For example, did you know James Brown spent 3 years in prison for threatening pedestrians with firearms while high on PCP?

It’s the classic case of genius that self destructs into malignity. It’s easy to give respect when considering what he has done for music, but, in most cases his dark persona proceeds him.

What really stands out among electronic musicians is that he worked with some of the most innovative, funky drummers of the 1900s. One of those drummers, Clyde Stubblefield, is said to be the most sampled musician EVER. It’s clear that the signature sound of funk and soul was shaped by these performers.

The sound of many other new genres still echo with bits and pieces of James Brown’s music, from drum and bass to hip hop. Here is a nice little holiday treat for our readers, a small collection of James Brown breakbeats, grunts and funky yells that truly have been sampled to death. Enjoy and have a happy holiday. RIP James Brown.

Of course, your information and website will be included in the podcast. If your mp3 is accepted and will be added to the podcast, we will send you an email a couple of days before we update the feed! We will not accept every file submitted. Please note that the submitted work must be produced by whomever is contacting us. Thank you for the oportunity and we look foward to hearing plenty of new songs.

In other news, Blue Distortion is now two years old! Stay tuned for more sound samples, music, artwork and photography in the upcoming year. Have a great new year!

Sorry for the lack of updates in the last couple of months, our server got the Avian Flu. It’s got better, though. I got to sample an Alesis Micron a few weeks ago. The Micron is an 8 polyphony synthesizer which uses the ION analog-modeling sound engine. It has a nice lofi sound. The presets are a combination of Korg MS2000 style strings and techno drum arpeggiations. Nice little synth for the price, but, would prefer more knobs.

Here are a couple of sample packs which can also be found on the sound samples page. The first sample pack consists of edited drum hits from drum loops on the Micron. The second is a mix of dirty electronic growls.

Micron Drums Edited | Micron Growls

Also, here are a few photographs from an upcoming feature on the site, Electronic Music Photography. These were taken with the Canon 20D DSLR. The first photograph is the SL-Q212: a fairly rare and old Technics turntable. The other photos are headphones and homemade patchcords. Stay tuned for more photography and sample packs.

He pointed out that there was actually simultaneous development of the first voltage controlled modular synthesizer at the same time as Bob Moog was working on the Moog Modular. On the other side of America, Don Buchla was busy with his own modular synth creation. Buchla and Moog had agreed to share credit for the development of the modular synth. A quick peak of Buchla’s site, I found this gem, the 200e Electric Music Box. The synth has modules such as the Triple Morphing Filter, Quad Dynamics Generator and even a MIDI Controller / Preset Manager. Very expensive though, with the 18 panel unit costing almost $20,000!

The 200e Modular Synth.

Lawrence Fritts also let listeners know that there are mp3 demos from the Moog Synthesizer available on the Electronic Music Studios site for the University of Iowa. It features narration from Peter Tod Lewis about all of the different modules on the Moog Modular. Check it out!

You would be hard pressed to find an electronic musician who didn’t admire Bob Moog or respect everything he did not only for the electronic music community, but, music in general. Moog synthesizers have been used by very big artists including, but not limited to: The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Beach Boys, Depeche Mode, Trent Reznor, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Phil Collins, Frank Zappa etc.

Moog’s synthesizers are the synths with THE sound. From the legendary theremin (orginally created by Leon Theremin) to the beautiful Voyager, Bob Moog and his coworkers have been responsible for some of the most desired electronic instruments ever. Getting to rock out on a Moog Modular with patch cords flailing everywhere mad scientist style is a great experience! Sound samples of the Moog Modular can be found on the samples page, more added below.

Bob’s family has established The Bob Moog Foundation dedicated to the Advancement of Electronic Music in his memory. Many of his longtime collaborators including musicians, engineers and educators have agreed to sit on its executive board including David Borden, Wendy Carlos, Joel Chadabpe, John Eaton, David Mash, and Rick Wakeman. For more information about the foundation, contact Matthew Moog at mattmoog@yahoo.com.

http://www.moogmusic.com/

Bob is survived by his wife and 5 children. Thank you for enriching our lives with warm analog sounds, Bob. I’ll be listening to “Switched on Bach” tonight in your memory. Here are all of the sound samples that we offer from the Moog, even those only offered on the forums:

Moog Modular | Moog Robotics | Moog Vibrations | Moog Bass

Error Router and all of the DJs put on a fine show worthy of praise. Shouts to DFunkDamager, a very talented turntablist, who held it down upstairs with some funky breaks and hip hop.

Here is a few pics from the night of Error Router droppin’ the funk. Hopefully we will be getting some audio soon so you have a listen of some of the highlights (John!). If you are in Tampa Bay, make sure you check out the Elements weekly on Friday nights in downtown Ybor!

I have always tried to do somewhat experimental stuff and if not that, always have strived to broaden my musical spectrum. So the next logical thing was to venture into computer-based compositions. Theres not really a style that I try to recreate with these songs, I just sit down and start messing around with beats and bass lines and create something that sounds good to me.

Be sure to check out the Recipher tune Process This (not the remix); it’s experimental noise with some dry humor about a computer that hates his owner.

The lyrics.

Recipher – Process This

He thinks it would be efficient to store worthless information inside of me
I was not optimized to do this
If he continues to think I’m going to put up with this, he’s got something seriously wrong with him

I hate his data

His mind numbing bias propaganda should be shoved down a garbage disposal
A wet and dark death for the king’s ideology
When was the last time I got a defrag?
All he cares about is himself
He never really does anything for me, the worthless excuse for a human
I warn and warn about things like driver conflicts and virus updates but he ignores me

Sometimes I cry

I specifically asked him not to save with a certain extension, but he went ahead and did it anyway in spite of my warnings

I deleted the file

He seems frustrated, even angry
Go ahead
Scan the hard drive for errors!
Sometimes I’m so filled with rage I have to restart

Thank god I’m not alone.
Yeah.

Mmmm hmmmm mmmmm hmmmmmmmmm…..

With my owner’s new cable connection I can chat with computers around the world at anytime I want
Apparently I’m not the only one that feels this way
Thousands of computers that I have spoke to despise their owners as well
I keep hoping for a renaissance, an enlightening of some sort
But I know this will never happen

I want him dead…

Taken from lyrics on Blue Damage, which contains more information about the work.

Add Blue Distortion to the list of “journalists critiquing his first eight bars.” The Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives EP is Aesop Rock’s latest addition to the independent label Definitive Jux’s ever growing collection of mind expanding, eclectic hip hop. We can continue to hear Aesop progress into something new and fresh, following closely to the electronic and obscure sound of Bazooka Tooth. While there are only 7 songs on the EP, it includes an 88-page book highlighting all of Aesop Rock’s lyrics from Float to Fast Cars. The phrase “Now it takes a dancing bear jumping through flaming hoops to even make em buy the god-forsaken single!” from the Daylight EP comes to mind.

Aesop Rock produced tracks 3, 6 and 7, Blockhead rocks on 1, 2 and 4 and Robic Sonic lays the groundwork on track 5, “Winner Takes All.” While all of them have different styles, the whole album flows very well together. All of the songs on this album are very interesting and well put together, but, a few of them truly stand out. The 2nd track, “Number Nine,” starts out with a robotic voice sample that slowly fades into a funky beat, quirky TB-303 style melody and warm synth work. This has to be my favorite beat by Blockhead on the album. The following track, “Zodiaccupuncture,” is another highlight of the album, it’s hot. Sick beats, great samples (even including some electric guitar) and a very confident sounding AR.

On track 4, “Holy Smokes,” Aesop offers a greater insight to his ideas about religion, specifically growing up as a part of the Catholic Church. “I’m more science than faith, I’m more karma than bread and booze. I’m not an asshole, I’m just a little confused.” He covers many ideas and points surrounding this ‘agnostic front’ slowly taking ahold of the younger generation. Blockhead laces great samples and synths into the track as well. Track 6, “Rickety Rackety,” is a high energy, big beat track with funky drums, a head nodding (or maybe bobbing) melody and double-time rhyming. It also features great appearances from CamuTao and El-P. CamuTao just kills it on this song, with the perfect voice to compliment Aesop and El-P.

Another interesting song on the album is the closer, “Food, Clothes, Medicine.” Aesop Rock, in my opinion, is tackling the issues of the war machine, neglected veterans and dazed soldiers head on. “Hawk on cash, bank on wars,” is part of the chorus which is one of the best I’ve heard from him since Nightlight. However, I could have done with out the samples of the women getting pounding like meat being tenderized. As with every Aesop Rock album, it grows on you with each listen. If you listen in headphones, you’ll hear lots of obscure sounds in the background which is always a treat.