I AM A LASER!

Burning Man and The Ghost Dance

Double You — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 17:24:23 +0000

When you dress. When you hear the bass. When you step out and into the landscape of Black Rock Desert this year, the alkaline rich dry lakebed surrounded by hills packed with abundant veins of gold and silver…what will you stand for? What will you contribute through the collective connection to the world and its people in its hour of need?

Know this: The annual Burning Man Festival is held on the traditional lands of the Northern Paiute Indians (the Northern Paiute call themselves Numa which means “The People”). Every person who steps onto that playa is taking part of a much older practice, established by the traditions of the Paiute, which in these dramatic times is a boon to be remembered. It is commonly known as the Ghost Dance.

Starting in 1889 and widely adopted by 1890, this new spiritual practice was rapidly embraced by North American tribes to bring about the return of the natural way of life. These dances involved thousands of people, young and old, dancing for days, receiving revelations, and installing unity amongst the tribes. It was first received as a vision by the Paiute prophet and medicine man Jack Wilson aka “Wavoka” during the solar eclipse of January 1, 1889.

In that experience The Creator showed Wavoka a beautiful land filled with wild game and instructed him to return home to tell his people that they must love each other, not fight, and live in peace, that the people must work, not steal or lie, and that they must not engage in the old practices of war or the traditional self-mutilation practices connected with mourning the dead. The Creator said that if his people abided by these rules, they would be united with their friends and family in the other world.

Wavoka claimed to have left the presence of The Creator convinced that if every Indian in the West danced the new dance to “hasten the event,” all evil in the world would be swept away, leaving a renewed Earth filled with food, love, and faith. Quickly accepted by his Paiute tribesmen, the new religion was termed “Dance In a Circle.” Because the first European contact with the practice came by way of the Sioux, their expression “Spirit Dance” was adopted as a descriptive title for all such practices. This was subsequently translated as “Ghost Dance.”

If one may have an Intention, an active prayer, for their time as an artist on the playa, may it be to inspire greatness and rally the interactive audience to change. Call and response. Power up! If you’re an MC, a DJ, a performer, a poet, a dancer, a band, a participant, grab the mic, or gather a group around you sometime that week and let Black Rock City know what humanity can stand for: Peace, Love, Unity, Freedom and Liberty for all. Dance for it. Rock for it. Move for it. Live the Ghost Dance and pave the way to our better world. This is the spiritual inheritance of the land upon which you party. Don’t trash it. Embrace it. Work with it. Own it.

If you feel challenged here, don’t look to the group, the lowest common denominator of social cues and peer acceptance for the answer. Be the answer. Lead the answer. Strike the match that creates the conversation which transforms the worlds context. Generate value changes. Destroy one economy by generating a new one with the gift of refreshing thought. Stand wherever you are and declare your heart. Participate.

Above all, remember the ancestors –they have your back. It is commonly held that the indigenous people of this land who have passed have become all that you see in the wild open. The rivers, the stones, the wind, the trees. Use all your senses to receive and perceive them. Smell the air, touch the earth, taste the food, hear their songs, and see their dance intertwined in every natural form all about you –all a language transmitting connection and wisdom. With a bow of the head, acknowledge all those who have come before you and cared for the land. They play with you now.

Dear open minded friends, a people I may call the New Indigenous –anything is possible. So is it not possible that Wavoka’s vision, and what it represents, is accessible to you today to carry it forward into being? If you think it –then it is so. You’ve proven this to yourself a million times over. So I invite you here, as stewards of this land, to take the challenge and restore this planet back to paradise. The Paiute lived this. You’re about to dance on their home turf. Dance the Ghost Dance at Burning Man and know you are an active part of how we make it back to heaven on earth.

The State of the Union: Part 1

Double You — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 20:09:38 +0000

This is a State of the Union address to the higher states of future culture, sonic warrior tribes of the West Coast and the world at large. WE are all much more than we appear to be. We CAN do big!

Fairly inspired by Obama’s speech to the Nation last night. Whether you believe in the game of human management or not, anyone who rallies people to achieve more in the name of humanities betterment is a-okay in my book.

But what about our “state of the union?” This bedroom producer, artists in secret, that toil away in silicon isolation to show up at clubs and parties across this globe at the stroke of midnight to lay out the jams like starlight de-cloaking in power rhythms for the cult of the open minded. How’s it going “out there” and are “we” surviving and feeling fulfilled with our collective efforts?

For myself, in early December of 2010, I stone cold stopped posting music reviews and features on I AM A LASER. I burnt myself out with all my efforts to support new music while at the same time neglecting to support myself. It’s a shame that no one donates money or that labels or artists can’t think to hire you to do all this promotion. So if all the artists who want reviews don’t/can’t contribute for my services, I can’t really play. I want to pay the rent and eat and have clothes on my back so my recent efforts have been placed on finding stable income via a j-o-b. Once that’s settles, I may come back to this.

Though…something has to change on a larger scale for all involved. Mainly because we all are changing. Social technologies, mobile applications and the lack of time juggling all that is coming at us is dramatically shifting how we experience and consume music. This is nothing new, as per the last decade, but this environment of media is just about to turn a big corner -and that is where I and I AM A LASER want to play.

Recently I have been in dialog with other blog owners such as Syd at Grounded.tv and John at Bwomp Beats as to their current experiences running similar websites/media blogs. There is a growing consensus among us that the game needs to change. As with the exponential democratization of access to tools of creation -there is just toooooooo much music to review. As we are all unpaid to do this, it basically requires a staff of at least three full time people to get a grasp the wave that is about to hit.

What’s going to hit? The day we wake up to the reality that everyone is a producer, artist, DJ, etc and that there is NO AUDIENCE LEFT. What do you do then when all the people who were once sitting in the chairs of the theater get up and hop onto the stage and proclaim -all at the same time, that they are “what’s up” and that they have something to share/sell/proclaim/innovate. Total white noise in a blinding big bang flash. Perhaps this is the singularity effect that Einstein sought after with all his might.

As John from Bwomp wrote to me: “So the question becomes; how do we deliver content in a world that has too much already?” We are all at a crazy culture intersection for sure. Everyone is both a consumer and content creator. Be it a simple Tumblr account, a Soundcloud page, or Twitter account, everyone wants an audience, followers, in which to shake their thing in front of. My hit on this is that Blog culture is dying. Period. The signs are here. What’s happening is that through mobile devices we are turning into a “real -time” experience. Reading is a casualty of this. Even clicking on a link is going the way of the Dinosaur.

Though it is still true, that in the age of information, you need filters to get through all this content. Be that taste makers, experts, algorithms, keywords, or celebrities that point to and curate the best of the best out there. The cream must rise to the top.

Also, where is our economy? This scene relies too much upon favors and freebies. In a chance to be heard artists are continually giving their music away for free. How is that good? Another question arises: Paid Content. When, at what point in the experience, can we all charge? It must be answered or else there is no business model and that automatically makes us a charity organization.

One possible answer is that this could be subsidized by a coalition of independent record labels so users never have to pay or, at some point, the culture must pull out their wallets and support the infrastructure of the “cutting-edge.” We have a tax system in the United States. That’s how roads, and all the other things we take for granted (and assume is our natural right as US citizens), get built and supported. So where is the income in this scene? I’m not talking about getting rich. I’m talking about basic survival and living needs being met. Otherwise all of us will starve in fantasy land.

This is a big topic and what I aim to have a conversation with you. Put down the rampant ambition for a second and tell me what’s going on for you as a: Blog owner, music producer, DJ, clothing designer, visual artists, VJ, record label owner, promoter, agent. and more. Are you keeping up? Are you supporting yourself? Are you still excited? Why?

NEPHICIDE by JOGGER

Double You — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:57:29 +0000

OMG -total smile on my face. Just when I though the world was going to hell I watched the just released video for “Nephicide,” by Jogger this morning. Ahhhh, much better now. If you don’t know who Jogger is by now (on the Daedelus run Magical Properties micro label), well…. you should. Pick up their album, This Great Pressure, on their Big Cartel page.

Friends of Friends deliver a Pop Massacre

Double You — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 01:34:13 +0000

Big supporters of the scene, fresh label, and great force of art, Friends of Friends give you their latest producer driven compilation titled Pop Massacre. According to FOF the request was simple… “choose a song from any era of popular culture to be source material of a song for our ‘Pop Massacre’ compilation.” They’re proud to say that the project is done and all they ask of you is your email in exchange for this 13 track (all exclusive!) killing of Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Beach Boys, Spice Girls, Mariah Carey, Katy Perry, Soulja Boy and others.

The One AM Radio “Take On Me (A-ha)” [See post to listen to audio -yes thatz right! -go to http://iamalaser.com]

Tracklist:
1. Anenon – Wannabe (Spice Girls) — Non Projects
2. Strangeloop – Wouldn’t It Be Nice (Beach Boys) — Brainfeeder
3. Shlohmo – Pretty Boy Swag (Soulja Boy) — Friends of Friends
4. DNTEL – Paparazzi (Lady Gaga) — Sub Pop
5. Asura – Always Be My Baby (Mariah Carey) — Non Projects
6. Daedelus – I Would Die For You (Prince) — Ninja Tune/Magical Properties
7. Sahy Uhns – Pieces Of Me (Briitney Spears) — Proximal
8. Loden – Gimme Gimme (Abba) — Mush
9. Mexicans with Guns – La Bamba (Ritchie Valens) — Innovative Leisure/Friends of Friends
10. Groundislava – I Bet I Do (Supa Blanco) — Friends of Friends
11. The One AM Radio – Take on Me (A-ha) — Dangerbird
12. Big Spider’s Back – Teenage Dream (Katy Perry) — Circle Into Square
13. My Dry Wet Mess ft. Amir Yaghmai – I Want Her (Keith Sweat) — Magical Properties

Nit Grit celebrates a million plays

Double You — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:34:32 +0000

In the annals of the new music evolution of the early 21st century, Soundcloud will have a big fat page. For artists who have skills and no major label connections or large marketing budget, well connected and socially relevant services like this propel talent like Nit Grit to the front. To celebrate reaching a million plays on his profile, all the best indie music blogs out there get to give you this free Nit Grit track ,”Malfunction!” Enjoy

Nit Grit :: Malfunction [See post to listen to audio -yes thatz right! -go to http://iamalaser.com]

Download Nit Grit “Malfunction” (right click)

+verb is Writing You Off / Problemz

Double You — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 20:03:57 +0000

Swear to baby Jesus this kid is raging right now. Aside from all the remixes, the free XMAS minimix, and going to university, +verb has two new cuts available today through his Bandcamp page for $2! Laid back Space Jazz fusion bass jams for the price of a gas station cup of coffee.

+verb :: Lasers n Bass n Bounce

Double You — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 19:04:13 +0000

Kid is on fire! +verb gives us all a nice stocking stuffer with his XMAS 2010 Mini Mix. Listen and download it now from his Soundcloud or the player below.

Xmas 2010 Mini-mix (FREE DOWNLOAD) by +verb

Level Attack snaps into form

Double You — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 18:44:29 +0000

Triple threat and super treat is the debut remix EP by Level Attack. Consisting of the ever rising forces of Sugarpill and Stephan Jacobs along with the conscious lyricism of Naada. Remixes include new favorite +verb and his “Spaced Out” version. Out now on Muti Music/Addictech!

Level Attack (Original) Stephan Jacobs & Sugarpill feat. Naada by Naada

Level Attack (+verb’s Spaced Out Remix) by Naada

Tracklist:
1. Level Attack feat. Naada (Original)
2. Level Attack (Willy Whompa & Goodie Remix)
3. Level Attack feat. Naada (Samples Remix)
4. Level Attack feat. Naada (+verb’s ‘Spaced Out’ Remix)
5. Level Attack feat. Naada (Great Scotts ‘Hadouken’ Remix)
6. Level Attack feat. Naada (ChrisB Remix)

Lippe makes an entrance

Double You — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 18:22:36 +0000

Buddy ol pal Nit Grit just blasted out that his homie and fellow Bay Area producer Lippe is here to rock you right. His sound is self described as a strange odyssey from etherial and airy breaks, to crushing and gut twisting bass. Dreams and nightmares fuse and the result is always the same, dance floor mayhem. To get you aquatinted peep the free “Get Up” track as well as his Soundcloud cuts. We like it!

Lippe :: Get Up [See post to listen to audio -yes thatz right! -go to http://iamalaser.com]

Download “Get Up” (right click)

Lippe-OOOOOHHHHH by Lippe music

Anahata Sound – Ready Chief EP

Double You — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 21:17:54 +0000

Kick back and fall away to Ready Chief by Anahata Sound. There is a different pace here in this six song EP (out now on Gypsy Pop Records with a ton of bonuses). Compositions ride as smooth as waves, lullabies and gentle embraces in a decidedly low gear tempo. There are several collaborations here of note. “Birds n Bees for a LIL G” with Wazulu is a dedication to her vision of freedom for the youth she has worked with in Oakland Juvy Halls leading meditation groups and “Heavens Choir,” a collaboration of spoken word featuring Killah Priest (Wu- Tang), J. Human and Anahata, with jazz legend Benny Green on the piano. The Hip-Hop/ Spoken-word set to Greens piano & Anahata’s production, cooks up a melting pot of non cliché spiritual sonic display.

Dub Kirtan All Stars Benefit

Double You — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 19:22:48 +0000

DJ and music producer FreQ Nasty along with David Starfire bring you the second installment of the Dub Kirtan All Stars series Sunday December 5th, 2010. It’s a big cast of DJ’s, producers, singers, and musicians all coming together to bring the classical form of Kirtan music and spin it with a modern dance twist. As before, when it was held alongside The Art Sutra Urban Retreat, there will be several guest speakers preceding the music, sharing their wisdom and technique on how meditation and yogic practices merge with and fuel their arts. If you’re not familiar with what Kirtan is, read our interview with FreQ Nasty where he explains the intention behind it. Hope to see you there!

Presentations

5:00pm – 5:45pm
Shayn Almeida – The Vinyasa of Sound
A discussion of how the proper placement of Sound and Music can connect the Mind, Body and Spirit.

6:00pm – 6:45pm
Suze Q
Yoga teacher, Dancer and Choreographer for Rihanna, Kanye West, and Madonna talks about how her Yoga practice informs her art and her everyday life.

7:30pm – 8:00pm
Claire Thompson & FreQ Nasty
Yoga teacher and Singer Claire with DJ/Producer FreQ Nasty talk about the tradition of Kirtan and what Dub Kirtan means to them.

Live Music

8:00pm – 9:30pm
Dub Kirtan Allstars Live!
Dubstep, Breakbeat and Bass DJ’s, Producers, and Musicians bring club sound system vibes and heavy bass to the traditional art of Kirtan chanting with David Starfire, FreQ Nasty, Rik Sharaj, Sita Devi, Dvine 1, Ysanne Spevack, Henry Strange, G-Dub, Cyrus, Clairity, Solar Lion, and Rebecca Stanley.

9:30pm – 10:30pm
Organic teas, vegan food, and raw snacks available all evening courtesy of organicfoodee.com. Chill and chat and meet your community.

For more info and bios visit Theartsutra.com.

All ages. $15 @ the door. Profits benefit Off the Mat, Into the World and Mahasukha’ Buddhist Center.

Event will be at Church in Ocean Park: 235 Hill Street Santa Monica, CA 90405

Profresher dives deep with Atlantis EP

Double You — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 21:39:07 +0000

Coming live and direct from the underground tip is Profresher aka Billy Blacklight. Today he launches his Atlantis EP over on Bandcamp. The buzz is beginning for this young NW producer and I personally punched my housemates dog in the face when I heard this minimix. Profreshers Soundcloud is filled with more of this up and coming talent. Check it.

Atlantis EP Mini-Mix Dropping November 23rd at http://billyblacklight.bandcamp.com/ by Profresher

Praise Wah! Punk Funk duo Muvlikamor

Double You — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 22:13:43 +0000

La la la la la… bam bam bam bam bam… wah wah wah wah wah! Inbox surprise of last week is the debut and self titled album by a pair named Muvlikamor out now on the Destroy All Concepts label. Aiyiyiyi -what a refreshing sound. Soul funk hip hop future jams is the first pass quick attempt at letting you know what one DJ Kiva and Oakland singer/MC (and long time inter-dimensional Bay Area personality) named Sunru get up to in the studio. But really this is anthemic punk funk without pretense or cliche. Yes! I’m gonna shut up now. Preview the tracks below and then get the album (most recently available on Juno) or their Bandcamp page. Producers, remix this. It’s dance around the living room pump your firsts in the air time again on planet Earth!

FYI: You may have heard Sunru before as he was a featured vocalist on Bassnectar’s album “Mesmerizing the Ultra” (OM Records) as well as Other Weapons ‘Basis to Break This.’ DJ Kiva’s original productions and remixes have graced the platters of a slew of international labels including Tommy Boy, Kindred Spirits, Bagpak, and his own Adios Babylon imprint. Wooooop!

Muvlikamor :: Philosophy [See post to listen to audio -yes thatz right! -go to http://iamalaser.com]

Download Philosophy.mp3 (right click)

Muvlikamor :: I Don’t Wanna Fight No Mo’ [See post to listen to audio -yes thatz right! -go to http://iamalaser.com]

JAMBOX -a boombox for our age, perhaps

Double You — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 21:09:59 +0000

I like this thing (that’s why I’m posting this) and I effin love the promo video (see below). Everyone is so damn fresh in it. Have we arrived to the future yet and is it as similar as a backyard BBQ? “What is this?” you ask. Well it is the JAMBOX Bluetooth “boombox” by Jawbone (people who make bluetooth headsets for cell phones). From what they say, it’s louder than a motorcycle, can wirelessly give you sound anywhere from a bluetooth enabled device, and can take conference calls. Nice! Plus, it looks just modern sexy right. I’m in. I want it. Added bonus is that it runs off of a rechargeable battery, made of rubber and metal so you can throw it around, and it can show it’s battery life right on your iPhone. Will set you back two Benjamin’s but promoing your track not on your laptop speakers to your pals is priceless.

Sensual Frequencies by +verb

Double You — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:28:11 +0000

Is there another term for “Video Game” sound? I seem to be using it quite a bit (no pun intended) these days. Nonetheless, which is actually one word, I’m really enjoying +verb ‘s (pronounced Adverb by humans) combo of dubbed out bass lines, synth arpeggiations and Space Invaders point and click anomalies all emanating from his new Sensual Frequencies EP which is available online now through the Car Crash Set record label.

+verb has been recently featured on Soundcloud’s “What’s Hot” list for his collaboration with Stephan Jacobs (more coming from him very soon!). He describes his sound as giant robot laser battles, tender mechanized love-making, and the blinking blips and bleeps of artificial intelligence communications. All true. Seems +verb is quite busy with this EP, a forthcoming remix of Starkey on Civil Music, a forthcoming EP on Vermin Street, an impending EP on Muti, and the collaboration with Stephan Jacobs about to drop.

Ginormous Bliss (OUT OCT 11 ON CAR CRASH SET) by +verb

Empty Hearted (OUT OCT 11 ON CAR CRASH SET) by +verb

R/D Forward Slash Mixtape for you

Double You — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 00:41:55 +0000

One of our faves, R/D has just posted up a free mixtape, titled ”Forward Slash 2010″ for you now. It’s free as a download here (just click the download arrow in the Soundcloud player below) or at his Soundcloud page. If you want to go high grade, FLAC, ALAC, etc, hop on over to R/D’s Bandcamp page and name your own price (kinda like Expedia for culture!). He certainly would love your support. -Side note: I think that supplied graphic will cause epileptic fits, so don’t stare at it too long!

R/D-Forward Slash Mixtape 2010 by R/D

ill-esha gives you Cold Hands

Double You — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:49:38 +0000

We’ve been hearing the buzz on lady producer ill-esha for a few weeks now. A serious contender in the arena of bass slaying and future hip hop beats who has been beating up dance floors left and right! Circadian Rhythms is the debut instrumental album from this West Coast Canadian producer, out on Nov 20th through Daly City Records (Mochipet and Friends private label). It’s a myriad of styles and influences reflecting ill-esha’s own diverse musical and cultural heritage. With whispers of Latin, jazz, drum & bass, hip hop & techno, her meticulously crafted synth work weaves a story within six dubstep & glitch-hop originals. This eight track EP includes remixes from Jay Wikid and Ben Samples, and will be available on Addictech November 20th for pre-release and everywhere else December 20th.

ill-esha :: Cold Hands [See post to listen to audio -yes thatz right! -go to http://iamalaser.com]

Download ill-esha “Cold Hands” (right click)

ill-esha :: Smoke and Mirrors Ample Mammal remix [See post to listen to audio -yes thatz right! -go to http://iamalaser.com]

Download ill-esha “Smoke and Mirrors” Ample Mammal remix (right click) =oh this is so dang funky!!!

Preview clips from Circadian Rhythms
ill-esha on Soundcloud

Take & Alpha Pup Records Want You!

Double You — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:26:17 +0000

How great would it be to get your music on the Alpha Pup Music Label? Well, TAKE, aka Sweatson Klank, is asking that very same question and giving you, the bedroom producers of the world, the opportunity to make it happen! Right now, for the rest of November, you can go to http://takeremixes.com and enter the Neon Beams Remix Contest. The winner will get a spot on Take’s new Alpha Pup release Only Mountain – The Remixes!

Looks like this contest started November 1st and you have till midnight December 1st, 2010 to get your entry in. The winning entry will be personally selected by TAKE, and will receive a secret prize from Ableton, a $100 gift certificate at obeyclothing.com, and a coveted spot on TAKE’s new album which will feature remixes from Tokimonsta, Mux Mool, Alex B, Low Limit, Teebs, Falty DL, Dibiase, Mono/Poly, Free The Robots, Shlohmo, Elliot Lipp, and many more. The winner will be announced via TAKE’s Facebook and Twitter on December 10th, 2010. So what are you waiting for? This is a great opportunity! Current submissions are being posted on his Soundcloud page daily.

02 Neon Beams by TAKE

Daedelus is a Street Fighter Soundtrack

Double You — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:14:00 +0000

The Into the Woods team does it again! This time with electronic music maestro Daedelus. Boy did that Magical Properties tour rack up some great coverage. Alfred is positively ecstatic playing this Far From Home Session (with free download) in the Ground Kontrol Arcade of downtown Portland Oregon. Madness!

It’s never too late to start your DJ career

Double You — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 23:12:07 +0000

If you’re not as happy as this guy when you play your set, then I don’t want to see you! His smile destroys all pretense of cool -doesn’t it.

And if you feel tired before a gig, just remember that DJ granny Ruth Flowers will steal your slot time and kick your ass. You can sleep when you’re dead.