Huntronik: Tight Rhythms, Heavy Grooves

Way To Go, Colonel

2012-01-07T01:01:00.002-05:00

Greg's Top Ten Favorite Albums of 2011

2011-12-09T22:56:00.000-05:00

Oneohtrix Point Never, Replica
CAVE, Neverendless
UV Race, Homo
Kurt Vile, Smoke Ring for My Halo
Colin Stetson, New History Warfare Vol. 1
The Field, Looping State of Mind
Chad Van Gaalen, Diaper Island
Battles, Gloss Drop
Civil Civic, Rules
Tim Hecker, Ravedeath 1972

L Magazine featured Bruar Falls last show

2011-11-18T12:49:00.005-05:00

L Magazine music section "The Measure" reported on the last show at Bruar Falls we did with Friend Roulette, Clouder and Kntrlr. L Mag's own Lauren Beck talked about the venue's last night and the bands that played, pretty cool eh ? Read it here!

November 30th Spike Hill show

2011-11-18T12:46:00.002-05:00

That is right everyone we will be performing at Spike Hill on November 30th so come on out and drink with us

FRIEND ROULETTE HUNTRONIK CLOUDER AND KNTRLR @ BRUAR FALLS HALLOWEEN NIGHT !!! OHHHHH SCARY!!!!

2011-10-24T15:52:00.004-04:00

This will be the last show at Bruar Falls so come out with something fancy to wear and don't worry we will provide the candy

THIS SUNDAY @ CAKE SHOP CAVE, LA OTRACINA AND JEALOUSY

2011-09-23T19:40:00.003-04:00

This Sunday the 25th of September we will be playing with the bands Cave La Otracina and Jealousy at the Cake Shop located at 152 Ludlow Street in Manhattan.

Video: performing at the Dream Oven in Philly

2011-08-15T19:55:00.004-04:00

Huntronik performing live at The Dream Oven in Philly
Link. Thanks to Rekall for video hook up.

2011-08-14T14:39:00.002-04:00

Photos from our show in Philly at Dream Oven are here we would like to thank everyone that played Netherfriends - Radio Eris and and Motorcycle Maus.

PHILLY SHOW DETAILS

2011-08-07T16:26:00.004-04:00

8/13: Netherfriends (IL), Radio Eris, Motorcycle Maus, and Huntronik (NY)

Time	Saturday, August 13 · 8:00pm - 11:30pm

Location	The Dream Oven ask for it. Philadelphia, PA

doors will open around 8pm.
dream exhibition will begin somewhat promptly.
please bring donations for the touring bands.
also listen to our new demo of waiting watcher
Huntronik - Waiting Watcher (Demo) by Jtagg

June 30 Show at Coco66

2011-06-15T21:37:00.000-04:00

Genius Song by The Highly Underrated Unicorns

2011-06-10T21:14:00.000-04:00

This is a spectacular bit of songwriting and mood by the one-and-done Unicorns. I heard some stories that they used to get into a lot of fistfights, so I'm not surprised they split. Still, the album they released back in 2003 is a landmark of spastic weirdness. I think this song is their best. Nick Diamonds uses some kind of Roland Jupiter synthesizer, which is also great.

I Am Confused?

2011-06-04T14:45:00.002-04:00

Negative Creep

2011-05-20T16:50:00.000-04:00

Show Tonight at Bruar Falls

2011-05-12T10:51:00.000-04:00

$5 starts at 8:00 PM come jam it out!

Scatman Crothers Is The Man

2011-05-04T17:31:00.002-04:00

Show Tonight at Cake Shop

2011-05-02T16:31:00.000-04:00

5 bucks. Oscillot and Ah Moskva also playing.

The Beautiful EMS Synthi

2011-04-24T03:24:00.002-04:00

Show at Coco66 March 12

2011-03-06T01:44:00.001-05:00

We will be opening for Translations and a two other bands at 8:30 on March 12. Come kick it!

Your Grandma

2011-03-02T03:22:00.000-05:00

Is an action legend.

Stewey and Brian

2011-02-18T15:43:00.002-05:00

Street Art

2011-01-24T02:09:00.001-05:00

Just one of countless great Banksy images. The more art I find by this guy online, the more inspired I am. I actually think this piece, bought by Christina Aguilera (or however the hell you spell her stupid name) is one of his best works.

Street Art

2011-01-23T13:49:00.000-05:00

I just want to say: if I came down with the flu and had a show booked, you best believe I play that show.

Show This Friday at Coco66

2011-01-18T00:23:00.001-05:00

We'll be opening for Ravens and Chimes along with Spanish Prisoners and Honey-Do's. Come listen to some good music. We play at 9PM. I think the price is only like 6 or 7 bucks. Will be good.

Another Great Comic

2011-01-17T02:54:00.001-05:00

Seems pretty pointless to say why this is a great comic. Look at it.

2011-01-13T08:21:00.000-05:00

This is my favorite filmi song of the recent era, check it. The Michael Jackson imitator is just the best, and I want Sanjay Dutt's facial expressions for my Birthday.

The Best Comic

2011-01-12T17:50:00.000-05:00

This was and is the single greatest comic book ever made. I would have killed for this particular copy when I was in the 1st grade, and I probably still would. This kid named Bobby Finnegan had a copy of it, but I'm not sure it was the real thing. I attempted to trade all kinds of things for it, but he would not make the deal.

Today, a copy of this in good condition is worth quite a bit of money. Every now and again you can see a copy on EBay, but they're always priced too high and are never sold. Eastman and Laird had a real creative breakthrough when they created this series.

Five Favorite Records of 2010

2011-01-09T08:25:00.000-05:00

So I'm a little late with this but who cares. You should have listened to these records:

Emeralds, Does It Look Like I'm Here

Women, Public Strain

Flying Lotus, Cosmogramma

No Age, Everything In Between

Autechre, Move of Ten

Batman

2011-01-04T14:13:00.000-05:00

Shrine Show

2011-01-02T22:39:00.000-05:00

by thomas

Hey loves! Huntronik is playing the Shrine in Harlem this Wednesday. Hopefully you can all make it out. We will be trying out some new stuff and generally bringing it harder then ever. Any backup dancers want to come werk it at the show?

Hunktronic!

2010-12-08T09:35:00.000-05:00

by Thomas

So, we are playing a show tomorrow at Bruar Falls in Billy's Berg. The Village Voice printed the listing online and (I'm guessing) in print.

We are listed as Hunktronic. That's awesome. The next step is to find a cardboard cutout of David Hasselhoff (sp?) to play synth.

Are These Actually Possible?

2010-11-30T21:55:00.000-05:00

by thomas

After a songwriting break, we are gearing Huntronik into intensive rehearsal mode again tomorrow. Which means seeing if our various appendages can actually play all of the new songs by flexing ourselves in various ways with various electronics.

Wish us luck! Come out to Bruar Falls next week to see how we did.

Swedish Accents

2010-11-23T11:10:00.000-05:00

Hi, I'm Thomas, I'm the other person in Huntronik. With bass, drums, other noisemakers, you know.

Today, Swedish Accents. Do they make any record good?

The Knife,
Lykke Li,

Röyksopp

Who am I forgetting? Would anyone like to audition for Swedish voice in Huntronik? Or could someone make a Max/MSP patch to give me a Swedish accent?

Song: Small Pool

2010-11-22T18:09:00.000-05:00

Huntronik - Small Pool

I've been making a song a day for about 9 or 10 days and posting most of them on the Huntronik Facebook page

HERE

I decided to switch it up and post a more impressionistic one on the blog today. I may post them here from now on as well as the really good ones on the myspace page. Enjoy!

What Happened at El Bar

2010-11-09T20:18:00.003-05:00

We got to El Bar last Saturday the 6th, and the dude tending bar told me I needed to provide my own doorman. That was lame, but I managed to convince my girlfriend, Alena, to take the $5 cover charge starting at 8:30. So then I set up the gear, and the second band, Signals, arrived. I told them about the doorman thing, and they didn't like it.

Then I told them that we needed to pay El Bar $50 to use their sound system. That was the policy, and they worded it pretty horribly. They did not like this at all. The manager came to talk to me and the leader of Signals, Tony. He said that is how they always did it, and Tony got into a big argument with him. Then the manager grabbed the beer out of Tony's hand (since we were all outside) and spilled some of it on me. The whole thing was pretty depressing.

But the owner of the place, a woman named Robin, showed up to smooth everything over and assured everyone that we'd make money and that no band has ever not made at least $50 on a Saturday night. She seemed to indicate that we'd be waived from the $50 charge, but we were not. No matter, we played a good show, a lot of people came, and we made money. So we paid our half of the $50 and were on our way.

Honestly, they really shouldn't word their policy the way they do. They should simply say "$50 of the door goes to us, and everything after that goes to the bands." Instead, they say "You need to pay us $50 for use of the sound system." I also learned I need to communicate better ahead of time about what exactly the policies are and be able to tell the other groups that are playing the bill what the deal is.

Anyway, the jams continue. I've been in the studio every day crafting some stuff, and I put a few up on the myspace about a week ago.

Spielberg Anti-Coke Campaign

2010-11-09T01:17:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine sent this to me a week ago and its too good not to share. Bizarre and funny.

Show Tonight at El Bar, Philadelphia

2010-11-06T00:49:00.000-04:00

Come for sounds, stay for Mexicans.
$5

We Got Featured On The Needle Drop!

2010-11-01T17:06:00.001-04:00

Check it out, our new jam "TV Says Its Dark Out" got featured on Anthony Fantano's great blog and YouTube channel The Needle Drop:

HERE

Show Tonight at Arlene's Grocery

2010-10-26T17:29:00.000-04:00

Come hang out and jam it up! 9PM

Plainview Fishing

2010-10-14T01:40:00.001-04:00

This is a great deleted scene from a great movie, and it has some cool music.

Some Pusher Goodness

2010-10-11T03:46:00.001-04:00

Spike Hill Show

2010-10-10T12:33:00.000-04:00

FREE

Come bang on Tuesday OCT 12

for a cost of 0 US dollars

No Electric Fan Death

2010-10-06T00:55:00.000-04:00

Don't fear the fan. Do not fear that fan. Please don't fear this fan. Do not fear your fan. There is no fear for your fan. No fear belongs to the fan. Fear not the fan. Fear is not an option for you, fan. Don't fear that fan of yours. Fearing of the fan, do not. Don't have fear in a fan.

I'm your number one fan death.

Young George Grilling

2010-09-26T23:10:00.001-04:00

Why, Eddie?

2010-09-24T00:15:00.001-04:00

Stolen Bike

2010-09-22T18:06:00.001-04:00

Just had my brand new bike stolen. Stop stealing my shit. I had the thing chained up and they cut right through the frame and took it like foxes. People suck.

Lost Sampler

2010-09-22T11:26:00.000-04:00

Well, I lost my sampler (or I left it at a venue and it was stolen), and so I had to buy a new used one. My new project is recreating all the sounds we were using on the songs and trying to make them even better. I think it will turn out okay. Meanwhile, we're finishing up two new songs that we're going to shop to some labels. More on this later...

Tomorrow Night at Cake Shop

2010-09-14T17:30:00.000-04:00

Come see us for 7 bucks!

Unreleased Funk

2010-09-10T14:35:00.001-04:00

The Last Donut

2010-09-04T16:11:00.000-04:00

The Day The Law Took Back The Streets

2010-08-29T21:53:00.000-04:00

Okay, here's what happened:

We all know how dangerous New York City would be without our friendly law enforcers mopping up the filth. Well, I learned first hand a month or so ago just how dedicated these men and women are.

I was riding my bike somewhere to pick up paper for logo art I was working on, and I happened to take a short detour onto the sidewalk in order to get across the street. Just a few moments after I got on the sidewalk, a cruiser stopped me. Two cops got out and issued me a ticket for riding my bike on the sidewalk.

Hey, it's their job I guess. They didn't seem that happy or proud to be issuing it to me, and I could tell they would have rather not done it. That's what they told me anyway. They probably didn't give a shit. I understand that, but what I don't get is why I need to go to court for this. Why can't I just mail in the fifteen dollar fine? It bugs me now because I missed the court date! The reason I missed it is because it was more than a month after I got the stupid ticket. So now my heinous crime is compounded by my lack of organization and responsibility for the institution of justice. And all this time they thought the face of the public enemy was Jimmy Cagney.

Draw An Owl

2010-08-28T15:35:00.000-04:00

The New Studio

2010-08-18T20:10:00.000-04:00

Hey guys, well I'm pretty pumped to be all moved into my new studio in Greenpoint. This place is great. I was there today jamming it up while the other studios in the complex are built. Mine was the first one built cuz I wanted to move in right away. The sound is amazing in here since its all treated walls that dampen out all the sounds. I feel like I could just record what I'm working on with one mic and it'd sound great. Love this place.

2010-08-06T12:05:00.001-04:00

So Nutso

2010-07-28T10:25:00.001-04:00

Love Lightning Bolt. One of my favorite groups. Raw intensity right here...

My Favorite Acts From Pitchfork Festival 2010

2010-07-22T02:31:00.001-04:00

1. Broken Social Scene

2. Here We Go Magic

3. Panda Bear

4. Cave

5. Beach House

The first two acts were simply awesome. My impression of the naysayers for BSS's set is that they were disconcerted or distracted by the rustling about on stage of one of the singers, which was due to a monitor problem and which was dealt with fairly quickly. The music is the important part, and it was phenomenal. Here We Go Magic put on a monstrous performance that was easily three times better than the one I saw 2 years earlier at the Berklee theater.

Panda Bear was panned by a lot of sites for being boring, and as a performance it was not interesting to look at, but once again its very much about the music for me, and I loved the music. He must have turned a lot of people off by beginning his set with a drone song, but I thought it was wonderfully refreshing from start to finish. The set took me on a cool journey, and I loved his singing.

Cave was just an awesome surprise to me, as I'd never heard them before. I also liked the quirky nature of the performers and the funny way one of them greeted the audience by asking them, "how's it going you motherfuckers?" He said it in a way that was both genuine and hilarious, and then they played an original and very cool set of chugging, dark, noise-funk. I expected Beach House to be quite good, and of course they were. They played some great tunes. Victoria has got a delicious voice.

Planning Tour

2010-07-09T02:50:00.001-04:00

We're planning a tour for sometime this September. Ideally, we'd like to hit all these spots:

Easthampton, MA

Boston, MA

Providence, RI

New Haven, CT

New York, NY

New Jersey

Philadelphia, PA

Baltimore, MD

Washington D.C.

I'm trying to get the booking in order, which is a lot of work and requires a lot of scouting and emailing back and forth. Cross your fingers and I'll post any dates and confirmed shows when they come in!

Long Copyrighting

2010-07-02T08:11:00.000-04:00

It turns out it takes about a month to get songs copyrighted, so the Protection single (with "Twin Doctor" on the B side) is going to take a bit longer, but trust me, its worth it. Ajia and I meticulously re-recorded it and mixed it. In the meantime, we'll be working on tons of new material and posting any new shows we play or sketches of tunes we do. Stay tuned...

P.S. here's an old-school advertisement from the 40's (?) for a miracle drug called "dexedrine." I post it simply because I like the cabinetry and handy spoon hanger.

Sharpenings

2010-06-27T03:58:00.000-04:00

The following is a many-faced scrawl of ideas and thoughts. I should very much like to hear what you, my friends, think about these subjects as well. I will move away from anything too technical in just a moment, so please don’t be deterred by the first few paragraphs if you aren’t a musician.

Harmony continues to fascinate me. The further into harmony I go, the wider the breadth of my study becomes. This is due, I think, to the fact that as the vertical aspect increases, the possibilities for varying the horizontal aspect also increases. What I mean is: if you have a melody line which you'd like to harmonize, you can create a simple line of notes (a third higher than the main melody, for example) and follow the direction of the melody exactly for the entire time, or you can deviate from the main melody in sections and not follow it exactly. This is where things get interesting. In one section, the new harmonizing line might stray in contrary motion to a fourth or fifth (rather than a third), creating a new mood or tension. Or, it might stay in place and divert the ear of the listener, who had previously been entirely engaged on the main melody line. There are no limits to this art. All you have to do is listen to a great composer like Beethoven to see how immensely deep the organization of harmonizing notes can be.

Harmony is a beautiful, awesome thing, but it takes focus and patience to structure properly as well as restraint to flesh out the meaty bits and bring calm to the breaks. If a musician creates great harmony without varying the dynamics of the instrumentation, intensity, rhythm, and tone, then the piece will begin to falter under its own weight rather than capturing the ear. Its like in a long-distance race where a runner goes all-out at the very beginning and saves nothing and does not pace himself. The result is always that he burns himself out. If a piece of music does not change dynamics at all, it may still be quite good, but not as good as it might be with variation.

I'd say the most vexing thing to me is creating lyrics that fully embody and accent the music instead of simply creating that vaguely dead sense of voice-identification that is ever-present on big radio stations. Lyrics, to me, should have a musical importance before they have a contextual one. They should add to the sound of the piece before they explain it, in other words. Commonly, a listener will wonder what the singer is actually "saying" rather than appreciating the music as great music. In some senses, it doesn't matter so much what is being sung as how it affects the listener. It never hurts to have lyrics that speak to the listener, though.

Recently, on the single "Protection" which we have been working on diligently, I came to the conclusion that although the concept of the song was interesting and made sense to me, it would not be understandable to a listener who hadn't been made aware of it ahead of time. This bothered me, and I finally figured out how to fix it without ruining the form of the thing. I added a spoken-word part into the break of the song. This served to bring some of the mystery of the thing into graspable territory while still fittingly adding to the break for air, as it were. At least, this is my hope! If the spoken-word part is a mistake, then I will learn from it, but I really like at present. You, dear reader, will be able to listen soon.

Among the myriad of other pleasurable torments that I spin in my head of late is my increased awareness and sensitivity to the similarity of works created by the vast ocean of musicians out there. The reason for it is easy to deduce: laziness. Most musicians simply do not apply themselves to their art. If they did, they would begin to become severely bored of their habits and create newer, more subtle ones. This is simply the process of self-realization. All great musicians clearly do this, as their art is an extension of themselves through their own personal style, vision, and taste. A new, cool example of this personalization is Flying Lotus, for what it has become for him is a diverse selection of his favorite stylistic choices. He's quite clearly demonstrating that a good work doesn't require a much form but does require personality and taste.

Song structure does interest me immensely. I love beautifully structured songs. The songs lets you feel things easier when it is organized well. I'm beginning to see that simple changes can be enough to shift the structure of a song, as when a part harmonized with four voices is left to continue on the same with just one. I think at certain points one's taste is what makes the decision for very big changes. Along with that, what a musician hears internally-- in his own head-- can be spurred on by what the song begins to imply. But who is to say how the brain works in the creative process? Faith in creativity, ingenuity, and focus may just be the final word in that category. Reading interviews with great artists being asked about where such-and-such parts come from is amusing because they almost always have no idea or are dismissive of the question, as they should be. Its most often counterproductive. Better to focus on creating things and moving on.

And the process is fun anyways. Its fun because if a musician keeps going and going, he will often find himself in a new and fascinating place. No musician ever takes the same journey. He may take the same professional path, but his music will never be the same as someone else's if he is a true artist. If he feels the need to create things to make sense of things around him and in his head, then it is impossible that his journey will ever be the same as another's.

This is not the case for the imitator. He is not the same creature. He wants to be a proficient technician, and that is all. His work is a means to an end, not a thing for itself. These individuals are often the most technically skilled because they’ve focused on reproducing works rather than creating them, and in reproducing things, the more technically proficient players will always be the most valuable. I wish I were more technically proficient in all fields, but so does every musician, and at a certain point it becomes less important as long as the creative fire burns. Its like a man seeking a woman and wishing he had a sculpted stomach rather than an interesting mind. If he is not horribly disfigured or blob-like, he will be fine for the proceedings. If he has nothing brewing upstairs, then he is simply a brick for holding doors open.

Making stylistic compromises is a great fear of mine. At what point does substance get lost or become coarsened in the name of efficiency? Efficiency is most often my enemy if it runs counter to quality or richness in any way. If I can play a guitar part in another, easier way, then fine. If that guitar part loses something in doing so, then it is time to practice it using the harder way. At the same time, it can be quite difficult for me to distinguish between making stylistic compromises for the worse and simply making changes that don’t yet make sense to me. If something clever is suggested to me and I fail to recognize its worth, than I will whole-heartedly protest using it since I fear veering into an ugly direction. Its not hard for me to know where I want to go most times, but it can be a great freedom to let the rudder wander a little from time to time.

In today’s musical landscape, there is such a vast and open forest of possibilities that I often think I will become lost in the brush. If I go in one direction, I might become distracted by such-and-such an animal, and I will wander to such-and-such a plant, and before I know it I am in some horrible swamp. That’s why I do believe that it does help to keep some semblance of overall musical identity deeply internalized. This presupposes that you have built one up over time. And by musical identity, I mean a knowledge of what is you and what isn’t. Still, the technology of today is so great that it would take a small army of great and clever musicians to use it all up and tie it into a cohesive work. You can do so much nowadays. You can do anything. It still surprises me when I hear acts playing much of the same conventional themes and styles of the past without some new and strange variations from new technology. Samplers beg musicians to spice up their sound, and samplers are still somewhat crude, as I see it. I love to play my sampler like it was a keyboard, and I think companies could do a much better job with making samplers more player-friendly. They’re far too crude now, though they can be played deftly with practice.

I wonder what it is that makes institutions of learning disregard the need to teach how to find one’s own creative style and instead teach how to copy the styles of others almost exclusively. Are institutions opposed to mass personal expression? It must not suit the needs of the economy for a large proportion of individuals to be able to express themselves. If, instead of 1% of the population of America being musicians, 10% were, than the country’s overarching values, economics, and structure would probably be turned on their head. But this is foolish. America, like most everywhere, is the place where the bottom line matters, and culture only works for the greater good if it produces profit—a hard fact of life.

Still, music is far more powerful than I think even musicians realize. At its best, it can change people profoundly by making them feel things they would never have felt otherwise. This is an incredible thing, but so very rare. One out of 3 million songs produced might really do this. I saw a documentary about DJ Shadow, and in it he walks among tens of thousands of old, forgotten vinyl records in the basement of a record store. He talks about how humbling an experience it is to walk around in a place where so much hard work is left in the dust, never to be heard or appreciated again. This is a chilling realization indeed. It creates the kind of fear necessary to drive me forward and forward, focusing more and more and being less and less self-deluded and more and more self-critical. How else can one escape the basement that literally feeds off of tens of thousands of artists? Better a basement than a landfill, I suppose. At least the record store owners, doubtless lovers of music at one point in their lives, had the decency to host a proper tomb.

I think about financial success in the music business (also known as the oxymoron). It is not too much to ask to be able to support oneself through one’s art, but it takes great effort and consistency to reach that point. It is quite obtainable, otherwise so many acts would not be touring in vans across Europe on festival circuits simply because they have a clearly definable and recognizable aesthetic that suits a certain slice of listeners. The real question that artists grapple with is what quantity of appreciation will satisfy them, and what quantity of attention will degrade their work? Obviously artists with zero appreciation or attention from others will crave it like a parched Arabian craves a canteen, but as one’s work begins to be recognized and his ego inflates, does his fulfillment poison his creative wellspring? Is he satisfied and thus willing to let off the gas? If he fails to grow, then he will die as an artist. A compulsive need to change and develop is a beautiful thing and a defining characteristic of a great artist, so maybe at some point the significance of outside appreciation and attention should begin to be less and less in order for that development to continue. What a strange thing when we human beasts crave something so much and, after having gotten it, toss it aside a short time later. Was the whole thing just to keep us moving?

Those financial things are rarely as consequential to the super genius musician who comes along once in a great while with prodigious technical and creative powers. I wonder all the time about great legends like Bach or Mozart and how feeble and ridiculous we modern musicians are in the scope of our knowledge compared to them! What a sick joke to be able to make giant works of music as they did and in their time. It must have been both a blessing and a curse to live in a simpler time—devoid of so many flickering distractions but also of a great many helpful technologies like recording! I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to be able to write an entire symphony out on notation paper from simply hearing it in your head. That was the business of those great legends—to be so proficient as to be able to hear and invent beautiful works in their head and then simply transcribe them to the paper for the players to execute them. I have all the respect for them in the world. Their works continue to have the same great appeal as they had when they were written. What an immeasurable accomplishment that is. Their private lives hold almost no significance now and yet their music is immortal. And for good reason—some of the parts in their works are absolutely incredible. Today’s music is not expected to be anywhere close to as good for the mere fact that the instrumentation is expected to be far more stripped down. Not to mention the fact that the presentation is expected to be more mechanized (as most songs do not approach the length that they did back then). I could never be spiteful or jealous of artists greater than myself, and to a genius on the level of a Bach, I hold nothing but the greatest reverence and awe.

Cool Sonics

2010-06-24T02:02:00.000-04:00

The Spits - Black and Blue

Here's a tasty bit of yum to tide you good folks over until our single is complete and ready for purchase on this info-superhighway. These guys were in Brooklyn a few days ago. Love their sense of humor and cool grime. This song entertains me to no end.

Update

2010-06-20T01:03:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the no-shows lately. We've been really busy working on new stuff for the set and for home listening goodness. We're working on a single which will include "Twin Doctors" and one other track that we are painstakingly re-recording for maximum tightness and yumminess. While I have been biking around the city a whole lot and losing weight, I still tend to refer to some music in food terms. It feels more human to me than to say spout out some clinical genre words.

Our gig at Pianos was kind of bad, while our last gig at Connolly's was surprisingly good given the lack of turnout. Tough going in the beginning stages I guess. I still really just enjoy playing and showing people what we're about musically. I felt pretty comfortable talking to the audience at Connolly's about what we're into and what we do. The band that came before us, Dick Van Dick, was kind of funny. All their lyrics were super x-rated and silly, but I liked the controversial aspect. There's not enough of that in music these days.

Huntronik at Connolly's June 17

2010-06-11T21:50:00.001-04:00

Huntronik Mix 3

2010-05-27T03:03:00.001-04:00

Huntronik Mix 3

1. Scientist, "Scientist" (With El Hunto Intro)

2. Crystalites, "Bag A Wire"

3. Mr. Oizo, "Hun"

4. Brian Eno "Spirits Drifting"

5. Tame Impala, "Desire Be, Desire Go"

6. Jay Reatard, "Blood Visions"

7. Baths, "Mecha Joy"

8. Women, "Shaking Hand"

9. Kaoma, "Lambada"

10. Velella Velella, "We Should Outsource This To Those Kids Over There"

11. White Denim, "Sex Prayer"

12. MBV, "Cigarette In Your Bed"

Good Times

2010-05-26T14:04:00.000-04:00

Our set at Cake Shop went well. No amps exploded, and no cakes were flung. People seemed to be into it. I hung out with Shawn and Mark from Netherfriends for a few days. They're good dudes. Their show last night at this place called Legion was really good. It was really impressive the way their dynamics shifts up and down so freely. They headed off to my home state of Massachusetts today.

After the Cake Shop show, El NetherDudes brought Ajia and me to a bar with a bunch of british dudes, and they bought us a bunch of "boddies" (Boddington beers). They called them the "cream of Manchester" or something. Then I talked about boxing with this dude from Liverpool, and then he recommended this book about the DJ John Peel called The Olivetti Chronicles. That sounded really interesting.

So next up on the platter comes the Huntronik Mix 3, which I will post tomorrow. See you then.

The Dream

2010-05-19T01:03:00.000-04:00

I want to take a quick minute right now after my boys went up 2-0 against the Magic, and remind people what being a great center is all about. When I was 11 years old, I watched every second of the 1994 NBA Finals. It was the Knicks from the east versus the Rockets from the west, and it was flat out awesome for me. Now, I respect Dwight Howard a lot for his strength and low-post dominance, but let me show you the absolute man. Hakeem Olajuwon was the most athletically gifted center of all time. He had the slithery quickness and keen shooting eye of a guard, but he was seven feet tall. A lot of people talk about how the athletes of the NBA today just keep getting bigger, faster, stronger, and they are right to a great extent. But The Dream still stands as one of the nastiest all-around centers ever. Look at his career stats and pay close attention to his playoff numbers. Enjoy.

Huntronik/Netherfriends Show May 24 & Posters

2010-05-16T14:36:00.000-04:00

These posters will be on sale for $12, and a 2-song single will be on sale for $3. You can pick up both of them up for $15. If you'd like any, just shoot us an email at huntronik@hotmail.com

What Makes Music Great?

2010-05-06T02:45:00.000-04:00

What makes great art and music? The following is a lengthy but honest attempt to scratch the surface of this enticing rubix cube. For those of us, my well-informed and learned readers, who aren't feeling so philosophical at the moment, maybe its best to save this one for a rainy day. Moving forward...

I remembered listening to an interview with Julian Casablancas, Strokes frontman known for his cool sense of style, remarking that he was hoping to inspire people when they listened to his music. He said something along the lines of "isn't that what great art is?" afterwards. It stuck with me, and I wasn't altogether sure what it meant-- to inspire someone. I had been inspired by many great works of art (and some not so great ones), but that can't be the whole story, right? If a mother of four, living in a backwoods in Peru happens to listen to my music, and she likes it a lot, does that mean she is inspired by it? Can someone listen to something, completely love it, yet remain uninspired?

I love the song "Birthday" by The Beatles. When I listen to it, it makes me want to be a better musician and songwriter, and that means I am inspired by it. I also love the song "Pop 7" by Gas, but I feel slightly different things when I listen to it as compared to when I listen to "Birthday" by The Beatles. In the case of "Pop 7," I feel more curious and fascinated by the sounds I am hearing, but it doesn't make me want to go play music. I will listen to it for a minute, and I will simply want to keep on listening to it. In the case of "Birthday," I will listen to it for a minute, and I will want to immediately go play music based on how great it is. Coincidentally, I will generally finish it out of respect for it before I do go and play.

Gas - Pop 7

So what's the difference between the two songs as it relates to inspiration? I'd list them both as influences towards my own style, and I love them both. Is "Birthday" an inspiring song and "Pop 7" not? Is "Pop 7" inspiring but less so than "Birthday"? Its music, so we are never dealing in absolutes. Still, I find the use of "inspiring the listener" to define what makes great music/great art frustrating because something loved and something inspiring can be two different things and yet inhabit the same place in the mind. Then again, we don't ever say that great music is "uninspiring," do we? Maybe we do. Maybe something like "Radiation," by Pan Sonic, a piece of drone that lasts about an hour, is uninspiring. As a musician, it interests me mildly. As a casual listener, it might just put me into a state of weird, ambiguous contemplation based on its electric shifting qualities. If we simply say that inspiring someone means to let them feel something, then I suppose all great music is inspiring. Then we can say "Great music inspires you to do or feel something."

But can't we also say the same of bad music? If I listen to something I don't like, aren't I inspired to turn it off because I feel a kind of dissonance or unrest? What's the difference here? Some things I feel when I listen to bad music can be: embarrassment, apprehension, bemusement, skepticism, confusion, disgust, condescension. Some things I feel when I listen to good music are: joy, awe, happiness, sadness, introspective curiosity, appreciation. In a sense, I am filled up with something positive, something contributive, when I listen to the good. As for the bad, I am tempted to conclude that "I am drained of something when I listen to the bad," and that may very well be the case in some instances, but its not the whole case. Comparing my list of emotions, it appears to have more to do with feeling incomplete-- in that you hear a bad piece of music, and you want it to shape up; modify itself in some way. It is not finished. As a musician, this is why I am wary of simply dismissing a work of another fellow musician. Their work to me almost always has something that can shine, but whether or not it has been cut and polished to fullness is another matter.

For good music, we say we've listened to something which has contributed something to us, and for bad music, we say it is incomplete or needs more work. This implies that all music has the potential to be good. Think of the worst song you can. For me, many late 90's and early 2000's pop songs come to mind as well as a great many 1980's pop tunes, and one thing that they have in common is hardcore high-production with very little artistic integrity or "soul." Maybe these are the worst of the worst, and to say that they could be made into something good or great isn't right. They probably are already quite good in the sense that they have been engineered to trigger some kind of consumer response from us, but good marketing and studio engineers does not a true artist make. Somewhere down the line, making money and making great music splintered apart seriously enough that bad music could make a lot of money. I won't bother slinging mud at anyone; Its not a worthwhile pursuit. Suffice it to say that production techniques gained significant ground over musical techniques.

This brings us to what I think is a very big question: where does album sales and popularity fit in with the quality of a piece of music? There must be a correlation, and yet that seems to contradict, at least in part, bad music making money. It is quite clear that a lot of fantastic music has also made a lot of money for people, but it is equally clear that bad music has done the same. Take a moment now and google the top 100 songs of 1999, and I'm sure you will find at least a handful of tunes that are totally hollow yet very cleverly constructed. If you are a musician, think of that handful of songs, and then try and imagine actually sitting down and writing some of them. Try to put yourself in the state of mind that would be conducive to writing them. Now tell me you don't feel like trash. We can't pretend like this is something altogether new. Let's be real about it: big music labels have been cranking out hits with puppet performers for over 50 years, and the majority of these age just as poorly as the ones we are talking about. Just google the top 100 songs of 1959 to see for yourself. In fact, that handful of garbage from 1959 must have sounded like a complete joke to listeners in 1969, while our handful of garbage from 1999, flimsy plastic that it is, still maintains a kind of fancy sheen. In 2059, the same will probably hold true. They might be listening to music in some strange new format that allows some kind of holographic visualization. Who knows?

We're running around in circles, and I'm going to have to stop now, my friends. It can be quite difficult staying on track, and my mind generally works in panorama. My rule is: if you can truly inspire someone with your art, then you have made something great.

Update

2010-04-29T00:11:00.001-04:00

The set is complete, and we've been rehearsing it with extra sharp ears. Our set list includes most of the songs on our myspace page, and a few that no one has heard but which we've been playing for a healthy time. The first of these, which may be called either "Intro" or "Touch," is my favorite and one of the most fun to play and sing. This particular song is constantly being improved and sculpted. We've also included a live version of "Twin Doctor" in our set since it walks in the realm of tasty grooves, and it should be quite a nice treat in person.

Additionally, I'll be working on a mix of tunes that I've been enjoying recently, and I'll post it here for download (probably in the next couple weeks). Maybe Ajia will have a few tunes he'd like to throw in there as well. I'll ask 'im. As a side note: we'll be adding a bar on the right side of this site shortly that will include future live dates, of which we have two in the works in our fair city of New York.

Huntronik's Bassist

2010-04-22T02:55:00.001-04:00

Say hello to Ajia, the Huntronik bass player. He's originally from the city of Tokyo, where he sold my favorite Nirvana single, "Pennyroyal Tea," for 4 times as much as its worth in America (1100 dollars). He's damn good at improvising and being creative on the spot, which is muy excellente. He's also a really good cook but deeply discourages the ownership of couches.

The Dustys & Cromagnon Jazz Podcast

2010-04-20T00:58:00.000-04:00

My first year in college at St. John's of Maryland, there was a senior named Pete Heyneman who let me borrow and listen to a bunch of his records. They were pretty nuts, and I thought it was a gracious thing to do, and now I just learned that he featured my tune "Up and Down" on his podcast, and here it is: Cromagnon Jazz.

Pete's band, The Dustys, just finished up touring with The Bravery. Here's their myspace: Dustys

They're great. I listened to their EP a few months ago, and it had some cool stuff on it. I can't seem to access it at the moment at their digstation page, but I liked it. Anyway, thanks to Pete for featuring Huntronik on his podcast, and check out the Dustys and the podcast. Then, spread some margarine on a croissant and store it in your refrigerator. It tastes better that way.

My Attorney

2010-04-12T05:40:00.001-04:00

Huntronik - My Attorney

Well, where to begin? This is a theme song that belongs in an imaginary world where attorneys are so heroic and sexy that they are talked about in that folkloric manner we normally reserve for sports stars, great historical figures, or Oprah. The lawyers have trading cards! They represent us, they defend us, and they inspire us to argue with a zesty electric flavor. Where do they learn to liquify our troubles into fine energizing beverages? These secrets are best left to their kind.

This is the story of my attorney, Mr. White. This song is dedicated to my friend, Matt "Judgezewski" Rydzewski. He is a kind dude and a lawyer to boot.

Lyrics:

My Attorney, Mr. White

Welcomes victims of vehicular fright

He hypnotizes jurors with a capital charm

Never interrupts the judge, always keeps him...

Calm

Mr. White

He went big time back in '78

Acquired his license in 13 states

His fetishistic taste and a platinum tongue

Attract the counsel to proceed and see if he is well...

Hung

Mr. White

Funny Norm Macdonald Clips

2010-04-08T14:45:00.000-04:00

Funny guy, creative sense of humor.

Update

2010-04-07T02:09:00.000-04:00

Last Friday I saw The XX. Their opening act was a girl who sang really good karaoke. Tonight I saw Growing, one of my current favorite bands. Their first opening act was polite singer/songwriter tunes with piano, bass, and drums, and their second opening act was pure noise by some guy named Eric. I really enjoyed The XX, and I enjoyed Growing but not as much as their album All The Way, which I listen to a lot. I just found out that they added a new member to beef up the rhythms. So I guess that explains why there were more techno beats. My ears took a pounding. The XX was a great combination of understated melodies and somber, classy lyrics that grooved with sampler drumming. Great times.

In other news, the set is developing as I play with bassists and continue to flesh out the songs. It is starting to really sound nice, but I will only be ready when I feel confident that the songs are all really cool and tight. I've also been recording some new tunes. I'll post a new song soon. I also received the cd pictured below in the mail, and I have no idea where it came from. I don't recall ever ordering it from anywhere, and I love this. I love diving into listening to something and having no expectations or idea about what it is. It could be great, it could be not great. Note the 2-dollar price label on the front.

Dead Plane by No Age

2010-04-02T01:56:00.000-04:00

Phenomenal performance by one of my favorite groups. Super creativity.

What Is Electro Music?

2010-03-31T21:04:00.001-04:00

I don't really like trying to classify songs in genres. I don't think it means much any more. Words never do music justice. Like, if you listen to something and then put it into words, even if you're really good at describing it, the only thing that people will take away from it is the level of enthusiasm you have for it. I can use words like "awesome" or "wonderful" or "pleasing" but thats just about the most powerful way people describe music. Either that or they compare it to another artist. I guess that's practical, but it feels like short-handing a musician's work.

One style that I've been wondering about lately is electro music. I read that a lot of acts these days in Brooklyn have electro influences, which is a fancy way of saying they use cheesy synth sounds. If you look up electro online, you'll find a definition along the lines of "music that uses electronic drums and sounds, and mechanized rhythms," but isn't that just about half of all music that we hear today? I don't really feel like these classifications mean anything now.

The Rock Steady Crew - Hey You

So I finished my schpiel or whatever, and here's two songs from the 1980's that I enjoy. The first is classic electro music by the "band" pictured above (all 17 of them). The second is just a song I like that I would have in my head for some reason during the summer when I painted houses with my friend. Close seconds that I opted not to put on this post are "Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats (unbelievably goofy but catchy) and "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles, which is simply a very creative studio production.

Mathew Wilder - Break My Stride

My Neighborhood and Three Walls

2010-03-26T13:00:00.000-04:00

Just a little background: this is my street in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Its weird how every time I take a picture of a building or a street, one thing or another seems to tilt uncontrollably to one side. In this case, its the streetlight. I've also included three cool walls that I found in my city travels. Good graffiti gives an otherwise dull building more character. Enjoy a beautiful song by local band Telepathe on the trip.

Telepathe - Can't Stand It

Dock Ellis & The LSD No-No

2010-03-24T01:56:00.000-04:00

I saw this recently and got a real kick out of it. Dock Ellis was the all-star pitcher for the 1971 World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates. Apparently this really happened. There's some absolutely brilliant quotes that come out of an interview with Ellis about this event. I encourage everyone to track a few down. They're hilariously entertaining, just as this video is. Coincidentally, Ellis walked 8 batters. Enjoy.

Shots Party

2010-03-22T15:59:00.000-04:00

Huntronik - Shots Party

I made this song about 3 years ago. I recently found dozens of old songs of mine that I forgot I had put on my portable hard drive, and this is one that I really liked. The song was made as a kind of jam session without words and without any chorus or return points. It's entirely electronic. Since its my birthday today, I figured shots were in order. I will probably be putting a few more old songs up once every week in addition to anything new, so it will be interesting to compare and contrast old versus new.

Twin Doctor

2010-03-15T04:11:00.000-04:00

Huntronik - Twin Doctor

I was watching an interview with one of my favorite musicians and musical thinkers, Bradford Cox, when one of the interviewers mentioned something that caught my attention. He said there was a place in South America where only twins lived, and it was because someone had manipulated the genes of the townsfolk. It sounded absolutely ludicrous, but I started searching around the net to see if there was any truth to it.

Sure enough, there is a municipality in Brazil where 1 out of 5 births is a twin. This ratio is absurdly high when compared to anywhere else on the planet. The other bizarre thing about it is much of the population appears Nordic (i.e. they have blue eyes and blonde hair). There's a theory that a notorious Nazi war criminal by the name of Joseph Mengele is responsible. The reason is that he had a grotesque fascination with twins during the war, and the "twinning rate" jumped up dramatically when he took refuge in the town and went to work as a doctor there. By all accounts, Mengele did some truly monstrous things to twins. It both frightened and fascinated me to think about what people can lead themselves to do when given unlimited power for experimentation. Beyond that, why twins? A whole host of other thoughts and feelings about the nature of evil challenged me, so I explored them a bit in this song. Enjoy.

Lyrics:

It was my ambition to put them together

The doctors told you that I never saw them

Go inside, always come out again

I sew your head to a pole with that stupid grin

I need to travel, check out the world

And get away from Nuremberg Tribunal

God Damn I Love This Shit

2010-03-12T05:09:00.000-05:00

Every Other Movie Released

2010-03-12T00:49:00.001-05:00

Current Favorites

2010-03-11T15:47:00.000-05:00

Seeing that this joint is about music and not about my expert ability to peel skin off my thumb...My five favorite current acts for today are:

1) Noveller

2) Growing

3) Women

4) Autechre

5) Sun Araw

My five favorite extinct acts for today are:

1) Sheena Easton

2) Laurel Aitken - Pussy Price

3) The Young Rascals

4) The Psychedelic Furs

5) The Raincoats - Fairytale In The Supermarket

Serge Gainsbourg Tribute Video

2010-03-04T15:06:00.000-05:00

I love cool graffiti-- it gives personality to a lot of buildings that would otherwise be bland and lifeless. That's not to say buildings that already have their own cool style should get tagged, of course, but I enjoy looking at it. Graffiti is underrated. So here's a great video that Arnaud Jourdain did as a homage to Serge Gainsbourg, a favorite of mine. The layering of graffiti over time is pretty cool.

Up and Down

2010-02-28T03:14:00.001-05:00

Huntronik - Up and Down

Tyler Pipe in the town of Tyler, Texas is a company owned by the infamous McWane Corporation. The corporation ran the most dangerous foundry operations in the States, and had a groteque number of OSHA violations for years. I recently watched a documentary about the company, and it gave me some ideas for lyrics for this tune here. I guess its like a fire and brimstone version of capitalism in its most exploitative form. There's a tendency to gravitate towards more grisly themes for song ideas and concepts, but it makes for a bit richer listen sometimes.

Anyhow, my vision for this tune involves a kind of hell-on-earth place where people are duped and exposed to danger and death. I 'spose the reality isn't too far off since the only people that would take jobs at the company's foundries were ex-cons. Its just weird to me that an entire corporation's policy is to pay cheap fines for human deaths rather than just try to prevent them. But enough politicizing the shit. I'd rather talk about the creative process. The name "Up and Down" came from both the vocal hook and the idea of having ups and downs in life. In the case of the world the song inhabits, mostly really really low downs. But the idea of making the song catchy and poppy is also pretty attractive to me. I like weird contrasts like that because its my preference and they're also tend to be less heavy-handed. Like for example the idea of writing a slow-ass baroque pop song about being happy or a guitar-heavy slammer about being a wimp. That kind of shit can be interesting. Also, the thing about "bouncing a coin" just means passing a buck or two off to help out.

Lyrics:

My cousin jumped the border just to die

There's nothing here for me but metal pipes

Say what you want but he can't bounce one coin

Hombres get crushed when they're in foundry lines

If you don't want your limbs then don't take your time

Some days you never learn to return from

Some things you never learn to return from

Approaches

2010-02-21T13:36:00.000-05:00

The way I create a song changes depending on what I'm aiming for. There is kind of two approaches I take: one where I write the song for playing live, and one where I write the song for recording. When it comes to recorded music, you can do pretty much whatever you want, but in the live setting you can only do so much before you start having to rely on playback, and this to me bogs down the performance. After all, who wants to watch somebody push a "play" button so they can get all the sounds right? I'm still pushing some buttons on the sampler, but overall I'm playing as much as possible on the sampler, guitar, and keyboard to make my set an actual show-- something that people will enjoy watching as well as hearing.

I guess in the realm of electronics part of the sampling aspect of my show relies in chopping off a small piece of sound or rhythm from an old obscure tune and reconfiguring it into my sampler to play in a new way. I have my own code when it comes to sampling: don't use anything that is easily recognizable, and if possible, use it in a cool way that will also keep it indistinguishable. Axel Willner (The Field) does it by taking a tiny slice from a song and repeating it, but since the song slice is a fraction of a second, nobody has any idea where it comes from even though it still sounds really cool. This kind of thing can't be done live except with a sampler. Part of what makes it cool to me is the ability to play a nice variety of sound slices the same way somebody would play a regular percussion instrument. Its sometimes better than having a drummer. It lets me customize the overall sonic palette rather than having to rely on a drummer hitting the same kit each song.

Listening to stuff produced by the late James Yancey (J Dilla from Slum Village) is an inspiration for me because it builds on that approach. Donuts is great. Part of it is the ability to find cool sounds, not just creative musical phrases. I think musicians that are searching for something to plug into a sampler often don't listen closely enough for sounds that get them off. The mistake is just listening for notes that lend to what they are creating rather than listening for sounds or vibes that do. Like, if I'm listening to something old that was recorded with just one microphone, and the mix is all wrong, and an instrument is playing too far from the mic, then there might be a moment in there that catches my attention, not because its a great addition to the song it came from but because its just interesting or weird in its own way. Thats the kind of thing I look for and the approach I usually want to take.

I think its also a good rule of thumb to try and stay away from too much mashed-up, overly quirky song structures. Coming from me, they never quite seem to run through my ears as anything more than quick bursts of creativity rather than sustained and coherent songs. Its harder than it sounds to actually write and play a good song. A couple albums that come to mind that actually succeed in weird song structures are Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? by The Unicorns and All The Way by Growing. Big fan of both albums for their daring approach. I guess the Growing album consists more of atmospheres than songs, but it still works. Another fantastic artist who is one of my favorite samplers is Caribou. Some really great range shown on Milk of Human Kindness.

There is a balance to be struck between writing a good song and writing a predictable one. That is where I think having in mind the big picture, the overall vibe, and the sound of the song is more important than having in mind the right techniques and phrases. If you got the right feel for what you want to hear, then the technical side will follow suit. Its the thing I keep coming back to in my mind-- the approach. I'd rather make a terrible song than a boring or politely mild one. Artists that are able to create music that ears are still attracted to while operating by their own set of rules are pretty admirable.

Male Neck

2010-02-16T13:00:00.001-05:00

Huntronik - Male Neck

I was walking on Newbury Street in Boston around September of last year when I heard this guy talking about himself to his friend. He was describing him and this girl he was messing with, and he referred to himself as a “male neck,” which I didn’t understand, but I liked the way it sounded and the way he said it. It seemed cool, so I remembered the term so I could use it for a song title. I thought maybe it had something to do with the guy being an open neck for girls to “sink their teeth into” or some dingy nonsense like that. He didn’t seem to lack in the self-image department.

When I went to start the first version of the song, I had a rough idea of what I was going for—a kind of abstract groove with heavy percussions and heartbeat bass drum that might not fit at first in a groove, but after a minute found itself slithering along with the strange melody that I banged out to sound like a sinister sermon. I was aiming for a raggedy guitar and chant vibe ala The Liars or mid 80’s Sonic Youth. The first version had a real slow buildup on account of me wanting to set a mood with tremolo and rising organs (having in mind some kind of seductive noxious gas leaking from a smashed toxic waste site). I actually just banged a bit on the back of the guitar with my palm when the distortion and tremolo was turned on to get this hazy effect.

Huntronik - Male Neck (First Version)

The second version was more of a refining of the first, with the beginning buildup taken out for the most part and replaced with a strange organ part. The song built its percussions up a bit more, and I took out a scratchy repeating percussion part and replaced it with a more clanging one. The second version was the one I was going to have on my demo, but held off because I really disliked the song “Kaners” on the demo and wanted to do something better.

While I was at a Bear In Heaven show, I saw one of the guys was using the same effect on his sampler as I'd been using on mine. Its this ready-to-roll vinyl-sound effect, and it turned me off when I realized how easily it could be reproduced, so I got rid of it. Although I really liked the first and second versions and still do, I realized it was difficult to play the second version live because of the switching between keyboard and guitar. In the second version, the switch needs to be almost instantaneous, and this kinda thing ain’t easy. So as I was rehearsing it, I figured on a way to make it more playable and linear, which definitely changed the mood of the piece. I also scrapped the first bassline and created one that my ear could bob to more easily. Since I don’t own a bass guitar and don’t have the money to buy a Fender, I’ve just used a muddied up organ’s low register. I can play the song live almost exactly as it plays in this new version. I’m pretty pumped about that, and with a bass player and added percussion, the song will shine.

Lyrics:

Swan,

The city kitchen's serving all day long

Jump off the rails; I've never seen you so far gone

Swan,

Netty's Swanny said "one and one is one"

Lady, Come Make Dee Haction Begin

2010-02-15T03:58:00.000-05:00

I’ve been meaning to talk about Jamaican music a bit more in depth for a while. I listen to tons of it, and its one of my favorite breeds. The best era to me is the mid 60’s to the late 70’s. The way I hear it, the whole thing started as a kind of rebranding of American soul music of the early 60’s, which I’m also crazy about. But unlike soul, it diverged pretty quickly and wildly.

Around the mid and late 1960’s, rocksteady (ska’s successor) got really popular in Britain. For anyone that might have preconceptions about ska music, to me it is has nothing to do with that corny stuff that acts like UB40 pumped out in the mid 90’s. Just to be a stickler on details, Tony Tribe’s original version of “Red Red Wine” from 1969 beats out any updates thereafter just on its simplicity. I tend to shy away from highly produced music that is based off non-highly produced music, but I digress.

Some of my favorites and most well known from the era are Alton Ellis, Derrick Morgan, Sound Dimension, and The Heptones. If you listen to Jamaican music from this timeframe, it can be tough to differentiate between what is ska and what is rocksteady, but for me its all about the mix and the pacing. Ska music to me was definitely derived from soul music in America. With rocksteady, the pace is slower than ska, the bass is cranked higher, the guitar starts getting used like a percussion instrument (on the offbeat), and horns are used to dress up the grooves rather than drive them. Rocksteady was when Jamaica started making its own musical identity, and it culminated with roots reggae. Below is one of the greatest rocksteady songs ever, in my humble opinion:

The Heptones - Fattie Fattie

I gotta say, one of the most amazing and criminally neglected groups of this era (and there are dozens) is The Bleechers, who released stuff under Lee Perry’s Upsetter label. They’re probably my favorite Jamaican group, and their song “Put It Good” is definitely one of my favorite songs ever. They have this kind of mellow coolness because of their penchant for catchy melodies and the unique vocal coupling of Leo Graham and Wesley Martin. One of them has this ghostly high voice, and the other one is just a really smooth and cool voice. It’s a weird but awesome duo. They kind of personify skinhead reggae, which just means a lot of skinheads in Britain were buying their music around the late 60’s and early 70’s. Original Bleechers singles are tough as shit to get. I look every time I walk into a record store.

The Bleechers - Check Him Out

Anyway, there’s so many things that I love about Jamaican music from this era. The accents inevitably end up sounding really cartoonish to Americans, which I think adds to the personality of the songs. The bass is right in the front of the mix, but almost always blends so perfectly with the rhythms and overall grooves. My ears generally need to be “filled up” with sound, and when you have heavy, smooth, bass lines with rhythms that flow like water, that does the trick. I think cranking the bass in the mix is what anchors the groove in a song, but I don’t like when the bass line is too complex. Bass, to me, should be what the ears can’t help but latch onto. A lot of people don’t even notice the bass in the mix, but if they listen to a song without it, something is definitely missing. I also love it when the bass is both trebly and bassy at the same time, like, when you can hear the plucking of the strings clearly like someone tonguing their cheek, but the “bottomness” of the sound sticks like gravy.

I think a lot of what I’ve been up to musically the past few months has been directly influenced by the vast amount of Jamaican music I’ve been listening to. Everything from Dennis Alcapone to the Viceroys has been running up in there, and its weird because even the seemingly vacuous songs like “Push It In,” “Ram You Hard,” or “Work It Out” have a funny kind of appreciation with me now. They have a self-contained quality to them all. Fetishism for sure. “Work It Out,” by the Viceroys is a little less than 2 minutes of sweaty, poorly recorded, ridiculousness but the whole jam melds together in this craggy pulsing way that I can’t get enough of. The bass guitar itself sounds like some kind of drum because of the way its mixed or recorded. A lot of the singles from the era do the same thing. For flavors, just listen to “Reggae In Your Jeggae” by Dandy Livingstone on the Down Town label. That song is some serious personality. His most well-known song, “Rudy, A Message To You,” can be found on youtube.

Dandy - Reggae In Your Jeggae

One more artist, who for the life of me I can’t find anything on the net about him, is “Lick It Back” by the ultra-obscure Duke Morgan, who I think really only released this one song. If anyone else knows of anything that he was even featured in, let me know. His vocal style sounds like he’s close to death or just way out of it, which gives it an odd, cool texture to it. While we’re at it, let’s shout for the last 1:20 of The Crystalites song “Bag AWire.” Awesome combination of sounds.

Duke Morgan - Lick It Back

Marky

2010-02-08T08:50:00.000-05:00

Huntronik - Marky

This is young Marky, a rascally youngin' from the great town of Acton, MA. This is his story, told from his perspective. I made it partly as a goof but also trying to lever the antagonistic aspect. As far as I know, the things in the song are all accurate. Some steady research went into it.

Working On The Set

2010-02-02T18:36:00.001-05:00

I've been working hard on my live set and planning what kind of instruments will be up on the stage. I'd definitely like a bass and a tabla player to round out the sound and pump up the rhythm. If the bass player can also play a little bit of rhythm guitar, that'd be nice too. With my keyboard, guitar, sampler, and vocals, the grooves should be tight.

Also, check out this picture of a South Bronx slum from the early 80's. I bet that those buildings are structurally more sound than the cheapos they put up now, but this neighborhood has been rehabbed a fair amount since this picture was taken. Still, I'd be hard-pressed to find a better example of urban decay.

To Rather Forget Virtual 7"

2010-01-27T01:28:00.000-05:00

Huntronik - To Rather Forget

Huntronik - Further Vectors

I made these songs about two years ago and thought I'd resurrect them. Each song is separated into sections and assembled in a patchwork manner. A few nice moments here and there.

Download

Foreign Sludge

2010-01-21T04:47:00.000-05:00

Huntronik - Foreign Sludge

Say hello to Bionic Belle. Bio-Belle is our lovely seafaring friend. And guess what? She's foreign! This is her theme song.

Nah, its just a tune I made late last night. The pianos, bongos, organs, guitar, and hats are layered on top of one another in simple polyrhythms to create density and flow. In these kinds of songs, I like sparse, stabbing melodies with a sturdy bass to hold them tight. Since I don't have a bass guitar, I played the organ with all the wheels clipped except the lowest. Gives it that muddy meanness. Then I just cranked it up. Reggae double-pumps help out on the offbeat.

I was thinking about adding some vocals, but the next few upcoming have them, so I kept them out.

Run Core

2010-01-12T14:27:00.000-05:00

Huntronik - Run Core

Here's some high-tempo energy and rhythm. Can never get enough.

Film of Lions

2010-01-10T18:24:00.000-05:00

Huntronik - Film of Lions

I made this one recently over the course of a few days. Its based on a documentary I saw on lions, their serene moments in raising their young, in protecting their pride, and also kicking the shit out of anything that runs into them. There's way more songs to come, as I've been quite productive lately. Enjoy.

Update

2010-01-09T14:43:00.000-05:00

Hey all, new music is coming. I'm working on finishing up a number of songs, and then I'll pick a truly final 2 songs for my demo and send it out. In the meantime, check out my friend Brent's movie commentary and discussion blog, The What-Have-You

Ten Cool Chunes

2009-12-24T11:19:00.000-05:00

Scratch Acid, "Cannibal"

I love the no bullshit approach when its fully powered up. They got it right here.

The Wipers, "Return of The Rat"

Huge and quite obvious influence on Mr. Cobain.

The Heptones, "Fatty Fatty"

A must-listen for anyone who likes soul or reggae to any degree.

Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, "How Long Do I Have To Wait For You"

Cleverly structured neo-reggae from Daptone label. Great stabbing calvinet flourishes put it over the top for me.

DJ Rupture, "Too Much: Clouds" & "Mass Dampers: Ekstrak"

Absolutely awesome duo meant to be played side by side. Credit to Rupture for digging these out of wherever. Tractor-beam bass cannot be stopped.

The Beatles, "Sun King"

Just can't stop feeling the brilliance of these harmonies and arrangements. I know its the safest pick ever, but who cares. I also greatly prefer these moments of vocal perfection to anything Pink Floyd ever did.

Brian Eno and David Byrne, "Very, Very Hungry"

Another heavy-rotation subway jam. The whole album is whitey rhythmic intensity that was far ahead of its time with the use of found-sound sampling. Love this

Caribou, "Bees"

Toasty campfire jammer from another sample-maestro. When the guitar starts, I'm instantly transported to an alternate universe where the Grateful Dead are actually fun to listen to.

Girls, "Lust for Life"

Catchy factor's out of the ballpark. The song's got a kind of gayish libertine thing going for it even though the singer's straight.

Miles Davis, "Calypso Frelimo" (at the 25:29 mark)

This groove will box you right out of your office window and into a 1974 alley-way with a hooker. No, really.

Every Kiss Begins With Kay

2009-12-18T15:09:00.000-05:00

Rat Kill

2009-12-16T14:08:00.000-05:00

I got up today at 7 AM with a big burst of wacky creative energy and made this thing. Its along the lines of the last one I popped on here. Enjoy...

Huntronik - Rat Kill

lyrics:

you know that feeling when you wake up

and there's no sound except rodents stuck to sticky paper

and you can't handle their termination--

its not in your training as staples office supervisor

there's nothing like enchiladas to clear one's head

or a sweet mexican burrito invited in my bed

i always hear them running (oh my my)

skittering in the wall

infectious little vermin,

i need to cook and eat them all

(freakout)

South American Mission

2009-12-08T11:19:00.000-05:00

Here's a little number I made for fun last night after a show of sorts with the A.V. Club from The Onion. I guess all the pop culture references was too much for me. Try to guess which film this references. It shouldn't be too difficult.

Huntronik - South American Mission

Reworking Demo

2009-12-07T13:32:00.001-05:00

Apologies for not updating in awhile. I've decided to remove "Kaners" from the demo since it bores me and doesn't really go anywhere, and I'll be adding a new song which I'm recording now called "Deep Watts" as the first track. I'll also be throwing the song "Maynard" on there as a fourth track just to round things out a bit. Recording with my new Mercury pre-amp is going well. More to come...

HUNTRONIK DEMO

2009-11-04T10:39:00.001-05:00

Here is the new Huntronik demo in its entirety...

1) Kaners

2) Male Neck

3) Children No Trespass

DOWNLOAD

Obscure Soul Gems

2009-10-25T12:12:00.001-04:00

Deep Heat - She's a Junkie (Who's The Blame)