Dieselboy

Yeah I think most people experience that same shock when they see him for the first time, after hearing his music. ><

About rickrolling...it's an internet phenomenon that started 3 or 4 years ago. People would show a youtube link on a site and say it was one thing, but when a person would click the link, it would actually take them to the very song in my post. It was very common thing. Some people, like myself, actually had memorized the random letter tags that appear at the end of the youtube links for his song, and were then able to ignore those videos when people posted them in order to avoid getting 'rolled'.

You don't see it as much now, but it was incredibly popular for awhile. On one occasion, youtube actually made every link on its front page a rick-roll link to honor the sneaky fad.


I haven't seen any, I admit. I actually just hear these songs on radio shows and enjoy them enough to check them out later. I wouldn't mind watching some though, and probably will soon. Have any cool ones to recommend?

Dieselboy

Some more DnB today. For this entry, I'd like to give an introduction to one of the coolest new names in the Drum and Bass world, as well as the incredible song that introduced me to him.

The man is Mistabishi. He signed to Hospital Records (High Contrast, Danny Byrd, etc.) in 2008, and then worked fast to release his own eclectic album called Drop, in 2009. Liquid, dubstep, and acid sounds all have their place on this release. Some songs employ such beauty as Joni Mitchell vocal samples and Jaco Pastorius bass-lines, while others make use of more unconventional sounds, such as windshield wipers wiping away rain. Definitely a proper release as a whole, and recommended for sure.

The tune I wanted to highlight when I made this entry though, is called Printer Jam. Sounding like nothing else on the album really, and instead filled with the noise of printers scanning, jamming, and glitching, while a female computer voice tries to assist in fixing the errors. It still manages to be DnB...barely. This jam (pun intended) is crazy and worth hearing all by itself, but when you throw in the ridiculous video (seen below) it becomes an awesome experience. I've never felt the need to use this word as an adjective for music before...but I have to say that this song plus this video is ****ing MENTAL. Easily one of the best dnb tunes of '09.

VEGANGELICA

Thanks for defining rick-roll, Dieselboy! Now if it ever happens to me, I'll know what's going on!

I haven't watched a Bollywood movie in years, and I don't remember their names (I saw them Africa), but I looked up the Bollywood wikipedia article to find this list of modern Bollywood box office successes you might like to try:

The article also talks a lot about the songs and dances, plus the melodramatic stories. A good Bollywood movie is always supposed to have good musical hits!

Ha ha! Sometimes I have printer problems that almost seem as bad! Well-done video and I liked the use of all those printer sounds. Creative.

I especially enjoyed "Printer Jam" because it reminds me of how I like to sing along with appliances and gadgets. Oh, for example, the vacuum...mine makes a nice clear note and so when I use it I like to harmonize as its back-up singer. I...I assume I'm not the only person who hums along with electronic devices?

__________________

Dieselboy

Another DnB update today...this time from a 3-man outfit out of the Netherlands. This group, called Noisia, has only been on my radar for a couple years, but since they have a full-length release on the horizon which is sure to be massive, I figure this would be a good time to bring them up. Labeled as Drum and Bass, but containing strong elements of breakbeat, electro, and many other sounds throughout, pinning them down is nearly impossible as you will see. Admitting themselves that their influences range from The Prodigy all the way to Miles Davis, their music is perfect to dance to, while being smart enough to be an enjoyable listen even while you're alone.

They have released a slew of singles up to this point, starting with The Tide in 2005. Sounding just a little dated now, it did receive many honors as a single, including the 4th spot on the Knowledge Mag Top 20 Tunes of the Decade.



A few years later, in 2008, they mixed the 40th edition in the Fabriclive series, which turned out to be a standout in this series with its filthy/dark dnb and breaks. The highlight of this mix though, was a song called Diplodocus, by...you guessed it...Noisia themselves. With its gross rolling-bass sounds and effects, alongside a child continuously asking "Diplodocus?!", this is a great example of a tune that would do well to keep your feet moving on the floor or just your head nodding as you listen on your mp3 player.

More recently still, in this past year, they contributed one of their tracks called Groundhog, to the DJ Hero soundtrack. An absolute nightmare to anyone who has played this game, Groundhog features a chaotic storm of crossfading, feedback, and effects that leave DJ wannabees with tired arms and sweaty brows. I myself would absolutely love to punch the old british man who taunts the player throughout this song. Again though, another example of something that sounds amazing no matter what you're doing at the time.



I have to go play some DJ Hero now after listening to Groundhog, but of course there's one more thing that needs mentioning. The entire reason for making this post was inform people that Noisia's first full length album will be released on April 6th of this year. It's called Split the Atom and expectations are indeed high. I personally would not be surprised to see this near the top of DnB, as well as general electronica lists at years end. Featuring collaborations with the likes of Amon Tobin and Foreign Beggars, it also will be showcasing songs like Diplodocus (discussed above), as well as their newest single, which is just lethal.

god DAMN!

Dieselboy

Single song in this update, but what a massive song it is. DJ Dips provides a straight-up sick beat, layered with plenty of desi sounds and an absolutely brilliant flute sample. On top of that, you've got five of the best British/Asian MC's swapping in and out all over the track, having fun with it the entire time. I first heard this when it was released on a show a few weeks back, and loved it immediately, but it has just continued to grow and grow on me until...well, until I decided it was important enough to drop in my journal. Check it out:

DJ Dips - This DJ

Dieselboy

Small entry today to bring peoples attention to an amazing DnB mix on Soundcloud, which was put up just yesterday by AK1200, a.k.a. the godfather of american drum and bass. A true legend who has released a ton of amazing mix albums, but he put this mix up for free to simply showcase the current sound of DnB and how much good stuff is out there atm. Recommended for old fans of the genre, as well as anyone who might be curious as to what DnB is all about, since it covers a pretty decent amount of ground between the sub-genres.

Here's the link to the mix if anyone is interested:
I'm on my third listen to this currently and it's high quality stuff. There's quite a few tunes here that are new to me, which I'm really liking, but if I had to pick my favorite from the mix it would be this one for sure. I love how it goes from slow and atmospheric, to almost sounding like Fear Factory in the second half. Just completely wicked.

VEGANGELICA

I liked the ominous feeling of Noisia's "The Tide" and especially the rapid-fire, frenetic, wild and intricate drumming once it started around 2:00...plus the bug-zapping sounds, clicks, rasps, and squeaky-shoe sounds. It feels very gooey and sharp at the same time. Of all the songs in your last three posts, this was my favorite.

I rarely like the voice samples in these songs, though, because they get repetitive for me plus sound out of context. I'd prefer this song to be instrumental entirely, without the "What is begun" voice. Now, is it true that the drums in a song like this are breakbeats, loops of other people's drum breaks? I'm confused as to how they are making the music. I'd assumed they just create it fresh themselves! But maybe not?

Ha ha! This one amused me because of the concerted effort made by the DJs to look both cool and silly. I'm still trying to figure out why one of them appears first with his dark-rimmed glasses, then without, then with, etc.

I wish I could catch all the lyrics, since I'm a lyrics person and want to know *what* they are saying (the subject) and how each person's part relates to the others', if it does. I couldn't find the lyrics online, unfortunately.

My favorite moment: when the man says something about sharks, and one of the other DJs makes a high-pitched, scared-sounding squeal in the background. I could probably listen to that part over and over quite a few times.

I do like the atmospheric eeriness and ominous feel of this piece quite a bit, Dieselboy...though I'd prefer faster drumming to give more intensity. This song made me think about the relationship of this music to organic sounds. Part of what makes electronic music fascinating is that it gives people a way to make sounds they could never hear in nature. Yet the quick drumming in DnB does remind me of some sounds I've always liked in non-human nature: the rapid clatter of hail falling and the drumming of rain on a roof. And the atmospheric ominous sections in the song above remind me of the feeling of ocean waves crashing against the coastline of Oregon or San Fransisco Bay...so much power. Very exhilarating. It reminds me of the feeling you get when you confront something powerful that can overwhelm you.

Finally, I did listen to the song with the machine-gun toting squirrel. The picture amused me because during vegan misanthropic moments a squirrel with a machine gun aimed at humanity might be a brief, guilty fantasy (just kidding! Or am I? Just kidding! Or am I? Just kidding!).

__________________