My thoughts and other useful information
I’ve been listening to so much good stuff this month, that I don’t have time to review it all. Here’s a quick list. I’ll expand on some of these later.
Being inspired by the exploits of Madlib and MF DOOM, I’m realizing more and more how very possible it is for me to start making my own music. What particularly appeals to me about the above artists is how low-profile their production methods are considering how good their music is. I just can’t shake this Quasimoto-esque fantasy of a dwelling in a bomb shelter/basement/studio all day long, doing nothing but laying down tracks. What’s more, Madlib (and probably most prominent rap artists as well) figured out entirely by experimentation how to produce music using little and relatively cheap equipment. From what I’ve gathered, he basically just uses a sampler and turntables. No computers, no Logic Studio. All he needs is a colossal record library and DJ skills. I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Madlib literally has the “beat tapes.”
I recently read an interview with Fat Jon (one of my favorite beat-makers) that reminded me what electronica should be, and why I love it so much.
This is the first in a series of posts about what music I’ve been listening to constantly over the last few weeks, sort of a less exhaustive kind of album review. I do have a last.fm account, but I only recently set up scrobbling, so the ridiculous amount of music already I’ve listened to on my computer and iPod wouldn’t be reflected. Plus, this gives me a way of sharing some thoughts about the music. Note that most of these are by no means new, just new to me.
I’ve decided to start writing some album reviews now that I have an iPod and more time to listen to my music. And also, I’m really annoyed at the ridiculousness of sites like Pitchfork and the shallow advertisement-style reviews of allmusicguide. It’s time for some reviews that are fair, honest, and a bit analytical. I’ve also been wanting to get some thoughts down on paper (again, pardon the term) about different underrated/underreviewed music for a while.
I finally got an iPod and I loooooveee it!! The interface isn’t perfect but it is still functional and attractive. It is so convenient being able to bring my music and videos with me anywhere. Really, how did I live without it before? And the classic has 80gb, which is plenty of space for all my music and podcasts as well as some movies. I just ordered a case for it because it gets scratched really easily.
My friend told me about this site called Pandora.com, an internet radio service similar to the famous last.fm. I share his opinion that it is superior to last.fm in various ways, though it has its flaws. Read the rest of this entry »
Important news: A bill has recently been passed by Congress that will effectively destroy independent internet radio. What the bill does is change the royalty collection policy for independent casters to one that requires ridiculously high rates that most individuals or small business even would never be able to afford. I can’t say much more about this than this excellent page has already. For some info about what you can do to stop this thing, check out KCRW and savenetradio.org. Please; I cannot stress this enough: If you are reading this page, stop what you are doing and visit the above links (especially the first one). Do it for the freedoms of music and the Internet.
Also see boycott-riaa.com and this video for more (somewhat related) stuff about intellectual property rights abuses.
I’ve been using our new Bose QuietComfort 3 headphones for a few months now, and they’re pretty good. They deliver solid sound quality and very good noise reduction.
You should not, however, buy them. They cost a whopping $350 (I was given a set as a gift).
There is no doubt that they are good headphones, but they are nowhere near worth the price. And the patented noise-canceling technology they use does not, as one might expect, cancel all outside sound; it cancels noise only. I understand that it would be an engineering miracle to cancel all outside sound, but for $350, expectations are pretty high.
My point is that if you are search of a new headset, find a good one for under $50. I’ve been using the Sony MDR-XD200 for a lot longer and the sound quality is just as good as Bose’s. And guess how much it cost me? 20 bucks.
Note: Bose also has QC2s which are slightly cheaper ($300, I believe), which have the same level of quality and noise-canceling, but are of the large, ear-cup variety, not the small travel kind used in the more expensive counterpart.
Because of my commitment to Boys’ State, it looks like I won’t be able to take Spanish 2 over the summer. It shouldn’t be a big deal, though, as I know people who have gotten into UCs without the recommended three years of a foreign language. Boys’ State also eliminates the possibility of the counselor-in-training program, which is unfortunate, but I’ll still have the Hollywood Bowl, Kaiser, and Cedars Sinai left to me for work/service learning. I guess this actually is a good thing because before I sat down and looked at all the dates, I was swamped with possible programs to do, and now I have less choices, thus simplifying things a bit.
I did add another possibility, though: the West LA College summer orchestra program. Dr. Steinberg sent out an email about it, and from the site, it looks to be interesting; I wouldn’t mind doing a summer music camp as I tend to get pretty rusty between regular orchestra seasons.
Update: Because of Boys’ State I’ll also no longer be able to take Spanish, but no big deal.
