GRO Design's Kaleidoscope Watch

In the spirit of working on the Upton Watch project this year, I've been enthralled by unique watch designs. I ran across this Kaleidoscope watch on Core77 by European design firm GRO.

GRO Design was founded in 1999 by three British designers that worked together at Philips Design and decided to establish their own firm in the Netherlands.

The Kaleidoscope watch plays off of the fact that consumers are surrounded by so many devices that tell time, that a wrist watch's main focal point doesn't have to be time keeping. The captivating display of this watch becomes the primary focus and the telling of time with the circle and ring being secondary. The designers of this concept watch are also interested to see if consumers can manifest their own method to tell time with the patterns created by the display.

 


 

Kaleidoscope Watch from GRO design on Vimeo.

 

Javelin's Canyon Candy: A Western Epic

Disco sampling savages Javelin are at it again, this time with the western frontier in mind. Javelin, along with friend and past collaborator, director Mike Anderson, plan to produce an epic Western entitled Canyon Candy, or Blood of the Rio Grande, with an accompanying score composed by Javelin themselves. The score for the film, a 10 in. EP, was released April 16th, on Record Store Day, by Luaka Bop Records. The album itself is a limited edition, hand pressed-- and to show their commitment to the project-- hand branded masterpiece that only Javelin could have composed.

Canyon Candy truly plays as a backdrop to a lone cowpoke's journey through America's badlands in a search for something: wealth, love, revenge? It's never made quite clear. What is clear is Javelin's unmatchable sampling abilities, which are effectively layered and unbelievably melodic, the only way Javelin knows.

Their shift from the funky dance jams of their earlier work, Jamz 'n Jemz and No Mas, to the sprawling uncertrainty of the old West is seamless and surprising. Songs like album stand outs "Esteves" and "Waterfalls" display the charming sonics of Javelin, but have an undeniably Southwestern style. "Esteves" opens with a lonesome sounding slide guitar that begins to splinter and layer, with pieces winding effortlessly between one another. The swaying rhythm of the twangy guitars create a lush and emotional Western drawl in an incredibly unconventional way.

Album closer, "Waterfalls", is similar in it's set-up with effectively splintered and layered pitchy vocals fused with the eagle cry of a broken slide guitar, creating the old-time rhythm throughout. This track has an uplifting sense of accomplishment and finality, directly followed by a minute of the relaxing cricket chirps of a quiet and restful night on the Western front after a hard days' travels.

Javelin's interpretation of a glitchy Wild West is at times emotionally evocative, and at times just downright goofy. The wacky and whimsical mentality we've come to associate with Javelin is still very present in their most recent effort. Songs like the spliced hip-hop country mash up of "Colorado Trail", the whistlin' side-shooter narrative of "Winchesters", and the trot-paced southern belle harmonies coating "Sagebrush", show us that, despite the dreary subject matter, Javelin can still have fun.

The film portion of the project began with a campaign on the website Kickstarter to raise funds for the production costs of the film. Kickstarter is a way for people in various creative fields to gain access to funds for projects through pledges. They are then given a certain amount of time to ensure safety if financial goals aren't met by developers. This method allows a large creative pool to produce costly productions without the use of loans and investments, fostering a completely self-controlled creative experience. Javelin, director Mike Anderson, and producer Oscar Boyson's campaign began in the beginning of March with a goal of $9,500. Their goal was met on April 9th, and has since exceeded the initial amount by rounding up pledges totaling $12,505. Each series of pledge amounts were matched with awards ranging anywhere from a personalized thank you postcard, a playbutton containing the Canyon Candy score, a DVD of the film, or even an executive producer credit.

The score for Canyon Candy was not only released as a limited-edition record, but also as a Playbutton. New York based design company Parte LLC developed the Playbutton, which is an innovative way to listen to a record while still maintaining a tangible connection that's been lacking in the age of digital music. Crate-diggers, like Javelin, who's basis is upon the physicality of the LP and tapes of yore, obviously would be down to entertain the idea of a new way to bring music back into the hands of the listener. They crafted a custom Canyon Candy Sheriff's badge playbutton to add to the effect.

Given the restraints of creating a score for a then unmade film, Javelin sure have a knack for melody and theme. The album as a whole offers its own narrative, but also a sprawling glimpse into what we can only imagine will be, as Mike Anderson said of Canyon Candy, "The most beautiful thing you will ever see in your entire life."

 

Here are a few tracks from Javelin's Canyon Candy score, paired with western footage unrelated to the actual Canyon Candy film.

"Estevez"

"Waterfalls"

"Fievel Goes West"

"Strawberry Roan"

Kickstarter campaign video:

Purchase Canyon Candy limited edition EP here

Purchase Javelin's Canyon Candy Playbutton here

Mike Anderson and Javelin's previous collaborations here, here and here.

Bad asses:

IDEO's c60 Redux

I revisited IDEO's Vimeo page after an earlier post about IDEO's Vision for the Future of Self-Service Banking to see what they are working on. I came across an intriguing video that was posted a few months ago, but the content really sparked my interest.

It is a concept from IDEO that aims to restore a physical aspect to digital music enjoyment. The c60 Redux is a platter that users place individual cards onto to play music. Each paper or cardboard card contains two RFID chips that activate the platter to play the track that is associated with it. The track stops playing when the card is removed from the platter. Users can create a playlist by placing several cards on the platter at a time and the tracks are read and played in a clockwise order. The unit is connected to a computer for power and sound output.

This re-establishes the focus on album graphics and tangible artifacts associated with music.

 

Take a look:

c60 Redux from IDEO on Vimeo.

Indie Pop to Hip Hop

A trend of female-led, hip hop influenced, lo-fi jams has been developing over the last several years in the indie electronic scene. A few duos displaying variations of this constantly developing trend are stoner-Swedes jj, the musical culmination of Purity Ring, the street-beats of Phantogram, and the up-and-coming Made in Heights.

 

jj

One of the front-runners of this sound is the Swedish duo jj (intentionally unpunctuated and uncapitalized to show their laidback attitude) who have 4 releases under their belt after only being active for 3 years. jj is known for crafting originals and covering some of hip hop's finest with a subtle flow and Balearic vibe.

Their first full length, jj no. 2, has a definite sun-driven state of stoned relaxation and tropicalia trippin'. Don't be mistaken though, there are some solid jams in here. Opener "Things Will Never Be The Same Again" is a pop-heavy step into the somewhat deceiving sun soaked beats. jj's lyricism has a dark and dreary tone, especially with Elin Kastlander's bong-rip-flat delivery, but it somehow complements the sunny club beats. "Ecstasy" (posted below) is a perfect example of the straight-up gangsta lean jj was inspired by. And yes, the title implies it all, this song is a bass-driven banger best suited for the experience of its namesake.

The follow-up, last years jj no. 3,  is a little less inspired as their debut, but still has it's shining moments. Altogether, the album takes plenty of cues from fellow Swedes and Sincerely Yours Records owners, The Tough Alliance, but  no. 3 also displays a more fleshed out approach. Most notably, the opener -- a cover of Game and Lil Wayne's "My Life", which consists solely of a slow piano and Elin's smoky swagger-- turning this jam towards sullen ballad territory. 

jj's most recent offering came in the form of a Mixtape. Kills (number 4 in the jj chronology) plays as a smoke-screened guide through hip hop history-- each track contains samples from some of hip hop's classics and currents. Everything from M.I.A.'s hyped-as-hell "Paper Planes" to Kanye West's anthem "Power". This format really enables jj to display their knack for lyricism and delivery. The track posted here, "Still", opens with hushed vocal harmonies that flow seamlessly into a sample of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's "Still D.R.E." and Elin's breathy flow. The cleverly written lyrics add jj's swagger to the iconic beat, shedding a new light : "...I am S/Y, no lie, at least you get to witness, kill so many songs, you'd think I have a hit list."

Kills was released as a free download which you can snag here.

 

jj "Ecstasy" from jj no. 2

  

 jj "My Life" (Game Cover) from jj no. 3

 jj  "Still" from the Kills Mixtape

 

Purity Ring

Purity Ring consists of Gobble Gobble's Corin Roddick and Megan James and currently only has two tracks released. Their first single "Ungirthed" is a glittering pop jam with some definite dubstep influences. Megan James' cute and crisp delivery compliment the grinding thump of the inconsistent bass line and the deep vocal sample moaning.

"Lofticries", Purity Ring's second single released this month, has a similar set up with a slower burn. The synth work is more intricate in it's movement and James' flow persists through the sparkling murk of the beat. The same cyclical vocal sample from "Ungirthed" reasserts itself in a more fluid manner. A lengthier song, "Lofticries" plays like the perfect B-side to "Ungirthed".

 

Purity Ring's first single "Ungirthed"

  

Purity Ring's second single "Lofticries"

 

 

Phantogram

Phantogram is the brain child of New York's Josh Carter on guitar, and Sarah Barthel on keys -- both sharing vocal duties. Their self-described "street beat psych pop" is reminiscent of the late J. Dilla's beat craftsmanship with the trip hop sensibility of Massive Attack and Little Dragon. Their debut album, 2010's Eyelid Movies, contains some interesting beat and synth work in near-epic proportions. Opener "Mouthful of Diamonds" begins with a boiling chirpy beat leading into Sarah's slow and steady vocals, that are clearly and cleverly enunciated.

"When I'm Small", Eyelid Movies stand out track opens with a static Portishead-esque drum beat. Sarah's repetitive crooning washes over Josh's plucky guitar to create a haunting, paranoid atmosphere. Unfortunately, the two outstanding opening tracks listed here are not entirely indicative of the album as a whole. The tracks with Josh in the lead come off a little dull. His flat delivery and lack of emotion cause a less conflicting and challenging listen than the crispness or Sarah's vocals juxtaposed to the aged beats. His voice tends to fade to the background instead of grabbing your focus.

 


 Phantogram  "Mouthful of Diamonds" from Eyelid Movies
Phantogram "When I'm Small" from Eyelid Movies
.
.
Made in Heights
.
Up-and-comers Made in Heights released their free debut EP at the end of last year (much like jj's Kills Mixtape) as a sort of Christmas offering. Winter Pigeons (Songs to Raise Your Dead Spirits) consists of 3 original tracks with 3 complimentary instrumentals, and as an added bonus, a "Hip-Hoppity Christmas" rendition of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from the Nutcracker.
.
Made in Heights is one-half of the soulful and self-proclaimed "cinema art rap" of Seattle based hip hop duo Blue Scholars. Alexei Saba, a.k.a. D.J. Sabzi, and his friend Kelsey Bulkin decided to create their own music duo, using his history in hip hop as framework for their hip hop indie pop sound. Winter Pigeons opens with "Skylark Interabang?!" which samples the hushed piano notes from Sufjan Steven's "Concering the U.F.O. Sighting Near Highland, Illinois." Kelsey's soft spoken and swag-soaked delivery add to the subtlety of their songs. This track in particular starts out as charming indie pop but as soon as Kelsey gets past the first verse her head-bobbing flow begins to reveal itself. When the beat breaks with a circulating siren sound, it takes the track even deeper into hip hop territory. Deep vocal samples similar to Purity Ring's "Ungirthed" circulate around Kelsey's sweet sounds near the final breakdown.
.
The following track "All the Places" is a hell of a lot more straightforward. A faster paced and more lyric driven song, this track truly displays Made in Heights hip hop sensibilities and Kelsey's way with words. "Now my chain is feeling heavy on my neck when I ride, but my heart is beating steady and I know it never lies. Dead could, dead could start to feel, and your eyes will start to flood, if you knew the kind of steel running in my royal blood...." is so cleanly delivered and cleverly written that it rivals that of even jj's Elin Kastlander. Throughout "All the Places" a whirling click carries the track as a metronome while a clap heavy stutter-beat mirrors Kelsey's own sampled stutters.
.
.
Made in Heights Winter Pigeons (Songs to Raise Your Dead Spirits) EP 
(The entire EP will stream on this page)
.
.
These artists all vary greatly between their direct influences, but they all share a a common respect for the greats of rap and hip hop that is signature to their individual sounds. Whether it's the street beats of Phantogram or the lyrical flow of Made in Heights, these girls help remind us that hip hop is fluid, and can be manipulated in some fascinating ways.

Art in the Streets @ MOCA

 

The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA in downtown Los Angeles is featuring the first major US museum exhibition of street art and graffiti art. The show is called Art in the Streets and focuses on the evolution of graffiti and street art from the 1970s to what it is today. Although paintings, mixed media sculptures, and interactive installations are featured from 50 well known street artists from New York, Los Angeles, London, San Francisco, and Sao Paulo; the main focus of the show is the role Los Angeles plays in the movement.

Most notably, a special section of the show is dedicated to the art related to the locals only Dogtown skate and surf movement out of Venice Beach and Santa Monica.

Art in the Streets runs from 04.17.11 until 08.08.11 and is located here.

Referenced from: OBEY

Adaptable Bicycle Racks by Cyclehoop

 

Cyclehoop is a UK based design firm comprised of designers and architects that deal exclusively with indoor and outdoor bicycle parking, storage, and security.

They offer a wide range of innovative cycle parking solutions from bike shelters to integrated public bike pumps. Their most intriguing product, however, is their flagship 'Cyclehoop' that transforms existing sign posts and parking meters into bike racks. This retrofitting device streamlines the bike rack installation process and saves cities public money.

Looking at these bike racks reminds me of the City Racks design competition I entered a few years back for New York City. My competition entry can be viewed here.

 

Referenced from: Core77

Andrew Namminga of AN Design Interview

I first learned about AN Design Lab by attending their inaugural open house and burger mixer. At the event, I met Andrew Namminga, the founder of the design firm, and became interested in his story. Before beginning a career in Industrial Design that lead to the launch of his own design firm, Andrew worked in machine shops and built custom motorcycles.

Several weeks after the mixer, I reconnected with Andrew and he invited me down to his firm in Costa Mesa, California to chat. I decided to take a slightly different approach to this interview and recorded video clips of Andrew's responses. Take a look.

 

How did you get into Industrial Design?

Andrew Namminga of AN Design Interview from Denzinger Design on Vimeo.

 

Can you expand on your experience with custom motorcycle building?

Andrew Namminga of AN Design Interview 2 from Denzinger Design on Vimeo.

 

How did you begin freelancing as an Industrial Designer?

Andrew Namminga of AN Design Interview 3 from Denzinger Design on Vimeo.

 

 

How did you transition from freelancing to opening your own design firm?

Andrew Namminga of AN Design Interview 4 from Denzinger Design on Vimeo.

 

What were some of the challenges of developing AN Design?

Andrew Namminga of AN Design Interview 5 from Denzinger Design on Vimeo.

 

Describe the focal point of the shop environment inside AN Design Lab.

Andrew Namminga of AN Design Interview 6 from Denzinger Design on Vimeo.

 

What does the future hold for AN Design?

Andrew Namminga of AN Design Interview 7 from Denzinger Design on Vimeo.

 

After the interview, Andrew gave me a tour of his shop. AN Design Lab has amble space for the design studio and machine shop hybrid. Andrew took me through the various regions of his space.

AN Design Shop Tour from Denzinger Design on Vimeo.

GaTech IDSA Student Merit Presentations

I recently had the opportunity to attend Georgia Tech’s IDSA Merit Award Finals, where four senior Industrial Design students presented their work in a competition to determine who will represent Georgia Tech at this year’s regional IDSA conference.  A kind of showcase featuring Georgia Tech’s best talent (as chosen by ID faculty), the presentations provided a particularly intriguing insight into the program’s recent progress and direction.  My reactions varied from impressed to indifferent.

Georgia Tech has built its reputation as a premier engineering university, and deservedly so.  Such an emphasis on engineering and its associated deliberations has undoubtedly pervaded even the College of Industrial Design, where faculty harps on “process” and there has always been a ubiquitous concentration on designing specifically for manufacture using Tech’s decidedly vast technological resources.  Such a focus was apparent in many of the projects, and it was refreshing to see these endeavors carried out beyond merely pretty renderings.  Almost all of the presentations displayed designs that were carried out through prototype phase (TRUE prototyping mind you… not merely proof of concept mockups or scale study models).  Thought and refinement was clearly evident among the work of these students.

A few designs exemplified such a bent, including Grayson Byrd’s “Connect the Blocks” design.  Taken through a slew of iterations and prototyped for more feasible, mass manufacture, the “Blocks” are an interesting take on a classic kids’ toy.  This particular version lights up when the blocks are aligned in correct order.  That is, if the child makes a proper word with them, arranges them alphabetically, etc.  Smart.  And Cool.

 

Grayson Byrd's "Connect the Blocks"

 

Ariel Wu’s “Butter Extruder”, a fun (if not frivolous) solution that purportedly saves money and keeps one’s hands clean during the potentially clumsy and messy “buttering” process, was another design that exhibited a keen focus on truly working out the mechanicals, designing for manufacture, and again, taking the project beyond a shiny computer model or vellum rendering.

 

Ariel Wu's "Butter Extruder"

 

With that said, these projects also illustrate a marked flaw that seemed to manifest itself amongst all the work presented this past Friday.  As designers, we are tasked with making an emotional connection, and part of that involves designing a form and highlighting details that speak to the particular user, that work in the context of the product’s environment, and develop a connection deeper than that of mere “object” or “tool”.  The “Blocks” certainly look like kids’ blocks, but their form (and material) belies the fascinating technology within, does little to separate the product from its ordinary predecessor, and frankly, looks downright banal.  Granted, you’re toeing a fine line between old and new with such an established, recognized product as kids’ blocks.  Straying too far from the norm would indeed alienate the user.  But I kept asking myself, “Where’s the fun!?”

The “Butter Extruder” also had me scratching my head and asking the same question.  The concept is neat.  It’s fun.  It has, dare I say, an element of kitsch.  And that’s totally fine.  But it shouldn’t look like a glorified crayon on steroids.  There was so much opportunity to play with a VAST number of design cues, from the domestic landscape to packaging conventions and formal incumbents that we all associate with food, and I don’t find any of that here.  Barely a hint.

Now I’m not harping on these two projects, and certainly not these two talented students, as sole perpetrators.  In fact, the reason I bring this up is because I see it as a trend at Georiga Tech.  That end of the industrial design spectrum simply gets cast aside far too often.  Great concept, functionally shrewd… formally uninspired.  Of course, there were a few glimpses of smart, cleverly-addressed aesthetic details that I saw during the presentation.

Ieva Mikolaviciute’s “Tea Infuser” stood out as a particularly striking example.  With a very organic form and sweeping profile, the design certainly speaks to “natural” cues in a beautifully sculptural manner.  It at once draws on traditional cookware/kitchen aesthetics while tweaking them in an arousing, expressive way.  Most striking about this design is the very unmistakable contrast between positive and negative forms.  The bulbous, tulip-like infuser “head”, with its colander-esque perforations, beautifully segues into a flowing, distinctly planar handle studded with hemispherical dots that beg to be touched.  The punched holes juxtaposed with the gently-raised dots is simple, subtle… and remarkably clever.

 

Ieva Mikolaviciute's "Tea Infuser"

 

And that’s what ID at Georgia Tech needs more of.  Don’t stray from the process, continue to nurture the mechanically-astute inclinations of the students… but push them to package these wonderful ideas in more thoughtful, beautiful ways.  Take them from “like” to “lust”.  Highlight these great ideas.  Foster a better understanding of how a great concept takes the “next step”.   I’m still learning this myself, I don’t think anyone is ever finished learning.  It all can’t be taught over the course of eight semesters, and these presentations indeed showed great promise.  I just found myself walking away a bit frustrated with how much better these projects could be with the support of a more wholly focused faculty.  ID at Georgia Tech has come a long way; it has a long way to go.

 

Grayson Byrd's "Casper Chair"

Core77 Design Awards

The product design powerhouse Core77 is hosting their first annual Design Awards. With this venture, Core77 has re-imagined the entire design competition process and judging platform.

The initial registration process is completely free and noncommittal. Core77 will even send you a limited-edition poster, while supplies last and designed by Studio Lin, for registering early.

The design competition is subdivided into several different categories and each category has a Jury Captain from 13 different cities in 8 countries. Each jury captain is an expert in their category and will assemble a team of four local jurists. This will ensure fair and non-bureaucratic judging.

Another way the Core77 Design Awards goes against the grain is the fact that each entrant is urged submit a video testimonial about the design. This spin on Andy Warhol's 15 Minutes of Fame is not required but strongly recommended.

The competition categories include:

Sign up for the Design Awards here. I've already registered Denzinger Design for the competition and can't wait to get started. Design on.

 

The Album Cover Art of Shepard Fairey Opening

 

Over the years, Shepard Fairey has been involved with the design of a wide variety of album cover art. Additionally, the Obey frontman often uses music as a theme for his artwork. To celebrate all of this, the Robert Berman Gallery in Santa Monica is currently featuring a show called Revolutions - The Album Cover Art of Shepard Fairey.

The show opening was March 12th, and I had the chance to attend. The focal point of the show was a large cluster of small framed screen prints, featuring the album covers Shepard created, on the back wall of the gallery. The show also boasted DJ sets by Dan the Automator and Shepard Fairey himself. The show runs until April 23rd and below are a few pictures from the event.

 

Upton Watches Update

Upton Watches is in full swing, and we have progressed into the prototyping phase. We are currently working with Mark McJunkin in Atlanta, Georgia for this facet of the watch expedition. Mark McJunkin was an Industrial Design professor of mine at Georgia Tech, and he is the CEO of the design and manufacturing firm Product M.

Recently with Product M, Mark has focused more on domestic prototyping and manufacturing with his CNC mill. In addition to operating his firm, Mark continues to teach at Georgia Tech.

During this juncture in the project, we are evolving our design so it can be beautifully and efficiently manufacturable. Mark and I are collaborating on the design for manufacturing phase. We are refraining from displaying our finalized design until we have physical, operational watches. Below are a few sneak peaks of Mark's shop in Atlanta and his process of outputting watches. 


Mark at the helm

 

The HAAS CNC mill

 

Cutting out a watch case

 

Metal carnage

Hourglass Sea "Live from the Crematorium" EP

 

Video games and music have a short but sweet history together. Some of the most iconic songs and sound bites from our generation came from or were inspired by video games. I mean, if you don't know the Super Mario Bros. Theme, then you may have some major pop-culture catching up to do. The legacies of such prolific video game composers as Yuzo Koshiro, who produced the outstanding sound track to the Streets of Rage series, or the creator of the Super Mario Bros. music, Koji Kando, live on even to this day. In fact, the trends they created and barriers they broke paved the way for the ensuing post-'80s and '90s electronic music.

Many musicians within the last ten years have begun to take cues from these celebrated works. Their influence isn't literal; instead, it serves as a jumping off point to create a whole new entity all together. The Canadian duo Crystal Castles (not to be mistaken with the 1983 Arcade Game) utilizes Atari synth sounds to fill in the skeleton of their shocking pop explosions. Their sound can fluctuate from bubbly sweetness to blood-curdling harshness with the bat of an 8-bit eye.

Guido is another great example of a musician using video game music solely as inspiration to compose atmospheric sounds. Instead of the glitchy 8-bit form of his contenders, Guido gains inspiration from the orchestrated instruments of the great Nobuo Uematsu, who created the scores for the Final Fantasy series. With occasional dub-step tendencies, Guido crafts some moody string-led electronic jams.

Dean Bentley of Hourglass Sea has a few things in common with these two, but he takes a slightly different approach. Like Crystal Castles and Guido, Hourglass Sea doesn't just use video game sounds and samples as a gimmick to create an instantly recognizable and relatable song. Instead, he encapsulates the late '80's and early '90's pop culture, while remaining very relevant in the current UK music scene. He employs smooth synth lines, vocal samples and noise blips effectively layered about bombastic drum beats and some legit '80s metal guitar solos. "I just want my music to be very loud, melodic and busy." 

Hourglass Sea's inspirations are as varied as his sound, which is difficult to pin point. The influences for this distinguishable sound stem from Streets of Rage, Paradise Lost, Little River Band, Robocop and S.O.S Band, which seems apparent when compared to his synth style and beat progressions. These diverse influences combine with his background as an MC under the L.G.P. moniker, to create some heavy yet incredibly melodic and smooth bangers. He's currently working on releasing a collaborative effort under his L.G.P. title. 

The singles leading up to the release of Hourglass Sea's Live from the Crematorum EP leaned towards the brighter side of the sound. Unlike the polished crispness of his new material, his former songs possess a rougher yet breezy quality. “Teenager” has a glitchy hip-hop feel that occasionally seems ready to burst at the seams with sound.  “L.A. Lights” contains a tropicalia spin centered around sunny key strokes and the chime of the coin in Super Mario Bros. An all too familiar “yeah” sample fills the space, reminding us that Dean Bentley hasn't forgotten his roots.

The singles that dropped between "L.A. Lights/Teenager" and the release of LFTC were truly transitional pieces. They contain a polished sound indicative of LFTC. "Time Killer" is a crisply delivered and steady paced jam that sounds as if it could be the sound track to a Ken & Ryu duel. "I wanted to make quite an aggressive beat...The title is kind of a statement to ignore what kinds of sounds [and] styles belong in each decade. I think these days anything goes." And in Dean Bentleys hands anything certainly does go. "Crystal Kross" opens with a jackhammer beat and a warm and raspy guitar riff. Static drums carry the song at leisurely pace. The structured sequences of sustain soaked guitar into dreamy synth pangs continues back and forth until it culminates into a glistening wind-down.

The release of LFTC marked a slight change for Hourglass Sea. There is a definite glittering shadow cast over these tracks. The inspiration behind the songs can be summed up with Dean's experience growing up next to a cemetery as a child in Lidget Green. “All the titles from LFTC are references to death... The place where I grew up - we lived over the road from Scholemoor Cemetery. Living next to a place like that seems to bother some people, but it never bothered me. Sometimes you have to use your imagination and make the best of where you reside... On the one side it has a very English working class look about it, with its mills and terraced streets... but on the other side it had green fields that went on for miles. I suppose I liked the variation... It's more of a tribute to the people I knew and where we grew up.”

The title track from Live from the Crematorium possesses a very laid back jazz timing. A stammering drum beat forms the background while a bluesy guitar solo washes over a piping synth. “Divine Sealing” displays an effervescent intro. Synth choir notes build up with a whirl into HS's signature change-up thumping drum beat. Machine gun synths fire into a deep bass-cut breakdown with heavy-handed Balearic piano.

The second half of the four track EP begins to throw back to the previously released singles by displaying Dean's knack for cleverly placed vocal samples. The search for the samples contained in each song almost becomes a pop-culture hide-and-seek. The bass drenched outro of “Divine Sealing” leads into the boiling beat of “Memory Eternal.” “Memory Eternal” contains samples of Street Fighter character Guile's iconic “Sonic Boom” declaration following the video game announcer exclaiming “Perfect!” The EP's closer "Another World" begins with a glittery sped-up rendition of the down-tempo prog-rock of Little River Band's "Reappear" that slams into a brassy synth wall. A wavering siren pulses in the background as the grinding bass line runs its course. This track incorporates the "C'mon" sample contained in any MC's repertoire along with the pitchy LRB sample "When will you reappear?" 

There's something special about Dean Bentley. His songs truly contain so much, it's hard to believe how smooth they roll. At one moment you feel as if Guile from Street Fighter is piloting one of the Blue Angels jets in Van Halen's music video for "Dreams," and the next moment Blaze from Streets of Rage is in line at a Little River Band concert in Super Mario World. In the hands of someone scared to use a little excess Hourglass Sea would be boring. Conversely; someone without a sense of true restraint would end up sounding like the purported "nintendocore" of Horse the Band. Dean Bentley's balance of these two is impeccable and we should anticipate a career as bright as his sound, and those who inspired it.

 

 

Make sure to visit Hourglass Sea's soundcloud.

Check out the interview I had with Dean Bentley earlier this week here.

Here's a couple tracks from the Live from the Crematorium EP:

Live From The Crematorium by Hourglass Sea

Divine Sealing by Hourglass Sea

 

Here's a new cut "Tubbs & Crockett" that was just released.

Tubbs & Crockett by Hourglass Sea

Street Art Pop Up Shop Opening

 

Echo Park is the new home to the Street Art Pop Up Store in Los Angeles. The store aims to combine a gallery space featuring street artist work with a storefront containing painting supplies, collectibles, posters, and apparel. The shop is located on Sunset Boulevard next to the Short Stop.

This street art headquarters had its opening event on March 4th. I discovered the event listing on Shepard Fairey's website. The intimate space received an excellent turnout with an eclectic mix of people. The show featured work from, and the gallery will continue to feature work from, several respected street artists such as Shepard Fairey, Bigfoot, D*Face, Dick Chicken, Ron English, Homo Riot, Philip Lumbang, Skullphone, Sweet Toof, Underwater Pirates, Eyesore, London Police, and Vampires One Day (to name a few).

Below are a few photos from the event.

 

 

The address of the shop is 1461 1/2 West Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026 and is open from noon to 7pm daily. Check it out.

Hourglass Sea Interview

 

 

I had the opportunity of talking with Dean Bentley, the UK's video-game-gangsta beat maker known as Hourglass Sea. He crafts some epically heavy retro jams with plenty of nostalgic samples and chiptune effects to keep any music loving, video game playing nerd smirking. He just released the Live From the Crematorium EP at the beginning of the month.

 

Here's a few tracks to recruit you: 

Memory Eternal by Hourglass Sea

Another World by Hourglass Sea

Time Killer by Hourglass Sea

 

I've linked to some of the songs from video games that we mention so you can hear/see for yourself.

Check out the link to the Robocop Game Boy Theme that's posted. It's insane.

 

?: When did you first begin recording as Hourglass Sea?

Dean: "Teenager" was the first Hourglass Sea recording. It was made about 8 or maybe 9 months ago.

 

?: The new EP's name is Live From the Crematorium, what is that a reference to?

Dean: The place where I grew up. We lived over the road from Scholemoor Cemetery. The crematorium is reasonably sized and sits right in the middle, so it can't be missed.

Living next to a place like that seemed to bother some people, but it never bothered me. Sometimes you have to use your imagination and make the best of where you reside. For all its problems Lidget Green was okay. On the one side it has a very English working class look about it, with its mills and terraced streets, almost like an L.S. Lowry painting, but on the other side it had green fields that went on for miles. I suppose I liked the variation haha. It's more of a tribute to the people I knew and where we grew up.

 

?: What was the inspiration behind Hourglass Sea?

Dean: Originally I wanted Hourglass Sea to be more versatile. I had ideas of recording metal, synthetic R&B, stoner rock, hip hop and a few other things - all under Hourglass Sea. I briefly tried it out but decided against the idea. I'm inspired by all kinds of music really. Zapp & Roger, Paradise Lost, Cameo, Little River Band, SOS Band, Biz Markie, Massive Attack, Bad Religion, Kyuss...it's a fairly big list. I try to take snips of ideas and sounds from different styles of music and incorporate them into one place.

I just want my music to be very loud, melodic and busy.

 

?: There's a strong sense of nostalgia in your songs, would you consider yourself a very nostalgic person?

Dean: Yes. A little too much, I think. Especially in music. From a music point of view it's kind of hard not to be. I grew up in the days of albums, album booklets, 3-4 single releases off each new album, videos, artwork etc. I kinda miss all that. I think overall things are changing for the better, but the original reasons as to why I fell in love with music will always play some kinda part.

 

?: There is a lot of guitar in your music, most notably in "Crystal Kross", is that all you? What other instruments do you play?

Dean: Yes that's me. I use a cheap Aria Pro 2 semi acoustic and a Big Muff. My amp set up is an early '70s Marshall Cab and a Matamp head. I try to include my guitar as much as possible, even if it's just a lick here and there. I play drums and bass, though at the moment I'm currently without a bass. I can handle keys sufficiently enough for recording.

 

 

?: When did you first begin playing music?

Dean: I began playing drums when I was 10 and guitar at 13. I was in one band in school. We didn't do very well, though we had the best intentions. Growing up all I ever wanted to do was be in a band. These days I love making music on my own. I could do with a vocal collaborator, but I wouldn't change the music making process at all.

 

?: It sounds like so much goes into each individual song, what is your music making process?

Dean: These days I always start with drums. I try to fill the drum tracks with percussion, effects, change ups etc. Once I'm 100% happy with the drums - I start playing with melodies and chords. Eventually I'll record something I like. It all builds from there really.

I have a fairly rudimentary style of recording. It's a manner of recording that works perfectly for me. I try not to care too much about the quality of the recording, whether it's a sample recorded into my MPC, or a guitar miked with my amp.

The two things I focus on with each song are melody and feel. I don't mind even if I make a slight mistake in a recording. Sometimes it's good to add a real human feeling to a largely synthetic backdrop. It sounds corny but I like the idea of a song sounding a little rough whilst containing a strong, bright melody.

 

?: Obviously video games, among other things, have a strong influence on your sound. What are your all time favorite video games?

Dean: That's pretty easy - but my choices are fairly predictable: Monkey Island 1 and 2 I would say are my all time favorites. Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Super Mario 3, Streets Of Rage 2, Robocop Arcade was crazy too, as well as the Godly Shinobi 3.

 

?: Sonic 2 is amazing! I LOVE the music in the special stages in both Sonic 1 and Sonic 2. They both probably have my all time favorite video game music along with Zelda Ocarina of Time and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue. Robocop also had some awesome music.

What's your favorite video game music or song?

Dean: Do you remember the music for Robocop for the Game Boy? It had this strange mood to it, quite solitary and relaxed. It was very good. I don't have a favorite. I love certain mini-sounds, intros etc. I remember one of the early John Madden games had quite a cool intro, and the music played after Shinobi dies in the 3rd game, that was really nice! Sonic 2 is hard to beat though. That shit was inspired.

 

?: What are the samples used in "Another World" and "Memory Eternal"? Is that shit Guile from Street Fighter 2?!

Dean: Yes, that's Guile! I preferred Vega, but Guile has some nice lines. Like most people my age I have fond memories of Street Fighter 2. The characters, music and various effects used in SF2 will always be memorable.

"Another World" utilizes a prog rock vocal - as well as a subtle vocal sample from Streets Of Rage 2. See if you can find it!

 

?: The sample is Blaze, right?! Brilliant!

Dean: Correct! But there's another Streets of Rage sample in there....

 

?: Also, is that a sample of Mantazz in "Time Killer" or am I crazy?

Dean: No, you're crazy! Haha. Time Killer contains a sample, but I'm not giving this one away. You'll have to go digging for it!

 

 ?: The song sampled in “Another World” is “Reappear” by the Little River band, right?

Dean: That's the one! Playing To Win is a very cool album. The '80s was amazing for rock and funk/R&B. It was a pretty open field in terms of what kinds of sounds people used for each song. Old formulas were being ignored for new ideas & sounds.

Can you imagine being a teen, putting on the radio first thing in the morning and hearing “The Message” or “This Is Radio Clash”? Wow, it was like a new enlightenment.

 

?: That's one of the many things I love about your music, it's almost like a hunt to find the pop-culture references in your samples. Do you intend it to be this way, almost like a musical hide and seek?

Dean: Not really, but I used to do exactly the same thing with anything produced by The Alchemist and Just Blaze. If the beat contained a sample I wanted to know what it was and where it came from. For that reason hip hop opened me up to a lot of music.

 

?: Who designed your bad ass logos and EP covers?

Dean: My Hourglass Sea artwork is designed by Kevin Summers at Normal Bias.

He's very cool!

 

?: I like that you used the cover of The SOS Band's album Sands of Time, which was also the inspiration for your name, as the backdrop to your earlier track's logo. Is the backdrop on the new logo from something as well?

Dean: Good observation. Sands of Time is a cool album. That's like the epitome of mid tempo, synthetic 80s R&B. I think I want to listen to it again now you've mentioned it. The backdrop wasn't really inspired by anything, other than offering a darker tone than the bright, desert backdrop of “L.A Lights” and “Teenager.”

 

 

?: Have you gone by any other names, or do you have any side projects?

Dean: I used to collaborate with emcees under the name L.G.P. I'm on the verge of releasing an album of sorts featuring the various collaborations over the past few years.

 

?: What does L.G.P stand for?

Dean: Lidget Green Position. I know, terrible name.

 

?: Does L.G.P share the same sound as Hourglass Sea?

Dean: No, not really. Hourglass Sea is very different. These days I enjoy HS more than standard hip hop. The sampling techniques I've learned over the years will always be used in Hourglass Sea. I'll never stop sampling. Not fully. Maybe in the past I consciously created beats to fit an emcees mood. I suppose I got bored of that.

 

?: When can we expect the collaborative album to drop?

Dean: I'll release the compilation in the next month or 2. It contains about 18 songs feat Guilty Simpson, Craig G., Nature and a bunch of other emcees. It's totally different to Hourglass Sea and I'd never merge the two in anyway. The album is largely beats and rhymes.

 

?: It seems that you would bring a lot of brightness to your hometown with your music, have you ever put on a live show? (as Hourglass Sea)

Dean: Not yet, but from May onwards I'll start playing live. I'm not so sure I'll be playing regularly within my city. Bradford is a strange place. But I'm looking forward to playing live. I have a guitar/ableton set up. I'm not quite there yet. Setting the live thing up takes its own time, but it should be fun.

 

?: Given all the ridiculous titles for music genres -- what would you want to call your brand of sound if given the choice?

Dean: Universal Space Funk. That sounds lame doesn't it?!

I'm really not too sure. I remember witnessing the arrival of 'nu-metal' in the late 90s. It was pretty depressing to see a golden age in metal thrown away for this new buzz word, “nu-metal”. The music was mostly crap and so was the name. I've heard a few names being banded around. It's strange really because It's something I've never given much thought to.

 

?: Universal Space Funk does not sound lame! In fact, I think compared to Nu-Metal, Universal Space Funk rocks.

On a side note, Korn, a fairly popular American Nu-Metal band, is from my hometown in the Central Valley of California. This is not a fact I am very fond of. This is less of a question and more of a statement.

Dean: Really! That's kinda cool, really. Though I never got into them. I liked Deftones. They're from California, right? Ever heard Paradise Lost? They come from Halifax, just up the road from me. They had two cool mid-'90s albums.

I personally think they're the best (metal) band to come out of West Yorkshire.

 

?: When can we anticipate a full length? Do you have a record label or are you even looking for one?

Dean: I'd like some kind of guidance eventually, whether that results in a label or management. I'm not that sure on how such things work, but there are parts of the music game I'm pretty lame with, and could probably do with some guidance in. For the time being I'll keep releasing singles/EPs and a few remixes too!

 

?: When can we expect some more new tracks?

Dean: I'm currently working on a new EP. Live From The Crematorium was generally well received, so I think the idea is to take some time with the new recordings and hopefully try to gain a little more interest with a new EP. I'm pushing for late March/early April.

 

?: Finally, NES or SEGA?

Dean: That's difficult! I loved both consoles. If pushed - I'd go with Sega: Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Sonic, Shinobi 3...They're fairly good reasons, right?!

 

Make sure to check out his new EP Live From the Crematorium which you can listen to at his soundcloud. 

Also, keep a look out for my upcoming review of the Live From the Crematorium EP.

Ravi Sawhney and Predictable Magic


 

Ravi Sawhney is the highly respected founder and CEO of the Industrial Design consulting firm RKS. Ravi is an icon in the ID community through his lecturing (both in design and business), teaching, and involvement with the IDSA.

Before establishing RKS, Ravi worked on the very first graphical user touch screen interface with Xerox. Through his experience and methodology, Ravi developed the trademarked design process Psycho-Aesthetics®.

Recently, Mr. Sawhney has co-authored the book Predictable Magic. The main focus of Predictable Magic is the theory behind, implementation of, and successful case studies of Psycho-Aesthetics®. Psycho-Aesthetics® is centered around the emotional connection design has to end users and the fact that a successful product should, above all, make the user feel good about him or herself. It is an excellent resource for any designer and business person by displaying a proven product development process.

Ravi's process has become a case study for the Harvard Business School and, he holds an Honorary PHD from Academy of Art University in San Francisco. 

I had the great pleasure of interviewing Mr. Sawhney about himself, RKS, and his new book.

 

Predictable Magic by Deepa Prahalad and Ravi Sawhney

 

?: How did you discover and get started with Industrial Design and how did it lead to the creation of your consulting firm RKS?

Ravi: I found out about industrial design by mistakenly enrolling in Engineering my freshman year. I ran into the Dean of Engineering and explained to him what I was looking to do and he explained that is not engineering, that is Industrial Design. Which he pointed out is part of the art department not the Engineering department. I said great, thats cool, Engineering at the time was 90 percent guys, and art was 70 percent girls, so I said ok I'm happy to go in that direction.

When I was in school I started working very early. By the time I was in my third year of school, I was working in Industrial design while going to college. So i just kinda jumped in and was happy to sweep floors and build models. I was a good model maker so I worked all the way through college.

After college, I went to work for Xerox. I was there for a few years and then started freelancing. The freelancing turned into a client or two coming my way and next thing I knew, I was very very busy and running my own company. It was just based on a viral aspect of going with the clients.

KOR Vida Hydration Vessel (designed by RKS)

KOR Vida Hydration Vessel (designed by RKS)


?: A major subject of your book, Predictable Magic, is your trademarked design process Psycho-Aesthetics®. Could you briefly describe Psycho-Aesthetics and the origins of it?

Ravi: Psycho-Aesthetics® started with my work at Xerox with the first graphical user touch screen. At that time I was thrown in with working with psychologists and looking into the psychology of design and how it affects human behavior.

That led me to coin the term Psycho-Aesthetics® in the mid 80s. At that time it was a way to use a term to really focus on the psyche and psychology's affect of design. It has evolved since then and continues to evolve. In the 90s it turned into picking up Maslow's Hierarchy and we started interpreting that into mapping systems of interactivity in the hierarchy.

In the very late 90s, we picked up Joseph Campbell's work and interpreted that into the consumer's heroic journey. The heroic journey for consumers leads them to the point of not just feeling heroic, but being evangelistic about what they are doing.

Psycho-Aesthetics® has become a suite of tools through the years. So many design thinking tools that were available were very heavy into personification, primary and secondary research, and ethnography. We do key attracters mapping and persona mapping and analysis to pick the right personas. We also do bench marking. We use a wide variety of tools that we have all in the hopper.

The way we look at it is design our tool, but what we do is create smiles; resonating affects on consumers; and ways to attract, engage, adopt and reward consumers. So, that is the comprehensive understanding of Psycho-Aesthetics®. It's really a repeatable methodology that generates a pathway to create success through using design as that voice and that point of connection.

 

KOR Delta Hydration Vessel (designed by RKS)

 

?: In your book you state that within businesses, a disconnect between designers and business people is communication and the lack of relating to one another. Do you think this issue is getting better with business people and designers beginning to understanding each other more?

Ravi: We are in a different place because we train ourselves and train our clients in Psycho-Aesthetics. So that becomes our common language.

But otherwise, design and business, for the most part, do not have a common language. So business objectives are hard to articulate. Also, critical insights that are important to designers and to the target audience are not always articulated in the right way to business so that they understand the importance in the values and the subtleties.

You have to form that common language. That is done, like in other professions, through education and through performance. For somebody to listen to us, designers must have a track record of performance. And when they do, and when we can hold our head up high in front of a client and speak with confidence and authority and credibility, you can educate the client in a very positive way. They can also educate you and through the cross education, a common language is formed.

It is getting much better and design is much more highly respected than ever before. It gets better day by day.

 

Neuma Hybrid SS Tattoo Machine (designed by RKS)

 

?: In your book and during your lectures, you mention that you were involved with the creation of the first touch screen interface while you were working for Xerox. Could you briefly describe this experience? 

Ravi: First off, before I was with Xerox, I wasn't computer literate and I actually don't think anybody really was. That was in the late 70s. I was working part of the Industrial Design group. In our west coast section, I was kinda the young guy in the department by 20 years. There may have been other people the same age, but as far as our group, I was the youngest by 20 years.

I started doing traditional industrial design: building foam core renderings, human factors studies, coloring studies, etc. All that very hardcore traditional Industrial Design stuff that you would see at Xerox. Someone had to go over and work with all these psychologists and nobody else wanted to do it. So they picked the young guy and said, hey kid you go over to this other building and work with these guys. It was two dozen PHD psychologists and they were working with at least 100 programmers to develop this new interface.

Nobody ever thought it would really go anywhere. It was just another Xerox experiment as far as we knew. Once I got over there and worked with the psychologists, I was sitting in observation rooms watching how people behaved and interacted and how they wouldn't touch the screen. Nobody would touch the screen. Even though it said "touch here to start". No one wanted to touch that because you never touched a TV because of finger prints, and you were supposed to stay five feet away from a TV screen. It was a completely foreign concept of doing this. They had no other alternative because they had all this advanced technology and capability, but they couldn't build a control panel large enough to do everything that needed to be done. This was the only way to walk people through screens and give them the choices they needed.

You know what I learned? I learned to watch, experiment, and think like a backyard psychologist but also just to be a good observer though the trial and error process. We simulate that for our people today. We watch how people react: whether they are confused, engaged, or exploratory. How does their body language change? You just have to learn to be a great critical watcher of people to the point where you have to not only speak to them, but speak for them.

 

Hamilton Medical T1 ICU Ventilator (designed by RKS)


?: How do you think the role of Industrial Designers will evolve in the future and do you think Designers will become more involved in other aspects of business?

Ravi: For those who are ready, they will be asked and welcomed to the table. They will be asked to help create insight, innovation, and drive. They will also provide leadership to build brands, consumer experience, and relevance of innovation. All through their design thinking and design eyes, their experience, and their ability to forecast the future and to speak to and for the target audiences to identify future needs and aspirations of people.

it also depends on how people centric they are. The more people centric they are, and the more mastery they have of the Industrial design process, the more they have the ability to go upstream. Design has continually been going upstream. It's just a mater of being prepared to go upstream to answer those questions and to do it in a way that also understands that as you move upstream, there is higher level of risk and gain for the company.

You can't be superficial in your process. There are higher levels of due diligence, research, and studying synthesis that has to occur before you actually get to the point where you can start designing. You can't just start designing on the fly. You have to really do your homework and have to get inside the heads of the market. You have be able to project where the market is going to be in two years, three years, five years, and ten years out and how the brand that you are working on, and the company you are working for, is going to be in advance of the competition. How are they going to anticipate consumer needs?

First, you start off for being known for what you do. Then you get to the point where you've done it enough that you are known for what you do and know. After you've accumulated enough experience of doing the work and enough knowledge and wisdom from the experience, you can get to the place where you are engaged for what you think. You have to start with the micro to get with the macro.

 

Pick up a copy of Predictable Magic and watch out for one of Mr. Sawhney's lectures.

Gatekeeper "Giza" EP

 

 

Oh the 1980s. What a simple time. Valley Girl vernacular plagued communication in America; Molly Ringwald was still Pretty in Pink; Nancy Reagan fought the “war on drugs” with her “Just Say No” campaign; Super Mario Bros. captivated just about all the children in the world; and Marty McFly charmed the pants off of millions.

We're all a little better off for most of the events and trends that took place then. Technology exploded into the world-dominating behemoth it is today, and more people were born in the '80s than any other decade. I mean, it's the decade that supplied us with the creation of MTV, new wave, mullets, Saved by the Bell, and most importantly, Return of the Jedi.

Must I even mention “Thriller”?

Nevertheless, the '80s are a commonly misunderstood and misrepresented decade. The disastrous year of 1986, the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill and the beginning of the AIDS pandemic are all examples of the murkier side of the period.

Gatekeeper, Brooklyn and Chicago's death dance output, are more focused on that macabre aspect of the time – the Mount St. Helens, Space Shuttle Challenger and Chernobyl side of the spectrum. They feed off of the Cold War apocalyptacism of the '80s, and they do it perfectly, molding it with a b-horror movie mentality. They've crafted a sinister sound that embodies the commonly overlooked dark side. Utilizing low end percussion, crisp synth peaks and some legitimately creepy samples,  they've captured that stand-still-in-terror pall over that era. They've gone the opposite direction most do when taking cues from the '80s. Instead of Molly and Emilio, you get Freddy and Jason.

The Giza EP, Gatekeeper's second release, dropped at the end of 2010 and quickly sold out, prompting a reissue shortly after the start of the year on Merok Records. With an album cover like that,  not much is left to the imagination. It looks as if Salvador Dali and Sam Raimi got together and created the cover for an arcade game, which is quite indicative of Gatekeeper's brand of noise.

Giza spans over six haunting synth drenched tracks that are as murderous as they are dance floor friendly. Let me tell you, this music has muscle. The opener “Chains”, for instance, begins with the roar of a motorcycle engine revving into action followed by a flash-bang thud into a relentless grinding beat. An X-Files influenced Mark Snow-esque UFO sequence builds over a frightened girl pleading and a man's scream repeats throughout. The end drives up the suspense by incorporating a rendition of the iconic breathy Friday the 13th “ch ch ah ah” rattle amongst the metallic grinding and high pitched synth shifts.

Gatekeeper changes pace a bit with the slow burn of “Storm Column.” It constructs a claustrophobic tone by using repetition to its advantage. There is a truly sinister sense of lurking danger to this song. The monstrous breathing plaguing the background, the vocal samples of a bewildered girl and the winding cyclical beat create a barrier between the listener and the outside world, fueling the shroud of paranoia . It almost feels as if this is the theme to some masked maniac's hunt.

The menacing breathing and thrashing of Gatekeeper's unknowable monster continues through the muddled serpentine labyrinth of the aptly named "Serpent." Midway through, a synthesized woodwind takes the foreground along with an echoed and distorted black magic chant. A smoky shriek filled intro leads to the grave rave piping of the title track "Giza." If "Chains" was Friday the 13th, then "Giza" would be The Nightmare on Elm Street. It's ghostly bell and chime bridge and sample of a man jackel-laughing his way to the track's grim end are straight out of a Kreuger nightmare. "Mirage" holds its own with feverish female crooning and arpeggio drenched laser peaks. This track sounds like Solar Bears as serial killers. The album closer, "Oracle," is the Death Race of the bunch. Dueling synth lines race their way to the crash of the drums and samples of hell hounds gnashing and barking. 

Aaron David Ross and Matthew Arkell, the two brains behind Gatekeeper, are somewhat of a mystery. Aaron is a multi-instrumentalist with multiple personalities, and a new medium artist with an eye for perfection. His website has a portfolio of his sprawling works and they are as impressive as they are diverse. Check out his Shoutbox Conductor of "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston, a 65 minute long hypnotic drone created in an incredibly clever way.

Aaron is not only 1/2 of Gatekeeper, but he is also 1/2 of Night Gallery, a side project with Adam Griffin of Golden Birthday. They met at a backyard screening of The Neverending Story, which should seem obvious when compared to their lush cinematic soundscapes. He was also a part of the spazz jazz of Epcot Center. As if his work wasn't eclectic enough already, add that he (along with the even more mysterious Matthew Arkell, as Gatekeeper) also produced the score for a bad ass mini-documentary Doctor Laser. It's about a laser and holography specialist, Jason Sapan, who coincidentally enough, is referred to as laser Doc Brown.

Gatekeeper have crafted a sound that leans on the sci-fi and horror of the '80s and '70s while feeding off of the entire aesthetic of the period. Their heavy use of samples doesn't force a narrative but establishes guidelines for the listener to fill in the blanks, giving them the opportunity to create their own twisted musical nightmare. They've created a time capsule of what it was like to be a terrified child in those times.

As the eerie deep voice states in the title track "Giza": "The essence of the album is contained, for now."

 

Here are some of the music videos they've created in collaboration with Thunder Horse Video. 

GATEKEEPER "Chains" from Thunder Horse Video on Vimeo.

 

 

GATEKEEPER "Storm Column" from Thunder Horse Video on Vimeo.

 

GATEKEEPER "Oracle" AMV from Thunder Horse Video on Vimeo.

 

These guys definitely stay true to the trend. They released all of their music videos, including those posted here, on a limited release VHS available at Thunder Horse Video. How bad ass is that?

 

 

You can pick up both the Giza EP at Merok Records and the Optimus Maximus EP at Kompakt/Fright Records.

AN Design Lab Mixer

AN Design Lab in Costa Mesa hosted their first annual design mixer/open house/burger mixer. Andrew Namminga created AN Design Lab as an industrial design consultancy and prototype laboratory.

AN is an extremely amazing workshop space that is divided up into an office, lounge, and capacious work area. The event included excellent people, engaging conversation, a band, a burger truck, an ice cream truck, studio tours, hot rods & motorcycles, and a raffle. The band, the AN Design Team's ensemble, and the hotrods made for a cohesive rockabilly theme that was very nice and put together.

Andrew really knows how to throw an event. Take a look at a few images from the mixer.

 

Design Office

 

Design Office

 

Workshop Lounge Area

 

Workshop

 

Workshop

 

Hotrod in the Workshop

 

Mingling in the Workshop

 

Outdoor Area in Front of Office

 

Burger Truck

 

Ice Cream Truck

 

Rockabilly Band

Banksy in Los Angeles

Banksy is the notorious and unidentified British street artist that created the recent film Exit Through the Gift Shop. Arguably, Banksy is most notable for risking his life to tag the Palestinian side of Israel's West Bank barrier.

Exit Through the Gift Shop has been nominated for an Academy Award and because his identity is hidden, he cannot use conventional methods to promote himself. Instead, he has created a graffiti campaign throughout the city of Los Angeles for this weekend's Academy Awards.

I noticed one of these recent pieces on my way home from work. It is located on Washington Street just south of downtown Los Angeles near the warehouse district. The piece seems to be a commentary on the housing crisis and the massive amount of foreclosures that have occurred and continue to transpire. It depicts a house drawn in crayon by a little girl being boarded up. I snapped the pictures below of the piece.

 

 

 

The Inspiration Pad

Being a fan of electronic music, Ghostly International is a name that I am familiar with. One of the Ghostly founders Matthew Dear, as well as other Ghostly artists, are well known for their smooth beats and melodic melodies. Several years ago, Ghostly did a successful collaboration with Adult Swim by releasing the Ghostly Swim album.

In addition to producing polished sounds, Ghostly is dabbling in art and design with the Ghostly Store. This online design center features Dieter Rams style office accessories, audio equipment, and limited addition art prints.

The item in the store that stands out the most is the Inspiration Pad. This comes to us from Belgium Designer Marc Thomasset. The Inspiration pad re-imagines the age old sketch pad notebook by offering a variety of angles, curves, and perspective lines. I had a studio professor in design school that would start a product sketch by laying down a series of random lines and arcs. He would then begin to sculpt the form of a product out of the jumble.

The Inspiration Pad is an excellent tool for laying down the foundation of inspired sketches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Take a look at the other well designed products and the limited art prints in the Ghostly Store.