Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Today's wisdom: Although it may sound like a good idea at the time, listening to the Smiths doesn't make things better.

LA considers sandblasting Disney Concert Hall

[thanks Alex]

The Go! Team are happy fun. This is their new video.
This is my song of the month. Thank you.

butter: the silent killer.

Monday, November 29, 2004

Phonetard.

I forgot my cell phone at home this morning, which you all know is about the most helpless feeling in the world. Hit me on e-mail or the old fashioned office line if you need to: 248.276.7954 (no solicitors, please.) Singing telegram is also a valid option.

i've given up on the hope of being the first kid on the block to get one...

so i thought i'd pass it on

Sunday, November 28, 2004

OMGz0rz!1

Bidule 0.7 in the house

midi feedback support
better midi learn mode for all bidules/plugins
support for 7-bits relatives and 14-bits absolute midi cc

s3x!

It's like a fat guy in a tee shirt doing all the singing...

View the new LCD Soundsystem video here.

Saturday, November 27, 2004

Our favorite fur hat wearing, Smiths playing, furniture smashing, cross dressing mad scientist, Sam Consiglio reminds us of the following:

Sunday November 28th

Les Georges Leningrad and Tamion 12 Inch
with UVU and Genders

Detroit Art Space
101 E. Baltimore, Detroit MI (duh)

(This will be the first proper Tamion show in over five months!)

I am so there.
(I expect at least Allen to be as well.)

Friday, November 26, 2004

Too much turkey + not enough sleep + good snuggling = coma.

Thursday, November 25, 2004

hey, i have been trying to work on my own music while listening to and comparing it to existing stuff. i am currently listening to dabrye (aka tadd mullinix) and his one/three album and it intimidates the shit out of me. how am i supposed to beat something that came out 3 years ago and still fucks evrything up? i live in the town where prefuse 73 (scott herren) lives but dabrye still kicks the shit out of the brother...my only comfort is in that tadd is a fellow michigander

Wednesday, November 24, 2004

It's okay to look this serious when you've been named "one of the 250 people who will change the future" by i-D Magazine. SV4: nicein' em up and taking names since 1999.

More big time accolades for the Ghostly International camp, including XLR8R Magazine's Artist of the Year for Matthew Dear, and Label of the Year from URB Magazine.

Champagne in Ann Arbor hard earned and much deserved.

I'm hoping for a Mike Servito/Ellen Allien tag team set by the end of tonight. That would be the awesomest.

We might as well just set up camp at Oslo...

Work off that tofurkey sashimi (joking) Thursday night with the un-scruffy 2/3 of RUN STOP RESTORE and Clark Warner. Too much goodness. Details and discussion here.

Amen Chris. December of 1992(93?): I had my very first fake ID and I used it to go see Swervedriver downtown. There was this other band opening called Smashing Pumpkins. They were okay. I also think Daisy Chainsaw played that night.

"Rave Down" was one of the hardest songs I learned on guitar that year, and Swervedriver shall always hold a special place in my heart.

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

ok, i am feeling a bit nostalgic...for all lovers of shoegazers and classic rock at the same very time: were swervedriver not one of the most criminally overlooked bands? i still remember seeing them in ann arbor and being completely blown away. all the beauty of the shoegazers with all the balls of late 70´s rock (they came too late and left too soon)

thanks for mentioning lebbeus woods mike. he was a hero during my time at ccs, both in terms of his architectural work and his esthetic style. he was and is an artist in the world of architects (i unfortunately couldn´t find another suitable web link...architects are so often poorly represented in the linked-liked world). it is true that an artist is increasingly an anomolous beauty in the world of design



Installation of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's Gates to begin next week in Central Park.

The Gates, as they are called, will be festooned with saffron-colored fabric panels and will line 23 miles of pedestrian paths from Feb. 12 to 27. They are being made in Queens and are nearly finished. The artists say they have been working on the project for 20 years.
-NY Times


More images here. (Between Christo and Lebbeus, colored pencil kicks the ass of computer rendering any day of the week. Long live drawing.)

$28,000 grilled cheese sandwich.

Remember: Florida is a red state.

Monday, November 22, 2004

The first official proof of my recent Barcelona excursion. Not sure why it cuts off about two sentances before the end.

8 hours until I take off for Detroit. This headcold should making flying the red-eye a blast.

More construction images of the de Young museum at Archinect.



Photos of Tokyo's massive water routing system

[via Core77, via boing-boing]

shape-shifting robots

Friday, November 19, 2004

John Kerry is back on the scene and comes out swingin'. This may not be over yet!

Twangers.

Oh my.

Baaaaaaaaaaaad Robot...



Plexus. Tonight. Robots. Cafe Deville. New York City. Details.


+ Bad Robot Haiku

Thursday, November 18, 2004

Mrs. Doyle and I are attending the Governor's Awards for Arts and Culture ceremony tonight with Jon Ozias. Derrick, Kevin and Juan are being honored for their "innovative contributions to the global music scene." There are much worse ways to spend an evening than seeing these guys get some respect while schmoozing with democrats and art patrons.

Jon O is DJ'ing.

This should be a totally interesting night all around.

This Saturday evening is the grand opening event for Effigy Studios in Ferndale Michigan. Effigy is a gorgeous new state of the art recording space. There will be refreshments aplenty and entertainment from The Dollfaces and Team Dorkwave! Come on by and check it out.

Studio Release Party
Effigy Studios
803 Vester
Ferndale MI
(9 Mile Rd. and Hilton)

8pm - ??

Food and drink by Christine's Cuisine
Live music in the Studio by The Dollfaces
Recorded music in the Event Space by Team Dorkwave





Effigy is the latest addition to a community of recording studios in Ferndale, including 54 Sound, FBT, Tempermill Studios, Rustbelt Studios and Soup Can Studios.  The interior was designed by Van Tine | Guthrie architects of Northville and acoustician Dave Prince.

This Friday night offers two chances to see some of your favorite Ghostly/Spectral acts in two of your favorite cities: Todd Osborn and Ryan Elliott will be kicking off a new DJ series at Detroit's Oslo, while Dykehouse supports indie legend Bob Mould at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor. Details:

Ghostly International Presents

The inaugural edition of a new monthly event at Oslo featuring the friends and family of Ghostly International, occurring every third Friday.

Todd Osborn - Ghostly/ Spectral, Ann Arbor
Ryan Elliott - Ghostly/ Spectral, Detroit (resident)

In association with Soft Curls

Oslo
1456 Woodward, Detroit MI
10pm to 4am | 21+ | $5


BOB MOULD with special guest DYKEHOUSE

Mould was a founding member of the immensely influential 80s band Husker Du, whose sound led the way for the alternative rock movement of the 90s; since then he has done numerous solo albums, apart from his work with Sugar, and this show offers a unique opportunity to catch him doing a solo acoustic set. Ghostly's master of shoegaze, Dykehouse, supports.

The Blind Pig
208 S. First St., Ann Arbor MI
9:30pm | $15 | 18+

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Resturants i plan on hitting while in Detroit next week...

Lafayette Coney Island
Bread Basket
WAB
Soupersonic (is that still open?)
Checker Grill
Sweetwater Tavern
China Ruby
La Shish
Mon Jin Lau


all this- and some turkey! good thing i'll be around for a whole week.


What could be better than a new album by Thomas Fehlmann? How about a new album by Thomas Fehlmann featuring Dabrye.

And as long as I'm in a gushing about music mood, the new mix by Andrew Weatherall is the cat's pajamas. And the new DVD from Blur reminds me of the days when dumpy british girls with bowl haircuts and XXL white t-shirts were the hottest thing going. Glastonbury anyone?

Oh- and a certain magazine is running a subscription special. Get it now, and you should be in time to recieve your first issue with a certan jackboot wearing, bass-playing, dorkpol djing gentleman on the cover.

Ghostly International now has photos up from UNTITLED:Reckless in NYC. (I don't know why I'm wearing a Yankees hat.) If you missed it, more photos here. (If you were wondering, Sam is indeed only offering Osborne mints.)

Trendy relationship type for '05: torridly platonic*

*the new way to say how much you appreciate your friends while sounding simultaneously smart and risque, without using sappy words. It'll catch on. Just watch.


Burnlab: reinventing your vocabulary since 1997.

The Persuaders

[this one's for Jon O, via Nix]

Tuesday, November 16, 2004





Chris -
I believe this is what you mean. Classic!

(please don't drink and blog.)

if i could i would but i just don´t know how, that being to post how borders in birmingham rates our dearest matthew dear..can you help mike?? (it´s on a cd i left with you!) it´s a classic



Just in time for the holidays: hand-made ceramics and font-based warapping paper from Emigre.

Core77 surveys Value Meal: Design and (over)Eating, an exhibition featuring such Burnlab favorites as John Maeda, Scott Henderson, IDEO, Yves Behar, Superhappybunny and more. Brilliant.

Please, touch not the cat.

Monday, November 15, 2004

Can't find any info about John being dead, Allen. Source?

The Kraftwerk Animal Adventure

A Children's Book By Doc

Sunday, November 14, 2004


cupcakes

Speaking of no sleep... thank you Detroit, for packing out Les Infants Terribles on Friday night and dancing like crazy people, no matter what records we threw at you. Detroit rocks. Extra special thanks to extra special guest DJ Mike Trombley. Your lifetime mebership card is in the mail.

xoxo

-Team Dorkwave

P.S. I dropped the ball with taking photos Friday night. If anyone has pics, please forward them along to mike@burnlab.net

Friday, November 12, 2004

i might be repeating myself, but fuck it...next friday in bcn is a night reserved for the band called low. while in nyc i saw the lead singer/guitarist alan sparhawk in a rare solo performance where he proceded to ask for and then smoke an illegal susbstance and then lose all sense. the funniest thing about the whole evening was the fact that his fans pleaded his case while he could barely keep his head up. pleading to the audience he asked if he sucked, the super-nerd crowd responded "no, you rock!". my attempts to bring the real situation to light were met by hostility...


in backup of my last post, majesty crush was a band detroit had when unfortunately detroit was still uncool as a city for guitar-based bands (sorry but the fact that a band comes from detroit and starts with "the" doesn´t make it good). majesty crush combined the lovely-ness of shoegazerdom with the balls of 70´s rock and a lead singer who alternately scared and attracted...if you can find it look for any copy of the song "no. 1 fan" and you´ll know what i´m talking about

another thing, i´ve been listening to a cd by a girl called feist and i can´t stop...think catpower mixed with 70´s motown...amazing

John at detroitblog captures my sentiments exactly in regard to the Wyland mural on the Broderick Tower in downtown Detroit.

Imagine for a minute if UNTITLED was an ad agency and got the McDonalds account.
Loving it.

[thanks BitBoy]

Derek seriously needs to update his website.
Derek needs a blog.
Derek needs to write more on Burnlab.

You listening Plaslaiko?

xoxo

Before you head down to Les Infants tonight, come see Burnlab's Doc perform and chat at Cranbrook:

This Friday, November 12th

Cranbrook Art Museum

Doc (Focus Media / DTM) - Live Interview And Performance

Interview and Q+A By Herdest Cummings (who also goes by Das Closer, on KMS Records) @ 6:30pm

Musical Performance starts at 7:00pm and goes till 8:30pm

The performance will be out of the ordinary... I will not be playing for the audience, but rather for the exhibit, African Diaspora. Imagine if the artwork was the movie, I will be doing the score. Lots of twisted melody and obnoxious noise. Its going to be straight up Docspeed You! Wack Emperor.

$5 | All Ages Welcome

focusmedia.org
cranbrook.edu/art/museum/events


On the art tip....

You may know that a handful of Burnlab editors have also been busy planning Detroit's newest gallery space for the city's oldest non-profit arts organization. This Saturday evening we are pleased to open the first exhibition at the brand new Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit.

The Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit presents: Metamorphosis

November 13, 2004 through December 18, 2004

After 25 years of nomadic existence, hosting its unique contemporary art exhibitions in diverse venues, the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (CAID) finally has a space to call its own. CAID has taken up residence at 5141 Rosa Parks Boulevard, in the space formerly occupied by detroit contemporary. The newly remodeled gallery will serve as an exhibition space and headquarters for the organization.

As we look forward with this first exhibition in the new space, we also look backward and celebrate CAID's long history and impact over the years. This first show will feature the work of five former board members of CAID from the past 20 years. These five will act as curators, each selecting one local established or emerging artist to present work alongside his or her own work. Besides the individual artworks, the show will include a comprehensive history of the organization and the works that were a part of it, as well as a series of lectures, talks and/or performances.

Metamorphosis will open on Saturday, November 13, 2004 and run through December 18, 2004. The opening reception will be on November 13 from 6pm to 11pm. The exhibit and opening reception are free and open to the public.

CAID is a community based non-profit organization established to foster and promote the essential link between contemporary arts and contemporary society through its exhibitions, performances, critical and public discourse and the funding of contemporary arts and art related activities.

CAID is located at:
5141 Rosa Parks Blvd., Detroit (formerly the Detroit Contemporary space)

more info here | flyer here

Pretty Girls Don't Ride The Subway.

I finally had the pleasure of meeting Atomly last week at the awesome Dance Idiot Dance event, thrown by Mark and Lisa, who are quickly becoming two of our bestest friends in New York. (Hopefully they'll still be our friends even after I posted that photo.) Anyway, if you've been reading Burnlab since the the dusk of the 20th century, you know that I first came across Atomly because he used to host the clever one pager www.fucktrance.com (don't bother - it's now a porn site or something) and made some of the most intense breakbeat I had ever heard at the time. Still does actually. The point I'm getting to is not only does Atomly rock even more in person than over e-mail, but so does his blog. The man ditched GWAR. Heh.



One more thing: balls.

Thursday, November 11, 2004

bingo!

(I didn't know Odell was in Spahn Ranch though. O, I know you read this... is it true?)

for anyone who might know...is the michael segal who is currently related to ghostly the same one who used to be the guitarist for my favorite detroit shoegazer band "majesty crush" ? (the same band which also featured the drumming skills of another semi-often-mentioned-in-burnlab detroiter odell nails)

I just downloaded the most recent Black Strobe EP from Bleep and it is killing me. Think of it as industrial strength acid in a dark, smoky Belgian cabaret circa 1985. What a good week for inspiration. Expect plenty of it tomorrow night at Les Infants.

36 hour warning: Les Infants Terribles Friday night.

Wednesday, November 10, 2004



The first batches of photos are up from UNTITLED NYC: Reckless and New York vs. Detroit part 3.

If these don't make your eyes hurt, more are on the way...

Yet another one joins the Berlin Fan Club.



Montreal-based sound/visual/performance artists Skoltz_Kolgen are blowing my mind with beauty.

[thanks to Nix]

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Direct quote... "We want it to be black, but could you not make it so dark?" This and other Top 20 Stupid Client Quotes at Clientcopia [via Newstoday].

New Yorkers have many descriptions for ol' Rudy, ranging from "nazi" to "hero", but most have very mixed feelings. (I tend to think of him as a "charismatic asshole.") A recent poll of republicans put the former mayor of NYC way out in front as their favorite candidate for 2008. Despite his shortcomings (and there are many), having a pro-choice, relatively level-headed and articulate republican in office would be a welcome change second only to the second coming of Bubba under the current climate. Giuliani and poll runner-up John McCain represent where the party should be headed... back toward reason and away from fanaticism.

Hitting the tarmac running...



Les Infants Terribles returns to Detroit this Friday at Corktown Tavern with Team Dorkwave and special guest DJ Mike Trombley of The Sights.


But first...



Join us for a special exhibition of Michael Segal's postcards at the Motor City Brewing Works this Wednesday evening.

Wonka: June 2005.

Monday, November 08, 2004

One more note about the trip: Sliced bread really has nothing on Jacques Torres Wicked Hot Chocolate right from the chocolatier on a chilly November afternoon. Even better with a side of sambuca at Low, as we discovered. (Also takes the edge off that impending flood and subsequent ice age.)

The Burnlab/Ghostly/Dorkwave/Untitled road team is back in Detroit safe and sound from a week of extremely successful events in New York City. Huge thanks to the whole NYC crew for a great time, the fine hospitality and enthusiastic support of our crazy schemes.

Three notes from the trip I'd like to share:

1) Pit Stop French Bistro in Red Hook Brooklyn joins the ranks of Diner in Williamsburg, Red Coat Tavern in Royal Oak and Corner Bistro in Greenwich Village for tastiest hamburger in the world. A required destination for traveling carnivores.

2) If you get a chance, do check out the current exhibition at Smack Mellon Gallery in DUMBO Brooklyn. Of particular interest is the work of David Ellis and Valerie Hegarty.

3) Kill Memory Crash live might be the best thing since sliced bread. More Kill, please.


(Allen - I'd give you raise if I could. Now get back to work.)

Adobe launches Proxy, a downloadable design magazine.

250 scientists from eight nations agree, global warming is heating the Arctic almost twice as fast as the rest of the planet in a thaw that threatens millions of livelihoods and could wipe out polar bears by 2100.

Friday, November 05, 2004

in keeping with the rather positive outlook of post-election burnlab, beginning plans are in the works to bring "untitled" to the world, seems that untitled is just too damn cool too keep it stateside (especially if you poor bastards get nuked...oops, sorry, very negative.did i say that?)

no idea of exactly where or when or with whom but it will happen...i´m trying to make it happen in barcelona, but i challenge berliners to give us spanierds a run for our dinero...

Pure Detroit Design Lab: White Shirt Show grand opening event tonight, featuring one shirt interpreted by over 25 designers, the photography of Riva Sayegh and muisc by the Tamion Tag Team [Ersatz Audio].

Friday, Nov. 5, 8-11pm
Pure Detroit Design Lab
156 W. Congress @ Shelby
Downtown Detroit
313-961-8320

12 new construction photos of Herzog & de Meuron's de Young Museum in San Fran.

[via Dezain.net]

17 Reasons Not to Slit Your Wrists

[via Protien OS]

The usual suspects...



As previously noted by Kevin, Untitled NYC is at The Delacey this Saturday night. Not to be missed. Full flyer here.



Core77 reviews the Massive Change exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

(If you haven't visited in a while, Core77 has a sharp new look, and expanded Clogger team.)

Thursday, November 04, 2004

Hot new Motorola t.v. ad featuring Dabrye.

Kerry won.

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

For any of you looking for a place to wait out the next four years, as of 20:55 GMT there is a sofa in Munich still available...

Canadian officials made clear on Wednesday that any U.S. citizens so fed up with Bush that they want to make a fresh start up north would have to stand in line like any other would-be immigrants -- a wait that can take up to a year.

I woke up in the middle of the night after a dream in which John Kerry asked me to be on his cabinet while we both sat at a bus stop. No idea what that means. "Secretary of blogging?"

So I get out of bed, check the major news sites to find that OH, NM and IA are still too close to call at 5:00am, write this entry and am about to go back to bed.

I watched Office Space again last night. I'm so glad I'm going to New York tonight. I'm in no state of mind to deal with the culture of corporate middle-america. I need to be around my own kind for a while - especially if the results of this election go badly. One step closer to Europe for me. I love America so much. Why is it so fucked up? Who are these people who took it over? How is this country so far off course? There's an iceberg with our name on it if we we don't straighten out.

5:45. Back to bed now. Maybe there will be a phone call about a cabinet position when I get up later.

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

Who the heck is Noise Tank?

Noise Tank is dark pop for affected youth.
Noise Tank blends pretty indie rock guitar and vocals with smartly textured, almost sinister electronics.
Noise Tank would be perfectly at home on 4AD.
(I mean, really at home on 4AD.)
Noise Tank might be my favorite band of the moment.
Noise Tank also happens to be the work of a kid named Doc, who happens to be the newest addition to the Burnlab editorial staff.

Seriously, download the two tracks from the link above, sniff some glue and break into an old factory. You'll be glad you did.



No matter what happens tonight, this happens Wednesday night.

I don't generally care much for sports, traditions or superstitions, but this I like.

Three more things I like today:

Voter turnout in my sort of middle-class-bohemian-pseudo-intellectual neighborhood was intense this morining. (Obviously, this is John Kerry's base.) It normally takes me about twenty minutes to vote. Mrs. Doyle and I spent over two hours in line today. This good.

I did some unscientific exit polling around my office (a place that sometimes makes Office Space look like a nutty time at Chuck E. Cheese's.) The general feeling seems to be, "the country is much worse off than it was four years ago. It needs to be fixed. (read: Bush blew his chance. I'm voting for Kerry.)" This sentiment is coming mainly from independents and registered republicans. Good.

The unofficial office polling also projects a resounding NO vote on Proposal 2 in Michigan - again, mostly talking to white suburban males I might expect different from. This is really good news.

inter spem et metum

Spinalcat is MIT thesis project using a set of disk-jockey turntables and paper 'records' that can be printed or drawn. One of the many cool parts is the optical scanner used is nothing more than the CueCat barcode scanner, widely distributed as a free giveaway.