S.o.t.D. - Alignment – Jubei

Alignment – Jubei

S.o.t.D. - Delhi (Original Mix) – Sirch & William Kiss

Delhi (Original Mix) – Sirch & William Kiss

Found a “We Wear Black and Listen to Techno” gif on FB of Wednesday and Lurch, and a snippet of this track was the accompaniment. I may bear some resemblance to Lurch, but I wouldn’t have been standing there stock still. Hard techno, not so danceable, but a stonker none the less.

S.o.t.D. - Liquid Sky – Galaxy

Liquid Sky – Galaxy

S.o.t.D. - Vespers – Bola

Vespers – Bola

Big fan of what Bola does.

S.o.t.D. - Midnight Blues – Snowy White

Midnight Blues – Snowy White

S.o.t.D. - Night & Low Light – Ghostek

Night & Low Light – Ghostek

More atmospheric awesomeness from Ghostek. Oh that bassline....

S.o.t.D. - Shot Down – The Sonics

Shot Down – The Sonics

An early 60’s garage rock band, that I suspect never got the full recognition they deserved.

Signage: Antigues

Once Again on Ottawa Street in Hamilton. Weird “Q” that reads a lot like a two storey lower case “G”. But that’s part of its charm for me.

Sosoetry: “Jah Rocco Jalapeño” or “The Epic of Jarkkowulf”

My pal Michelle and I are helping Jarkko finally establish some kind of internet presence. She asked me to write something about him. While I wrote a safe and boring bio, I also wrote this over about 4 days. I’ve known him for 30 years or more, and he’s a colourful character, so it was pretty easy.

A lad most affable
Talents admirable
Instantly disarming
Thoroughly charming
The essence of manly class
He’s beloved of many a lass
Canoe maker
Booty shaker
Hypnotic turn tablist
Nordic tale fablist
Carving axe sharpener
Starving artist carpenter
Dermagraphic enhancer
Funky acrobatic dancer
Early Lake Huron surfer
Frequent visitor at Caution Point
Assured cabinetry kerfer
Making many a fine dovetail joint
Totally devoted father
To his son & daughter
Even when not doing tattoos
He’s always foregone brews
Collector of many objects
Obsessed with all subjects
He sometimes tilts at windmills
Hates those turbines on the hills
Is runoff from Bruce nuclear power
Possibly a creativity endower?
That an invisible miasma atomic
Leaves imagination polychromic?
I’m almost certain he’s from another planet
Stranded when his spacecraft crash landed
Maybe that explains the affiliation
With Justin and Alien Visitation
He will answer to the name Bill
And seeks out any kind of thrill
Teenage punk rocker
Premier disc jockey
Chooses the beats
Eschews all meats
Rasta knotting dreads
Has ’em nodding heads
Laying down tasty rhythms
Playing with crazy precision
Sounds that heal herbally
Senses you feel verbally
A whirling dervish Finnish sensei
Gave birth to Scandinadian reggae
Slow speed dubbing
Best kind of clubbing
Collaborating with PostContemporary
Creating some tunes most extraordinary
Exclusive dubplates dropping
Spadina basement hopping
Spinning a gronky remix
There’s nothing he can’t fix
Locates gems in a huge record collection
His style is mellow bass and pulsing drum
Establishes quite an audience connection
Plays sexy beats that make the gals cum
No affinity for woodsy harmonica
Leans more to groovy electronica
Voluminous tinker
Prodigious thinker
Thought words verbose
Verbs carefully chose
Dispensing viking wisdom pearls
Theories that set the mind awhirl
The lad goes off rambling
Should really go camping
Capably piloting ships
Ably navigating trips
Finely honed crafts
Highly toned drafts
Contemplating designs
Conceptually quite fine
Able with tools powered or handheld
Can do many varied sorts of welds
Hammering steel in the forge
Whittling birch on the porch
Transforming a slab of oak
Transfixed in a lab by smoke
Fabricating truck frames metal
Skillfully crafting a wooden hull
Bends aluminum by the meter
Carves a canoe from red cedar
Vanquishes hardwood
Varnishes very good
Raised with arcane old world skills
Learned from fellas at the sawmill
Brush script hand letterer
Always strives to be better
Late nights at the Lettering Shop
Consuming way too much pop
When he pinstripes and signpaints
His creativity knows few constraints
He’s rarely not smiling and cheerful
Get ’em talking you’ll get an earful
He’s sometimes a bit hyper active
Always nervous about cyber practice
Computer wise he’s in the dark ages
Prefers moving pencil across pages
Cooking away at the Sugar Shack
Laying in lines curvy and black
Maybe he’ll get to my tattoo
Before we leave decade two
He’s not always so good at staying in touch
But when we do connect we discuss much
Comes across a bit awkward
Professes to be timid and shy
He’s really quite straightforward
Before long the words they fly
He’s always his humble self
Meekly denies he’s part elf
I’m convinced he’s a tundra gnome
Now calling Kincardine his home
Maybe his being a recluse
Is why he’s able to produce
Doesn’t always eat so well
Choices a dietitian’s hell
When Finland loses to Sweden
It’s a slice of crow pie he’s eatin’
Very capable in many a field
Save making healthy meals
A walking DIY encyclopedia
But a Luddite at social media
At making anything he’s a wizard
Thinks the self promo biz is hard
Rarely photographed
Piloting his soulcraft
Jumps on his skateboard
Gets right into his groove
Barely says eight words
Rides black lines smooth
Many trips winter motorbiking
Doesn’t matter if it’s just snowed
Like a crazed berserker viking
He loves roaring down dirt roads
Tearing through a valley
Driving a private car rally
Jarkko feels very much alive
Bombing around in 4W drive
He’s the purveyor of fire
Not much gives him a fright
Save surveying from a spire
Doesn’t like being at a height
Diehard child of the Bruce
Returned for sunset views
Decades of rooty dub dreads
Intertwined with a drum head
Kincardine hair farmer
Cardigan of plait armour
I suspect his folks still haven’t a clue
That he’s got more than one tattoo
He keeps his sleeves rolled down
To prevent his mom’s cold frown
Cheekbones finely hewn
Make all the ladies swoon
Despite the scruffy beard & girlish hips
Women all want to kiss him on the lips
Always looking natty & Snug
Never acting crassly or smug
Sets sights on modern makes
On nights by far Northern lakes
When in urbanity he’s always cordial
But he’s happiest in regions Boreal
Words tumble like an avalanche
Birds nesting on a pine branch
Words burst out like a flood
Wolf paw prints in the mud
Words flow out like a cascade
Deer in a sun dappled glade
Words gush out like a wave
Lapping at the edge of a lake
Words come forth in a torrent
Listen to sounds of the forest

S.o.t.D. - Si Un Jour – Kentin Jivek & Miro Snejdr

Si Un Jour – Kentin Jivek & Miro Snejdr

I recognize Miro Snejdr as being a sometime collaborator with Death In June. This reminds me a little more of In The Nursery.

Untitled

S.o.t.D. - Treading Water (Lenzman Remix) – Alex Clare

Treading Water (Lenzman Remix) – Alex Clare

S.o.t.D. - Dusk – Changing Faces

Dusk – Changing Faces

Slovakian producer and DJ. Got the Riya seal of approval.

S.o.t.D. - Breakage – Clarendon

Breakage – Clarendon

Well over a decade old at this point, but still sounds totally fresh.

S.o.t.D. - Break & Total Science – Betamax

Break & Total Science – Betamax

Admittedly I like the first minute more than the rest, but the rest is not bad at all.

S.o.t.D. - Delgado Riddim – Deedar Zaman, Adrian Sherwood & Skip McDonald

Delgado Riddim – Deedar Zaman, Adrian Sherwood & Skip McDonald

Deedar Zaman is unknown to me, but Skip McDonald and Adrian Sherwood I’m a huge fan of, and have been for a long time.

S.o.t.D. - Don’t Blow Your Top (Adrian Sherwood Mix) – KMFDM

Don’t Blow Your Top (Adrian Sherwood Mix) – KMFDM

Never a huge fan of these guys, but liked them enough. Sherwood on the other hand, to quote one of KMFDM’s songs, godlike.

S.o.t.D. - Beck + Call ft. Tanya Tagaq – July Talk

Beck + Call ft. Tanya Tagaq – July Talk

Interesting band and collaboration.

S.o.t.D. - Lost Cause – Beck

Lost Cause – Beck

Planet Earth II

More glorious nature with narrations by Sir Richard Attenborough!

S.o.t.D. - Mind Over Matter – TUNS

Mind Over Matter – TUNS

Fun. Reminds me a little of Weezer.

S.o.t.D. - Callovs – Pensees

Callovs – Pensees

Exquisite. Feels sorrowful, but beautiful at the same time.

S.o.t.D. - Graveyard Tree – Koffin Kats

Graveyard Tree – Koffin Kats

Fun rockabilly.

S.o.t.D. - Paper Houses (Mloski Remix) – LITHEO

Paper Houses (Mloski Remix) – LITHEO

S.o.t.D. - Millionaire – Tom Middleton

Millionaire – Tom Middleton

Tom Middleton, doing a reworking of the Dudley Moore Trio song.

S.o.t.D. - Cursed – Mad Sin

Cursed – Mad Sin

I’ll bet these folks would be hella fun to see live.

S.o.t.D. - Sweet Sensation – The Melodians

Sweet Sensation – The Melodians

Some sweet reggae from the 1960s.

S.o.t.D. - Leu – Varhat

Leu – Varhat

S.o.t.D. - So – luke.envoy

So – luke.envoy

Bassline mind melter.

S.o.t.D. - Step 48 – Cosmjn & Lizz

Step 48 – Cosmjn & Lizz

S.o.t.D. - Dusîntors – Suciu

Dusîntors – Suciu

Artist from Romania, I believe. Tech housey, but I wish this track was a little bit harder.

S.o.t.D. - Xox – Cristi Cons

Xox – Cristi Cons

Bubbly.

S.o.t.D. - Kord (Diego Krause Remix) – Janeret

Kord (Diego Krause Remix) – Janeret

None too shabby.

Don’t Forget To Pop Your Tabs

I’ve been on a cassette digitization spree lately. Got to reminiscing with DJ friends about mixtapes and cassettes in general. It seems all of us were fans of Maxell tapes, and the ones we used most to make mixtapes to give out were XL-II’s. (The even better XL-IIS’s I usually reserved for my own mixtapes.) Looking around on the magical interwebs, where almost any subject is discussed, no matter how arcane, it seems others shared our favourable opinion of them.

I did a much rougher version of this idea years ago, but I revisited it by doing a much better illustration of this particular cassette. With some artistic liberties taken.

I don’t know that PostContemporary is even an ongoing concern any more, so maybe the only stickers of this to be produced will be the dozen or so I printed to give out to friends.

S.o.t.D. - Within Space – Cristi Cons & DeWalta

Within Space – Cristi Cons & DeWalta

Pulsating.

Stickers

A selection of the stickers I’ve been printing with the Roland BN-20 printer at the MakerSpace at the library here.

S.o.t.D. - Scorched Earth (Barac Interpretation) – Konrad Black

Scorched Earth (Barac Interpretation) – Konrad Black

Uses some sounds I recognize from Plastikman.

S.o.t.D. - Sex – Black Loops

Sex – Black Loops

S.o.t.D. - When The Truth Can’t Go – Drop 2 Jump

When The Truth Can’t Go – Drop 2 Jump

Bit commercial clubby, but those wobbly bass sounds are pretty sweet.

S.o.t.D. - Epirotiko Mirologi – Alexis Zoumbas

Epirotiko Mirologi – Alexis Zoumbas

A musician from northern Greece, who emigrated to the United States. Recorded in the mid 1920s. I think describing this as a “haunting lamentation” would be accurate.

S.o.t.D. - Sedate – .null. & Jeto

Sedate – .null. & Jeto

S.o.t.D. - Love In The Burial – CraSET

Love In The Burial – CraSET

Wondering if it shouldn’t be “Loving Burial” for the nod to the sound he seems to have pioneered.

S.o.t.D. - Shattered Dreams (Deep Chill Mix) – Deep Fog (ft. Olga Misty)

Shattered Dreams (Deep Chill Mix) – Deep Fog (ft. Olga Misty)

Light Play

The new tattoo shop has beautiful leaded glass windows in the transoms. The way they face, the sun shines through them early in the morning, and makes for some really nice light play.

S.o.t.D. - Beautiful Night – Burden Brothers

Beautiful Night – Burden Brothers

You call that a cleaver?

Now this is a cleaver!

Friend found it at an antique store. (I think it must have been used to separate an ox’ head from its body. Definitely a two handed device.) He’s going to have Brush Boys paint “Instant Tattoo Removal” on it.

S.o.t.D. - One Less Bell To Answer – Fifth Dimension

One Less Bell To Answer – Fifth Dimension

Classic. Can’t go wrong with Marilyn McCoo singing a Burt Bacharach and Hal David composition.

S.o.t.D. - Uitzicht (Harry Wolfman Remix) – Bakermat

Uitzicht (Harry Wolfman Remix) – Bakermat

Reworking of yesterday’s track.

S.o.t.D. - Uitzicht – Bakermat

Uitzicht – Bakermat

Saxophones seem to be a bit out of style in popular music. This Dutchman brings it back. Throw in some Apollo 8 samples, and this is golden.

S.o.t.D. - Double Crisp – Just Jungle

Double Crisp – Just Jungle

Still amazes me how much stuff from this genre and era I keep discovering. I keep thinking it’ll run out at some point. Nope. Huh...never heard this before. And it’s amazing.

I think that’s a term from now on to describe something really choice. “Now that’s just double crisp.”

S.o.t.D. - Technology – Octave One

Technology – Octave One

There’s a Detroit techno act of the same name, but I believe this is actually another guise of Doc Scott. Whoever it is, it’s a goddamn monster.

S.o.t.D. - Slam – Plaid

Slam – Plaid

I like a lot of styles of music, but I think this sort of stuff, IDM, for lack of a better term, that evocative, trippy, soundtracky stuff, I like most of all.

S.o.t.D. - Very Last Drop – Just Jungle

Very Last Drop – Just Jungle

This really is good to the very last drop. Just a total banger.

S.o.t.D. - A London Sumtin’ – Code 071

A London Sumtin’ – Code 071

I had featured Tek9’s “A London Sum’ting” before, but didn’t realize it was actually a re-working of this 1992, almost pre drum & bass and jungle track.

S.o.t.D. - Smurf (Instrumental) – Two Fingers

Smurf (Instrumental) – Two Fingers

This is dub-steppy – without sucking. Bass without that irritating as all get out buildup and drop.

S.o.t.D. - Cooper’s Cup – Yotto

Cooper’s Cup – Yotto

Finnish DJ, Otto Yliperttula, goes by the stage name, Yotto. Nice percolating little deep house number.

S.o.t.D. - Slow Down (Nookie Remix) – Tek 9

Slow Down (Nookie Remix) – Tek 9

What made Nookie so great was the deft use of the tinkly piano bits.

S.o.t.D. - Meeting Dave Dish – Martin Buttrich

Meeting Dave Dish – Martin Buttrich

I’ve known some women who are butt rich. I liked them. I also like this song, which is rich in laid back groove.

S.o.t.D. - Do Matter – Plaid

Do Matter – Plaid

Reminds me a little bit of John Carpenter’s soundtrack work.

S.o.t.D. - In My Eyes – Best Coast

In My Eyes – Best Coast

Another track I discovered through the amazing Roxann.

Are water treatment methods what the manufacturers claim?

Interesting article about the claims made by water treatment manufacturers. It singles out Camelbak’s inline UV treatment (the AllClear), but it could also be applied to the SteriPen. Sawyer’s claims are also scrutinized. I’d been contemplating a Sawyer system, due to it being light and compact, but it hasn’t been readily available here, possibly due to it not being approved by Canadian regulatory agencies.

I’ve been meaning (for a very long time now) to replace the Steri-Pen I have with a self made gravity filter. I have some misgivings about the Steri-Pen, but it still works, and as such have continued to use it. I think Katadyn will likely get my money for a Hiker Pro replacement cartridge. I’ll use it to make the gravity filter system. A bit heavier and more expensive perhaps, but they seem more trustworthy. 

http://indefinitelywild.gizmodo.com/uv-water-purifiers-are-bullshit-and-so-are-some-filters-1704387492

S.o.t.D. - Ritual Spirit (ft. Azekel) – Massive Attack

Ritual Spirit (ft. Azekel) – Massive Attack

Holy shit, is this ever fantastic.

S.o.t.D. - What’s the Altitude (ft Hymnal) – Cut Chemist

What’s the Altitude (ft Hymnal) – Cut Chemist

Why can’t all hip-hop be this good?

S.o.t.D. - Lichen – Aphex Twin

Lichen – Aphex Twin

Love one of the comments. “It makes me think of giving some place you’ll miss one last look over before you leave.” Sums up the mood of this beautiful, but wistful piece perfectly.

Too Close (ft Detour City) (Wookie Remix) – Wilkinson

Too Close (ft Detour City) (Wookie Remix) – Wilkinson

S.o.t.D. - 2808 – Nero

2808 – Nero

I don’t know if a song that’s just 1½ minutes long can be considered epic, but wow, does it ever sound epic.

S.o.t.D. - Dubskit – Phaeleh

Dubskit – Phaeleh

Showing why Phaeleh is such a consistently great producer. This was apparently just a cast off, not really meant to be a proper track. Warm, dubby bass.

Shooting Range

Chris, one of the tattooists at the shop, brought in a Red Ryder BB gun, and we promptly turned one half of the basement into a shooting range. :-) 

The beer can is strictly for shooting at. No way any of us would combine alcohol and firearms.

My view as I prepare to deliver copper projectiles down range at 180 metres per second.

Not bad.

Selection of targets.

Take that, zombie nazi!

Shaggy doing some training for the zombie apocalypse.

Bloody Remains

One of the office towers here in Hamilton, the BDC tower at Main and MacNab, several times this year now, I’ve walked past one particular spot below it and found the remains of the bloody work of the Peregrine falcons who hunt from the top of it.

I’m not sure whether they’re ripped off as they swoop in to grab their prey, or they lose them as they’re ripping them apart after. Either way, it amuses me that they always end up in the same spot. And I don’t even go by there that often. Wonder if this is only part of their detritus.

And something else I contemplate is how important they might be to an entire eco-system with this “discarded” food. Other animals, not as proficient a hunter, might well benefit from this fresh meat that they would drop below the cliffs they inhabit. Sharing the spoils so to speak.

Signage: Cottage 13

I haven’t been so active on here for a few reasons, one of which is that the tattoo shop has finally moved to its fancy new digs. Long delayed, but we are now in a fantastic new building, with a much better shop. For a good fortnight, I was working almost a full day to get the shop ready, in addition to my job. But, more than happy to do so.

One of the most exciting things about it is the new sign, done by the fantastic Brush Boys. I was already a fan, but after meeting them, I’m an even bigger fan. Scott and his son Matt are super nice guys and gifted artisans.

The centrepiece of the sign – literally.

Carved from an ultra high density polyurethane foam, and mounted on an aluminum plate.

Some closeups.

The foam portion (which has many coats of clear resin sealing it) dismounted from the aluminum backing plate.

The Boys hard at work. The installation was a very involved process. The rest of it was fairly straight forward, but the lotus was the challenge. It was designed with the idea that it would sit away from the rest of the sign, with the possibility of light behind it, radiating out from behind. Given how tough it was to get it on, and that replacing the bulbs would require that much again, the idea was quietly, albeit reluctantly, discarded. (The fact that the two days were blisteringly hot, didn’t help either.)

The first night of our completed sign being up.

The building, at the corner of James and Wilson.

Beauty!

S.o.t.D. - The Clock Ticks – Dub Phizix

The Clock Ticks – Dub Phizix

S.o.t.D. - Why They Wanna (Serum Remix) – David Boomah

Why They Wanna (Serum Remix) – David Boomah

Reggae vocals, with an ominous bass rumble that sadly comes in a bit late in the track.

S.o.t.D. - All Night (Etherwood Remix) – Camo & Krooked

All Night (Etherwood Remix) – Camo & Krooked

Propah jungle bizness!

S.o.t.D. – Afterglow (Cutline Remix) – Wilkinson

Afterglow (Cutline Remix) – Wilkinson

I like the start a lot more than the entirety of the song, but I can still concede it’s a pretty solid club banger.

Story Of My Life

Signage: Barbers & Men’s Hairstyling

 Front.

Back.
Mohawk and Upper Wellington area in Hamilton.

S.o.t.D. - Deep Jinx – Two Fingers

Deep Jinx – Two Fingers

Definitely need some more of this. Extra large sounds.

S.o.t.D. - Greece 2000 – Three Drives on Vinyl

Greece 2000 – Three Drives on Vinyl

Classic of the genre. Much of that genre is pretty insipid, but this one still sounds good to my ears.

S.o.t.D. - Good Life (Magic Juan Mix) – Inner City

Good Life (Magic Juan Mix) – Inner City

I thought at first Magic Juan might have been a guise of Juan Atkins, but apparently not.

An almost text book example of house. The disco influences, the clear vocals, high up in the mix, and the whole hands in the air, warehouse party vibe.

S.o.t.D. - Mathilde – Chris Geschwindner

Mathilde – Chris Geschwindner

Groovy.

S.o.t.D. - Stripe Rhythm – Two Fingers

Stripe Rhythm – Two Fingers

Boy, does this ever sound like a much harder and darker Amon Tobin, I thought.

Oh look, it is Amon Tobin!

S.o.t.D. - Meditation 5 – Melchior Productions Ltd.

Meditation 5 – Melchior Productions Ltd.

I think I’d want to dance to this more than meditate to it. Although, dancing can be meditative in its own way.

Dieppe

For several years I worked for the Aylmer Express. While it was a small town newspaper, it was also a commercial printer. (The division I worked for.) The newspaper was bought by Arthur Hueston, after he came home from the war, and was its publisher for many years and turned it into a thriving printing company. By the point I got there, his son had been running the company for many years, and he was just writing a weekly column, some of which touched on his experiences in WW2. He served with the Essex Scottish Regiment, as a platoon leader, at Dieppe. He was quite open about his experiences and once we sat and talked about it. 

He was on a landing craft with a Churchill tank, that ground to a halt on the potato sized stones on the beach, leaving it half in and half out of the craft. They were meant to follow it, but with no way around it, they had to go over the sides. With no one having come ashore before the landings to ascertain the unsuitability of the beach for tanks, no one had bothered to check that there was a deep drop right at the waters edge, not a gradual incline. His platoon dropped over the edge of the landing craft and he lost about a third to drowning, because they were so laden down or unable to swim. The ones that survived had to ditch most of their gear to come up again. On shore without weapons, ammo, etc. they couldn’t do much. With a whole bunch of men wounded or dead, his superiors yelled at him to get back on a boat and get out. No one would have though any less of him if he had, but he called back “No. I have wounded men I need to look after.” And with that, he languished for years in a POW camp, hungry and bored.

It was a good thing he needed a really powerful magnifying glass to read, so he couldn’t see me wiping away the tears. 

The Germans found documents after the raid, from the Canadians, stating that German prisoners were to be handcuffed until they got them back to England. As a reprisal against the Canadians they forced any that were captured at Dieppe to wear handcuffs all day. At morning roll call they were put on and at nighttime roll call they were removed. Of course, as soon as they got back to their barracks they quickly picked them and as long as they were inside, they went without them.

And the city I currently live in, one of its regiments, the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry suffered casualties at Dieppe as well. Of the 582 soldiers who landed that morning, 197 were killed, 174 were captured and 194 wounded (including 85 also captured). Only 102 were not among the casualties.

Never forget.

S.o.t.D. - Kinetic (Tom Middleton 2008 Remix) – Golden Girls

Kinetic (Tom Middleton 2008 Remix) – Golden Girls

Classic early 90’s track, reworked by the always fantastic Tom Middleton. Not entirely sure what the history of this song is. Originally by The Pied Piper, it was then remixed by Orbital....not sure beyond that. But this is just fantastic.

S.o.t.D. - Matters (Tom Middleton Remix) – Matthias Vogt (feat. Phil Fill)

Matters (Tom Middleton Remix) – Matthias Vogt (feat. Phil Fill)

Everything Tom Middleton does is just superb.

S.o.t.D. - First Woe – Øfdream

First Woe – Øfdream

Cemetery Sunset

S.o.t.D. - Durban Days – Sam Roberts Band

Durban Days – Sam Roberts Band

S.o.t.D. - Mess Around – Cage The Elephant

Mess Around – Cage The Elephant

S.o.t.D. - The Quiet (Rotersand Rework) – Harm Joy

The Quiet (Rotersand Rework) – Harm Joy

What current “electro / industrial-y” stuff I hear, usually leaves me cold, but I’m really digging this.

S.o.t.D. - Injustice – Sabre & Riya

Injustice – Sabre & Riya

I think there’s a sample from Budd & Eno in this?