this is what I do at work

...chill on the internet for waaaay too long. Seriously.

Anyways I thought I'd share to the world what my set-up is, because I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty proud of what I've developed over the years because a) It's different from anyone else's set up I've ever seen and b) since the beginning of 2009 it's finally reached the point of being what I've always wanted it to be, minus the fact I really really need a new computer. So BAM here's my set up:

Hidden are the stacks and stacks of vinyl I've accumulated from crate digging. Also my turntables (ie children) are also a testement to why I'm in love with craigslist.....$400 for the two tables (Technics MK1200s) + coffin case + mixer which has since died and been replaced by a much better one with a good effects rack which I abuse like Joseph Jackson abused the Jackson 5. Too soon........

Also I just recieved message that Petestock is cancelled. Fuck. Looks like my drought of playing live will only continue; I swear to make up for it once Oberlin starts.

Summer time, livin's easy...

As per usual, time is flying by as the july 4th summer "checkpoint" (like from Cruisin USA or something) has come and gone. The 4th was sweet, after fireworks at Little Italy (they shoot them off in the middle of the street so its kind of like a warzone) me, Weston and Wan went to the Euclid Tavern and saw the Double Team do some mashup goodness and partied hard. Then aftewords we lured a sizeable crowd to our own house 2 minutes away and got to witness seemingly never ending freestyling amidst improv hip hop jamming; great times. I love Coventry Kids.

Anyways just because I release stuff doesn't mean I ever stop! I think I've made somewhere between 10-13 good beats since Hessler Haus, and I liked the idea of the dozen minute trip so I think I want to make another beat tape with 5-6 beats. I just need to pick and choose which ones to use and then start actually arranging and composing, since right now all my beats consist of either 8/16/32 bar riffs qued up with some vinyl experimentation. It takes an extra level of focus to get myself to stop making new stuff and to work with what I have and spend the time mixing it all. In Ableton Live speak, I spend almost all my time hanging out in session view and I'm always avoiding jumping into arrange view.

Also later this month I'll be driving over to New York to play with Ricky at a festival in upstate NY called Petestock. Looking forward to that, especially since I feel like its been forever since I played live.

and following the mantra "if you can't beat them, join them" since I always felt like it was a passing fad and I have my reservations on the internet making people more and more visible or transparent, I just decided 5 minutes ago to try twitter. Add me friends: http://twitter.com/thewabberjocky

I have a new myspace now, it's mad hot. Big thanks to designer/housemate Wan for putting it together, Cleveland with the artsyness!

http://www.myspace.com/wabberjocky

hit it up! Also add me as a friend if you do that.

PEACE

early bird special

so, because I'm done with the actual beat tape and I'm just awaiting the graphical design upgrade before I release it, I'm leaking myself on the blog so those who follow get a chance to listen before I promote.

I'm happy as can be with what I'm calling the dozen minute trip, and it contains a wide variety of styles in the hip hop realm, so listen and give me some love!

http://soundcloud.com/the-wabberjocky/hessler-haus-1

I'm more than 90% done with a summer mixtape/beat tape, which is 5 of the beats I've made over the summer mixed together into one song something along the lines of how The Avalanches are, and I'm really happy with it.  So be sure to check that out soon, along with a make over of my myspace which I'll try and start using kicking off with this tape.  Hells yea.

Also, its funny to look back at last week's post and try and figure what I meant by commercial venture.  It really started because the bottom line is me (and everyone else who makes music I'd guess) wants to figure out how one can economically sustain oneself just making music.  So I was going to try and create something from more of a hip hop productions standpoint and just sell beats.  So I tried to make beats that sounded viable for some MC looking to buy or something along those lines (who the hell buys beats anyways? I actually don't know) and I immediately felt weird, because I wasn't really sure what I was doing different other than just trying to create a more commercially-appealing face.  

Anyways, I'm just going to pimp up my myspace and throw out this mixtape to the world which is a good survey of the range of different stuff I've been making, and maybe somewhere along the way someone will give me money.  huzzah!

Summer Timeeee

...when the livin's easy

School is over, and I've already started just making beats en masse.  It's nifty because I can fit everything I use for production (my laptop and trigger finger) in a bag so I spend majority of the day wandering to interesting environments, sample hunting through music collections and the internet, and then cutting up and putting samples on the trigger finger where I just drum 'em out and make beats.  

Also I have a new project in store which should get off the ground (very?) soon.  It basically would be a commercial venture in production, so I'll let you know once that opens.  Be excited, because I am.  I'll also release a fair deal of the beats I've made coinciding with the start of this project, so soon you'll hear.  

crazy brits

So I've been following the basketball playoffs with joyful attention during this finals period, and I've been mostly doing it from my laptop.  Anyways the short side of it is whenever I'm catching a game it tends to come from some random worldwide channel, and tonight I just watched the rockets beat the lakers without a single announcer talking.  It was Sky Sports and instead the crowd was just miced to the point where I felt like I was a part of the game and participating.  

Basically watching the Premiership is the same experience, where you go and the crowd is the driving force of the game.  I was into it, and realized that's what everyone on the court experiences and hears.  Seriously intense, but I want to run into it again. 

Also come to Tappan Square tomorrow.  Badassery!