eashfa
Head is alive. Hence the sound of music.Archive for rant
There goes the neighbourhood
Please excuse me for this news, I'm going to digitally wipe my arse with it.
Never heard of SIRA? That’s the way Big Copyright and their lackey’s want it, and it's bad news for you.
Simply put, SIRA fundamentally redefines copyright and fair use in the digital world. It would require all incidental copies of music to be licensed separately from the originating copy. Even copies of songs that are cached in your computer's memory or buffered over a network would need yet another license. Once again, Big Copyright is looking for a way to double-dip into your wallet, extracting payment for the same content at multiple levels.
The Devil is exempt, I reckon.
More here (via digg, natch)
Disc Jocular
DJs. I have horrid debates with people on forums whenever I say that I think the cult of the DJ is going-going-gone. It's a normal cycle after all, if we think what sad-arsed geeky creatures with an extensive record collection DJs were in their humble beginnings (not so long ago- about two decades and a half), then suddenly you alter your perception willingly and the DJ is the Rapunzel-like (as in untouchable) dude in the proverbial tower, channeling the changing times - you appreciated the medium and not the instrument that brings you music (24-Hour Party People chronicles that shift in punters' mentalities and the whole Madchester scene of the late 80s - early 90s). Tell me to fuck off if your heart so utters, but I am much more drawn to a band that throws passion and sweat onstage than seeing Sister Bliss sparking up a spliff during her set. I'm not saying DJs are dead, the notion of DJs misconstrued by peoples' expectations of them - that's got to be killed.
Anything that's too euro-techno-decorative or loops of that electro-fart sound will put me off, and I think a lot of people who haven't actually been clubbing hear shit from Tiesto on the radio and think, that's what it's about, of course it's a crap scene. Taking each snake off the ladder, I have to say that in particular there are DJs I lament not having seen, like Quantic, last month. Luckily there's a 6 Mix to the rescue (stream). And the lovely 2 hour set he laid on Bucharest is available right here (mp3). Plenty of DJs slash producers are trying to hook us up with a sound that recompiles fantastic songs slash samples from the funk golden era. What I'd like to hear more of in the future, is dance music made good by hacking some soul and jazz into it - as Nino Moschella demonstrates (artist page at betterPropaganda + free download Nino's "The Fix" 
Have I been complaining enough I wonder about the (lack of) gigs this side of the European Union border? The last events I've been to were all DJ-involved, which is why I'm sucker-punching around here. I return home a nervous wreck from those things.
In about an hour I'm supposed to go see Andy Smith of Portishead fame. Maybe.. If I'm aled enough to take his airy-fairy transitions. I'm no faffer but I heard some of his more recent sets (they're good selections - reggae, roots and such - it just doesn't sound like the whole shebang ) and I don't want to be forced to dance in that perpetrating demeanour that says "I'm just checking my hip joints work properly while I undergo the serious task of sticking my nose up in the air, holding my common-people bottle of Becks and laughing at other peoples' togs simultaneously". The hip kids. Seeing as I'm mean and antisocial as well.. Decisions.
Cappo - Learn To Be Strong (Quantic Soul Remix) mp3 [this is the shit]
selected Andy Smith sets - free downloads
But was I afraid?
I was dreaming of something very nice after having an organic lunch, as many a digestive system will have witnessed a nice peaceful dream i cannot remember, because that would have taken a nice peaceful rise from sleep.
Thrrrmp, thrrrmp, thump, thrrmp. I was awoken by my door almost being unhinged from the sound of unwelcome bass. One guy washing his car whilst sporting his ghastly, shirtless unshaven torso, but I could hear myself think. something was wrong, I mean, my stereo hearing was off. I'd taken a bath and turned on the radio, Delta RFI, the wannabe indie station of the whole Bucharest FM area, there's only a wannabe one, not even a pirate radio, but we're people without incentive to do anything; they played Travis' Turn. I started singing, I got surprised at how husky my voice was, and decided to immerse my head in the water, nose in the air, while I exercised my deep breathing a bit. Penitence for that is, now I can't hear with one ear. It's credibly frustrating, I feel disjointed and my heart doesn't seem to beat. Cos I can't hear it! I can't listen to anything too loud or too low. I could go on, but I'll just stop and not think about it..
Travis - Turn mp3
Careful what you do with that.. Do you know how life immitates art? or blog titles? ah but that's too long a story, and it's got to do with visual art and Thomas Mann and… I really should invest in speakers for my ipod.
The Pixies - Here Comes Your Man mp3 (i just felt like this one)
Spam me. Please do.
Hey kids i got spam today. Tons, enough to make a big-ass tuna spam sandwich out of.
As some were funny I wanted to keep them, but i decided it'd be better if I just showed you. Usually the spambots would leave a trail of links behind. Well these stupid links didn't work.I kindly denounce that issue to the spamsters.
Excerpts.
Francis Timony Durgin I use a virtually unknown program called iTunes to merge MP3 files.
Jo Ann Zering I am now happily converting RealAudio files into mp3 format and experimenting with bit-rates. I’d better make some room on that mp3 player for Bucky!…
JoAnn Castle Wow!! I personally knew Bucky. I was the one who took him to Apple Computer and introduced him to Steve Jobs who gave him a tour of the Cupertino facility.
Hulk Hogan Wer Fuller selbst gerne einmal reden hören und sehen will, kann sich Aufnahmen seines legendären 42-stündigen Vortrags Everything I know streamen lassen (die Seite ist allerdings recht häufig nicht zu erreichen)….
Sounds like I should look into this Bucky character.
Hate
this: DEFINATELY. Fuck! For fuck's sake. Fucky fuck. Twats.
So this song will actually be educational in more ways than one:
Oasis - Live Forever mp3 (off the Definitely Maybe LP)
(but you people with the definately are still definitely, to infinty, twats)
and
Vama Veche - HATE mp3 (a laugh and some good music too)
*anger pant* thank you and good night. as night becomes here in Romania.
Pasty blast-blast
Pictures of tapes on Flickr look like they're other-woldly evidence, like someone had dug up a time capsule from their backyard and stared in disbelief while groping for the camera with a limp hand. Yes kids, bands used to be on a band of tape. (nonsense). But still, ignoring the scent of nonsense, tapes, man, TAPES were the first revolution in contemporary music file (whoot!) sharing history. Record companies were shitting themselves left and right, throwing hissy fits, heads had to roll because the nasty DAT would decrease record* sales and make them company bosses and executives be thrown out into the streets. Sound familar? But still, they're protecting their artists' interests. Yeah, and World War 1 started cos Franz Ferdinand got killed. Unfortunately you can't do enough caring for the artist belonging to a gordo grande label that gobbles up said artist's identity and money too.
*and records were records, not CDs so you couldn't write them on tapes- could you? this i don't know i know i should be more investigative but someone who did this will comment in an uproar, maybe
P.S. I don't support big labels, but to say i don't like certain artists signed to them would be lie lie lie. J'accuse! …And don't feel tres guilty for it.
