"Just Published!"
 

I found a lovely high-res gallery of Henrique Alvim Correa's original War Of The Worlds illustrations from 1906 and reworked the primary print for single-color screenprinting.

http://i.imgur.com/i26Q4VMl.jpg

I could print this as white ink on black t-shirt. Wondering what else I could do with it. Also thinking about seeing if my art print contact can order an oversize official color print of the piece for my home.

http://i.imgur.com/tIkxuIFl.jpg

UPDATE: I set myself to the task of finding a vector art design application for Linux, downloaded, installed, learned the software, and generated both positive and negative vector illustrations of the image to work on light and dark garments. Took about an hour but was well worth the effort.

Check out the finished tees, journal covers, laptop skins, and other imprintables here!

"I Love You, Man."
 

On this day in 2012 I'd posted my latest musical musings about Morton Subotnick's A Sky of Cloudless Sulphur and the works it inspired by Conrad Schnitzler.

One of my dearest friends - a large bearded Irish fellow with a flair for sarcasm, jumped in with what is the most magniloquent (and frankly hilarious) mockery of my hipsterdom ever conceived. It was so entertaining that I'd like to share it with you today.

He replied...

http://i.imgur.com/HERdZW9l.jpg

A Chance Conversation
 

By chance, I happened to be reading John Cage's Silence: Lectures and Writings.

By chance, I found it brilliantly inspiring.

By chance, I decided I should really have a Cage retrospective box set in my library.

By chance, there just happened to be a newly-issued pre-order available for a handsome limited edition 1958 concert box set of all his major works with a companion book available from the audiophile label, modern silence.

By chance, there were just 2 copies left of the 500 pressed.

Copy #499 is on its way.

...Cage was always fond of chance. :)

http://i.imgur.com/B90w4Xil.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/bY9LSvfl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/guXHwjMl.jpg

Curious whether Frown got his in before the bell?

Just yesterday I went on a drunken ramble at a friend about this weird/awesome guy I know on the internet who wears top hats and goes antiquing. It makes sense when you know that HE was the one who brought up Underworld.

I am honored that I would be the subject of your drunken rantings. Though I'm curious how I am described to a stranger by a drunken Batlord...

What did he have to say about Underworld? (I probably know the bloke.)

Pretty much how I said. He wears top hats, goes antiquing, and is charmingly crazy. The details are lost to the booze.

I was way way drunker than him so he didn't get too many words in edgewise. But I know he hasn't heard Dubnobasswithmyheadman, but I badgered him enough that I imagine he will soon.

Doing the good Lord's work! Thank you!

Wolfgang Voigt - Gas 10LP + 4CD box set
 

2016 has really been the year for abstract electronic milestone reissues.

Long-time readers may recall my acquisition of Wolfgang Voigt's classic Nah Und Fern vinyl set from December of 2014. It was the closest I ever thought I'd come to owning the complete Gas series on vinyl.

http://i.imgur.com/d6zPREfl.jpg

But today, I'm happy to report that I've just snatched up the pre-order for Voigt's newly-issued GAS boxset. Available now for just $175, this collection is issued by Kompakt as a 10LP + 4CD audiophile box set.

The packaging is beautiful, and this set is a true grail for any fan of ambient music.

I want to give a special thank-you to my old friend, Tim for introducing me to Nah Und Fern all those years ago!

http://i.imgur.com/UE0VCKkl.png

http://i.imgur.com/6NYBtmjl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/eLKMLUcl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/UBXdY9Ml.jpg

Drinking in Beautiful Music Like a Fine Wine
 

http://i.imgur.com/7ii2qEH.jpg

I first read this write up two years ago today, but it is such an important response that I wish to share it here, with the hope that I might inspire another listener to appreciate and consider music, (as the author demonstrates), like one does a fine wine.

Have a look.

Cage has arrived.

#105/500

http://i.imgur.com/cNIFUd3l.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/nkWYioBl.jpg

Music for Spaceports
 

For the last two weeks, I’ve been listening again and again to the latest two promo albums from M.Ward's 'Recovered & Remastered' series and the new 10 CD 'X-Series'.

The first specimen I ingested was the monumental 10th Anniversary Overhaul of 4ORBIDDEN MISSION.

Ten years ago, M.Ward’s remix project was privately circulated and limited to an estimated 22 copies. Bootlegs eventually surfaced and were exchanged*for large sums of money, but the originals seldom changed hands and the music was lost for a decade.

This new 2CD edition is unmixed, vastly superior in sound quality, and a fantastic overhaul of the original 4OM recording. The tracks have all been lovingly tweaked, with any quality issues finally resolved, providing a gorgeous listening experience. There was also a 3rd disc with the original 4OM which included a 54-minute mix of 'Huge Ever Growing...'*this mix was only ever meant for that set. There is a possibility that this mix will also get the 10th Anniversary Overhaul treatment and appear somewhere in the future?


The 40M Overhaul is brilliant, and if you’re a die-hard fan, you already know that you need this mix in your life.

But it was the second double-disc promo which intrigued me the most. The set arrived, like 4OM, in a modest cardboard 2CD sleeve, stamped with the title:


As a tremendous fan of the original TINWSIA single CD promo, (cat# KLF MINUS-SIX), I couldn’t wait to survey this deluxe and expanded edition. I set aside some serious time for interstellar travel. No lights, minimal external stimuli, just me and my passive noise cancelling circumaural monitors.


Listening to this expanded edition of Space was like settling in for a screening of 2001. Man has several rituals which must be performed to prepare himself for the journey which awaits him. Secure in my sleep chamber, I slowed my breathing and heart*rate*and engaged the auditory systems which initiated the listening sequence of Disc 1.

Looking back, my memory is foggy from that initial experience. There were so many sensations - moments of elation and of anticipation… but like all of the most gripping and affecting events of our lives, the exact moments blur into a vaporous and intangible haze. But it’s just as well - the incorporeal recollection is befitting of the ethereal magnificence of the recording, and enhances its metaphysical transportive effect.



Upon the conclusion of Disc 1, I opened my eyes, slowly, and reacquainted my body with the sensations and properties of the physical world. I needed a cerebral and sensory palate cleanser after the first leg of the voyage, so I shook off the space dust and had a little walk about the house.

Thirty minutes later, I felt stable and tranquil enough to complete the mission. I returned to my listening pod and initiated Disc sequence 2. This time, the musical events seemed more tangible and distinctly formed. Perhaps Disc 2 was more eventful than the sparse drone openness of the introduction. Or perhaps the human mind simply requires a certain duration of preliminary exposure to adapt to a sensory foray of this nature. Whatever the case, I had a heightened sense of awareness and elucidation concurrent with the events of the second recording and I enjoyed it all the more for this revelation.

To describe the particular events of the album would be unproductive, as the very thing which makes the experience so fantastic is that so much of what transpires will be the conjurings of each listener’s own imagination. The soundstage is filled with curious and distant sounds, as well as familiar fragments from the original source recording. And every bit of it is a thrill.

There have been numerous attempts to re-envision milestone recordings of ambient music as a contemporary response to the vision of the original composer. There have been countless trance and ambient tributes to The Dark Side of the Moon, alternative, remixed, and reimagined scores for classic films like Blade Runner and Nosferatu, and (perhaps most notably), The Black Dog’s Music For Real Airports served as a modern interpretation of Eno’s seminal ambient masterpiece.



To speak concretely and critically of this recording, I can say with great certainty that it rivals not only M Ward’s original This Is Not What Space Is About mix, but that it more compellingly captures the essence of interstellar travel than did Cauty, himself in 1990 with Space. Do not misunderstand me - J.*Cauty’s record is, in and of itself, a milestone of both the KLF’s legacy and of the history of ambient music as a whole. For its time, it was the best and defining realization of its genre. But the Full Length Unmixed 2CD Promo of This Is Not What Space Is About is the most effective fulfilment of Cauty’s vision. Every ambient music listener should cash in their worker units and buy a ticket for this incredible cosmic journey.

It's one hell of a ride.

First • we • feel • then • we • fall
 

I am in absolute awe.

After a sleepless night, I found myself scouring the web for novel inspiration. I prepared myself a hot cup of caffeine and sugar and filled my headphones with Eluvium’s latest - Life Through Bombardment - a 7LP collection of abstract ambient, modern classical, and experimental drone music clocking in at nearly four hours of meditative bliss.

But as luck would have it, I was a mere quarter hour into the session when my research yielded a most magnificent reward.

FIRST • WE • FEEL • THEN • WE • FALL is a realization of James Joyce’s modernist triumph of literature, Finnegans Wake, transformed into an interactive experimental, and non-linear film.

The project and its film are free to all, and I discovered it thanks to the wonderful educational resource, OpenCulture.com.

I cannot begin to express my exhilaration in learning of this project. And if you’re at all a fan of experimental literature and film, this experience is not to be missed!

(Frown... I'm looking at you.)

You had me at "7LP collection of abstract ambient, modern classical, and experimental drone music clocking in at nearly four hours of meditative bliss".
Will seek this out.

It's been an incredibly busy end of the week, and some really fun things have been happening. Not entirely musical, but well-worth sharing.

FIRST! A $5 trinket which warmed my heart and harkened fond memories -

My late father had cleverly paired an official RCA ceramic 1/12 scale "Nipper" with an antique Durham Industries diecast gramophone back in the 90s and I had always admired it on his shelf.
Yesterday I felt nostalgic so I ordered a dollhouse Persian rug with gold metallic accents for Nipper to sit upon.

I miss you, Dad. I'll keep spinning tunes for your pup.

http://i.imgur.com/W8p9CO3l.jpg

This also reminded me of a funny thing about cameras - I shoot all my featured LPs and this little guy with a Sony DSC-V3 that I received as a Christmas gift in 2005. It had a $700 MSRP when it launched in 2004, and was likely half price by the time it was purchased, but 12 years on it's still proving its value every day.

You can't say that about many products these days.



SECONDLY! LISTEN UP EVERYBODY, 'cos I'm about to make your YEAR.

I've been tracking the extended forecast monthly outlooks for weeks and I am proud to say that THIS SATURDAY is the END of the brutal 80-plus-degree liquid death that has been the daily assault of this ungodly summer.

I’m so relieved to have the humidity relent at last and that the scent of the autumn air shall soon lure me from my darkened sanctum to emerge once again into a world of crisp, fallen leaves, a rich array of colors painting the earth and sky in celebration of the season, and, (most importantly), affording me the opportunity to wear dashing longcoats, 14-foot wool scarves, and layering myself in my favorite fashions which lie in wait all summer to be unleashed upon the chilly streets of my fair city.

Check out the magnificent forecast snapshots below! Together we'll relish the relief of cooler days in the 60s and 70s with brisk evenings in the 40s and 50s all throughout September!

October shall usher in temperatures in the mid-50s to 60s during the day with nights in the upper 30s and 40s and the first appearance of snowflakes!

Join me in a rousing chorus of celebratory jubilation! At long last, our time has COME!

http://i.imgur.com/3GAa0LXl.png

http://i.imgur.com/dd0aYnHl.png

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http://i.imgur.com/hHYuZRll.jpg

And THIRD! Another successful INTJ PROJECT!

Lately, I'd been experiencing sluggish performance in my task management app - Google Keep, rendering the application nearly unusable. And more than once I lost data due to there being no undo option. I needed a better solution.

At first, I was worried that I'd need to upgrade my phone, but after a few minutes of research I identified the issue: I'd simply entered (waaaay) too much data for the app to handle. I broke Google.

In the last 7 days, I'd created 165 projects and task lists in Keep, many consisting of hundreds or even thousands of words, each with accompanying graphics. Because I am insane.

So last night, in four tireless hours of optimization, I migrated all task data into 183 pages of categorically-themed documents on Google Drive, organized them into a series of related subfolders, and ensured that each document was uniformly typeset and formatted.

While I was at it I thought it was an opportune time to renovate the entire Drive, organizing and purging all archivable data. The result is pictured below.

By 1:30AM, I'd reduced Google Keep to just 31 manageable tasks and its function was fully restored! Best of all, my long-form notes are far better organized using Drive and with greater accessibility than ever before.

Hooray for small victories!

http://i.imgur.com/Q556q7Ml.png

A WONDERFUL surprise this AM!
 

Many years ago, I'd snatched up this vintage Norwegian-made Tandberg TR-2060 receiver (1977 UK, 1981 US) for a few dollars at a junk sale, but at the time I hadn't the knowledge I have today and the 5-pin DIN inputs on the back originally put me off of giving it any further consideration. (I was young... forgive me.)

http://i.imgur.com/nnBlofql.jpg

Digging it out of storage this AM I discovered not only that this was a respectable integrated amp in its day but that for only a few dollars I can pick up 5-pin DIN to RCA conversion cables and put this handsome piece of gear to work in my listening room!
Admittedly, my curiosity of the receiver's performance actually takes a back seat to its aesthetic - (from ClassicReceivers.com...)

http://i.imgur.com/fuyEKhnl.jpg

My friends know all too well that I am a fanatic for rosewood, and the Tandberg would be a fantastic partner for my Denon DP-60L rosewood TT!

I'm ordering the cables today and can't wait to hear this baby! It'll be interesting to compare it to my current Yamaha CR-840.

Hooray for fun discoveries!

http://i.imgur.com/vtG7HOCl.jpg

The Mind Boggles
 

Tonight's showerthought (lifted from Reddit):

http://i.imgur.com/glhb6PVl.jpg

So this got me thinking about The Drake Equation, and I decided to run some numbers.

Drake proposes that, given the projected deviation of his equation, there are potentially between 0 and 36.4 million intelligent life supporting planets in the observable universe.

And with at least 200 billion galaxies (and possibly even more), we're very likely talking about a Universe filled with around 10^24 planet in our observable Universe.

Let's be bold and go crazy - we'll say that there are really that maximum potential number of planets Drake's Equation suggests may support intelligent life. As a percentage of our projected total number of planets in the universe, that would mean that at best, 3.64 x 10-15% of the universe's planets could potentially have music.

And finally, let's view that percentage of the original value representing the percentage of the universe which contains matter.

0.0000000000000000364 * 0.000000000000000000000042

which equals

0.00000000000000000000000000000000000015288% of the universe.

That's fifteen thousand, two hundred eighty-eight hundred-duodecillionths of 1%.

At this juncture it is only fitting to cite a wonderfully appropriate Douglas Adams' quote:

― Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

Now I'm going to bed.

Yay for New Toys!
 

The 5-pin DIN to RCA conversion cables landed this afternoon for my Tandberg TR-2060 (Norway, 1977)!

http://i.imgur.com/SJROZzGl.jpg

There will be much A-B testing this weekend. I keep a lossless and analog stockpile of test tracks on standby for just such an occasion. (A man's gotta be prepared.)

http://i.imgur.com/RanHO6Tl.jpg

Of course, I always use Dubnobass as the kick off record for any new piece of gear (doesn't everyone?), but that time-honored tradition will be followed by many of the best-mastered recordings of all time, including:

• Bernard Parmegiani - De Natura Sonorum (1975) [DR13]
• Feldman - The Late Piano Works Vol. 3 ( Steffen Schleiermacher) (2007) [DR22] (Track 2 DR28)
• Jean-Claude Risset - Sud (1985) [DR13]
• John Cage - Concert for Piano and Orchestra, Atlas Eclipticalis (1992) [DR24]
• Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963) [DR9]
• Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (1959) [DR13]
• DSotM (1973) [SPECIAL] {Immersion Blu-Ray 2011 2.0 24 bits 96kHz FLAC} [DR10]
• Steely Dan - Aja (1998 Steve Hoffman remaster of UK MCA MCLD 19145) (1977) [DR14]

and many of my favorite albums that I know with ever fiber of my being.

What are your go-to test discs? Have I omitted any essentials?

I Thought I Was the Only Milhouse
 

An absolutely brilliant afternoon. I met up with a fellow member of a music community I frequent who is a young prodigy of many fantastic fields of interest.

We had a rousing discussion of milestones and rarities of 20th century, electroacoustic and early electronic sound, East vs West Coast music philosophy, the philosophy of aesthetics, the ever-expanding human understanding of musical possibility, tape and process music, the standardization and democratization of analog synthesizer technologies in the 1960s, the benefits of open culture, the explosion of DIY culture in the digital age, Building Synths For Fun and Profit!, the incredible business potential of his effect pedal design and manufacturing projects, the early days of bulletin board systems, C64 and early computer culture, innovators of typographical illustration and design, dadaist and nihilist art and literature, audiophilia, and the joys of composition within the limits of retro technologies.

One of the most spirited discussions I've had in some time, and subjects which resonate with so many of my own interests.

Many aspects of his knowledge would make for a fascinating interview piece. We began just with the subject of the wonderful experiences he's had growing his hobby of pedal design into a business and the legendary musicians who've supported his work. That in and of itself was marvelous subject matter. But as the afternoon unfolded, it quickly became apparent that there was a far larger story to be explored. Perhaps one of the growing autodidactic culture of hobbyists like himself, empowered by the networking potential and informational accessibility of the digital age.

I'm looking forward to our next conversation and planning an interview for a future write-up. Stay tuned for this one!

LADIES and GENTLEMEN! The vacation starts NOW!

Our new clawfoot bathtub was delivered last night (a gift from a very generous friend).

This evening, we're dressing to the nines in all our Victorian splendor while a lovely lady cohort and her regional guest makeup artist make us look beautiful for our photo shoot. We'll later edit the print to resemble a daguerreotype to be placed in a large ovicular antique frame we've acquired. It should work well with our décor.

Then Tomorrw we'll be traveling to my old hometown of Rochester to meet up with friends from my halcyon middle school days for fun and frivolity, mischief and mayhem.

And we wrap up the weekend with a camping trip to take in all the beauty of the autumn equinox!

Now that's what I can a vacation.

Presently taking advantage of my free day off. I've set myself to the task of creating an Innerspace Hot 100 LPs gallery with descriptions and personal notes for as many as I can. (I confess that it began as a top 30, but quickly became a top 50... and then 75... and now I'm trying to draw the line at a hundred.

But good has come of it! I've now a pile of yet-unlistened Klaus Schulze records which I plan to enjoy this evening.

Cheers!

*UPDATE* The Desert Island gallery is now live! Check it out in the sig below!

Summer's End and Latest Finds
 

Greeting, friends! The past several weeks have been brimming with excitement and activity, and I owe you all an update. Please pardon the informality of this post, as it will be more personal and reflective than structured or academic.

It's been a month of investment in the resources I have neglected in my life. I've enjoyed exploring the sound of the aforementioned vintage amp which I finally put to use after all these years in storage and I'll be empowering my existing gear by upgrading my DAC from a Behringer Ucontrol UCA202 to the Audioquest Dragonfly Red.

I've been forging and developing friendships with intellectual peers and with introverted and reclusive contacts of mine from as long as 16 years ago with whom I never took the time during those chaotic college years. I've found them to be brilliant and engaging ladies and gents with an incredible command of knowledge in my fields of interest. I've had some of the most inspiring conversations of my life with a handful of these friends, and it has filled a void where rewarding relationships were sorely lacking from my social development as an adult.

I've also been developing my virtual relationships with fascinating individuals in faraway cities and countries. These musical friendships have brought me joy and inspiration in the form of musical recommendations of works which would otherwise be off my radar. These are beautiful people who I am grateful to have in my life in any form, virtual or otherwise.

My writing has also reached a critical point in its development. I found a mentor and a publisher for my book, but after thoroughly exploring the consequences of publishing a work on subjects as controversial as mine, it quickly became evident that I must keep the work clandestine, or otherwise risk millions of dollars in litigation, or worse - national exile. (If anyone is interested in the details, please contact me directly, as I would still sincerely appreciate the input of my friends and peers.)

https://innerspacelabs.files.wordpre...ngve.jpg?w=680

My potential new home, should I publish my book - an outpost in the Arctic.

But on to the music!

The first LP is an unfortunate situation. I was at first thrilled to find that this summer, The Avalanches' unparalleled debut record from 2000 had finally received a proper reissue, making the album accessible and affordable for everyone. My misfortune, however, began with my purchase of the record from a shop in the UK. It arrived damaged from international shipping, and the shop insisted that I ship the damaged copy back to them before they would dispatch a replacement copy. It cost me an additional $40 to return the item, (as I needed to insure the package less I risk losing both the album and the return shipping expense should the copy be lost in transit). Upon receipt of the return, the shop informed me that they hadn't reserved me a replacement and that the album was sold out. They also refused to reimburse me for my return shipping expense. So now I have no album plus a $40 hole in my account. I've ordered a replacement from another seller Stateside and hope to receive it soon.

My misfortune aside, this album is a treasure for any listener interested in sampledelica and in music which pushes the boundaries of copyright. Since I Left You, which comprises an estimated 3,500 samples is, like all good sample-based music, a legal logistical nightmare.

While it is difficult to summarize the unique flavor of this debut, Christian Ward of NME accurately described it as, "a joyous, kaleidoscopic masterpiece of sun-kissed disco-pop."
Whether you're a purist who insists that The Original Australian Zomba Promo Mix is the only proper version or you're just grateful that XL finally released an affordable reissue; Since I Left You is an undisputed classic of the sound of summer.

https://innerspacelabs.files.wordpre...-you.jpg?w=680

My next acquisitions were, thankfully, much smoother transactions. I'd recently revisited my copy of the 50th Anniversary edition of John Cage's SILENCE: Lectures & Writings and was greatly inspired. I owned copies of Indeterminacy, Variations IV, Sonatas and Interludes / A Book of Music, and various compilations, but when I spotted a newly-announced reissue of the legendary 1958 25-Year Retrospective Concert box set on vinyl, I didn't hesitate for a moment and ordered a copy straight away.

https://innerspacelabs.files.wordpre...cage.jpg?w=680

The musique concrète trend concluded beautifully with a visit to my favorite record shop from my old hometown. The owner knows precisely the sort of stuff I'm after, and many of my 20th-century avant-garde LPs are from his personal collection. The trip was most rewarding, as I took home two essential classics -

The World of Harry Partch (May, 1969)

https://innerspacelabs.files.wordpre...rtch.jpg?w=680

and A Panorama of Musique Concrete (DTL93090 1956)

https://innerspacelabs.files.wordpre...rete.jpg?w=680

Also while I was in the shop, I spotted a collector's dream on the shelf - an original 1970 copy of Rodriguez' Cold Fact with the disc is astonishingly mint condition! It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity but I sadly had to leave it behind. If you'd like the copy for your own, he's listed it on his shop's official Discogs page here.

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I've two more treasures pre-ordered for this fall -

The Orb's 25th Anniversary concert performance of The Orb's Further Adventures Live 2016 3 colored LP + concert DVD

https://innerspacelabs.files.wordpre.../09/large1.jpg

and Wolfgang Voigt's Gas series complete box set

https://innerspacelabs.files.wordpre...x_1500px_1.jpg

Happy autumn, everyone! And thanks for tuning in!

Yay for new gifts in the mail!
 

So glad to finally have a copy of this in my library - a promo copy of Philip Glass' Einstein on the Beach. Happily shelving this one right alongside Koyaanisqatsi.

http://i.imgur.com/naO0U7cl.jpg

Not criticizing, but why do you always put albums you're showing off next to that same lamp every single time? Alright, I guess that's a criticism, but I'm genuinely curious.

An excellent question, Batty. The answer is twofold -

First, I always display the album jacket of the now-playing LP on the plate stand sitting atop my Denon. And the lamp's home is right beside that stand. Sure it's a bit of work removing and replacing the lamp with each new spin, but until I find the right antique clawfoot lamp stand to match the room's decor, it lives atop the Denon.

The second reason is actually far more practical. My top 450 LPs are appraised at ~$18,000 and I've a policy to insure those favorite albums. One of the stipulations of the policy was that I photographically document my ownership of each insured title, and I'm the only bloke who owns that frikkin' lamp so it serves an evidentiary role to my insurer.

And it's pretty.

This sets up this evening's photo segue quite nicely - below is, very likely, the only photo of a fish head shaped picture disc proudly displayed beside a vintage fringe lamp on a black doily perched atop a rosewood turntable.

Juxtaposition is a beautiful thing.

Now playing: My newly-arrived copy of Barnes and Barnes' "Fish Heads".

http://i.imgur.com/lmi88M2l.jpg

holy ****... i feel inadequate

It's okay. Someday you'll have a record shaped like a fish, too.

that's beautiful

The Innerspace Labs Top 100 Albums!
 

Recently a vinyl community I frequent held a month-long event where members shared their Top 30 LPs. I had a wonderful time coming up with my list and writing small reviews for each title. Unfortunately, I had a terrible time limiting my list to just 30, and it quickly grew to a Top 100. (And even then, I’ve cheated here and there with multi-disc box sets and discographies.)

But it all seemed too good not to share here at Innerspace so please enjoy a gallery of 100 of my favorite albums. Mouse over any thumbnail for artist and title info and click any image to expand and view the full-resolution photograph. All albums are presented alphabetically by artist.

Have I made any glaring omissions? Any indisputable electronic classics? Let me know! Perhaps we’ll have to push it to 200…

Enjoy!

Note: My apologies but the html5 plugin which yields all the delightfully dynamic awesomeness of my gallery does not play well with BBCode, so I hope the community will permit me this exception to link directly to the content source.

Was it intentional for this to look like boobs?

http://i.imgur.com/PzcDzuT.png

Yes.

I'd thought that, perhaps, Batty's first comment on this post would be a congratulatory remark of resounding concordance, emphatically reciprocating my claim that John Perry Barlow's A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace is unequivocally the most culturally significant work of its era.

But upon reconsideration, I should've gone with boobs.

You are slowly beginning to understand me.

A Day Full of Wonderful Music!
 

This morning I took a trip to my old hometown of Rochester and made my routine pilgrimage to my favorite record store - The Bop Shop. The owner, Tom put a record in my hands and told me that I had to own it.

Tom has always been a wonderful source for musique concrete, minimalist works, early experimental electronic recordings and other lovely treasures of the avant-garde. Many of my favorite LPs are original pressings from his personal collection.

http://i.imgur.com/pyZfGQBl.jpg

The LP he held was John Cage • Christian Wolff, a 1963 album featuring Cage's side-long "Cartridge Music" - one of Cage’s earliest attempts to produce live electronic music by manipulating turntable cartridges. I've known Tom for years and he has never steered me wrong and this latest LP is no exception. Wonderful stuff!

I also spotted a box set in his shop which I snatched up without hesitation. Readers may recall my copy of Cyril Ritchard reading Alice in Wonderland which included a facsimile clothbound hardcover copy of the 1865 first edition with all of the original illustrations. Today in store, I discovered that Ritchard had produced a reading of Through the Looking Glass as well! And it too included a copy of the 1872 hardcover. How could I pass it up?

http://i.imgur.com/SUdUdlOl.jpg

Upon returning home I was struck by a recollection that a Kickstarter project had been initiated for a first-ever "Earthling Edition" of the historic Voyager Golden Record, (our message to the stars). As the Kickstarter page describes:

The closest I'd come to the Voyager disc was the limited edition "A Glorious Dawn" single from Third Man Records. The single was composed and performed by Symphony of Science and credited to an auto-tuned Carl Sagan singing about the magnificence of the universe. And etched upon the second side of the disc is the image of the Golden Record.

http://i.imgur.com/6qA0yaDl.jpg

As a tremendous fan of Carl Sagan's work and his legacy, and as a "cultural curator" of historically significant recordings, this anniversary Voyager project was something I knew I had to support, and to claim a copy for my library if at all possible.

http://i.imgur.com/ArcHLlKl.jpg

The beautiful box set is being remastered by Timothy Ferris - the original producer of the Golden Record, and will include:

• A cloth-covered box with gold foil inlay
• Three translucent gold, heavyweight vinyl LPs in poly-lined paper sleeves
• Three old-style tip-on jackets, black ink and gold foil
• A hardback book showcasing the photographs and art featured on the original disc
• A lithograph of Voyager Golden Record cover diagram, gold metallic ink on archival paper
• A full-color plastic digital download card for all audio of the record in MP3 or FLAC

What a wonderful way to celebrate our message to space!

And it turned out that my hunch was aptly timed, as I found there were only five days remaining in the Kickstarter campaign, and pledging to the project is the only way to claim a copy of this special release! I pledged immediately and look forward to the album's launch in 2017.

Check out the short official video for the project and pledge while you still can!

Just in From the Netherlands - An Awesome 1950's Electronic Music Box Set!
 

I've been on a crazy musique concrete kick lately, buying up classics like Cage's Cartridge Music and the Panorama of Musique Concrete from '56.

And just arrived from the Netherlands - Popular Electronics: The Singles Collection

#664/1000, this velvet box set was issued in 2008 by Basta Records - the label which produced the magnificent three-volume Manhattan Research set. This compilation contains faithful reissues of 1950s musique concrete 7" classics from Dutch electronic music composers Kid Baltan, Tom Dissevelt, and H Badings.

The set contains:

• Electronic Ballet Music: Cain and Abel (Philips 400 036 AE) (1956)
• Electronic Popular Music (Philips 315 538 NF) (1957)
• Electronic Movements (Philips430 736 PE) (1958)
• and Electronic Music (Philips 430 791 PE) (1961)

Each disc includes the original sleeve and liner notes.

I first got into Baltan/Dissevelt under their Electrosoniks moniker when I found the Philips "Electronic Music" LP from 1962 at my local antique mall. Wonderful stuff!

http://i.imgur.com/dEVU5v7l.jpg

So Pleased About This Evening's Success!
 

For the past year, I've been using the incredibly powerful gmusicbrowser Linux application for audio library management and music playback. But the program has always crashed every time I exit.

This evening, I found an active bug report for the issue, and through some creative troubleshooting resolved the problem. Now the application runs flawlessly!

What drew me to gmusicbrowser was its impressively fast and fluid handling of large libraries (150,000+ tracks), and its 100% customizable interface which I've maximized to take advantage of every possible piece of metadata I could ever care to access.

This made my day!

Celebrating the end of a long week with a few treats for myself. Just bought the last two Tom Waits LPs missing from my collection.

Now spinning: Tom Waits & Crystal Gayle - One From the Heart

And I just ordered a copy of The Black Rider to make my collection complete!

http://i.imgur.com/q031tRFl.jpg

Happy Friday, everyone!

http://i.imgur.com/szG97mMl.jpg

Groove Without a Doubt
 

NP: Underworld - "Mother Earth" b/w "The Hump" Tomato Records ‎– PLUM 2001 (1992)

My holiest of holy grails for many years which has still escaped my grasp. Of course, that's because this is EVERYONE's Underworld holy grail.

Only 500 copies were pressed, mostly for friends of the band at the time. The two mixes of "The Hump" were derived from "Eclipse" released as a single under the brief moniker, "Lemon Interupt" but these b-sides shine brightly as the most desirable and elusive of the band's early recordings.

B1 "The Hump" (Wild Beasts) is Karl's lyrical edit, and B2 "(Groove Without a Doubt)" is an extended instrumental downtempo house remix which completely reinvents the track. After a relentlessly grooving 4-minute intro the mix peels back all the action and an incredibly funky syncopated slap bassline emerges, doubling down on all the energy of the introduction.

Every time I come back to this single in my archive, I swear I've got to claim one of the real deal for my library.

One day.

My wife officially declared it Christmas season and had me unpack all our holiday gear.

It seemed as good a time as any to set up my dad's 1950s ceramic tree in my office in his memory.
It gives a nice warm glow beside my amp and the red fringe lamp that he found for me all those years ago.

Cheers, dad!

http://i.imgur.com/M1AqN3Ml.jpg

Your wife is officially Walmart.

Sigh... yes. Though she's morally and ethically opposed to any and all things Walmart / corporate / capitalist, but it's her self-professed Hufflepuffness (and her ENFP-ness) that makes her lose her mind over the very notion of Christmas time.

...I...I would totally read that book.