I am slowly remembering all the topics given to us to blog about (Sowwy!)
I did ask my father the other day if he remembers the movie Earthquake, he said that he didn't remember, but that he took me on the Universal Studios Earthquake Ride when I was very young and how I got scared that we were going to drown inside a subway with water filling up around us. I guess I buried that memory deep down in my subconscious for good reason.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
The Video Art pieces presented in class.
All the video art pieces presented in class today were equally amazing as they were unique. I personally enjoyed Elizabeth's video of her applying lipstick and then once applied, rubbed it all over the window with her lips. The dark tone and feel of the video both gave off a sort of "noir"-ish feel while the content of the video was all very sexual. The video also felt as if it was channeling influence from Piplotti Rist.
Another video I really enjoyed was Micheal's video piece where he taped himself for four minutes and thirty three seconds just because it was so simple to the point where one must ask if it is truly art.
Great Job Everyone!!
Another video I really enjoyed was Micheal's video piece where he taped himself for four minutes and thirty three seconds just because it was so simple to the point where one must ask if it is truly art.
Great Job Everyone!!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Electronic Music
By now that the class may know, and based around alot of my previous blog post(s) both for the class and personal, A good amount of my time revolves around writing and recording electronic music in my project Silent Ill back home in the Maryland/ DC area, which has been writing/recording/ for the past year and a half sending tracks back and forth over the internet for us to both tweak and and attempt to perfect.
I originally got into electronica many years back when I first heard many more downtempo acts such as The Postal Service (Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie's electronic Project) and Telefon Tel Aviv, which when I in early high school eventually grew into a love for other groups and performers such as Cocorosie, Bjork, Milosh, etc. Yet at this point in my musical career I was still more concerned with writing and playing heavier music such as metal,screamo/scramz,and punk/Hardcore.
As I graduated high school and went into my first year of college, I was listening to a wide range of music from death metal to ambient, but within my love for electronica specifically,I started listening to more aggressive acts which are easier to dance to such as Justice, MSTRKRFT, Daft Punk, Crystal Castles,and many more Dj's in general. I started to go to many dance parties in Boston when I could with friends who lived in the city and fell in love with the rush of it.
When I transferred down to the University Of Tampa, I quickly became apart of the crowd down at Czar with nights like Pulp (Whom I also do street team/ promotion for) where I was exposed to many more Dj's and producers such as Designer Drugs. Although I love dance music in general, I've always enjoyed electronica more, just based around the fact that although trance/house/ fidget house are enjoyable, but I feel that electronica specifically has much more song writing substance to it.
as of the past year and a half however, ever since I've been writing my own electronic music, I've noticed that electronic music has been a big hit with the youth who are more affiliated with (a word I hate to use) an "alternative" subculture. The subcultures of the indie/hardcore (or more ignorantly yet true to a certain extent known as emo/scene, depending on whom your discussing) worlds have also a few years back began to incorporate electronic elements into their music, as for example one of my favorite Post-Hardcore bands The Receiving End Of Sirens who meshed experimental Post Hardcore with down-tempo electronica and drum machines.
I believe that electronica has become so accessible within the past few years to these many different subgenres and subcultures working towards to mesh electronic elements with their own personal music preferences is due to the widespread availability of easy to use programs such as Apple's Garageband or the PC equivalent Fruity Loops, allowing users to easily create songs regardless of owning any musical equipment at all as well as once mastering novice level programs like garageband can move up to better and different electronic music programs such as Logic, Cubase, Reason, or Ableton.
Last semester, I took an introduction to electronic music class with Professor Blackburn (If anyone is interested in taking it do, its a lot of fun to take as an elective) where I learned about both the creation and theory surrounding electronic music as well as it's origins and history. A lot of the history that we covered in class crosses over into what we covered in Art In Technology, from The Futurists to John Cage to Wendy/Walter Carlos, etc. What we didn't cover in Blackburn's class though was the modern evolution of Electronic music for what people are listening to today, it gave me a interesting perspective to how Electronic music is written and created such as how a lot of it came from post punk and more alternative acts at the time. I really enjoyed how we listened to such groups as New Order and Depeche Mode, two acts who as of late (even before that class) I have been listening to quite frequently as well as other "older" groups such as the Pet Shop Boys among others. The new wave of electronica varies and there is no real definite sound one can give electronic music for the most part other than the instruments for the most part are all electronic.
Some more mainstream modern acts I do recommend for anyone who is interested in listening though:
Passion Pit ( a 5 piece live electronics band from MA, they've been blowing up since the summer and are still continuing to gain fans all over)
Junior Boys ( a 2 piece act from Toronto Canada, who I had the pleasure of seeing 2 months ago in Ybor, they are great who write very minimalist yet catchy and emotional songs)
Crystal Castles (Another 2 piece act from Canada, CC write songs that are as equally calming as they are sporatic and aggressive, they have also been remixing many other's music such as bands like Health and Van She. They have been blowing up for the past few years and if you haven't heard them yet, you really do not want to miss out)
Chromeo ( yet Another 2 piece act from Canada, for those who enjoy 80's Michael Jackson inspired electro who are as fun to listen to as they are technical with there electronics, there album Fancy Footwork has been in heavy rotation with what I've been listening to since it came out)
I originally got into electronica many years back when I first heard many more downtempo acts such as The Postal Service (Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie's electronic Project) and Telefon Tel Aviv, which when I in early high school eventually grew into a love for other groups and performers such as Cocorosie, Bjork, Milosh, etc. Yet at this point in my musical career I was still more concerned with writing and playing heavier music such as metal,screamo/scramz,and punk/Hardcore.
As I graduated high school and went into my first year of college, I was listening to a wide range of music from death metal to ambient, but within my love for electronica specifically,I started listening to more aggressive acts which are easier to dance to such as Justice, MSTRKRFT, Daft Punk, Crystal Castles,and many more Dj's in general. I started to go to many dance parties in Boston when I could with friends who lived in the city and fell in love with the rush of it.
When I transferred down to the University Of Tampa, I quickly became apart of the crowd down at Czar with nights like Pulp (Whom I also do street team/ promotion for) where I was exposed to many more Dj's and producers such as Designer Drugs. Although I love dance music in general, I've always enjoyed electronica more, just based around the fact that although trance/house/ fidget house are enjoyable, but I feel that electronica specifically has much more song writing substance to it.
as of the past year and a half however, ever since I've been writing my own electronic music, I've noticed that electronic music has been a big hit with the youth who are more affiliated with (a word I hate to use) an "alternative" subculture. The subcultures of the indie/hardcore (or more ignorantly yet true to a certain extent known as emo/scene, depending on whom your discussing) worlds have also a few years back began to incorporate electronic elements into their music, as for example one of my favorite Post-Hardcore bands The Receiving End Of Sirens who meshed experimental Post Hardcore with down-tempo electronica and drum machines.
I believe that electronica has become so accessible within the past few years to these many different subgenres and subcultures working towards to mesh electronic elements with their own personal music preferences is due to the widespread availability of easy to use programs such as Apple's Garageband or the PC equivalent Fruity Loops, allowing users to easily create songs regardless of owning any musical equipment at all as well as once mastering novice level programs like garageband can move up to better and different electronic music programs such as Logic, Cubase, Reason, or Ableton.
Last semester, I took an introduction to electronic music class with Professor Blackburn (If anyone is interested in taking it do, its a lot of fun to take as an elective) where I learned about both the creation and theory surrounding electronic music as well as it's origins and history. A lot of the history that we covered in class crosses over into what we covered in Art In Technology, from The Futurists to John Cage to Wendy/Walter Carlos, etc. What we didn't cover in Blackburn's class though was the modern evolution of Electronic music for what people are listening to today, it gave me a interesting perspective to how Electronic music is written and created such as how a lot of it came from post punk and more alternative acts at the time. I really enjoyed how we listened to such groups as New Order and Depeche Mode, two acts who as of late (even before that class) I have been listening to quite frequently as well as other "older" groups such as the Pet Shop Boys among others. The new wave of electronica varies and there is no real definite sound one can give electronic music for the most part other than the instruments for the most part are all electronic.
Some more mainstream modern acts I do recommend for anyone who is interested in listening though:
Passion Pit ( a 5 piece live electronics band from MA, they've been blowing up since the summer and are still continuing to gain fans all over)
Junior Boys ( a 2 piece act from Toronto Canada, who I had the pleasure of seeing 2 months ago in Ybor, they are great who write very minimalist yet catchy and emotional songs)
Crystal Castles (Another 2 piece act from Canada, CC write songs that are as equally calming as they are sporatic and aggressive, they have also been remixing many other's music such as bands like Health and Van She. They have been blowing up for the past few years and if you haven't heard them yet, you really do not want to miss out)
Chromeo ( yet Another 2 piece act from Canada, for those who enjoy 80's Michael Jackson inspired electro who are as fun to listen to as they are technical with there electronics, there album Fancy Footwork has been in heavy rotation with what I've been listening to since it came out)
Projects!
I have needed to catch up on this. I am absolutely awful when it comes to updating my blog.
Here are a few of the projects I've done this semester:
My Grid Art Piece:
My Xerox Piece:
I was inspired to make a guitar with wings by the song "Atoms Smash" by Weatherbox based after the line " My strings grow wings and hands."
My performance art piece will shortly be up on the internet soon. It was a fun and interesting experience especially because of the Woman staring at me from the window of her quite posh and lavish salon with an excessive amount of tin foil in her hair and product on her face. I bet she thought that I looked really stupid.
I wanted to follow the assignment and show how I relate to technology, and I decided to use the vocoder on my synthesizer to communicate because as of the last year and a half I have spent a majority of my time writing and recording electronic music. I write music in general to express my emotions so I wanted to bridge the gap between that and actual communication, which is something I want to accomplish through my music by being able to "speak to people" and trigger an emotional response.
For my video art piece (which will also be on the blog soon) I decided to take a piece of electronic music that I have been working on for the past month, simplify it, and have it cued to a time lapse of the campus from outside my window to capture a few hours at UT from a high point encompassing as much as I could. Unfortunately, the tape in my camera only ran for an hour and a half, which I cut down to somewhere between 3:29-4 minutes, yet it was still able to capture a good amount of action. The track I put to the video originally had some auto tuned vocals (technology makes me a better singer, I won't lie about that) and a vocoder part as well, but didn't make much sense in context of the video so I ended up cutting that from the video.
Here are a few of the projects I've done this semester:
My Grid Art Piece:
My Xerox Piece:
I was inspired to make a guitar with wings by the song "Atoms Smash" by Weatherbox based after the line " My strings grow wings and hands."
My performance art piece will shortly be up on the internet soon. It was a fun and interesting experience especially because of the Woman staring at me from the window of her quite posh and lavish salon with an excessive amount of tin foil in her hair and product on her face. I bet she thought that I looked really stupid.
I wanted to follow the assignment and show how I relate to technology, and I decided to use the vocoder on my synthesizer to communicate because as of the last year and a half I have spent a majority of my time writing and recording electronic music. I write music in general to express my emotions so I wanted to bridge the gap between that and actual communication, which is something I want to accomplish through my music by being able to "speak to people" and trigger an emotional response.
For my video art piece (which will also be on the blog soon) I decided to take a piece of electronic music that I have been working on for the past month, simplify it, and have it cued to a time lapse of the campus from outside my window to capture a few hours at UT from a high point encompassing as much as I could. Unfortunately, the tape in my camera only ran for an hour and a half, which I cut down to somewhere between 3:29-4 minutes, yet it was still able to capture a good amount of action. The track I put to the video originally had some auto tuned vocals (technology makes me a better singer, I won't lie about that) and a vocoder part as well, but didn't make much sense in context of the video so I ended up cutting that from the video.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
update
1) I go back to School soon
2) Summer is obviously ending
3) Silent Ill has a myspace
Myspace.com/theyusedtosaythisplacewashaunted
CHECK IT OUT.
4) Chris and I also started our post rock- Screamo hybrid. It's called Komorov, named after the first man to die in space.
5) I'm adapting the Neil Gaiman story " How To Talk To Girls At Parties" for my narrative production class this coming semester.
6) Clint and I were asked to act in a short film that Tom Garret will be directing, obviously I'm playing the tall hippie and Clint will be playing the 14 year old jew. Great casting all around.
7) All I spend my money on are guitar pedals. Pictures of the toys soon to come.
8) I was also asked to work in the recording studio this year by my Electronic Music professor, I'll be learning a lot so I'm pretty excited
9) I also started my full length, a mixture of drama and fantasy along the lines of Pan's Labyrinth, but really nothing like that film at all.
10) The best movies I've seen this summer are : Drag me to hell, Inglorious Basterds, District 9, and Ponyo.
11)I love my dog, cupcakes, and cartoons.
2) Summer is obviously ending
3) Silent Ill has a myspace
Myspace.com/theyusedtosaythisplacewashaunted
CHECK IT OUT.
4) Chris and I also started our post rock- Screamo hybrid. It's called Komorov, named after the first man to die in space.
5) I'm adapting the Neil Gaiman story " How To Talk To Girls At Parties" for my narrative production class this coming semester.
6) Clint and I were asked to act in a short film that Tom Garret will be directing, obviously I'm playing the tall hippie and Clint will be playing the 14 year old jew. Great casting all around.
7) All I spend my money on are guitar pedals. Pictures of the toys soon to come.
8) I was also asked to work in the recording studio this year by my Electronic Music professor, I'll be learning a lot so I'm pretty excited
9) I also started my full length, a mixture of drama and fantasy along the lines of Pan's Labyrinth, but really nothing like that film at all.
10) The best movies I've seen this summer are : Drag me to hell, Inglorious Basterds, District 9, and Ponyo.
11)I love my dog, cupcakes, and cartoons.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Memories
I kissed the first girl I ever cared about at an arcade inside the Jurassic Park jeep game. I promised her I would protect her from the raptor’s fangs and Jeff Goldblum’s typecasting. It was the first honest promise I ever made and kept.
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