quick music notes.

i go through music at a pretty fast pace.

...kinda like the part in fahrenheit 451 where people are required to drive at 200 miles per hour so that they don't slow down and see everything.

really, i miss a lot of good music that way.

i have friends that help me with the loose ends.

...

so, Saul Williams released the album 'The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust'. as a digital only download back in november. I knew it was around, but forgot to check it out. Friends were telling me to listen to it. But, not until this week when it was released as a cd, did i take the time to buy and listen to it.

turns out it is amazing. Trent Reznor produced the album. Saul does the rest.

i know it's a bit predictable, but the cover of 'Sunday Bloody Sunday', (originally by U2) is an instant favorite. not only does that song have one of the best drum tracks of any pop/rock song in the past 25 years, but the new version keeps in line with the original political feel.

side note: 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' is ranked in my top 10 political songs of all time. i haven't finished that list, but i'm sure it will contain a Rage Against the Machine song and Marvin Gaye's, 'What's Going On'.

so... for the first time in months, i've found a song that i want to listen to a couple of times over... in a row.

right now, in second place is the song 'WTF', which has Trent singing along.

the rest of the album holds up. Saul Williams makes me wish i was still an angry teenager.

also... to those who might not know... the title of the album is genius. it's both a nod to Bowie's Ziggy Stardust alter-ego and a head's up to the heavy content of most of Sauls' subject matter.

...

other notable releases...

i picked up a hard copy of Beck's 'Modern Guilt'. the album is produced by Danger Mouse (Grey Album, Black Keys, Gorillaz, DangerDoom), who is quickly rising to be one of this decades' most important.

any true fan of Beck can tell you that he is always changing. and, even though Wikepedia (Dan will like this fuel for his anti-Wiki argument) lists only 8 albums in Beck's discography, i count at least 10 full length albums sitting in my 'music corner'... if i were to play every Beck song in chonological order, i still couldn't tell you what he is going to do next.

this album is would fall into his more contemporary song writing area. sort of like the 'Sea Change' album, but more upbeat.

Beck is a scientologist. maybe that helps. maybe this is the music of the thetans (scientology aliens). not bad. i like Beck.

...

since i live in east texas (and some cds never make it to retail stores here), i got the digital version of Ratatat's 'EP3'.

a quick review... Ratatat's 'Classics' was a party. 'EP3' is the album you listen to on your way home; when you talk about how amazing the party was.

buy them. they go together.

...

the Notwist just released 'The Devil, You + Me'.

this is the first true followup to the amazing 'Neon Golden'... the album that renewed my faith in the glitch pop thing... yes... there is life after Postal Service.

like a lot of bands that have an amazing album, they took their time and decided to explore and write.

lead guitarist and vocalist, Markus Acher has also been involved in several guest/side projects including: 13 & God, Lali Puna, Alias...

'The Devil, You + Me', reflects the time and experience between '02 and '08. this album has a full range.

side note: thanks to Victor for holding the only two copies at Hastings. I bought the deluxe version. and to pay Victor back, i'm holding the only other copy of Does It Offend You Yeah! for him.

...

yup, there you go. some quick music reviews.

i read a lot of reviews. i don't like to use 'review cliches'. i try not to use words like 'dynamic' or 'juxtapose'. sometimes i get lazy and just describe things as 'good'.

really... just go to i-tunes or something like it, and listen to the songs.

...

i'm going to try to watch Wall-E today.

good day.

A night of Dj'ing in review

Whether I'm up on stage or in a booth, I'm always within reach of the crowd. Dj'ing is not like a live band performance where the musicians are more or less off limits to conversation and physical contact.

I know there's the classic, 'Play some Skynyrd!' comment to the bands. But unless you are at some intimate show, it's mostly not interactive.

Here are a few examples of what I hear/see/feel just during last night's set.

Keep in mind that a lot of this is fuelled by alcohol and bad taste.

...not in any particular order...

exact quotes:

- drunk girl: "Hey man, this is Tyler. Why are you playing stuff that people from Dallas would like? Play 'Crazy B___'."

- guy with tattoos and white cap on backwards: "You got any Cottonmouth Kings?"

- random jerk at 8:15 (I was setting up and I don't start playing until 9pm): "What the @#$! DJ?"

things commonly heard:

"Play some rap."
"Play some metal."
"Play something good." (this is a dj's least favorite comment.)
"Play something that jams."
"Play some 80s."
"Play anything... but this."

...keep in mind that as I do each of these requested things, one of the other comments listed comes back.

things commonly seen:

- Cowboy dudes that look frustrated all night.
- Tattoos.
- Different group rituals for taking shots.
- Guys yelling at whatever sporting event is on.
- People looking bored until I play 'Lollipop' by Lil Wayne.
- Girls that can't dance.

things i feel:

- Bass. From behind the speakers, all I hear is bass.
- Tapping on my shoulder to get my attention when I have to fade the song in 10 seconds.
- Sticky and/or smoke stained hands.
- Hugs.
- Lights beaming down on my face.
- Smoke, smoke, smoke... Honestly, I hate the smoke.

...

I don't mean to sound overly negative. I love dj'ing. I just don't think most people realize what it's like to entertain hundreds of individuals.

Still, it is rewarding to watch people dance, drink and smile. And every now and then I get to sneak in some music that I love. Every now and then someobody walks up and says they love the song or asks me who the artist is.

Last nights highlights...

- Playing some new Atmosphere.
- Playing some old Clash that nobody would hear otherwise.
- Playing Cake.
- Dedicating a song to someone's mom.
- Getting to play David Guetta and someone cheering for it.
- Good requests.
- Getting a request for M.I.A. (finally after pushing her locally for 2 years)
- My friends are cooler than the most.
- And yes... people danced.

...

So, there you have it. A quick night in review. And once I cough all the smoke out of my lungs and get some sleep, I'll be looking forward to the next time.

Totally psyched, but unfortunately distracted

...this is a repost from my myspace page. i'm not trying to fool anyone.


from reading an endless amount of music magazines, i sometimes find some amazing leads to free, awesome music.

i have stumbled upon a music blog that posts song lists that i would otherwise never find.

they have a sections of sample source songs that artists have used. there are lots of old school hip hop sources mixed in there. most of those songs are simple disco/electro, old r&b and deep cut funk.

the stuff that really got me were sample sources for:

daft punk
basement jaxx
m.i.a.
lilly allen
missy elliott
rjd2
outkast

it's amazing how, by either digging endlessly through old records or in some cases, hiring a producer that already has... some artists can almost exactly copy and old song and end up with a hit.

if i played some of these songs at a dj show, most people would think i was playing the familiar song. then they would all be disappointed.

the classic version of a dj fooling everyone is playing 'under pressure' by queen and david bowie... and the crowd thinking it's 'ice ice baby' by vanilla ice.

anyway...

all this excitement over these songs has distracted me from sleep and school work.

shame on me.

Mathematicians at the grocery store.

I’m at the local store… the one where everyone shops for everything. It’s 9:30pm and my list was as follows:

milk
juice
chips
bleach
nuts

…Pretty simple and quick, right?

Well it would have been if not for a darn mathematician at the checkout.

Turns out this person had found some merchandise that they wanted for a price other than what was being displayed when scanned.

Here is their list:

three pair of red denim pants, in three different sizes
eleven packages of travel sized hand wipes
a telescope tripod







Here are the dilemmas; in order:

‘Which pair of pants should I buy? I don’t know which one will fit.’
‘These wipes were supposed to be 50 cents each… Not 2 dollars.’
‘I don’t know how much this tripod is supposed to be, but I know my total should be $19 and not $29.’

With each of these items, the person left the isle, got a manager, and fought until they got her way. The manager had to help three times; each time giving in to the mathematician’s demands and adjusting the price.

I should note that the manager did not help with the pants decision. The person just put all three back.

This took about 30 minutes. There were no other lanes open. I waited. No big deal.

At least some person is going to have plenty of hand wipes to clean themselves after using their tripod.

That’s called looking at the bright side.

Also, I found my favorite snack…
See next blog.

Happiness in Almonds

This is my absolute favorite snack. They were unavailable in cans for over a year. Now they are back. Enjoy them.

Intro

Hi.

I'm Zack Santschi. I dj as dj santschi.



This is what I look like... sometimes.