Category Archives: music

Beat Battles

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What is a Beat Off?  Well maybe not what you think.

Recently, local joint Holocene hosted one of a series of these where electronic musicians are given a variety of short samples of music and are challenged to come up with some dope beats in one hour.  Wanna hear what it sounds like?

The challenge is open to the anyone who signs up (until capacity is filled – they cram as many people as they can onstage).

Those who participated include Techno Mike, Quiet Countries, Magnum PA, Dirty X Rated, Shrubbery, Demi Batard, Cutter Filtoff, Graintable, Demdranger / John Henry, Rude Boy, The DJ Nealie Neal, and Sedell Jones who was voted the winner of the battle.

Each contest seems to bring new musicians into the fold and inspire others.  Many use laptops with custom sampling software while others keep it old skool with MPCs – machines that run as a MIDI sequencer and drum machine.

Organizer Erik Beats has been setting the recent ones up and he came on to my music show to explain the process.  You can listen to that interview here with some samples of the performers music.

Tapatio: High-tech Protest Communications

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The Republican National Convention set new standards for conventions and for protests.  Not only was it the largest operation for both the RNC and protestors alike, but it was the largest instance of police infiltration and pre-emptive raids in America’s recent memory.  Eight organizers of the “welcoming committee” (protest coordinators) are facing serious charges.  As the Friends of the RNC 8 website states, they were originally charged with conspiracy to riot in the 2nd degree in furtherance of terrorism, a felony which is the first ever use of Minnesota’s PATRIOT Act.

One of the stories to be overshadowed by the crackdown was the ingenious use of cell phones and social networking to coordinate the mobilizations.  A small collective of tech groups and individuals gathered before the convention to organize the Tin Can Collective.  Among their communications efforts is a program called Tapatio.  Tapatio is a collaboratively-developed, open source computer program described as a communications resource for the radical anti-authoritarian community that was made for the RNC.

Hackbloc

Participating in the Tin Can Collective was Hackbloc, one of many hacktivist groups that use their technological expertise for social or environmental justice.  Hackbloc states their mission is “to research, create and disseminate information, tools, and tactics, empowering people to use technology in a way that is liberating, and facilitate building of affinity groups that will support and strengthen their local communities through education and action.”  Among their points of unity are autonomous organizing, security culture, and internet neutrality.

I spoke with eVoltec, a member of Hackbloc, about their efforts during the RNC and the role technology can play in autonomous organizing.

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Chiptune Music

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There’s electronic music.  And then there’s video game electronic music.

While electronic musicians are known for their inventiveness, those in the chiptune community have created something else entirely.

Air Fortress on KBOO

Air Fortress on KBOO

I was able to record the Mircropalooza music festival held at Portland’s Ground Kontrol.  The bar/music venue also houses a variety of old-school arcade games so it was all too fitting to see chiptune musicians from across the region perform amongst the blips and blinking lights.

8 Bit Weapon and ComputeHer traveled from Los Angeles for their performances, while MC Firedrill came from Olympia, Washington.

Air Fortress was another musician and I brought him on to my electronic music show, Plugged In, that airs on the the local community radio station, KBOO. You can listen to Air Fortress give a live demonstration of how he creates his sounds.