Look here: a neat YouTube video on the history of the Amen break, beginning with genesis as a 6-second instrumental bridge in the middle of a B-side of an obscure Sixties soul record by The Winstons, and charting its evolution into an endlessly repeated/reworked/ simulated/sampled/dissected building block of modern musical culture. The guy’s voice is a bit monotonous and he doesn’t like Squarepusher, but hey, that’s not a deal-breaker.

Along similar DIY broadcasting lines (I’m calling it “Vidipedia”, but not in polite company), I recommend Woebot TV - a guy called Matt, who likes prog records, dancing around with a TV on his head. Oh yeah, and I did a blog on the Guardian page as well. On reflection I think it might be a bit contrived but go take a look anyway, and maybe leave some nasty comments - I’ve heard you’re no-one in the blogosphere unless you’ve filled a few comments boxes with people who hate your guts.

Posted by Louis Pattison on Tuesday, January 30th, 2007
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What you’re drawn to is a kind of ghost in the music-something strange and lovely between the notes
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Posted by on Monday, January 29th, 2007
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Some records that have proven helpful in drowning out the sound of next door’s swearing plumber and distracting from the coldness of the day, if just for a moment. No-one likes the Jamie T record except me. Such is life.

1. Ted Leo And The Pharmacists - Living With The Living (Touch and Go)
2. Das Oath - Das Oath (Three One G)
3. Kruzenshtern i Parohod/Vialka - split (Auris Media)
4. Distance - My Demons (Planet Mu)
5. Ignatz - II (K-RAA-K)
6. Jamie T - Panic Prevention (Virgin)
7. Gindrinker - EP (Demo)
8. Tussle - Telescope Mind (Smalltown Supersound)
9. Panda Bear - Person Pitch (Paw Tracks)
10. Various Artists - Perry Picks Perry (Sanctuary)

Posted by Louis Pattison on Monday, January 22nd, 2007
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We don’t have a TV aerial on top of my house so the idea of watching The Daily Show while it’s actually on remains something of a fantasy but one of my favourite YouTube wastes of time is hunting down clips of Stephen Colbert. Now resident on his own show The Colbert Report (don’t pronounce the ‘t’s), Colbert’s schtick is perfect: masquerading as a loud mouth bully of the American Religious Right, he spoofs the conservative voice by spinning its mean-spirited, war-hungry urges out to comic conclusions. His speech last year at the Whitehouse Correspondent’s Association Dinner was one of the ballsiest piece of comedy you’ll ever see, making vicious mockery of George W Bush’s Good Ol’ Texas Boy act as the President sat, forcing a weak smile, just metres away.

One interesting development, however, is Colbert’s recent appearance with the man his schtick depends most on - Billy O’Reilly. O’Reilly is the right-leaning talk show host who promises to be the American media’s “no spin zone”, raging against the liberal media, singing the praises of Guantanomo Bay, and referring to the people of Iraq as “primitive” and “prehistoric”. Colbert and O’Reilly have clashed a couple of times on screen, and while you would be wrong to expect fireworks - even at his most vicious, Colbert only delivers blows through a velvet glove - it’s interesting that beyond the ideological gulf, there seems to be a weird professional respect between the two. In a political landscape so often split like a chasm along partisan lines, it’s a odd relationship; sorta reminiscent of the fascination/repulsion thing Hunter S Thompson had with Nixon - old enemies united by a shared understanding: “He could shake your hand and stab you in the back at the same time.”

Posted by Louis Pattison on Friday, January 19th, 2007
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Def Jux have the bestest copy protection EVAH! Official. Back in the day I spent a whole evening trying to download Mr Lif’s superlative Emergency Rations EP from Kazaa and every other track had this weird mechanical voice over the top. ‘This is promobot repping for Mr Lif’ it said and, maybe I’m just perverse but it actually added something worthwhile to the album. If I was pushed to justify why I’d say the voice had a melancholic lilt in keeping with producer El-P’s dystopian furturism.

Fast forward five or so years and, I know this is difficult to believe, but: they’ve actually topped it! I just got a promo of El-P’s second proper solo album, ‘I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead’, and this beauty has personalised copy protection. I don’t mean just my name printed on the label, some American voice cuts in every couple of minutes to say ‘This promo copy belongs to Richard Stacey’. Pretty exciting, huh? It’d be even better if they’d got my name right. Not sure if it adds much in a philisophical sense, but it’ll be good for impressing people with at parties. If I wanted to throw the kind of parties where they get down to dystopian futurism.

The album sounds tight too. I’m going to wait until I’ve got an unprotected copy before I listen to the whole thing, though. If I order one now from the Def Jux store I’ll even get a signed copy. I wonder if he’ll personalise it?

Posted by Ringo on Wednesday, January 17th, 2007
(3 Comments)

Hope to see you at this. It will be cool. I just saw Peter Wright and Birchville Cat Motel playing in London, just a few hours ago, and can confirm that they were both doing some awesome rumbling thrumming soaring fluttering gorgeous sick shimmery harsh noise bliss beauty, and are likely to do so again at the w/end.

Get there early and say hi to Morgen und Nite too - I’m the one on the floor with the synths.

Posted by Frances May Morgan on Friday, January 5th, 2007
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