SUPERLATIVE SUNDAY! Capsule reviews by Doctor B.

SUPERLATIVE SUNDAY!
August 30, 2020
Capsule Reviews by Doc Bartlemania.

Dr. Hamburger
https://soundcloud.com/drhmbrgr

Monotonal, mesmerizing electro-noise from this Rochester, NY act, with psychoactive black-and-white and color video imagery to match.

Tungsten Lungs
https://tungstenlungs.bandcamp.com/

Melodic, processed-sample-salted danceable electronic music emanating from a bedroom studio. Two guys, two PDJs and like the song says, a whole lotta shakin' goin' on. The man in the interesting print shirt brings the vibes while the other cracks open a can of something and dances to the music.

Ruckzuck
https://ruckzuck.bandcamp.com/

Saw these guys (2 women and a man, actually) perform at the Sacred Root Kava Bar in Ithaca last winter. They weren't too shabby! The band apparently takes its name from an early Kraftwerk tune. They now hail from the mountains of Northeastern PA, where they are working on among other things, their fifth album.

Steady, psych-y, slightly spacey guitar/keyboard-driven rock with synth and nicely-reverberated vocals. The keyboard player has a nice singing/warbling voice!

Without A Chord
https://www.withoutachord.com/

Goes from dark, doomish but danceable electronic music to light, soothing stylings and back at the drop of a hat. Analogue and digital synth sounds with heavily-processed out-of-the-basement vocals.

Deluxe Ultra
https://deluxeultra.bandcamp.com

As this one-person act's name implies, danceable beats, lovable melodies and interesting vocal samples, all of which morph and change as the performance progresses. Rock those PDJs!

Panther Smoothie

Now, this has to be the spaciest performance of the evening! Atonal synth riffs intermixed with one another with some old-fashioned oscillations thrown in for good measure! The wall of space gets heavier and denser as the set progresses. A musical smoothie, indeed! Things get considerably more chill toward the end of the set, which is no less engaging.

The Electrozone is Ithaca's salon for electromusicans and experimenters, a pop up reality devoted to the weird, the new, and the DIY.Please donate to support the artists.Donations can be made at 

https://venmo.com/i/electrozone and
https://www.paypal.me/theelectrozone

Capsule reviews of a recent ElectroZone show, Spasmodic Obsessions, August 22, 2020

ElectroZone

Spasmodic Obsessions!
August 22, 2020

Ghost_Slut
https://www.soundcloud.com/ghost_slut

Electronic dance music stylings which do a great job of holding one's attention! Ghost_Slut makes good use of their tablet and their pair of PDJs to keep the beats, tunes and samples going. There's a video screen in the background showing anime.

Bent Noise
https://bentnoise.bandcamp.com/

Is that "bent" as in circuit-bent? I see a see-and-say and...is that a toaster, chockablock with dials and switches? I spot a few of what look to me like home-brew synthesizers too. And is that an ancient portable computer with an acoustic dial-up modem on it? Now on top of classic synth riffs I hear what sounds like the kind of shortwave noises we stopped hearing over shortwave radio years ago! Classic ambient technoise!

Pallid Mask
https://pallidmask.bandcamp.com/

Solo project of Al Baldwin. A lot more melodic and dreamy than the previous acts if somewhat darker and more mysterious. You travel through an abstract, black-and-white world on the screen as his droney, rhythmic music reaches your ears. Reminiscent of old-school electronica. I think Klaus Schulze would approve!

Josh Oxford
www.joshoxford.com.

"I’ll be messing with ASU’s Roland Modular [analog synth] and the Aceto Ribbon Synth. The school’s DX7 doesn’t really seem the right vibe, but that can be added too." - Josh Oxford

Josh gets off to a quick and decisive start with a wild synthesizer break, followed by his musical partner, Derek Judge's electronic flute stylings and old, old school oscillator sweeps and bleeps, straight out of 1967. Now Derek is "playing" a stainless steel mixing bowl as Josh serves up tasty synth chords. The second piece is also old-school analog synth work, with Derek chiming in through a vocoder. The third piece, played on the school's DX-7, is much more conventionally musical. His final piece, "American", is space-age twitters, bleeps and breaks while Derek accompanies him on harmonica and selected vocal samples, or is that blue plastic box in his hand a radio? (Wait a minute...is that Martin Luther King's voice?)

Modular Moose
ModularMoose.bandcamp.com

The tangle of wires and flashing lights behind him are no doubt what inspired his performer name. His set starts with what sounds like a space vehicle cranking up its warp engines, then going to cruising speed. Eventually, the performance progresses to free-form old-school electronica with trippy drones and scattered notes with occasional heavily-processed vocals.

Ombient
http://www.ombient.com

Off to the performer's left in the video is a light show of the kind you might have seen during a concert at the Fillmore East during the sixties. The music consists primarily of rhythmic, sequencer driven melody lines. Rhythmic space or rhythmic ambient music is what I might call it. Early Mother Mallard springs to mind.


As of this writing, the videos of these performances can be seen at
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/718663152.

Donations, which go to all of the musicians, can be made at
https://venmo.com/i/electrozone and
https://www.paypal.me/theelectrozone

REVIEW: The ElectroZone - Machines In Your Screen - Friday, May 22, 2020, 9PM

The ElectroZone
Machines In Your Screen
Friday, May 22, 2020, 9PM
https://www.twitch.tv/the_electrozone

Donations for each show of US$10.00 can (and should) be made at
https://venmo.com/i/electrozone and
https://www.paypal.me/theelectrozone

Andrei Jay      andreijaycreativecoding.com

Kind of a retro feel to this performance. A simple drone, followed by some harmonizing drones. All the while, what looks like a stylized oscilloscope trace graces the screen on a black background. More analogue-synth-sounding tones enter the mix and influence the display. Eventually, color is added. The display and the music become more abstract. Or should I say trippy?

Illestpreacha   Kofioduro.myportfolio.com/links
                Facebook.com/illestpreacha
                instagram.com/illestpreacha
                twitter.com/illestpreacha

Performance begins with a short poem. And a pleasing color wave display. The music starts with a repeating figure with other musical sound bites mixed into it. (The program code for the sound and the video display is visible on-screen too!) At times the music becomes very simple, down to simple tones and a beat. More of the performer's poetry is mixed in. The visual display continues for a few minutes after the music has stopped, the last poem recited. Wait, there's more music? Actually, just a beat and a simple tone. What's he going to put into the mix this time?

5tok3           https://5tok3.com/5ToK3

The white metal box on the screen festooned with knobs and with wires crisscrossing it promises more of a traditional analogue synth sound. And that's just what our man here delivers! A bit more free-form and EDM-like than any of the familiar electronic acts from the past, but he does get melodic in places. Think um...Buchla with a touch of Moog. Along with images of the artist hard at work, in one corner of the screen hovers a virtual yellow-jacket. (Hell of a mascot. Those things are a nuisance in real life!) You can watch close-ups of the performer operating his machines. You can tell that he's really into it too!

Weird Music - ElectroZone - Friday, May 15th, 2020

Weird Music
ElectroZone, Friday, May 15, 2020

Live feed and archives - https://www.twitch.tv/the_electrozone

The Electrozone is also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ithacaelectrozone/. Find out about upcoming events there.

Donations of US$10.00 can (and should) be made at venmo@electrozone.
Or PayPal - ithacaelectrozone@gmail.com

6runge5ong     @GrungeArt https://www.facebook.com/pg/6rungeArt/posts/

This Mexican solo act swings between danceable Kraftwerk-esque electronica and what sound to me like slightly spaced-out versions of old pop standards.

Tara & Bobby (Inanimate Sounds)

He does Floydian cymbal work (think "More" or "Ummagumma"), far-out drumming, percussion, and bowed or hammered vibes. She accompanies him on a spooky bowed musical saw. Gaps appear to be filled in by feedback and synthesis. Noise is added at critical points.

Sandy Ewen - http://www.sandyewen.com

Heavily processed electric guitar, played with a stick, an e-bow, anything but a pick. Sounds more like a synth or oscillator than a guitar. High-frequency drones, reminiscent of bells or wind chimes. Visual is a steadily-rotating palette of spherical flowers. Sound effects, like a barking dog, are added in places.

Playlist - Oct 26-29, 2016

Future Sound of London - We Have Explosive Pt 4 - We Have Explosive (Astralwerks)
Conrad Schnitzler - 1 - 00/44 (Marginal Talent)
Nico - Innocent & Vain - The End (Island)

Kraftwerk - Hall Of Mirrors - Trans-Europe Express (Capitol)
Aphex Twin - Shiny Metal Rods - Selected Ambient Works 2 (Sire)
Ron Geesin - Shut Out Hailing Calls Through You - Right Through (Ron Geesin)
Floom - Just A Few Minutes - Floom (Floom)
Dubadelic - Doze In Dub - Bass Invaders (WordSound)

Michael Hurley - The Werewolf Song - First Songs (Folkways)
Drekka - Sickness. - Take Care To Fall (Bluesanct)
Brian Eno/Cluster - Tzima N'Arki - Old Land (Sky)
Philip Glass - Are Years What? - North Star (Virgin)

Kraftwelt - Scif-Fi Memento - Electric Dimension (Hypnotic)
Nico - The End (Peel Session 1974) - The End (Deluxe Ed.) (Island)

Dissolve - Into The Black - Third Album For The Sun (Kranky)
Klaus Schulze - Mindphaser - Moondawn (SPV)

Podcast Available HERE!

February 29, 2012

Meat Beat Manifesto - Echo In Space Dub - Meat Beat Manifesto in Dub (runrecordings dot com)
Mad Professor - Beyond The Realms of Dub - It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad Professor (Ariwa)
Vito Ricci - No I Deny It - Music From Memory (Creation)
Extremadura - Beta Seekers of Smooth Things - Macro Dub Infection Vol 1 (Caroline)
Negativland - Christianity Is Stupid - Escape From Noise (negativland dot com)

Malone-Barnes & Spontaneous Simplicity - Road Man
Barabbas - Hijack
Sun-They're Calling For More
MFSB - We Got The Time
Fat Boy Slim - Michael Jackson - Better Living Through Chemistry (Astralwerks)

Long Cleve Reed & Little Harvey Hull - Original Stack O'Lee Blues - Down In The basement (Old Hat)
MC 900 Ft Jesus - Falling Elevators - Welcome To My Dream (Nettwerk)
Skull Snaps - It's A New Day
Buzzcocks - ESP - Peel Sessions (Strange Fruit)

Black Flag - Nothing Left Inside - My War (SST)
Led Zeppelin - When the Levee Breaks - Led Zep IV (Atlantic)

Anthony Newley - Pop Goes The Weasel - Tony (London)

Playlist for December 7, 2011

Fats Comet - Stormy Weather - (12-inch)(On-U)
Lenny White - Dark - Hipbop 'n' Funk (Silva Screen)
Various - Swami Safari - Bombay The Hard Way (Motel)
Doug Wimbish - Gangster - Trippy Notes For Bass (On-U)
Rare Earth - I Just Want To Celebrate - Motown Remixed (Motown)

Clarence Carter - Back Door Santa - Soul Christmas (Atlantic)
Chas Wright & The Watts 103rd St Rhythm Band - Express Yourself (Mocean Worker Remix) - What Is Hip? (WB)
April Stevens - Do It Again (Wagon Christ/Luke Vibert Remix) - Electro Lounge (Capitol)
Peter Sellers - A Hard Days Night - Peter Sellers (EMI)
The Beatles/Ill Chemist - Feel Alright (mashup, from MP3)

Urge Overkill - Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon - Stull EP (T&G)
Einsturzencde Neubauten - Sand - Halber Mensch (Thirsty Ear)
Elvis Costello - Imagination Is a Powerful Deceiver - My Aim Is True (reissue) (Ryko)

Interview with Deana Martin

Deana Martin from her new album, White Christmas (Big Fish):

White Christmas (w/Andy Williams)
Winter Wonderland

Alex Chilton - Volare - High Priest (Big Time)
Hot Butter - Skokian - Incredibly Strange Music Vol II - (Asphodel)
Ken Nordine - Maroon – Colors (Philips)

I Want a Television Xmas (RCA promo 78 RPM disc, 1950)

Playlist for June 22, 2011

Raglani, and
Outer Space
live at Delilah's, Ithaca, NY

Space Mix, by request
Contains (in whole or in part):

Tangerine Dream - Sunrise In The Third System - Alpha Centauri (Castle)
Edward Larry Gordon (Laraaji) - Bethlehem (excerpt) - Celestial Vibration (SWN)
Richard Teitelbaum & Anthony Braxton - Crossing (excerpt) - Time Zones (Freedom-Arista)
John Fahey - Eels - Womblife (Table of the Elements)
Ron Geesin - Sky High - KPM Library 1102 (KPM)
Bone Parade - The White Ship Has Sailed - Vollmondlieder (Wind & Fog)
Taiga Remains - Skyward - Wax Canopy (Digitalis)
Rhys Chatham - Crossing the Sword Bridge - Outdoor Spell (Northern Spy)
David Borden - For Laurie Spiegel - David Borden Anthology
Beanfield - Keep On Believing - Beanfield (Street Beat)

Ravi Shankar - Raga Yaman Gat Matta Tal - The Genius of Pandit Ravi Shankar (Oriental Records)
Brain Transplant - Sprockets of Destiny -Turn Your Shit Off (Pegasus Farm)
Aphex Twin - Grey Stripe - Selected Ambient Works Vol II (Sire)
Mark Vercoe - On The Beach - Iatrogenics (Creel Pone)
John Cage-Kenneth Patchen - The City Wears A Slouch Hat-1942 (excerpt) (Corti)
FSOL - It's My Mind That Works - ISDN (Astralwerks)
Secret Agent Gel - Pure Idiom - P as in Peter F as in Frank (Opiate)
Funky Porcini - Wicked Cruel Nasty & Bad - Hed Phone Sex (Ninja Tune)
Pink Floyd - Quicksilver - Sndtrk from MORE (Capitol)
Negativland - Time Zones - Escape From Noise (Seeland)
Can - Paperhouse - Tago Mago(Spoon)

June 30 2010

Talking Heads/Ramones
Max's Kansas City
9-October-1976

GONE - Adams - Gone II But Never Too Gone (SST)
Smashchords - Brand New Rambler - Smashchords (Smash Trade)
Regressive Aid - Photo Spreads - Effects Upon Exposed People (Rhesus)
Frank Zappa - Five, Five, Five - Shut Up'n Play Your Guitar (Ryko)
Pere Ubu - Dub Housing - Dub Housing (Ubu Projex)
Soul Circuit - What If - Lush Life Electronica (Quango)
Renaldo & The Loaf - The Blowflies' Dilemma - Arabic Yodelling (Ralph)
Nicholas Collins - Devils Music (excerpt) - Devils Music (Lovely Music)
Griot Galaxy - Liberty City Rundown (excerpt) - Opus Krampus (Cai Sound Aspects)
Frank Zappa - Weasels Ripped My Flesh - Weasels Ripped My Flesh (Ryko)
Test Dept. - Total Nervous Phenomonom - If You Can't Please Your Soul (Some Bizarre)
Gershon Kingsley - Have It Or Grab It And Go - Gershon Kingsley's First Moog Quartet (Audio Fidelity)
Man From Uranus - Space Jewelry Vol III (Excerpt)
Black Dice - Things Will Never Be The Same - Beaches & Canyons (DFA)
John Cale/Terry Riley - The Protege - Church of Anthrax (Water)
808 State - Bent - Outpost Transmission (Shadow Records)
Grateful Dead - The Other One (Excerpt) - Anthem of the Sun (WB)
Controlled Bleeding - The Front - Trudge (Wax Trax)
Bevis Frond - Rat In A Waistcoat - Bevis Through The Looking Glass (Rubric)

Devo - Don't Shoot I'm A Man - Something for Everybody (WB)