The iPad as artistic tool is not without its flaws. Finger painting, effectively, on its screen is nowhere near as precise as using a dedicated digital stylus like a Wacom, and lacks tangible feedback (as actual finger painting would give you, delightfully). And as a digital tablet, conventional painting metaphors can feel stretched. That hasn’t […]

More than any technical obstacle, and very often more than any artistic or inspirational challenge, very often the single biggest enemy of music making is time. Finding a way to comfortably develop ideas anywhere, therefore, is a godsend. And some of our favorite artists are the ones who’ve found a way to simply keep producing. […]

This video, featuring research with Kinect RGB “scans” of three-dimensional space, starts out innocently enough. Microsoft’s depth-sensing camera gets pointed at the world, resulting in some very impressive 3D scans. Then you get about halfway through. For my part, at least, I nearly fell out of my chair. By constructing a 3D model out of […]

Out of an explosion of terrifying industrial noise, through a murky haze of retro-tinged monochromatic texture, Sigur Rós emerge in an enigmatic teaser for a new project dubbed INNI. In case that arresting grind of gears and aggressive cacophony don’t square you away, you’re treated to film of the band playing and more-characteristic, lullaby-like tunes. […]

With all the horsepower computers are now packing, you might be surprised at the idea of adding on dedicated hardware for sound processing. Or, you can look at it another way: with computers more powerful than ever, with digital processing sounding more convincing both as emulation of traditional gear and in imagining never-before-possible sounds, the […]

London’s Rough Trade Records shop is an anchor for the independent music scene in the UK. And they have an online presence, too — a good way to support your favorite label in the wake up what for many smaller outlets could be a devastating loss. Photo (CC-BY) Radio Saigón. The first rule of giving […]

MadMapper, the video projection mapping software for Mac, is now gaining some momentum. We’ll be looking at it more in the coming weeks, but to get you started, here’s an intro video showing what it does, and a tutorial from our friends at 1024 Architecture dealing with a popular project – turning a building into […]

Analog synths, meet spacey, abstract touch controls. And Konkreet Labs Performer – the futuristic iPad controller app – meet everything else, including, for those not lucky enough to own racks of modulars, MIDI. Twisted KP is effectively a clever helper app, taking in messages (as OSC) from the brilliant Konkreet Labs Performer iPad app and […]

As has been widely reported, the UK’s largest independent entertainment distributor, PIAS, suffered the complete loss of stock in an enormous warehouse in North London amidst rioting in the neighborhood. Impacted is stock not only in music, but independent film, too. The warehouse is owned by Sony DADC, but the impacted stock is owned by […]

Against Detroit’s “industrial exoskeleton,” Resident Advisor has a new documentary short film examining Detroit’s musical revival, an electronic cultural phenomenon that brought healing and new life to a city whose economic livelihood had imploded. The film is beautifully shot, and wisely starts with Motown and its connections to the auto industry, not simply with an […]