cruft for the world.

November 30, 2005

That big show.


Catch Tachikoma (or Frank Henville, as I'm listed below) performing live!
This saturday, Dec 3, at Video-in, I'll be doing a 15 minute set, and starting at around 1am.
It's gonna be unreal, so be there!!

Details:

Saturday, December 3
5 to 7 dollars, cover (sliding scale) | 9 PM

Blim and Video In presents:
Video-Blim: an X-mas Fudraiser
@ Video In: 1965 Main St.

15 minute sets of sound, performance or visuals that have a loose christmas theme. There is no censorship. Please join in the festivities.

Featuring performances by:
Lee Hutzulak & Rachael Wadham / The Creaking Planks / Metre / Vincent Parker and guests / [othr] / Square Root of Evil / souns / Frank Henville / Wendy Atkinson / Carter Hayes / Steve Wichuk / Coin Gutter

with visuals by:
Flick Harrison / Tyler McDonald / Aiden Cry / Bunnysoldier

November 29, 2005

Rats on Bats


This is a rare phenomenon that occurs in some less-than-clean garages full of cardboard; the rats and the bats put their differences aside and work together towards the greater goal of making people sick.

November 28, 2005

I always wanted a plan of my own

I sit...
I think.
I listen to Deerhoof.
I think.
I need to play drums more often.
I think.
I don't have time.
I think.
If only I slept less.
I could play drums at night
I think.
I should sleep when I'm dead.


Go get the new deerhoof album (the runners four)
YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPOINTED WITH THIER ROCK STYLE!

Superflat Single #18 / The Boats


Recently I sampled some sounds from Troy's mind; for example, the sound of his nostalgia, and also the sound of his head hurting. This track is by Troy, or The Boats as he calls himself on the internet (he is part of a pro-boat special interest group and wants to raise awareness about the dangers of barnacles). It was actually made inside his mind, but it doesn't sound as much like his mind as mine does. It sounds more like digital assassins creeping around and throwing shurikens at you, but then the shuriken gets stuck in your arm, and you notice it's actually a 5 1/4" floppy disk......

November 25, 2005

Love Roma


Another manga I was reading through was Love Roma, a brilliantly drawn "EP" about .... well, it's about all the same things that manga are usually about, but better. 14% better. Good characterization.

My favorite character is the hero's best friend, Tsukahara: in fact I try to dress like him. He's the guy in the bottom right hand corner with the glasses....

Robot Attack


I was reading Gundam Seed, the manga, today, and thought I'd post some images of well-designed robot art from the Gundam Seed art book I once downloaded.....

I'm working on making our audio toys look more like this....

November 24, 2005

The Field


If you've ever wondered where 'the field' that the blipsandifs thoughts are created in are...er

November 22, 2005

Superflat Single #17 / tachikoma

I wrote a song about how it sounds inside Troy's mind. Let's just say you were inside his mind; for sightseeing purposes, perhaps, or collecting geological samples, or because you are in a comic book and he read you. So when you are in his mind, there is a 7.1 surround sound home theatre system playing this music. It's the theme from his mind. Also, 36.4% of the samples used in this track were sampled from Troy's mind.

November 19, 2005

We're back


The MP3's are back anyway. The main site will be in reconstruction for a little while, this site, right here, is always the best place to come out and find out what's happening with the worlds first bloglabel. (there is nothing better than stupid animated gifs)

November 17, 2005

What happened to everything?


We're switching servers, so nothing is working today at the main site and our MP3 downloads are subsequently down. In lue of our official Mp3's you should check out the 45 minute Mp3 at boomcity radio. Episode 1 includes a number of songs developed by the blipsandifs producers, as well as many fantastic songs by their friends and collaborators. The blipsandifs MP3's will be back up within a day. I promise.

Audio Toy Field Test #3

Gronk. Sounds like when you drive your car over a cement meridian. It's actually the name of a proposed audio toy. The design seemed simple as Tachikoma described it to me, and sure enough it should be. What's really going to make this toy fun are the sounds I've been sent to program into the device.
This post is also to aide in explaining our design techniques used in the field tests. Cardboard and felt pens are major productivity tools. Multiple colours are always an asset. If your track back to AT Field Test #1 you can see that chalk pastels are also a great option. The point is: long before we sit at the computer we take a trip to 'the field' and brainstorm. Some people use napkins, we happen to have lots of cardboard. Any which way, pre-production is the best way to ensure a smooth production.

November 16, 2005

The Geofront.


I finally have a new studio computer.... a cheap, obsolete desktop PC. It's called the Geofront, referring to its mystical connection with anime and manga and music (did you know that Tachikoma is a conscious exploration of links between Japanese culture and Western music? True Story).

For most people it would be a down- or at best a cross-grade, but for me, the Geofront is a huge step Up. Remember, I started with a 5 gigabyte laptop with 128mb of RAM.... and that computer, the Black Ark, is still a functioning member of my studio.... especially if you need some ReBirth work done!

All I'm trying to point out is.... for 500$cdn you can get a complete music solution in a box. As for software, there's tons you can download illegally and legally, or you can buy a copy of Computer Music and get a whole soft studio on CD-r for 20$..... I'm not trying to diss on synth purchasers and purchases.... it's just that PCs are such good value for the dollar these days!!!

November 15, 2005

Superflat Single #16 / self oscillate

One of the things that self oscillate and I talk about is our remix collaboration project thing - he's a member of signalform, and I'm the only Tachikoma. It's been so many years in the making.... it really has. Too many. And whenever we're emailing back and forth about it, I'm always struck with a sensation of jealousy, because Superflat Singles come out every week, packaged and grinning, with their sleek digital coats shimmering in the dawn....

.... good thing I still venerate the printing press! And good thing self oscillate keeps passing me these wicked electronic tracks to upload......

November 14, 2005

Audio Toy Field Test #2

AT Field #2 includes an image I sampled tonight. It was taken in my living room. That really is my "work bench" there. Due to simplicity the first intended audio toy should be a mix of those things there on my piano. I'm about halfway through that book, though it's influence will affect how I manage the creation of audio toys rather than the toys directly. If your interested in making interactive entertainment I recomend it, it's a good book. (Sampled the picture tonight? Yes technically it's not a photograph, it's a digital image)

November 11, 2005

Audio Toy Field Test #1

blipsandifs Audio Toys are well underway. What is an audio toy? A musical instrument presented as an explorative toy in the Macromedia Flash environment. Toys you can't step on, don't get lost under beds, never need to be cleaned and are fun for all ages. We don't know the exact time you'll get to be able to see, hear, and play an audio toy so check back soon for future Audio Toy Field Tests.

November 9, 2005


so then Sol went up to the guys and ask for an autograph.


live from the blackest of arcs

Big Meeting. You can't come.


It's just for blipsandifs producers, sorry!! Yeah, no seriously though... we're having a meeting tonight. Hopefully the changes to blipsandifs discussed in the meeting will be up on this site real soon for you to check out!!

November 8, 2005

Signalform and noiseform

Tachikoma just sent in his application to Signal and Noise ---- the hottest multispeaker sound explosion since Edgar Varese! It's a chance for all Vancouver-based electronic musicians to contribute a 20-minute set.... 710W3 and drunkenboats, I'm looking at you guys: deadline is Nov 15 for submissions to be RECIEVED in the mail.... get movin!!! .... you too Catscam.... selfoscillate, ok, you're off the hook this year... but you better be there in 2007 ^_^

November 7, 2005

Tachikoma / 16mm

Another of Jason da Silva's many films with Tachikoma backing audio data is playing in NYC. There's a good summary of his film career there too.... man.... that guy sure gets Tachikoma's music heard by a lot of people.

November 5, 2005

Superflat Single # 15 / Tachikoma

Tachikoma is currently devoting an even pound of time per day for Audio Toy Development. We'll be showing you all about this very soon. To make up for the missing MP3 this past week we are releasing a huge 15 minute track by Tachikoma. I saw Tachikoma play live at the blim show. I may not have noticed he was playing had I not known the red box on his lap was his infamous Korg Micro Modular. He was a statue twisting knobs and breathing his only motion (except for the laughing), this was good in this case as he was providing the soundsccape for a puppet show based on either Dostoyevsky or Burroughs, they had high pitched voices so it was hard to tell.

November 4, 2005

[[scan]] IV


A claim from "The Master and Margarita" by Bulgakov. He should know.

November 3, 2005

[[scan]] III

A short quote from a book on Feng Shui that's always on my desk....

November 2, 2005

Welcome to Tachikoma night.


Just a heads up, or perhaps I should say rumor, that Tachikoma has been commissioned to curate an entire evening of programming at Blim. The date is still to be confirmed, but acts will include J-Ray on puppets, a DJ set and a live performance by Tachikoma, contributions from other Blips and Ifs producers like Tron and Moil..
A good, bizarre time will definitely be had by all. So please take warning rude boys and girls.......