The_Bubble_Lab

...Cloud Two, my new blog. Comes with mp3's and everything, so it's much more exciting than this Bubble Lab thing you're reading. I am putting Bubble Lab to rest.

Now, git! And enjoy...

I knew I'd come back eventually. The few months that I've been away have been difficult ones at the extreme and I've neglected the blog. It wasn't quite the outlet I thought it would be, plus I noticed that I'm not a very good writer. There are other people (see the links) writing about their love of music and sound and culture who are infinitely more eloquent and refreshing than I could hope to be on this site. But I think I'll give it another try. I'd like to treat The Bubble Lab as less of a journal, more of a soapbox -- room to rant about what I'm loving/hating and, maybe, as a space for dialogue.

I'm still a little soft from the incessant Jack-and-soda imbibing of New Year's Eve. Spent all of yesterday watching movies and listening to some new things, not the least of which is Air's Talkie Walkie : one of the most romantic, in the straight-up Latin sense, electronic pop records I've ever had the pleasure to luxuriate in. No fuss, just Lust. Or Love (mostly Love). Happy New Year! Swoon away!

Oh yeah. And...:

Fellini's Casanova : Finally tracked down a copy of this on a gorgeous DVD transfer. Never saw it before. As a Fellini freaque I have to say this is in my top whatevers of his. Freakier than Satyricon , sadder in parts than even Nights Of Cabiria or even the ending of Amarcord , which always makes my sensitive ass weepy. Dark n' lovely. I'd read and heard nothing but ill about this one, which makes me wonder: what the fuck? If you're reading this and you want a copy (and you know how to contact me), do get in touch.

Everyone's posting their year end lists on their respective blogs. I'm not a list person. I'm too schizo/fickle/... for that sort of mess. However, the last couple of weeks have presented me with a bounty of juiciness that I just need to point out for the edification of anyone (anyone?) reading Bubble Lab:

Kanye West College Dropout : insanely excellent solo artist album by the hip hop producer du jour. Highly touted by my boy Craig W. for one, I felt a need to see what the deal. Boy, I'm glad I did. Restores my faith in hip hop, even if only for just this one record.

J-Love/Ghostface Killa mixtape : Not all the bangers I wish could've been on here, but all in all it reminds me that Ghostface is probably my fave MC of the last few years. Listen, learn and laugh.

Sly & The Family Stone compilation DVD : you've got yer Ed Sullivan '68 appearances, two Dick Cavett Show appearances, something called the Kraft Music Show from 1970 that is just bananas as is a full 1973 Don Kirshner's Rock Concert set that just turned me into a full fledged fan.

Return Of The King made me feel like a 9 year old again ('Tis nothing but a good thing in my book).

Happy Holidays!

There's a shot near the end of Return Of the King where Frodo Baggins wakes up in mid-air, clutched by a giant eagle as they fly over a sea of lava, and another eagle comes into the frame slowly from underneath them , that for some reason just choked me up more than any other part of this very entertaining, often astounding movie. I keep thinking about it, and I saw the movie on Thursday! It's Monday now.

It's a sad, lyrical moment in a film full of sad, lyrical moments but it's somehow also the most powerful for me. So fantastical yet lovingly crafted, it just surpasses every great scene before and after it. I love that an imaginative vision+technology could create something so poetic. I'm going to wait a while before I go to see the film again.

Procrastinate.

Procrastinate.

Ok -- in 5 minutes I'll be back on the Logic Audio field pushing the little colored soundbricks around. But, before I go, I think I should point you in the direction of a great man. Someone needs to translate more of this king's books into English pronto.

We played a supremely fun set last Thursday night, opening for the fantabulithious Captain Comatose, whose CD is now a favorite of mine. Ultra trashy vocal house. Berlin humps Chicago in a three way with MPLS and little shuffley diva babies pop out. Big up to Snax & Khan.

The Edirol PCR-30 is an amazing li'l controller keyboard, did I tell you?