I found a new band that I haven't been able to stop listening to since I found him via Paul Tebbott twitter page. Portland-based Keith Kenniff, who creates music under the solo projects of Helios and Goldmund, as well as collaborating with his wife Hollie in Mint Julep. His music consists mostly of piano and guitar with atmospheric background sounds which will put your mind at ease. It will take you to places where you feel warm and safe like when you were a kid playing in the autumn leaves with the sun shining and your feeling care free to the world. It's producers like Helios that not only reflect on the sounds that they hear and produce but also the reflections of sounds the listener might feel. Music like Helios takes you places it might be to past experiences or thoughts of new futures. It's all up to how the music shapes your mind.
On a non philosophical note though Keith also runs a blog where he posts tracks that he produced or remixed as well as videos that he produced and wrote the music for. He currently is going to be releasing two limited edition CD's of "Unleft" and “Live at the Triple Door”. He states that he is having the albums professionally manufactured with full artwork, and remastered. Unleft will have the same track-listing as “Unreleased Vol.1” but will feature an extra bonus track called “The Morning Room”. He will only have 150 copies of each available for sale, and doesn't plan to repress them unless he receives another large order. If you want to preorder his CD's you can do so at the Unseen Shop. The albums are due to be released on March 1st. I have added some of his videos that I found interesting for you to check out as well as some of his tracks.
We all remember the days before the CD and the mp3 player. If you do then you can remember making mix tapes. You probably made many compilations of all your favorite music, to share with your friends and loved ones, on good old fashioned blank cassette tapes (I know I did). I have memories of trying to dub a tape or trying to record a song from the radio with my dual cassette recorder. Just saying that make me sound old school. If you miss making mixed tapes this product will inspire you again! I give you the Mix Tape USB Stick($16.00). It comes with a 128mb USB memory stick and can store up to 2hrs of music and comes in 6 different designs.
A while back ago I did a post about Ecospace and the Mini-Jot which are office spaces that could be placed in your back yard. Well I found another one that I think is pretty interesting and it's called the Archipod (pronounced ‘ark-ee-pod’, as in ‘architecture’). The company was looking for a way to decrease the cost and inconvenience of commuting to work every day. So then they created the Archipod which comes with an ergonomic semicircular computer desk, concealed background mood lighting, electric heater, smoke alarm, data ports and electrical outlets. The ‘Pod’ is primarily suited to use as a garden office, but could easily be adapted to anything you choose and it is about 2.9m diameter internally at the widest point x 2.5m to top of dome. I actually find this one to be interesting due to the shape of the pod. It looks futuristic with its back to the future like door entrance and its round windows.
Thinksound offers an eco-friendly alternative to other portable headphones. Go green while you upgrade your lousy pack-in earphones with Thinksound Rain & Thunder Headphones ($75-$100). Both of these headphones feature a wooden body which it source is from renewable sources and it comes in a recycled, bleach-free packaging with a cotton carrying pouch that's sewn from renewable sources. Thinksound has found their niche that they were looking for in their products by offering eco-friendly products.
The best part of these headphones is that they have great sound quality in two different styles to fit your need. There are currently two Thinksound models to choose from. The Thunder, priced at $75, features a 10mm driver and passive noise cancelation (meaning the speaker cover blocks outside noise from entering the ear canal) with an emphasis on bass. The smaller Thinksound Rain priced at $100 is supposed to be catered to audio purists who prefer a flat frequency response. Both models are considered IEM (in-ear monitor) canal headphones because they sit inside the ear canal with a snug fit. Typically, models of this design produce better sound because they have a direct shot to your ears without letting outside noise interfere or leak into the soundstage.
If you think that the price is a little steep you can always check out Amazon. You can find the Rains for $60 on Amazon, and the Thunders for about $45.
I was made a aware of the Sasquatch! Festival last Friday from a friend and I wanted to check it out and see what it was all about. I was very impressed by what I found and the lineup for this festival is packed full of great acts. They have bands like Vampire Weekend, Passion Pit, Mumford & Sons, Deadmau5, MGMT, Band of Horses and many more talented acts over a 3 day festival. The festival is to begin on May 29th to May 31st in Quincy, WA. So far this year's lineup keeps Sasquatch! in the conversation of must-attend destination festival and makes the Sasquatch! 2010 well worth the price of admission, which is $170 for a three-day pass or $70 a day.
Another factor about this festival is how green this festival has become. For the past three years Esurance, the auto insurance provider, has teamed up with Sasquatch! to promote a more sustainable event. By increasing sustainable practices at the Gorge, including an expanded recycling program, eco-friendly signage, and energy-efficient lighting, they are able to reduce the overall carbon footprint at the venue. They even setup a way for folks to share a ride and minimize the environmental impact on this large event. The three day festival will be 100% wind powered. Additionally, Carbon Harmony will offset 125% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced during the festival at The Gorge Amphitheater. I think that many more large events should use some of the sustainable solutions available to them when putting together their large events. It's rather refreshing to know that you can not only have a blast watching great bands but your also helping out the environment. That's something to feel pretty good about.
I thought this would be a fun little post about some of the most unusual bus stops from around the world. These are some very interesting designs that will make your time spent waiting for the bus a bit more intriguing.
Hammock Bus Stop
Relax while you wait for the bus or just take a quick nap if you want.
Curitiba Bust Stop
This futuristic public transport bus stop is located in Curitiba, Brazil.
Casar de Caceres Bus Stop
This is a minimalist structure that looks like a single sheet of white concrete. It was designed by architect Justo Garcia Rubio and located in Casar de Caceras, Spain. I like this one for it art and structure.
Vitra Bus Stop
Bus stop was designed for the Vitra design museum in Germany
LED Bus Stop
Designed as part of the smart mobilities project, this bus stop was presented in Paris in 2008. Users waiting inside the bus stop could engage via a touch screen interface while pedestrians waiting outside could interact with a 6ft. custom LED display.
I will be heading to the Winter Jam 2010 in Daytona this weekend with some friends from Ohio and I wanted to share with the reader what Winter Jam is all about. WinterJam is the first event of its kind in the USA. Its a 4 Day VW, Surf, Skate & Music Lifestyle Festival that encompasses 14 events / activities held at 7 Unique Venues in & around the Greater Daytona Beach area.
Volkswagen Enthusiasts will enjoy the 3 Automotive Events including a VW Bus Show, a huge Vintage VW Show & the Premier Indoor H2O Show & Expo. Plus there's a Motorsports event that features an Autocross, Burnout Contest & Dyno Competition. The H2O show will have DJ Andy Hughes throwing down a good set. That in itself makes for a good time.
Surf & Skate enthusiasts will enjoy the 3 Action Sports Events including a Pro/Am Longboard Surf Contest & Indoor Arena Street & Mini Ramp Skateboard Competition. I'm looking forward to the Longboard and Skating competitions.
Everyone will let loose at the 3 themed parties. Plus there's the legendary Ms WinterJam Contest which who doesn't want to miss that. The 2010 WinterJam Festival sets out to be the biggest & best yet. Now in its 4th year its definitely an event not to be missed..!
Ticket Info
SbamJam Skate Bmx & Music Friday & Saturday, Feb 19th & 20th Ocean Center Arena Adult 13 & up 1 Day: $10 Advance / $15 @ Gate Adult 13 & up 2 Day: $15 Advance / $20 @ Gate Child 3 - 12 1 Day: $5 Advance / $7.50 @ Gate Child 3 - 12 2 Day: $7.50 Advance / $10 @ Gate Child 0 - 2: No Charge *All SbamJam Tickets get you into DubJam H2O on Saturday (except for Friday 1 Day Ticket) TicketMaster.com
Horizon Fire is the music project of graphic designer Paul Tebbott. From reading information about him it is clear that he is dedicated to his work whether it be his art or music. Paul is a self-taught graphic designer and electronic musician. His sound reminds me of the styles of Boards of Canada, Tycho and GDEB which are all great musicians. It came to my attention that Horizon Fire has release an EP called "Piney Hills Blaze EP" which he is making available to download for free. I highly recommend downloading this EP. Paul informed his Myspace followers that there will be some new music coming in 2010 along with some new posters. He states he will also be working on another music project. In the mean time while you wait patiently for new works from Paul enjoy his CD and posters designs.
Being a huge fan of Speed Garage I wanted to share with the readers of Damion DJ & Producer Blog "The Speed Garage Chronicles". The project has been taken on by Dj Skillz a speed garage enthusiast. Skillz has spent some many years behind the decks making crowds bounce to Speed Garage and in doing so he has acquired a large amount of Speed Garage records. So in having all these vinyl's the Speed Garage Chronicles is born. Skillz decided to take all of his vinyl that he owns and turn it into a large collection of mixed speed garage sets for your enjoyment. He will be posting 1 to 2 new mixes a week until he has played all of his vinyl.
So you might be wondering what is Speed Garage. Well let me tell you it is a form of house with vocal samples. Unlike garage, speed garage is based on a 4/4 time break beat and is characterized by a distinctive reggae influenced, jumpy, synthesized bass line and time stretched, phased or flanged samples. If you really want to find out what speed garage is check out the first two chapters of the chronicles right here. If you want to download them click here
