Listening/Technology/Journal

Links etc. collected by Rob Walker.

[futureoflistening]

And Batiste and the Dap-Kings tackled "St. James Infirmary," probably the most overplayed song in the New Orleans cannon

Jon Batiste and the Dap-Kings electrify New Orleans' musical canon at Jazz Fest | NOLA.com

[futureoflistening]

CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY!! TWO COPIES OF IWDtSJI TO BE GIVEN AWAY!

CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY open to anyone, anywhere in the world Here at SJI we are celebrating the holidays by giving away tw...

Here at SJI we are celebrating the holidays by giving away two copies of I Went Down to St. James Infirmary. How can you win a free book? Just leave a comment at the bottom of this blog entry, including both your name and email address, so we can contact you if you win. The contest ends on Sunday, December 3rd, to allow for shipping in time for Christmas. The winners will be announced on this site on Monday, December 4 (Pacific Time).

Full details: http://iwentdowntostjamesinfirmary.blogspot.com/2017/11/christmas-giveaway-two-copies-of.html

[futureoflistening]

St. James Infirmary news roundup

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog, and even longer since I had anything to say about “St. James Infirmary.” (For a number of years I was obsessed with that song, and still love it, but have ceded supreme expertise on the subject to the indispensable I Went Down To St. James Infirmary; buy his book!).

Nevertheless, I still have a “St. James Infirmary” news alert, and in recent months have saved a couple of items that arrived in my inbox that way. Here they are.

--> Back in July, the White Stripes marked their 20th anniversary by releasing a streaming set called The First Show: Live on Bastille Day, a recording of their debut live performance. The first song they played was, of course, “St. James Infirmary.” Read about it here; there’s a Spotify embed. It’s pretty cool! And very distinct from the version they later recorded. (Although Jack White, introducing the song, says it’s “by Cab Calloway,” which is of course way off; still, it’s pretty clear that Calloway’s is the version that most influenced him.)

--> In September, New Orleans brass legends The Hot 8 released a video for their new version of “SJI.” Dedicated readers will recall that it was a live Hot 8 version at Donna’s nearly 20 years ago that started my obsession. I’ve written about the Hot 8 a bunch. They’re still great. Here’s the video.

3.

[united-hairlines]

Ronettes with Baguettes

[futureoflistening]

Make music by touching waveforms, sampling, in new Novation app

Creating digital music is all about the business of mucking about with sounds. But somehow, the actual sounds themselves have been tangled up in immense grids and spreadsheets and mixers and things called piano rolls and so on. Blocs Wave is the latest attempt to use mobile apps to get back to basics. Here, whether you’re on an iPhone in your hand or the enormous iPad Pro, the sounds are at the center. Touch your way through the waveforms to make music – whether using soundpacks or adding your own. There are two basic paths to getting your musical materials. ...

That done, Blocs Wave lets you combine sounds via more touch, adjusting key and tempo. There’s a built in stretch engine so you can change tempo without re-pitching sounds, plus a keep-everything-in-key bit.

[futureoflistening]

(via Mutual Benefit - "Not For Nothing" (Official Video) - YouTube)

[futureoflistening]

(via A Gorgeous Rotoscoped Music Video Created from 1,200 Hand-Painted Frames | Colossal)

[futureoflistening]

(via Music Video: Mogwai - Ether | HUH.)

[prostheticknowledge]

To Disappear

Music video for Your Gay Thoughts track animated by densuke28:

Link

[prostheticknowledge]

L.C.S.

Jpop music video for track by FEMM uses debugview look combined with stripped-down MOCAP method:

Link

[futureoflistening]

Run The Jewels - Meowpurrdy

(via Run The Jewels - Meowpurrdy feat. Lil Bub, Maceo, Delonte (Official Music Video) - YouTube)

[futureoflistening]

(via Tourist - To Have You Back (Official Video) - YouTube)

[futureoflistening]

Behold, the "I Do" rings by Japanese artist and designer Sakurako Shimizu. Each set of bands is custom made, etched with a waveform of a couple's voices uttering any words they choose. (So long as it's pithy enough to fit on the band, we're assuming. "I do" seems a fitting choice, considering.)

Rings are available through Shimizu's website in silver, 18K and 14K white/yellow/red gold,  or platinum.

(via These waveform wedding rings are the geekiest thing you'll see today)

[dtybywl]

The lost artefacts of America’s DIY punk scene | Dazed

[futureoflistening]

I’m happy to spend money on music. I’m not happy to be a consumer of it. When I consume something, like electricity or food, then it’s gone, and can’t be used by anyone else. But having bought that David Bowie song from iTunes, I can listen to it endlessly, play it for other people, put it in playlists, mull it over when I’m not listening to it, sample it, remix it, mash it up with other songs.

Please stop saying “consuming music” | The Ethan Hein Blog

[futureoflistening]

(via What Makes Nancy Spungen So Great: A Handwritten List By Sid Vicious - Flashbak)

[futureoflistening]

(via Music Video: Animal Collective - FloriDada | HUH.)