photos below!


Matrix III (1972) - John Whitney


graphics programming by Dean Anschultz music by Terry Riley

Music, Language, Thought April 4, 2009 at New York University

Second session of “Music, Language, Thought” takes place tomorrow. Details below.

Music, Language, Thought
Two Interdisciplinary Events

Saturday April 4, 2009
New York University
Silver Center of Arts and Science
100 Washington Square East
Department of Music, Room 220, 2nd Floor
Enter at Washington Place Doors
Admission is free and open to the public

http://musiclanguagethought.wordpress.com/

“Music, Language, Thought” is a new interdisciplinary event series organized by graduate students within New York University’s Music and Comparative Literature Departments. Broadly speaking, the series focuses on the relationship between music and language, and our speakers will examine its theoretical ramifications for politics, aesthetics and historiography. The project stems from ongoing conversation and collaboration between graduate students within these two departments, and will continue on an annual basis.

Sponsored by the FAS Department of Music and the Department of Comparative Literature
With additional support from the NYU Humanities Initiative

Organized by Michael Gallope, Daniel Hoffman-Schwartz, Magali Armillas-Tiseyra, Amy Cimini and Ceci Moss

Schedule for Saturday, April 4, 2009

3:00-4:15pm
Brian Kane (Music; Yale University)
“Luc Ferrari and Jean-Luc Nancy at the limits of musique concrète“

4:30-5:45pm
Bonnie Gordon (Music; University of Virginia)
“The Castrato and The Cyborg”

6:00-7:15pm
David Copenhafer
“Mourning and Music in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet“

Taj Mahal Travellers on Tour

I watched this film for this first time while I was sick and delirious last week. It endeared me even more to this band, especially the beach scene around 1:10.




TAJ MAHAL TRAVELLERS ON TOUR
Filmmaker: Matsuo Ohno
Running time: 102 minutes
Year: 1973
16mm.

Soundings (1978) - Gary Hill


1978, 18:03 min, color, sound

From UbuWeb:

In Soundings, conceived by Hill as a work for broadcast, the found object of a loud speaker becomes the source for a sequence of image/sound/text constructs. A series of what Hill terms “processual rituals” ends with a text “from” the speaker, in which it describes its electronic, changing state as a relationship with the viewer. As Hill speaks about touch and sound in an extrapolated monologue, he buries the speaker in sand, drives a spike through it, sets it on fire and pours waters onto it.

Produced by the TV Lab at WNET/Thirteen, New York

Die Tödliche Doris, Über-Mutti, Konzert 1983


I love how Die Tödliche Doris choreographed the audience in this clip. Amazing.

Eskaton - 4 Visions (1979)


Download Eskaton – 4 Visions (1979)

From Prog Archives:

Formed in 1970, the ESKATON KOMMANDKESTRA continued the Zeuhl tradition spearheaded by Christian Vander’s MAGMA. In an move towards accessibility they discard the Kobaian lyrics, opting instead for their native French. In 1974 original members Xavier de Raymond (Fender piano), Gerard Konig (drums), Marc Rosenberg (bass guitar), and Alain Blesing (guitar) are joined by Paule Kleynnaert (vocals), Amara Tahir (vocals), Eris Guillaume (keyboards), and Andre Bernardi (guitar) becoming simply ESKATON.

(Thanks to Matt Lyons for introducing me to this band!)

Suicide (Marty Rev/ Alan Vega) - live NYC circa 1980


Via Weasel Walter’s YouTube

Naked on the Vague on EVR


Last night, Naked on the Vague guest DJed on Radio Heart. They played some of their own recordings (like an excerpt from their release on Near Tapes) as well as side projects Hochman & Hopkins and Knitted Abyss. They were super sweet and I learned some Australian lingo like bogan.

Listen here.

Also, I noticed East Village Radio switched out the “On Air” sign on the exterior of the studio to the below:


Nice!

"Music, Language, Thought" at NYU Tomorrow

Music, Language, Thought is a new lectures series organized by graduate students in NYU’s Comparative Literature and Music Departments. I’ve been involved in the planning process for this alongside Michael Gallope, Amy Cimini, Daniel Hoffman-Schwartz, and Magali Armillas-Tiseyra. This is my first foray into the world of event planning as a graduate student, and I’m excited about it. Our premier session will be held tomorrow at NYU’s Silver Center from 10am-3:30pm, and there will be another session on April 4th. Here’s a short description:

“Music, Language, Thought” is a new interdisciplinary event series organized by graduate students within New York University’s Music and Comparative Literature Departments. Broadly speaking, the series focuses on the relationship between music and language, and our speakers will examine its theoretical ramifications for politics, aesthetics and historiography. The project stems from ongoing conversation and collaboration between graduate students within these two departments, and will continue on an annual basis.

We’ve scheduled John Hamilton (Comparative Literature, Music and German; NYU), Jacques Lezra (Comparative Literature, Spanish & Portuguese; NYU), Mary Anne Smart (Music; UC Berkeley), and Branden Joseph (Art History and Archaeology; Columbia University) to speak tomorrow. For a full description of talks, visit the “Music, Language, Thought” website:

http://musiclanguagethought.wordpress.com/

My incredibly talented buddy David Rager (and former colleague from the New Museum!) designed the poster too, looks beautiful:

New Mi Or & the Pedestals CDR + Show 2/21 at Eat Records

I just completed a new CDR of solo stuff! 3 tracks, 22 minutes long. You can get the hard copy version from me direct, or download the whole thing below.

Download Mi Or and the Pedestals – ^^^

I play a show this Saturday at Eat Records in Greenpoint. I’m on the bill with my friend Alex, who does a project called Birdlaw. We play at 5pm. (I will have CDRs available at the show)


Also, I received airplay on this crazy/amazing show from Belgium called L’etranger hosted by Kosten Koper.

No Fun Tickets...

...are now on sale! I’m stoked on this year’s lineup, which includes Emeralds, Blank Dogs, Merzbow, Xeno and Oaklander, Axolotl, Carlos Giffoni and even Sonic Youth …

infinite body

I discovered this band today while catching up on Family’s blog.


infinite body – 07 from kyle parker on Vimeo.

Glenn Branca, Live in 1978


Via Hanne’s Art and Culture Blog

Chris Musgrave - Oscilloclast (2002-2004)

Four videos from Chris Musgrave’s series Oscilloclast.

Text and links below from the artist’s site:

Oscilloclast is a growing body of work which includes Gyre, Moiré, Pulsed, Dynamo and Reverberating Furnace. Image and sound are delivered as a singular, dense experience. Electricity is shaped into audio wave forms of harmonic oscillation and noise, which also drive the video emissions of hue, tone and rhythm.

This synaesthetic signal induces an atmosphere of driving energy using the perceptual phenomena of the motion after effect and chromatic afterimage. By scrambling ordinary perception and logical thought patterns, this material is hypnotic and entraining. It is a neural transmitter of non-linguistic, non-narrative information, an exchange of abstract units.


Gyre, 2002



Dynamo, 2004




Reverberating Furnace, 2003



Moiré, 2003

Ed Emshwiller Day

Two films and a short excerpt from Ed Emshwiller.

Sunstone (1979)


Crossings and Meetings (excerpt) (1974)


Thanatopsis (1962)

CJ- Single Minded CS

Download CJ- Single Minded

Listen to CJ + Single Minded 1

Strange release (but in a good, low fi dubbed out sort of way) on Unskilled Labor, originally via Thunder Gongz.

"Fur Felix" by Julia Holter (Video by Fenslerfilm)

I first heard Julia Holter on Brian Turner’s show a few weeks back. So good.

MLD- "Perpetual Motion"

Listen to MLD + A-PERPETUAL MOTION2

!!

Via Atlantis Audio Archive

Black Friday

I’ve slowly amassed a selection of goofier black metal stuff over the past year — and, as it’s Black Friday, I thought I’d post some of it up. I’m also inspired after a recent email exchange with longtime internet/pen pal Alex Vivian who pointed me to even more goodies. Without further ado…

BENIGHTED LEAMS

I discovered Benighted Leams from the Aquarius Records list. Alex Kurtagic’s epic one man black metal band, the cheesey electronic drums & absurdly long song titles (“Hermetically Leering As Frigid Blores Obumber”, “Saturnine Fury Adumbrated The Aestival Castellions of Iberia”...) really put this one over the top. I think Andrew WK fans will get it right away. One reviewer said, “This is by far one of the most unbearably bad albums I’ve ever heard and if I was the one responsible for it, I’d hang my head in eternal shame. This goes beyond parody and right into the trash.” YES. I made a ringtone out of “Aurora of Despondence on Valles Marineris” which is kind of….amazing.

Listen to Benighted Leams + Succeding Departure From The Chryse Planitia

Download Benighted Leams – Astral Tenebrion (1998)

HEKALOTH RECORDS

From the Hekaloth Records website:

Hekaloth Records is a new recording label located in Vancouver BC. Canada. Our specialty is orchestral metal that employs epic themes. We are partial to music that puts a strong emphasis on the instrumental side of things. We want to expand the boundaries of metal by attempting fuse it with classical orchestral music, jazz or even world music. We are intrigued by the idea of combining elements of metal with the sounds of instruments not traditionally heard in that genre. especially when this is accomplished by the use of a single instrument, the guitar synthesizer. We believe that the guitar synthesizer represents a new frontier in music. While guitar synthesizers have been since the late 1970’s, they’ve never guite been harnessed in the way that artists on our label have.

Listen to Gluttony + Marius Engages the Teutons

Listen to Shevalreq + The Fountain of Loathing

Another Aquarius Records find. BONKERS.

ACID ENEMA

Yes, Acid Enema. Gabber black metal. One of the most ridiculous things I’ve EVER heard. I can’t take it! I searched in vain on YouTube for live footage of the group, which I would love to see. But, alas, no such luck.

Download Acid Enema – Acid Enema

AHULABRUM

Instigators of the genre known as UFO Black Metal. And perhaps the only known group of said genre. Via Cosmic Hearse.

Listen to Ahulabrum + April 23rd 1976 Project City, Ca.

Listen to Ahulabrum + The Rendlesham Forest Psyop

Download Ahulabrum – Magonia