Boy Genius
Published by Mertz on Tuesday, November 21, 2006 at 9:27 PM.
Since I've got a lot of music to write about, today's thought will be a short one. Basically, all I have to say is, that's my brother and I couldn't be prouder. In fact, it's all I've talked about to people the last few days.
Rhodes Scholar Wants to Make Science Approachable
Autumn Driving Mix
Today I am driving back to my parents' place to visit my brother, my parents, my parents' new dog, Teddy (pictured left), my friends and also to visit a much needed three days off. As wonderful as all this sounds, there still is a lot of driving in store for me.
Music is linked to nearly all of my memories. My strongest memories of fall in the Chicago suburbs when I was growing up all involve driving somewhere listening to the Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The drive from my parents' house to my high school parking lot was the exact length of the song "Here Is No Why." After I graduated high school, I still would come back to visit for fall breaks and drive around late at night, blaring the Pumpkins nonstop, sometimes just driving to nowhere in particular just to be driving and rocking to the music that felt like the soundtrack to living in the angst generating northwest burbs.
Anyway, I give that preface to this mix to help better outline the overall mood of this mix. There are going to be moody songs, there are going to be rock out jams, there are going to be fragile and beautiful songs. I'll be rocking these over the Thanksgiving holiday and hopefully you will too:
The Smashing Pumpkins - Set The Ray To Jerry
Yes, I know that I have started many a mix with this song. But it is my second favorite Pumpkins song (behind Mayonaise), and I played this to death driving around the fall. I couldn't make this mix without it.
??? - ???
I'd love to post what this song is and write about it. Unfortunately, a mid-sized indie label that I used to respect recently went insane with legal threats to blogs posting tracks off this album. Let's just say this album isn't out yet, but you'll want this. Get to downloading before the RIAA hauls me off.
DJ Krush & Toshinori Kondo - Mu-Getsu
Quality, moody trip hop with a very muddy horn line that will fit perfectly on a cold grey day. It's tracks like this that make me download everything that I can get from DJ Krush.
Kid Koala - Scratchcratchratchatch Pt.1
This is more a selection for this year. I'll be rocking out to Kid Koala at the Abbey Pub on Thanksigiving Eve. This is part one of Koala's first mix tape. Appreciate the genius.
Sufjan Stevens - Chicago (Adult Contemporary Easy Listening Version)
Don't let the remix title scare you off. This is an amazing remix of an already amazing track. Sufjan has so much talent it makes me sick sometimes. I have aspirations of making a minimal/micro house remix of this song someday, but for now, this version will more than suffice.
Gary Jules - Mad World
One Thanksgiving break my grandfather passed away. One of the odd quirks was that the visitation on Thanksgiving day itself. Nothing was open, and so for dinner my dad and I had to go eat White Castle. A strange memory, but a vivid one. I don't think anything that bad will happen. But should something go wrong this holiday, playing this song 900 times in a row should get me through.
Prax Paris - Under the Shower (with Colette vocals)
Ripped out of Colette's Our Day mix. I know this doesn't fit with the more morose cuts in this mix, but who cares. I'm going to see Superjane (Colette, Heather, Lady D, Dayhota) at Smartbar tonight. It's a Thanksgiving tradition. And while I don't expect Colette to bust this oldie out on Wednesday night, let's just say I'll be grinning for a month if she does.
Oasis - Half The World Away
"I would like to leave this city." That sentiment couldn't better sum up what I'm feeling for Champaign these days. Being away for three days should only intensify that. Good autumn song too.
Lephtee - So Far Back
Most likely I'll be rocking a lof of Ben Watt/Buzzin Fly mixes this mini-vacation. So while this post is semi-selfish (I wanted an mp3 copy of this track since I have been wearing out my vinyl at home), it also fits with those slowly unfolding fall days that seem to just blend into one another.
Radiohead - Climbing Up The Walls (Zero 7 Remix)
Another one of my mixtape fallbacks. But this is too good for late night driving to not have it on here.
Ben Folds - Silver Street (Live)
A no brainer for going home.
Shy FX - Plastic Soul
This mix needs another upbeat song. I was going to put "Twilight's Last Gleaming" by High Contrast up, but my copy of High Society has gone missing. Therefore, not only will I be shopping for a new copy, but I am also forced to put up Shy FX's very good "Plastic Soul."
Download the entire Autumn Driving Mix
Rhodes Scholar Wants to Make Science Approachable
Autumn Driving MixMusic is linked to nearly all of my memories. My strongest memories of fall in the Chicago suburbs when I was growing up all involve driving somewhere listening to the Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The drive from my parents' house to my high school parking lot was the exact length of the song "Here Is No Why." After I graduated high school, I still would come back to visit for fall breaks and drive around late at night, blaring the Pumpkins nonstop, sometimes just driving to nowhere in particular just to be driving and rocking to the music that felt like the soundtrack to living in the angst generating northwest burbs.
Anyway, I give that preface to this mix to help better outline the overall mood of this mix. There are going to be moody songs, there are going to be rock out jams, there are going to be fragile and beautiful songs. I'll be rocking these over the Thanksgiving holiday and hopefully you will too:
The Smashing Pumpkins - Set The Ray To Jerry
Yes, I know that I have started many a mix with this song. But it is my second favorite Pumpkins song (behind Mayonaise), and I played this to death driving around the fall. I couldn't make this mix without it.
??? - ???
I'd love to post what this song is and write about it. Unfortunately, a mid-sized indie label that I used to respect recently went insane with legal threats to blogs posting tracks off this album. Let's just say this album isn't out yet, but you'll want this. Get to downloading before the RIAA hauls me off.
DJ Krush & Toshinori Kondo - Mu-Getsu
Quality, moody trip hop with a very muddy horn line that will fit perfectly on a cold grey day. It's tracks like this that make me download everything that I can get from DJ Krush.
Kid Koala - Scratchcratchratchatch Pt.1
This is more a selection for this year. I'll be rocking out to Kid Koala at the Abbey Pub on Thanksigiving Eve. This is part one of Koala's first mix tape. Appreciate the genius.
Sufjan Stevens - Chicago (Adult Contemporary Easy Listening Version)
Don't let the remix title scare you off. This is an amazing remix of an already amazing track. Sufjan has so much talent it makes me sick sometimes. I have aspirations of making a minimal/micro house remix of this song someday, but for now, this version will more than suffice.
Gary Jules - Mad World
One Thanksgiving break my grandfather passed away. One of the odd quirks was that the visitation on Thanksgiving day itself. Nothing was open, and so for dinner my dad and I had to go eat White Castle. A strange memory, but a vivid one. I don't think anything that bad will happen. But should something go wrong this holiday, playing this song 900 times in a row should get me through.
Prax Paris - Under the Shower (with Colette vocals)
Ripped out of Colette's Our Day mix. I know this doesn't fit with the more morose cuts in this mix, but who cares. I'm going to see Superjane (Colette, Heather, Lady D, Dayhota) at Smartbar tonight. It's a Thanksgiving tradition. And while I don't expect Colette to bust this oldie out on Wednesday night, let's just say I'll be grinning for a month if she does.
Oasis - Half The World Away
"I would like to leave this city." That sentiment couldn't better sum up what I'm feeling for Champaign these days. Being away for three days should only intensify that. Good autumn song too.
Lephtee - So Far Back
Most likely I'll be rocking a lof of Ben Watt/Buzzin Fly mixes this mini-vacation. So while this post is semi-selfish (I wanted an mp3 copy of this track since I have been wearing out my vinyl at home), it also fits with those slowly unfolding fall days that seem to just blend into one another.
Radiohead - Climbing Up The Walls (Zero 7 Remix)
Another one of my mixtape fallbacks. But this is too good for late night driving to not have it on here.
Ben Folds - Silver Street (Live)
A no brainer for going home.
Shy FX - Plastic Soul
This mix needs another upbeat song. I was going to put "Twilight's Last Gleaming" by High Contrast up, but my copy of High Society has gone missing. Therefore, not only will I be shopping for a new copy, but I am also forced to put up Shy FX's very good "Plastic Soul."
Download the entire Autumn Driving Mix
Too many options on Friday
Published by Mertz on Friday, November 17, 2006 at 10:32 AM.
Today is one of those days where I am on the verge of being sick so my mind isn't focusing very well on anything. Compounding the issue of writing about one thing is that for the second year in a row, my brother has made it to the final interview stage in the process to become a Rhodes Scholar. I've been hitting the RSS feeds a lot harder just to help him stay up on the what's happening in the world.So for today's thought, I could write about the US Senate foolishly reaching an agreement that will put more nuclear weapons in the world. Or I could make some snide remarks about the Democrats already fumbling in the House (although Dana Milbank does a far better job that I ever could). Or hypothesize about just what the heck is going on in Tom DeLay's old congressional office. But I'm writing about politics enough on this blog as is.
For a non-political angle, there is always the PlayStation 3 fiasco. Everything from the massive losses Sony takes each time they sell one of those overpriced puppies, the fights that have broken out in line to get one or the money that can be made reselling these things are all ripe topics (especially since I am now in "buy and eBay" mode myself). But that has been covered enough on the internets.
No, what I do want to point out is an article in Slate about sampling. Take some time, read it over, come back here.
Back? Good. If you're reading this blog, there is a good chance that you know me, and ergo, you are fairly obsessive about music like me. I tend to socialize with musically obsessed folk. It won't be hard for anyone to guess that as a house DJ, what Bridgeport is doing is driving me up the wall. The entire genre of house survives in large part because of its ability to sample at will. However, the law school graduate side of me is also somewhat comforted by the publicity that this is receiving (and ergo, why I'm choosing to spotlight this topic... my way of adding to the publicity to Bridgeport's lunacy).
I went to law school with the hope that while I was there, copyright law would go through, or start to go through, dramatic changes. I (incorrectly) thought that the meeting of interconnected technologies and antiquated copyright law would have immediately fostered changes to the Copyright Act to reflect that 1,000 copies of a work can be made online in the blink of an eye. And that the technology wasn't going away, it was only going to expand. Little did I realize the immense push back from content holders to lock things down in their favor.
However, I still believe that within my lifetime there will be a radical shakeup of the current copyright law (not only in the US, but internationally as well). My generation will only tolerate for so long this current practice of suing YouTube, suing artists, suing consumers... basically suing everyone. Somewhere along the line, the power of rights holders and the power afforded to the users of those rights will fall into a better balance. Because as it stands now, the rights holders having so much power is stifling technological innovation, artistic creativity, and basic consumer and property rights.
People can argue back and forth about whether or not the US Constitution (where American copyright law is derived from) is a living and breathing document. But if history has taught us anything, it is that often times, societal change is born out of generational shifts in attitude and mindset, and those shifts are later reflected in new laws. I believe that is what will happen with Copyright as long as the general populace starts to feel the same widespread outrage for injustices as was present with other large social movements.
Keep suing Jay Z, keep taking down the Daily Show from YouTube, keep raising the prices on music and movies, keep making it harder to use our legally purchased content the way that we want on the devices we want, and a change will come.
For a take of how that all could and should happen, read something by Lawrence Lessig. He's a far greater mind than I'll ever be and can expound on all of these principles in a much stronger fashion. And hopefully, more people, including lawmakers, will start getting in line with his ideas.
The ultimate "fuck you" to copyright
Why just post one often sampled track when you can link to an entire mix that purposely flicks off copyright?
DJ Food - Raiding the 20th Century (external link, so if it dies and needs to be upped again, let me know)
Never Been So Happy To Be So Wrong
Published by Mertz on Wednesday, November 08, 2006 at 10:26 AM.
I can vividly remember going to bed on election night 2000. The thought in my head was, "At least I can go to bed knowing that Dubyah hasn't won." Little did I know how bad that situation would end up and how long that election would draw out.
In 2004, I went to bed furious. I couldn't believe that America actually re-elected the worst President in the history of the United States. I was unemployed and living with my parents at the time. I figured nothing could be worse. Although my dad did find a way to make things worse by waking me up in the middle of the afternoon by blaring Kerry's concession speech to wake me up.
So how do I feel today? Let's just say that last night was one of the best nights sleep I have had in six years. I woke up, blared some Daft Punk on my iPod, practically skipped to my car on a day that was 60 degrees and sunny.
I could post a ton of links to how the Dems gave Bush "a thumpin" (the President's words, not mine). I could try to say that somehow we defeated The Devil (Karl) and his puppet (Georgie). But I'll just let that picture up top say everything for me. And maybe add the following: Speaker Pelosi. A 27 seat majority in the House. Control of the Senate in our grasp. Truly lame duck Bush. Rumsfeld Brushed Aside. Conrad Burns' Secret Plan. Macaca.
A Surprise
Not even going to tell you what this is. Just download it. Loop it. Celebrate.
Totally Awesome
Everything I Hoped It'd Be
Published by Mertz on Saturday, November 04, 2006 at 4:20 PM.
For about the past month I've had gigs or places to go every Saturday. My weekends never have been relaxing enough. Every week I seem to need more of a rechargning. Well, this weekend I have absolutely nothing to do. So I am going to nothing. Thus far today I've downloaded some music, watched Top Chef, and drank a cup of coffee. I'm already feeling more rested than I have in weeks. I should accomplish quite a bit this weekend in the end. Maybe even start to write a new track. Now that would be quite an accomplishment.Woooo hoooo hoooooooo
To celebrate being in such a good mood, I'm posting a great piece of indie pop (is that a contradiction?) by a great band out of Milwaukee called New Sense. Definitely check them out if you can. They put on a great show and I instantly bought their CD at their show. This cut is fantastic (and New Sense, if you're reading, let's talk about a remix. :D )
New Sense - Caution Is Regret
Jimpster
Published by Mertz on Thursday, November 02, 2006 at 4:58 PM.
Last night I drove up to the "mighty" Chicago to hear Jimpster spin some tunes at Sonotheque. If you don't know Mr. Jamie Odell, he's the label owner of the best damn house label in the world, Freerange Records. He's also a world class producer and has turned out some of my favorite tracks and remixes recently. You can hear plenty of them on my latest mix, Squelch (mp3 file, right click to save). I had never seen him spin live, so I was quite excited. If nothing more, I knew he'd bring the heat in terms of new tunes. Ron Trent was also opening, so this should have been an insanely great night.Now I don't know if it was because it was a Wendesday and the day after Halloween (which for many, was four days of Halloween parties), but the turnout in the Windy City was awful. Perhaps 30 people at most. I'm not going to go into a rant about Chicago as a whole, or start slagging on Sonotheque's lack of promotion for the event. It just unfortunately was not as good a night as it could have been. Jimpster looked a little bored. And even though some of his tunes were absolutely out of sight, it was obvious that more crowd energy really could have bumped his set up even more. Hopefully he'll end up at Grizzled or somewhere better next time he plays in Chicago.
Jimpster Part 2
I had posted the full version of Square Up (Jimpster's new tune on Buzzin Fly) on my Vox blog. But since that blogging software sucks, I can't get at it on this machine. So I am just going to post the track off of Ben Watt's supremely sublime Buzzin Fly Volume 3.
Jimpster - Square Up (Taken from Buzzin Fly Vol 3)
