I had to do a post on Mark Weaver and his works. I have been enjoying his colorful collages while enjoying the textures and styles in which he portrays his works. His works combine geographic landscapes and architecture, along with scientific and found photography to create some interesting stories. Weaver has done a lot of work with Wired Magazine, New York Times and many more. He was just recently in an article called "Overcoming Creative Block" written by Alex on ISO50 which is a good article by the way. Mark is definitely on the high mark for being one of my top favorite graphic designers.

Can I have a drum roll please (sound of drum rolls in the background). The winner of the 200th Post Giveaway Contest goes to Anthony Rich. Congratulation Anthony on your winning and being an avid reader and supporter of Damion DJ & Producer Blog. If you could email me your address I will mail out your Silent Thoughts Poster. You can email me at damion[at]scsav[dot]com. If anyone who enter the contest or anyone who would like to purchase my poster print can on Cafepress. Again I would like to take the time to thank all of the readers and also those that enter the contest. I look forward to bring you more great post in the future.

If your like me and your a geek. You more than likely have a lot of devices that need to be charged or powered by USB. The only problem is that you only have so many available USB slots. Oh no! What do you do now? I know you get the USB Super 16 Port Hub ($160). This puppy is sporting its own internal power supply, 16 USB 2.0-compliant ports, and the ability to connect two computers to the hub at the same time. This is a must have for any one looking for more USB ports to connect all of there peripheral devices so not to have a tangled mess of wires to sort through just to hook up one device.

This

or This

Product Specs

* USB 2.0 hub with a whopping 16 ports
* Connect up your printer, digicam, card reader, mp3 player, Snowbot, Missile Launcher, etc.
* Up to 2 PCs can connect to the hub and share the sources (but not at the same time)
* Built-in 22.5W power supply; an extra AC adapter is not needed
* Voltage: 100V-240V
* Dimension: 116 x 67 x 63mm (approx.)
* Weight: 0.8 lbs (approx.)
* Package Contents:
o USB Super 16-Port Hub
o USB Cable
o Power Cord

MGMT will be releasing their new album Congratulations on April 13th. Unfortuanlty the album is already floating around on the internet due to a leak. So the psych-pop duo Andrew WanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser have gone ahead and posted the entire album as a free stream, and you don't have to fill anything out to listen to it.

Source Via: Pitchfork, NPR

Photography is becoming a large part of my life. I can not tell you how many people in the world have amazing works and it is always interesting when I come upon those people that do. I came across Yann Orhan and his collection called: Butterfly & The Infinite Sadness. In this collection he has a lot of soft textures to his photos with minimal color. It gives it that look of a dreary day during the fall season.

A little about Yann Orhan he is a graphic designer and a photographer. He creates a personal universe beside real time and where you may find chunks of life or some strange suspended territories.(partfaliaz.com). His graphic design work for the music industry is gathered at Monsieur Yann Orhan.

So it's Friday and I wanted to do something fun and what can be more fun than Pac-Man. I know the answer to that it's Pac-Man Land that's right it did exist. In 1982, the Six Flags parks were bought by Bally Manufacturing. Bally-Midway owned Pac-Man, one of the hottest franchises at the time, so it was a no-brainier that they would remove the petting zoo section of Six Flags and turn it into a creepy Pac-Man themed kids area. I don't know about you but from the pictures all of the kids looked freaked out or just not sure whats go.

In the world of Pac-Man land they also had a family of Shirt Tales friends amongst the Pac-Man family. Pac-Man Land had characters walking around and a kid's playground. There was also a magic show. I'm sure it seemed big to kids but, in reality, was just a small area of the park.

One reason why Pac-Man Land has such an obscure history is it's short lifespan. It was shut down at the end of 1984. Six Flags then made a deal with Warner Bros to retool it's kids park into Looney Tunes Land, which it remains today.

Hope those who were born during the time of Pac-Man and Shirt Tales takes a look back at the nostalgia from back in the day and enjoys it. Happy Friday!!









Source Via: popculturewastelands

I found this video the other day where Motherboard host Jordan Redaelli hangs out with Moby while he shows him all of his vintage drum machines. In this video Moby talks geek about a lot of his analog drum machines that he has collected over the years. Then he shows you his studio in which he talks about the sizes of the studio and his view on large and small studios. He then goes on to talk more about the history of the drum machines and the time in which you could purchase them at lower cost compared to now where the price is about doubled in cost. The most interesting part is near the end where he states that there is no such thing as a cool electronic musician. You will have to watch the video to find out his view on that.

I have been working on a logo design for a company and sometimes I get a little blocked when it comes to picking the right kinds of fonts to go with my design. Then I received an email from my boss with an article on "Four Ways to Mix Fonts" by H&FJ. This article came in handy for helping me work with the fonts that I have and finding ones that will complement each other. H&FJ's Highly Scientific First Principle of Combining Fonts is: keep one thing consistent, and let one thing vary. It is basically the interplay between the fonts that can give the mood for the design. They talk about making different palettes to assist in choosing your fonts. The four they talk about are wit, energy, poise, and dignity. I highly recommend this article to anyone who is in design or is looking to have more knowledge in fonts.

Foursquare is a app for the iPhone, Blackberry, Palm and Android phones in which it allows you to tell people where you have checked-in at. From the Foursquare website they state people use foursquare to "check-in", which is a way of telling us your whereabouts. When you check-in someplace, we'll tell your friends where they can find you and recommend places to go & things to do nearby. People check-in at all kind of places - cafes, bars, restaurants, parks, homes, offices.

Foursquare offers points when you check-in to different places as well. Find a new place in your neighborhood? +5 points. Making multiple stops in a night? +2 points. Dragging friends along with you? +1. If you are always going to the same spots you could earn the title of Mayor. If you do earn that title Foursquare has a list of freebies that they mayor can get at those spots. It is a interesting application that can keep your social status updated and lets people know where you are and what your doing. Many of these types of programs are popping up now in 2010 so the question is do you want to join in on the fun?


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The PlayStation Move ($TBA) is bringing motion-based gaming to the PS3, in full 1080p. The system will use a main motion controller, a "sub-controller," like a more advanced version of the Wii's controller, and the Playstation Eye camera to offer precise detection of movement, angle, and absolute position in 3D space, which should make for some really competitive games of Golf. The strange looking ball thing on the end of the controller is there to help with the motion tracking. It also lights up in different colors to notify you of stuff within the game. The ball is made from a soft rubber material, which will hopefully help you out if you accidentally lose control of your controller. If you want to get more of an idea about what the controller can do watch the video below.

I came across Rodolfo Vanmarcke work from Steven Beckly's twitter page where he announced that his portfolio was in Issue 5 on Unless You Will website. If you remember I just did a post on Steven Beckly last week on his photography. So I proceed to check out Issue 5 and I came across Rodolfo's Modern Solitude collection. His collection is strange and fascinating to say the least. I enjoy his use of models with animal heads. I think those kinds of pictures are always interesting and leave your mind wondering what if you had an animal head. "Modern Solitudes" reflects the artist vision towards the contemporary society, by stating that "The contemporary human being has buried himself in a devastating solitude due to the triumph of industrialization. We have systematically celebrated the mass manufacture of products that are elaborated under the slogan “Our greatest product is the human capital”. Ironically, that same resource is already a prefabricated product, properly packed with the in vogue clothing, the technology of the moment and under the media diet of the day. We have transformed ourselves into isolated self-idols within a temple devoid of believers; crammed full of needs that are in fact invented by a society of identical people.

We are convinced of being completely free. Universally, there hasn’t been a time with greater liberty than the actual one: a tremendous range to be chosen is presented as a fold-out menu; nevertheless there has not been a better moment than today to celebrate our sameness. But is not an equality based on ethical values, but an equality based on the depersonalization and the absolute self-exile.

"Modern Solitudes" begins and ends with this condition."

I got a chance over the weekend to check out the new CD by Chew Lips "Unicorn" which was release in January, 2010. If you can remember I put one of their tracks "Slick" up on the Playlist-08. This trio has put together some interesting sounds in which most would call it electro pop. This London based band has synth based tracks with the vocal sounds of front-girl Tigs and multi-instrumentalists of Will Sanderson and James Watkins. Tigs who definitely has a unique sound to her voice and has some obscure lyrics makes it a good combination with this trio. This 30 minute CD is packed full of potential indie mainstream singles that can satisfy that indie sound void. The tracks that have the potential to make this bands fan base grow this year are Slick, Play Together, Karen, and Toro. All these tracks would definitely get any indie kid flaring and stomping on the dance floor with their high to minimal dance pop sound. From the looks of their Myspace page they will get many chances on their shows to get those indie kids moving. I definitely give this CD a thumbs up and if you're like me and are a sucker for synth based sounds with random bleeps and clicks in the background to a poppy sounding vocal then this is for you. If you get a chance as well you should check out the two remixes of two of Chew Lips tracks that I have added to the player below.

So being that I'm a sucker for animation and I think Owl's are pretty cool animals. I wanted to talk about the movie Legend of the Guardians which I saw the preview last night at the opening of Alice in Wonderland. Legend of the Guardians is directed by Zack Snyder, a former commercials director who has directed Dawn of the Dead, 300, and Watchmen, and is currently working on SuckerPunch. This movie is specifically based on the first three books in Kathryn Lasky's popular series of novels known as the Guardians of Ga'Hoole. Warner Brothers will be bringing Legend of the Guardians to theaters everywhere, in both 2D and 3D, starting on September 24th this year. The story plot may be a little cheesy but the manner in which it is produced looks amazing. Planning on seeing this?

Legend of the Guardians Official Trailer

If your wondering who does the song to this trailer it is 30 Seconds to Mars.

Well it's arriving in less than 11 post away. We will reach the 200th post on Damion DJ & Producer Blog. I would like to take the time and thank everyone who visits, comments and supports this blog. It definitely has been a learning experience and its nice when I get feedback. I basically started this blog because I kept finding so many cool things online and didn't want to forget them. So I started this blog and have watched it grow slowly but surely.

So with that being said as a thank you I would like to have a Giveway Contest. The Winner of the contest will win a New 11x17 Poster designed by Damion Schweizer (see below). Here is how to enter: Leave a comment explaining what your favorite post was, or sign up to my RSS feed, or follow me on Twitter. You can be enter into the contest by three different ways (be sure to include an email so I can track you down if you win). Also if you do subscribe leave me a message so that I know that you have become a subscriber. If you’re already a subscriber, then just add a comment or follow me on Twitter and you’re good. The winner will be chosen randomly and will be notified. The winner will be announced on the 200th post.

So again Thank you and I value your opinions so please feel free to take this as an opportunity as well to make any suggestions.

Silent Thoughts Poster

Gorillaz have released their third album "Plastic Beach". It has been an anticipated album that so many fans have been waiting for its release. Gorillaz started twelve years ago by Damon Albran from Blur and the visual aspect of Gorillaz was done by James Hewlett who was also known for being the co-creator of the comic Tank Girl. Together they made the first fictional multi-media band. In this release you could basically call it Damon Albarn Project due to he writes, produces, sings and plays most of the music. I give him props for including a very comprehensive collection of guest on this album: Snoop Dogg, De La Soul, Mos Def, Lou Reed, and Clash's Mick Jones who all give great depth and style to each song they perform.

In the World of Plastic Beach feat. Snoop Dogg I enjoyed how Orchestral Intro (feat. Sinfonia Viva) slowly works your way up to Snoop Dogg's what would you call it dub funk track. The style in which he flows and his rhymes are slick that is why he is the boss dogg. Favorite line from this song is "Yeah, just like that Belly floppin' lockin' while I'm rockin' in the bubble bath" just the way he says it sounds smooth even though it doesn't make since. Then there is the Superfast Jellyfish (feat. Gruff Rhys & De La Soul) this is another great track on this CD. Gruff Rhys and De La Soul provide a fun rap-slap song which seem to be a spoof on a commercial for a morning breakfast product. When I hear this song it takes me back to the 80's cartoon style drawings and the cheesiness that went with it. Over all this is a great album which deserves a listen to. It may not have the same feel as previous albums but it definitely gives a whole new feel and style on this one.

Gorillaz "Stylo Video"
Starring Bruce Willis

Welcome to the new installment of the playlist series with Playlist-11 Compiled by Damion. In this playlist I have included some upbeat songs with some interesting piano synth sounds in a lot of the tracks that give each song a unique appeal. I would advice though to check out the last song "That White Girl" by Track Rockers Ent. It was written by Raybones and Produced by Mic Vicious. It currently is a promo track that as of yet is an untitled project by Raybones. Raybones and his partner Mic Vicious, the two collaborated on Raybone's first EP Dirty White Boy; together, the pair established Track Rockers, a dynamic duo who creates original beats and lyrics. Mic Vicious is actually a good friend of mine who is very talented in the producer arena. This man can put together a nice hip hop track for your listening pleasure. If you want to check out more by Raybones and Mic Vicious then check out their Myspace pages. If you want to check out any of the other playlist then click on Archived Playlist in this post or on the right hand side of this blog.



Cover art by: Damion Schweizer

Tracklist

1. Buoy by The Nightgowns
2. Falling From The Sun by Album Leaf
3. Flashes by Spirit Spine
4. Folding Under Stories Told by Letting Up Despite Great Faults
5. He Was Worse Than The Needle He Gave You by The Delta Mirror
6. I Can't Wait To Come Home by Dreamboat Money
7. Icarus by White Hinterland
8. In A Dream by Skybox
9. July Flame by Laura Veirs
10. Artichoke by Pandit
11. Sundy by Field
12. The Kids Don't Stand A Chance (Miike Snow Remix) by Vampire Weekend
13. The King and All Of His Men by Wolf Gang
14. Wide Eyes by Local Natives
15. Young Intentions (Feat. Goddamn Electric Bill) by IMMOOR
16. That White Girl by Track Rockers Ent.