PRAEst76's Last.fm Journal

Nivek Ogre on Star Wars...

Sun, 4 Nov 2007 12:47:12 +0000

http://www.starwars.com/community/news/rocks/f20071029/index.html

This just highlights the danger: Nerdly fanboys are everywhere. Watch the skies people, watch the skies...

Mordant Music sampler album for two quid

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 08:57:16 +0000

Boomkat have a twelve track Mordant Music sampler available for purchase and download. This is a project well worth checking out if yo like experimental electronic gubbins with sinister retro overtones. Two quid is next to nothing. Better this than a Big Mac....

Soothing ambient prog electronica...

Fri, 7 Sep 2007 12:01:12 +0000

...is probably the kind of thing I'm after, but I want recommendations. From people. Not the naff kind last.fm automagically present me with. I've been listening though Mr Lynne's available catalogue and though it's great and all I'd love something else to listen to. Something with a similar feel and sound. Last.fm's idea of similar is other artists with a background in computer game music. Not always what I'm after (Though Jesper Kyd has a similar vibe)

Sadly I'm limited away-from-home music collection doesn't have anything else even remotely relaxing in it and I need to relax. The KMFDM that's next up on my playlist after Beneath Another Sky finishes won't do it.

S please send me some decent recommendations and save me from this madness...

Taking on Timbaland

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 08:24:40 +0000

http://timbalandtempest.ytmnd.com

This is an interesting piece of Flash action.

The gist is that basically a Finnish demo-scene composer going by the moniker Tempest made a track for a demoscene party in 2000. It did reasonably well.

In 2005, shit-hot contemporary music producer and "artist" Timbaland released it as an "original" commercial ring-tone called Block Party (There is another original name). Last year he used it again as the backing track to the Nelly Furtado "hit" Do It.

How much royalties do you think Tempest has seen from these no-doubt million dollar earners?

That's right. Fuck all.

How quick do you think the RIAA would be to sue people who shared this example of Timbaland's "intellectual property" online?

Side by side videos are available on the Timbalandrips profile on YouTube.

This story has also been Dugg. However this story needs as much exposure as possible. "Professional" producers using demo-scene tracks to lazily bang out million dollar hits while paying no royalties is starting to become more and more common and in this day and age of big record companies banging in about the theft of their intellectual copyright, this hypocrisy needs highlighting.

Thanks for your time.

PRAEst76 goes to rap over some 4mat for his new album.

Nectarine returns

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 18:30:03 +0000

After being AWOL for months Nectarine as finally returned. Apparently the problem was hardware/hosting failures. The site is looking fairly minimal at the moment but the stream is up which is the main thing. Hopefully OJuice and Nectarine will be back fully, better than ever soon.

The Bitmap Brothers / Rhythm King relationship

Thu, 24 Aug 2006 15:06:19 +0000

Listening to the new Immortal 3 compilation I find myself having an old thought of mine arising in my mind.

Why, considering there is a yearning for Retro computer music and a revival for early acid house music, has no-one made a contemporary exhibit of the Bitmap Brothers-rhythm King connection?

Back in the early 90s the two were synonymous. The Bitmap Brothers games were famous for their theme music featuring Rhythm King records artists such as Bomb the Bass (Megablast (Hip Hop on Precinct 13) from Xenon 2), Betty Boo (Doin' The Do from Magic Pockets), John Foxx (Into The Wonderful from Gods), Joi (The Chaos Engine from The Chaos Engine) etc.

I believe there is enough material in this area to produce a Bitmap Brothers audio retrospective. I've searched long and hard for the Joi 12" of the Chaos Engine theme that I heard was rumoured to exist. Couple that with original or remixed versions of the themes from Gods and Speedball 2, and the original 12" versions of the themes from magic Pockets and Xenon 2... along with themes and some new studio versions of the tracks from the other Bitmap games (featuring amiga music regulars like Richard Joseph), get a sympathetic DJ to mix the whole mess together and you've got the makings of an awesome retrospective that would appeal to fans of old skool dance music as well as Amiga game music geeks.

Am I alone in this having this idea?

An open letter to internet musicians

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 12:25:15 +0000

Dear To-whom-it-may-concern,

I am very greatful that you have opted to use the internet as one of your means of distribution however please please please please:

FILL IN THE FUCKING ID3/XIPH/APE TAGS PROPERLY!!!

..and can someone please tell me why id3v2.4 is so wrong? I'm Loving It™, however so many people still seem to refuse to aknowledge anything beyond id3v1.3. I've asked the Bloke Down The Pub and he's yet to furnish me with a satisfactory answer. 2.4 has a COMPOSER tag. Why can't people use it? Why can't people making contemporary covers of old SID tunes use it? I'd like to search my amarok database for all Ben Daglish, Chris Huelsbeck or Rob Hubbard reworks but I can't. Unless I personally go through my collection of over 8 billion mp3s and add those tags manually.

If I made music, or at least music I'd want to inflict on the global community, I'd fill in all the id3 tags... because i'm obsessive like that. you can probably tell.

I'd like you to know that because I swore and wrote in capitals it doesn't mean I detest you and think you are a cunt. On the contrary, I write this because I care. It just means I've got some unresolved psychological problems and I would really really like people to add this relevant information to their files. I mean, the good lord (or whoever it was) gave us the ability to add these tags for a good reason. We should use them.

I thank you for listening, and may the seed of your loins remain fruitful in the belly of your woman.

~~Neil.~~PRAEst76, August 2006

More new releases I'm a-waitin' fer

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 22:16:51 +0000

Mordant Music - Dead Air
The first full length release from the vaguely disturbing and enigmatic Baron Mordant. Should prove to be interesting, weird and rather uncomfortable. I'm hoping for interesting and original presentation too... Proved to be everthing I expected. Haunting and sinister electronics over anecdotes and announcements by legendary veteran TV announcer Philip Elsmore

Transmission - Beyond Light
The debut album from the new Malicious Damage supergroup featuring former Killing Joke hoodlums Youth and "Big" Paul Ferguson

Portion Control - Filthy White Guy
The brand new album from the, now two-piece, cyber-punk pioneers. Judging from the samples on www.portion-control.net it's going to be stonking!

Nu Jagged

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 00:55:53 +0000

Just got a leak of the new Gary Numan album Jagged. Was in two minds about buying this considering how disappointing I found 2000's Pure.

First impressions have confirmed my fears:

Dear god, someone please buy Gary Numan some new sounds for Xmas. I can't believe he's made yet another album using the same sound samples that he's been using on every album for about 15-20 years, and he wonders why he's not that successful. Successful artists have producers, Gary. I can't believe there are no decent producers out there that would be happy to make a Gary Numan album. Even for a low wage. It must be his own desire to work alone. Something I've always seen as a mistake for what I've always seen as an artist of great and unreached potential. I'm not an expert but I really think someone with the Aspergers could do with a relatively clear headed professional to consult at least for some clarity on what he's doing.

"Stop singing the keyboard parts Gary... that's what the keyboards are for."

"Gary, put that DVD away! What did I tell you? No more Stargate samples! Seriously!"

"Gary, Edgar Froese threw those sample discs in his trash for a good reason!"

I also wish he'd get over this lapsed catholicism thing. Dawn was about fifteen years ago. I think he's milked it. If he successfully offended God on Sacrifice then I doubt the big man has bought any Gary Numan albums since. So he's only preaching to the converted now and I think they'd prefer he goes back to singing about automobiles and replicants and sex with aliens. His music, as is, seems repetitive and directionless... unless the direction is circular and slightly doddering. Which I doubt is his real intention.

Oh well, at least there is always the hope for more collaborations. I still think Rhys Fulber could do wonders with the man. I think a full-on collaboration with the likes of Front Line Assembly would be fantastic.

New releases I'm a-waitin' fer...

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 05:33:11 +0000

In order of which I think I'll be likely to see first...

The Weathermen - Embedded with...
The latest missive from the recently reformed 80s underground pop stars, promising excellent smooth and bumpy electro-pop, wit and vitriol in equal measures.

Bjørn Lynne - Beneath Another Sky
As I hate the whole idea of trapping an artist in a genre or scene I'm kinda loath to refer to Bjørn as a "scener", but many people seem to know him best as a legendary muscian from the Amiga demo scene. He's since gone on to become a moderately successful musican in his own right making very atmospheric electronic music that I personally find to be amazingly thereputic. The mp3 teasers he's released from the new album have really got me looking forward to it's release.

Killing Joke - Hosannas from the Basement of Hell
Another heavy work from the infamous new wave rockers. Seemingly infinitely delayed, but may appear in April finally. Of course the demos have already been leaked all over the net. So what hardcore fans they haven't already alienated through other (in)actions will already be bored of it by the time it comes out.

Portion Control - Archive (boxed set)
The long awaited remastered boxed set comprising the PC back catalogue on individually packed discs. If the quality of their recent packages is anything to go by this should be a very nice souveneir indeed and a fantastic document of a very underrated band.

Front Line Assembly - New Album
So what can I say? I've got a soft spot for old Bill Leeb and buy most of what he puts out. The latest FLA album is the first one in years that apparently hasn't beene cited as the last. So it probably will be. Jean-Luc DeMeyer of Front 242 makes a guest appearence. Should be reliable. That's Bill Leeb for you...