Surface 2 Air

Surface 2 Air is a French brand that makes some pretty kickass stuff. They aren't easy to find in 'Murrika but if you've got the inside scoop, you can find em. Also, they're real expensive. I tried on a leather trench coat by them once. It was pretty cool (except these two little rings on the back, that was annoying but I guess I could have dealt with them) but it was $500. BAD

Anyway
They came out with a pair of slip-ons that are way too rude, but also way too pricey.




HOT
SPICY
A HUNDRED AND THIRTY DOLLARS
tooooo muuuuuch for meeeeee

I'll probably end up getting some all white vans and trying this out on my own.

Matthew Dear - Asa Breed / Audion - Noiser/Fred's Bells

Well, it's finally here. Four years after his stunning full length debut "Leave Luck to Heaven" (translation of Nintendo from Japanese, apparently) and fantastic EP "Backstroke" comes "Asa Breed". If "Leave Luck to Heaven" got Matthew noticed outside of the techno scene, then this will cement his place as someone who isn't just a microhouse producer, but someone who can make a damn good pop/alternative album.

Gone are the heavy 4/4 kick drums, oscillating sawtooth synths and early-90s-Detroit nostalgia of his most recent and active alias Audion. Gone are the precise drum patterns and cut up vocals a la Akufen of Jabberjaw. Gone are his...well, minusy sounds of his False alias on Minus and Plus 8. Here, Matthew goes back to his Texan roots and makes an album full of soul and feeling.

"Asa Breed" is not a microhouse album. Of course, it's got Matthew's signature feel to it, and, being one of the true superstars of microhouse, it has many microhouse elements. But pretty much all of the tracks hover around the 3 minute mark. It's clear that Matthew is focusing on a more traditional song structure here, rather than, say "Mouth to Mouth". And, in fact, some of the songs play out like a pop song, with a verse and a chorus. Case in point, the exceptional first single "Deserter", the most heartfelt song he or any microhouse producer has ever made. Any comparisons to Ian Curtis here would certainly be on the mark, as Matthew's baritone voice, for me, at least, steals the show throughout the album. Of course, his falsetto is strewn throughout, but on many songs he sings as if he were the frontman of a band.

Which is not all that unreasonable. Matthew will be going on tour soon not as a DJ, but as the frontman of a three man band, with live drums and guitar and all. All this is very apparent on the second half of "Asa Breed" which contains a huge focus on acoustic guitar and instrumentation. Closer "Vine to Vine" is not a new version of "Mouth to Mouth" as I had hoped ("Mund zu Mund" was not Matthew's best effort to date), but rather a song full of acoustic guitar, Dear's falsetto throughout, and Dear referencing the "heat of the Texas sun". Thats not to say it's not a danceable album, rather the first half is fairly dancy, with "Shy", "Neighbors" and "Don and Sherri" probably being the most uptempo cuts.

This is an album for everyone, not just fans of microhouse. It is certainly the polar opposite of his new (coming out in two weeks) Audion single, "Noiser/Fred's Bells", which keeps the high quality of "Mouth to Mouth" going strong. "Noiser" is, well, a noisy as hell track, full of blaring synths and killer kick drums. "Fred's Bells" is the better and less noisy cut, something that I assume would be frightening at Berghain at 3 on a Sunday afternoon. It's spacial with little vocal cuts throughout and a killer kick drum pattern.

It's certainly going to be Matthew Dear's year, as if he has't catapulted to stardom already. Both releases will prove his importance to techno as a whole, but it is his LP that will really cement his status as microhouse's most important producer.

Asa Breed is out June 5 on CD, 2x12" and digital through Ghostly International. Noiser/Fred's Bells is out May 22 on 12" and digital through Spectral Sound.

Check here for clips of Asa Breed and here for clips of Noiser/Fred's Bells.

Best movie Ever?

Best movie EVER.
Spiderman 3

Alright, so a lot of it was shitty and Kirsten Dunst isn't even attractive, but man there's so much that totally redeems the shittyness. Well, not really all that much, just a few jokes peppered in and these three scenes.







So good.

Oh yeah if you're gonna watch this movie, don't watch these because they're kinda spoilers (not really but I guess maybe).

Yeah I'll post something real soon. But seriously, I can't decide if I love this movie or if I hate it. Actually, no, I have decided. Spiderman 3 is most definitely the best movie ever and the strutting scene proves it.

This is How We Roll>>Vans

Recently Jeremiah "Jam" Brooks, a professional skater, was put in the hospital after being hit by a jeep on the side of a highway while on tour. To help pay for his bills and for his recovery, several artist/skaters within the pro skating community put together a fundraiser. They've all custom painted a pair of Vans Skate His to be put up for auction, and also have made other pieces of art to be displayed at a benefit in Boulder, Colorado.

There are some pretty cool ones, though some of the styles aren't really my type of thing. My favorites are the Louis Schmidts, Hoshi Ludwigs and the Brian Balls. Unfortunately, they're all size 9 and are probably going to blow up in price seeing as the bids are lasting for another three days or so (longer for some). However, that being said, I'd probably spring for shoes that say "Puke Blood Forever".

Ebay Link

Pacemaker

Am I sure that this is real?
No
Is it still awesome?
Yes

The Pacemaker is a pocket-sized DJ tool that acts something like an iPod with two different channels, allowing you to mix your music on-the-go. Not only that, but while you're doing that, you can save the mix and put it up for all the world to listen to, which the makers claim is completely legal. And it holds 120 gigs. I don't really know how anyone would ever need that much space for their music, but if you want it, it's there.

Now I'm not a DJ in any way, but this thing seems so fucking awesome, and if it were to come out at a reasonable price, I might even pick one up (if it actually comes out at all). It's got EQ, Pitch control, a line out as well as headphones, cue and loop and Xfade for both the headphones and line out. Now apparently Xfade is dumb and gross because you can't do fancy things with it, but this fits in your palm so take what you can get.

As a pure music player, it's pretty damn good anyway. It's small, light and holds a TON of music. Not only that, but it'll play any music you can put on it (not sure about protected files), so no more converting WMA, AAC or OGG files for your player.

But even with all this, I don't even know if it's for real. The company's site doesn't really give any reassurance, though it is kickass. However, it seems to have been featured on some other sites including Engadget, a tech and gadget blog which seems to be pretty legitimate. The only way we'll know for sure is to wait until this fall when the site says it will launch.

Pacemaker
Tonium (creator's site)