I know it’s been a while but today I thought I’d share some music.  It’s pretty weird, right.  So being the savvy person you are I’m sure you’re already well aware of Major Lazer.  They’re the collaborative brainchild of Diplo & Switch, presented through their Mad Decent label.  At first it took me a while to get into Major’s special brand of future reggae / dancehall.  But after some random playtime at this year’s Calgary Comic Expo booth, I couldn’t help myself.

Major Lazer & La Roux – Can’t Stop Now – Armor Love Remix (Free Download)

Major Lazer & La Roux – Bulletproof – Nacey Remix ft. Matt Hemerlein (Free Download)

These cats make for some fun listenings (and best of all don’t take themselves too seriously)!  They add just the right amount of humour to keep me intrigued.  Case in point: they invited Mr. Eric Wareheim (Tim & Eric Awesome Show fame) to craft some rather mad videos for Pon de Floor & Keep it Going Louder.  Alternatively checkout this video by the good folks at Trunk Animation.

Okay so now the new news.  Mad Decent just released the amazingly titled Lazerproof mixtape.  Yes it’s Major Lazer v. La Roux.  14 tracks of it.  And it’s all free.  Yes, La Roux’s been remixed from here till Sunday but again it’s fun and free.  And for you dubstep kids there’s some Skream n’ Rusko on there.  So get on with the downloading and listening.  Enjoy your day.

Last year approximately 40,000+ brave souls headed for the black rock desert to participate in the annual cultural spectacle known as Burning Man. Each year a unique theme is chosen to help guide artists, musicians, performers and on-lookers in crafting a week long festival of original experience. Not quite a music festival, not quite an open-air arts event, not quite an alternative living celebration yet somehow this event has organically grown to encompass all of this and more.

For those of who haven’t been or perhaps those who have and want an interesting perspective away from the playa; might we suggest you attend a showing of Dust and Illusions: A History of Burning Man. This documentary by Oliver Bonin offers insight into this annual gathering which often defies definition. This doc is independently produced and with that is seeking support to cover the expense of bringing a film such as this to you the good public. You can show a little love by attending a screening in your area or make a donation online (right side).

Here’s a few Canadian dates for you:

Jan. 28th, 2010 – Calgary, AB
Feb. 3rd, 2010 – Toronto, ON
Feb. 4th, 2010 – Montreal, QU

See you out there!

I thought I would share a lil bit ‘o audible fun I’ve been enjoying this morning. I was seeking some info on the new Imogen Heap album (which by the by I would recommend checking out) and while on said hunt, the good folks over at StereoGum put me onto Troublemaker. Josh Kouzomis hails from the weird n’ wonderful planet known as Los Angeles. Since the late 90’s he’s been carving out a name for himself as a producer, remixer, n’ all round good DJ. He’s collaborated with mash-up master Z-Trip and currently holds a residence at Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas.

Now what I especially like is that he is involved with the H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Everywhere) campaign. H.O.P.E. is a non-profit organization which engages artists in various fields to help raise awareness and funds for international humanitarian causes.

Now I can’t go into too much detail as I’m just getting introduced to what he’s up to musically. From the selection of free tracks he offers on his website I’ve gathered that his tastes are quite broad. The remixes are unique while still remaining true to the original. Here’s a couple to tracks to get you started. Enjoy your Saturday!

Flaming Lips – Flight Test (Troublemaker Remix)

Phoenix – 1901 (Troublemaker Remix)

Mastadon – Oblivion (Troublemaker Remix)

Gone are the days of your Granny’s dull and dusty wall decoration. Wallpaper is being revived in homes, offices and retail spaces thanks to some interior savvy individuals. I just thought I would draw some attention to two companies that you may want to investimigate if you’re looking to give some custom kick to your space.

Number 1: Flavor Paper (Brooklyn, NY)

Flavor paper offers you a wide selection of pre-made hand screened wall coverings.  Categories include Floral, Funky, Traditional & Geometric.  These designs run the full gamut of beautiful, designer, witty and down-right mind bending (seriously checkout some of the geometric series).  Now of course I’m sure some of you are of the creative type and will want to create your own.  Don’t worry they do customs!

Number 2: Rollout (Vancouver, BC)

Now for us Canadians who want something a little closer we have Rollout.  These cats offer an amazing selection of pre-made designs through their artist series.  If you live in Calgary you may even recognize a couple if you have recently noshed at Mango Shiva or picked up some threads from Worth Clothing.

I’ve given you all I can.  Now go out there and start covering those walls!

Oh the busy summer…  Back from a brief Italian adventure and ready for posting.  Let’s begin with some paper crafting shall we.  Industrial Designer Julien Madérou has combined the form / function philosophy with the DIY aesthetic to create something quite elegant.  Meet the paper iPhone / iPod dock.  Through a few clever cuts and folds you too can create a designer stand for your mac powered gear.

You can learn more by visiting his website dessinemoiunobjet (the PDF instructions for the doc are here).  Thanks to the good folks at the DieLine for finding this gem.

So the scene is set something like this… London. January 18, 2004. Strictly Kev (aka DJ Food, aka Kevin Foakes) of Ninja Tune fame premieres his Raiding the 20th Century mix on XFM Radio. This 40 minute mix traversed the full spectrum of cut-up / mash-up music.  Shortly after he is introduced to Paul Morley’s book Words & Music.  This book aimed at providing a concise history of pop music.  Kev quickly realized how closely his mix echoed the themes of Morley’s book.  From this he decided to track Morley down and work with him to expand the mix.  Exactly one year later, a full one hour mix is released, now with additional material and excerpts of Morley reading.

Now for those super in-the-know this is old news, but I apparently missed it and thought “hey, maybe I’m not the only one”.  I have already given this several rotations (perhaps too many).  This mix goes beyond the simple mash-up and provides a valuable addition to the history of communication theory.  I could drone on about this but I recommend you just go ahead and download this one… is free!

Strictly Kev – Raiding the 20th Century

Whoo there was a brief period of no posting there. Apologies. We lead busy lives (read: easily distracted). We have a fair bit to share but I’ll start the ball rolling with a fashion blog I’ve been hooked on recently. Enter Definitive Touch. Focusing primarily on men’s fashion, this blog continues to offer up designers and brands that walk the line of professional yet fun, modest but not boring. I am particularly fond of the Ladies Touch section where you get a critical dissection of some featured outfits. Or why not visit the Lifestyles section for some quick interviews with some interesting innovators. Okay that was a quick one and next time I promise to have somethin’ for the ladies.

I was recently introduced to this simple but incredibly engaging concept by a friend studying visual / cultural anthropology. Though not particularly new I still felt it worth sharing for those like myself that haven’t seen it yet. The premise as stated by the website is this:

Go to a place. Ask fifty people the same question. Film their responses.

Now take this concept, work some skillful editing and set to beautiful music. Voila! A very human piece of film. The questions and the locations yield responses which are wise, witty, silly, sad and everything in between. I suggest you checkout the locations currently featured on their website: London – UK,  Brooklyn – NY, New York – NY, New Orleans – LA. If you can believe it I’ve actually been sort of saving them up for when I need a little reconnection with the world at large.

AmazingPhotography by Lindsey Baker.

You may have noticed my last post about the creative community mapping project Imaginary Ordinary. Now I neglected to touch on the original reason for my visiting the space. I thought it was worthy of its own post.

The event on Saturday evening included music by some incredibly talented individuals. One such individual (well group of individuals) was Samantha Savage Smith. Words can’t adequately describe the blown-away-ness. The songs are beautifully polished and yes you will fall in love with Samantha’s voice. Even in between songs they seemed to be in their element (element being defined here as a state of engaging wit and comfort). I don’t want to fawn too much as I think it’s best you experience it with your own ears. So on with the music!

Samantha Savage Smith – The Score - { Upcoming EP }

Samantha Savage Smith – The Fight - { Upcoming EP }

This past weekend I was introduced to Imaginary Ordinary; which is both wonderfully imaginative and far from ordinary. The concept has been dubbed a social networking & community mapping project. I love this community mapping idea. I’ll let them explain in their own words:

Imaginary Ordinary is a social networking site [physical location] where different groups or individuals of all ages can meet and connect with one another. Imaginary Ordinary is a community centre—a place where everybody in the neighbourhood can come to participate in activities, share information, or simply to browse and hang out. Community centres can create a “map” of a community. They identify and connect the people who live, work, and play within a neighbourhood.

The project is curated and managed by the dynamic duo of Eric Moschopedis and Laura Leif.   I had the chance to speak with both during an event this past Saturday. I must admit I was inspired by their creativity and commitment to community building.  I will leave you to visit their website to learn more, but sadly their current location is a temporary installation.  So be sure to get down there and enjoy one of their numerous events before the closing party on Aug. 29th.  Psst, might I recommend Choose Yer Own (Aug. 13th – Aug. 16th).

I don’t have much time but it is imperative that in what little there is, I share with you ToyCamera AnalogColor. This fun little app takes your boring old contemporary photos and turns them into exciting snapshots from yester-year. I decided to download the demo and play around with some shots of the Splash Fantastic team (above). Well I did miss one person. I’m sorry Chuck, I’ll do you next… again the time issue. Okay so ya, there’s lots of presets and settings that allow you to tweak to your retro hearts content. If you want to remove the watermarks of the demo, you can buy a full license for only $9.99USD. Not a bad price for something oh so fun.

Somewhere in New Jersey there is a man taking popular music and arranging them For Orchestra!  This just may be the text book definition of awesome.  Walt Rebeiro is a music composer and instructor who just can’t seem to stop doing great things.  Since July 2007 his website waltribeiro.net has been a destination for those seeking fun and intelligent music instruction videos.  All of this has not gone unnoticed.  Mr. Rebeiro has been featured in Wired Magazine, The Wall Street Journal and the LA Times (to name only a few).

His For Orchestra project appears to have began in May 2009 and I must warn you; prepare to have a new appreciation for the actual composition of those oh so familiar tunes.  When given this new context the seemingly simplistic light-weight pop song takes on a grand scale and epic nature.  You can purchase any of his tunes direct from his website for only $1.

There’s a couple videos after the jump but let me just say, if you’re feeling the want to hear Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Radiohead, Rick Astley and others set to classic orchestra visit For Orchestra.

Albums which musically inspire while raising awareness for important social causes deserve a little due credit. Dark Was The Night is one such album. This double disc was released in February of this year through Red Hot Organization. Since 1989, Red Hot Organization has been releasing music compilations, producing media events and crafting television programs geared towards raising funds for the battle against HIV and AIDS.  A noble goal and considering they’ve raised over $7 million since inception, it appears to be working.

Now perhaps it helps if we present a list of the artists involved in this project:

Andrew Bird, Antony, Arcade Fire, Beach House, Beirut, Blonde Redhead, Bon Iver, The Books, Buck 65, David Byrne, Cat Power & Dirty Delta Blues, The Decemberists, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Devastations, Dirty Projectors, Kevin Drew, Feist, Ben Gibbard, Grizzly Bear, Iron & Wine, Jose Gonzalez, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Kronos Quartet, Stuart Murdoch, My Brightest Diamond, My Morning Jacket, The National, The New Pornographers, Conor Oberst, Riceboy Sleeps, Serengeti, Dave Sitek, Spoon, Sufjan Stevens, Gillian Welch, Yeasayer, Yo La Tengo

Yes it sounds as good as it looks. Here’s the first two tracks to inspire you to put some of those hard earned dollars towards this one. I may even have to grab this on vinyl.

Dirty Projectors & David Byrne – Knotty Pine - { Dark Was The Night, Released: February 2009 }

The Books & José González – Cello Song (Nick Drake Cover) - { Dark Was The Night, Released: February 2009 }

It’s pretty easy to get trapped into playing down Calgary when it comes to the local music scene. Sometimes we need to be reminded that we’re actually quite fortunate and really do have an amazing pool of talented musicians right in our backyard. Not literally… well unless of course Chad VanGaalen happens to be hanging out on your lawn… and who knows maybe he is. If so tell him we say hello. Now all of this is really just a roundabout way of getting to the real point of this post; Black Mold. This would be the name of Chad VanGaalen’s new side project. See, told you I would tie this together.

The new album Snow Blindness is Crystal Ants is set for release on August 11th through Flemish Eye. Fortunately, there are two tracks available now to wet your… appetite? whistle? I’m not quite sure what’s being “wet” here but I do know these are sounding mighty good. Here’s a quotable to ponder, and then on to le musique.

The product of several years of late-night instrumental experimentation, mainly on vintage analogue and hand-built modular synths, Snow Blindness… is at times glitchy and unpredictable while at other times Teutonic and sparse. Elsewhere, other songs utilize 8-bit beats & warped synthesis to create multi-layered rhythmic patterns.

Black Mold – Tetra Pack Heads - {Snow Blindness is Crystal Ants, Released: Aug. 11 2009 }

Black Mold – Metal Spider Webs - {Snow Blindness is Crystal Ants, Released: Aug. 11 2009 }

Oh my its a double-duty post; Say hello to Giant 45 & Flying Lotus! Both of the aforementioned names deserve credit in their own right but tonight is a special night. The good people of Giant 45 have recently re-opened in their swanky their new location on 17th avenue and might I suggest you take the opportunity tonight to get re-acquainted. Why you ask? Well there’s the fact that Giant 45 has been supplying Calgary with some of the freshest threads, shoes, and vinyl listenings since 2003. For that you have to give some love (hooray for persevering and staying independent). However specifically this evening they’re hosting the man they call Flying Lotus, in store for an intimate session as part of the Red Bull Music Academy. Did I just hear your jaw drop?

Giant 45 hosts Flying Lotus
6PM – 8PM
329a 17th AVE SW
Calgary, AB
403-228-4536

I know you’re all hip savvy cats and are already on top of this but for those who haven’t heard Flying Lotus yet let me provide a brief introduction. Steven Ellison is a California based producer of truly inspired beats. To call it experimental or hip-hop just doesn’t quite do the job. His sound is unmistakably his own which explains why he was signed by WARP Records in 2007. His Los Angeles release certainly holds a certain special place in my collection. Remember our post on photographer Timothy Saccenti? Yup he’s in there too. Okay I don’t want to fawn too much so I’ll let the music do the talking. I will however suggest you wander to Giant 45 and then on to the Hi-Fi Club tonight for the full show.

Flying Lotus – Roberta Flack - { Los Angeles, Released: 2008 }

Radiohead – Reckoner (Flying Lotus Remix) - { Released: 2009 }

I had a sort of a round about introduction to this band but with music this fun I can’t say I entirely mind.  I was introduced to Black Moth Super Rainbow following a purchase of Odd Nosdam’s Pretty Swell Explode vinyl (available from the good folks at Anticon).  That record included a remix of Forever Heavy and here I am hook, lined and sinkered.

It’s only appropriate that BMSR released a new album Eating Us in May of this year.  This is the part where the kids say W00T.  So details; hailing from Pittsburgh these cats create an incredibly warm mix of electroni-psychedeli-pop highlighted by a consistent use of vocoder vocals that surprisingly doesn’t wear thin.  Also a special nod to their label Graveface Records, who are also home to Splash faves the Appleseed Cast.  Enough of my malarkey here are a couple of listen-ables.

Black Moth Super Rainbow – Born On A Day… - { Eating Us, Released: May 2009 }

Black Moth Super Rainbow – Forever Heavy - { Dandelion Gum, Released: 2008 }

I can’t quite express how excited I was to learn that one half of my favourite Swedish music duo The Knife has a solo project. Karin Dreijer Andersson has recently re-envisioned herself as Fever Ray and what can I say? I’m hooked.

For those not familiar; The Knife was that little band which crafted unique electronic soundscapes that defied most genre-fication. They grabbed mainstream attention when their single Heartbeats was covered by José González and subsequently used in a heavily circulated Sony Bravia commercial. I was personally drawn in by the more obscure sounds featured on Deep Cuts and Silent Shout… Oh, and of course the live album Silent Shout: An Audio Visual Experience, which I can’t recommend enough. I was also sort of entranced by their choice to generally shy away from the public limelight and primarily promoting their faces through use of clever make-up and masks.

Fast forward to today, and you have the haunting voice that highlighted The Knife’s recordings continuing on into a new music project. Fever Ray seems almost like a natural, albeit dark, progression that continues to carve out a much needed niche in the greater music scene. The self-titled album was released in December of ‘08 and a tour is already in progress. May I suggest visiting the tour schedule to get in on the live experience (psst… Chuck… Montreal… Oct. 1).

Fever Ray – Triangle Walks - { Self Titled, Released: Dec. 2008 }

The Knife – We Share Our Mothers Health - { Silent Shout, Released: 2006 }

Dems Da BreaksChris Brett

Sometimes I just can’t help but feel compelled to share with you some of the amazing artists we have the opportunity to showcase in the NATION gallery. For the month of June we’ve been fortunate to showcase the artwork of Chris Brett. His work has just the right mix of comic surrealism and delightfully dark, whimsical humour. Oh and lest we forget the use of bright colours, mixed media and screen printing techniques that we just can’t get enough of.

I’ll let the pictures do the talking but be sure to peek you’re head into our space this weekend as Saturday’s the end! Pict-cha’s after the jump.

Au Revoir Simone – Shadows - { Still Night, Still Light – Released: May 2009 }

I was in search of the photographer who did the incredible artwork on the sleeve of my Flying Lotus Los Angeles vinyl. Guess what? I found the source of said material and I can’t believe I haven’t discovered Timothy Saccenti until now.

Mr. Saccenti is New York based photographer and video director. His specialty is music… like good music… really good music. I was just going through a few of the shots on his website and he’s got quite the client list: Prefuse 73, Bloc Party, El-P, Sparklehorse, Peaches, TV on the Radio, DangerDoom, Fourtet… I could go on but it’s not the name dropping that’s so amazing, it’s that you can see why he gets those names. His imagery is so rich and imaginative yet still retains a simplicity that reinforces the subject.  Now let’s talk music videos. Well there’s a beautiful video for Chairlift – Bruises (yes the iPod song), and the outstanding video for Battles – Atlas.  Enough already. Checkout his reel! More pics & video after le jump.

If you’re in the market for this man’s services you can visit his site.  For music videos, he is represented by Partizan (who looks very interesting in and of themselves). For photography, visit the fine folks at Stem Agency.