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)

Quick Music Things

Beirut
There isn't any new young band right now doing anything like Beirut. When first listening to Beirut, you wouldn't guess that the music would be coming from a twenty-year-old from New Mexico. The music is inspired by Eastern European folk music and is led by the trumpet playing of Zach Condon, the band leader. This isn't music for dancing or rocking out or really anything much. It's just terrific listening music. Definetly give the debut album, Gulag Orkestar, a listen. A personal favorite from that album is "Scenic World", which is just such a fantastically happy song.

Peaches
Ah, Peaches. Haters say what you want, Peaches is great. Sure, she may be a bit lewd, possibly crude and a little crass, but that only adds so much more to the whole experience that is Peaches. Peaches' tracks have a great minimal beat to groove to and a certain element that brings me back constantly. Peaches' filthy lyrics might make you want to take a shower while listening to them, but who can resist such gems as "Rock the Shocker" or "Fuck the Pain Away". This music is loud, abrasive and aggressive and absolutely fantastic. For new listeners, you might want to sample a few choice tracks before jumping straight into her music. I'd reccomend "Fuck the Pain Away", "Downtown", "Kick It", and "Rock Show".

Devendra Banhart
Devendra Banhart is nowhere near normal, and if his appearance doesn't show that, his lyrics are definite proof. He sings about strange things such as his experiences of being born, his Chinese children in foreign countries and other stuff that I don't really want to bother with at the moment. Banhart's music has a very folksy feel to it, and he often uses a large assortment of instruments for his songs, something which I am glad to see in modern music where bands are gravitating towards using only guitars, basses and drums. Banhart has a wonderful, soothing singing voice and his musical orchestrations are interesting and are just simply pleasing to listen to. Songs like "Little Boys", while sounding just a tad paedophilic, have so much happy about them it is impossible to be soured and dissatisfied while listening to them. I found his earlier album, "Oh Me Oh My", a bit hard to get into in the beginning, partly because of the poor production quality but mostly because it just sounded so strange at first. I would reccomend trying "Cripple Crow" or "Rejoicing in the Hands" to get into his stuff first.

Gogol Bordello
If you haven't listened to this stuff yet, you're doing yourself a disservice. This shit is way too amazing to let up. GYPSY PUNK. It's like Joe Strummer met up with a bunch of nomads in the middle of eastern Europe and decided to rob people of their minds through pure awesome. This stuff is seriously some of the best stuff I've ever heard. If it doesn't get you dancing, you are either a scrooge or a middle-aged suburban dad who listens to Euge Groove and thinks a "good time" is reading a book or going for a Sunday drive. Sunday drives are shit. Gogol Bordello has an interesting blend of instruments and backgrounds, with bandmembers coming from everywhere between Russia and America. The leader himself, Eugene Hutz, was actually displaced by the Chernobyl disaster and spent many years going from country to country before finally coming to New York City. He plays acoustic guitar and is joined by an accordian player, a violin player, bassist and drummer. The band also has two additional singers/dancers who assist mostly in the live shows but also provide backup vocals. Anyone who is alive should check out their newest album, "Gypsy Punks Underdog World Strike".