moving on over...

...just started setting up a new Wordpress site which will become my main blog: www.solsken.com/blog

Feel free to poke around as it changes!

This new blog will still feed into my Tribe page too. If I forgot you on my blogroll, send me a shout!

crazy midiGUN!

Shhoooo -- I've never laughed so much at audio hardware!!!

Check out this midiGUN: it's a midi controller designed to be held like a hand-held weapon to be used with Ableton Live, Traktor DJ, and other audio software. The midiGUN comes with 16 controllers which you can program in 16 different sets, a mini 2-D joystick and even a laserbeam which you can shoot at your "audience" while shaking in front of your computer... enjoy!

More action shots here: www.midigun.com/midiGunchart.htm

New Overlap last.fm group

I've created a new Overlap group on last.fm: www.last.fm/group/Overlap/

Come join us as we begin scrobbling our very own crazy music charts :D

If you haven't heard of last.fm, It's quite possibly one of the greatest social music websites online... well worth checking out!

Pocket Pet = Yummy.

I've been loving the new stuff by Pocket Pet, David Last's side project with Segeke. "Shaky Hands" from the WeSendIt EP is especially conducive to serious dancefloor convulsions and ass-jiggling.

You can preview the track at Goosehound's website, www.goosehound.com. Then run and buy it!!

Remix for Steve Reich!

Legendary experimental composer Steve Reich continues to ring in his 70th birthday year with a series of live performances and new works. As part of the "Steve Reich@70" celebration, Reich will return to New York this fall with an entire month of premiere performances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center. The first event, a dance-music collaborative double bill with the Rosas and Akram Khan Companies, will take place at BAM on his birthday, October 3. Events will conclude on November 4.

In the meantime, Reich invites *you* to participate, too. The Breezeblock, BBC Radio 1's popular electronic music show, is hosting a remix competition for his upcoming 'Music For 18 Musicians'. Reich will select the winning track, which will be featured with remixes by Alex Smoke and Four Tet.

You can download the track here: www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onem...ereich.shtml

More info at www.stevereich.com/

Matthew Barney, Bjork, Matmos and Wobbly @ SFMOMA

Despite (or perhaps in spite of) an ongoing migraine, I caught the artist's reception for Matthew Barney's DRAWING RESTRAINT exhibition at the SFMOMA last night. We arrived early at 6 pm to preview the exhibition on the fourth floor, catch some tunes by friends and mingle amongst the art critics, press, socialites and trashily chic hipsters. Twas a much more casual affair than his earlier NYC opening at the Guggenheim; the crowd seemed decidedly more diverse, though the buzz around the opening still felt electric. Barney's new material was smaller in scope and more conservative than his Cremaster efforts. He continued the same motifs from the Cremaster cycle, including the animalistic references, photographs and large-scale thermo-plastic and self-lubricating plastic installations. While some of his sketches and photo work were beautiful, I left feeling rather unmoved by the collection; once I see the new film in full, I'll report back with further thoughts.

Barney appeared virtually unchanged from the last time I saw him, nonplussed and ready for the adoring crowd. Bjork and her equally vivacious daughter, appropriately dressed in a little white tux, strolled around with a smaller coterie of fab friends. She looked adorable in a white floral chiffon gown and red platform boots. She offered me a wink too! In the loo, I caught sight of a woman dressed in full kimono, dancing and singing to Bjork's "Big Time Sensuality" on top of the sink bar while a friend videotaped her in the mirror. It reminded me of the other fan(atic)s who seemed to pull all stops for her arrival... and how Bjork always manages to create such a stir!

Wobbly, hilarious as ever, whipped up a great DJ set with his 4 CDJs, mixing derelict opera with dreamier stuff. Matmos performed new material, with Martin playing a tuning fork over dry ice while Drew tweaked the knobs, playing a singing bowl and a small xylophone. J Lesser played bass with them and showed off his Dave Smith Evolver #9 to us. Also briefly chatted with Overlap artist bLevin bLectum, who's still in vet school and looking great... and ran into other creative peeps, like Nate, Solar, Chris, Giamma, Violet, Matt, and Latrice.

Due to my ailing head, I went home after the opening, but David and other invited friends went onto the Stud where Bjork and Matthew carried on the party with laptop DJ sets. Apparently the intended small circle of friends mushroomed into a max-packed night as folks hurried to call and invite their friends to come over.

Matmos @ SFAI

Richard Chartier (L-ne/12K/Raster-Noten) and Matmos performed in a live outdoor show at the SF Art Institute yesterday. Chartier performed a lovely ambient soundscape which seriously mellowed the crowd out, enhanced by the passing of birds in the air and white noise from the neighborhood.

Then Matmos picked things up as they played material from their newly released album, "The Rose Has Teeth In The Mouth Of A Beast." Matmos was joined by Martin's SFAI students -- aka the New Genres Orchestra -- who lined the balcony above. While Drew tweaked the electronics, Martin donned a pair of long gloves and played a cow's uterus (!) with a vacuum tube, chimes, percussive hand instruments, drums and a horn. The students chanted, drummed, blew through tubes and rocked rose bouquets until the petals, bloom heads and leaves fell like confetti onto the band and audience below. Twas a lovely sight to behold, especially on a sunny Friday afternoon in San Francisco! Fellow Overlap video artist Nate Boyce joined Matmos for a bit of drumming before the group finished with a superb space-disco piece.

Run and pick up your copy of the new album -- it's fantastic. Former collaborators like Bjork also appear on the album's title track, which is dedicated to Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein.

Goldfrapp rocked.

Caught the lovely Alison Goldfrapp yesterdy at the Fillmore here in San Francisco -- ooh la la. Her sweetly gorgeously voice and cool sass definitely impressed, from her opening "Utopia" and "Lovely Head" to SUPERNATURE's latest club hits.

The night was one part glam, one part camp, and umpteen parts pure fun. Miss G. was flanked by two dancers on stage; together, they rocked crazy costume changes as much as they did the packed house, which included what seemed like the entire gay population of San Francisco! A group of white jumpsuit-clad bears jumped up and down next to us while Jesus joined us from above... yes indeed, Goldfrapp's dancing violinist/guitarist/back up vocalist looked very much like Christ himself, with long stringy hair and beard, flowing robes and a gargantuan 80's-style synth guitar.

There wasn't a moment when my ass wasn't a-shaking with the rest of the boys. As DJ Mak says, 'twas "high drama" -- at its very best.

Jan Jelinek in SF

One of my favorite Berlin-based producers, Jan Jelinek (aka Farben!), will swing by San Francisco for his Kosmischer Pitch album (from the esteemed ~scape label). Quite possibly one of the most exciting shows of the year:

Jan Jelinek
Thursday, June 1, 2006
Boca
San Francisco

www.janjelinek.com/
www.scape-music.de/

LISTEN 02.

Overlap.org Presents LISTEN
April 28th, 2006 - 8-10pm
June 23rd 2006 – 8-10pm
Admission: $10 in advance, $12 day of event.
Studio Rasa
933 Parker St.
Berkeley, CA

LISTEN is a new audio series that will explore the art of intense listening. In collaboration with Audio Rasa and Overlap.org, Christopher Willits has commissioned * unreleased * sound works from an international pool of acclaimed contemporary sound makers. These unique recordings will be amplified within the beautiful Studio Rasa in Berkeley CA. Come prepared to tune in and zone out.


April 28th 2006
Frank Bretschneider
Sebastien Roux
Taylor Deupree
Kenneth Kirschner
Strategy

June 23rd 2006
Keiichi Sugimoto
Gregg Kowalsky
Greg Davis
Sawako