Amazing, beautiful video from a label that we really like.
Claro Intelecto- Voyeurism- Delsin
Viddy well, little brother. Viddy Well.
Amazing, beautiful video from a label that we really like.
Claro Intelecto- Voyeurism- Delsin
Free Shit, New and Old
Boiler Room Karenn MixPirate Programming golden child, Blawan, does it again on this banger of a mix. This time he pairs with fellow Londonite, Pariah to form the massive Karenn. Expect beats that are hard, dark and banging like a Chicago P Stone. Not for the faint of heart!
Matthew Jonson Mutek 2005 MixNow on the flip, a mix from a couple years ago that is drenched in soaring, galactic melodies. In contrast to the Karenn mix, the Matthew Jonson mix is smothered in analog beauty that seems to go on for infinity. I feel there are a couple of missteps on this mix, but when it is good, it's amazing. And hey, it's free
Liquid Television
Hey if you used to love Liquid Television back in the days, there is a whole site dedicated to it! This is amazing since the only thing i can find on DVD for the show is a stupid "best of" collection. For fans of trippy cartoons and psychedellic nonsense.
Mind Expanding Content Available
Mean Streets Juno Chart
So it has been an obscenely long time since I have posted on here. Truth be told, i sort of lost focus and have been straight up lazy. Also, joined a band that makes dirty, funky electronic shit using a variety of analog and digital wares. Keep your eyes peeled for output from that project. But also, check the most prolific crate digger known to man: Mean Streets aka Jack Yoola aka our own Gerald Nannemann. This guy has a natural gift for digging up goodies so this blog is almost not sufficient to keep up with the man. So peep his Juno picks too!
Mean Streets Juno Charts
Totally excellent site for drum kits
http://samples.kb6.de/downloads.php
There are thousands of drum machines out there and even more sample libraries. Producers ask me all the time "Wolfman, you are a fucking badass, what libraries do you use?" I get this pretty often. And I used to keep my all my secrets but I've been feeling generous lately.
Frankly, I would recommend always using the hardware version of a machine if possible. But when is it ever possible to own this many drum machines?! Damn near every drum machine you can think of is on here including all the Rolands like the 909, 808 etc. And so far, the quality of the kits I have downloaded is untouched and authentic aka good (not compressed and effected). Another, eal cool thing about this site is there are some strange and hard to find kits on here. Circuit bent kits, modular kits and the classic Simmons drum sounds can be found on here mostly for free or for a small donation. Dig it!
There are thousands of drum machines out there and even more sample libraries. Producers ask me all the time "Wolfman, you are a fucking badass, what libraries do you use?" I get this pretty often. And I used to keep my all my secrets but I've been feeling generous lately.
Frankly, I would recommend always using the hardware version of a machine if possible. But when is it ever possible to own this many drum machines?! Damn near every drum machine you can think of is on here including all the Rolands like the 909, 808 etc. And so far, the quality of the kits I have downloaded is untouched and authentic aka good (not compressed and effected). Another, eal cool thing about this site is there are some strange and hard to find kits on here. Circuit bent kits, modular kits and the classic Simmons drum sounds can be found on here mostly for free or for a small donation. Dig it!
More fire!!!
Bass destroyer!
Another cut off of the new EP titled 'Scrape The DJ'. This one is called 'Killin ya Sound' and you will see why. Ominous bass squelches rip and peel over analog percussion while slowly revealing Dance Hall vocals and dubby sfx. The thunder builds into screeching madness giving way only for a moment to a melodic respite. The calm is quickly seized dropping into absolute dance floor pandemonium. This one is a force to be reckoned with. Mind your sub-cabinets, this one is absolute woofer workout. En Fuego!
New Hrrrshw music!
New Acid banger!!!!
This is a new cut from yours truly. Going under the alias, Wolfman Bax. The song is titled 'FMH'. Porn samples, analog trickery, banging drums; you can't go wrong. Guaranteed to tear up any sweaty basement party. Think ESP Woody McBride, Hyperactive, Todd Sines, Frak. Straight up nasty acid for all those dark and dirty parties. This one is essential for all purveyors of the analog techno sound. Peep it. Download it. Bang it!
Jamal Moss Mix
Jamal Moss MixHonestly I haven't even listened to this yet. I am more or less posting this to remind myself to download and listen to this. But seriously, this man is awesome. Moss aka Heiroglyphic Being is one of our fav's here at Pirate Programming. Count Jack says of the man "he is a really nice guy" as well. I am sure the mix will be sick. It's at the bottom of the article. Peace.
Fireworks for the Fourth
Vice Magazine is something I have kept my eye on for quite sometime. If my memory serves me correctly, I think my first encounter with the magazine was at Untitled clothing store in Chicago when it was still on Clark right next to Gramaphone Records. Basically, Vice never ceases to amaze me with their ability to stay up on what is fresh and new whether it be in the arts, culture, fashion or topics of international relevance.
They have many, many absolutely mind blowing documentaries covering topics like cannibalistic rebels in Africa, a Kubric-ian look into North Korea, donkey sex in Columbia, LSD palaces, and the world's most dangerous city, Karachi. I would post all of them but you might as well just subscribe to their channel; they are cutting edge shit. These two new releases I found particularly eye opening. Both documentaries deal with the ease in which weapons proliferate in the global market. To summarize, the docs depict how any Joe Schmoe can buy a weapon that could alter the course of life on this planet as we know it. They are both pretty surreal and a little scary. And I'm not trying to be some milk-toast hippie posting this so close to the fourth of July, but it is something to think about. Be aware. Peace
Bellevue Inside Out
Let Pirate Programming be your TV Guide. Turn off that 1000th rerun of Seinfeld and tune into a documentary that could be considered a real life counterpart to One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Full of colorful characters, this documentary details the patients of the psych ward in the infamous Bellevue hospital in New York. Meet a man who thinks he is God, an average husband who snaps and masturbates trance-like for 6 hours and Connie aka Mrs. Abba creator of Laptop Computer Systems whose "computer system will most likely blow the fucking place sky high". There is sections of absolute brilliance in this thing. For example, when pretty face bi-polar girl, Angela talks about her father dying in front of her while the Shaft theme song plays in the background is a timeless moment. The following scene with her dancing while calling out to her father almost made my jaded ass cry. On the whole, this doc has heart and quotable dialog in abundance. Seriously watch this!
Maxx Graffiti
Just a quick video of Theme One doing a blackbook piece using characters from Sam Kieth's The Maxx to a Raekwon track. So sick!
Free Mix from Hrrrshw's Count Jakula
Hrrrshw Presents Count Jakula Mix 1Download this free dope ass minimal/tech/house mix! It starts with cumbia edits and gets more experimental as it progresses. It's an hour of perfect blends and jacking beats from one of Pirate Programming's residents, Count Jakula aka Gerald Nannemann. Dig it!
Space Lady- Too Much To Dream Last Night
I had heard this a couple of years ago, and today for whatever reason, I had an almost stifling need to recall the memory of this song. It took me a while to find this gem again but it was worth the research. Totally weird and trippy cover of the Electric Prunes. Dig it!
Steam Punk Jewelry
http://www.timealtered.com/
Check out this site. This is the brilliant creation of my friend, Dianna Kolb. Basically, she digs up old watches and clocks and uses the internal components to create jewelry. Not only is it an awesome metaphor for deconstructing the concept of time, her work is also very beautiful. Check it out!
Check out this site. This is the brilliant creation of my friend, Dianna Kolb. Basically, she digs up old watches and clocks and uses the internal components to create jewelry. Not only is it an awesome metaphor for deconstructing the concept of time, her work is also very beautiful. Check it out!
Crispin Glover Quote
"i have really over the years carefully analyzied what the financial situations are for getting art accomplished. corporations will necessarily not fund movies that have anything that can possibly make the audience uncomfortable. Anything that is beyond the realm of that which is considered good and evil. That means if anything is possibly considered bad or evil that sits within the film, it necessarily has to be pointed to and stated to the audience 'this is the way to think about that thing'. There can be no grey area about it. It is black and white and this is the right way to think, and that's it. And what is not funded is a film that goes beyond these boundaries of good and evil. If there is something within the film that is questionable and is not pointed to but it let's the audience question what does that mean..."Crispin Glover breaking down the disinformation in Hollywood (but the quote can be applied to any medium)
Peaking Lights- Lo Hi
Count Jakula says to peep this album, Lucifer. It's one of his favs that has come out in a while.
Max Payne 3 Rant
Lemme tell you why I'm mad (cue EPMD song).
For the most part the media on this site is relatively inexpensive. $10 or so for an album or dvd, give or take a couple of bucks. So if every other site is saying a new video game is the greatest thing since champagne and hookers, I expect that to be true. I mean spending $60 on a game is not something I do often, so when I do it better be worth the cake.
I'm here to tell you, Max Payne 3 just raped me out of $60 bones. I can't believe sites are doling out straight 9's for this game! If you remember playing The Punisher game for Nintendo back in the day, you pretty much have played this game. In that game, you are more or less on a conveyor belt blasting enemies as they pop out and, I swear to you bro, there is a segment in the new Max Payne where you are on a boat dispatching 3rd world minorities in a near carbon copy fashion, just with better graphics. Now I'm mad, not insane and it would be lunacy to say the graphics in new MP3 aren't amazing. I mean they are some of the best I have ever seen for the PS3 hands down. A lot of the drama is beautifully depicted in the Favelas of Brazil and I caught myself thinking how the hell did they create such a detailed world. What I came up with is Rockstar must have spent a fortune on research and development in Brazil. To make sure Rockstar didn't go belly up from the expense of the Brazil R&D, they paid off every video game reviewer who has more than 5 readers. With the critics paid off they insured universal praise for the game, so suckers like me would waste money on this unimaginative, boring turd. But hey Rockstar, I didn't get my check and I'm pissed.
Let it be known, this game is NOT open world, and if you even think about altering from the narrow path, Max's annoyingly trite narrative "reminds" you to keep moving and not to explore. Not that you would find much anyway. There are no weapons upgrades, or bonuses or any type or incentive to keep playing at all. You can find pieces of "gold" weapons, which when completed, just turn your weapon gold but this doesn't do anything special for the attack. I mean what the fuck is the point of running around with a fucking gold Uzi? Games have been allowing you to buy parts for guns and special attacks and shit for a while...what the fuck Rockstar?! Y'all too cool for that?!
Yup, what you are treated to instead is "cool" visual glitches that are ripped straight from movies like Domino (circa 2006) and Crank. These little visual glitches and on screen phrases don't do anything for the story or the game as a whole. And this fucking bullet time shit is stupid. If you loved the movie 300 for slow mo action sequences maybe you can appreciate this but slow mo action scenes always made me scratch my head. I prefer action to be blazing fast, kinetic. I want to have to rewind a couple of times otherwise that defeats the purpose of "action" right? Yeah well the whole game is based around the gimick of slowing down the action so you can shoot several mugs at once. Gay!
OK OK the music is good, the graphics are incredible and the story honestly makes you think you are watching a movie. The technical merits are super solid if you want me to be real. But I just didn't have fun playing this. Maybe it was some of the frustrating game play. There are moments when you blast shirtless thugs at point blank range with a shotgun and they just grab their stomachs like they just have a tummy ache and keep bucking at you. For a game that tries so hard to be realistic, that seems like a pretty critical oversight. Or maybe the reason why I didn't have that much fun playing this game is because I was too busy face-palming myself over some of the mind numbing dialogue. "This town had more smoke and mirrors than a strip club locker room". Seriously? You couldn't come up with a better metaphor than that convoluted mess? And that is just one of an uncountable amount of idiotic lines disguised as wit. But, I digress...the real reason I hated this game is because I was waiting for that moment when you level up, learn a new skill, upgrade your weapon, solve a puzzle, use your brain for even a second, fight a boss, do a side mission that changes game play, but that shit never happened. I waited all the way to the end of the game and realized I was just duped into buying a $60 Nintendo game.
Just so you know, since game reviews are so infrequent on this site, a game I just copped that is worth every penny is Killzone 3. Playing it with the Playstation Move Sharp Shooter is totally some other shit. I'm also looking forward to Lollipop Chainsaw but that will be for another day.
Max Payne 3 gets $4 out of $10 or whatever it costs to rent a game these days.
PS. Max, I will never forgive you for dissing House music, you can suck a dick for that.
Robert Williams Documentary
This is a documentary showcasing the artwork of an often overlooked artist, Robert Williams. Williams is the founder of the awesome art mag, Juxtapoz. He's done album artwork for BDP (Sex and Violence) and worked along side the legendary Robert Crumb. His work is extremely psychedelic and has been in the game since the 60's. Respect the architects!
Album Review: El-P- Cancer For Cure
El-P is a hero to me. There I said it. I am not too cool to display some fan boy traits from time to time. But that puts me in an odd place to write a fair, unbiased review of this album. As a producer, I have dissected, analyzed and blatantly stolen from the man. As a fledgling beat maker, I probably smoked more blunts and spent more time listening to the Little Johnny From The Hospital album in 1999 than any other album. I still regard his beats on Cannibal Ox's Cold Vein and his Fantastic Damage album as some of the most experimental and unique that has or ever will be made in the genre. With all that hoopla, his I'll Sleep When You're Dead album did not disappoint one bit. El developed an immersive world on that album; a world full of paranoia, conspiracy, technology and menace. It's reasonable to say at some point an artist will plateau once creating a landmark. And I, for one, definitely feel that El hit that plateau with ISWYD and has been sliding downhill. His recently released instrumental "Megamixxx" albums failed to hold my interest like his earlier stuff and I am going to dare to say the same for Cancer For Cure.There are some songs that directly pick up where I'll Sleep When You're Dead left off (especially the song I posted here). Songs like Tougher Colder Killer and Works Everytime expand both sonically and lyrically on the sci-fi mythology that he created in the previous album. This I like. But then there is another grouping of songs on this album that sound like El was bored recording one night and we are left with his musical doodles (Sign Here for example). There are other songs that make an attempt at grandness but I honestly just don't like. I mean For My Upstairs Neighbor just seems a little out of place on a potential cinematic opus. The implied violence on this song sounds like El's dissatisfaction with his living situation, which is something you may wanna save for your landlord and not your highly anticipated album.
I will say that I want to listen to this album more thoroughly to decipher what El is saying. But why? At a glance, his lyrics convey deep depression. Assuredly, El has dabbled with psychedelics for some time, which probably helped his genius creations in the past. But, I will say from personal experience, if you dwell in the ultra colorful world of psychedelics too long, everything else will begin to look gray. And this album is bleak. Shit, there is even a song that sounds like a suicide note. Now I'm not opposed to El going Goth rap. That may be an interesting direction. But on the song $Vic/FTL (me and you), his immensely dark lyrics are counteracted by cartoonish atari-like synth sounds. If he is gonna dwell in the dark I would prefer that he would have gotten even darker with the beats. I mean this is a visionary musician in my mind. I want to hear him really test himself musically because I feel like I have heard a lot of this stuff from him before. I mean is that a Prodigy (think Firestarter not Mobb Deep) beat in the opening? Seriously, music has come a long way since then homeboy. That isn't impressing anyone. On his next release, rather than work with more annoying rappers (ie Danny Brown, Killer Mike- and no I don't give a fuck about Killer Mike's album either) I would prefer him to work with some true electronic acts so he can learn to coax more darkness out of his samplers, boxes and synths.
I know I am biased, I was expecting another macabre post apocalyptic soundtrack but I feel that this album wallows in depression and personal epithets and the music just doesn't resonate with me. It's probably just me. I admit that I am no longer the blunt smoking backpacker I was as a youngster and maybe this type of thing has lost it's appeal. Although I doubt that, because I will gladly bang his other albums any day of the week (shit even Collecting the Kid). And partly because of that I refuse to give El a failing grade. Hopefully he will scream Phoneix on his next album and arise from the ashes of his recent missteps. I just hope there is some sort of creative arc where either El-P transcends the darkness or finds a way to channel his black energy more powerfully.
$6.5 of $10 because honestly since I like less than half of it, I can't really say it's a priority buy.
Minimal Wave
Check out the new Innergaze- Mutual Dreaming album. It's rad! And if you like that check out http://minimalwave.com/ for more stuff like it. Dig it!
Free Reggae Acapellas For Producers
For producers, this is a sick free production tool! The downloads contain clean acapellas of dance hall and reggae artists like Capleton, Fanton Mojah, Bounty Killer, Vybz Kartel, Spragga Benz, Buju Banton etc.Granted it takes a crazy long time to download them but it's worth it.
Click on the links below
Reggae Acapella Pack 1
Reggae Acapella Pack 2
Reggae Acapella Pack 3
Free Blawan mix!!!
Album review: Traxman- Da Mind Of Traxman
Some people ride Harleys. Some people drive kitted out imports. Some people obey the speed limit and listen to NPR. I bump tunes like I am still 17. I don't give a shit. That's just the way it is, and the way it's gonna be. And honestly an album can easily win me over if it is something I can bang in my car.
So I have had the Traxman album in my car for a couple weeks giving it the car test and I will tell you, when I first played it, I was so excited I had to call my partner in crime, Count Jakula. It is pretty rare that music will illicit such a strong response from me but there is such a newness and energy on this set, I couldn't help it. I don't want to be overly dramatic and say the "juke" genre is the next big thing but the thought came to mind. I promise i won't make this extra long or get all hyperbolic with the analogies like I usually do in reviews. I will just get right to the chase. This collection of songs is fun, it is new, the sound is great and it is catchy as hell.
Traxman has deep history in the Chicago dance scene releasing ghetto house songs on infamous labels like Dancemania and Ghettophiles and you can see the ghetto house influence all over this thing. Much of the tracks have the same chants about booty and crack and other ghetto shit. But these tracks have more polish to them. More depth. Ghetto house is known for its lewd choruses but it is also famous for how simple the production is. The generation that Traxman is aiming at is an audience weened on electronic music. Think about it. People of my generation, our parents listened to Fleetwood Mac and Led Zepplin and what not (not mine but you get the idea). The kids that are dancing to this, their parents listened to Timbaland and Paul Johnson. With that as your foundation, beats as simple as what DJ Milton was putting out won't cut it. Now I'm not going to sit here and say Traxman's stutter stop beats are super complicated and he is a technical genius. But he does make the simple interesting, in a new way. Which, trust me, is very hard to do. There is elements of Miami bass in here (think DJ Magic Mike), R&B (Prince and Stevie Wonder samples make an appearance) there is even a track that has an acid-y 303 line. Oh by the way did I mention, this album is also on a label I have been clamoring about a lot lately; Planet Mu.
All in all, this site is about what i enjoy and i truly enjoy this album. I have yet to truly give the whole album my usual thorough analysis since I cant get past the first 3 songs because I like them so much. Listen to this album and watch some Walla Cam videos, you may even get the feeling you are witnessing the infancy of a scene that has yet to hit the mainstream. Whatever. It's awesome. Bang it in your ride. I will say now this is in the running for "best of" list for me.
Traxman- Da Mind Of Traxman- for it's originality and replay factor gets $9.5 out of $10. It's worth the skrilla don't bootleg it.
Is it a bird, is it a plane, it's...
Crazy man, Jeb Corliss. He could easily be mistaken for friggin Batman or a UFO as he speeds through the air in this video. Daring stuff, and a worthwhile watch if you aren't one of the millions who has already seen it. Here's a link for a documentary about him too if you are interested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vSxehUmv3M&feature=relmfu
Drugs Inc. Psychedelics
Good documentary...see a Narc Officer recount the story of accidentally taking 1000 (!) hits of acid and an old ass man taking magic mushrooms to beat mind destroying headaches. I strongly recommend this series btw
BBC Summer of Rave documentary from 1989
BBC is known for their decent documentaries. I haven't even watched this yet, but should be better than any sitcom on basic cable.
Hey Mom Free Music
http://freemusicarchive.org/
Hey maybe this is old news or totally uninteresting but I just found this site where you can legally download free music. There was some notable names (Neon Indian, Wavves, Atlas Sound, Scuba etc etc) on the main page so this site may be worth researching if you are totally broke and trying to bootleg music honestly. Don't expect much though you cheap bastards.
Hey maybe this is old news or totally uninteresting but I just found this site where you can legally download free music. There was some notable names (Neon Indian, Wavves, Atlas Sound, Scuba etc etc) on the main page so this site may be worth researching if you are totally broke and trying to bootleg music honestly. Don't expect much though you cheap bastards.
The Host- The Host
Maybe it's just me, but lately I have been feeling that we are going through an electronic music revival. Like we are reliving the glory days of IDM from the mid 90's. One label that was important then and is quickly becoming my favorite label now is Planet Mu. Label owner Mike Paradinas aka Mu-Ziq has massive history in the game (even doing an album with the legendary Aphex Twin in '96). Personally, I never thought Paradinas' output was THAT good (there are some exceptions), but let me tell you, he knows how to choose good artists.One of his signees, Barry Lynn aka Boxcutter has been making music for the label for some time. I'm a fan, but i wouldn't say I am blown away by the Boxcutter stuff. It always struck me as a little plastic-y and synthetic. That being said, Lynn has introduced a new project under the name The Host that puts the soul into the machine.
The Host's debut is dynamic enough to work as a score for a Blade Runner remake. Manic drum patterns abound as if Lynn set his Sequential Circuits Drum machine on fast forward. The heavy use of gated reverb, gorgeous ethereal synth sweeps and flanged guitar conjures 80's electronic act Tangerine Dream and begs the question "what would it sound like if Tangerine Dream tried to make Juke music?" There are songs on this collection that are real stunners. When "Second Life" first drops, I stopped mid jog and literally said "wow" when it first came out of my earbuds. The better part of the album sounds like this. Kinda like another Mu Records release, Bang And Works (peep that too), but on a lot more psychedelic drugs.
Now that is the majority of the record. There is a second side to this one though in which Lynn lets his inner Pink Floyd out. These simpler ambient moments sound fit for a nature walk in Hawaii or a chill out room on mushrooms. If the name Future Sound of London means anything to you, you may get the idea. Now i know that moments like this are staples in purist electronic music but I would rather rock out to the juke style joints than practice my yoga poses to the more "transcendental" tunes. They are relaxing though and walking though a forest preserve with this on did accent the beauty if even for a brief moment.
To be honest, I'm not sure if this album will have any staying power (how will this sound years from now) but you know what...I'm digging this right now. It's pretty solid.
The Host- The Host gets $7.00 out of $10. Not necessarily the absolute priority album to buy, but there are some tracks on here that shouldn't be missed.
Dave Chappelle Theory
http://davechappelletheory.com/index.html
This site allegedly explains the reason for Chappelle's "nervous breakdown" and the demise of his hilarious show. Although the article is crazy long, it is a worthwhile rainy day reading. The author of this article doesn't include any support to the outlined theory, but it is interesting. And if it is true, it clearly points out that some very important and powerful people have no sense of humor.
Beastie Boys- Paul Revere
Damn hearing this is so sad. I can remember being 7 or 8 in Virginia playing football singing this shit thinking i was cool. What a loss...
The Beastie Boys- Flute Loop
Having many different groups of friends, not everyone appreciated my musical tastes. I always kept a Beastie album in my car. It was like a middle ground that everyone could agree upon...
MCA Dies Of Cancer
We are going to take a break from our standard shenanigans for a moment of sobriety. Adam Yauch aka MCA (of the Beastie Boys) lost his ongoing fight against cancer today. Yauch was 47. As part of the legendary Beasties, Yauch has been part of all of us. For people of my generation, his music grew with us. Personally, License To Ill, was one of my earliest experiences with hip hop music period. I can make a roadmap of my life using their albums as landmarks. But their impact extends beyond me or even my generation. It is almost unheard of for any musical act to have the longevity or success that the Beasties have had, let alone maintain their high quality of output. MCA's music has opened the minds of literally millions. His positive philosophy and recordings will survive him. His early passing is absolutely tragic and shouldn't be treated with anything but the utmost respect and reverence. He and his music will be greatly missed. My condolences go out to his family.
Rest In Peace MCA Adam Yauch
Rest In Peace MCA Adam Yauch
Movie review- 1990:The Bronx Warriors
I know I have a weird sense of humor. I didn't laugh when I saw Knocked Up and I thought the funniest thing about The Hangover was that people were calling it the funniest movie ever. I know I am alone on this, and I am OK with that. To me, a movie like 1990: The Bronx Warriors, is a comedy masterpiece. So what if it is unintentionally funny? If I am tearing up from belly laughs, it's a comedy.
The movie is set in the distant future of 1990 (which looks a lot like the 70's south Bronx). It's a rough time. So rough, gangs of roller skating thugs band together in outfits that look to be tailor made by Rainbow Brite. The movie is about a gangland rivalry which starts when the heir to a weapons manufacturer, the Manhattan Corporation....eh you know what, who gives a shit what it's about. It is jaw droppingly awful, so you aren't watching this for a Charlie Kaufman par script. Instead this movie is kind of like watching the socially awkward guy at work who says the most embarrassing things and is basically a train wreck at life. If you don't let him bother you and just kick back, you are in for a show. Otherwise, if you don't let go, the insanity may piss you off. Maybe that's a dick move laughing at this tragedy in motion, but I find it hilarious.
Instead, expect editing so bad you'd swear it was cut as a high school project. Super thick Bronx accents abound making dialogue that is already awful worse. Characters have names like Hot Dog, Ice and Hammer and the acting is so bad you will make a face like someone just smacked you with a fish. There are some genuinely cool aspects of this flick, though. To unravel some of this movies finer points, look in the background to see some of the most idiotic activities performed by extras ever captured on film. For beat makers, this movie has plenty of crappy dialogue to chop up and weird synth 80's beats that scream to be sampled. Although the New York terrain is absolutely unconvincing as any sort of future, it is a pretty remarkable snapshot of an often overlooked time and location in one of America's most important cities. I mean the Bronx truly looks like a war zone. And that aint special effects homie.
Anyhow, I am not going to make this review long because it is pretty obvious the filmmakers didn't spend much time making the movie. All I gotta say is grab some beers, some friends with warped senses of humor and strap in. Prepare for one of the best endings of all time.For fans of Ice Pirates
1990: The Bronx Warriors gets $5 out of $10. Although, it is an abomination of a movie, it's still worth a fimp for the grindhouse laughs.
Dr. Utopia's Izm
An interesting cartoon from 1948 called Make Mine Freedom: the Dangers of Communism and Benefits of Capitalism.
Death Grips- The Money Store
Preparing to go to the gym. Throw on the earbuds and press play on Death Grips new album, The Money Store. Immediately I am almost being commanded to punch out the barking dog outside. Clothesline the toddler running through the apartment hallway. Kick my landlady in the va-jay-jay. It may sound like something straight out of David Berkowitz aka the Zodiac Killer's playbook, but maybe in his schizo brain he just saw into the future and heard this album. I mean this thing is sick!
In the mid 90's, i was part of a hip-hop group that was young and hungry. We basically jumped at any opportunity to perform, regardless of how unfitting the venue seemed. Many of the shows we performed were with other DIY bands but mainly the constituents were of punk/hardcore background. Let's say you took a kid from that scene who was exposed to hip-hop and hardcore. Let's say he died in some tragic Rock and Roll overdose but he was brought back to life like the cyborg Cain from Robocop 2. If you fed that robot the history of Drum and Bass/Hip-hop and forced it to make beats, you may get something that sounds like this album. It is a splatterpunk onslaught of the senses. It is futuristic, it is unsettling and it is getting better with every listen. There are times when it sounds like pieces of Dieselboy's Soldier Story, DJ Scud, M.I.A or Techno Animal. But, honestly any comparison is a disservice because it really don't resemble much out there. Laser didgeridoo sounds rub shoulders with flanged bass lines. Drum patterns skitter insect like. It just sounds so badass! I mean as soon as the synth line from Blackjack starts, it's instant grimey face for me.
So what's up with the vocals? Honestly I have listened to it about 4 times now, and I still really have no clue what MC Ride is saying (yelling). Ride sounds like RZA with roid rage. He is so pissed, he is almost indecipherable. But I tried to picture the music without him and I think he really benefits the tracks. He may be saying the most profound shit for all I know but for me it's not about that. Ride adds viscera, blood and testosterone to the tracks just with his tone and rhythm. He is part of the music. That being said, Raid is really spittin' as well. Take this segment from Lost Boys:
other side of da tracks
scuzz outsiders
nothin ta lose
strike of midnighters
lost paradisers
true black and blues
no shoes, flat tires
broke out da pen
blood on barbed wire
safe in your home
gated zone terrorizers
nowhere ta go
far as i can get hitchhikers
(lost boys)
fuck a job might have ta rob
a dont know just ta get by word
on the road for lifers
bullets in the fire
check the chain link
swayze im slummin
let em know who da fuck we are
low and dirty lost boys
comin out the cuts
like your favorite scar
I would check out more of the lyrics at the Death Grips Soundcloud page (at the bottom of the post) if you are like me and bought the MP3 album and not the CD. For the most part, MC Ride takes what many deem as negative about rap and injects those stereotypes with adrenalin. His lyrics are nightmarish and gruesome. He reminds me of the character on the first Black Sheep album. On that song, Dres mocked gangsta culture by taking his violent stories to a hyperbolic level. If you take that character and put him in a post apocalyptic future, you get MC Ride. But I still feel that it is parody. This may be the level of intensity necessary for our media saturated culture.
I will say my only qualm, and i don't even know if its a qualm, is i had to crank the bass in my car because on the whole the album is very compressed and lacking real low end. But I really am not bitching. The low fi sound quality is definitely part of Death Grips' sound. And that brings me to my final point. For all the people that will blast this album and say it isn't hip hop or it is too noisy, AT LEAST THEY HAVE A SOUND. I find that most hip hop acts nowadays are so homogeneous. Most mainstream "rap" is at the pinnacle of it's formulaic trajectory (I said most not all, we can talk about that some other time). Even the hip-hop purists are beginning to all sound the same (you must sound like Pete Rock, Jay Dilla, Diamond D... name golden age producer here). Where is the originality in that? That is boring as fuck! I picked up De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising from the library when I was 10 and it changed my life. Not because it sounded like something I had heard before, but BECAUSE I HAD NEVER HEARD ANYTHING LIKE IT. From then point on I was consumed by hip-hop. We here at Pirate Programming still abide by that philosophy. We still crave finding new and different things. We honor innovation. The Money Store is truly unique and it barely resembles what is considered "hip-hop". It is something totally else. Completely essential listening.
Death Grips- The Money Store gets $9.25 out of $10. A very, very solid and memorable album well worth your coin.
http://soundcloud.com/deathgrips
Emergency Broadcast Network
http://www.joshualpearson.com/
As I listened to Death Grips' new album, Money Store, I was reminded of Emergency Broadcast Networks' amazing hypermedia collages from the early 90's. I feel that it would be unjust to simply make a reference to EBN in the following review without also giving them a proper spotlight. EBN is in every shape and form what Pirate Programming is all about.
EBN is a "multimedia performance group" (to quote wikipedia). They specialize in video collages that are both musical and poignant. Through repetition, juxatopsition of imagery and sheer volume of clips, EBN's videos satirize the power of media. Clips of a public suicide are intercut with Mariah Carey's famous shriek which takes on a Bomb Squad type effect in EBN's hands. It is criminal that these guys are so often overlooked when discussing media. They are innovators in every sense. More or less, they pioneered the classic "rave" visual or, at the very least, expanded what those visuals could be. Their editing techniques were adopted much later by directors like Darren Arronofsky, David Fincher, Guy Ritchie, among others, in the early 2000's. And now, their kinetic style of editing can be seen everywhere from commercials to video games etc.
The site listed at the top of this post is admittedly unique to navigate, so i will help. After clicking on the link, click on Emergency Broadcast Network to go straight to the videos. Do yourself a favor and watch them all. They aren't available anywhere (to my knowledge) but here (not on Youtube or Hulu). Now keep in mind most of these videos were edited (before editing software) on analog equipment. If you don't realize what that means, it means it is friggin INSANE how good these videos are. It's almost hard to believe.
Besides basically mastering editing on analog quipment members of EBN have gone on to write video editing software (VJ software known as Vujack) and create institutions (Company of Science and Art CoSA and iFILM.com). Anyway, do your homework on these guys. They are mindblowing even by today's standards. Respect the architects.
peace
*here is an example of one of their videos. It isn't on the site but it's not as polished as the ones on the site. Still worth a watch though.
As I listened to Death Grips' new album, Money Store, I was reminded of Emergency Broadcast Networks' amazing hypermedia collages from the early 90's. I feel that it would be unjust to simply make a reference to EBN in the following review without also giving them a proper spotlight. EBN is in every shape and form what Pirate Programming is all about.
EBN is a "multimedia performance group" (to quote wikipedia). They specialize in video collages that are both musical and poignant. Through repetition, juxatopsition of imagery and sheer volume of clips, EBN's videos satirize the power of media. Clips of a public suicide are intercut with Mariah Carey's famous shriek which takes on a Bomb Squad type effect in EBN's hands. It is criminal that these guys are so often overlooked when discussing media. They are innovators in every sense. More or less, they pioneered the classic "rave" visual or, at the very least, expanded what those visuals could be. Their editing techniques were adopted much later by directors like Darren Arronofsky, David Fincher, Guy Ritchie, among others, in the early 2000's. And now, their kinetic style of editing can be seen everywhere from commercials to video games etc.
The site listed at the top of this post is admittedly unique to navigate, so i will help. After clicking on the link, click on Emergency Broadcast Network to go straight to the videos. Do yourself a favor and watch them all. They aren't available anywhere (to my knowledge) but here (not on Youtube or Hulu). Now keep in mind most of these videos were edited (before editing software) on analog equipment. If you don't realize what that means, it means it is friggin INSANE how good these videos are. It's almost hard to believe.
Besides basically mastering editing on analog quipment members of EBN have gone on to write video editing software (VJ software known as Vujack) and create institutions (Company of Science and Art CoSA and iFILM.com). Anyway, do your homework on these guys. They are mindblowing even by today's standards. Respect the architects.
peace
*here is an example of one of their videos. It isn't on the site but it's not as polished as the ones on the site. Still worth a watch though.
Your Tuna May Outlast You
Dinnertime. Hungry but not that hungry. Maybe just a sandwich. Hmm, this tuna has been in here for a long ass time. I wonder how long it's good for...DAMN! June 30 of 2014! So even after John Cusack's apocalypse, at least the omega man will be able to scrounge up some good ol' omega 3.
So EVERYBODY knows that canned goods are bad. Except me i guess. Actually, i am aware of the evils of "shelf life" but i don't have the means or patience to go all organic or start my own farm. Seeing my Tuna's durability sparked a couple thoughts though. And not the obvious "only eat fresh organic foods you heathen" type of thoughts. I know that the amount of preservatives in this tuna is the equivalent of what sustained Tutankhamun's body. But, that's my point. What happens if all you people with your fresh fruit and organic veggies are gonna end up as compost a lot faster than me cause you don't have the beyond human preservatives pulsing through your veins.
My second thought is: if preservatives can keep food edible for this amount of time, what else can these preservatives be used for? Is the body of Hitler, Osama Bin Laden and Einstein preserved somewhere in a human sized pickle jar?
Using the preservation science of the Twinkie, you can now take a break from your hectic life and enjoy temporary suspended animation. Awake feeling rested and whole again. Side effects may include loss of job, loss of spouse, muscle stiffness, arthritis, a funky smell, rectal bleeding...
Anyhow, i know that the food industry is ran by Satan and the government is just trying to fatten us up so when the time is right, they will shed their human skin and swoop down and cannibalize the fuck out of us. I bought extra Mace for that occasion. But i am open for suggestions. If anybody knows of a better way to eat and avoid nearly everything that we buy at grocery stores, let me know.
Peace
Happy Monday
Such a gloomy, rainy monday. This made me smile
The Horrors- A Train Roars
Outside a Train roars, the clatter is deafening
Louder than everything, drowns what you were saying
And the Boys get on the back of that train
Their clamour is deafening, It is louder than everything
And they accept no warning
And me in my brilliant red shirt
And my shirt hangs open at the neck
The Train is always passing through
Male passengers turn their heads, following the passage
of a beautiful Ducchess running from carriage to carriage
And it ploughs through the city, and everyone rides the Train
It ploughs a primal instinct to rail against better sense
The Train is always passing through
And me in my bloodstained shirt, my body hangs open at the neck
It is always passing through, through me
The bodies on the back of the train they stink of greedy sex
Leave a trail of instinct and roses and things
Album Review: Clark- Iradelphic
To compare it to his other albums it most closely resembles Body Riddle or Totems Flare. His sonic palette has expanded even greater on this album to include Spanish style guitar and even female vocals. And of course, it works. The results are not unlike an album by Stereolab or Broadcast recorded by, well, Clark. Besides the fact that Clark is one of the most technically savvy producers, he has an AMAZING knack for making very catchy tunes that have a way of softly nestling themselves in your brain like some kind of really dope bedtime lullaby. I cannot sing this guys praises enough. To know his catalog is to get an education on how to produce on a higher level. Damn you Clark for kicking all of us other producers in the balls! Whatever, do yourself a favor and grab this immediately!
http://www.amazon.com/Iradelphic-Clark/dp/B007IOP3SU/ref=sr_1_1_digr?ie=UTF8&qid=1335679851&sr=8-1
Clark- Iradelphic gets $8.75 out of 10$. A solid, albeit short set.
Ghost Pac, Holographic Jesus and Meta-Skin
SO i opened up my Facebook account to stalk the regulars and see what funiness/tradgeys had occurred that day, and there it was. Someone had posted an interesting sounding video. Probably all of you have seen this by now, but it was a video of a very strange musical performance; a video of a holographic 2Pac giving a posthumous performance at Coachella. My interest in this lasted about as long as it took you to read this sentence but it did make me think a couple of things. First, we FINALLY have scientific PROOF that even a fucking machine could give an adequate rap performance (kidding? eh...fuck it, i'm not writing this to make friends...you know it's true). Secondly, we are FINALLY approaching an era where the science fiction concept of holograms is becoming a reality. I mean shit, if Digi-Pac is realistic enough to make the stoned masses scream while delivering Hail Mary, what else could we expect?
I pose the following.
The first application. Porn. Do i even need to explain the use of a virtual hottie moaning and writhing within what seems to be inches from you? I didn't think so. Seems pretty obvious. Let your imagination run wild.
Second, is also pretty much a given. Military. Undoubtedly, the military is the key proponent in progressing and expanding this technology. Besides the obvious decoy hologram soldier, this type of technology could have an untold amount of uses. If you ask any artist, they will tell the most difficult thing to make look realistic is the human body and face. So if we are able project a convinicing image of a person then we can assuredly project a convinicing image of a machine. And if we can project a convincing image of a machine, we can probably project environments and therefore cloak objects by superimposing the physical subject with the image of a projected environment. Not only am i talking about an armor that could visually match virtually any surface (ie Metal Gear Solid 4) but i am talking about the shit Tom Cruise used in the new Mission Impossible flick when he infiltrated the Kremiln (ya i saw it so you don't have to). I am talking about some Ghost in the Shell/Predator invisiblity shit! Camouflage that can stream reality onto fabric in real time. Check this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD83dqSfC0Y . This vid is way older than it says. I saw a clip just like this when i was in my last semester in college. That was 2004! That is 8 years ago! Damn I am old! AND that is shit on Youtube, far from classified military info. What you have in your hand, pocket (not your dick, idiot, your cellphone) is chock full of James Bond-ian shit that started as top secret military ideas. Cameras on a concealable device, Global Positioning Systems, wireless electronic mail. Mark my words, invisibility, as much as it sounds like science fiction WILL BECOME SCIENCE FACT! Imagine a tank cloaked with this type of technology "hiding" in plain sight, primed to knock on the enemy's door, so to speak. What a twist on the Trojan Horse story that would be.
But how can holograms help people like you and me who won't be fighting clandestine wars?
Have you lost a loved one? Can you just not get past the thought of ever seeing them again? Would maybe seeing them one more time make it easier for you to get up and have a productive day. Well with holographic technology we can prolong your loved ones memory. They look and sound just like the real thing! Would you know if the person was real or not if you couldn't smell or touch them. If your eyes and ears were absolutely convinced it was the living article, would you know?
Would you know if the person was real or not if you had never met them before but just heard about them? Say for example, Elvis. Or what about Jesus? What if there was a group of individuals who realized what type of influence and political/religious implications an event like the second coming of Jesus would have. And with the "miracle" of holographic technology, said group made our Lord walk the earth again. Would you know if it was really Him or not? Would you? You would probably be watching the event on the internet or on your phone anyway, far removed...
Well if we couldn't touch it, we couldn't prove it was real...
What if we could manipulate physical appearance. Play with this idea. So in the future, Harry Potter style invisiblity is old hat (or cloak), and we have perfected the technology. The fabrics are more refined with the advent of carbon fibers. The material that comprises the cloak is the thickness of a hair. The concept of projecting any image onto the surface has been honed. You can now have more or less a second skin that mimics any type of outward appearance that you desire. No more ugliness and dry spells cuz of an acne flare up or a bad hair day. You can look like Brad Pitt one day and George Clooney the next (women use your imagination...think Angelina Jolie). A surface of skin that is beyond skin, we'll call it Meta-Skin. Meta-skin can make the horribly disfigured burn victim appear beautiful again. The elderly appear youthful.The fugitive on the run appear as an innocent man. The Meta-skin reality: where physical appearance can change as frequently as browsing pages on the web. We all can look the exact same...as beautiful Brangelinas. But if we all are beautiful, what makes us unique? Something not physical. Something intangible. Our personality, spirit, soul? Something the 2pac hologram didn't have. So is the spirit world really the real reality? I'll stop cuz im going on a tangent...
The duet of Snoop and Ghost-Pac, for me, is a sign of exciting things in the future. For all the doom and gloom i constantly hear from people about the world coming to the end...we may be on the cusp of a wildly inventive time. It will be a time that will probably not answer our questions on what is reality and what does it mean to be human but will ask new questions and rephrase old ones. It will be a crazy place. A place that i am sure i can't even imagine but may glance at it in my dreams. Perhaps it will be a place where maybe i could finish writing this article because i could send a holographic doppelganger to work for me (just look like you are busy).
keep asking questions everyone.
peace
I pose the following.
The first application. Porn. Do i even need to explain the use of a virtual hottie moaning and writhing within what seems to be inches from you? I didn't think so. Seems pretty obvious. Let your imagination run wild.
Second, is also pretty much a given. Military. Undoubtedly, the military is the key proponent in progressing and expanding this technology. Besides the obvious decoy hologram soldier, this type of technology could have an untold amount of uses. If you ask any artist, they will tell the most difficult thing to make look realistic is the human body and face. So if we are able project a convinicing image of a person then we can assuredly project a convinicing image of a machine. And if we can project a convincing image of a machine, we can probably project environments and therefore cloak objects by superimposing the physical subject with the image of a projected environment. Not only am i talking about an armor that could visually match virtually any surface (ie Metal Gear Solid 4) but i am talking about the shit Tom Cruise used in the new Mission Impossible flick when he infiltrated the Kremiln (ya i saw it so you don't have to). I am talking about some Ghost in the Shell/Predator invisiblity shit! Camouflage that can stream reality onto fabric in real time. Check this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD83dqSfC0Y . This vid is way older than it says. I saw a clip just like this when i was in my last semester in college. That was 2004! That is 8 years ago! Damn I am old! AND that is shit on Youtube, far from classified military info. What you have in your hand, pocket (not your dick, idiot, your cellphone) is chock full of James Bond-ian shit that started as top secret military ideas. Cameras on a concealable device, Global Positioning Systems, wireless electronic mail. Mark my words, invisibility, as much as it sounds like science fiction WILL BECOME SCIENCE FACT! Imagine a tank cloaked with this type of technology "hiding" in plain sight, primed to knock on the enemy's door, so to speak. What a twist on the Trojan Horse story that would be.
But how can holograms help people like you and me who won't be fighting clandestine wars?
Have you lost a loved one? Can you just not get past the thought of ever seeing them again? Would maybe seeing them one more time make it easier for you to get up and have a productive day. Well with holographic technology we can prolong your loved ones memory. They look and sound just like the real thing! Would you know if the person was real or not if you couldn't smell or touch them. If your eyes and ears were absolutely convinced it was the living article, would you know?
Would you know if the person was real or not if you had never met them before but just heard about them? Say for example, Elvis. Or what about Jesus? What if there was a group of individuals who realized what type of influence and political/religious implications an event like the second coming of Jesus would have. And with the "miracle" of holographic technology, said group made our Lord walk the earth again. Would you know if it was really Him or not? Would you? You would probably be watching the event on the internet or on your phone anyway, far removed...
Well if we couldn't touch it, we couldn't prove it was real...
What if we could manipulate physical appearance. Play with this idea. So in the future, Harry Potter style invisiblity is old hat (or cloak), and we have perfected the technology. The fabrics are more refined with the advent of carbon fibers. The material that comprises the cloak is the thickness of a hair. The concept of projecting any image onto the surface has been honed. You can now have more or less a second skin that mimics any type of outward appearance that you desire. No more ugliness and dry spells cuz of an acne flare up or a bad hair day. You can look like Brad Pitt one day and George Clooney the next (women use your imagination...think Angelina Jolie). A surface of skin that is beyond skin, we'll call it Meta-Skin. Meta-skin can make the horribly disfigured burn victim appear beautiful again. The elderly appear youthful.The fugitive on the run appear as an innocent man. The Meta-skin reality: where physical appearance can change as frequently as browsing pages on the web. We all can look the exact same...as beautiful Brangelinas. But if we all are beautiful, what makes us unique? Something not physical. Something intangible. Our personality, spirit, soul? Something the 2pac hologram didn't have. So is the spirit world really the real reality? I'll stop cuz im going on a tangent...
The duet of Snoop and Ghost-Pac, for me, is a sign of exciting things in the future. For all the doom and gloom i constantly hear from people about the world coming to the end...we may be on the cusp of a wildly inventive time. It will be a time that will probably not answer our questions on what is reality and what does it mean to be human but will ask new questions and rephrase old ones. It will be a crazy place. A place that i am sure i can't even imagine but may glance at it in my dreams. Perhaps it will be a place where maybe i could finish writing this article because i could send a holographic doppelganger to work for me (just look like you are busy).
keep asking questions everyone.
peace
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