sleepinginmyhead

homebrew beat 1

now i'm not really in a positon to be launching a new column here on sleepinginmyhead, as i can hardly keep up with the ones which i have currently, but...

I have a passion for beatmaking, and spend many a lunch hour trawling through my MP3's for decent breaks and samples, piling them into Ableton Live (thanks Jase) and pounding away on my MPD 16 until something half decent pops out. I'm a rank amateur, but it's fun. Here's a short sample of a beat i've been working on recently. It's not fully formed, and some parts are way too complex (it's easy to get carried away).

The three parts used are:

Drums, from a Duralcha track

Bass, from a Dap Kings track (took a long time to extract the bass alone)

Guitar, from the ever ready James Brown

can i see you - fosta

music thursday (?)

listen to this, too good to miss, ta da da da da daaah. Hall and Oates sound more eighties than anyone else - discuss.

Hall and Oates - She's gone

feelin' sketchy

ok ok ok. My blogging in the last six months has been sporadic at best, and i've missed two of your regular items already this week, but everything has a reason. I need to prioritise, and unfortunately my paid job often gets in the way of my blogging requirements. I hope you can forgive me. As a way of apology, i thought i'd upload a new picture, as i've been pretty lax about that too. I like this drawing for a few reasons, but primarily because it's a good old fashioned rough sketch, rendered with ink, not photoshop. I have been drawing these 'podracer / fishing vessels' on and off for a while now. I don't know where they come from, but they keep cropping up in my sketches. Anyone work out why?

click image for biggie, if you use the image elsewhere, please include a credit

the times, they aren't a changin'

A lot of conjecture has been going round in my head recently regarding time. Maybe it's all the time-zone traveling i've been doing, but i am becoming increasingly interested in the concept of decimal time. Whilst i am aware that this is nothing new, i want to throw my two cents in (pardon the pun).

Here's my opener: "Our method marking time of time is fucked. It is a mangled mess built around the wrong base number and it could be easier, more accurate and more useful if we converted to base 10".

Right off the bat, I am fully aware that this has been tried many times before, with limited success, but i feel that this is because of the huge infrastructure and behavioural conditioning that is present throughout the world. This should mean that any conjecture is moot, but let's not forget that monetary systems, such as pounds shillings and pence, have been dropped for a more simple method of calculation. Weights and measures have also been decimalised across most of Europe, with huge success. Both of these paradigms have been in existence for a huge amount of time, with a great following, yet have been successfully changed for something more suitable. So what about time?

webwatch 127

Many blogs are covering the release of the 'Back to the Future' Hyperdunks, but the ever  trustworthy hypebeast has photos of the launch at Undefeated on La Brea. Man those fellas at Nike know how to do a launch. The kids were already queuing up for 24 hours without even knowing that Kobe Bryant would turn up in a DeLorean.

Lovely lamp by Julia Thesenfitz. Sometimes simplicity wins.

How to market your stain removal product. Wrap it in a white T-shirt, then mail it. 

Vibram finally release their 'five fingers' footwear. It's really creepy to look at, but i really really like it.

Nothing to say, just a fantastic photo.

And this one: Skeletor Duckie.

Timelapse, in a live fashion, i think. Wait for the door.

There are too many overdesigned washbasins out there, but this one really works, and i think it's one of the nicest i've seen.

etymology wednesday (on a thursday)

Hot Dog

The phrase was popularised around 1890 by cartoonist T.A.Dorgan. It is said to reflect a 19th century suspicion (possibly well justified) that the sausages sold on street corners contained meat from dogs.

the paedotache

facial hair is something i have never mastered. Some people i know have great facial hair, and cultivate it well, but me: i just can't bear it. The longest i ever managed was two and a half weeks, so i should have probably stuck it out a bit longer, but i'm pretty sure it's not for me. One thing i haven't noticed until now is the increasing popularity of what i'm calling the 'paedotache'. Once famous for gracing the top lip of Ian Beale, it's that particular look which just hits a nerve with me. I'm not sure, I'm really not sure...

clockwise from top left Edd (a buddy of mine, sorry Edd...), the guy from Hot Chip, the guy from We are Scientists, the guy from Weezer.

music monday 55

I'm not sure if i posted this before, but fuck it. A straight up work of genius from Quasimoto and PBW today. The original version of Microphone Mathematics on 'The Unseen' was a treat, but the Peanut Butter Wolf remix from Jukebox 45's is too good to miss.

Quasimoto - Microphone Mathematics (remix)

webwatch 126

Hey kids. I'm off to LA again on Sunday. This is becoming a habit. As such, broadcasts may be temporarily disturbed again next week, but i will try to put something up. apologies in advance.

On with the show:

There are some really weird chemicals out there. This used the chemical found in those strange pocket heaters to make 'hot ice'.

It's quite hard to see exactly how this deck from element is made, and exactly how it benefits, but it's really interesting, all the same.

Sport can throw up those 'million to one' chances in life, but luckily it's always being filmed.

Mother nature, on the other hand is just as unpredictable, but often sneaks things up on you...

Those 'amazing business card' blog posts are ten a penny, and they often showcase impractical, ostentatious and expensive designs. Here's one which features all of the above, but sprinkles some good honest solutions in there too.

The Supreme store in LA is a joy to behold, primarily for the fantastic skate bowl under which sits the shop. Here's a few detail shots of it's glorious construction.

sonic camera? WTF?

london design museum shows

Two great shows on at the Design Museum in London at the moment. The first is for the ID fans: a double exhibition from Industrial Facility (Sam Hecht's brainchild). It's a nice collection of work, but the the standout exhibition is definitely the collection of photographs of by Tim Walker. His epic photos for vogue and jigsaw are incredible, and the presence of some of his props really creates a lovely atmosphere. Recommended.

There are a couple of pictures on the flickr stream, if you're interested.

etymology wednesday 15

Budget

The latin for a leather bag is 'bulga', which incidentally is where the verb 'bulge' derivates. Around 1400, the word became modified in the French to 'bouge', a small leather bag therefore became known as a 'bougette'. A bougette was typically used for carrying coins around, so the term became linked with the money which you had available at any one time, hence 'budget'.

kiss of death

So it seems that i am the kiss of death. After throwing my support behind the Lakers yesterday, they lost 131-92 to the Boston Celtics last night. That gave the Celtics 4 wins from seven, eliminating the Lakers. Sorry Lakers, my bad.

Go Lakers!

Having been to L.A. a couple of times recently, i have been sucked into a new sport. I have picked my team and am now a fan. I watched basketball on and off as a kid, but after catching a few games on TV in America and a few online here in the UK, i have to say it's a new favourite for me. The NBA finals are currently underway, and my adopted team (the Lakers) are vying for the title. In the UK we have one final for most sports such as football, rugby etc. but in basketball, the two teams which make the final then go head to head for seven games. It's amazing. The tension amongst some of my colleagues in LA when i was there last time was unbearable as the Lakers were down three games to one against the celtics. Luckily, the Lakers won at home earlier this week, bringing the finals to 3-2, but the next game is in Boston. Fingers crossed.

feelgood tip

Hey readers, here's a tip. If life is getting you down, if you have the monday blues, try using suncream instead of moisturiser. The smell will take you to a nice place. I did it this morning and the ride to work felt great.

music monday 54 (FIXED LINK)

A straight up classic from 1996 today (is that really 12 years ago?), this track is a testament to the power of a strong loop. The East Flatbush Project (Spencer Bellamy) is not what you would call prolific, releasing only six singles since 1994, but this is a peach, taking cues from the Wu-tang / kung-fu soundtrack school. Just the simple line "i'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six" is enough to win me over.

The East Flatbush Project - Tried by 12