Slow Music Meltdown - A repository for mixes and other music miscellanea

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Taj Mahal at Jazz Alley


Lucky to be enjoying Chocolate Velvet Underground Cake during a Taj Mahal show in which he referenced Captain Beefheart's envy of his raspy voice while tearing it up on various guitars, a banjo, and electric piano.

Thanks to my Tio Ricardo for the tickets!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Electric Flower - Self-titled EP



Electric Flower is a new project by Imaad Wasif and Josh Garza of The Secret Machines. Their self-titled EP is out now on Narnack Records, and can be streamed in full at Purevolume.com. It is a propulsive blast of well-crafted sonic frenzy that you won't soon forget.

And if you are in LA this Thursday, be sure to catch them live at the Harvard and Stone for the release of their EP!

Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween

Friday, October 28, 2011

Involuntary Post by Tarwater # 6 - Disco Inferno plus 2 more


Thanks to the now legendary scholar Tarwater I was recently hipped to some fantastic new music. I am duty-bound as host of this blog to re-post his words here without permission from him.

The Disco Inferno record is on deep repeat at the Meltdown.

Enjoy.

"Here are some records I've enjoyed lately:

Disco Inferno - The 5 EPs
"Second Language"


British band active from 1991-1996. They started out a decent, if derivative, post-punk operation  heavily indebted to Joy Division/Wire (a collection of their early stuff is actually called In Debt), but by the time they started making the EPs compiled here, they had located the approach that would make them total marketplace non-entities while Britpop still fopped: inspired by Public Enemy and the Young Gods, DI began using samplers alongside guitar/bass/vocals -- but rather than appropriate pieces of other people's music (though one song loops the drums from Lust for Life) they snatched snippets of the world around them -  breaking glass, birdsong, feet crunching snow etc - and ended up w/ sound that doesn't really resemble much else. (Though sometimes I can squint and see them as a perfect post-154  endpoint for Wire.) They also managed to cover a lot of sonic territory - you'll find everything from jangle-pop to 9 minute instrumental soundspaces here - so if something doesn't particularly excite you, it pays to keep listening. Also: Works best on headphones.

Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges

Canadian saxophonist who blew everyone away @ ATP Jersey a few weeks ago. Lungs of steel apparently, but rather than Brotzmann-esque skronk, he goes for Steve Reich-ish minimalism. Really interesting stuff.

Also, the new Charalambides record is relatively accessible (for them) and also worth your time"

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Shellac at Vera Project

"I attach no importance to it"

Shellac
The Vera Project

Monday, October 17, 2011

AWOTT


Moscow band AWOTT about to play at Hollow Earth Radio.

http://awott.blogspot.com/

Tune in!: http://hollowearthradio.org/

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Megabats, Panabrite, Secret Colors + *Hair & Space Museum Just Added!* at Hollow Earth Radio 10/22

Mark your calendars for an awesome show of inter-stellar ambiance that I put together at Hollow Earth Radio where I've been volunteering. Don't worry if you're not in Seattle - you can tune in to the station online to stream the live sets! Check out the Facebook Event and the bands' websites below.

**This just in - Hair and Space Museum have graciously accepted an invitation to join us for a performance on 10/22 with the rest of the bands!


Saturday, October 1, 2011

Spellbound


Electric Prunes - Kyrie Eleison
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Spellbound
Battles - Wall Street
Kill for Total Peace - Captain America
Killing Joke - Follow the Leaders
Brainticket - Brainticket (Part One)
Velvet Underground - European Son
Sonic Youth - The Sprawl (live at Battery Park 7/4/08) 
Can - Sodom
Hawkwind - You Know You're Only Dreaming
Aqua Nebula Oscillator - LSD 33

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Hollow Earth Radio Invites You To BREAK-fest



Hollow Earth Radio Invites You to BREAK-fest!Print

BREAK-FEST: The Anti-Festival.

Hollow Earth Radio loves festivals & we know we've seen you at quite a few of them throughout the year ... but by the end of the summer, we're DONE. We don't want to stand in another long line for the bathroom or sip another expensive beer through our chapped lips. It's in times like this we'd do anything for just a wonderful home-cooked breakfast with friends and a little soft rock. What if we told you we could make your dreams come true?

A Festival In A Home??

When Hollow Earth Radio first started we did our little online broadcast out of the basement of a residential home. And even though we've moved on to a rad public space in the Central District, we think that same mood has carried with us; listeners tell us that tuning in feels like hanging out with friends in their home. We're comfy homemade radio.
Hollow Earth Peeps for Hollow Earth Newsletter
When for planning this event we thought - let's get RIDICULOUSLY literal. Let's have an ANTI-FESTIVAL where we invite you into our homes, eat together, and raise some of the needed funds for the upcoming year. Let's take a break from all the festivals. (Get it?)

COME TO BREAK-FEST AND EAT BRUNCH WITH US AROUND THE CITY.
Register here: http://hollowearthradiobrunch.eventbrite.com/
breakfest1
We are inviting you, our supporters, into multiple creative homes around the city to share a homemade meal (with Hollow Earth Radio on in the background, of course) so that you may have a unique opportunity to support what we do for our community. You can nom on delicious food, hear about the awesome stuff we have planned for THE FUTURE, and meet & eat with other supporters and new friends. We promise it will be rock n' roll. 

All the funds we raise will cover general operational costs to keep Hollow Earth Radio running strongly throughout the next year. A portion of the funds will also support our expanding youth media arts workshops and camps.
HER_8295 (1)
HER_8246
Here's how it will work.
RSVP to attend our Fall Fundraising Brunch.
Register here: http://hollowearthradiobrunch.eventbrite.com/
One week prior to the event, we'll email you with directions to a private home in Seattle, WA where you'll enjoy a home-cooked meal with up to 10 other supporters.
If you think your friends would enjoy supporting Hollow Earth Radio, please invite them to attend as well.
All you have to do is bring a checkbook or a pillow case full of money and show up in your PJ's (and that's optional). Piece of cake (actual cake probably not provided)!
To find out more information, go here: http://hollowearthradiobrunch.eventbrite.com/
breakfestposter

Donate

If you do not live in Seattle, and you cannot attend this event, we welcome you to make a donation online to Hollow Earth Radio. We rely on individual donations to keep Hollow Earth Radio running. Your donation will support our online operating costs, and our ability to continue documenting local live performances, media arts workshops and more! All donations are tax deductible.

Just click our Donate Now! image above and you'll be taken to paypal. Anything helps!

Tune In @

Stalk Us!








Sunday, September 4, 2011

Turzi Électronique Expérience - Education

Having 2 solid double albums under his belt with the help of Reich IV, the latest effort by Parisian disciplinary rocker and synthesizer scientist Romain Turzi is a return to solo ventures in sound.


"Errance" is a standout track from the forthcoming album Education in that it shows an ethereal, sun-drenched and innocent element of Turzi's aesthetic that hasn't been evident in prior releases.

Statue of a Boy , Château de Cadillac

Education is available September 12th at the Record Makers online shop, and in the meantime it's streaming via Bandcamp.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Akira Ito - Bosatu & Mugen


Akira Ito was a member of the Far East Family Band, a Japanese space rock band from the 70's that worked with Klaus Schulze. This 1979 solo record by Ito combines the holy new age feel of Popul Vuh with the somewhat groovy approach of mid-career Pink Floyd and a healthy dollop of spacey-synth, nature sounds, and traditional instruments. It's great.

Last November the esteemed music scholar known simply as Tarwater pulled out this gem for our listening pleasure while my wife and I visited his apartment on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. Indeed a rare record, Tarwater's roommate was fortunate to come across it while in Japan. Upon hearing Ito's transcendental explorations in space rock, yet finding almost no mention of the record on the world wide web, Tarwater longed for a day when this fine piece of wax could be shared with the digital world. 

Fast forward 5 months to an April Fool's mixtape bonanza held outside of Olympia which featured sonic and culinary contributions by Zade, Gianni Bocce, ShawnZam, Taffy B, and of course Tarwater. Lacking resources to digitize the Ito masterpiece himself, Tarwater brought the vinyl to the sessions so I could help to realize his dream of giving it to the people. Fast forward another 5 months for lack of a decent photo (which I forgot to take at the time) as well as just not getting around to it, and today you can finally enjoy the revelation that is Bosatu & Mugen!

Note: The rip may not be the best possible quality but it sounds pretty alright I think (AIFF available upon request). Also there are several different tracks listed on each side, but the times didn't seem to match up with natural breaks in the songs, and each side is pretty much an extended jam, so I left them as 2 tracks. Here's a photo with track names - funny one side is English and the other in Japanese characters.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Midday Veil Tonight

Midday Veil perform their haunting, other-worldly psych sounds live at Comet Tavern tonight!

Check out their latest recording on their Bandcamp site:

Monday, August 22, 2011

Debacle Fest was rad, as are their new releases

Had an awesome time dj'ing and catching some great bands at the Debacle Fest this past weekend. Thanks so much to Jason of Gift Tapes and Sam at Debacle Records for inviting me to DJ!

Here are a few faves from the new releases, all of which can be streamed on the Debacle Records Bandcamp page.
 





Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Hollow Earth Radio / Debacle fest

Hanging out at Hollow Earth Radio in Seattle a few blocks from my house these days. A complete DIY online radio collective with great people and a great mission, and I'm stoked to be volunteering there!



Check out a recent blog post I did for HER for the upcoming Debacle Fest this weekend, that I'm also dj'ing at Saturday night!


Friday, August 12, 2011

Cloudland Canyon - You & I


Damn, this song is good.
Cloudland Canyon - "You & I"

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Asteroid Bliss



$.99 Dreams - Three Songs for Another Time
Blanck Mass - Weakling Flier
The Alps - Hallucinations
Smoke - Lobotomy
Spare Death Icon - Whispers
Brian Eno - Task Force
Arp - St Tropez
Mark McGuire - A Matter of Time
Sleepy Eyes of Death - Crushed by Stars
Brother Raven - Space / Megaton
Yazoo - I Before E Except After C
Growing - Rave Pie Only
Adrian Belew - Beach Creatures Dancing Like Cranes
Antipop Consortium - Contraption
Battles - Futura
Paul McCartney - Bogey Wobble


"Asteroid Colony (Close View)" by Hannu Parviainen

Monday, July 4, 2011

America

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Shabazz Palaces at Easy Street - Photos

Shabazz Palaces moved the crowd tonight - it was a dope set.



Pick up their new album Black Up out now on Sub Pop.

"an echo from the hosts that profess infinitum" from Black Up

Shabazz Palaces at Easy Street Records tonight


"Chuch" from Of Light

Shabazz Palaces free in-store at Easy Street Records in Queen Anne tonight at 7pm. Record release show for new album Black Up.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Don't Stop Crew

Check out this tireless collective of artists, musicians, and non-stoppers based in Olympia, WA.

Dontstopcrew.com 

Here's their latest mixtape - fresh!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Machines should work, people should think

Amazing and oddly freaky collaboration for IBM by 2 heroes of mine, Jim Henson and Raymond Scott.


Essential listening for Raymond Scott: Soothing Sounds for Baby

Essential viewing for Jim Henson:


Thanks to WR for hipping me to the IBM vid.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Seattle Ain't Bullshittin'

Hyped by the recent show posted below of 2 great local acts, other local shows I've been to at The Josephine and Gallery 1412, and by the move to Sea-town in general, this song keeps getting stuck in my head.


My posse's on Broadway.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Sleepy Eyes of Death / Metal Chocolates - Chop Suey 6/11/11

A face-shaking, full body experience was crafted by the Seattle band Sleepy Eyes of Death at Chop Suey on Saturday for the release of their 300 copy limited edition double vinyl record Dark/Horizon.

Left the house not knowing about the show so was without a proper camera, but dig how the iPhone/iPhoto dealt with the intense colors on stage:




Before Sleepy Eyes, the crowd was lucky to see and hear Metal Chocolates, another awesome local act. Tight rhymes backed by laptop tweaks and live drum beats. Seriously dope shit. Pinkies up.


Thursday, June 2, 2011

Allen Toussaint was incredible last night

Forgot my camera, but got lucky when he turned around and caught this with the iPhone.


The man is a great storyteller let alone singer and piano player, and he fluidly transitioned from one genre to another, including classical. He has greatly influenced the course of popular music having written for numerous other musicians and through countless covers of his songs by more popular acts.

If you ever get the chance I would definitely catch his live show.

AllenToussaint.com

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Allen Toussaint at Jazz Alley Tonight

The giant of New Orleans music is performing at Jazz Alley in Seattle tonight. Here's Allen T. w/ Dolly Parton, Irma Thomas, and Dr. John doing a classic:


Visit KPLU / 88.5 FM at 12.15pm today for an in-studio session with Allen Toussaint.

Allen Toussaint Website

Recommended listening: What is Success , New Orleans Funk

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Gil Scott-Heron - I'm New Here


A cover of a Bill Callahan song by the late, great Gil Scott-Heron.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Damn - GIl Scott-Heron is gone

A serious loss to the music and social justice communities, let alone to the world in general. A definite trailblazer who will be missed greatly.



Emeralds - Candy Shoppe

Have been loving the record and only just found this mesmerising video:



Emeralds on Last.fm | Mark McGuire

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Pacific Support Japan Benefit Compilation on DRAFT

Finally got the turntables and tape deck set up in my new house in Seattle, so am excited to listen to:

Pacific Support Comp. from Draft Records


"DRAFT is pleased to announce the release of Pacific Support, a benefit compilation created in support of the ongoing disaster relief efforts in Japan.  All proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross to help fund those efforts. The compilation consists of 13 unreleased tracks by experimental electronic musicians featuring: Rene Hell, Pulse Emitter, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Greg Davis, Matt Carlson, The North Sea, solo tracks by both members of the Caboladies: Carl Calm & Flowerman, Panabrite, Temporal Marauder, Golden Retriever, Brother Raven, and a duo project by Geoff Mullen & Sakiko Mori called Make a New Memory.

This compilation of soundscapes will take you into ethereal, liquid, haunting realms. Dust off your Walkman and throw down some cash for a great tape and a worthy cause.

Audio sample: http://draftrecords.com/comp/Pacific_Support_Sampler.mp3

Order from DRAFT Records website

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Popular Themes in Whale Music

A new study reveals that, just like humans, humpback whales in the South Pacific follow musical trends that change by the season.



Read the article at ScienceMag.org.

Listen to Planequarium, a mix inspired by Songs of the Humpback Whale.


Friday, March 18, 2011

DJ Slow live at Artifakt Art Show - Hell's Kitchen 4/22/11




Artifakt Live Art & Music Show
...
4/22 | 8pm | $5 all-night

Facebook Event

• Featured Bands


<> Pioneers West <> [CD Release Party "Crime City"] 

<> Elbow Coulee <> 
www.myspace.com/1brownstar  / /  www.reverbnation.com/elbowcoulee

<> Stoned Evergreen Traveler <>

<> DJ SLOW <> 
www.myspace.com/deejayslow

**Special featured performance by Tacoma’s own**…

The Gritty City Sirens
4 solo performances + 1 group set!!

The Gritty City Sirens are:
Ava D'Jor, Rosie Cheexx, Funny Face Fanny, and Polly Puckerup

__________________

LIVE BODY ART

• Featured Artists… so far
(Our artists will be displaying work and some will be painting models)

•Tim McCarthy [ Tsunami Tattoo ]

•Damon Conklin [SuperGenius Tattoo ]

•Laura Eklund
•James Hume
•James Tucker

…more artists to come
__________________

• Sponsorship/ Support •
Tsunami Tattoo | www.tsutattoo.com
Super Genius Tattoo | supergeniustattoo.com
Pacific Fusion Productions
Hells Kitchen | www.hellskitchenonline.com
Artifakt | www.artifaktart.org
Poster Art by: Rob Ripley | www.ripleysite.com


Monday, February 21, 2011

Khalas Mixtape Vol. 1 Mish B3eed


I downloaded this mixtape of North African anti-establishment rappers at EnoughGaddafi.com 5 days ago, but the site has since gone down, no doubt due to the chaos and upheaval that is currently taking place in Libya.

So I've re-upped it here and hope that the site is up and running again soon and the revolutionaries in Libya and other parts of North Africa and the Middle East are successful in changing the course of their country's future for the better.

Follow their posts about the revolution in Libya on Twitter: twitter.com/EnoughGaddafi

Monday, February 7, 2011

Afrimix



Disco Africa - The Ogyatanaa Show Band (Ghana)
Me Ne Me Aserene - Alex Konadu (RIP - Ghana)
Festival - La Simandou de Beyla (Guinea)
Keleya - Moussa Doumbia (Mali)
Vinon So Minsou - Ouinsou Corneille and Black Santiagos (Benin/Togo)
Téléphone - Bembeya Jazz National (Guinea)
Yo Te Contres Maria - Balla Et Ses Balladins (Guinea)
Kovito Gbe De Towe - Antoine Dougbé (Benin)
 Agho - Sir Victor Uwaifo (Nigeria)
Akula Owu Onyeara - Funkees (Nigeria)
Dr. Klerruu - Mbaraka Mwinshehe and Morogoro Jazz (Tanzania)
Yemmpa Aba - Ata Kak (Ghana)

Tuesday, January 25, 2011