The one and only album from Mama Zu has been announced for pre-order. Quilt Floor will be released in February of 2024.
The album is a collaboration between Lindwood Regensburg and Jessi Zazu. Way back in 2006, Zazu was a founding member of Those Darlins, an alt-country outfit that evolved into a full blast rock band over their decade together. Linwood officially joined the band around 2011 and was a constant collaborator through their last two albums. Sadly, Zazu passed away from cancer far too young in 2017; she was only 28.
I heard about these recordings at that time but assumed they were not to see the light of day since six years had passed. I am happy to be wrong and excited to hear more from Zazu's musical mind.
You may have seen a How It's Made: Vinyl Records, a process that starts be cutting into a lacquer disc from a master audio recording, which then becomes a stamper through electroplating process, which then molds vinyl blobs into LPs.
What boggles my mind about the process is that the lacquers are only made by one company; Public Record Company / MDC in Japan. There used to be a second company- called Apollo/Transco - but it was destroyed in a fire in 2020. The idea that one company supplies the entire planet with the raw materials for creating vinyl records is truly mind boggling.
There are alternative ways to make a vinyl record that do not involve a lacquer but those processes are not as widespread nor as high in fidelity for all kinds of recordings.
Don't let anyone tell you that the web isn't fun anymore. You have to look a little harder for it and you have to be willing to make time for it now but it's out there. Evidence: YASLY, Tamara Chu and inspired by Susan Kare.
I've no idea if Sarah Sherman actually sent this audition tape to SNL to secure her place in the cast but it's a blast to watch regardless of reality. Enjoy.
I've become a regular listener to Blank Check with Griffin and David, a rather enjoyable film podcast. They've been covering the works of David Fincher recently and touched on The Social Network, citing Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's score as particularly crucial to the impact of the film (the score did win an Oscar after all!). From there, the algorithms took notice of my interests and recommended I check out this clip of Reznor using the Swarmatron, an electronic device that is featured heavily in the score. It's eerie and entirely unique.
Of course, that led to a deeper dive into the Swarmatron. Turns out it is a handmade device by the company Dewanatron, two cousins with the last name Dewan and an affinity for creating instruments. This introductory video walks you through the Swarmatron, their history, their passion for the craft and some other devices. I particularly enjoy the Dual Primate Console; a synthesizer that requires two primates to operate successfully.
I love how the founders appear very buttoned up and serious about their craft but there's so much humor and delight running through everything. This interview with Leon Dewan demonstrating the Swarmatron at a convention is excellent evidence of that.
As intended, the Internet provides links upon links through subjects you knew nothing about but can be delighted by what you find on the other side. Hope you continue further with the Swarmatron.
Back in April I heard about the upcoming "AI Pin" - a new device that integrates into your life similar to how Google Glass or Apple Watch do but in an entirely new form factor. I said back then that it looks like a Star Trek communicator badge and I stand by that.
Now, the device has been announced. It's been developed by a company called hu.ma.ne, which includes a bunch of ex-Apple folks. It costs $699 and has a $24/mo subscription fee. Not cheap but I could also see it being a lot more expensive.
The announcement and demo video has a bizarre tone. It's very calm, almost comatose, but that lack of flashiness shows the device working in real time. This isn't a proposal, this is the device actually listening to the wearer, fetching information and returning answers in real time. It does feel a bit stilted but I think there's an upside to that vibe.
I love the form factor. It's not a watch, it's not a pair of glasses, it's just a badge you wear. Refreshingly new. Okay, it's a brooch but it's still a nice new approach. I also love the Light Interactions that project on to your hand. Will that be visible in daylight? I've no idea but it's innovative in a way that I must respect.
The unfortunate part of this thing is calling it the "AI Pin." The name feels like it's leaning into buzzwords. Why not call it The Badge? Or PinPal? I'm spitballing here but so much "artificial intelligence" is just a piece of software searching your email - it's not really what people think of as "AI."
I digress. Wearable and pervasive tech is an inevitability and they seem to be doing a good job of tackling the privacy issues that come with it. Overall, I find the device quite intriguing and applaud them for the innovations they're bringing. Can't wait to encounter one in person and keep up with various developments.
If you have not watched the OpenAI DevDay Keynote, I suggest you carve out 45 minutes soon and do so. The whole AI landscape is moving incredibly quickly and it's pretty fascinating to watch. Unlike the blockchain exploits of recent years, the AI explosion feels much more relevant and far less like snake oil. There are flaws and concerns but, on the whole, it feels more positive.
Regardless of your viewership of that particular video, you should read this Ben Thompson piece entitled The OpenAI Keynote which serves as a summary of the event, some of the important announcements and, more importantly, an inspection on the return of the keynote generally speaking. It also speaks a good deal about consumer behavior and makes some light predictions on where OpenAI is headed. It's smart, informative and measured - excellent traits all around.
This piece over on Dazed Digital about some recently unearthed Polaroids from Hackers is from 2020 but it's new to me! It's focused on the fashion of the film; specifically how Roger K Burton put together the costumes. I was quite pleased to learn that Wigstock was an influence on Burton's choices, as well as the more obvious influences of Club Kids and classic British punks. Great read.
A professor at the University of Chicago created a new tool called "Nightshade" which functions as a poison pill for generative AI when scraping your images for training data. The idea is that by injecting a special set of pixels and invisible data into an image you could cause an AI to misinterpret your image, thus saving it from being used correctly for training.
I've looked over research preview and agree with the idea of the tool - it'd be nice for artists to be able to opt-in or out of training data - but I'm not convinced this would actually work.
My skepticism aside, it's a topic worth pondering in more depth. Obviously AI is skirting a lot of copyright issues and potentially hurting a lot of artists in a myriad of ways. That's not to say it's a black and white issue - AI is beneficial as well - but this is an area that is a brave new world. How can we train these machines to be useful but also provide credit to those created the foundation? I fear the answer may be "legislation" (of which I am even more skeptical) but we'll just have to wait and see.
Given that this was posted to YouTube some twelve years ago and the show is from thirty-three years ago, this is probably a bit of old news but, hey, it's new to me! I was just randomly served this Nine Inch Nails show from 1990, recorded in full glorious VHS quality. If you've ever seen the official video for "Head Like a Hole," the vibe of this show will feel familiar - lots of tape and detritus everywhere, plenty of flopping about and more dreadlocks than you can count. I say all of that affectionately.
