August 2009Archive
Moritz Von Oswald Trio is consist of The Moritz Von Oswald, Max Loderbauer, and Vladislav Delay.
Their new album is minimal techno, dubby, and electronica sound. I like track number one "Pattern 1", but the rest of tracks are too deep and too minimal.
Breakestra is a live funk band. The sound is based on HipHop mentalitiy with real funk and soul groove. Their new album was tributed to DJ Dusk who is repretent of recent LA hiphop scene.
All those who loves funk, soul, hiphop music must have this album. DJ Dusk and Chali 2Na are featured in track number 10.
One of underrated japanese soul divas, Momoe Shimano's tracks were compiled along with taste of Free Soul. "Free Soul" is late 90's japanese original music category/movement in which rare groove, acid jazz, jazz, soul, R&B songs are mixed and compiled by sense of Tohru Hashimoto (Suburbia).
In this compilation, you can feel her soft voice and profound lyrics on various good feeling tracks. Produced by Shinichi Osawa, Mummy-D, D.O.I., Ryosuke Imai, Jean Paul "Bluey" Maunick (Incognito), DJ Fumiya, Kazunori Fujimoto, Akira Sasaki, Maestro-T, and K-Muto.
My MacBook Pro upgraded MacOSX to version 10.6 code named "Snow Leopard" today.
I could feel some few good updated/fixed elements and disappointments.
I posted Snow Leopard report on Techlog.
Grand Puba, MC/hiphop producer formerly known as original member of Brane Nubian. His latest album "Retroactive" is anti-sound against main stream billboad type hiphop.
Featuring Q-Tip, Large Professor, Kid Capri, Load Jamar, SadatX, Rell, Tiffini Davis, Talee, Sarah Martinez, and Khadija Mohammad.
Most tracks are simple and tight sound like past Grand Puba works (I am disappointed with a song effected by auto tune). I guess Kid Capri should have not been featured.
As I was doing in the golden era, I am not so eager hiphop digger now. I missed lots of good hipop releases recently. Y Society is also an artist I have not noticed.
Y Society is mc/track maker duo, Insight and Damu The Fudgemunk. They are the one who succeeds to true hiphop sound, jazzy and funky elements with quality traditional hiphop beats.
Che Part Two - Good, but it was so monotonous because I have not seen Part One...
Tokyo! - Bad. So B-movie. I like its theme.
The Wrestler - Good. It's sort of ROCKY with typical american family love story. I like Marisa Tomei.
All backup data on my fileserver was completely deleted.
Even tough I set RAID after a backup HDD died one month ago, misconfigured rsync command deleted all data and cleaned up the disk.
I could fortunately rescued files saved until early July from one of old backup disks, but it took about 20 hours to recover all data...
This messed up my work and wasted my time.
I can't find the best note pad for my mobile use.
Rhodia A7 note book was too small and did not feel good material for me. Then next, I bought Rhodia Pad N°13 with Pad Holder. How about this?
Cosmic disco sound is going to be a new movement in NYC.
The Phenomenal Handclap Band is one of represents in cosmic disco sound. Self titled new album "The Phenomenal Handclap Band" (Sep.16, 2009) sounds like old skool hiphop + 80's disco + the latest electro.
Back in the days with new sound.
Cro-magnons released new album "4U". Featuring TWIGY, DubZombie (Soil & "Pimp" Sessions), Motoharu (Soil & "Pimp" Sessions"), Izpon (Kingdom Afrocks), Yohei Miyake, and Roy Ayers !!
This is a quite jazz album. All tracks in this album were created with more jazzy, cool, and tight essence than previous albums.
In club jazz scene, I guess no other japanese musician had ever reached at this quality.
My PFU Happy Hacking Keyboard was replaced with Apple Wireless Keyboard for wireless and cool design on my desktop. I review these two keyboards.
Apple Wireless Keyboard : Design Win / Function Win / Weight Win / Size(Height) Lost / Typing feeling Draw / Typing noise Win
PFU Happy Hacking Keyboard : Design Lost / Function Lost / Weight Lost / Size(Height) Win / Typing feeling Draw / Typing noise Lost
Apple Wireless Keyboard can't adjust its height. So, it doen't fit with Kensignton Expert Mouse. And I have to wash my hands so often to keep white keytop clean.
I picked up 4 albums of R&B divas and review their characteristics.
Amerie : Sexy 4 / Beauty 5 / Cute 3 / Pop 3 / Funky 5 / Creative 4 / Wack 0
Rihanna : Sexy 3 / Beauty 2 / Cute 2 / Pop 4 / Funky 4 / Creative 3 / Wack 2
Keri Hilson Sexy 5 / Beauty 4 / Cute 3 / Pop 4 / Funky 3 / Creative 3 / Wack 2
Lady Gaga : Sexy 3 / Beauty 4 / Cute 5 / Pop 5 / Funky 2 / Creative 3 / Wack 2
I have only seen their name, but have not checked their releases.
The music of Cro-magnons sounds so black, funk, jazzy with electro elements like Trus'me.
Even the cover song of Tatsuro Yamashita's "Windy Lady" is not just like past cover songs as other japanese artists did.
Soon I get their latest album "4U" and review it here.
Audi magazine renewed for 100 years issue.
Features R8 & Muga Miyahara, Q5 & JK (Jamiroquai).
I am sometimes irritated with feelings of ballpoint pen.
So, I choosed 3 well designed products, "Dr.Grip CL (PILOT) 0.7mm", "AirPress (TOMBO) 0.7mm", and "ENERGEL EURO (Pentel) 0.7mm".
Dr.Grip - Normal feeling, sometimes scratches.
AirPress - Feels like pencil. Ink is pale.
ENERGEL EURO - Smooth feeling. Ink moderately blurs.
Result - ENERGEL EURO wins, but I do not like its design. I like AirPress look.
MPP Weblog updated Movable Type to version 4.3.
Movable Type announced as "Faster performance, powerful search, dramatically more page views". A little bit faster, but almost same as previous version (4.1,4.2).
Vicky Christina Barcelona - Good. Story is trifle, but I like sceneries, music, and actress.
The International - Bad. Not so fun, Not so thrillling.
Terminator 4 - Bad. I was about to sleep.
High Voltage - Good. The most exciting and nasty movie in 2009.
Watchmen - Good. Impressive. It's not just a typical american comic story. It has serious ethical theme of human being.
Revelations - Bad. I fell asleep.
Race to Witch Mountain - Bad. Not for adults, just a summer vacation movie for kids.
MACAFRAMA is the most beautiful quality track bike movie ever.
Packaged with well designed picture sleeve case, including a photo book and 2 DVDs (main title and outtakes titled "supplement").
Even If you are not interested in track bike, it is worth to watch this movie.
If you are track bike fan, you have to buy one.
UA released the album titled "ATTA". Produced by Haruomi Hosono, Hirofumi Asamoto, Yoshihiro Hanno and other her friends artists.
The sound is based on organic percussive beats and idyllic laidback music. These sound were polished with her sweet unique voice.
I recommend this heart warm music for all ages and music fans.
Shuya Okino (Kyoto Jazz Massive) compiled music for Narita Airport official project "Nippon Week".
He selected japanese club jazz and chillout tracks (except Jazzanova's Hanazono) for the album.
Each track is not interested for most of club music headz, but no one ever did package these tracks and released as a compilation CD. Very recommend compilation album for chillout and jazzy music lovers.
One of House Music Legends, Ron Trent releases new album "Dance Classics" on August 19th, 2009.
He dedicated this album to the spirit of early house music, and enlightened the recent house music scene in which so much easy sampled and imitated tracks are being released.
All tracks in the album are rooted in the dawn of chicago house and deep house. Its sound is based on deeply atmospheric and spacy synthe with tight and warm house breaks.
DJ Honda who is known as 1st Japanese battle DJ of the world DJ competition DMC releases the 4th full album "IV".
This album features Rakaa (Dialated Peoples), Money Harm, Mos Def, Kool G Rap, EPMD, Group Home, Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), Sean Price (Heltah Skeltah), Buttah (Rawcotiks), Problemz, Ras Kass, Garcia, P.M., The Kid Daytona, Juganot, Lord Tariq (Money Boss Players), Rsonist (The Heatmakerz), and John Brackett.
Though lots of big guest shots, I thought I could pay for only the first 4 tracks, the rest is crap.
