Monthly Archives: February 2003

In praise of achieving virtuosity

February 16, 2003 – 1:10 PM
Darwin Grosse has some pretty good advice for electronic musicians: "If I look at the electronic music that does have some staying power, it is generally not based on surprise. It uses machines that have been available for a long time, driven by people with the desire to max out the use of these machines. Derrick May on a TR-909 is a techno virtuoso (check out The Beginning on The Innovator, Disc Two), but that didn't happen overnight. He learned the machine in-and-out, spent enough time to learn what it does well (and where it sucks), then made extraordinary music. The TB-303 and Juno 60/106 have similar masters, and the Minimoog has spawned a few as well."... Read More »
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From the "I know it was just a movie" department of observations.

February 15, 2003 – 1:03 AM
I was just thinking -- if the government couldn't keep Elliott's house -- you know -- Elliott from ET -- quarantined properly with all those big elaborate duct systems connected to the van and with the zipper windows and doors everywhere -- what makes people think that some plastic window covering and duct tape is going to prevent them from the effects of a nearby chemical attack? Admittedly, it was the 80s and we had 80s technology and all, but still what the heck good is this gonna do?... Read More »
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