Welcome to Mars in San Francisco
By Simon James | September 4, 2008
I just created a instrumental mix of electronic sounds for a reading Ken Hollings is doing at the ATA/Other Cinema in San Francisco. It’s a low budget affair so I quickly created an extended version of the live piece I performed at Interesting 2008. At the time I was keen to create an instrumental version and make it available and this ATA/Other Cinema version serves that purpose nicely. Its a selection of space sound created using tape loops, tone generators, found sound, synthesizers and space echo.
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Blip FM - Music distraction
By Simon James | September 4, 2008
I’ve been enjoying the distraction of Blip FM over the last few weeks. It is a cool web site that allows you to be an online DJ of sorts, searching through the huge (suprisingly well stocked) library of music available and then playing tracks accompanied by a Twitter size comment for each one. I’ve heard it described as a fusion of Twitter and Last FM and this does sound about right, although I’m no expert on these online matters.
For now my Blip FM playlist will replace the My Noisy Muxtape. Feel free to head over and add me to your favorites list. You can then hear the random assortment of music (limited by the available database) that I listen to on a day to day basis. Bear in mind that when I’m actually working on music or sound I can’t be listening/DJing on Blip FM so there may be days without updates. I know Curtis has a Blip FM playlist so maybe he will let you know about his too.
Topics: Music, Musical matchbox, News | No Comments »
The Simonsound
By Simon James | September 4, 2008
Some of you might already know that I’m in a group called The Simonsound and that I’ve been finishing the first album for a while (yes there is always another tweak to be made!). Well we are now in the process of releasing a limited edition 7″ vinyl pressing of the first single ‘It’s Just Begun/Bad Love’ and a mix CD of spaced out music and psychedelic sounds called ‘Have You Heard… The Simonsound ‘. It is very exciting to finally start getting the music out there after it has existed so long in my mind and then confined to the four walls of my studio.
Feel free to head over to myspace and check out the new single.
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Connecting - Go where only your ears can take you
By Simon James | July 24, 2008
I Just read a great article about the film War Games over at Wired Magazine. War Games came out at an exciting time where home computing was just starting to take hold and long before the word ‘hacker’ entered into the publics consciousness. Against a backdrop of 80’s USA/Russia nuclear nervousness it told the story of a young computer wizkid trying to impress his girlfriend by hacking into his school computer to change their grades. Things take a more serious turn when he hacks into a mysterious game called Thermonuclear War and inadvertently starts World War 3.
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Take a walk around Pierre Henry’s House of Sound
By Simon James | July 23, 2008
If you are in Paris between August 4th and 15th you should definitely try and get tickets to visit Pierre Henry’s House of Sound. The pioneering composer is throwing open the doors to his home and allowing 13 lucky visitors (per day) the opportunity to explore his music and sound work. Find out more at USO, and Festival Paris Quartier d’Ete.
We featured some of Pierre Henry’s popular compositions in episode 2 of The Tone Generation which focussed on French electronic composers. Go here to have a listen.
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