#00's techno

[dankalbumart]

10.1 Sampler by Ben Sims Theory Recordings 2001 Tribal Techno / Minimal Techno / Techno

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Maschinenfest 2000 2000 Rhythmic Noise / Power Noise / Avantgarde / Industrial / Hard Techno

Well, much like its 1999 predecessor, Maschinenfest 2000 is another comp that is unfortunately way too intensely hard and heavy for yours truly 😔. The idea of an electronic music festival taking place in a nuclear bunker deep underground in the German city of Aachen, which is where Maschinenfest originally spent its first handful of years, is certainly intriguing, but it's also most definitely not for me. However, if you're the type of person whose music taste consists of the Venn Diagrammed middle between noise, industrial, and hard techno, this 2000 double-disc might be more to your liking than Maschinenfest 1999, because while 1999 definitely has a bunch of similar stuff on it, it isn't fully rhythmic like this one is (and 1999 also has one less disc too).

So everything on here is dance music in some capacity, but it's not dance music for the faint of heart; this is stuff that was specifically made for post-apocalyptic ravers who sleep on beds of rusty nails and find the whole dystopian idea of having to wear a gas mask in order to avoid breathing in irradiated air enthralling rather than spooky. Lots of loud and distorted, crackling noise set to hard, pummeling rhythm here, and if you've ever found the residual sounds made by enormous industrial machinery and power tools in a factory to be soothing rather than dissonant, you'll probably wanna check this thing out.

Released in anticipation of the second annual Maschinenfest, these two discs from Germany's Pflichtkauf label certainly showcase a distinct type of electronic dance music, but this stuff is clearly niche for a reason. Ultimately, I'm glad that there's an outlet for avantgardist people who can delight in this significantly harsh sonic aesthetic, but I severely doubt that I'll ever end up cottoning to it myself.

No highlights.

[sanguith]

might decide to dig through my wardrobe and play dress up and try to imitate various styles or aesthetics. gonna be saying "fuck gender" also and put on wigs and/or makeup occasionally even though i'll blur my face if i post them on here ✌️

[letsmakefingerfive]

Lee Jung Hyun 💫

[kuromi-hoemie]

OMG that's so pretty i love lakes so much (⁠｡⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♡ um umm here r more park pics

and this other nearby lake (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠)

and then here r some Area Pics from another pretty area in the state here ^~^

speaking of pretty walk look at this trail im on u guys i love it here

[brucesterling]

US National Priorities for Artificial Intelligence, please help

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/OSTP-Request-for-Information-National-Priorities-for-Artificial-Intelligence.pdf

Request for Information National Priorities for Artificial Intelligence

AGENCY: Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). ACTION: Notice of Request for Information.

[3270-F1]

SUMMARY: The Biden-Harris Administration is developing a National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy that will chart a path for the United States to harness the benefits and mitigate the risks of AI. This strategy will build on the actions that the Federal Government has already taken to responsibly advance the development and use of AI. To inform this strategy, OSTP requests public comments to help update U.S. national priorities and future actions on AI.

DATES: Interested individuals and organizations are invited to submit comments by 5:00 p.m. ET on July 7, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Comments must be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at regulations.gov. However, if you require an accommodation or cannot otherwise submit your comments via regulations.gov, please contact the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. OSTP will not accept comments by fax or by email, or comments submitted after the comment period closes. To ensure that OSTP does not receive duplicate copies, please submit your comments only once. Additionally, please include the Docket ID at the top of your comments.

Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov to submit your comments electronically. Information on how to use www.regulations.gov, including instructions for accessing agency documents, submitting comments, and viewing the docket, is available on the site under “FAQ” (https://www.regulations.gov/faq).

Privacy Note: OSTP’s policy is to make all comments received from members of the public available for public viewing in their entirety on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov. Therefore, commenters should be careful to include in their comments only information that they wish to make publicly available. OSTP requests that no proprietary information, copyrighted information, or personally identifiable information be submitted in response to this Request for Information (RFI).

Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Each responding entity (individual or organization) is requested to submit only one response.

Responses may address one or more topics, as desired, from the enumerated list provided in this RFI. Responders should note the corresponding topic number(s) in their response. Submissions must not exceed 10 pages (exclusive of cover page and references) in 11-point or larger font. Responses should include the name of the person(s) or organization(s) filing the comment, as well as the respondent type (e.g., academic institution, advocacy group, professional society, community-based organization, industry, member of the public, government, other). Comments referencing materials that are not widely published should include copies or electronic links of the referenced materials. No business proprietary information, copyrighted information, or personally identifiable information (aside from that requested above) should be submitted in response to this RFI. Comments submitted in response to this RFI may be posted online or otherwise released publicly.

In accordance with Federal Acquisitions Regulations Systems 15.202(3), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Federal Government to form a binding contract. Additionally, those submitting responses are solely responsible for all expenses associated with response preparation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, please direct questions to Nik Marda at AI-Strategy@ostp.eop.gov or 202-456-6121.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background: AI has been part of American life for years, and it is one of the most powerful technologies of our generation. The pace of AI innovation is accelerating rapidly, which is creating new applications for AI across society. This presents extraordinary opportunities to improve the lives of the American people and solve some of the toughest global challenges. However, it also poses serious risks to democracy, the economy, national security, civil rights, and society at large. To fully harness the benefits of AI, the United States must mitigate AI’s risks.

The Biden-Harris Administration has already taken significant steps to advance responsible innovation, protect the American people’s rights and safety, and ensure all Americans benefit from AI. The Federal Government funds significant amounts of responsible research in AI, has issued an updated National AI R&D Strategic Plan, and developed a plan to build a National AI Research Resource to ensure that more researchers have access to tools to leverage AI. The Biden-Harris Administration has protected national security and maintained global competitiveness, including by banning exports to the People’s Republic of China of high-end computer chips used to build AI and by developing a strategy for responsible AI in defense. It has laid out a Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, an AI Risk Management Framework, provisions across multiple executive orders, and many actions across the Federal Government to promote responsible AI innovation, manage the risks associated with AI, and ensure AI systems are trustworthy and equitable. The Administration has also worked with like-minded partners around the world to assess AI’s implications for the workforce, to advance collaborative AI research and development, and to ensure technology works for democracy.

The Biden-Harris Administration is undertaking a process to ensure a cohesive and comprehensive approach to AI-related risks and opportunities. By developing a National AI Strategy, the Federal Government will provide a whole-of-society approach to AI. The strategy will pay particular attention to recent and projected advances in AI, to make sure that the United States is responsive to the latest opportunities and challenges posed by AI, as well as the global changes that will arrive in the coming years. Through this RFI, OSTP and its National AI Initiative Office seeks information about AI and associated actions related to AI that could inform the development of a National AI Strategy.

OSTP will also draw on public input from ongoing and recent RFIs, including:

OSTP’s RFI to the Update of the National Artificial Intelligence Research and

Development Strategic Plan;

The National Telecommunication and Information Administration’s Request for Comment on AI Accountability Policy;

OSTP’s and the National Science Foundation’s RFI on Implementing Initial Findings and Recommendations of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Task Force;

OSTP’s RFI on Automated Worker Surveillance and Management; and

OSTP’s RFI on Public and Private Sector Uses of Biometric Technologies. If you have already responded to one or more of these RFIs, your prior input will be considered

in the context of developing the National AI Strategy.

Scope: OSTP invites input from any interested stakeholders. OSTP will consider each comment, whether it contains a personal narrative, experiences with AI systems, or technical legal, research, policy, or scientific materials, or other content that meets the instructions for submissions to this RFI.

Information Requested: Respondents may provide information for one or more of the questions listed below, as desired. Note that the list below does not cover some AI topics as completely, such as AI research and development, given ongoing or recent RFIs on those topics.

Protecting rights, safety, and national security:

What specific measures – such as standards, regulations, investments, and improved trust and safety practices – are needed to ensure that AI systems are designed, developed, and deployed in a manner that protects people’s rights and safety? Which specific entities should develop and implement these measures?

How can the principles and practices for identifying and mitigating risks from AI, as outlined in the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights and the AI Risk Management Framework, be leveraged most effectively to tackle harms posed by the development and use of specific types of AI systems, such as large language models?

Are there forms of voluntary or mandatory oversight of AI systems that would help mitigate risk? Can inspiration be drawn from analogous or instructive models of risk management in other sectors, such as laws and policies that promote oversight through registration, incentives, certification, or licensing?

What are the national security benefits associated with AI? What can be done to maximize those benefits?

How can AI, including large language models, be used to generate and maintain more secure software and hardware, including software code incorporating best practices in design, coding and post deployment vulnerabilities?

How can AI rapidly identify cyber vulnerabilities in existing critical infrastructure systems and accelerate addressing them?

What are the national security risks associated with AI? What can be done to mitigate these risks?

How does AI affect the United States’ commitment to cut greenhouse gases by 50-52% by 2030, and the Administration’s objective of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2050? How does it affect other aspects of environmental quality?

Advancing equity and strengthening civil rights:

What are the opportunities for AI to enhance equity and how can these be fostered? For example, what are the potential benefits for AI in enabling broadened prosperity, expanding economic and educational opportunity, increasing access to services, and advancing civil rights?

What are the unique considerations for understanding the impacts of AI systems on underserved communities and particular groups, such as minors and people with disabilities? Are there additional considerations and safeguards that are important for preventing barriers to using these systems and protecting the rights and safety of these groups?

How can the United States work with international partners, including low- and middle- income countries, to ensure that AI advances democratic values and to ensure that potential harms from AI do not disproportionately fall on global populations that have been historically underserved?

What additional considerations or measures are needed to assure that AI mitigates algorithmic discrimination, advances equal opportunity, and promotes positive outcomes for all, especially when developed and used in specific domains (e.g., in health and human services, in hiring and employment practices, in transportation)?

How might existing laws and policies be updated to account for inequitable impacts from AI systems? For example, how might existing laws and policies be updated to account for the use of generative AI to create and disseminate non-consensual, sexualized content?

Bolstering democracy and civic participation:

How can AI be used to strengthen civic engagement and improve interactions between people and their government?

What are the key challenges posed to democracy by AI systems? How should the United States address the challenges that AI-generated content poses to the information ecosystem, education, electoral process, participatory policymaking, and other key aspects of democracy?

What steps can the United States take to ensure that all individuals are equipped to interact with AI systems in their professional, personal, and civic lives?

Promoting economic growth and good jobs:

What will the principal benefits of AI be for the people of the United States? How can the United States best capture the benefits of AI across the economy, in domains such as education, health, and transportation? How can AI be harnessed to improve consumer access to and reduce costs associated with products and services? How can AI be used to increase competition and lower barriers to entry across the economy?

How can the United States harness AI to improve the productivity and capabilities of American workers, while mitigating harmful impacts on workers?

What specific measures – such as sector-specific policies, standards, and regulations – are needed to promote innovation, economic growth, competition, job creation, and a beneficial integration of advanced AI systems into everyday life for all Americans? Which specific entities should develop and implement these measures?

What are potential harms and tradeoffs that might come from leveraging AI across the economy? How can the United States promote quality of jobs, protect workers, and prepare for labor market disruptions that might arise from the broader deployment of AI in the economy?

What are the global labor force implications of AI across economies, and what role can the United States play in ensuring workforce stability in other nations, including low- and middle-income countries?

What new job opportunities will AI create? What measures should be taken to strengthen the AI workforce, to ensure that Americans from all backgrounds and regions have opportunities to pursue careers in AI, and otherwise to prepare American workers for jobs augmented or affected by AI?

How can the United States ensure adequate competition in the marketplace for advanced AI systems?

Innovating in public services:

How can the Federal Government effectively and responsibly leverage AI to improve Federal services and missions? What are the highest priority and most cost-effective ways to do so?

How can Federal agencies use shared pools of resources, expertise, and lessons learned to better leverage AI in government?

How can the Federal Government work with the private sector to ensure that procured AI systems include protections to safeguard people’s rights and safety?

What unique opportunities and risks would be presented by integrating recent advances in generative AI into Federal Government services and operations?

What can state, Tribal, local, and territorial governments do to effectively and responsibly leverage AI to improve their public services, and what can the Federal Government do to support this work?

Additional input:

29. Do you have any other comments that you would like to provide to inform the National AI Strategy that are not covered by the questions above?

Dated: May 23, 2023 Stacy Murphy, Operations Manager.

[blockgamepirate]

Techno's Minecraft Mondays!

Just wanted to give some more video recs: IMO the best weeks from Techno's POV are

week 1 with ShotGunRaids

week 3 with Ava Kris Tyson (she/her!) (note: this is pre-transition)

week 6 with Jschlatt

week 10 with Phil

Other weeks are also great but if you don't feel like watching all of them, these four would be my recs

Techno made his own highlights videos of weeks 1, 2, 3 and 14:

Jschlatt made a highlights video of week 6:

Phil made a highlights video of week 10:

^ All of these are great, can recommend. Week 10 is basically a must watch tbh, it's the beginning of a beautiful friendship (I actually prefer to watch the full VOD from Techno's POV but I included Phil's highlights video for people who don't have the time to watch the whole two and a half hours)

I also have a handy playlist for all of Techno's MCM VODs if you do wanna watch everything in full, unedited:

If you do though, I have a few potentially helpful content notes (these are from two years ago so they're not up to date but it's a start)

Week 5 Techno teamed with CallMeCarson but thankfully for most of the VOD they aren't together

If any of you would like to skip the Carson content, here's a handy list of timecodes and a summary so you can skip to the good bits:

20:06 Carson leaves

23:52 Carson comes back

28:35 Carson is muted

34:10 Techno joins team 11's call to find Carson

39:12 I think this is when Carson leaves the call?

48:15 Techno joins Carson again

48:57 Leaves the call

1:11:59 Carson comes back

1:14:50 Carson leaves again

1:16:30 And he's back

1:18:05 And he leaves for the last time

1:43:40 Techno attempts to contact Carson one last time but notices that Carson has left the server entirely

Summary: it's basically just Carson bullying Techno as a joke, which he did warn Techno he was gonna do ahead of time, except it gets very awkward very quickly and Techno hates it and asks Carson to stop but he just doesn't stop. Also it involved him spamming Techno with soundboard messages, most famously "Hey, Technoblade!" which became a meme. Also he tried to teamkill Techno a bunch, which led to Techno losing pretty badly in the first game

Techno spends most of the tournament either just doing solo commentary or hanging out in other teams' calls.

The parts without Carson are still great! Special shoutout to that last game where Techno plays hunger games solo

Also a warning for repeated jokes about a particular disease from AntVenom when Techno joins his and Jordan's call during MCM5. It's during Dropper if you wanna skip that

Other notes:

The first three weeks I would recommend maybe not reading the ingame chat too much if you don't wanna see people hating on Techno. Week 2 and week 3 are especially bad IIRC. But if you don't watch other POVs or read the chat you're mostly fine.

Also I wanna give a content warning for like a lot of food talk and also talk about not eating in week 4 (James talks a bunch about food and eats on stream and Techno has a running joke about not getting fed unless he wins)

I won't bother listing all his teammates. If Techno is teaming with someone you don't want anything to do with; unless it's Carson you're probably just gonna have to skip that week entirely.* Carson is the only one who Techno spends long periods of time not talking to, everybody else he's in VC with pretty much the whole time

(* actually week 14 might still be worth watching despite the teammate (Wisp). That one used to be on my recs list and I only took it off just now because of Wisp, but the highlights video really doesn't have that much of him in it and mostly everybody's just in a massive group call so I think it's fine? It's on the first playlist I linked. For the VOD maybe skip to about 1:01:00 and watch from there?)

Anyway I'm not gonna tell you what to do, I still feel fine about watching those weeks despite the teammates*, because the streams are mostly fine out of context as far as I can remember and it's not like I'm giving them views when I'm just watching Techno's POV, but if you don't feel comfortable doing that, that's understandable and you can skip those weeks.

(* this was written two years ago, I would probably skip week 13 now just because I personally can't handle hearing that guys voice anymore, not that there's anything bad in that VOD from what I can remember (it used to be one of my faves rip))

(Hopefully there isn't anything big that I'm forgetting)

[intoxicatingimmediacy]

clipping. – “Run It”

Give clipping. credit: The Daveed Diggs-fronted noise-rap trio was way ahead of the curve on remaking J-Kwon’s “Tipsy.” Three years ago, clipping. did their own version of “Tipsy,” the 2004 J-Kwon party-rap classic, for our very own ’00s covers compilation Save Stereogum. Earlier this year, clipping. gave a wide release to their cover. The next thing we all knew, “Tipsy” formed the spine of Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” one of this year’s biggest hits. Today, clipping. have a new single. I don’t know how any ascendant country-pop stars will take inspiration from this one, but maybe they’ll find a way. Right now, clipping. are working on following 2020’s Visions Of Bodies Being Burned the second in their horror-inspired two-album series, with a new project that has rap and cyberpunk overtones. That new record will be out next year, and they’ve just shared an early taste with “Run It,” which is not a Chris Brown cover. Instead, it’s a fast, physical rap attack. On “Run It,” Daveed Diggs goes into athletic overdrive, rapping over a pulshing, clanking, extremely fast beat from his bandmates Jonathan Snipes and William Hutson. The track’s smears of digital noise sometimes cohere into Detroit techno riffs. This is a good one — a track that keeps all the prickly intensity of clipping.’s music without getting so extreme that you couldn’t play it on your headphones while you’re on the treadmill. In the quick-cut Lawrence Klein-directed video, secret agents tail clipping. through DC, Berlin, Prague, New Delhi, Bangkok, and Seoul, on some Jason Bourne/Carmen Sandiego shit.

[migraineatfriday-blog]

hi, my dear future online friend!

i'm new but not new to tumblr

i used it a probably 7-9 years ago, and now I want to start broadcasting fragments of my life and my head here again

english isn't my first language so sorry for any kinds of mistakes🕊

im open to new online friends and mutuals, feel free to message me 💌

about me:

🕯lana

🕯22 yrs

🕯 bi

🕯she/her

🕯 currently studying at university (pedagogy)

🪴shows: supernatural, american horror story, the boys, desperate housewives, scrubs, euphoria, chernobyl, dark, stranger things, black mirror, 911

🪴movies: blade runner 2049, fight club, dorian gray, the 10th kingdom, sleepy hollow, 00s romcoms, addams family, the gentlemen, don't be a menace to south central while drinking your juice in the hood, very scary movie (1 and 2)

🪴cartoons: coraline, old disney cartoons like mickey mouse series or alice in wonderland, shrek (all chapters), tim burton works, love death robots, over the garden wall, transformers prime

🪴anime: lain experiments, death note, nana, totoro

🫖music taste: gay pop, rock, post punk, techno, 00's music, indie, alternative, hip-hop, rnb, blues, pop punk, punk rock

🫖favorite artists rn: charli xcx, ayesha erotica, aphex twin, tv girl, memo boy, tame impala, fall out boy, type o negative, darci, nickelback

💒i love true crime, drag shows, film and mobile photography, freedom of speech, history, psychology, vaping, tiktok memes, pinterest, pink color, using emojis, gay ships, rings and other jewelry, beads, transparent clothes, bright and pastel colors for everything, cereals, cucumbers, gossiping

i'm very open for new people and their world vision and interests, my friends say that i'm very empathic, fun and easy to talk to

second blog @biocoffin

looking for 18+ people

not looking for romantic relationship at all

[shabbytigers]

was barely using Facebook before moving here but it’s infrastructure for events in Europe. small markets and art shows and mini festivals use it as their primary or only pr, eateries and venues put up their calendars there, etc. so now I check events there to see what’s up in Berlin over the next couple of months

well. things are certainly taking place. happenings are afoot

S A M S T A G

19 • 10 • 2024

22:00 » 10:00

✩⋆NACHTS⋆✩

⦙⦙Doors 21:00⦙⦙

⦙⦙Show 22:00⦙⦙

bis Mitternacht

⫸⫸ 15€ ⫷⫷

MUAHAHAHA! 💥🦇🦷

Hier kommt die FÜNFTE von ZÄHN zahnsinnigen Wurzelbehandlungen. Mit minzfrischer Mukke auf allen Floors

und zahntastisch-amüzahnten Performances & Specials - diesmal allnightlong, von Zähn Biss Zähn im Kater Blau deines Vertrauens!

Die beiden regierenden Adelsfamilien, Famile Eisenbiss und Familie Schattenzahn, laden euch zu besonders zähnsationellen Feierlichkeiten ins Schloss des blauen, zahnlosen Katers ein. 🏰

Um welche ZÄHNSATION es hierbei genau geht, erfahrt ihr ganz bald…. 🧌🧛‍♀️🧛🏼🧛‍♂️🧟‍♀️

🚨Soviel sei schon mal gesagt: Das Land ZAHNSILVANIEN braucht ganz dringend eure Unterstützung!!!! 🚨

🦷 Naaa? klapperste vor Aufregung schon mit den ☡ähnen? Wir auch! 🦷

𝗠𝗨𝗞𝗞𝗘 ♪♫♪

Acid Bogen

Hopper

Hütte

Hacienda

Live Konzert Special

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 ㋡✌︎

SHOW Start 22:00

Hells Dentists Tattoo Station

Grufti Karaoke

Vampirische Zahnfeen

Souvenir & Gift Shop

Höllen Photobooth

Blutiges Backenzahnangeln

Entourage LED Special

𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘣𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯

𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗗𝗘 𖠋𖨆ꃔ

☡ahntastische Outfits

...bissig, verrucht & blutrünstig!

๛ ☡ahnseide . . .

๛ Dr. Zahnkenstein . . .

๛ ☡ahnstocher . . .

๛ Anesthesist*in . . .

๛ Zombie Zahnfee . . .

๛ Absauger*in . . .

๛ Zahnstein . . .

. . . . . und alles was das zahntastische Vampir♥︎ begehrt!

_____

this is real, look

[dankalbumart]

Dataromance by Ellen Allien BPitch Control 2000 Techno

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Total 2 2000 Tech-House / Minimal Techno / Ambient

I've definitely done this before, but in order to kick off this post, I'm gonna have to rely on prolific electronic music opinion-haver Ishkur at length here, because he and I seem to be completely simpatico when it comes to our thoughts on the mostly bad phenomenon that is tech-house music:

Somehow by incorporating the strengths of both Techno and House, Tech House succeeded in appealing to neither. So the result is something frustratingly banal and monotonous when it really shouldn't be… Tech House straddles the razor-thin tightrope of something that doesn't have enough funky warmth for House yet not enough cold mechanicalism for Techno, so what comes out instead is something stiff, repetitive, and boring. It's such a disappointment, like the last season of Game of Thrones. Tech House had real promise. It could have done great things with the tools it had. And it's something everyone hoped would happen, like feeding Scrabble tiles to a dog to see if it shits out a word. But instead Tech House wasted its potential on pretentious Berlin nightclubs and that aimless, meandering noodlyness that the Brits are fond of, like a 70s prog rock solo that goes on for way too long. Technically interesting but utterly soulless… Tech House can be good. There is honestly good Tech House out there. I've even heard some. But finding it is a Herculian task of Sisyphian anguish in a Kafka-esque, Orwellian realm of Dostoevskian torment. It is possible to load up your music player with nothing but Tech House mixes, hop into your car, and drive to the other end of the continent and back and never hear the same song twice yet never hear an interesting song once. The odds of coming across decent Tech House are worse than needles made of diamonds in a rough full of haystacks.

So, yes, I 100% co-sign every single word of that. Ishkur did not teach me to think this way about tech-house, he just merely put it into words that already happened to mirror my exact thinking on the subject. In a similar way to progressive house—another genre that I don't like all that much—the sounds being made to create tech-house may be interesting and innovative themselves, but the way that those sounds are then combined typically yields something totally listless and often way too steady to be enjoyed. Like Ishkur says, the pieces are literally there to make something dope, but tech-house just seems largely unconcerned with a very crucial aspect of dance songcraft writ large—one that requires a tune to excitedly or satisfyingly grow, progress, and/or change over time.

See, to me, a lot of tech-housers really feel like people who are just cynically making dance music for the sake of it. It's like they heard house and techno and said, "oh, yeah, I can do that. That's easy. It's just looping up the same shit over and over again." And it's, like, "no, motherfucker, that's actually not at all what this is about. You really have no idea, do you?"

But guess what? They're actually not totally wrong here. Tech-house may legitimately be, overall, the most boring form of dance music that I've ever encountered in my life, but there are evidently more than enough people in this world that somehow derive satisfaction from it in order for it to have been able to successfully sustain itself for over two decades now. It's just that the people who enjoy it are like the dance music equivalent of those who, after a long and grueling day of work, like to go home and kick back with a blissful session of Lawnmower Simulator 4 😌.

So here's the second dispatch from Cologne-based label Kompakt's long-running Total series, a turn-of-the-millennium sampler that, despite it having a good deal of unique quirkiness to it, still somehow manages to bore me to absolute tears. Maybe if you've been following me long enough, you remember that I once posted about the first volume of Total, and concluded that the first half was excruciatingly boring, but the second half was fantastic. No such luck here. This is pretty much just that first half of the first Total, but doubled. Most songs start in a way that'll have you thinking, "Oh, yeah, this is pretty cool, this definitely sounds like it could be good," but then Lucy ends up pulling the football each time 😩.

Case in point, M. Mayer's "Amanda," a five-and-a-half-minute song with so much promise and a neat 80s new wave-pop edge to it too. When this thing first starts up, there is no sign that this 80s edge is going to materialize itself in any way, shape, or form, but at a little past the one-minute mark, it starts to lather itself in. And then, as you find out, this early, appetizing moment actually ends up representing the song's entire creative apex! I mean, we still have, like, over 80% of this whole tune to go, but I promise you, not a single interesting thing occurs in its very large remainder. Again, like Ishkur says, it's just so utterly aimless. This song exists because someone made it, but the idea that it has any sort of actual purpose in this universe is really questionable at best.

Like, all of this is just so maddeningly confounding to me. It's like these musicians really do genuinely find themselves on to something each time, and then rather than trying to push further, they decide that they're actually finished and just let whatever half-baked thing they've built ride itself out on an agonizingly long plateau until it thankfully takes a nose-dive off the side of a cliff. It really drives me nuts, because you can hear a possibility of something enjoyably substantive coming to fruition, but it's like there's also this inherently natural aversion to the idea of having to lift more than one finger too; everyone is just so content to glide down the bunny hill, and people are more than willing to vociferously cheer it on. It really makes not a single lick of goddamn sense to me, but there you have it—my tech-house take.

Read more Ishkur.

No highlights.

[sinsinewave]

so i recently saw a post on cohost about the NFS Unbound soundtrack, specifically how it's quite multicultural and features a ton of artists from different places that got me thinking, and i kinda just now realised that there's somewhat of a phenomenon in recent popular media of what i'd call "non-diverse diversity" like, starting with the good things, the second half of that term take NFS Unbound's OST as an example, it featuring tons of different languages and cultures is genuinely really good, i love to see that; hell the whole idea of the game being very much about diversity and such in themes is great! (as much as it pissed off some of the fanbase, lmao) but, then we get to the "non-diverse" NFS Unbound, which brands itself on diversity and expressing yourself, only allows you to express yourself in one way for example, the soundtrack is very much one-sided; it's multicultural, but has no variety whatsoever in style, it hardly expresses more than a narrow set of genres and styles compare to older NFSes; those didn't have the same level of cultural diversity (shame, imo); but they felt a lot more diverse because they had a whole bunch of different genres and even the ability to select your own subset of the soundtrack the whole thing kinda permeates modern NFS as a whole; outwardly everything is very diverse, hell, there's even queer characters nowadays, which is not something i really expected from NFS but like, car customisation? it's all generic Rocket Bunny esque body kits clothing? very generic name brand stuff with no variety (there's like one pair of boots and 8 trillion identical sneakers in Unbound) you get the idea in, say, MW or Carbon from the 00's everything was a bit tacky; but things felt distinct, it felt more like you can present in a variety of ways, if that make sense also, note; because this site's reading comprehension is piss poor; i think the modern cultural diversity is really good, i just wish they represented more than one subset; like, for music, you could have genres different places are known for, like, Germany has a big techno and electronic scene iirc, Finland is known for metal, you get the idea instead it's all the same genre just from different places and it's not like it's that important to the vibe of the game like pursuit music in MW, it's just background music; i usually just end up muting it and listening to something from my own library, which has the issue of not syncing to game state, so no separate menu music or pursuit music or racing music --- also i will mention Forza Horizon 5; its radio system is great; NFS should adopt that too, where you just have a bunch of radio stations playing different genres (shame that's like the one good part about FH5)

[thedissociatives]

19, 28, 33, 35, 42 for the music ask (^_^)

omg sorry for leaving this so long i've been really busy 😭😭

19 - a song or album from the 00s

waterloo to anywhere has been The Album for me recently i looked at my last.fm report for last month this morning and it was my top album by a long shot lmao

28 - have you ever made/got a mixtape as a gift to/from a friend

i've never made a mixtape or been given one but ig that's because ppl don't really do that anymore 😭 i have had a few playlists made for me over the years though and i still remember them all years later (i've lost almost all of them over time tho which is a bit sad)

33 - your favourite artist from your city/state/country

the libertines have vvv quickly become my favs from over here but if i had to pick someone a bit closer to home.... muse. when i found out they were from down this way i actually couldn't believe it lmao 12 year old me didn't think anyone that cool could be from the west country lmao

35 - a song you like in a language you don't speak

got really into like. russian techno nd shit a few years back so this is v much a throwback to then but tri poloski. i had my mates in bristol onto it as well we were sat in the city centre blasting that shit i wonder what people thought walking past 💀

42 - your favourite(s) "no skips" albums

i'm really into listening to albums in full so all of the ones i like are "no skip" albums to me. so i'll just list some current favs that are 100% no skips imo: internationalist - powderfinger, all quiet on the eastern esplanade - the libertines, waterloo to anywhere - dirty pretty things, diorama - silverchair

[sonicmusicmusings]

Hey, gang! Let's move away from the rock sound, and back into some very 00's techno inspired flavors...

I keep thinking of the "Metropolis" track from Spyro 2 whenever I hear this, for some reason. It evokes the same kind of vibe. There is a very vague tropical feeling evoked in some of the auxiliary synths in the A section. I think it's because it sounds similar to steel drums. The B section is a modal groove that sits on one chord--when the chords don't move the song along, everything else has to! The focus becomes on the bass and drums, the latter being moved to the left and right sound spaces, while the bass sits right in the middle. Everything moves front and center when the A section comes back in, with crunching guitars and swirling sounds that bring the energy right back.

[episodicnostalgia]

Reading Break - Worms & Spiders

Featured Art: MotaArt: (above) Rick Leonardi & Al Williamson:  Spider-man 2099 #1 Mark Bagley & Art Thibert: Ultimate Spider-man #11 Patrick Olliffe: Amazing Spider-man Family #3

Welp!

It’s been longer since I last posted here than I'd hoped it would be.  Unfortunately, I’ve had to prioritize work for the time being, and it’ll probably be a little while longer before I have the opportunity to post my next episode review [TNG ep. 123 will be next in line, when I do finally get to it].  In lieu of writing, I’ve been trying to be at least bit more mindful with my downtime, avoiding the various social media timewasters, and taking more time to read.

For my "serious" reading, I’ve been slowly picking away at ‘God Emperor of Dune’, which is pretty fucking trippy.  Seriously, If you thought the first book was weird, then I’m here to tell you that whatever "spice" Frank Herbert was using, he upped the dose exponentially for each subsequent entry.  I’ve read a lot of disparaging reviews and comments online about ‘God Emperor’ that led me to believe it might be pompous and dull, but I’ve honestly found it to be thoroughly engaging, though admittedly subject-at-times to some ignorant world views.

For my "fun" reading, my recent reviews of ‘Spider-man: TAS’ have inspired me to peruse through my old Spidey comics, which have been a real trip down memory lane (and very on-brand for this blog). The two series I’ve been bouncing between are the original ‘Ultimate Spider-man’ from the early 00’s, and ‘Spider-man 2099’ (early 90’s).  I remember when each respective series was first being released, and how cutting edge each of them seemed.  Overall, I’d say they hold up decently well, although clearly products of their time.

‘Spider-man 2099’ is unsurprisingly the more noticeably dated of the two, and a lot of that comes down to the now-unmistakeable 90’s aesthetic, along with the somewhat clunky ‘future slang’, which seems to predominantly consist of substituting profanity with vaguely techno-sounding-words.  If you don’t know what the Shock I’m talking about you can go look it up for yourself. But It’s Rick Leonardi’s artwork where the book really stands out to me, though.  I always thought he was an underappreciated artist, and deserved a proper run on ASM, but 2099 probably gave him a better opportunity to flex his talents.

I feel like a lot of people forget today (as I suppose they inevitably tend to) that Ultimate Spider-man was once THE hottest Spider book on the market, and while reboots-featuring-a-teenage-peter-parker may be a dime a dozen today, it was a breath of fresh air in the year 2000.  It’s easy to see why too, Bendis and Bagley work great together, and it didn’t hurt that Marvel spared no expense on the physical presentation of the book.  Simply put, each issue looks sharp, from the digitally painted cardstock covers, to the glossy pages; this was a book with high production values, featuring top tier talent. No expense was spared in making sure the artists were featured in the best possible light.

One thing I’ve can’t help but notice is the differences in attitudes and ideals between the two books. I know a lot of people like to pretend that comics were less political ‘back in the day’ but that’s never been true.  I do think that politics have sometimes been easier to ignore during times of less civil unrest, but clearly the writers have always had opinions and ideals that were being expressed whether they knew it or not.  For instance, Peter David’s work on 2099 seems to lean more politically left, and is notably quite critical of nationalist, corporate, and capitalist interests, depicting a world that feels (in some ways) more relevant now than it was back when the series was being released.

Comparatively, Bendis��� writing seems to play it a bit safer.  He appears largely progressive in his social views, but also less willing to criticize institutions like the military or government beyond anything on a surface level.  I can’t say it’s too surprising, since ‘Ultimate Spider-man’ only began it’s run shortly before the 9/11 attacks, and I can imagine that even if he were inclined to do so, Bendis would have likely received pushback from anything deemed too politically controversial. But some of his writing leads me to suspect he falls towards a more politically centrist stance, resulting in a book that, while being LOADS of fun, has perhaps less to say on certain social issues. Some people might argue it’s for the best, but I kinda like it when writers are willing to get a bit messy, as I think it makes for more interesting discourse.  But then again, maybe I’ll find myself eating these words as I continue my read through.

I think that’s enough musing from me.  The fact remains that each of the artists I’ve discussed in this post are far more accomplished than I will likely ever be.   At any rate these criticisms are really more just meandering observations, about which I could easily change my mind later on.  Hopefully I’ll have more time to focus on my proper episode reviews in the coming months.

But if you’ve made it this far, thanks for hanging out.