I just purchased a wonderful – beautiful – new instrument. This time it’s nothing about computers or electronic devices at all. Instead, I found something on eBay that I had on my wishlist ever since I thought about guitars: A Fender Japan ’66 Reissue Jazzmaster Left Hand.
Actually, it’s only Fender Japan, who build those classic models in left hand editions. Fender USA does not seem to think it’s necessary to serve those musicians – unless you’re Kurt Cobain or so… Anyway, here she is – and I can already confirm that she sounds great too!
So, I guess, it’s time to spread the word about one of the most appreciable efforts of what could be called “underground” in the Danish electronic music scene (in which I would find myself sitting happily with Everpure, too.)
I’m talking about VUF Records from Denmark’s main city Copenhagen. It’s basically just a small one-man-show record label, but this guy has gathered such an incredible network around him that he managed to release five (5!) compilations of sweet, experimental, interesting, exciting, pop-laden electronica – and all of them for free!
You cannot buy any of them on CD, as far as I know, but you can find all direct download links at their Facebook page, and find the contact details at their own website at VUF / RECORDS*.
This is clearly something that cannot be praised enough. Go get all of them and then go spread the word!
Finally, I managed to finish the first of the two full live videos of our concerts at the Emergenza Festival earlier this year. So, here is the full concert we played at the Danish Emergenza Festival’s semi finals at Lille Vega in Copenhagen. Five songs, from start to end. Uncut.
Not that I would really need it, but I’m already quite excited about purchasing Apple’s new Logic Express 9 very soon. It’s not as big a change as the step from 7 to 8 had been – considering the complete workplace overhaul – but it features a couple of very interesting new functions.
First of all, the new “Flex Time” will probably bring Logic on top of the list again together with its competitors Live, Cubase, and Pro Tools. I guess, it’s something a lot of Logic users have been waiting and yearning for a long time.
Then there are all these new guitar amps and effects. I am using Logic quite a lot for creating both classic and rather creative guitar sounds, which is something I really like about it. And it’s so easy to use – just grab a preset and tweak it with whatever settings and effects. So, now we can probably go even further with some “classic” amp simulations.
And finally, some of the new production features, especially the improved EXS24 integration, will be much appreciated by many users.
Why am I only talking about Logic Express and not Logic Pro or even Logic Studio? Simply because I only use the Express version, since the only differences to Logic Pro are the absence of surround sound capability, Space and Delay Designer, the Sculpture synth, those vintage instruments EVD6, EVB3, EVP88, and that massive collection of Loops and further presets. Which I have not missed yet, since the available functions, effects and instruments in Logic Express are already more than I could fully explore and use yet.
Anyway, if you’re interested in a first review of Logic Pro 9, you can read a very first verdict at musicradar.com.
Recently, I took a bike trip to the wonderful Gribskov forest in the north of Copenhagen. The weather was beautiful, we got hundreds of mosquito bites, and I shot a couple of random scenes with my little digital compact camera. Back home, I thought I’d try to put them together with one of our latest Everpure songs. So, here is my very first attempt in creating a music video. Nothing fancy, nothing special, not even any celebrities. Just some late summer forest atmosphere. Enjoy it!
Recently, there has been starting a big buzz about La Roux, that English synth pop duo with that red haired singer and the dude squeezing the most early 80s sounds heard since 1982 out of his machines. Even though I don’t believe that the hype will last longer than this year’s summer, I must admit that they probably did this year’s chorus melody with their song Bulletproof.
Anyway, here is another example, apparently not signed to a major record company (yet), but within the same genre, and as well capable of sweet old-fashioned synth pop melodies: Watching Spaceships.
Troels Abrahamsen, whose tremendous album WHT I have praised elsewhere on this site, has recently submitted the vocal track of the song End Scene from that album for free download and encouraged people to remix him. The article in his blog is here.
This is not only very kind and generous, especially when considering the fact that he has released that track under a Creative Commons license, but also a great opportunity, because the song itself is a great tune. You can listen to the original version here. I found myself thinking over Troels’ sound and style quite a couple of times when making my own music, and here is my chance to contribute with a new angle to his work. That is amazing!
So, I did a remix. Sort of. It’s probably rather what you’d call bastard pop. I had this idea last night – right before I fell asleep, and tried it earlier this evening, and it seemed to work quite well. I took one of my own songs (Untitled 6, which I wrote in March/April 2008, being inspired by Portishead’s concert in KB Hallen), and put it together with Troels’ vocals. And this is what it turned out to be. If you like it, you are welcome to download the song and take it with you on your mp3 player and share it with your friends.
Oh dear, I knew that this would happen rather sooner than later… But I have to tell you about these: I recently purchased the fantastic MPD32 (http://www.akaipro.com/mpd32) “Performance Pad Controller”, which I am really happy with, even though I haven’t yet explored it very much.
But now, there is something brand new from Akai that seems highly recommendable already before anyone has seen those devices in real life: The LPD8 “Laptop Pad Controller” (http://www.akaipro.com/lpd8) and the LPK25 “Laptop Performance Keyboard” (http://www.akaipro.com/lpk25). Of course, this is only relevant for all those mobile musicians out there, but since I am only having very little space in my bedroom home studio, I would certainly also like to see them there. And both the keyboard and the pads look much more convincing than Korg’s recent approach to ultra-mobile musical controller devices (http://www.korgnano.com/). What do you think?
I’m aware that anything sponsored by companies in this way may look suspicious, but on the other hand, I wouldn’t care personally, at least not in this case, because of my own experiences with the topic (I’m suffering from tinnitus since around 1989.) And I’d rather have hearing aid producing companies sponsoring such initiatives than increasing the number of hearing problems amongst the “iPod generation” causing a lot of additional expenses in the health care systems of our home countries. Which might become relevant even for the US in the foreseeable future…
So, this is still my favourite album of 2009. Troels Abrahamsen’s WHT. Listen to it and download it at Bandcamp, or buy the nicely designed vinyl and get a download voucher for free. This guy and his band Veto is definitely one of my very favourites in Danish not-so-much-underground-anymore-but-rather-mainstream electro rock. His solo work is hosted on his Myspace site or on his personal blog. It’s all slightly weird, and he definitely has that very, very distinct preferred groove in almost all of his songs. But his voice is really outstanding, and I just like the atmosphere he creates in all his work.
