Music Review: “Fatty Acid” by Fatty Acid

By admin | March 10, 2009

Music is great… or it’s not. Depends on who’s making it I suppose. That said, it seems that when Jon Sheldrick (the centerpiece of Fatty Acid) gets his hands on some electronics, samples and an instrument or two, good things happen.

I like it when good things happen.

Fatty Acid’s first album (self-titled) runs the gamut of all things mellow. Some tracks are charged full of the emotional and warm sounds I’ve come to expect from good shoegaze, others are more traditional ambient tunes and some even stray into the “new folk” category (that is, if that category exists yet). The common bond? Everything’s really good.

Sunday Morning is probably my favorite track on the album. Its layered/sampled guitar and glitchy drums make for a perfectly upbeat and thoughtful composition… so much so that it almost made me feel better about spending my days in a cubicle paradise rather than my backyard with a fresh cup of coffee. Almost.

Rolling is a beautiful ambient piece and is somewhat reminiscent of Eno’s “Music for Airports“, albeit with the wonderful addition of Brian Scherman (of Hans Blix) on Sax. My only complaint with this one? It’s only a minute and a half…

And if you ever wondered what might happen if Mogwai booted Martin Bulloch (for doing what drummers are good at - raising hell and running a muck) and replaced him with Tom Jenkinson (aka Squarepusher), Fast Break may well be the answer.  Great guitar and bass, perfectly glitched and distorted drums and a breakdown that reminds me of a great old 80’s tune (I’d tell you, but I’d have to kill you… I’m sampling it as soon as I dig the record out…).

Fatty Acid’s first release, “Fatty Acid” is available through Ropeadope Records directly , as well as through more traditional retailers like iTunes and the like.

Fatty Acid has also been so kind as to make a few tracks available for free download.

The first is a remix of the Hans Blix track “Matter” from their EP “State” (EP available for free here). I’ve not heard Matter in its original form, but the EP is very nice and I can say for certain that the remix is fantastic… reminiscent of some of Coldcut’s better work.

The other is a mashup of the remaining bits and pieces from his album, and is appropriately titled “Downtempo Album Mashup”. Check it… it’s dope!

The downloads:
Hans Blix - Matter (Fatty Acid Remix)
Fatty Acid - Downtempo Album Mashup

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New “Moodswings” DJ Mix Posted!

By admin | February 22, 2009

Just wanted to give a quick heads-up that just posted my Moodswings DJ mix for mass consumption. This is the first downtempo mix I ever recorded (circa 2004) and I went completely over the top taking samples from various movies which, I have to say, turned out quite nicely… hope you agree!

DiBo’s DJ Mixes

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How I Relate to My Music

By admin | February 21, 2009

A few days ago, my new friend and production partner Jesse Karras of Karras Design asked me to describe my relationship to my music.  I answered that it really depends on the track… some I listen to pretty often and really enjoy, others I’d rather forget about.  Anyway, for whatever reason, I neglected to address a pretty important part of his question; the part of the question I’ve spent a pretty significant amount of brainpower on.  How do I relate to the actual process?

My conclusion, at least so far, is that it’s really complicated and really simple.  Creating music isn’t something I’d call “fun” and sometimes, it can be extremely frustrating.  When I’m working on a track, I’m not thinking about women or work or anything else really… it’s very intuitive and in the moment.  It speaks to something very basic and fundamentally ingrained into who I am… it speaks to my need to create and my desire to make that creation beautiful.  And while I’m sure my mind-state and the general happenings in my life have an effect on the outcome, I don’t sit down and say “I’m going to make a song about…….”.  I just start creating.  And the result… is what it is.

Life and art and imitations and all that jazz…

That’s how I relate to my music.

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What happens during ejaculation

By admin | February 20, 2009

Ever wonder what happens when a dude does his thing?  Thanks to one of our planet’s most distinguished perverts, now you know.  Oh and you’ll have to pause the XLR8R podcast below… their player won’t do anything but autostart.

Say what you want about the guy, but Woody Allen makes one hell of a movie.  This clip was taken from “Everything you always wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask” which is a strange one to say the least, but it’s definitely a classic Allen flick…

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Music Review: Tohan and Nu

By admin | February 15, 2009

I have a confession to make.  The first time I heard Tohan and Nu’s track “Broken Tree”, I was so moved that I immediately contacted Nu and tried my damnedest to get her to work with me.  Fortunately she declined…  otherwise I’d be responsible for hindering further creativity between these two which, frankly, would be unacceptable.  I can be such a selfish prick sometimes.  But it’s ok.  I forgive me.

Tohan and Nu are from France and the UK respectively.  They belong to one of the most intriguing movements in music these days, at least to me.  They’ve never set foot in the same room.  All of their creations have come to exist via the Postal Service Model or, as is probably more appropriate, the FTP (e-mail, etc) Model.  What I find so wonderful about making music like this is that is speaks to something that can be all too elusive, both in music and in life.  Real chemistry.  And when it’s there it’s so powerful that no body of water, language barrier or meddling electronic musician can get in the way.  It’s just there.

Their first track, Broken Tree, is an absolute testament to that.  Tohan’s production is minimal and fits the melancholic vocals and guitar from Nu perfectly.  Nu’s lyrics are absolutely beautiful in their simplicity and leave just enough to the imagination that most people will find themselves relating in some way or another.

Fading starts with an ominous bass-driven intro before working its way into a haunting and extremely emotional peak.  Parts of this song remind me of Beth Gibbons‘ solo stuff (in all the right ways), albeit slightly more electronic and effected (in all the right ways).  Nu’s vocals are especially moving on this one, particularly towards the end where, either through the use of delays or extremely impressive vocal control, there’s a fantastic vibrato effect… very nice.

Anyway, I highly recommend downloading these tracks (links below)… you can’t beat free, especially when it’s better than most of the shit the majors are putting out these days.  As always, enjoy the music and keep your eyes peeled for another review with more free tunes in the next week or so!

Tohan and Nu’s Tracks (right click, “Save As”):
Broken Tree
Fading

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The Alchemist on XLR8R

By admin | February 12, 2009

For those who haven’t checked out XLR8R’s Podcast, I highly recommend subscribing. Every episode features an interview with a different musician, artist, etc. The most recent show with the Alchemist was definitely one of the better shows up to this point. It’s a pretty traditional interview, but I can relate to his views on music/art in a way that I don’t with most artists.

Anyway, take a look for yourself and if you have some available disk space, subscribe to the XLR8R podcast… I think you’ll like it! Oh, and be sure to check out the Sebastien Telliers segment… fucking hilarious!

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Tracks Now Available on CDBaby!!

By admin | February 6, 2009

Just wanted to let everyone know that my album “Fragments” is officially officially available from CDBaby, both as a digital download and on CD.  It should be available on iTunes and other major sites shortly, although CDBaby is still the best with respect to the percentage that actually goes to artists (about 90% vs roughly 60% from iTunes).

And since I’m such a proponent of free music, I figured it was only right for me to give away a track in the spirit of things.  I made this one a few weeks ago and, to be honest, I’m not sure I like it all that much.  Still, I received some positive feedback on it from friends who are notorious for telling the truth, so I thought it was proper to post.  Anyway, the track is called Last Time (right click and “save as”).

Hope you enjoy the music!

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New DJ Mix Posted - First Time Out

By admin | February 5, 2009

Just wanted to give a heads-up that there is a new DJ set available to download. This one has kind of a funny story behind it.

The Reader’s Digest is that I was so nervous before my first DJ gig (at the Honey Bee Hive… now the Hive Sushi Lounge)that I spent over a week planning and recording this set so I knew my mixes inside out. I showed up with nothing but the records in this mix, played them exactly as they’re presented here and went home, vowing to never do that again… it took me about 10 hours to plan this set and I think I got paid $50 for it.  Between prep, performance and, of course, minus booze, I probably scored a cool $3/hr from that gig…

Anyway, I still dig the music… hope you do too!

DiBo’s DJ Mixes

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Music Review: Electric Sea Spider - In Lucid Dreams LP

By admin | January 25, 2009

I woke up a few days ago and had the pleasure of discovering Electric Sea Spider (aka Jim S. Sellars), an 18 year old ambient producer from Melbourne, Australia. His music is, in a word, good. Very good, in fact. So good that it makes me wish I’d been making music instead of… doing whatever the hell I was doing when I was 18… it’s a bit hazy I’m afraid. But enough about me.

ESS’s first album on mine, all mine! records (a net label specializing in free downloads), “In Lucid Dreams”, is a beautiful ambient collection. Some tracks are very Eno’esque, some are representative of Tangerine Dream’s better offerings, while others tip a hat to more modern ambient/IDM producers like Aphex Twin and Autechre. No matter, I really enjoyed listening to this album, perhaps even more because it’s available for free.

Your Hand Against Mine is a wonderful piece of wall-of-sound type ambient, with its slow attacking pads, heavy reverb and rich, textured harmonies. This was the first of ESS’s tracks to catch my attention and is probably still my favorite, although Piano Piece for an Imaginary Film is pretty fantastic as well. Simple patterns, great building percussion and spacey pads all make for a very pleasant listen.

Electric Sea Spider also released an EP in 2008 that is very much worth checking out and is also very free.

Anyway, enjoy the music and check back soon for more music reviews, DJ mixes and other bits and pieces.

Electric Sea Spider downloads:
In Lucid Dreams LP
Fear God, Fear Satan EP

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Carly Simon - Why (DiBo Re-Edit)

By admin | January 17, 2009

A few years ago, I grew frustrated with my (in)ability to produce my own tracks.  Everything I made was a testament to the fact that I was an untrained and inexperienced musician.  So I took a break from original productions for a few months and decided to take a shot at mangling other people’s music for a change.  This is the first of a few re-edits I did during that time and it’s probably still my favorite to play, even if I do have to bust out the CD-J to make it happen.  It’s kind of a disco/reggae track with some pretty fantastic vocal sections.  Enjoy!!

Carly Simon - Why (DiBo Re-Edit)

Oh, and if you’re a DJ and you decide you’d like to use this track in a set, send it my way and if I like it, I’ll host it for you on my site.

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