Being an intern sucks sometimes.

I went to dc and all i found were these lousy syringes.

I saw throbbing gristle the other night in Brooklyn and it was fucking nuts.

Untitled Number 1

Last week, when i was busy recording vocals for the forthcoming "A Fetish for Ethics" album (more on that later), my bandmate Samuel and I started to put together a song in the short time we had left before he had to drop his girlfriend off at school. We recorded only about three tracks of a few chord progressions played on one of his toy keyboards, with a cutesy backing rhythm as well. The objective was to take these sparse tracks and make our own individual songs out of it. On the train to Saratoga from NYC today, I decided to put my spin on it. Lots of reverb and some compression later, I have a pretty sounding synth-string thing. I'm proud of it, crappy finger drumming and all.

DOWNLOAD "UNTITLED NUMBER 1" HERE

PS: if you listen closely, you can hear me packing up as the train pulled into albany.

Happy st p day

Mute celebrates.

Workin on de record

Here Comes the Demo

This is something fresh off the mixer, recorded as I was just jammin' with myself. It's unmixed and loud and raw and weird but I think it's a good rough draft for something I'll maybe eventually make into a big bloated ordeal. The sample comes from a disco remix of Beach Boys' "Here Comes the Night" that I've always thought had the greatest cover (although the picture is too small). Columbia did a seemingly large series of these disco singles because I see the cover all the time with all sorts of different artists.

DOWNLOAD MY NEW "HERE COMES THE NIGHT" (DEMO)" HERE

New Depeche Mode video

Creeeeeeepy

Depeche Mode - "Wrong" (official music video)


the "driver" is julian from liars.

New Fever Ray Video

Here's the new Fever Ray video for the second single off her self titled debut record, "When I Grow Up." Directed by Martin de Thurah.


When I Grow Up from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

And some Yaz

Liars liars liars can can can

Yum

At saritas mac and cheese in the east village

(Almost) Forgot how cool this was

The White Stripes
Uploaded by molivera

Winter Mix #1

I've decided to make my first blog mix. It's not an impressive sampling of obscure 60s girl group (Beth already did that), also not an exhaustive demonstration of cool Japanese drone music from thirty years ago (someone else has probably already done that), but rather just what's been buzzing in my ears lately.
It should come without surprise that Mute artists dominate the list (CAN, Goldfrapp, Residents, Fever Ray, M83...) Also, since this is my first mix, there are a few "favorite awesome songs I want everyone else to hear!" that I needed to get out of my system too (namely the Can and Suicide ones). This is the kind of mix that I would prefer my iPod just played automatically when I put it to shuffle, the kind of mix I would make for my mom to listen to on her way to work, or when the work day is over and I'm finally heading home. That sort of thing.

ALSO: The debut Fever Ray album is still unreleased. It won't be out in physical form til next month (but digital download is available) so please do me a favor and don't sell this mix, mostly just the FR track, to anyone so I don't lose my job and am forever blacklisted from Mute Records.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Tracks:
1) CAN - I Want More
2) Goldfrapp - Number 1
3) The Residents - Amber
4) Tom Tom Club - L'Elephant
5) Kraftwerk - Showroom Dummies
6) Grizzly Bear - Easier
7) Fever Ray - Triangle Walks
8) M83 - Teen Angst
9) Suicide - Diamonds, Fur Coat, Champagne
10) Smiths - Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours
11) Ventures - Secret Agent Man
12) Suicide - Jukebox Baby '96
13) Goldfrapp - Caravan Girl

Here's the Alan Vega version of "Jukebox Babe"

Top Mute News

Hear it here first before Pitchfork gets the PR blast!
First order of business:
THROBBING GRISTLE IS TOURING!
Only a few dates though, in April, around their Coachella date. Check their website for exact details.. but it's New York (which I think is sold out now), LA, SF, and maybe... Philadelphia or something. This is the reason I wanted to intern at Mute. I think after this show (by the way, I already have been guaranteed tickets) I might just stop showing up. Not really, but why not.

Here's a strange homemade video to one of their songs... I couldn't find any live clips worth posting:


And also,
A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS is our newest signing. Oliver (head dude of APTBS) came into the office the other day to meet with some people about the signing, and met all of us, and seemed super thrilled to be there. I think they had their final meetings with Daniel Miller (Mute creator) yesterday. They're known as the "Loudest band in New York." From the sounds of it, they'll fit well with us..

New Mixes

I recently discovered that Ableton has a free fourteen-day trial of Live to download from their site. Would have been handy if I knew that after my copy crashed. So, having installed said free trial, I have finished the "Soso" project that I was working on. This is what I think will be its final mix - the mix I was going for when it crashed. Also included is "Zuckerzeit," a project that I started around Christmas when I was listening to Cluster a lot. I never finished it. I was frustrated, tried to restart, and ended up with "Soso." See if you can spot the similarities!

Soso (Good Mix)
Zuckerzeit

EDIT:
Here's a super fresh new one, my most whimsical to date:

Wintersong (Demo)

Also - RIP Lux Interior

Scott Walker + The Seventh Seal =

Hit n (Almost) Run

The ambulance is for a bicycle delivery guy who was struck by the black Ford Focus (hard to see) outside our apartment. We heard it from the window. Seconds after we heard the tires screech, there were several car horns -- the light turned green and the taxi cabs just wouldn't wait to go.

I saw the biker walk, and he seemed okay, but a few minutes later the ambulance was called (thankfully). It took longer than it should have for anyone to actually cross the street to make sure either of them were okay.

New York's motto seems to be "Keep Moving..."

Hi-Red Center (JAPAN)

"Photograph of Hi Red Center performing their Street Cleaning Event,
taken June, 1966 at Grand Army Plaza (58th Street and 5th Avenue), New York City.

Photograph by George Maciunas, 1966."

Currently reading: JAPROCKSAMPLER

HuskMitNavn

Roman Signer

Watch out

Sosososo

New music up here: "Soso"

This is my most sample-heavy yet. Unfortunately, as I was in the process of mixing, my copy of Ableton crashed. Some sort of "copyright violation" or another. I wouldn't consider this one fully done yet... I still want to sit down and really mix it well. But this is pretty good, good enough to share.

Thanks to these records:





Many, many thanks to Jason Bergman for rendering the project for me. www.jbergs.com // myspace.com/internalmusic

Microsoft Songsmith

Microsoft Songsmith is a new program that lets you be the one-man band you've always aspired to be. The premise is simple: record unaccompanied vocals and the software creates the music for you. The program is especially fun when paired up with vocal tracks from Billy Idol songs.

One of my projects today is to alphabetise the scattered cds in our closet. Now i just have to actually put them in order...

M83 @ MSG

This photo represents the crappy Killers set.

Key points about the Killers set:
-Sounded like Steely Dan playing all the crappy David Bowie songs
-Looked like it was sponsored by the Dollar Store (thanks to many inflatable palm trees and a large vase full of weird fake flowers)
-Smelled like beer

M83, however, sounded magnificent. Typical underdog opening act. They apparently went on at 7PM sharp, as I showed up at 7:02 and "Graveyard Girl" was already at the silly girl vocal part. Their massive sound really filled the cavernous Madison Square Garden well. A+ to MSG sound guys. I was impressed.

M83 @ Fillmore, plus random Killers

Tonight was my first Mute VIP experience seeing M83 at the Fillmore (Irving Plaza). It was a special show during their gigantic stadium tour with the Killers that I'll be seeing tomorrow at Madison Square Garden. This was a fun one because Steven got to come with me, so I had him do the photography for me (photo credit above is to him.)




Unfortunately, the VIP section was not as exclusive as I was expecting, seeing as it became as crowded as the regular, plebeian sections of the venue. And then Fillmore security got all huffy when they were trying to clear out where Steven and I were standing because the Killers drummer needed an extra table for his entourage (he already had 3 or 4 reserved). I ended up standing next to where he was sitting most of the night. Another Killer was at the next table. They were just as boring in person as they look on TV. The drummer's face is weird.

Moz

M83 tonight! Woo.

Look at the yellow blob

My favorite ad that I walk by every day on the way home from work. Just wish they were as creative on the red blob..

Graveyard grrl

To all future owners of the limited edition m83 silkscreens, take comfort in knowing i hand numbered each of the one hundred copies. And its only 12:30!

Panda Bear

Boneless (Remix)

Probably my favorite artist this side of Michael Jackson

Coming soon..

I've wanted to sample this record for 3 years now, and I'm finally doing it. New music on the way!

Snow snow new york

Snow new york

Thx flea market

Also featured: my double chin

Our other two roommates.

Nightschool

Since Fall '07 I had been kicking around the name "Nightschool" or "EXWIFE" to call myself for the music I would make at that time. Turns out I hadn't really recorded any music til Fall '08, and still decided to call it "Nightschool." More on the origin of that name later. I spent most of that year just playing with all of my electronic gadgets and not having the time to record much of anything I wanted to keep (I was a Communications major at the time, and I actually had homework to do). I also lacked a synthesizer at the time. In my past bands, I've gotten away with recording on other people's equipment, synthesizers in particular. For my 20th birthday, I gave myself a KORG Poly-800 as a present, with the goal of finally making music again. So now with my arsenal of mixer, sampler, synthesizer, Kaoss Pad, and other stuff, I could finally begin again. The name "Nightschool" stuck as I worked on music mostly at night (at school) and on the busses to and from New York before I moved here. I am a perfectionist, and have never been able to churn out creations quickly... so to this date, I only have two songs finished and a third that I currently hate (but will re-make and not hate it). Both of them are available for download via RapidShare now and always on MySpace (but I wouldn't recommend the latter because of how they get compressed) at myspace.com/nightschool2.
"M800" is the first project finished with my new synth during a time I was listening to a lot of M83. Available here.
"Even Farther Away" is the other and is my favorite. Available here.

I will probably try to finish the new song soon-ish, because I really should be working on mixing my last band's (A Fetish for Ethics) record. It was recorded June-July of 2007 and never made it much farther from where we were recording it in upstate NY because all sorts of miscommunications. Now I have probably 30 gigabytes worth of audio that I need to sort through to begin the intimidating task of putting it all together.

Here's a video of a terrible performance in summer '07 of our favorite and best song, "Nighttime Cowboy." I'm the drummer with the crazy hair. You wouldn't know it from this video, but it's a really good song.

Cold day for a crash...

Today a US Airways Airbus 320 carrying 150+ passengers made an emergency crash landing in the Hudson River in New York City. Apparently the plane hit a goose or a flock of geese. I like the idea of a flock of geese better.. makes it more reasonable for a plane to actually go down. When we heard about it in the office today, jokes were made of the plane hitting a flock of seagulls. Some people chuckled, showed concern for a few minutes, and then resumed being hip.

Today was a particularly bad day for a crash into the Hudson, seeing as it was about 10 degrees out. Oops. Good thing the Hudson is so full of gasoline and dead stuff that make it 30 or 40 degrees warmer. Everyone made it out of the plane okay. I thought it was funny when I heard that the plane was actually floating downstream. Eric, the sales guy who sits at the computer next to me, went out on the street to walk to the river to see (where we are in Soho isn't far from the water). I thought about going with him, but then remembered that I hate winter.

Oh, and I discovered that this has been just above my head where I sit at Mute:

I like it there.

EDIT: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID! Finally, you're 23. It's about time, really. I feel like you were 22 forever and it was starting to really get to me (David is my older kin).

Feeeeeever Ray

Mute is all abuzz about Karin Dreijer Andersson's new sideproject "Fever Ray." Andersson is one half of Swedish electro-pop superstars the Knife, and her debut self-titled record makes that pretty obvious. I like it though.. only listened to it once through so far. It was handed to me after several employees made sure I wouldn't "put it on my iPod and then lose my iPod." It doesn't come out until March or something. But if you go to www.feverray.com, Klicktrack has it for sale via digital download. Kind of made me feel less exclusive about having it.. but it's nice that it says "Advance CD" on the disc. I spent half of today finishing yesterday's project of burning and labeling 200 copies of its first single, the creepy "If I Had a Heart," and the Fuck Buttons and Familjen remixes that will come out on a couple different 7"s. I put 'em on earlier during the day but walked away from the computer and forgot to keep listening to them. Actually.. that disc might still be in the computer. Oops.

Hello, internet.

I've decided to begin blogging. I'm not entirely sure what about yet. Here are things I do know: I'm living in NYC til June, I'm an intern at superhip Mute Records, and right now I have bad gas. The blog will probably cover these three points in detail, and other points in similar detail. I'm finding this post incredibly hard to write. I'm going to play Mario Kart now. Forthcoming updates will include what the room that my boyfriend and I share looks like, my menial intern tasks (the more interesting tasks may be included as well), what Mute is doing, what I'm doing, what New York is doing, and what my dog is most likely doing (sleeping).

Also: I'm learning to not be disgusted by eating mushrooms. I ate some in the stir fry that Steven made for dinner tonight. I liked it.