Wednesday 20 November 2013

International Table Squennis Association

The Game of the Gods - Official Trading Card Game!!!




The long awaited official International Table Squennis Association trading cards are finally here. Negotiations with Pannini are ongoing so keep an eye out at your local newsagent for sticker packs and that all important sticker album in the near future. Maybe. Remember, a complete set of stickers safely cradled in an album will be a thing to treasure forever. An heirloom for future generations to covet and probably fall out over upon your demise. Fortunately you will be unaware when it is torn from your lifeless fingers as you lie on you deathbed, surrounded by violently bickering progeny.a grieving wife and several mistresses. Whilst you are in the newsagents, remember to watch out also for the I.T.S.A. Top Trumps game, available soon!


Friday 15 November 2013

Reel to Reel Track Positions


In order to make the best possible use of the storage capacity of a magnetic tape, its width is divided up into two or four tracks. This is known as half or quarter track recording. Halving track width will give double the recording time for the same length of tape.
The division into several tracks has no influence an the frequency response. The dynamic range, however, i.e. the region between the maximum recording level and the tape background noise is reduced. Quarter track recording is also more critical regarding the cleanliness of the heads and the tape.
For mono recording two independent tracks are therefore available with a half track machine, and four with a quarter track machine.
Stereo recording requires a track each for the left and right hand channels. Two tracks are therefore used simultaneously. With half track stereo recording the tape is therefore fully recorded in one go. In the case of quarter track machines only two of the four tracks are recorded when the tape is run through for first time.


Thursday 14 November 2013

Hacker Farm

Make-do and mend. Broken music for a Broken Britain.



A celebration of the home-made, the salvaged and the hand-soldered.  DIY electronics performed on obsolete tech and discarded, post-consumerist debris.  Make-do and mend. Broken music for a Broken Britain.
Expect: circuit-bent mayhem, cassettemulch and modified-toy noise. A bit like Punk, but without the three chords or the riff borrowed from The Kinks. A beta-release of a better way of living.
Genre / File Under:  Outsider Music, Carboot Electronics, Open-Source Sound.
“Before Punk, there was Noise. Before Rock n Roll, there was Noise. Noise has always been there, buzz-buzz-buzzing in our eardrums. It is part of a proud artistic lineage that can be tracked back through the Dadaists, the Futurists and beyond. Noise is eternal. It is the soundtrack to our industry and our cities, our anger and our dreams. ”

Wednesday 13 November 2013

La Grande Bouffe

A superb film about debauchery in all its forms:


La Grande Bouffe
(a.k.a. The Big Feast)
France/Italy, 1973
Comedy/Drama, 130 min.
Director: Marco Ferreri
With: Marcello Mastroianni, Michel Piccoli

Tuesday 12 November 2013

Twisting tool.VOB

http://www.youtube.com/v/Ggx2CmsNf60?autohide=1&version=3&showinfo=1&attribution_tag=YpUvcruymVnvgKzaxMH1Pw&autoplay=1&autohide=1&feature=share

how to make a simple twisting tool to bend 12mm sq bar

http://www.youtube.com/v/7anhdcw-Vm8?version=3&autohide=1&autohide=1&feature=share&autoplay=1&showinfo=1&attribution_tag=H0Dw4rJe0pQ4Tx0v86FMlA

Monday 11 November 2013

Conducting Commodities, African Caribbean Centre


Conducting Commodities at the Afro-Caribbean Centre, 
Picture Window, Sonica Festival 31st Oct - 3rd Nov 2013

PICTURE WINDOW is an on-going public art project based in Glasgow that temporarily transforms shop front spaces with contemporary art practice directed at the street, turning the city into a gallery for New Media Art.

SONICA is a programme dedicated to world-class sonic arts, presenting emerging British talent alongside exceptional international artists in collaboration with renowned co-producers and venues. Curated by Cathie Boyd, Patrick Dickie and Graham McKenzie, Sonica gives a UK platform to performances of exceptional and rarely-seen work.


We are one of the windows in question.


CONDUCTING COMMODITIES by Thomas Leyland-Collins. 66/68 Osborne Street, The African Caribbean Centre. 31st October - 4th November, midday - midnight. Creating a sense of nostalgia through the use of bygone jingles and advertisements, Conducting Commodities examines the role of sound in advertising, as visitors are encouraged to interact with a window display of salvaged television sets. 

Sunday 10 November 2013

BOSS Micro-rack RRV-10

The BOSS RRV-10 reverb unit - Part of the classic Boss Micro-rack series which graced a huge amount of home studio's back in the 1980's.


The RRV-10 featured 9 selectable reverbs (room, hall & plates), with an adjustable decay-time and a pre-equaliser to shape the reverb tone. Stereo or mono outs are on the back and the front-panel also sports controls for adjusting reverb and direct output. A simple but effective budget unit.

Thursday 7 November 2013

Casting a Bronze Bell

Very interesting video, however I cannot help but think about the stark contrast between the conditions which the workers in and the classical music and narration with reverb comes accross.





And here is how it is done in America:

Demdike Stare - Testpressing#002

Monday 4 November 2013

Made by ME Pavilion

Made by ME is an artists’ collective who are currently undertaking research into building a Pavilion for children. They are looking to undertake a collaborative residency with an architect interested in creating spaces and structures for children and families.

Pavilion comes from the old French word for butterfly, to mean a light and open building and Made by ME want to create a magical space inspired by children. Their research aims to explore both the physical and conceptual nature of a pavilion. They are looking at location, function, mobility, form, materials, sustainability and interaction.