Weird video of the week

This is an odd choice. Actually, it's not even so much about the video as it is the song itself. I really don't find the kaliedescopic effects all that weird or surprising for Erykah. The really bizarre part, for me, is that it's featuring Lil Wayne!??? What the HELL is/was she thinking!? Now, he doesn't completely ruin the song but let's just say that I'm glad his verse is at the end. I'd go as far as saying that the dude isn't the worst person I've heard but I'm just not a fan and I still think Lil Wayne is a fucking idiot!! All in all though, I'm feeling this song and looking forward to the new album.

Maybe So, Maybe No

Loving this video by Mayer Hawthorne...Go get that album if you haven't already!

Vinyl Lives On

YES! Vinyl is still going strong and is actually been on a steady increase for the last decade and especially these last few years as CD sales plummet. There's about a dozen legit vinyl manufacturing companies still around in the US and they've all doing well. I'm looking forward to talking to these guys and wish them much success! In the meantime watch another good video about how records are made. They only talk briefly about the process but it's still amazing to watch...if you ever get the chance to actually see it in person, DO IT!! I've only visited one plant so far but will visit more when I'm in those areas. If you have any questions about the record making process, feel free to ask me. Or, better yet, ask them!

If you live in the Cleveland area they'll even show you their plant!! Gotta Groove Records

Scratching with cassettes

This is crazy! Imagine being able to really DJ with cassettes!! hahaha..




I wrote that too soon!! just after posting that I saw this insanity!!!

weird video of the week

Just watch. The track is pretty good too.

Up Close and Personal

Beautiful NatGeo quality video work from Austrian multimedia artist Clemento. Be sure to check out his other stuff too.

Speaker lights

There's been a lot of people thinking about this concept for a while but now they're a reality thanks to the fine people at Klipsh. The system seems pretty cool except that it's only 2 speakers, for now, and they're very expensive at $599. Of course it's worth it if they sound as good or better than other home speakers.

Birds play guitar better than most people

For an upcoming show at the Barbican Art Gallery, French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot has set up an environment for finches to be musicians. By setting up electric guitars to be the only perches for the birds to stand and play on, they are left with little choice but to make music. What's astonishing is that the little birds seem to enjoy it and try to enhance the sound more by using sticks. This is a fascinating exploration into the relationship of music to all living things in the world. I would love to see this but unfortunately I don't think I will be in London anytime in the near future.

When The World Is Running Down

I'm not the biggest Police or Sting connoisseur but of all of their songs that I do know & love this is by far my favorite. Second place goes to "Voices Inside My Head" (although I prefer the deeper dub disco version by Common Sense). Anyway, this song really speaks loud as much now as it did 30 years ago. Excellent song writting, arrangement and production. If I knew how to make music I'd attempt to cover this, and probably fail! hahaha...seriously though, there's certain songs that always sound better by the original artist. Maybe that's why you haven't heard a successful cover of this? I think The Roots could pull it off in a way that makes sense. Perhaps U2 and possibly even Prince & NPG but it would be really tough to top the Police.

Weird video of the week

Yeah, I know Jay-Z is a very unlikely candidate for this but just watch. I've seen it like 5 times in a row and can't make any sense of it...totally weird and seems to have nothing to do with the song. C'mon, Cirque du Soliel dancers, crazy white dudes, paint, bullets, human teeth, animal skulls, etc... I'm feeling it though and really dig some of the simple effects. Plus, it's a good club track that I'd definitely play at.

Sound of Light

I wish the rhythm could be more controlled but still a great concept and executed well.

Vegetable Orchestra

This is crazy! It reminds me of something Matthew Herbert would do.

This Is It

Not much to say here..just watch. If you haven't already, go back and read my big MJ post from August > HERE <

Story of Cap and Trade

If you haven't already watched it a couple of times, watch The Story Of Stuff before watching this. (or at least after watching this) I'm not taking a side on this issue yet because I don't know enough yet but this is a good introduction. All you designers out there, and just socially responsible citizens, need to get educated on these issues so you really know what 'sustainability' really means and what the issues really are that affect our everyday lives and our futures.

To watch the movie, just click on the image above or click > HERE <

Lightworks

This video is INCREDIBLE!!!! Light art stop motion animation by Dee Pee Studios. Just WOW!!

Mos Def - Super Magic

Another video off the Ecstatic album...a.k.a. one of the top 5 albums of the year. If you don't got it, GO GET IT! The video kinda gives me seizures but maybe that's the effect he was going for? And some newness produced by Ski. Be sure to find that 24hr Karate School track too! Mos is killing shit right now..oh yeah, the BlacRoc album is out which he's one as as well! Make sure to watch that other video I posted of Mos Def in Nippon too!

MOS DEF "Supermagic" from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

Catch the beat

I love these synchronized metronome videos!

Weird video of the week

It's been a while since I've posted one of these but this has got to be one of the weirdest music videos made in a while. The techniques are cool and the song's pretty good but what the hell is going on in some of these scenes!!??? Hilarious..weird..intriguing..bizarre..

Birds, in concert

This is the first time I've really seen this phenomenon on video. Too bad it's such low quality but still beautiful to watch. There's a photographer, I think Italian, who does some great black & white photos of this sort of thing too. Sorry, couldn't find the name in the few minutes I had to post this...was in Seed Magazine about 6 issues ago.

Sound Sculpture

This is a nice little piece by Daniel Franke called "One Minute Sound Sculpture". The idea of a sculpture made from sound is really intriguing to me and something I hope to explore in the near future. This guy's take on it is pretty cool and he's really good at tracking an animation and placing it in a live environment.