The Norwegian duo Röyksopp just released their latest album called “Junior”. While I am listening to it and searching for reviews, I read people saying “It’s good but they will never top Melody A.M.” Why an artist need to top something every time? Of course an artist want to do the best he can everytime, or they think “I will do a worse album than the previous one” or “This is my worst piece of work ever!” I think everybody just try to create something new everytime or search for different ways to express themselves, that doesn’t mean is worse or not, it’s just different. In the case of Röyksopp, “Junior” is a really good album, with a different purpose.

In my humble point of view, an artist don’t need to focus on doing something “as good as this or that”, they should just aim for creating something new. On target or not, just do something new.

Pretty much liking of everything new that is being released this year: Prefuse 73, Steven Wilson, Mastodon, Röyksopp, The Prodigy, etc.

Weirdly I find myself in a postition that I never thought about it. The velocity of things happening in the city is making me so ‘information-addicted’, so ‘must be uptaded’, ‘must do everything’, that i can never really concentrate on what i really need to do. Would I be able to spend hours and hours developing music textures? Spend a week doing just a single illustration? That would never happen in a big city. I feel like the time runs twice as fast in the city. And of course, i would never be able to live in a house like this, which is actually in Brazil, and far from being expensive as an apartment downtown.

A good part of professionals I admire, live away from big cites. Probably to be away from the noise and to be focused on what they do best. Should I do the same?

Directly from nowhere, here comes the new song from Combustion, “Building the House of Vanity” featuring the German singer Caro Roth. You are able to listen to this song over MySpace or Last FM. Download will only be available for those who subscribe the newsletter.

“Building the House of Vanity” was created as an invitation from Hymen Records to join their next compilation. The subject was based on narcissism, theme of an installation created by Elise Roese, called Nrke. Caro Roth was invited to do the vocals on the song as a first collaboration between her and me. First time working with a musician overseas, and I liked the result of a fast process.

This is the second release under Sövereign.

The photo of the cover was edited with a pretty cool gadget made by Polaroid. I chose one of my personal archive and just threw it on the application. The result is pretty close to a real Polaroid picture. Download it and have fun!

I hope you all enjoy it! Feedbacks are always appreciated.

Cheers,
Marcelo

Building the House of Vanity by Marcelo Baldin est mis à disposition selon les termes de la licence Creative Commons Paternité-Pas d’Utilisation Commerciale-Pas de Modification 2.5 Brésil.
Basé(e) sur une oeuvre à
Les autorisations au-delà du champ de cette licence peuvent être obtenues à http://www.combustion.ws.

Recently I was deeply searching for some cool labels where Omega Code should try to get filliated. When I think about a label, I think not on how they can help you out, because nowdays, they can’t do much, a band has to do pretty much everything (unless you want to be something like Madonna), so what they can offer is a good structure of distribution and a cool line up among them, and ‘avant gardeness’.

If you think about it, why should we care about distribution? Nobody is buying CDs anymore. The whole ’sales’ are being made in the internet (when people actually want to buy it). So what would be the distribution? Put your link everywhere and say “Pay as much as you want”. That’s maybe not be the solution but when you see Radiohead and NIN sales, maybe is the option that works now.

A cool line up? Well, there are some record labels like Relapse and Roadrunner who has a cool line up of artists, but making an analysis, most of the bands start to get shaped by the label, as the label wants to ‘build a way to sell’ the band. I certainly don’t want to feel limited by anyone. The labels are very concerned about the selling of records, but if that does not work now, why should they shape the bands and not let them free, because they won’t sell anyway.

Avant-Gardeness ? The only labels I think are open for the future are on the electronic music field. Warp Records is the best example on it. They really push forward the music and pass the boundries of normality. When comes to ‘metal’, there are practicaly no labels that think that way. Mostly because ‘metal’ itself doesn’t seems a genre open for changes or evolutions. What if i want to change the thinking of the music i am doing in the following years? I would have to change label too. Wouldn’t I?

If i put all that in the paper, I wouldn’t have much choices, but open a label to get free of boundaries.
Would that work out? Would I be only having more headache?
Only God knows.

More and more I think that I should buy an iPhone, not because what it has, but because what people are making for it. The Brian Eno application, the Tap Tap Revolution and now this one.

RjDj is a music application for the Iphone. It uses sensory input to generate and control the music you are listening to.

RjDj is mainly listened to with headphones. Think of it as the next generation of walkman or mp3 player. The listening experience of RjDj is similar to the effects of drugs. Drugs affect our sensory perception, so does RjDj. RjDj is a digital drug which causes mind twisting hearing sensation.

About RJDJ

RjDj is promoting a music genre that we call “reactive”. The sound that listeners hear is produced by digital devices in the very moment it is listened to. Composers of reactive music often make heavy use of sensory input, which makes the environment of the listener part of the music that is heard. Compositions are called “Scenes”. Scenes have a different musical structure than traditional compositions and they often have no clear beginning and end. Some scenes promote active listener involvement and others promote passive listening. In any case, when listening to RjDj, take care and enjoy your mind twisting hearing sensations.

Following the art section, here comes Josh Keyes with his incredible paintings and drawings. Usually using nature and some urban aspects, Keyes makes his mark with the utilization of perspectives underwater and also the glasses distortions provoked by the light. His works are always Sold Out and there is a reason why. He is really impressive. I’ll try to have one of his paintings on my wall someday.

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In this next month I am selling myself out. Due unfortunate events, I need to work on everything that appears in front of me. So before things get out of control, I am willing to work on anything regarding sound design, web design and anything that needs some creative input. C’est la vie.

Music, SFX, illustrations, moodboards, house cleaning? Combustion is at your service.

Enjoy the Sale!

See the Sound Design Portfolio
Drop me an E-Mail

I thought Chris Cunningham was abducted by aliens and never returned to Earth. Apparently I was wrong, as he just did some shootings of Grace Jones for Dazed & Confused. Reminding me a lot of the Rubber Johnny style, deforming bodies and making them look like the were some Chernobyl disaster.

I also wonder, why he never directed a whole movie by himself? He is like one of the Jedi masters but never show his real power to the masses. Well, that makes the character of Cunningham. Although i would still love to see a 120 minutes Cunningham movie.

Funny thing happened last week. A friend of mine sent a link from Rubber Johnny video on YouTube, no big deal, BUT the comments on the video were: ALIEN CAPTURED BY NASA. And the most absurd thing is that people actually believed on it! Oh gosh, ignorance is so vast.

Following my art research, I’ve found Andy Goldsworthy work, telling me that some of my thoughts were older than i thought. If you check his works from 1976 until 1986, you see how he deals with forms and landscape. Using natural shapes and wonderful photographs, Andy is now a certain reference for me for now on.

“I find some of my new works disturbing, just as I find nature as a whole disturbing. The landscape is often perceived as pastoral, pretty, beautiful – something to be enjoyed as a backdrop to your weekend before going back to the nitty-gritty of urban life. But anybody who works the land knows it’s not like that. Nature can be harsh – difficult and brutal, as well as beautiful. You couldn’t walk five minutes from here without coming across something that is dead or decaying.”
- Andy

Nine Inch Nails surely made some fans really mad by cancelling its concerts in South America. Personally I was really disappointed with the fact that there was no real explanation about the cancellation or any otherwords from anybody. Typical.
Anyway, I hope Trent Reznor and his crew launch a DVD from this Tour, ‘cuz it’s simply outstanding! Almost everything you could imagine with these days technology performances are there. From lights to lasers to LED to interactive things. Everything. I read that as they are now independent, they are using their whole cash in the tour with all these 40 tons of equipment. Surely that’s amazing and they must get compensated by it. So, if they are going to your town (and don’t cancel it in the last minute), be sure to be there. Once in a life time.

Also, read this full article about the equipment at WIRED.