George Cochrane

Swedish Dance Bands of the 70s… Definitely one of the most incredibly awesome sets of band pics I’ve ever laid my burning, agog peepers upon.

Legend has it that Swedish musicians of the day were able to get a tax deduction for clothing costs, but only for “Fantasy Costumes”, which meant costumes that couldn’t possibly be worn outside the confines of a gig. Hilarity ensued…

These days, we practically genuflect if a band comes onstage wearing matching black t-shirts. I think only Of Montreal really qualifies in the Fantasy Costume arena at this point. By the way, here’s a track from their new, head-spinning album, Skeletal Lamping.

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Just watch… I’m speechless.

Talk about RSI via After Effects hacking… Jesus! Check out some of the related vids- your mind won’t thank you, but you’ll be forever changed.

Off to go gargle some motor oil. Mmm, 10w30…

IOSYS

I was sitting on BART listening to YLNT, chatting with my boy Comma, when a kid strolled up to us and said “Hey, you like rap?” We replied “Yeah…”, and he handed over a battered Discman, saying “Just plug your headphones in and give a listen.”

I did, and was pleasantly surprised- it was a really well-executed nod to early-90s gangsta rap, with some new-school twists. I said I’d buy a copy. As I asked how much he wanted, the BART did that “scream like a banshee” thing it loves to do. I thought he’d said “3″, so I handed him a tenner and asked for change.

He looked at me quizzically and said, “Naw man, I said twenty. There’s 14 cuts on there!”

I thought it over for a sec, I mean, I wanna help my fellow music makers, but damn, twenty skins for a CD-R wrapped in paper, the quality of which I couldn’t really be sure of? I haggled him down to $11 (the contents of my wallet). He flipped me the CD and left the train, kind of annoyed.

Here it is:

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Ganksta C - Track 12

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Ganksta C - Track 9

Check it out here. I think I’m going to ring him up and send him that other $9. This stuff is growing on me.

This is off-topic, I know, but damn, I am so, so, so overjoyed. Thank you, America.

In celebration, a song that sums it all up for me.

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Hey, readers- our record label just released a GREAT new record- check out the info below and grab a copy, whydoncha? Here’s a little taste:

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Cubik & Origami - Elevator

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~ AVAILABLE FOR SALE NOW ~
High Quality Downloads
Doomsday Shotglass
Handmade Etching Prints by Jonathan Barcan

Toxic hurricane sludge, endless war and the eternal question of what to do with one’s Saturday night when the world’s about to implode… Cubik and Origami mine these topics and more on Slept In On Doomsday, their forthcoming release on Dinner Party Records. Originally known for the slow-burning downtempo funk of their eponymous debut on Wide Hive Records, and an intricate beatbox/instrumental EP in 2007, the duo have since broadened their outlook, quilting electro, IDM and indie rock details into their earth-toned hip-hop tapestries. The resulting record, their most song-driven work to date, draws comparisons to such disparate acts as Four Tet, Danger Mouse and The Album Leaf.

~ FREE SAMPLE TRACKS ~
In-Flight Message
11th Hour (Eliot Lipp Remix)

Visit Cubik & Origami on Myspace

Just to bring a little sunshine into this blog for a bit, here’s another song destined for my new record, also from about four years ago, this time from after I’d worked my thing out. The change in mood was enough to inspire a bit of happy, if similarly random, songwriting. My voice still sounds like I’m singing at about 4am on my couch. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was.

This track also features pianet, acoustic guitar, and drums like rice crispie treats.

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Ice Climber: 1000 Renewals

oh, I will be saved/and oh, I will be true/I’ll wink and then nod, speak some words/and be delivered to you

What a difference a few weeks can make.

On the subject of melancholy music, I thought I’d throw up a little tidbit from my upcoming album. This song was made about 4 years ago, in what amounted to a closet in my old place on Tehama St (in San Francisco). I was having a bummer moment. I plugged in the pianet, drummed on my table, hacked some cryptic prose, and this came out.

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Ice Climber - 10 is Never Enough

how many fingers am I holding up/if it were ten, would that be enough?

Probably not.

It always annoys me how predictable the flood of creativity is in times of torment. Cataclysm of existential angst? Expect a few good singles. Nasty breakup? That’s worth an album or two. Somebody you dig won’t show their hand? See the track above. Lol.

I once knew a singer in a high school punk band who was unlucky in love. Finally, he met a girl who was great for him. After a couple of months of freaking out, unable to write angry lyrics due to happiness, he dumped her.

Art’s a harsh vocation.

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Morgan Geist has a new album out, Double Night Time, on Environ. I featured the Carl Craig remix of the opening track, “Detroit” in my Friday Night Mix, below. Sounding like a bizarre wintertime collab between Vince Clarke, Jan Hammer, and Junior Boys, the album reflects on a dark time in Geist’s life. There’s a considerable streak of delicious melancholy throughout, but the pointillist synth work and bouncy, restrained drums keep the tears from flowing.

Joined by Junior Boys chanteur Jeremy Greenspan, the record’s full of the kind of singing I love to hear on electronic releases. Emotive, pretty and textural without verging into frilly territory. Proper sh#t, as usual, Morgan.

At the moment there is a decided lack of e-commerce heat for the album, garnering it shit scores on iTunes and zero reviews on Amazon (which, due to pricing and lack of DRM, is where I recommend you buy the record). If you’re a superfan like I am, would you take a listen, crack a smile, and post something nice about Mr. Geist?

Thanks,
-George

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Check it!

It starts off with a little bookend I made tonight, and ends with John Coltrane, with a WHOLE LOT of techy goodness in between. ..and there are just enough little screwups to let you know it was mixed live.. lol. (getting my skills back together, slowly)

Enjoy and give feedback if you have some!
-George

I don’t want to turn this blog into a press release portal, but I have a new release that just hit Beatport, and it is some truly hott business. If you like tech house/electro and have a taste for dirty, twisted tracks, you simply MUST check this out.

Listen and grab it here.