There are few techno tracks as influential as Joey Beltram’s “Energy Flash.” But it’s also a case study in form and influence – one you can learn from. To get started, listen to the tracks that came first.
Music
In Tbilisi, music is on pause because democracy is on the line
Music Stories October 25, 2024
In music video, Lebanese duo Rust captures emotions of “Diaspora”
Music October 11, 2024
A breakthrough AI-assisted color grading tool emerges from a VJ-Hollywood collaboration
Hollywood-quality color grading is about to get way more accessible, affordable, and automated. It’s all thanks to a fresh collaboration between experts in AI and live visual software – and studio colorists. The result promises to be a huge deal for anyone working with color in moving images.
Maschine+ standalone is here – so what can you do with it? Details from NI…
First leaked early in 2019, then evidently canceled, then leaked again this week – now here’s the official word on Maschine+ and what standalone NI hardware means for music making.
Build a 3D VJ tool from scratch, in browser, in the free cables.gl beta
cables.gl, available as a free public beta, does materials and gestures, 3D models, VR, and even MIDI all in browser. So – why not build a whole live VJ tool in it?
Blender 2.9 is here, as free 3D powerhouse gets boosts from Intel and NVIDIA
It’s the ultimate open source ugly duckling story. Once an awkward, esoteric tool, Blender has grown into a 3D modeling and animation standard that’s slick and pretty – and free.
Deep musical compilations persist in pleas for Beirut
Beirut remains a city in pain following the August explosion in its port. A new crop of music compilations has arrived benefiting independent relief efforts, including from Lebanese and Arabic artists.
Here’s a listening and buying guide for electronic music on another Bandcamp Friday
This year is a constant reminder that even in dark times, there are musical messages to hear. Bandcamp has extended their Fridays giving back commissions to artists, so it’s another chance to stock up on downloads and assemble a collection you’ll listen to on repeat.
Spend an hour with Leon Theremin and all-star composers in Moscow, 1991
In a rare 1991 film, Lev Sergeyevich Termen joined an all-star assemblage of composers from Russia and the US in Theremin’s Moscow apartment.
Watch these makers of hybrid physical-digital music instruments – a talk from Ableton Loop
Imagining a future of instruments now can involve combinations of electronics, voltage, computation, and the physical. Grab a virtual seat at this talk from Ableton Loop for more.
The Guthman competition is looking for futuristic instruments – and you can apply
It’s what The Guardian called the “Pulitzer of the new instrument world.” There are paid commissions and star judges. And this year is different, because (of course) the whole event goes online. Welcome to the 2021 Guthman Musical Instrument Competition.