Many of you have noticed that Knobtweakers has not been updated for a very long time. There is still a large archive of music available, and I have no intention of taking it down, but I also have no plans to update the site with any sort of regularity. I am prepared to authorize certain people to post music to Knobtweakers, however. If you are interested, here are the qualifications:
You must be able to write well on the subject of electronic music
You must have access to music that fits the format, and must be able to get permission from the copyright holder to post it -- NEVER post music without permission, whether that permission comes in the form of a CC license, or written consent (email/MySpace contact is okay)
You must be able to source images (generally promo images from the band), and resize them to fit the format of the blog
Knobtweakers has been around the block a few times. Some of the most exciting electronic music producers have contributed content, and some of the world's leading DJs have sourced new music from it. The weekly Knobtweakers parties, along with special events like Rinse Out (a joint effort between Knobtweakers and Salt Lake City's V2) gave me the opportunity to connect with the local electronic music community here on a whole new level.
It has been my honor and great privilege to share the music I love with all of you. I am very busy now earning a living as a photographer, and in that capacity, I still serve the electronic music community with photographs of some of dance music's greatest DJ's and performing artists.
If you're interested in keeping up with my nightlife photography, you can find relevant posts at Dilvie.com.
I leave you with a shot from a performance by Rabbit in the Moon, shot at Get Freaky last month, for V2:
"The humans from that parallel dimension tried to escape. Maybe we can too!" W in a panic. Pathetic. We will own them all.
"Sir -- we don't know if they made it. Why would they transmit the details of project Wildfire to us if they actually managed to escape? I think it's a warning to us. They're trying to tell us -- there is no escape."
"Is there any way the transmissions could be faked?" Typical George W style. Always ask the obvious questions.
"We have thought of that, of course. I assure you, there would be signs. We've analyzed the signals carefully. I don't think it's possible." The voice was coming from a speaker. The identity of the man behind the mirror is a secret, even from the president.
Puny humans. Your security is pathetic. We have hijacked your highest ranking MP3 blog with ease. Let these transmissions serve as a warning. We are coming for you next. You will serve us.
"Oh my god! What the hell is this?" Alexandra clutched her headphones in her hands, listening intently to God knows what while the spectral analysis went into chaotic rhythmic seisures on the console in front of her.
"Put it on the main speakers, NOW!" Major Stoever barked.
And so it began. The transmissions keep coming. Where they came from, we don't yet know. They seem to beaming out of a black hole...
Brittish pop trio, ROC gets the mainroom workover from Liverpool's DJ Tempest (The Passage/Bunnymen/Weatherall), a shot to those mucky pups who spend the weekend frugging on a dancefloor, jumping to the 4-4: it's big, it's brash and built for booming systems. Thanks, ROC!
The UnreAl Project is Alejandro Vernet's drum and bass pseudonym. He has a two-track EP out on the German netlabel, Loopenrein, called Drama and Breaks. The B-Side, "UP" features soulful vocals over a tight backdrop of drum n bass.
I am so frustrated with the remix scene lately. Labels seem to love remixes, and that's progress I suppose, but they still don't get it. Well, most of them don't. ccMixter knows how to host a remix contest properly. The Creative Commons sampling licenses are tailor-made for remix packs, so remixers can actually share their work without fear of lawsuits. Recently, ccMixter hosted a remix contest featuring a catchy rap a capella, and they were bombarded by eager remixers.
I don't follow the rap scene. Once in a while I hear something I like, but that's pretty rare. It takes a good drum and bass remix to get my attention. Mo's Mix of Fort Minor's "Remember the Name" is a great example. The lyrics are a bit over the top, but the chorus is catchy, the lyrical rhythms are great, and Mo's electro-dnb production gives it the energy it needs to work on a dance floor.
Wolfram Gruss, AKA PNFA (Popular Nightmare Folk Art) is calling for remix contributions for an online EP. Some of the contributed remixes are very good, and there is still time to get in on it.
There was a miscommunication with the label on the first Ror-Shak post, and we had to take the link down. That might be a good thing, though, especially if you're one of those lucky enough to get "Fate or Faith" while the getting was good. This time around, Julee Cruise contributes seductive, loungy vocals for a song that would fit in nicely on Secret Agent Radio.
Science for Girls was the Keyboard Magazine unsigned artist of the month for April, 2006. As of this writing, the project is still unsigned. One of the great mysteries of the universe. The chilled grooves feature a variety of guest vocalists. I particularly like the performance of "Pitchy McPlugin" on "You'll Never Know". Perhaps you recognize Pitchy's voice. It appears on many electronic music albums, but you rarely get to hear the range Pitchy is capable of like you do in this track. Bronwen Exter contributes some wonderfully loungy vocals on "14 Days". I knew as soon as I heard her sing I wanted to hear more from Science for Girls. Each collaboration has a different flavor. Hearing how different talents mesh with Darren Solomon's mellow chords and laid-back production style is a bit like biting into a mystery chocolate. Whether you're met by creamy, lilting vocals, crunchy pitch-shifting plugins, or rich caramel tones, the one thing you can count on is that you'll want more.
In 2006, the Creative Commons Hungary crew hosted a remix contest that fused Hungarian folk music from Nomada with electronic music production. I really enjoyed several of the tracks that made the cut, particularly this little drum and bass number.
On-Li is a Japanese art/netlabel collective producing some quality materials. I was browsing their offerings and found a song by Shiba that describes my current mood perfectly. Hope you like mellow jazz as much as I do.
German singer, Boris Von Der Burg and Swiss electro producer, Uwe Schwarz have teamed up to produce some nice electro-pop, released via Alpinechic. I really enjoyed the laid back melodies in "Menschenmosaik". Too bad I don't understand a word of it. Maybe that's part of the charm.
I have a late Christmas present for you. Sarah McLachlan recently offered Christmas Remix stems for a competition hosted by Beatport.com, in order to promote her new Christmas album, Wintersong. His Boy Elroy (featured several times before) intended to enter. Sadly, he missed the deadline. I suspect he might have won had he not. You can listen and download winning tracks on the Beatport release page. Some of them are very creative! Lot's of other remixes are available on the remix listen page. Happy New Year!
Kaskade is one of the most influential artists in my life, for a couple of reasons. "Steppin' Out" is arguably one of the best house tracks ever composed. It's simple, but when you hear it on the dancefloor, it's absolutely irresistible. I've met Kaskade, both Ryan and Finn, along with several of the other musicians they have collaborated with over the years. They are very respectable, hard working people, and they deserve the success that they have earned.
Morgan Page, as followers of the podcast will know, is one of my favorite remixers. He has remixed many of my favorite songs, and he was a guest at the Knobtweakers Weekly club night here in Salt Lake. His style predicted the recent flood of bleepy electro sounds without sounding too much like everything else. When you hear a Morgan page remix, you know where it came from, and you know it's going to rock the dancefloors.
This is a special feature. You can watch the video featuring the original version, and then download the excellent reworking by Morgan Page and compare!
Ror-Shak is an electronic act, fronted by artist's DB (www.djdb.com) & Shaun Morris AKA Stakka (www.cargoindustries.co.uk). The forthcoming album Deep features guest vocals by Julee Cruise, Lisa Shaw, Chantal Claret, Wendy Starland and Mark Holmes. My introduction to Ror-Shak came by way of their stunning cover of "A Forest", by The Cure. If you're a fan of Drum and Bass, and a fan of The Cure, you'll thank me for pointing it out to you.
The US released date for Deep is February 13th. Ror-Shak will soon be hosting a remix competition. Watch this space if you're interested in remixing "Fate or Faith". I'll pass on the contest details for you. The winner will be featured on the 12" single, and collect a bit of cash, as well.
Simon V's Digital Christmas is the latest release on the Knobtweakers Netlabel. It was an online experiment which ran for one year. Every 24th each month you could download inspiring music from simonv.com. Features include the wonderful vocal talents of Shoot The Kitten and Laura Ryhänen.
"After the Rain" is representative of Simon V's unique dnb style, with a strong hook, great bassline, on-point percussion, smooth flowing chords, and synthesized strings that remind me of a classic 80's film soundtrack. One of the highlights of the album.
We laughed together.
We partied together.
We listened together.
We loved the same people.
I will miss
Your sharp wit.
Your acceptance.
Your friendship.
Most of all, I will miss all the things that we will never have the chance to do.
Happy journeys, my friend.
WARNING! A Message from Psyonix
After the death of our beloved Jordan, we're all aware that there is currently some bad heroin (laced with fentanyl) going around UT, but this document (below) also mentions cocaine as potentially being cut with fentanyl as well...I heard about the deaths in the eastern US related to fentanyl-cut heroin a while ago, and it's obviously migrated to UT...fentanyl-cut cocaine may already be in UT or arriving soon...
I mention this simply to ask all of you to spread the word...if you have friends who use, warn them...even if you don't have friends who use, mention it...you never know who may overhear you and get the information they needed to avoid a tragic end such as Jordan's...
Ideally we wouldn't need to have to warn people, cuz they wouldn't be using...but reality says there ARE users, so please get this information out...
The Young Punx have posted the Phunk Investigation remix of "Dance With Someone Else", and it's great! It has a funky bassline, a tight house groove, and classic 80's electro chords. Guaranteed to light up the dance floor!
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