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Drown Radio, booming over your high school's P.A.

Peder, a friend and fan of Drown Radio, sent me a cool message today about his Philosophy teacher using "Happy Valium Meal" as part of the curriculum:

"After I sent my teacher the lyrics and song of Happy Valium Meal she loved it and decided to print out the lyrics and make copys for the entire class. She told me that when she does this she is also going to spend the day or a good part of one discussing the song. I don't know if it will take place in my Philosopy class or Critical Thinking but knowing her it will probably be both. On top of that she stated this, "I openly admit to hating rap music. I can't stand it. This song actualy sounds like music. This I like." Then we started talking about what kind of music you do and I said it is called Nerd Core. I also said that I like her hate the style of music but I do like your sound and I do love Frontalots music other then that I can't stand rap/hip hop music. She continued on to say you should drop Nerd Core and do more songs like Happy Valium Meal because it is really good and it has lyrics that serve a purpose not like the crap in main steam music."

It's like... one of those tearjerking movies, where the idealistic teacher can't breakthrough and connect with their students, so they try an alternative method... You know... like in that movie... Take the Lead, that was it!

Rhyme Torrents #5 availlable now

I just wanted to share with ya'll that Rhyme Torrents #5 has been released at RhymeTorrents.com

Drown Radio has a demo track on there from the forthcoming Our Friends Electric cd. Check it out while your listening to the rest of the compilation.

!!!

I just read over on 8bit Betty's myspace blog that he's going to do a remix for me by the end of the week! I have been begging 8bB for a remix or collabo ever since I downloaded To Bleep To Bloop (totally free downloadable album).

This is such a great surprise. No shit about it, 8bit Betty is one of my favorite new artists of the year! For the nerdcore set, imagine Baddd Spellah rocking out gameboys. For the chiptune set, imagine someone using Nanoloop that doesn't sound like every other micro musician.

I'm not sure which track exactly, but I'm assuming it will be a remix of my unreleased sexadelic hit song Twistin' Cherry Stems that I recorded earlier this year.

It's actually a double surprise, this morning I read this blog where 8bB talks about working on a new album and now this! Now I just need to see if I can get mah mann Spellah to finish production on the original track.

Spellah for teh win!

Our good friend Baddd Spellah has made it to the top ten in the CBC's Remix the Ring contest with his "Rhyme Of The Ring" remix (on the top of the list).

I'd suggest going over there and checking out the entries, don't forget to vote... often... Daily in fact!

In case none of this motivates your lazy ass enough to click the underlined link let me further tell you that "Rhyme Of The Ring" features MC Frontalot on the mic.

Word to Wagner.

NOTE: an mp3 has finally been posted by Spellah of the Rhyme remix.
http://www.badddspellah.com/Remix_the_Ring_Contest/Baddd_Spellah_feat_MC_Frontalot_Rhyme_of_the_Nibelung.mp3

Recap of the JJ Perrey show in SF

The show at Recombinant Labs was great. Jean Jacques is such a character and it was swell meeting him and Dana Countryman at the same time.
They played a ton of songs using a CD as accompaniment. Jean Jacques had his Ondioline and a newer synth (moog maybe?) while Dana spent most of his time on his Roland, but he used this giant Moog modular synth a bunch.

The main room was packed, but they had a "media room" in the back. I was thinking, who the fuck would want to pay $15 to watch JJ Perrey on a tv, when he's in the room next door, but it turns out the media room was pretty cool. There were a couple different camera angles, and the images were projected along three of the walls, the sound was even mixed in Dolby 5.0 surround sound. It was like watching the show on IMAX. Sounded good, but I sure would be pissed if I paid $15 to watch a TV, they should have had a discounted price.

Dana mostly played chord progressions and rhythm, but did several leads. It was interesting to watch JJ's technique though. It was almost entirely played right handed, while his left hand constantly tweaked and raised pots. He was constantly adjusting sounds while playing. Where the left hand primarily handles bass rhythms, for Jean Jacques it controls the parameters and tones of his sounds, much like the left hand controls the volume (thus attack/decay/vibrato) on the theremin.

Tonight I'm riding down with Astrid and Otis to see the show at the Knitting Factory, if anyone has any tips on a ride back (on friday) I sure would appreciate it!

Opening song at SF show.

Jean Jacque dedicates a song to Edith.

Funky song!

An awkward start, but fun retro samba.

Dana and JJ Perrey on the Recombinant stage in SF.


JJ's fabulous coat.


On the keys.


Some of the gear on hand.


Cool picture of the media room found on Flickr. Photo credit: teishus

Jean Jacques Perrey west coast tour with Dana Countryman

I'm stuck in some kind of trance, I can't explain it. For the last couple of days I've just been walking into shit and just in my own little world, all I can think about is seeing Jean Jacques Perrey perform in San Francisco’s SOMA District next week. The 76 year old French born musician was one of the early pioneers of electronic pop music. Often noted for his early promoting of the Ondioline but it was really his work on albums such as 1964's The In Sound From Way Out that Perrey is well known. Well, that and E.V.A., his often used funky hit off a later album.

Perrey, who just recently finished recording a brand new electro-pop album with the Dana Countryman, will be doing three US shows over the next week:

8/27 at the Triple Door in Seattle

8/29 at the Recombinant Labs in San Francisco

8/30 at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood

and a special in store mini performance at Analogue Haven in Pomona CA

For more info and posters and whatnot, go here

I went to Re/Search's headquarters in North Beach earlier this week to pic up my tickets and V. Vale sent me this awesome pic he took from Perrey's last visit to the Bay Area.

I've never seen J.J. Perrey, but I heard his last show in the city was sort of a potpourri of local experimental musicians that wasn't really all that memorable. This show, however, sounds more exciting because he will be touring with Dana Countryman, they should be well rehearsed and play classic songs and songs off the new album. Vale mentioned that there is a good chance of a follow up Q and A segment after the SF show.

I still can't believe it, I'm going to see one of my electronic music heroes. Where Walter(/Wendy) Carlos popularized the Moog sound by playing classical and pop covers and Edgard Varèse pioneered early experiments with Musique Concrete and tape cut ups, Perrey helped create an entirely new sound of music that was both bold and catchy, making the new art form highly accessible and influencing electronic musicians for nearly 50 years.

I'm not much for autographs, but I've been carrying around my Feb '97 issue of the now defunct Cool And Strange Music! The issue which original inspired me nearly 10 years ago to learn more about Perrey. Dana Countryman was the publisher and the writer of the story, BONUS: two autographs at one show. I'll probably leave my copies of Moog Indigo and In Sound From Way Out on my record shelf though.

a quick vid

In regards to the last blog, I put up a short video of us messing around at Robert's house. I got a cd with what we recorded that I'm gonna mess with and send to John.