My Blog

Intelligent Warrior Kittens #3 - Achilles plays fetch

catharsisegr — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 20:02:24 GMT

So, I finally named my kittens.. Achilles & Echo. Achilles cause that one is more warrior like, but is quite vulnerable to affection and Echo cause he makes this multiple meow/meow/meow/meow sound sometimes.. So, one day I noticed that Achilles just started playing fetch and I finally recorded a little session. At the time I had a bunch of boxes (speakers!) stacked in the reception room of my studio. In the still picture Echo is on the left and Achilles is on the right. Echo got an eye infection, but it's much better now.. Here is the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avykSsZA3UQ

Fractured w/ Robert Natus & Arkus P 10.17.07

catharsisegr — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 22:48:09 GMT

EGR Records invites you to Fractured on Wednesday October 17th, 2007 at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco. I'm pleased to be working with two talented and well known international producers from Germany, Robert Natus (Abstract/Bitshift) and Arkus P (Abstract). I've been playing their music for the last 5 years and it will be a treat to have them perform in SF. In support will be myself (Catharsis), Mochipet (Daly City Records), DJ Intoner (Death Guild), Mitch (Death Guild), and Bloody Snowman (Daly City Records). This event will be a full night of quality music covering industrial-techno, breakcore, powernoise, and IDM. This will be last EGR event for quite some time, so come out and enjoy it while it lasts and make this one to remember! Where: DNA Lounge; 375 11th St. San Francisco CA When: 10/17/07; SF 9:30pm to 2am Cost: $7 @ door before 11pm; $10 afterwards http://www.egregious.net/events/2007/fractured/ If you would like to sign up for the EGR announcement email list (very low volume) and get a discount on entry send an email to katharsis7@yahoo.com w EGR List Entry in the title. This will give you a $5 ticket before 10pm, but if you are in line outside the venue before 9:30pm (opening) you will get in for free (cut off immediately at 9:30pm). If you're on a budget this is quite a deal for the lineup presented at Fractured! Check out an older live battle PA from Robert Natus & Arkus P to get an idea of their music if you are not familiar! http://www.ngoht.hu/dl2/archive/20041225/robert_natus_&_arkus_p._liveact_@_kashmir_20041225_%2802.20-04.00%29.mp3 Lineup (Main Room): 9:30pm to 11:00pm Catharsis (EGR Records; SF) on 3 decks! 11:00pm to 2:00am Robert Natus vs Arkus P Live Battle PA (Abstract; Hamburg/Frankfurt Germany) Upstairs Room (breakcore/powernoise/IDM) Time Performer 9:30pm to 10:30pm DJ Intoner (Death Guild; Oakland) 10:30pm to 11:30pm Bloody Snowman (Daly City Records) 11:30pm to 12:00am DJ Intoner (Death Guild; Oakland) 12:00am to 1:00am Mochipet (Daly City Records; SF) 1:00am to 2:00am Mitch (Death Guild; SF) Go-go dancing by poor impulse control.. Myspace and more info on the artists: Robert Natus -- http://www.myspace.com/egrrecords ArkusP -- http://www.myspace.com/arkusp Catharsis -- http://www.myspace.com/egrrecords Mochipet -- http://www.myspace.com/mochipet Bloody Snowman -- http://www.myspace.com/bloodysnowman DJ Intoner -- http://www.myspace.com/intoner

Intelligent Warrior Kittens #2 - Spartan Training

catharsisegr — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 19:11:59 GMT

So, day 3 rolls around and the intuitive one got a load of catnip in his system and started playing with a silver wrapper. He made the fatal mistake of nipping at the warrior kitty (still don't have names for them!) and all hell broke loose Spartan training style. These guys do this all the time now. I posted the blog picture to show they are friends, but they playfully attack each other all the time as witnessed in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2O_o43x_VE

Intelligent Warrior Kittens

catharsisegr — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 16:10:04 GMT

So, the house of EGR welcomes two new additions. I finally acted on the plan to get kittens, and intelligent warrior kittens at that.. Well.. I quickly found out that one is already a soldier and the other one is more intuitive/affectionate. I don't know how much soldiering the warrior of the bunch will be doing besides toys and the occasional moth/bug, but once he gets something between his jaws he doesn't let go; it's his. Check out this continuous YouTube video of him grabbing a toy and simply not letting go; the intuitive one is just watching on amused.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fJOF1vM6X4 I am working on names for both of them as I wanted to know the personalities first. I almost called the warrior sonar as at first I thought he was timid, but it turns out he is quite astute regarding any sounds outside the ordinary. I can have both of them curled up on me and the brainy one will sleep right through sounds that the other kitten snaps attention to.. These kittens are Russian Blues and I did get them from a breeder. I looked for a long time for gray kittens by PetFinder and the like and even went to a few animal shelters, but just didn't find the right match. At some point I also decided on getting a couple of kitties/siblings, so that they'll never be bored. So, far this has turned out wonderful as they are bundles of joy and very well socialized together. When I'm not playing with them or letting them curl up and such they are playing with each other and curling up, etc. Living alone and working at home has been great for the most part, but a little loneliness has snuck in.. These new fellows will keep me busy until I find someone that can put up with us.. heh... ;P

Old School Set @ Epidemic (8.10.07)

catharsisegr — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 19:19:12 GMT

Greets... I'll be dropping an old school industrial mix set from vinyl nonetheless at Epidemic tonight... Check it out: http://www.myspace.com/epidemicclub Probably starting my set around 11:30 to midnight...

Soma-Tech 2 Saturday August 19th -- Free UG

catharsisegr — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:17:09 GMT

Come out and party with us at a convenient SF spot.. SoMa-Tech 2 is a free UG featuring minimal house/techno, D&B, industrial techno, and some tasty club floor bashing techno. Lineup: Lorax (Good Bad Guy, Guadalajara) - Minimal/House The Duke (Good Bad Guy, LA) -- Minimal/House Kuze (Still Doin' It, SF) - D&B Catharsis (EGR Records, SF) -- Industrial-Techno Christian Fuller (Good Guy Bad Guy, Amsterdam) - Techno Kevin Knapp (CRuX, SF) Minimal/House Email soma-tech@hotmail.com for more information and directions. ------------------------------- Note from Catharsis: Ahh.. Yes.. Another chance to get down and dirty in soma... I'm DJing (Catharsis) from 12:30am to 1:30am..

5.4 Performance at End Up cancelled & new mix

catharsisegr — Fri, 05 May 2006 02:58:06 GMT

Drrr... The End Up cancelled on the promoter I was going to play for tonight and some people have been asking.. I did upload a new revision of my 8 year mix here as I edged out a little more sound that I like in yet another remastering attempt.. This one should be final.. :) http://www.egregious.net/comps/8year-truth/ Hey.. If anyone has any pictures from the EGR 8 year that went down early April I'd be glad to check them out... Thanks!

EGR 8 Year Mix & 5.4 Reminder

catharsisegr — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 13:56:19 GMT

And finally the 8 year mix... http://www.egregious.net/comps/8year-truth/ 1::The Divide::Temporal Bone::Audio 48 2::Olav Acker::Direction::AntiClub 001 3::Greg Gow::Mono Beats::Omniscient 009 4::Bj0rn Svin::Xep4::Iron Oxide 05 5::Synapscape::Rented Confession::Maschinenfest '05 Comp 6::Alex K. Katz::Low Position::Pathfinder 002 7::DP-6::Attempt to Flight::Ghostwriter 06 8::Drum Complex & Chris Binder::Spiegelwelten Holzplatten 082 9::Kay D. Smith::Watts up!::Central Sound 01 10::Torsten Kanzler::Reaktor::Nerven 018 11::Alex K. Katz::Neuropatic::Pathfinder 001 12::Alex Calver vs Devious Minds::Cursed::Nu Breed 001 13::Basic Implant::Warfare::Audio 46 14::Steve Stoll::Big Daddy @ The Drags::Proper 047 15::DJ Ogi::Balota::Compressed 033 16::Asche::2nd Scrape::Ant Zen ACT-192 17::Speedy J & George Issakidis::KaalBrevo_::Novamute 163 18::DJ Amok::Nightmare 2::Artillery 008 19::Sven Wittekind vs Torsten Kanzler::Wie Bafog Nur Schneller::Killaz Records 007 20::Synth Etik::Vata::Hands D044 21::Arkus P::Unwirklichkeit::Highball Music 027 22::Frank Kvitta vs Ben Santos::Serious Bullshit::Bullshit 001 23::Robert Natus::C64 Core Protection::T:Classixx 0018-6 24::Tomash Gee::A::Methanabol 001 25::Sandy Warez::Bo Killing Joe::Skull Tunes 022 26::Weichentechnikk::Schneeshuffle::Crowbar 020 27::Jackhamma::Dirt World::Tool Terror 06 28::Robert Natus::Step One of Five::Bitshift 013 I was going to record another studio mix of more electro-tech type stuff, but just didn't have it in me around the 8 year event.. I was rather angry and stuff... However, I'm DJing at The End Up (http://www.theendup.com/) Thursday May 4th midnight to 2am (fri morn) and plan to record the live mix and release that as I kind of need a club to play that kind of stuff anyway.. Still edgy, but maybe a little more accessible. Hope some of you can make it out; send me an email and I'll see if I can work out some sort of guest list; dunno on that one yet. Heh.. I'll try to stick in some real dark stuff though too depending on the scene. Keep in touch...

Thanks for making it out to the EGR 8 year

catharsisegr — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 18:37:14 GMT

Thanks for making it out to the EGR 8 year for friends that made it there. It was quite a fun event and I really liked the variety of folks that turned out and mingled all night. All of the out of town guests had an excellent time and there was really good communication between all of us on the "state of the scene" so to speak in the US and beyond. I'll be putting up a DJ mix soon that I made for the 8 year...

Thursday 3/9/06 on KZSU 90.1fm & Friday (3/10) Binaural Dimension

catharsisegr — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 08:32:58 GMT

I'll be dropping some beats (electrotech, techno, hard techno) from 11am to noon (PST) Thursday 3/9. The entire show is 9 to noon.. Listen on the radio at 90.1FM or online here: http://kzsulive.stanford.edu/ I'll also be out DJing at Binaural Dimension festival Friday night: http://www.dark-tekno.com/binaural/index.html Also.. I'll keep you guys posted on the EGR 8 year... Free event April 1st out in SF with Mark Verbos, Joseph Issacs, Matt K., Darkside & more.

Reply to Dark Techno Forum regarding Format @ Spin This (was deleted by Mod)

catharsisegr — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 19:24:55 GMT

So I was having a little discussion on the Dark Techno Forum about their club night Spin This and their format for quick rotation on the dance floor... I was a little bummed to see that my post offering a viewpoint and my best advise was deleted... My best advise is at the top. Great, supression of debate.. Good one guys.. Here is my post that was deleted: ------------------------------------------------------- Leggy Lady: >I can tell you that a multi-genre party is one of hardest to promote. I will give you my largest secret won by the ethics I have pursued in all EGR events... Pay all DJs and performers (guests and residents) for 1 hour played a night (even with 15min rotations for DJs) 10X the door maximum. Do this even with the restrictive DJ format and you most likely will receive community support from outside your core contingency in particular with younger less well established local artists and their associated friends. For the pro's expect to pay much more, but draw more... However, the format will be an issue for out of town talent on the DJ floor for sure. People come out to a multi-genre event when they know the larger artist community is being supported. This works a charm for multi-genre nights. Aim and acheive a sustainable club night doing this with your format in place and I will pass on my blessings to ST. Leggy Lady: >Spin THIS and the DT Collective in general have been gaining ground and noteriety in the Bay Area precisely because of our alternate approach to the 'typical' club environment. More and more people are coming to us and reacting positively to our style, and have returned time and time again to see what happens next. Yes.. That is cool and all if you want the format to be the defining characteristic of the club and not the artists _or_ resident DJs who play there and bring out "the real deal". Now don't get me wrong.. I very much like what you guys have going on for the live floor and thank goodness you have a better space for it at da Cube. I really like several of the ST production minded artists and what they are achieving. However, the format will never get this to happen on the DJ dance floor: http://people.tribe.net/catharsisegr/photos/3caf2f9a-d561-4eeb-9607-c333c0d0ac2b nor this: http://people.tribe.net/catharsisegr/photos/5f89c344-dc48-42b9-bfd8-d39dd274afc8 especially not this: http://people.tribe.net/catharsisegr/photos/7fa16eee-0841-49bc-abc1-d83a3f1625af IMHO.. That is what one should shoot for regardless of music style/genre/audience in so far as to what it takes to get there; format or otherwise. Does the ST format move in this direction? Maschinenfest is the closest I've seen to a full on room of beautiful people (my beloved industrial kind) fully getting into industrial/EDM/powernoise ever.. I do have some gripes though about the adopted cultural norm for live sets there too.. not many live artists created a continuous presentation; lots of track to track; pause in between; those with better flow had stuff queued up quick.. This does bring up another issue though and I know I'm not the only one who holds it... There are live artists that should be placed on the "dance floor". Granted the live floor is one thing at the Cube and there is now room for more people to dance (the Rawhide was abominable; you do realize why I declined earlier offers for a DJ set on the live floor at the Rawhide right?), but believe me there are live artists I'm sure that want to engage directly a dancing minded audience and well that is upstairs folks. Leggy Lady: >Never mind that there may be 5 genres they love, they just focus on the one they don't and tell me no thanks Minority.. They were probably dorks... What DJs/artists were you pimping on those flyers? Leggy Lady: >The idea of not being stuck into any one thing does hold alot of appeal to a good # of folks. Industrial and related club scene only (Meat / Pop Roxx / NeuroGenesix, Die Maschinen, etc.). Leggy Lady: >Granted, it is not for everybody- both patrons and potential guests- but there are enough supporters of the format to keep it going strong (from both guests and patrons). Yes, ST has received enough returning support from the industrial scene near exclusively to this point. To branch out into gaining other patrons from other scenes you are going to have a rough time. You may attract some new first time patrons via guest DJs, but not a stable yield from these folks. My prime issue with the format is that if you examine Murias' statement it is clear that the format was chosen out of economic concerns and not really experimentation towards the art of DJing. Or at least this is what I get from it. Now, don't get me wrong for the time being you guys are maintaining a marginally sufficient economic situation from an isolated region of the club and EDM (dare I just say the industrial) scene.. Fanboy says: >The one constant, though, has been to keep the sets short and sweet, mixed up, and different form the "standard club mold". Granted, it is not for everybody- both patrons and potential guests- but there are enough supporters of the format to keep it going strong (from both guests and patrons). I 100% agree. This is great proof that the economics of the format is succeeding with certain core contingency patrons ST originally drew from and I assume still takes quite a bit of promotional effort to maintain. Fanboy: >However, I must say (and this is MY opinion only) that altering the format to compensate for or make concessions to one or more potential guests' benefit would (I believe) invalidate the m.o. of Spin THIS. Are we concerned about there not being genre rotation (as this is a valid artistic reason) or is that irrelevant over the economic conditions of sustaining the core contingency of ST via featuring short sets. Where is the art with forced short sets? Leggy Lady: >The djs will , however, pay extra special attention to make sure the changeovers between genres are smoother and more flowing. What about the quality of the DJs themselves and not just in the switch between genres? Are they even mixing and working the crowd and getting a groove on? Leggy Lady: >For the guests who want longer sets, there are other events that we do (that we would happily consider them for) where we will WANT longer sets. Throw one of these soon.. :) Leggy Lady: >So, we do have plenty of oppertunities for guests to express themselves in their own way (as long as it meets our dark electronik format, that is), it just might not be on the DJ floor of Spin THIS! You're right, I'll just wear my pink furry underwear next time.. Oh wait Murias will always have me beat; love ya.. ;P Leggy Lady: >And one final note- last night I went to Sattelite SF and they were doing 3 songs sets and having diffenrt forms of techo mixed in and it was good. Very good. The main promoter, Scott, also likes to push the envelope when it comes to smaller sets- even going to 2 and one song sets. Those aren't called sets in the EDM world I'm from.. It's called foreplay; if that. I have absolutely no qualms going 1 for 1 with any other DJ. The problem is there is no ST resident that I believe who can keep up with me.. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- I hearby challenge Fanboy to a dual by 2X4 or 1 for 1 (take your pick) The rules: 3 20 minute shared 2X4 or 1 for 1 sets at the top of the hour starting at 11pm every hour ending with the final one at 1:00am winner of each round drinks a minimum of 2 tokyo ice teas between sets and maybe some shooters if they appear in front of said winner.. genres for 2X4: all tech oriented genres (tech-house, tech-trance, techno, etc.); none of that epic hippie swirly shit. I'll backspin your record, etc. genres for 1 for 1: anything goes... My booking fee: Cab ride to and from my loft and at least 6 tokyo ice teas min.. ;) Availability: Anytime, bring it on... I'll even supply the extra decks and mixer and a table if need be for the 2X4... Ego, sure, but it is good natured mind you; in future negotiations I expect the same... :)

Profile pictures updated

catharsisegr — Sun, 29 Jan 2006 21:42:30 GMT

So, I finally got around to scanning a bunch of old pictures over the past 10 years, drawings, and flyers and posted them in my profile. http://people.tribe.net/catharsisegr/photos

Trip to Europe

catharsisegr — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 15:46:15 GMT

Yeah.. So I'm in Europe now for a couple of weeks. 1st stop is Maschinenfest in Germany then to the Netherlands followed by a weekend in Estonia. I'm posting updates hopefully with pictures here: http://www.egregious.net/misc/trip2005/