Here’s an excellent Brian Eno interview/documentary from the BBC.

via Synthtopia

Younger Brother is hard at work on their next album. I’m a huge fan of both of their previous full lengths, but their most recent release, Last Days of Gravity, is especially good. Another Younger Brother album on the horizon is definitely something to look forward to.

Here’s an awesome one hour set video from Beardyman.

Spotted at Livepa blog.

Here’s a neat little video of the Dec. 16th Dancechurch, with sets be me and the Future Nurses, that Lara604 assembled. Enjoy!

Fantastic news from Gas’ blog, Woob’s seminal 1194 album from Emit Records, is being re-released, with new material to be released in early 2010. If you know Woob, you know why this is a good thing. If you don’t know Woob, and are a fan of mellow atmospheric music, then definitely put 1194 on your wishlist. It is a classic of the genre, from of the mid-90′s defining labels, and one of my all-time favorite albums.

Here’s the interview from Gas:

Good news. Paul Frankland is re-releasing his Woob project from his days on the Emit record label. I still remember hearing its cool sounds wafting through the Square Dance offices (recording studio) whilst I was editing my Gas album.

It was the first solo artist album on Emit, and immediately on release in 1994 it was praised by critics and public. It has since become much sought after, fetching high prices secondhand.

I spoke to Paul about the album and his memories about recording it.

MAT JARVIS: What are you re-releasing and when will they be available?

PAUL FRANKLAND: The first Woob album (Woob 1194) will be available worldwide on iTunes by the end of December, and includes a minimalist booklet.

EP1 consisting of some classic, hard to find tracks is available now for a name-your-own-price, from free! – here

Odonna (Bells mix) edit, on download, get it here or on Amazon. later on iTunes.

There will be a brand new 10 minute track available for download on 1.1.10.

MAT: Which are your favourite tracks on the album?

PAUL: Odonna/Strange Air. I’m fond of them all though.

MJ: Most of the tracks are ten minutes or longer, was this a conscious decision to make lengthy tracks, or did they just happen?

PF:The way I wrote the tracks back then, was like a live performance and so I never heard the track complete or knew the length till it was over, but yes it was a conscious decision, although 25 minutes into mixing ‘On Earth’ there was a heart pounding moment when I improvised a synth section. Its probably my favorite bit of the whole album now though.

What were you trying to create when you started writing the album, and did it turn out as you first envisioned?

I tried to create an album with a loose narrative that guides the listener’s mind through different environments. I also wanted the LP to sound as organic as possible without any too thin or too electronic sounding synths.

What was the process for writing the album?

I had an Atari ST running Sequencer One plus, an Akai s950, Gem s2, a boss delay pedal, home made reverb, tape deck, ghetto-blaster, video recorder and a DAT machine. I made rough sets of each track, then took everything with me into the studio and finished off the tracks using the extra equipment available. Every track was mixed and performed live, none were edited down.

How much use did you make of the Roland RSS 3D processor?

Ha- yeah that was massive and expensive and we did use it on every track but it was pretty limited and was only of real use on percussion tracks to add an extra dimension. Still, it must have had some lasting effect on me as around 10 years ago I was given a cut-down rack version as a present, and I am using it on some of the new material.

What is your one memory of your time on the Emit label?

I remember the first time I stepped into the live room at Square Centre studios – it was a vast, open space with a control room overlooking around 15 foot above.

And, what is a Woob? Wuub?

Woob was a made up word. that sounded unique.
Wuub is a hybrid of woob and dub.

What was the thinking behind choosing penguins for the cover?

The label managers (Chris & Dave) said to me that they would really like to use Penguins for the cover and what did I think. I’d just written the track Emperor and was going to suggest the same. It was a very strange coincidence

Thanks Paul, and good luck with the re-releases and new Woob tracks. Here are the Woob releases available now…
EP1 – visit…
Odonna (Bells mix) – visit…
And Later releases…
Woob 1194 (late December on iTunes)
Brand new track on 1|1|10.

Here are two stunning videos by Jon Rawlinson, featuring the music of Barcelona. Fire them up in full-screen mode and let it all go.

Awesome! Can someone please do this for real?

Spotted on Synthtopia.

On Saturday, Nov. 7, you’ll find me at this year’s installment Seacompression, the Northwest’s regional Burning Man decompression party. If you’ve never been, it’s like taking 3 square blocks of Burning Man and cramming it into a 25,000 sq ft warehouse. In a nutshell, it’s awesome and quite unlike any other party in the entire Northwest. Check out this floor plan to get a preview of the craziness ahead.

In the past I’ve DJed at one of the dance stages, but this year I’ll be keeping it mellow in the sublime H’Art Center chillout dome. This was by far my favorite part about last year’s party, so I’m super stoked to have been invited to play some mellow beats there this time around.

Full event details are here.

Here’s a short, fun video log from Seacomp 2007:

I’ve had the music of The Sight Below on continuous loop all morning, and it has been the perfect companion to the gray drizzly sky outside my window. The bus ride to work this morning was especially dreary, with the Space Needle and downtown just barely peeking through the haze, and it was matched perfectly by the beautiful melancholic guitarscapes and subtle back beats. At times his sound is very reminiscent of Sigor Rós’ more ambient moments, and his bowed guitar style is probably responsible for some of that similarity.

For a sample, be sure to check out “No Place for Us,” a free EP download from Ghostly International. If that floats your boat, then you can’t go wrong with picking up last year’s full length LP, “Glider,” and the recently released “Murmur EP.”

If you like this sort of minimal and moody ambient techno, be sure to also check out Yagya’s “Rigning” album. It’s another stunning example of the genre.

So cool. Check out the Ekdahl Moisturizer. It’s a spring reverb with exposed springs, which means that while it can be used as a traditional spring reverb by passing audio signals through the springs, you can also stroke, pluck, and fiddle with the exposed springs to create liquidy, bouncy audio goodness. If you are looking for a unique analog sound, for only $300 this unique effect/instrument would be a fine addition to your sonic arsenal. More info about the unit can be found here.