a very minimal fix.

though not so much minimal but techno...the make it new @ middlesex lounge this past thursday 9 january was a spectacular treat.

showing up around 10:30 might have been a mistake...

as a friend, the boy, and i walked in to the small but satisfying space, the music was pumping. and the pumping was good. in the mood for dance, local dj, volvox, definitely played to those needs better than your average run of the mill freshwater alga [excuse the silly reference]. i've definitely been around to hear while she's in the booth but this thursday was something special. she really put together a fantastic set for thursday night that made my little group forget about the cold and

dancedancedancedancedancedance

she did a bang up job and has definitely improved to my liking from the past nights i've seen her. the friendies agreed.

however it was berlin dj, marcel dettmann [MDR, Ostgut Ton] that really drew us in [and got us there on a cold night in the first place].

it is a really hard thing to live in boston and have a musical taste that centers on electronic music. there is a very very small scene here whose appetite is rarely fulfilled by touring djs...really ever. however, when we do receive special guest appearances they are interesting and wonderful and all that they need to be. in november, paco osuna and ewan pearson both played at little old phoenix landing for midweek techno nights which were fantastic. this marcel dettmann set was so wonderfully wonderfully wonderful.

techno is really fun to listen to alone or on the train or cleaning your room or hanging out
but
it is even better blaring out of nicer than home speakers
[unless of course you happen to be my friend alex who has delightful monitors for his own musical makings]
^that is the way techno is best heard:::
loud, entrancing, and hard to resist
because. it. makes. you. dance.

at the beginning of his set i was wondering how he was going to follow up the energetic volvox set, but dettmann, resident at the infamous berghain club in berlin, took that energy from the previous set and went with it. the set started off with one attention catching, pumping beat that melded so well in to the next that it was hard to tell if he was even spinning at all. at times he would drop a few easily recognizable samples, but the set was more berlin sounds and feeling than this town has danced to in a while.

thanks. so. much.

ps...if you want a nice hour long taste of marcel dettmann's sound...download the resident advisor podcast from 29 december that he mixed.

new year, follow-up, and too little time....until now.

firstly:::

happy new year [though it is now ten days in].
still quite new and there is so much more to feel and figure out.

this holiday season has been a whirlwind and it is nice to get back up here [still bitterly cold] to my little hovel/nest with the boy and just put up my feet.

this new year brings with it a new challenge:

figure out where to go next.
-i have now finished my final class at boston university and so i guess its onwards from here!

i must apologize for not having written any posts since mid-november...it is so very slack and not in my personality to put anything aside. however, this will soon change as schoolwork is no longer a part of my daily life, nor is having two jobs as one ended with my academic career. therefore, i will be focusing SO very much more on this blog, sewing, music research, making plans for the coming months, and perhaps even trying to organize a showing of a film...

hope all has been fantastic for everyone.

take care cool kids.

come on over then.

my ears and eyes are ready.

i have recently heard quite a bit about the film Berlin Calling and it has succeeded in catching my attention. the film synopsis from what i gather seems to be the [somewhat typical] story of the culture and rituals that surround the electronic music and dj populations -as well as the outcomes and consequences that this music and style of shows generates. Yet, there seems to be a distinct difference in this hannes stöhr film from other such films about the electronic music genre, which if compared to movies made about other music genres (ie, rock, "motown," country) has quite a varied repertoire. The difference it seems to me is in the music which seems (from a person who has NOT viewed the film) interwoven and mixed with the whimsical and yet imaginably realistic plot stöhr creates. paul kalkbrenner, a BPitch Control records berlin-based dj (imagine that) plays the main character, dj ickarus (imaginative moniker, no?), as well as the main musical synthesis for the film. how cool. as it stands, the film seems that it can be characterized as part film, part biopic, part documentary, part ethnographic study (into subculture), part live set, part soundtrack, and part party. i hope that it can stand up to all of these AMAZING labels.

berlin calling had its north american debut in canada a few months ago and i CLAMOR for it to be brought to boston. there are enough independent theatres here that i'm sure would be willing to screen it. let's bring this film to boston. please?

you can see the trailer



or go check out their website.

also...can anyone tell me where to find a disco ball bouncy ball? must. have.

stars and stripes forever?

well...perhaps not forever.........

however, in the wake of this very momentous election **lets out HUGE sigh of relief** perhaps i could show my pride for this country (especially since i share a birthday with it...)!!

today whilst browsing on the net at my office job i have stumbled upon these very cool and inexpensive stereo docks from Pylones, the French company of nothing but color and fun. my favorite is clearly this red, white, and blue one...(which i might be purchasing very soon), but the other smaller colored ones are also darling





and lets not forget that the lego-y-ness of these docks for mp3 players obviously calls out to designer Marc Jacobs in his Marc by Marc Jacobs spring/summer 2008 collection........


three cheers for elections and legos and french companies who make cute and attractive toys for me to play with and enjoy. fingers crossed that the speakers are remotely techno/minimal worthy... hey- they're french right?

fingers crossed.

well...its the eve of the election for the next president of the united states of america.

i am extremely excited to watch the election results together and see how this country votes. so excited in fact that i have been counting down the days and am so antsy to get to this time tomorrow and beyond.

what is to happen?

all i know is that if things go the wrong way you might find me blogging from lovely vietnam....(photo credit, margot lane strasburger)

or perhaps even delightful hong kong...

(photo credit, margot lane strasburger)

either way...these lovely places might be a nice change of scenery if the politics scene doesn't shape up here soon enough. enjoy the photos and have a fantastic tuesday.