Top Secret.

If you enjoy electro/techno mixes then your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to start up iTunes and search for Benny Benassi in the Podcast section. It is there where you will find a mix he supposedly did for Flawless Sound. Download it and play it at top volume. Enjoy.

Of Drums and Buckets.

I greatly enjoy art and admire artists. Art to me is anything mundane that has been transformed into something thought provoking, emotionally stimulating and inspirational. I especially love it when new forms of art are being created. Anybody can expand on something that has been already created but to start something new all together is a truly special thing.

A recently featured video on YouTube features New Yorks Larry Wright who turns ordinary buckets of all kinds into drums. I will admit that this idea certainly isn't new. Poor kids worldwide with a beat in their head will find a good bucket to release them on. History will certainly support the connection between the invention of pottery and the invention of percussion. Larry Wright however uses his absolutely amazing talent to busk with. The idea of using any piece of plastic junk to make a little money with is certainly a very novel idea. One that will spread quickly.

Indeed the very day I first found out about Larry I happened to spend the night on Whyte Ave where I came across a busker who was clearly influenced by the New York Street Drummer. His drums were all pulled out of garbage bins and neatly strapped together with duct tape to form his own drum set. Predictably the only thing missing was any sort of talent. Whyte Ave was graced with the sounds of one whole drum beat for practically the entire night. As quickly as art is created it is defiled. So sad.

Z-Trip

I mentioned in a previous post that Champion has to be the best live experience I have ever had. Its a close call but Z-Trip at the Starlight Room last thursday is a very strong contender. Heard that night before an absolutely ravenous crowd were the likes of Aerosmith, ACDC, Metallica, John Mellencamp, Jimi Hendrix, Gun's N Roses, Nirvana and even Johnny Cash. All of this in between Hip Hop, Disco, House and even Drum N Bass. It doesn't sound like a very hot mix but you had to be there. It worked and worked very well. Many times Z-Trip picked up the mic and let us know we were the dopest crowd he has seen yet and I fully believe him. There was not one body sitting still that night and every dip in the volume was immediately replaced by hundreds of voices. Our energy certainly kept him going and he continued to play after three consecutive encores. By then I had to consider getting my sorry ass to work and never got to see how it ended. I was seriously considering calling in sick but I showed up with limp legs, no sleep and no voice. Even if you don't like dj's or electronic music I still strongly urge everyone to go catch his next show, you will not be disapointed.

Ear Worm of the Day

Todays insanely addictive earworm comes from Pythagora Switch, an incredible Japanese children show which features Rube Goldberg Devices in its transitions. The clever use of these machines have gained the show international attention but it was the "Algorithm March" that really turned the show into a true phenomena. The steps to this crazy little dance are taught by two of the shows actors then recreated in larger groups (My personal favourite: the Ninja's). Its become so popular that you can see it being performed in places like a public square in Stockholm, a Prison in the Philippines, and even the South Pole. It is the theme to this dance that got stuck in my head today and refused to die (I don't even know Japanese). Yet I can't help thinking to myself; do I really want it too? It is decidedly better than MmmBop.

"I wonder if it will end soon . . ."

Update: There's a laughably well done remix!

"Guardian Angel"

This is a picture Tomena made for me for my last birthday, it perfectly represents the kind of friendship we had. I promise not to go on and on about her but this was something I had to share.

Rest in Peace

Tomena Courtepatte

April 6, 1979- April 11, 2007

This is the hardest thing I have ever had to write in my life. This blog exists because of Tomena. I knew she read it religiously and I always looked forward to her input. After pestering me for the longest time I finally enabled the comments feature. As you can see she never got to enjoy it.

Tomena and I have been friends for a long time. We met in highschool and dated for quite a while. Only she could have told you precisely how long. She was a beautiful artistic girl with a thing for dance music and anime. As soon as I took an interest in her she reciprocated it ten fold. We were dating in no time at all and were very rarely apart. She loved the fact that I played guitar and has always been the driving force behind my music. After some time it became clear that her deep world of anime was begining to have a major influence on her personality. Her penchant for drama (real or imagined) was becoming too much for me and in the end I broke it off. It was a devastating loss for her and she stalked me for months following. I can't say that she ever really got over it but she has managed to live with it. It is said that a friendship can never work after a relationship and I highly disagree. No girl to this day understood me more than her and likewise I could read her like a book. We have been through a lot together and were always very close.

Her love of dance music began to have an effect on me from the very begining. I've always listened to rock and metal but everytime I went to visit her she would be playing happy hardcore or trance. I hated it at first but it grew on me. She opened my eyes to the world of djing and as soon as I started getting involved she was absolutely ecstatic. She took great pride in being my mentor and constantly motivated me. She was going to be my manager if I wanted it or not. There was not a show Ive done that she missed and only one recording Ive made that she has not heard (It was a surprise especially for her.) My latest mix was put together because she requested it. She listened to it constantly in the hospital.

Tomena was stricken by a rare hereditary blood disease that, to the best of my knowledge, is both undetectable and technically incurable. In most cases the body tends to heal itself of this condition (as was the case with an Aunt of hers) and this is where we put our hope. The whole ordeal for her was a mere inconvience. Actually it was a huge inconvenience but she soaked in the attention and made plans for her return to a normal life. I planned to dj for her welcome home party. It ended up being her service.

My loss compares nothing to that of her family and her fiance. My thoughts and prayers are with them. She loved her whole family and was especially close to both her sisters and her mother. Needless to say that she will be very deeply missed by us all.

Dude.

Some of the best news I've recieved in quite a while arrived within mere minutes of each other.