S.o.t.D. - Ice Floes In Eden – Harold Budd

Ice Floes In Eden – Harold Budd

Perfection. Off of 1986’s Lovely Thunder.

S.o.t.D. - Bonny – Prefab Sprout

Bonny – Prefab Sprout

No good reason why, but this is a band that has largely flown under my radar. This is a sublime piece of music.

S.o.t.D. - Ken Tavr – Ishome

Ken Tavr – Ishome

Ishome is the very impressive act of Mirabella Karianova, originally from Krasnodar, Russia (outside of Vladivostok on the Sea of Japan.) Like yesterdays track, one of whom hails from the Faroe Islands, I’m always a bit amazed by the obscure and isolated places amazing artists can emerge from. And I also find it fascinating to see how growing up in those places seems to affect their music.

Evocative stuff.

S.o.t.D. - Burnt – Kiasmos

Burnt – Kiasmos

Kiasmos is made up of Icelandic minimalist electronica composer Ólafur Arnalds, and electro-pop outfit Bloodgroup’s Janus Rasmussen from the Faroe Islands. Both are unknown to me, but this piece of music is incredible.

S.o.t.D. - Hard Work – Smoove and Turrell

Hard Work – Smoove and Turrell

Superb, super funky track. Would love to see this as a live band. That bass drum would be incredible.

View on an evening walk.

A spot where I sometimes stop for a little break on evening walks through the cemetery. Looking out over Princess Point, Cootes Paradise, Niagara Escarpment beyond that, with Spencer’s Gorge just to the left of centre.

Woo-Jin Tension Hooks rather than ITW G-Hooks

I’ve been contemplating replacing the side release buckles I use to attach and detach pouches to packs. If I want to attach the pouch somewhere else, I need corresponding female buckles on the receiving rig/pack/pouch. I really want to avoid that extra weight expense. One option that I have considered are ITW G-Hooks.

The only problem with them is that they are expensive (buy them in small quantities and they run $2.50 per) and their scarcity. Mil-Spec Monkey is one of the few places that has them (and sell them in lots of 100 - where the price is a more reasonable $1.20), but they have them very sporadically. Another problem with G-Hooks is that webbing tends to slip in them. There is a straight version in which it is worse and also a waved version which tries to remedy that slippage. Even with that, keeping tension on is a problem. Kifaru uses them but added a ladder-loc to it to counter slippage, and called it the K-Connector.

Now it appears Woo-Jin has something that might give it a run for its money.

Called a Tension Hook, it comes in a few different sizes (15 mm {½"}, 20 mm {¾"}, 25 mm {1") and 38 mm {1½"}). Made from Acetal, which isn’t as strong as metal, but plenty strong enough for my needs. Likely most anyone else too. And, they have a better webbing slider molded right in. Oh and it comes in a right and left version. Admittedly not as convenient as the G-Hooks ability to mount on either side, but an acceptable trade off.

The Slurp’mups attached to the YakBakDekPak.

(There is also a Single Tension Hook, but it only comes in the 15 mm {½"} size. Not sure why only that size, but I do hope they decide to make it in more sizes.)

The question that arises is....now that I have found them intriguing and want to get a bunch more....where do I then order several dozen? All of them, Woo-Jin, National Molding, ITW-Nexus - why it is so damn hard to buy two dozen of this, and 8 of that, and a dozen of this, and 50 of that, and two of this and one of that? Some of them sell some of their things to guys like me, but then the other three quarters of their selection seems to exist solely for the purposes of dangling in front of my nose and taunting me with. “Not for you little man.” I get that they want to sell skids worth of stuff, truck loads at a time, to big manufacturers. But there must be some sort of market in selling to small makers, designers, tinkerers, fixers? Finding anything by National Molding is particularly tough. I really wish there was a place that sold all of their offerings in one place, in smallish quantities. Why can’t there be a place that offers all the groovy hardware to the average modder/maker? How the heck does the cottage industry/hobbyist maker get anything beyond a cord lock/side release buckle/tri glide/ladder lock in reasonably small quantities?

S.o.t.D. - Dreams – n u a g e s

Dreams – n u a g e s

Another nice track that features Alan Watts in it.

S.o.t.D. - Tormentor – Skinny Puppy

Tormentor – Skinny Puppy

Seems like an appropriate act to feature on Halloween. 

S.o.t.D. - When the Battle is Over – The Gordon Highlanders

When the Battle is Over – The Gordon Highlanders

Played this Tuesday by the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders band during the funeral parade for Corporal Nathan Cirillo. Very, very, very powerful.

S.o.t.D. - If You Have A Dream – nClear & Eugenics Eight

If You Have A Dream – nClear & Eugenics Eight

More creamy creaminess from these two artists.

S.o.t.D. - Jazz Age – Poscheck

Jazz Age – Poscheck

I keep thinking that at some point I’ll stop discovering awesome new music. And then a new day dawns and I discover more awesome new music. Amazing how that works.

S.o.t.D. - Catch The Sunset – nClear & Eugenics Eight

Catch The Sunset – nClear & Eugenics Eight

Seriously, if this doesn’t have you boogying, at least in your chair, if not full on, dancing around the room, arms in the air, hands clapping, smiling, booty shaking, foot tapping boogying, we can’t be friends.

Holy poopballs, is this ever creamy.

S.o.t.D. - Piano – Terekke

Piano – Terekke

Not a piano to be heard anywhere in the track. What it is is a mid-tempo chugger that has been on repeat for a few hours.

S.o.t.D. - Back Then – Synkro

Back Then – Synkro

On a bit of a late 90’s garage tip. Which is good. And since it’s Synkro, it’s doubly good.

S.o.t.D. - Away With Me (Calibre Remix) – Spectrasoul (feat. Tamara Blessa)

Away With Me (Calibre Remix) – Spectrasoul (feat. Tamara Blessa)

S.o.t.D. - Orange – Trampique

Orange – Trampique

The new guise of Volor Flex.

S.o.t.D. - Golden Brown – Better Daze

Golden Brown – Better Daze

I featured a Fila Brazilia remix of this once, but I always thought the original cover was the best.

S.o.t.D. - Fade Away (feat. Jo-S) – Lenzman

Fade Away (feat. Jo-S) – Lenzman

The vibe in this is sweet. When that growling bass line kicks in at the 20 second mark...mmmmmmmm.

S.o.t.D. - Aqua – Ambition²

Aqua – Ambition²

Smooth.

S.o.t.D. - Stolen Generation – Ghostek

Stolen Generation – Ghostek

This track is insanely great! That bit at 3:00 - mmwwwaaahhh..... Can’t not have every joint in your body moving to this.

Bibliophilia: The India Ride: Two Brothers, Two Motorcycles, One Incredible Adventure – Colin & Ryan Pyle

The India Ride: Two Brothers, Two Motorcycles, One Incredible Adventure – Colin & Ryan Pyle

I grabbed this book because a friend has mentioned the idea of taking his son for a trip around India when he is a bit older. He has a lot of experience in the country, but hasn’t been there in 15+ years. If the roads were nuts when he was last there, they’ve only gotten worse as more and more vehicles have piled on to the roads. He wouldn’t use motorcycles like these two brothers did, but their descriptions of their trip make me wonder about the feasibility of even an SUV. According to the Times of India, there were 196,000 deaths on India’s roads in 2012. That’s 1 in 10 road deaths in the world. Every 6th car crash in the world occurs in India. And yet, they only have 1% of all the vehicles in the world. The book is replete with descriptions of harrowing traffic conditions, and the fatalistic attitude exhibited by so many of India’s reckless drivers.

If I have a criticism of the book it’s that I wish there were a lot more photos. One of the brothers is a photo journalist and I think they should have played more to those strengths. A photo book interspersed with text. Not a book with a scant selection of photos in the middle. The idea I got is that the writing was done by someone more accustomed to writing segments for a TV production or a documentary - not necessarily writing for a book.

It’s not the greatest book ever written about traveling in a developing country, but they do a good job describing the highs and lows a trip like this involves. While an amazing journey, the frustrations experienced on the journey were not varnished over. Anyone contemplating something similar can learn a lot about the difficulties both in organizing such an undertaking, but also in actually achieving the stated goal.

And I had to tell my friend that he is nuts for contemplating this, and insisted he needs to read it for one perspective on it.

Loon by Doublenaut

Went into Mixed Media today and was smitten with the image on this postcard. 

Greetings From Canada is a series of 10 limited edition letterpress postcards with designs by 10 Canadian illustrators and graphic designers.

This one is called Loon and it is by Toronto studio, Doublenaut. More here.

S.o.t.D. - Get Down – Synkro

Get Down – Synkro

I’m almost certain there is a sample from a David Sylvian song in this, but I can’t for the life of me recall what song. It’s driving me a bit crazy trying to remember. It’s also driving me a bit crazy how awesome this song is.

S.o.t.D. - Bright Side – Julian Kruse

Bright Side – Julian Kruse

I guess the kids are calling this chillstep. I’m calling it a really evocative tune.

S.o.t.D. - Road Signs (Hugh Hardie Remix) – Zoë Phillips

Road Signs (Hugh Hardie Remix) – Zoë Phillips

I live with the hope that stuff this catchy is a big radio hit enjoyed by many, somewhere.

Bibliophilia: The Walkable City: From Haussmann’s Boulevards to Jane Jacobs’ Streets and Beyond – Mary Soderstrom

The Walkable City: From Haussmann’s Boulevards to Jane Jacobs’ Streets and Beyond – Mary Soderstrom

I discovered the term “flâneur” a while back, someone who explores cities on foot, and it is a fancy word to describe something I enjoy doing. I try to walk as much as I can, and I like to just wander around in areas I’ve never been in before.

So when I saw this book at the library I grabbed it. The author uses the examples of Georges-Eugène Haussmann and his radical transformation of Paris in the mid 1800s, and the influential writing of American transplant to Canada, Jane Jacobs, to delve into the many benefits of making walking an integral part of an urban centre. Paris and Toronto (and specifically the 1950’s planned community of Don Mills) are the two major cities discussed, but other examples of good urban planning and consequently, desirable places to live and work, are also included.

While I enjoy walking for it’s own sake, I also enjoyed this exploration of some of the broader implications of walking and how it relates to the urban centers people inhabit.

Plastics 101

It’s not like I haven’t realized for a long time how screwed up plastics are, but a recent clean up effort I participated in has made me even more conscious of what a toxic time bomb the stuff is.

And the original image can be found here if you would like to print it out.

Bibliophilia: All the Dirt: Reflections on Organic Farming – Rachel Fisher, Heather Stretch, Robin Tunnicliffe

All the Dirt: Reflections on Organic Farming – Rachel Fisher, Heather Stretch, Robin Tunnicliffe

An excellent introduction for anyone interested in farming. Several small scale farms in British Columbia are featured. Besides the usual stuff you would expect - how to raise livestock and grow crops, other important subjects are tackled like the financial aspects, and what children bring to the mix. This isn’t so much a starry eyed hippie manifesto as it is a pragmatic reality check for anyone looking to do this. The book will do much to inspire, but it will also lay out the practical realities of what farming all entails. The book is buttressed by superb photography.

S.o.t.D. - Eclipsed (LFO Mix) – H.A.L.O.

Eclipsed (LFO Mix) – H.A.L.O.

Remix of a Graham Lewis (He Said, Wire, etc.) project.

S.o.t.D. - Nurture – LFO

Nurture – LFO

Saddened to hear about the death of Mark Bell.

Bibliophilia: Wolves in the Land of Salmon – David Moskowitz

Wolves in the Land of Salmon – David Moskowitz

The first thing I learned from this book is that I missed my calling. The author/photographer is a wildlife tracker, spending a great deal of time walking the mountains and forests of the Pacific Northwest following the evidence left behind by animals to help piece together a larger picture of their behaviour.

Anyone interested at all in wolves, will thoroughly enjoy this book. I found the writing to be engaging, and the photography, both of wolves and the landscape they occupy, beautiful. Anything you ever wanted to know about wolves is included here. Broadly covering their return to Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia (and to a lesser degree Montana, California and Alberta), after mankind did a very effective job extirpating them a mere 125 years ago. I found the book balanced, exploring the viewpoints of those who would prefer to go back to exterminating them, and those who see a value to their presence in the landscape. He explores their physiology, social structure, hunting strategies, reproduction, how different landscapes affect them, how they interact with other apex predators - including us humans, etc.

What I appreciated is the detail he went into explaining wolves as part of an eco-system. That all species, both plant and animal, all affect one another. An increase in one, has an effect on one species, that decreases another species.

One of the things I found most fascinating was this section:

Salmon host a parasite that canines (including domestic dogs) can contract from eating the fish. The parasite is usually fatal for canines if untreated. Neorickettsia helminthoeca is a bacteria-like organism that has a complex life cycle which includes passage through an intestinal fluke (Nanophyetus salmincola), an aquatic snail (Oxytrema species), various species of salmonids, and salmon eating mammals including wolves. Snails, infected with the fluke are consumed by salmon and trout. In fish the fluke is benign, found most abundantly in the muscle tissue and kidneys of the fish. When the fish is consumed by a mammal, the larvae embed in the intestinal tract and the bacterium is released, causing symptoms including persistent diarrhea and vomiting. Cysts of the infected flukes are expelled in the feces of the infected mammal. Foraging snails pick up these cysts and the life cycle begins again.

Recommended.

Gratitude on Thanksgiving

Went up to see my family up north yesterday. Somewhere close to Newmarket, I reached into my right front pocket and realized my knife, my much loved Spyderco Tenacious, wasn’t there.

Curses!

Then it hit me.

I had received a $25 dividend from MEC a while back and still hadn’t used it. Went out to Burlington on Saturday and ended up with a Fenix E12. (Which is great BTW.) I sat on an embankment by Brant Ave. and used my knife to cut open the packaging. I rested it on my bag, checked out my new light, relaxed for a bit, had something to eat and drink and then got up to go. As I did, there was a near accident at the nearby intersection that got my attention. Observed this for a while, and the distraction meant I didn’t notice that my knife fell off my bag. And didn’t notice till about 16 hours later that it was missing.

Curses!

As great a knife as it is, it wasn’t so expensive, and I could always replace it. But still, what a waste of money, and what a dunce for not noticing that I’d lost it.

Decided to see if I could find it. I figured there was a decent chance it might still be there. The spot was a bit out of the way, and given that it was a Sunday, and Thanksgiving, I figured there might not have been many people going past. I got off the train at Burlington GO station like a paratrooper exiting a Hercules, and hustled to the spot in question, used that new Fenix E12 to look around ...and...there it was. 30 hours later, and still there. Covered in dew, but my beauty was mine again. Hustled back to the GO station, grabbed the next train and headed home, content.

It’s ultimately a little thing to be thankful for, but it was something else to be thankful for on Thanksgiving.

S.o.t.D. - Night Train – Lee “Scratch” Perry & Dub Syndicate

Night Train  – Lee “Scratch” Perry & Dub Syndicate

A slightly different version from the one I played yesterday.

S.o.t.D. - Night Train – Dub Syndicate

Night Train – Dub Syndicate

Just learned Style Scott was killed at 58. Loved Dub Syndicate live. I’ll always cherish that night. Classic sound of Adrian Sherwood and On-U-Sound in this. His production is what drew me to dub.

S.o.t.D. - Limelight – The Timewriter

Limelight – The Timewriter

Another outstanding track from this master of groovy, funky house.

S.o.t.D. - Henry 85 – Dusky

Henry 85 – Dusky

If it was given the chance, I’m reasonably sure that house music could bring about world peace.

S.o.t.D. - Let Me Go – Heaven 17

Let Me Go – Heaven 17

I referenced it yesterday as the sample used. And to my surprise, I had never posted up a Heaven 17 track. As good a track as any they did to rectify that oversight.

S.o.t.D. - 17 & 4 – Michael Mayer

17 & 4 – Michael Mayer

Clever use of a sample from Heaven 17’s Let Me Go.

S.o.t.D. - minipops 67 [120.2] [source field mix] – Aphex Twin

minipops 67 [120.2] [source field mix] – Aphex Twin

It’s not really that new, but Aphex Twin has a new album out. Yay!

S.o.t.D. - Fooled Around and Fell in Love – Elvin Bishop

Fooled Around and Fell in Love – Elvin Bishop

Another track featured on the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack. Another one of those songs that I have a passing familiarity with, but it’s not one I know really well. 

S.o.t.D. - Come And Get Your Love – Redbone

Come And Get Your Love – Redbone

Bryce has been playing the soundtrack to Guardians of the Galaxy pretty steadily at the shop. Familiar with this song, but not so familiar. Like it.

S.o.t.D. - Sweet City Woman – The Stampeders

Sweet City Woman – The Stampeders

S.o.t.D. - All I Need (Phaeleh Remix) – J-One

All I Need (Phaeleh Remix) – J-One

Phaeleh is a genius.

S.o.t.D. - Common Ground – Tokyo Prose (ft. Synkro)

Common Ground – Tokyo Prose (ft. Synkro)

S.o.t.D. - Valley of the Shadows – Origin Unknown

Valley of the Shadows – Origin Unknown

This is over 20 years old, and I can still remember the “Wow! This is blowing my mind!” feeling it engendered like it was yesterday.

Webster’s Falls via Drone

Some will go “Ohmagerd! It’s making me dizzy!” And you really want to turn the sound right down/off, but this is a pretty neat perspective on the lovely Webster’s Falls here in lovely Hamilton.

Archeological dig...after a fashion.

I took part in an archeological dig today.

Well...not quite.

Took part in another cleanup organized by the Stewards of Cootes Watershed, near the Desjardins Canal, along the northeast shore of Cootes Paradise. 75 volunteers from McMaster came out. Which would mean being able to tackle a sizable chunk of the problem.

And the amount of garbage was, pardon my language, fucking mind boggling. Not even the bigger stuff, like bottles and cans. That had already been cleaned up. No. Small plastic detritus. Staggering amounts. Sorting through it was like an archeological dig. Delving into a period of very recent human rubbish.

Bottle caps, cigarello mouth pieces, tampon applicators, tamper proof seals, golf balls, 1" drug baggies, tips for glue tubes, tips for caulking tubes, corks, stir sticks, straws, coffee cup lids, freezie tubes, bobbers, balloons, combs, lighters, happy meal toy parts, kinder eggs, present wrapping ribbon, syringes, googly eyes, tooth brushes, caps for cap guns, retail store hangers, badminton birdies, hair barrettes, zip ties, plastic cutlery, busted tictac boxes, plastic bags, green army men, styrofoam cups, ping pong balls, elastics, Q-tips, cassette wheels, and all sorts of unidentifiable pieces. I could go on. Found a fist sized snow globe ball.

I just chose a spot, any spot, and got to work. I put on knee pads, spread out a tarp and an inflatable seat pad, situated myself in a spot in the shade near Tys Theysmeyer, the Head of Natural Lands at Royal Botanical Gardens. Kneeling, bending, sitting, squatting – I used a trowel and well gloved hands to sift through the area above the sandy and rocky beach. About a two meter circle. And I filled a large garbage bag. Full. Everyone else filled dozens and dozens of bags. The pile was 4, maybe 5 meters long, meter, meter and half high and wide. The weight was an approximate 200 to 225 kilograms. A tire. A road pylon. All in an area about 30 to 40 meters long.

And if I went back tomorrow I could fill a similar sized bag in a few hours. And do it again many, many times. 

But what is a lot more disturbing were the pellets. Lentil sized pellets. Gravel almost. And not a few of them. The soil is laced with them. A handful of soil would net you dozens and dozens of them. I asked Tys and even he wasn’t sure. I asked if it could be silica gel. Someone else suggested they might be the granules that fill diapers. Most of the objects I listed are graspable, recognizable. As tedious and gross as it is, it is doable. Granules the size of a match head, by the millions. Just in that one spot. How do you get that out?

And what was depressing about it was that most of this, nearly all of this massive amount of plastic, was that it wasn’t an accretion from decades past, but at most 5, maybe 10 years of stuff. Most of what I found was a fairly recent thing.

Do what you can, where you are, with the abilities you have, with the time you have.

S.o.t.D. - Never Knew – Funky Notes

Never Knew – Funky Notes

Languid.

Tom Wilson’s encounter with a stranger

CBC’s Definitely Not The Opera (or DNTO as it’s now known) was recently recorded in Hamilton, and the theme of the show was “Meetings With Strangers”. Local musician Tom Wilson, told quite a story of a meeting with a stranger, and it’s worth listening to.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/tom-wilson-s-surprising-encounter-with-a-stranger-1.2776804
Or reading about.
http://www.cbc.ca/dnto/episode/2014/09/24/tom-wilson/

S.o.t.D. - Clarksville – Anton Zap

Clarksville – Anton Zap

S.o.t.D. - Trust Me – Ghostek

Trust Me – Ghostek

Really digging this artist.

S.o.t.D. - I Just Want You – Psychonaught

I Just Want You – Psychonaught

I think the sample in this is from No One by Alicia Keys. I think.

S.o.t.D. - Echoes – Nocow

Echoes – Nocow

I think the vocal samples used in this are “One Wish” by Ray J, which is also used in Archangel by Burial. 

S.o.t.D. - Putting Down Roots (Total Science Remix) – Villem & McLeod

Putting Down Roots (Total Science Remix) – Villem & McLeod

S.o.t.D. - Manicured Reality (feat. LowQui) – S.P.Y.

Manicured Reality (feat. LowQui) – S.P.Y.

The tune is hard, the gal is hot, but I really like the message of the vid. Self obsessed narcissism that merely masks deep seated discontent and disaffection.

Touchdown, plug into the matrix
Eyes to the screen on a permanent basis
Share your deepest feelings with pages of strangers
Intravenous data, names and faces
Artery, digital, blanket security
Phantom hand, warning, low battery
Project image, construct fantasy
Distress, distort, manicured reality

S.o.t.D. - Fire & Water – Calibre

Fire & Water – Calibre

This is what’s known as a roller.

One of the best things I ever did.

I had just turned 8, and I decided I wanted to go to Schiphol to look at the planes. By myself. I had gone out there a few times before with my dad, but it was the summer holidays and I wanted to go on a little adventure. I figured out the route on a map of Amsterdam, and set out to ride from one end of Amsterdam to the other. My mom had packed me a lunch, the map, the phone numbers of some of my parents friends and family along the way, some money, and off I went. At about the halfway point, at the old Olympic stadium, there was extensive road construction, streets all torn up, road signs down, and I got all discombobulated. Turned around and went home.
 
Upset that I hadn’t made it, the next week, I set off again. Figured out different routes around the area that had given me trouble. And this time I made it. Watched the planes for a while, turned around and went home.

People are aghast when I tell them this. “Your parents let you ride your bicycle across a big city by yourself when you were 8?!”

Sure.

Granted, it’s a city with excellent bike infrastructure. I guess they figured I was a fairly bright kid. But I set a goal, used map reading skills, overcame difficulties, got some exercise, etc.

What do you think builds a kids abilities and self esteem? That, or taking them to the mall to buy them a video game because they ate their supper without crying about being lucky enough to have something to eat?

Really?

I still think back fondly to that experience, and realize how much it taught me.

Cordage from a plastic bottle

I have plenty of cordage, so I won’t be rushing to try this, but I thought it was a really clever idea. For doing basketry and the like especially. And sadly, given how many plastic bottles can be found, even far from “civilization”, in an emergency perhaps you could make some cordage from them.

This video shows the process and some of the imaginative things they do with the resultant cordage. (It’s in Russian, but you’ll get the gist of it.)


This link shows two devices, and a ways down is the device used in the above video. I gather it can be ordered from Brazil, but the DIY inclined could likely fashion one.
http://www.utsumi.com.br/pet/English/filetador/index.html

And an Instructable link with a more low tech approach.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Recycling-a-PET-bottle-to-a-20m-long-thread/

S.o.t.D. - The Real Thing – Peshay

The Real Thing – Peshay

Paul Pesce always did some fine stuff, but this 90 BPM beauty is something special. From the excellent MoWax compilation / sampler Headz 2.

Birchbark Canoe Building

A few videos I found showing the process of building a birch bark canoe.

S.o.t.D. - Watamu Beach Rework – Moritz von Oswald

Watamu Beach Rework – Moritz von Oswald

Very deep groove in this. 

Moritz Von Oswald is also the man behind the seminal Maurizio.

S.o.t.D. - The World Keeps Turning – Kaiori Breathe & Tripwire

The World Keeps Turning – Kaiori Breathe & Tripwire

Uses a sample of, or a rework of, the Erykah Badu song of the same name.

S.o.t.D. - Moth – Burial & Four Tet

Moth – Burial & Four Tet

S.o.t.D. - Warsaw (Special Edit) – Matom

Warsaw (Special Edit) – Matom

S.o.t.D. - Blazin – Calibre

Blazin – Calibre

Blazin’ indeed. Bouncy too.

S.o.t.D. - Sugar Sweet – Total Science

Sugar Sweet – Total Science

This 2002 tune is very different from what I’ve come to expect from Total Science, but no less good.

S.o.t.D. - Metamorphosis – Addex

Metamorphosis – Addex

Absolutely love the deep, funky house sounds of Addex.

Had one of those “I’m such an old fogey” conversations with a friend recently, but I would love it if I could find a night that played stuff along the lines of this for several hours, where no booze was served. That might make me want to go out.

S.o.t.D. - Seven Tones Of Romantic – Mr. Sizef

Seven Tones Of Romantic – Mr. Sizef

S.o.t.D. - Unity – Eveeh

Unity – Eveeh

Another super chilled out track. Samples Lisa Gerrard’s voice from DCD’s Host of Seraphim.

S.o.t.D. - Loose Ends – CMA (ft Sacred)

Loose Ends – CMA (ft Sacred)

Super chilled.

S.o.t.D. - Erotmania (Hardfloor Remix) – Katana

Erotmania (Hardfloor Remix) – Katana

Oooohhh....love that Hardfloor sound, with those wobbly 303 basslines, after about the 2:00 mark. And that pounding beat helps too.

S.o.t.D. - Nowhere Near – Elkis

Nowhere Near – Elkis

Ukranian producer, using Sean Mackey’s Nowhere Near as a source.

S.o.t.D. - Wisdom of the Ages – Son of Saturn

Wisdom of the Ages – Son of Saturn

A first! Elvis Presley makes an appearance here.

S.o.t.D. - Who Feels It Knows It – Atma

Who Feels It Knows It – Atma

Some uplifting hiphop.

S.o.t.D. - Mima – Dorisburg

Mima – Dorisburg

S.o.t.D. - Celestine – Fields & Hydro & Mako & Villem

Celestine – Fields & Hydro & Mako & Villem

S.o.t.D. - Upset – Above Smoke

Upset – Above Smoke

Definitely nothing to be upset about. Smooth and funky.

S.o.t.D. - Xberg Ghosts – Deadbeat

Xberg Ghosts – Deadbeat

Minimal dub.

S.o.t.D. - Two Different Places – David Cunningham

Two Different Places – David Cunningham

Off of the 1986 Touch compilation cassette, Ritual: Magnetic North. I discovered a lot of cool stuff through the Touch tapes.

Makers: Balan The Blowpipe Maker

I’ve always been interested in blowpipes. (And I still don’t grasp why they’re illegal in Canada.)

Culled from an upcoming documentary, Sunset over Selungo, this short excerpt shows a Penan who still makes blowpipes. I know that in some cultures that used blowpipes, a groove was cut in two separate pieces of wood and then glued and/or wrapped with cordage back into one element. Here a long piece of wood is drilled through. Funny to see him using a modern rasp though.

I think the Penan are an especially fascinating indigenous people. They are one of the last remaining hunter gatherer tribes, although the Malaysian and Indonesian governments and multi-national corporations are seeing to their rapid demise, by destroying the forest they need to survive. Please consider donating to the Kickstarter campaign for this film.

S.o.t.D. - Monday (Marko Fürstenberg Remix) – Freund Der Familie

Monday (Marko Fürstenberg Remix) – Freund Der Familie

Fürstenberg is consistently one of my favourite artists.

S.o.t.D. - Sunflower – Mentha

Sunflower – Mentha

S.o.t.D. - Entity – Duckem

Entity – Duckem

Mwah! Mwah! Mwah! Mwah! Mwah!

S.o.t.D. - Dawn – Macca & Vector

Dawn – Macca & Vector

Masterful tune.

S.o.t.D. - Atlantic Drift – Nebula

Atlantic Drift – Nebula

S.o.t.D. - Knitevision – Photek

Knitevision – Photek

Stunning track. Crisp, clean, slightly ominous, yet with a really positive vibe to it.

S.o.t.D. - Voices (feat. Sasha Keable) – Disclosure

Voices (feat. Sasha Keable) – Disclosure

If this sort of tuneage doesn’t make you and the person you dig and who digs you get it on, there is something wrong with one or both of you.

S.o.t.D. - JB Dub (Frank Hellmond Remix) – Nvelope

JB Dub (Frank Hellmond Remix) – Nvelope

S.o.t.D. - Relax – Re-Drum

Relax – Re-Drum

Yes it is. I think I need to make a long playlist of Re-Drum tracks and spend a few hours checking out more of their stuff.

S.o.t.D. - Hacker Wacker – Nubian Mindz

Hacker Wacker – Nubian Mindz

Has a swing feel to the drums. Good stuff.

S.o.t.D. - Space Technique – ASC

Space Technique – ASC

Name is very appropriate for the tune. ASC has one hell of a slick technique and there is a definite spacey feel to this.

S.o.t.D. - Pandora – Swarms

Pandora – Swarms

Relaxation guaranteed.

S.o.t.D. - Aliens Don’t Boogie – Thor

Aliens Don’t Boogie – Thor

S.o.t.D. - Stimela (Jazzanova remix) – Hugh Masekela

Stimela (Jazzanova remix) – Hugh Masekela

The Eurybia Project

Using a pine tree 7½ meters in length, and adzes and scrapers made from bone and bronze, an experimental archaeology project at the Butser Ancient Farm in Hampshire England aims to make a dugout boat.

The Eurybia Project

S.o.t.D. - Silver Blade – Dillinja

Silver Blade – Dillinja

Absolute monster of a tune. Just love Dillinja’s ability to be both atmospheric and then also seamlessly blend in staggering bass and drums. That first drop at the 1:30 mark and then a second drop at the 3:45 mark.....sweet jeebus.

S.o.t.D. - Satellite (Metamorphic Downtempo Mix) – Tritonal

Satellite (Metamorphic Downtempo Mix) – Tritonal

Super catchy chilled out pop. The singer on this is Jonathan Mendelsohn.

S.o.t.D. - The Vortex – Alaska

The Vortex – Alaska

Interplanetary audio hallucinations. The choppage on the breaks is just nuts.

S.o.t.D. - Flush – Sanasol & Thor

Flush – Sanasol & Thor

I think I’d completely lose it if this track came on over a big system.

S.o.t.D. - Remind Me (Tom Middleton Cosmos Mix) – Röyksopp

Remind Me (Tom Middleton Cosmos Mix) – Röyksopp

A sweet original, and a great remixer. More betterer.

S.o.t.D. - Spacebaby – Ott

Spacebaby – Ott

I need to listen to more Ott. This is mesmerizing.

S.o.t.D. - Armylian (Sygnals Rmx) – Momentum

Armylian (Sygnals Rmx) – Momentum

Ambient, but beaty.

Fyr’mups

I have made a separate pouch for this item before, the Spark’mups. (Which was actually the first thing I ever posted on this blog.) Meant to hold a Silva match case (a copy of the K&M Matchcase), containing a SparkLite and TinderQuick tabs.

If you want to know a bit of the thought process behind this (and several other pouches to come) read about the Tūl’mups. Same basic premise and design features – just a different size.

As usual, I started out with a rough paper model to get a sense of the size needed. A lot cheaper than making mistakes in fabric. Not a perfect medium, but it works okay.

A few pictures I snapped. I think it’s all fairly self explanatory. The BALLS (Belt Attachment Lowerable Loop System) might not be, but that is explained in the aforementioned link.

Oh yeah...sewn by hand on the commute to work and on lunch breaks.