Alan Braxe gets a little more Lifelike

The last concert that I hit up this year - Cut Copy and Simian Mobile Disco @ Mezzanine - was awesome on so many levels.. there was, of course, the music: both of those groups put out some of my favorite albums in recent memory. But the show really stands out in my mind because it was the first concert that I've gone to in a while where the people that I went with were waaay into the band (i.e. not just me).. bubbling with enthusiasm pre-show (having a drink or two - or, um, four or more, at my place), and ready to rock out - let's also say, ready to "get dancey" - from the start.

You see, I like to see a lot of live music and, therefore, I'm usually, *ahem*, dragging a friend to some random event featuring Frenchhouse-this or indierockfeedback-that, dj's and/or bands that they've never heard of.. so they need to get over the hump of discovery (no matter how much they may trust my judgment) before they get to the hands-in-the-airing (or, depending on the scene, the involuntary-air-guitar) part of the night.

Don't get me wrong: that sort of thing is totally cool with me; I love introducing people to new music - in general, via conversation or CD or whatever.. but especially when it's live. And, so, I'm *still* going to be calling up my friends periodically to try to entice them with tickets to some hipster shizz..

But all that said.. when everyone is into the music and excited for the aural/experiential possibilities from the get-go, it can make for a pretty fun night. In fact, this Friday - THIS FRIDAY - I'm gearing up for another night of rocking out at Mezzanine.

Did you hear?

Producer/remixer extraordinaire, Alan Braxe, is dj'ing at Mezzanine! Yes, Monsieur Braxe is a giant of French house and currently an "in-demand remixer"; but you may know him via the 1998 release, "Music Sounds Better With You" (video), which he and Thomas Bangalter (of Daft Punk fame) put out under the name "Stardust". And blog-badasses, Lifelike open! (Those Lifelike guys - I just became familiar with them myself - are some of the best new remixers out there right now, and have an aesthetic similar to some of Braxe's work; it'll be a perfect match.)

SO cool.
SO cool!

Even cooler that I'm again going with some friends that know-what-they're-in-for: the freshest in dancey music, mind-altering lights, and, um, gettin' sweaty in a packed house. What can I say?; it's my cup-of-tea. Note that doors open at 10pm, so you're guaranteed a late night.

If you're interested in such things, tickets are still available; this flier tells you how; and at $10+fees, they be cheap. Use the money you've saved to buy me a lovely gin cocktail at the show. ;) See you then!

You never knew me to be a runner

These days, I dedicate a lot of time to climbing and cycling (when I'm not doing some silly hike in the desert).. but if you knew me back in the day, you'd know that I used to be 110%-and-then-some about running (even doing the mile and steeplechase in college - poorly, I might add; haha).

But injuries, on-and-off since those college days, have kept me from doing any significant mileage/training in years; I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I need to keep it low-key if I want to maintain injury-free(-ish) legs, and, ultimately, maintain some sanity through (other) sport/activity. ;) That said, I do get out for a run every once in a while..

In fact, while visiting my brother this past weekend, I taped up my slightly sore right foot (the usual; it's an area that has given me trouble in the past) and ran my first race in a looong time - the Wissahickon 10k Trail Classic - in a great park just north of Philadelphia. It was some good bonding time, I think. ;)

Oh man, but even as I was treating the endeavor as a running "event" in my head (vs. a "race"), it was more physically demanding that you might think - with 90+ degree weather, and tons of offroad hills, it was a HOT and HUMID event to say the least; it was a buttkicker. On a side note.. for non-runners, you might think my mental designation of this being an "event" versus a "race" is just a matter of semantics, but, well, I'll just say that it's *not* and that, admittedly, it's an ego-thing that signals a difference in both intention-of-effort and expectation-for-outcome (i.e. it lowers them).

In any case, I think the wicked conditions helped me in the overall placing (34th out of 400-some) insofar that I'm not in particularly good running shape and therefore couldn't blaze a fast 10k on the roads, but the madhills and heat took their effect on everyone.. but I think they affected me less so. Physically, the hills gave a chance for some of my, um, beefy biking muscles to help out; and, mentally, my lack of specific goals let me just run and not worry about how the heat was lowering my time.. as it might with others worried about maintaining their usual pace.

Yeah, it was a good time overall (even if my thighs are still madsore today). And if you had any doubt to the quality of the event, let me say that one of the post-race foods was boxes and boxes of local pizza (in addition to the more-typical bananas and oranges and stuff). I'm glad I was in a place - mentally and physically - to enjoy 'dem slices!

Packing Peanuts Go Crazy

Man, I've been listening to A LOT of music lately.. all (ok, mostly) in the name of finishing a mix CD inspired by the Fred Falke remix of Golden Cage; I've said as much before. And, it's finally done! Well, I've got a bit of work to do with respect to the actual, um, CD production (i.e. burning, drawing out the CD art and tracklists, some minor packaging), but the search for songs and work of organizing them is over. Whew!

Most of the links in the tracklist below are to blog posts where you can download the song (and read a little about how hype they are - haha); but if I could find them, I linked to its music video instead (but given the fact that most of the tracks are hot off the digital presses, I couldn't find too many videos). Check it:

"Packing Peanuts Go Crazy"

01. Fool for Love (SebastiAn Remix) - Das Pop (blog)
02. Our Time - Ocelot (blog)
03. 5 Feet of Snow (Miami Horror Remix) - The Dirty Secrets (blog)
04. Ask the DJ (Ocelot Express 4 Hour Remix) - Mr. Hudson (blog)
05. Bizarre Love Triangle - Computer Club (blog)
06. Bonafied Lovin' - Chromeo (video)
07. Pogo - Digitalism (video)
08. Out There on the Ice - Cut Copy (blog)
09. I Can Cook (Miami Horror Remix) - Grafton Primary (blog)
10. Lights and Music (Moulinex Remix) - Cut Copy (blog)
11. I Want Your Soul - Armand Van Helden (video)
12. Det Snurrar I Min Skalle - Familijen (video)
13. Golden Cage (Fred Falke Remix) - The Whitest Boy Alive (blog)
14. In Love with You (Alan Braxe Remix) - The Paradise (blog)
15. Digital Love - Wonky Pop Allstars (blog)

Let me know what you think. In my *ahem* humble opinion, it's a great way to start your night: a few bangers that slowly work themselves (and you too - you're along for the ride) into pure aural ecstasy, so dancey. haha.

Yeah, so, turn it up!; and onwards to the weekend!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ps. If you do end up with one of my homemade CDs in your hands, you'll note some of the songs are *slightly* different than the original mp3s you might have downloaded somewhere; I've been known to cut a few superfluous beats, most likely because of a too-long intro or outro.

It's a strange world, isn't it?

After a long Memorial Day weekend of being sporty during the day (with the wounds to prove it), and a homebody at night (every night), I'm left wondering, "I don't know if you're a detective or a pervert."

In any case (who am I to judge?), I finally had my first proper introduction to the distinctive (and, in some circles, revered) works of director David Lynch. You see, on a quiet Sunday night, a reel of Blue Velvet was unfurled before me (um, via Comcast On-Demand); and I figured a viewing of this cult classic was long overdue. My quiet nights of odd Lynchian design continued Monday, when characters, Wild at Heart, blazed a cross-country trail in a single-minded groove filled with deeply-connected sex and dusty violence. Ah yes, I was reminded that my livingroom couch is no convertible.

Regardless, even from my stationary position, I could view and evaluate these culturally foreign times and places, full of individuals that know nothing but wicked interaction. Scene after scene, Mr. Lynch crafted a violent - in every sense of the word - world of mystery and noir, exposing a bit of the unglamorous (and, further, seedy) underside in even the most mundane of American towns; with respect to the big city, don't even get him started. And you know what?; even as I'm not offended by the occasional graphic nature of the films, his subjects and methods weren't for me.

I mean, I can theoretically appreciate the place of these movies in the pantheon of great films, as they provided example for innovative storytelling technique and helped to break down barriers (with respect to what can/should be considered "appropriate" content in mainstream movies). But in terms of overall enjoyment (via either the viscerals of the characters/stories themselves, or via a more academic analysis of film technique), I just couldn't get into either one.

That said, I put "Inland Empire" on my SF library request list, so I haven't given up just yet; I, at least, want to be able to have a set of reference points when people start talking about Polish-prostitute-this and bugs-under-the-perfectly-manicured-lawn-that. In the meantime, maybe I'll read a few reviews in order to equip me with some analysis/insight from folks more learned than me in the ways of movie-making; my impression is that some of the passion for David Lynch is in an appreciation for his attention to details. "It's a strange world, isn't it?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In semi-related news, I've talked about the free movie nights at The Independent before, so let me just say that they-be-back the first two weeks of June:

June 2nd: Rambo
June 9th: Semi-Pro

While I won't be in San Francisco for either of those dates, I think if you had any inclination to see either of these live-action cartoons, The Independent - and, more specifically, watching them while drinking at The Independent - is your best bet for smoothing over any qualms you may have with dumb-ass things like plausible plot or cogent dialog; the drunken group mentality really works for this sort of thing.

Whoa.. I hope that last paragraph doesn't come off as me being uptight. I've had my share of Mad Dog movie nights - as some of my friends would call the smuggling-in of MD20/20 into the movie theater to aid in our viewing of a film with questionable artistic value - over the years; for sure, there is a time and a place for everything. haha.

A gentle enticement back towards Moscow

While their new bag policy is getting all the press this week, American Airlines just sent out the word today that they are starting service from several US cities into Moscow on June 2, 2008. And as an introductory gesture, they are hooking up the adventurous traveler with 10,000 bonus miles and 25% percent off "normal" round-trip fares, which translates to something like $467 from NYC and $582 from SF ("Additional restrictions, taxes and fees apply", natch).

Check the website for the details, but "tickets must be purchased 7 days prior to departure or within 3 days of making reservations, whichever comes first, but no later than 11:59 p.m. (CT) June 20, 2008", "sale fares are valid for outbound travel June 2 through September 4, 2008.", and "all travel must be complete by March 4, 2009."

As I've mentioned before - probably en vivo - I wanted to head back to Russia and/or its neighbors early this coming Fall. But, now, with me doing a bunch of climbing lately (and getting a little taste of it outdoors), I've had my sights reset on more local destinations, including those in Utah, Colorado and California.

That said, it's hard to totally ignore this fare sale.. and it comes just when I received an offer yesterday to meet a friend in Japan - he's going to be there working at a museum for a few weeks in August. (In fact, one of my envisioned Russian adventures had me in Eastern Russia - maybe around Lake Baikal (Байкал) or Kamchatka (Камчатка) - then meeting our other friends *living* in Japan, on the way home).

We'll see; I need to think more about this; anyone interested?

I'm ready for more input now

My manager had our team read "StrengthsFinder 2.0" (best-selling management/self-improvement book) this week and take its associated online assessment test. Apparently, one of the higher-ups at the company has bought into the general philosophy of the book, which is to focus on developing your strengths instead of fighting the uphill battle of improving your weaknesses (this has the implicit maxim that you will end up working with others with strengths that complement your own). And, so, our group is the first of many that will go through the process..

I made some time today, did the required deed(s), and received a report proclaiming "my top 5 strengths/talents", in order:

1. Input - craving to know, collect, and archive information
2. Relator - enjoy close/deep relationships with others
3. Individualization - intrigued with unique qualities of others
4. Learner - great desire to learn and continuously improve
5. Analytical - searches for reasons/causes and identify patterns

The full report is about 10 pages of content that expounds on each talent with a set of "Personalized Strength Insights", which basically means that it takes into account all your other quiz-determined talents when it frames and provides commentary on the current one. Plus, it provides some short real-life anecdotes from other folks who fall into the same categories as you, which brings some "life" into the report (i.e. making it easier to relate to this personality assessment business). Finally - and this is where this book/system *might* have some value - it provides quite a few action items to reinforce your best qualities.

Yes, self-reflection is generally good.. but only if it leads to action for improvement!

Of course, you could get this information from other books, personality tests, and other self-assessment systems (and so I'm not going to be evangelicalizing this one in particular), but I can at least say that this method is relatively painless in that you only have to give it about an hour or two of investment up front (not counting your follow-up action items). And, for the most part, it seems to be pretty spot-on.. inasmuch as these general personality tests can be.

This coming week, my coworkers and I are getting together to discuss our individual results and see if we can use the information improve our execution environment (i.e. who does what, and how) and general team dynamics. Again, it's this type of *action* that - who knows - might make this diversion all worthwhile.

If the session with my work teammates, um, blows my mind, I'll probably write a follow-up; probably. haha. In the meantime, if you'd like to see my full report (pdf, natch), let me know; we'll learn a thing or two together.

Do you dare tempt the gods of grammar?

The comma splice, so *wicked* we find thee referenced, here, today, (free and clear) within this bit of non-fiction; and, furthermore, I'm sure we'll find it a tool *of* the wicked, forever.

According to a recent post on the media-phenom "Stuff White People Like" blog - I know you've all been there - white people love grammar; and in making the case, the author alleges:

When asking someone about their biggest annoyances in life, you might expect responses like "hunger," "being poor," or "getting shot." If you ask a white person, the most common response will likely be “people who use 'their' when they mean 'there.' Maybe comma splices, I’m not sure but it’s definitely one of the two.

True? Well, it's as true as anything else he's written on the blog; winkity-wink, and hahaha. But I need to confess (video) that I had to look up the definition of "comma splice" to even attempt to appreciate what I was guessing was an ironic reference (per the usual mode of operation on the WWPL site) to some semi-arcane rule of sentence construction. A quick google search verified that it was such a thing, indeed, and, further, it is a real no-no for the educated writer.

With respect to proper usage (and we'll see that *there is* such a thing) of this normally-frowned-upon exposition, Lynne Truss, self-styled grammar stickler extraordinaire and author of the bestselling "Eats, Shoots & Leaves", observes:

...so many highly respected writers observe the splice comma that a rather unfair rule emerges on this one: only do it if you're famous... Done knowingly by an established writer, the comma splice is effective, poetic, dashing. Done equally knowingly by people who are not published writers, it can look weak or presumptuous. Done ignorantly by ignorant people, it is awful.

While I'm going to be a little lazy now and not actually go through old blog posts to find an example, but I *know* that I employ the comma splice on occasion. And given that I'm not an established writer, I guess that sort of thing makes me look a little presumptuous to the person who would pick it up (and give a shit). Oh well - these things happen. ;)

Part of the appeal is that it *is* a disreputable technique.

There is something to be said for bending a set of rules - in this case, ones of grammar - in a knowing way so that you may convey meaning beyond a simple, first-level presentation of data. Sure, you've chosen a sequence of words, each with individual symbolism, but you can (and have to) organize them in such a way to provide secondary and tertiary information to the reader/listener (even as most of the time this is an unconscious process); keep in mind that the "information" we're talking about might have nothing to do with the strict meaning of the sentence, but it could have everything to do with making/continuing a connection via, for example, a certain turn of phrase that you both are familiar with.

So, you can willfully manipulate convention - here, in the very construction of your sentence - in order to provide deeper meaning and/or make a deeper connection with the audience. Everyone does it, even when they don't know they're doing it; but if you *are* aware of the phenomena, it can be very satisfying to tap into this human instinct. Layers upon layers upon abstract layers: who doesn't like to solve a puzzle?; and such complexity in the here-and-now keeps us coming back for more, without having the immediate need for reincarnation. Umm.. yeah. haha.

In other news - stumbled upon during c-splice research - "enormity" is not a synonym for "enormousness". Again, from wikipedia:

* Disputed usage: The enormity of the elephant astounded me.
* Traditional usage: The enormity of Stalin's purges astounds me.

For this, I only have one thought: Elephants and Stalins are astounding. And I bid you пока; a new week is upon us!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ps. If you find a comma splice in one of my past posts, let me know - put it in the comments - and I'll send you a homemade postcard collage; I make such things on occasion (including tonight). Do you dare?

Falke's Golden Cage getting right to the beats

Looks like I won't be the first one - as (personally) planned - to include the Fred Falke remix of Golden Cage (by The Whitest Boy Alive) on a blog-posted, so-so-fresh mixtape of dancey music. But was the ambition *really* there to make that happen (given that I've been majorly distracted lately by the call of my road bike and the climbing gym)?; probably not. ;)

In any case, it *was* just a matter of time before Golden Cage started showing up in mixes, live or otherwise, because it's one of the best songs of the year; in fact, I can say that it's *my* favorite right now (continuing the sentiment first expressed 2 months ago)! Actually, I heard it playing at the Cut Copy + Simian Mobile Disco show at Mezzanine a few weeks back - so awesome, by the way - and I remember telling my concert cohorts oh-my-god-I-love-this-song-I'm-totally-putting-it-into-my-next-Hotwell-mix (as if I was some sort of actual DJ, and they really cared for my "creative output"). haha. Yeah, that was totally the drinks talking.. although I really *do* have one of my little mix CDs planned for realization in the not-too-distant future. ;)

In any case, I downloaded Stockholm Syndrome's contribution to Disco Belle's Mixin' It Up series late Friday night while doing some massive catch-up on the music blogs, and just got to listenin' to it today. And beyond Golden Cage, it's pretty badass in general (in a subdued disco-y and house-y sort of way), with nods to both polyester classics and French butt-movers. The Stockholm Syndrome Remix of New Song (by Howard Jones) is another standout (which I'm hearing now for the first time - a good find!).

Check the tracklist:

01. D-Train - Music
02. Jermaine Jackson – Come To Me
03. Chic – I Want Your Love (Todd Terje Edit)
04. Daft Punk – Face To Face
05. The Believers - Who Dares To Believe In Me?
06. Seven Grand Housing Authority – The Question
07. Howard Jones – New Song (Stockholm Syndrome Remix)
08. The Whitest Boy Alive – Golden Cage (Fred Falke Remix)
09. Chromeo – Needy Girl (Lifelike Remix)
10. Coach House Rhythm Section – Timewarp
11. Fragmenté – I See You
12. Metropolis – Metropolis
13. Stockholm Syndrome - Quadrophonia
14. RAW - Asuca
15. Stockholm Syndrome – Make You Whole (Stockholm Syndrome Dub)
16. Armand Van Helden – I Want Your Soul (Fake Blood Remix)
17. Lil’ Mo Yin Yang – Reach
18. Kraak & Smaak – Squeeze Me
19. The System – You’re In My System
20. The Black Ghosts – Let’s Get Physical
21. Black Kids - Dance With You (The Twelves Remix)
22. Boys Noize – Oh! (A-Trak Remix)
23. Stockholm Syndrome - DJ’s Take Control
24. Estelle feat. Kanye West – American Boy (Stockholm Syndrome Dub)
25. The Black Ghosts – Any Way (Fake Blood Remix)

They certainly did some diggin' through their crates to put this one together! And if you're interested in downloading it, head on over to the original Disco Belle post; there, you'll also find commentary from the guys of Stockholm Syndrome on how/why each track came to be (in this mix). Interesting background, for sure, but I'd just say to quickly peruse the text and get right to the beats..