A new tech startup called Pixie is looking to give objects a digital presence with the help from little sensors called "Pixie Points." The senors, which communicate via bluetooth are packed into thin tiny tags the size of a guitar pick.  They can be attached and tucked into whatever needs tracking. This means if you lose your wallet, you'll be able to power up the Pixie app (for iOS or Android) and see the precise location of where it was when it went out of range (about 150 feet from your mobile device).

Pixie Points can be tracked down to a few inches of their actual location. If an item is lost outside of the 150 foot range, the Pixie app offers a "last seen" feature, which alerts the user of the last logged location of their Pixie Point. In addition, the app creates an augmented reality map of all your stuff, so you can visually see where things are hanging out. Anything with a Pixie Point attached can "talk" to other items with a tag, essentially forming a network of all your things. There's also an augmented-reality map component of the app, making it possible to visually see where all your tracked items are at one time.



The tags will need replacing every 18 months, luckily they're relatively cheap: A pack of four will cost you $39.95. Shipping starts this summer.



Source: Mashable

Welcome to The Collective Loop Playlist-70.  We are now in February, the time of the cold. So why not heat up the ears with some new music by Modest Mouse, Purity Ring, RAC and more...

Cover Art by: Damion S. 

Tracklist

Japanese design office Nendo has created 9 different types of chocolate. While each are the same size, not a single piece from the Chocolatexture collection look alike. That’s because Oki Sato, who leads the Tokyo and Milan-based firm, rethought the concept of chocolate by focusing on texture.

“There are many factors that determine a chocolate’s taste,” says Sato, referring to factors like the origin of cocoa, the percentage used, and the various different flavors. 

Each of the 9 chocolates were inspired by an onomatopoeic word from the Japanese language that describes texture. The chocolates correspond with words like “toge toge” (sharp pointy tips), “sube sube” (smooth edges and corners) and “zara zara” (granular, like a file). Chocolatexture was created for the Maison & Objet trade fair that took place last week in Paris. 400 limited edition Chocolatexture sets were created and were sold during the event in Paris at what’s being dubbed the “Chocolatexture lounge.” (syndicated from Spoon & Tamago).

Who wants Chocolate now?



Source: Colossal

This is something that you don't see very often and I would consider it to be unique artwork. Chinese artist Li Hongbo transforms and carves out metal sculptures in knives and he has a huge collection of beautiful works of art.  What do you think?

I'm a big fan of Ghostly International and was excited to see them providing a FREE download of their new Ghostly Swim 2 album courtesy of Adult Swim and Ghostly International, which was released on Dec 23rd, 2014.  So if you missed this in the hustle of the holidays, then no worries The Collective Loop has got you covered. You can listen to a sampler of the album below and download here.

So while you're listening to the sampler below read a little bit further about Ghostly International or visit them to find all the cool stuff and good music.

Legend has it that Brian Eno’s concept of ambient music came to him while laid up in a hospital bed after an automobile accident in the ’70s. A friend brought him some records, playing them too low to be properly heard, and Eno couldn’t get out of bed to adjust the volume. While the record spun softly, Eno’s idea for music you could ignore as easily as you could give it your full attention, like a sort of sonic wallpaper, was born. It’s in that spirit of quiet isolation that Ghostly International, in association with Adult Swim, shares Ghostly Swim 2, our way of giving listeners a space to get away from the manic holiday bustle. 

For those keeping track at home, Ghostly is wrapping up its 15th anniversary as an Ann Arbor/Brooklyn-based indie. 2014 has seen the company soundtracking video games (Playstation’s Hohokum), collaborating with awesome companies like Warby Parker and VOID watches, and clearing 300 releases of forward-thinking music with records from Tycho, Com Truise, and HTRK. What better way to end this banner year than to revisit one of our favorite partnerships from the past decade and a half? 

Released in 2008, Ghostly Swim was praised for its adventurous survey of exploratory dance and pop music. Our curatorial focus has shifted this time around, moving further inward (spiritually) and outward (as far as our roster goes) to reflect the electronic underground in all of its hazy and vibrant experimentalism. Ghostly Swim 2 is a document of textured ambient zone-outs and woozy, granular house and techno that will help you find some downtime away from The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. So sit back, lower the volume, and enjoy our selections.

Source: iso50

When you think about thumb drives over the years they have gotten bigger in storage size but have shrunk in size. So it makes you think? Why hasn't the external hard drive been made smaller for travel? Well it has, let me introduce the Seagate Seven Hard Drive ($100). It doesn't refer to the capacity of the drive. Instead, it refers to the size. This is being revered as the thinnest 500GB portable hard drive in the world. It measures just 7mm thin, with a precision-crafted steel enclosure that highlights the look of the bare drive while offering protection for your data. It is powered by a USB 3.0 cable and weighs just over three ounces, it's a perfect way to lighten the load for those that travel while still giving you storage on hand.



Source: Unrate.com 

So last year, I got the chance to meet Les Coyns on my visit to Ohio. After shooting the shit and exchanging information. He was kind enough to provide me with his latest album: Come Home, which was released in May 2014 and charted #53 on iTunes.

On my first go through of his album, it has the feel of old school Hip-Hop with an R&B vibe and strategically placed samples. You can tell from the tracklist titles to the progression of the album that it's about the beginning and end of a relationship and the lose of this struggle.  Now I know your thinking it's going to be slow and sad.  Heck no, it goes on different levels of energy from tracks like: "Shout", "Borderline", "Be Me (feat. Demari & Dux)". Each track on this album has a different feel of emotions and sounds that draws the ear to the story.  Don't believe me check out the tracks below and hear for yourself or check out Les Coyns website or Soundcloud to hear all his tracks. You can also visit CD Baby to support this artist.

I was also able to ask Les Coyns a few questions about his style. So continue reading on and find out what this artist has to say about his musical style.


TCL: What artist influenced your desire to make music?

Les Coyns: Early on I would say that Stevie Wonder was a huge influence in my desire to make music, because his songs were introduced to me by my mother and would always sing “I Just Called” together during station wagon car rides or whenever it came on the radio. As I really grew older and started listening to different genres of music and falling in love with the classic Hip-hop and RnB of the 90’s, I was probably most impacted to actually make music by Andre 3000 from Outkast because of the infectious rhythms and rhyme patterns he used. I was hooked after that.

TCL: Do you make your own beats?

Les Coyns: Yes, I do produce my own beats. I’ve been producing my own music for about 16 yrs. now and it all started from the pure necessity of needed music to make songs too, without spending all the money I didn't have. I started on an akai drum machine and an 8track player and used to just go to the library and rent all kinds of different albums; classical, country, movie soundtracks, symphonies, you name it and I was grabbing it. I’d go home and listen to the albums and find samples that I liked and would track them out and arrange loop patterns. This really helped me understand the importance of song structure and different arrangement possibilities. I eventually moved to digital recording and sequencing programs and haven’t looked back since. Making my own music allows me the opportunity to truly tailor my songwriting and sounds to portray my vision more accurately.

TCL: What does this album mean to you?

Les Coyns: This album means a lot to me as it is a very intimate look into my experiences going through a tough relationship. This album was patience for me; it was a learning process that took time to understand. For those that have gone through a tough relationship or had to make a decision to leave a tough relationship, you can relate to the roller coaster of emotions that can be experienced. So this was a journey of reflection and healing, while finding myself again as a person.

TCL: Who are some of your favorite artist now?

Les Coyns: Right now, I would say I have been into some different artist such as Bastille, Lorde, The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, Yelawolf, but still always find myself going back to the classic Rock of the 60’s and 70’s with Elton, Clearwater, Jimi, The Doors, The Beatles, The Stones etc.

TCL: Who would you really like to collaborate with on a song if you could?

Les Coyns: I would really like to work on a record with Pharrell. My creative approach began in high school band like him and has always been kind of, off the wall with my sounds and he’s always been one of my favorite producers and artists. I feel like our styles are somewhat similar. He seems like a pretty cool guy and chemistry in the studio in my opinion is a very important piece of the process. It would be interesting to see what we would come up with.



If you enjoyed this artist and are looking for more music by him don't you worry. In the summer of 2015 Les Coyns will be releasing a new album: "Insert Coyns". So keep up with him or mark your calendar.

Happy New Years from TCL and welcome to Playlist-69. The New Year can be a little hectic with going back to work and starting a new year.  So how about a playlist that slows it down and comes up throughout to a faster pace. In this installment we have new music by  New Navy, Tycho, Giraffage and more...

If you want to check out any of the other Playlists then click on TCL Playlists in the menu.


Cover art by: Damion S. 

Tracklist

Christmas is right around that corner and instead of hearing the jingle of Christmas all your hearing is the jingling of your keys. Loose keys are noisy but handy. Instead of sounding like a dog with a jingly collar how about you get the Key Wrap ($30), by Campbell Cole, it will keep them contained like a key taco.

The Italian veg tanned leather securely keeps your keys under wraps until you need them with the help of a wire rope and a stud that fastens the leather closed. They are available in four colors: Pebble Grey, Blue, Black, and Oak.



Source: DesignMilk