another example of how weirdly small the world is: i was leaving the stage following a gig last night in a dive bar in barcelona when a guy stopped me to say he liked the music. we went on chatting a bit. turned out he was a musician. i dubiously went on with the conversation...what kind of music? electronic, cool...what, you�ve released some records? cool...on force, inc???

sure enough just checked the archives, oct 1, featuring a post by me about my band, followed by a post about geoff white, the guy i met last night (cue twilight zone theme)

Machines Never Die: exhibit opening Nov. 7th at TIA Gallery, Brooklyn NY - featuring the work of Arnold Steiner, the man behind Schematic Records' brilliantly disturbed design and illustration, and live video by Phoenix Perry.

COMPUTERLOVE/OFFLINE EXHIBITION

When: 15 - 27 November 2003
Where: Brussels, Belgium

Concerned to keep a sensual relation to the graphic object and to locally promote the contemporary graphic design, Computerlove exhibits [a selection of the best work seen online] offline for the very first time.

This exhibit shows, in five different spaces, works from about 30 artists through a selection of more than 50 objects, 25 motion design creations, Michael C. Place/Build unique installation around the streets of downtown Brussels and in the gallery space. Plus other projects including DFF, Threadless, Pinpops and the Flink Paper.

The opening night will take place on Friday November 14th 2003 from 18h30 to 23h. Large screen projection and presence of Computerlove team + Michael C. Place + DJ Nurse + Beers + You!?!

For our friends on the west coast who missed part one of Magdapalooza and might still be at work (or our friends back east sitting at home), tune in to Paxahau.com tonight between 8 and 10pm e.s.t. She'll be broadcasting live from the subterranean Paxa-Q. (That's in like five minutes here.)

Tonight is the final installment of Weekly Agenda at Panacea in Detroit. Jimmy's too busy being a rock star and stuff to keep the night going. However, Tuesdays will go out with a big noisy bang, featuring Schematic artists Phoenecia, Otto Von Schirach, Richard Devine and more. Co-sponsored by Ghostly International. More info here.

For your listening pleasure, DJ Hell's Tokyo set (Real Audio required).

Beautiful... disturbing... DO NOT miss sculptor Rona Pondick's exhibit at Cranbrook, including her recent visions of genetic mutations in stainless steel. The show closes November 30th.

Quick notice: Derek Plaslaiko is out of town this weekend, so our very own Allen Goodman will be taking his place in the back room of Untitled tonight. Allen promises some twisted IDM, including his own FKSCHE recordings.

And big thanks to Legowelt and Orgue Electronique for sticking around and playing records after their live show for the die hards at Detroit Art Space last night.

It seems like Detroit is pulling out all the stops to keep me from going home to Brooklyn next week. This weekend Motown boasts an incredible selection of strange and beautiful thing to see, do and hear.

Tonight at the Cranbrook Academy of Art enjoy DJ Andre Roystein in the galleries beginning at 6PM, and at 7PM preview a screening of short videos organized by [Flak]Detroit, "a cultural forum of creative people." While you're there, be sure to check out the current exhibition by architecture department chair Peter Lynch.

Also tonight, The Gotan Project at the Majestic Theater, and Liz Copeland and Clark Warner present Stylus at Buddha Lounge [8 Mile and Lahser Rd.] Stylus will be a bit late, as Liz is also DJ'ing at the aforementioned Gotan show.

To add to the rather unusual long list of excellent choices Friday night, master of robots and synthesizers Legowelt heads up the Bunker Team at Detroit Art Space. 9pm-3am, info here.

Saturday evening, enter Theatre Bizarre: performance art, live bands, and all kind of hedonism at this annual freak show/haunted house/mega-halloween party. As Jaron says, "It's the only haunted house that will actually make you question whether you'll get out alive." (And that's just the sketchy neighborhood.) More info here.

Also Saturday (of course) Detroit welcomes home its favorite vodka drinking Polack and international superstar DJ, the unstopable Magda, as well as multifaceted musical genius Tadd Mullinix (aka Dabrye) to Untitled. No costumes or schticks this week - just great music and great people. Okay, okay, it is a homecoming theme party. Tuxes and elbow gloves optional.

On the art tip, check out Japanese popster Yumiko Kayukawa at CPop before the show closes Oct. 28th.

Finally, Detroit is among several cities way off the usual tourist maps profiled in "Party People", from the New York Post. Untitled gets a favorable mention as the place to hear "the new sounds of Detroit techno", but this quote is just too good: "Thursdays, drive to Ann Arbor to hit Necto�s �Lust� party on two dance floors, hosted by Jon Ozias, the KINGPIN of the Motor City�s underground techno scene."
Nice.

Read Regular, a typeface that helps with visual dyslexia by differentiating reversable characters. In a hundred words or less, present an arguement against the global mandated use of a specific typeface...

All new site for Siouxsie and Budgie by Kleber, + the new Creatures LP Hai! was released yesterday. Sexy, sexy.

From Protein OS: Kung Fu Robots and marketing strategies for Generation Z.

Back to basics. The Untitled Homecoming is this Saturday. Magda makes her first Detroit appearance since moving to Berlin earlier this year, Tadd Mullinix returns home from his world tour, and (for those who care) the first flyer designed by me since spring. "It's good to be Untitled."

Today Apple released iTunes for Windows XP and 2000. I don't know what will make Microsoft more crazy: that millions of PC users will [many for the first time ever] experience a user interface that makes sense, or that Apple is giving it away for free.

Our friend and Red Antenna cofounder Candy Chang is set to release a new 12" entitled Typography next week. Further proof that design and synthesizers are a tasty combination.

"Firecely polished electro with rocked-out soul. Thick driving percussion, lowriding vintage bass for boomin' systems, and sparkling analogue keyboard lines conjure sharp modernist grids, colorful scenes from tomorrow's discotheques, robots with dirty minds, and half-forgotten night-drives through Babylon. Candy Chang is remarkably able to glance back at Prince and Cybotron, while keeping her designer's eye fixed on a new style and sound all her own."

Enjoy the photography of Lucas Zarebinski.

Extraordinary built works form Atlanta based Mark Scogian Merrill Elam Architects. This is where my buddy Helen works. You may have seen their brilliant little Mountain Tree House in the April issue of Arch. Record.

UNTITLED remains on a roll of recklessness and high quality shenanigans. This Saturday features Derek Plaslaiko and Mike Servito in the main room, two of Detroit's best and most underrated DJs, plus total chaos in the back room with Dorkwave vs. Sasspunk: myself, Rob Theakston, Allen Goodman, Robert Gorell and Sam Valenti IV battle Jon O and Mistress Delia with an always unpredictable selection of music that would get us called "freaks", "fags" or "squids" in the days of youth. This Saturday's dress code/fetish is uniforms. Take that any way you like, but management would like to emphasize the word "kinky". As always, Untitled Saturdays at The Shelter, 431 E. Congress, Detroit. "It's good to be Untitled."

I'm drunk. On the bar in front of me is a wet napkin, a line drawing scrawled into it of a strange mechanized sink basin, a spring-loaded arm extending from its side, driven by a series of pistons, pumps and a chain-driven gear assembly. It looks like a machine meant only to scratch itself. underneath it are written the words, "your brain is a motor."

Welcome to the world of The Combustive Motor Corporation. The Brooklyn-based collective/art space finally has a web site, and its worth the wait.

Busted yet another personal cherry last night by playing my first set on the radio. The lovely Kate Simko invited me to her weekly program on Chicago's great bastion of underground techno broadcasting, WNUR. The station also features weekly shows by Dr. Dave Siska, Ph.D., and 313 mainstay Matt McQueen. Definately a stream worth checking.

Currently assembling the ultimate roadtrip albums for my upcoming cross country trek to Los Angeles. I had every intention of waiting until Utah- but I had to listen to Depeche Mode's cover of "Route 66".

Now I'm enjoying the new Chicken Lips DJ-Kicks CD- although the annoying anti-priracy protection meant actually digging out an old CD player and connecting it to the stereo. But its worth it as the "disco dub" is perfect listening material while reading issue 2 of America's new greatest experimental music rag- e|i. Again, the wicked Red Antenna made this the best lookin' publication around, and I got to really stretch out the old reviewer's muscle by writing up two of this year's best albums- Ellen Allien- Berlinette and Dinky- Black Caberet. If you don't have both of these albums on multiple formats, you a seriously f**king up.

It's cold and rainy here in Detroit (yes, I was in New York yesterday, and LA two days before that. That's what I do. No more questions.) ...but East Village Radio is keeping us warm and doing an awkward little power stance robot twitch, kind of like the bass player from Interpol in that video. It's Tuesday, which means our man Gibby is playing cool records and talking about cool records and playing some more cool records from 4 to 6pm (e.s.t.) Also, a very special guest appearance on EVR by Dan Selzer from midnight on. Dan writes such great messages, heres' the whole dang thing:

I am going to be on radio for the first time since 1997 tuesday night at midnight. I am filling in for someone on East Village Radio, NYC's latest micro-broadcasting phenomenon. It can be heard at 88.1 fm if you're standing within 10 feet of the station, or go to www.eastvillageradio.com and you can hear a live stream. I am following up 2 guys who play "punk and/or hardcore." I am going to play the best music you've ever heard. Rumor has it that all bars in the lower east side have fired all their DJ's and sold all their jukeboxes and all they plan on doing is tuning into my radio show tuesday night at midnight and broadcasting it. Likewise, all people driving cars will be tuning in, as well as joggers with those goofy antenna radio headbands. This way the entire city will hear me DJ new wave house, post-punk funk, electro-funk breaker jams and other sounds that move both the feet and heart. The entire population of lower manhattan then can seamlessly move from bar to bar, from apt to apt, from car to curb and never miss a beat, and thoroughly synchronize their life, and love to the beat of the show. And we can dance. And if, due to cabaret laws, you can't dance in the bars, you may as well stay home, tune in online or on your fm dial, and dance the night away. Actually, maybe I won't play dance music. Tune and and see. Hear. Feel. DANCE DANCE DANCE DANCE DANCE TO THE RADIO

Hardware goes soft with Ipod controls sewn into Burton's snowboard jacket. Unlike the roll-up textile keyboards, this stuff is machine-washable.

One more post from me today, then back to work. I mean it.

Our good friend Will Calcutt has updated Hardac.com with some excellent photos from carnage night and the Mr. Untitled contest at our favorite and most off the hook weekly anywhere.

Okay, NikeGround is indeed an elaborate (very elaborate) hoax pulled off by media performance group 0100101110101101.ORG .

Bravo, boys and girls. Bravo!

I'm still not buying their sneakers... and not just because I don't wear sneakers. I wouldn't buy Nike combat boots either. ;) Could you imagine?

[Thanks to Amanda Womack for the heads-up.]

Remember MotorMouth Magazine? They're back in a big way, with a new print mag, website and coffeehouse - just in time, as Detroit has finally found the momentum to go after the title of 'coolest city in the country'. We told you! - though who would've thought it would actually happen? Here's some proof:



The new Matthew Dear LP is scheduled for a mid-November release on Spectral Sound. Leave Luck to Heaven's articulate fusion microhouse and electrofunk answers the looming question, "what is next for electronic dance music?" Take a peek at the upcoming ad in URB Magazine here.

Back in NYC: Speedy J at Tronic Treatment tonight. See you there, punks.

NikeGround.com: if this is not an elaborate joke, I'm off this dirtball of a planet. I think I now hate Nike as much as Microsoft and Matchbox 20... and that's a whole lot.

JimmyEdgar.com: redesign - with photos, sound clips and everything you want to know about Mr. Edgar. Almost.



Chemlab update: The new LP, Oxidizer is now scheduled to be in stores the first week of January. Catch Jared providing vocals and mayhem for Pigface on tour in November. Pigface (as you probably know) boasts the most impressive cast of characters in underground music. Over the past twelve years the roster has included Invisible Records founder, PiL, Ministry and Killing Joke drummer Martin Atkins, Big Black founder and producer extraordinare Steve Albini, Trent Reznor, Frank Black, Ogre, Genesis P-Orridge, Einst�rzende Neubauten's F M Einheit, and about 100 other leaders of subversion. This fall's lineup looks to be a most impressive one. Dates and info here.

Solid smoke

[Thanks to Susan Surface for the link.]

Like many of you, the Smiths played a pivotal role in my music listening from ages fourteen to present day. I love listening to them whatever mood I may be suffering through. So imagine my sheer joy when I discoverd this site. Nothing but MIDI files of Smiths tunes. The amount of amusement this site has brought into my life while enduring this bout of sleep deprivation is immeasurable. The version of Oscillate Wildly comes highly recommended.

California, here comes your new governor.

What the hell is wrong with Apple that they still give a damn about design and packaging and "feel"?

...This is the point. Detail and nuance and texture and a sense of how users actually feel, what makes them smile, what makes the experience worthy and positive and sensual instead of necessary and drab and evil.

These are the things that are nearly dead in our mass-consumer culture, things normally reserved for elitist niche markets and swanky boutiques and upscale yuppie Euro spas and maybe cool insider mags like I-D and Metropolis and dwell. They are most definitely not to be expected of mass-market gadget makers. This is why it matters. This is why it's important.

Oh sure, Apple's elitist. This is the common line. Sure they're slightly more expensive and cater to artists and designers and creative types and people who actually care about such pointless stuff as fit and finish and "feel."

And they command only a sliver of the PC market overall and despite how their designs and innovations resonate across the entire industry and in fact affect industrial design across all consumer culture, true PC/Windows geeks just scoff and snort and go back to trying to patch the latest of 13,876 "severe" or "drastic" security flaws in the nonintuitive bug-ridden hell that is Windows...
-SF Gate

A slice of New York to brighten my California afternoon: East Village Radio. Untitled flyer model, Make Out Club founder and big time heartbreaker Gibby Miller is DJ'ing live right now (until 6pm e.s.t.) Tune in and create a path of destruction.

Just call Tuesdays Gibby Day in New York. In addition to his weekly slot on EVR, make your way down to DAMAGED at the Leopard Lounge (2nd Ave. and 5th St.) every Tuesday night where Gibson and friends spin a fine selection of industrial, new wave and Brit-pop... a little something we lovingly call 'Dorkwave' in Detroit.

Speaking of the east coast of the midwest, Tuesdays are owned by Jimmy Edgar's Weekly Agenda at Panacea. Tonight the Warp wunderkid shares the turntables with Todd Osborn, Traktion and our very own Rob Theakston and Mike Servito. "Tuesdays is fun."

I'll be making bubble diagrams, managing disgruntled designers and writing some marketing babble here in LA, so you all can go out and have fun.

Just some easy Sunday afternoon reading about the new music concert hall opening in Detroit next week. Follow the magic link

Well, the latest plan to renovate the old Michigan Central Depot seems to be moving forward. After solidifying plans to renovate the Book-Cadillac Hotel earlier this year, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said that finding a way to renovate the depot was the major redevelopment project he would most like to see next. Imagine any police museum at the site, mentioned as a possibility in the latest article, won't highlight the depot's status as a favorite of ruin spelunkers, graffiti artists and others who haunted its halls over the past 15 years.

Post flurry today apparently, and I'm only on my 11th cup of coffee...

Paper Jam 2: Gangbang, an online experiemental art zine. I'm really digging St�phane Poirier's pastel skulls, M�lanie Baillairg�'s bloodbath orgy shoot, and the 'Unleaded' pics by Chantale Grenon and David Leclerc. Goth meets high fashion, as only the French can do. Hot.

If you're passing through Vienna, check out the Abstraction Now exhibition.

[Thanks to Fred at Computerlove for the above.]

Ellen Allien US tour dates here. Not one to miss, but for addend incentive note the fine print: performing with Richie and/or T. Raumschmiere in most cities. This is shaping up to be a very good autumn for live electronics.

[Thanks to Nix for the tip.]

Speedy J tour dates from Mute. Yes, North American tour dates! (That's very rare indeed.) Jochem will be bringing his big mechanical monster of sound to the cozy Sullivan Room in NYC Monday, Oct. 13th. Not on the official schedule is a to-be-confirmed show at an intimate Detroit venue on the 11th. Thank our good friends Paxahau.

From the memepool, a graphic design portfolio for these with short attention spans

The Evil Pupil album comes out Oct. 31st. Every ambient DJ in the world should want this in their bag. the CD also includes the complete Evil Pupil visual archive.

Monster Basement is a new art and culture directory. Check it out. They gave us a 9 out of 10 rating. :)

A new book on parasitic architecture.

[Thanks to Paul for the link and the PBR.]

Tons of great new work up at our partner site Computerlove:

Design and illustration by Les Freds
The coolest wedding invitation I've ever seen by Luis Gomes
Two triptychs by Patsh Emmanuel

All my fellow New Yorkers ought to be at the 2nd edition of Micromini tonight. No excuses. As brilliant as it promises to be, word is November and December are going to collapse the Detroit/Berlin/New York connection even further... I can't say any more, other than take the first Friday of the month off for a good long time, because Kevin owns your Thursday nights.

Look at all the ravers, er I mean Burnlabers. The Paxahau 5 Year Anniversary/Kompakt party has been called the best event in Detroit in years. If you're like me and was somewhere else (such as a seasonless strip-mall of 9.7 million) last Saturday, photos here. Audio archive to come.

mention of barcelona in the last post made me realize my slack-ness in burnlab-ing...my group misnoma is playing every thursday in october in the barrio gotic-classic london bar- my contribution being a continuing effort to merge ableton LIVE beats with funk/lounge/pop-y-ness...

The October edition of the Daniel Miller Happy Hour now on Radio Eins.
(Once a month is not enough.)

edit: Spoke too soon apparently. Check back in a few hours.