Great Job, May!

May 25 2011 Published by under Hauntology, Humor, Internet/Media, Music

May 2011 has brought a number of stellar releases (and promises of more releases) to my little world:

  • An awesome new Joker single, “The Vision,” coupled with the news that his first album is on its way (but how soon?).
  • Jon Brooks’s Music for Dieter Rams, which is a wonderful collection of songs crafted from samples of Brooks’s alarm clock.  I didn’t expect an album created using a gimmick like that to be so rich and beautiful, but it’s both.
  • Leyland Kirby has revamped his website, released Vol. 1 of his 12″ series Intrigue & Stuff (Vols. 2-4 coming later this year), released a brand new Caretaker album (An empty bliss beyond this World) and another Caretaker release to come later this year), and announced a new Leyland Kirby full-length release, as well.  He has also developed a “digital subscription plan” for those who want all of his releases this year.
  • The Book of Mormon original cast recording was released, so I can find out what everyone has been talking about.

Good month, indeed–at least on the music front.

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In Praise of Joker

Apr 26 2010 Published by under Internet/Media, Music

I know nothing whatsoever about the producer/artist Joker–save for the fact that his music is awesome, he’s a he, he’s from the UK (specifically, Bristol), he’s released stuff on Hyperdub, he has an album coming out.  And Mary Ann Hobbs loves him.

His “Digidesign” was one of the best songs of last year, and his new song “Tron” is one of the best songs of this year.  He’s usually linked to the dubstep scene, but when I think of dubstep, I think depressing music (Burial, Kode9, stuff like that).  Instead, I lump Joker’s music in with Flying Lotus and Hudson Mohawke, artists that take the elements of dubstep and hiphop and fuse them together with the sounds of an imaginary 1980s science fiction universe (Weird Science, Tron, Electric Dreams, The Last Starfighter).  Big, bold colors and bouncy patterns rip through the music, like a procession of roller coasters experienced by kindergarteners on a sugar high.  Everything is big and exciting and bouncy and fun in Joker’s universe, and that’s why his music makes for such an enjoyable listening experience.

So I’ll shut up now and let his music do the talking.  Enjoy.

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