Young People Have Destroyed Music

So it ain't say?! Here's the short, but to the point, article called iPods and Young People Have Utterly Destroyed Music by Matt Buchanan. Following is an excerpt that sums it up too -

In other words, younger people haven't just grown more tolerant of thin, soulless MP3 renditions of their favorite music, they actually like them. Shitty MP3s, even. O'Relly Radar quotes Professor Berger as saying that it's the "sizzle sounds" that people are loving because it's what they're comfortable with. So, yes Virginia, iPods really have killed music. People aren't just ignorant of high quality audio, they actually hate it. Gee, thanks for contributing to the downfall of civilization, Apple. Music is dead, everyone, carry on.

I have no doubt that he is correct as I relate this to those terrible songs they play on the radio, though they play them enough times that eventually you become dull to the nausea and might actually end up tapping your toe to the beat, possibly even sing along.

Historical Maps of the World & More

I'm always perusing Google images and found this great little page containing old maps and building illustrations. Love this type of stuff. Found on reisenett.no and I have no idea what this site is even about.

Final Product // ATTIGO TT from Scott Hobbs on Vimeo.

Wow, not to sure what to think of this yet, but the ATTIGO TT has all the potential of taking DJ performances to another level. At least, it looks really fun to play around with. Right now it sounds like it's limited to sound manipulation and I hope the designer eventually integrates a pitch control for mixing.

The ATTIGO TT was created by Scott Hobbs, a student at Dundee University studying innovative product design. For his final year project he’s created a touch screen turntable that lets DJ’s loop, sample and scratch wave forms just as you would a record. The size of the touchtable is approximately the same as a standard turntable, making the physical interaction nearly the same. Where this takes off is in the flexibility and features included right at your fingertips, no longer locked up on a computer screen. The ATTIGO TT is currently a working prototype, and Scott is looking for manufacturers to partner with.

From www.psfk.com and written By Dan Gould

Ampersand Cufflinks

Now if I did require the use of cufflinks, I would definitely get these! From Veer

Shepard Fairey & the Obama poster

The discussion continues about Shepard Fairey and his work - click
I look forward to seeing how this situation between the Associated Press (Mannie Garcia's photograph) and Shepard Fairey develops. The article was pretty interesting, especially the notes on the right side and specifically this one:

FAIR USE IN US LAW - KEY QUESTIONS
Transformation of the work: was the original changed giving it new meaning or value?

Shepard Fairey has faced this issue before. Following is one argument that I've forwarded to people in the past: Obey Plagiarist Shepard Fairey: A critique by artist Mark Vallen I've also heard that Mark Vallen got a lot of flak for posting his thoughts on Fairey's work, but I've never sort to find out what that was about or who did it.

Now for me personally, I remember Shepard Fairey & Dave Kinsey back in the day when they used to post stuff all over San Diego. In fact, my wife & I walked up on the two of them wheatpasting posters on an electrical box off of Laurel Avenue at laround 9pm in the evening in the late 90s. We actually took this opportunity to stop and chat to them. This was what they did, influenced by skateboarding, mass media and pop artists such as Rauschenberg, Warhol or Lichtenstein, all of whom plagiarized the hell out of everything. Then artists such as Keith Harring and Blek Le Rat had further impact with their "take it to the streets" attitude, changing the entire dynamic. There was a purpose and that was to take some mundane thing and give it an alternate meaning, a form of artistic expression shared with the public, whether they liked it or not. However, after looking at Mark Vallen's examples, you'll notice that most of the imagery presented already had significant meaning and was simply used to perpetuate the branding of the Obey clothing line for commercial means. Not on all counts, but when it ends up on a t-shirt instead of a gallery wall, I believe that line has been crossed. Plenty of brands do this though, the only difference here is that Obey represents the artist. I also find it hard to believe that Fairy wasn't making any money off of the Obama posters, besides recouping production costs.

BTW, Dave Kinsey has left a lot of that behind and if you are not familiar with him, check out his awesome work. He has evolved into a fantastic artist, far more interesting than Shepard Fairey but, unfortunately, doesn't have the recognition he deserves. Actually, Kinsey usually wheatpasted original characters that he designed and illustrated.... hmmm, it's hard thinking back because I wasn't really involved with that scene at all. I remember his old Treefort skateboard decks though, they were great.

Final note, another article about the irony of a Texas based artist who parodies Obey and how Shepard Fairey is possibly going to take legal action against him. I just think Shepard should take legal action against the Texas guy because his parodies are pretty crap.

New Mixer

Just picked up an Ecler Nuo 2.0 mixer off of eBay, which ended up saving me $70. My trusty Pioneer DJM 300, which I've had for just over 10 years, seems to have died on me. I was considering a Pioneer DJM 400 as the 300 was discontinued a while ago, but I felt I would be paying $200 extra just for FX and the only FX feature I generally use is the flanger and everyone hates a flanger hog, so I didn't want to end up being that guy. I do use delays, but again, how much would I actually use that?

I'm happy with some of the features of the Ecler, especially the output components, but the setup is a little awkward because it's very slim and a lot of buttons are packed into a small space. I honestly don't think the kill switches are necessary because they aren't sharp and I prefer adjusting my highs, mids & lows via the knobs. The other criticism I have is that the cue (pfl) buttons are in an awkward position, specifically because they are behind the big fat FX knobs, which should be up above the gains (maybe). If you are a turntablist dj, which I am not, you'd best upgrade to the Eternal crossfader because the stock fader is not butter. That said, the sound quality is top notch and it's all just a matter of getting used to my new toy. It's perfect for my little home setup and at least it isn't a Numark or Gemini.

Blood Wizard

Got my t-shirts & stickers from the Blood Wizard last week and decided I really needed to post about them. This new outfit is probably one of the strongest skateboard companies I've seen emerge out of the ashes in recent years. You have to read the story of the Blood Wizard on the website, it's awesome! Above is an image from a small 5.5" x 7" full color 12 page zine I got with my order. The art of Skinner (Warren Davis) is the foundation of the brand and he is supremely talented. His work is inspiring and thriving with energy. I hope I make enough money to one day have one of his glorious paintings adorn my wall.


I was just on his site and this is the painting I must have!