12/20/2013 Favorite tracks of 2013

Haven't been using this blog for a while (still trying to find a replacement), but I thought it would be a good place to share my favorite music of 2013. It was a bit hard to pick favorites since there was so much released this year, and I'm sure I'm forgetting about some deserving albums & tracks, but here are 10 tracks that stuck with me throughout the year (I'll make an album list tomorrow):

> (Ghost) - Endless Roads | from "Departure" (n5md)
This whole album was a nice surprise, but this track really stood out to me. Nice flowing track with gentle glitches and soft sounds.

> Ben Q Best - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGVQJKgqgY8 | from "Moonlets/Ben Q Best" (Hel)
Full disclosure: I helped edit this track, and my label released the album it's from. It's a mix of live & studio recordings that turned out really special.

> DJ Rashad - I Don't Give A Fuck | from "Double Cup" (Hyperdub)
Extremely powerful track, and probably the pinnacle of Chicago footwork thus far. Top notch on every level.

> Ill Clinton - Cool | from "Illanta"
Great production & samples. All around solid track that I kept coming back to. Available to stream/download here.

> Karl Bartos - Rhythmus | from "Off The Record" (Bureau B)
Not really a spectacular track, but it was definitely memorable and noteworthy for fans of Kraftwerk. Sounds like something that could have happened between Computer World & Electric Cafe.

> Steven Price - The Void | from "Gravity" (Watertower)
The Gravity soundtrack had a few nice tracks. This one in particular was very effective & striking during the film.

> Traxman - 2200 Acid | from "Teklife Vol. 3: The Architek" (Lit City Trax)
Hectic blend of 2 signature Chicago sounds. True future music. Stream here.

> Yung Simmie - Lowkey | from "Basement Musik"
Great track from probably my favorite mixtape this year. Stream/download here.

> FunkinEven - Dreams | from "Dreams Of Coke" (Apron)
Simple track with the right mix of funk, glitch, and haze.

> Not Waving - Nemrut Dagi | from "Umwelt" (Ecstatic)
Very moving spacey track with nice sounds throughout.

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10/25/2012 Side projects

I've been working on various side projects lately, and a couple of them are starting to surface.

Ben Best & Karl Jørgensen is a tape of ambient and improvised lofi recordings I made with Ben Best (who has no internet presence). Here's a song from the album (available now from Hel):

I also have new solo project called Orem Owls, which is based around creating loops from tapes (Check the link for two November shows in Utah). Here's a demo:

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9/02/2012 Videos from August 30

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8/29/2012 Show tomorrow at Kilby Court (SLC)

I'm playing a show tomorrow at Kilby Court in Salt Lake City, UT with friends RS2090, Cerci, and Dr. Siak. If you're in the area please come check it out. Doors open at 7pm ($6).

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8/12/2012 Setlist from Craft Lake City

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8/08/2012 About Alpine Sequences

My new album is now available for listening/purchasing in tape & digital formats for $5 from my new label Hel Audio. "Alpine Sequences" is a collection of short, (mostly) ambient songs that are based around procedurally generated synthesizer sequences.

These recordings were inspired by local Utah geography (Utah, Salt Lake, and Heber valleys in particular) and the song titles reflect this. Lone Peak and Pfeifferhorn are mountains, Hailstone and Keetley are submerged ghost towns, 189 is the road connecting Heber valley and Utah valley, and so on.

The sequences were generated by my prototypical Alpine Music Generation System, which is a method I've slowly been working on to create music within rules I determine, but without my creative input. I started with a batch of 40 sequences for this project, and ended up 20 songs for the album.

Full tracklisting:

01 West Echo
02 Pfeifferhorn
03 Wasatch Waves
04 Lone Peak
05 Frost
06 Hailstone
07 Heights
08 Passerine
09 Valley Tones
10 Aspen Loop
11 Slope
12 Keetley
13 189
14 Dry Sequence
15 Orem Owls
16 Nest
17 Dry Creek
18 Haze
19 Red Pine
20 Summit

Bonus tracks / further listening:

AS21
Extra sequence that ended up being one of the first ones finished.

AS22 (Martian Sequence)
Created on the day the Curiosity rover landed on Mars.

Refract
Lo-fi track made from the Pfeifferhorn recording.

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7/05/2012 Two shows added

I'll be playing two shows with JP Haynie later this month to celebrate the release of his LP The Sand (I will have my Alpine Sequences tape for sale as well). The shows will be happening July 17 @ Kilby Court (SLC) and July 20 @ Black Pyramid (Provo).

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PREVIOUS ENTRIES

12/20/2013 Favorite tracks of 2013
10/25/2012 Side projects
9/02/2012 Videos from August 30
8/29/2012 Show tomorrow at Kilby Court (SLC)
8/12/2012 Setlist from Craft Lake City
8/08/2012 About Alpine Sequences
7/05/2012 Two shows added
6/28/2012 Weekly Beats: May Report
6/28/2012 Good Old Germany Mix
6/15/2012 Playlist from June 15

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