decoded_ Something for your mind… Something for your mind…

March 17, 2010

Hello!

Filed under: Clubbing & Gigs,General,Music,PC/Console Games,TV — decoded_ @ 1:15 pm

Hello, wow, it’s March already… Life goes by faster the older you get, I’m sure of it. I hope you’re all well and all is going well.

It’s been a long time since I’ve blogged any thoughts and comments here about all the music I’ve been listening to, and club/music events I’ve got out to, and continue to get out to.

I have trouble synchronising my spare time, energy, motivation and enthusiasm I think, well, that’s my excuse. Or maybe I’m just really busy, or maybe just lazy.

The truth is, work is all work no play these days, it’s brain numbing. Nights at home are spent chilling, enjoying all the wonderful TV shows discovered via channel BT with Joanne, that’s become a passion.

It’s not all TV at home though, I’m often on the PC, seeking out music, messing around with Ableton Live (never seem to progress beyond initial track ideas, but it’s fun), or spending time killing enemies inside FPS PC games, it should probably be a concern how much enjoyment I get from that. I’ll have a chat about FPS PC games soon, I must get around to installing and playing Bioshock 2 soon.

Weekends are usually always busy for us, eating out, catching up with friends and family, seeing movies, clubbing, partying, recovering. There are also the weekends where I love to just relax and do as little as possible, but it’s the busy weekends that are the most memorable and rewarding. You certainly appreciate weekends more when you work full time.

So, the blog is being neglected. I’m starting to think it would be better if I just posted up smaller, shorter, quicker things here more often than doing what I have been, which is these grand plans to write up lengthy, detailed reviews/posts with lists of tracks spotted in DJs sets. I start writing them, but they never get finished, so they’re never posted. I have a drafts folder full of them. I’m not sure there would be any benefit finishing them and posting them now, unless you really want to know the names of a bunch of tracks Joris Voorn played at Nevermind in February 2009, wow that was more than a year ago.

As suggested by James from the SydneyLovesTechno blog, I also wanted to write up a follow up on 2009, my best (and worst) of 2009 club/music wise, with charts etc. But now that we’re well into 2010, wondering if it’s still worth doing.

On that point, something that has become very clear to me, is that the most enjoyable and inspiring music things I’ve seen and experienced out over recent years have all been live performances, people playing their own music live with laptops, hardware, instruments etc. Mathew Jonson, Laurent Garnier, John Tejada, Alex Smoke, HMC, Robert Babicz, Orbital, Depeche Mode all come to mind.

I’m just not hearing or seeing anything that interesting in DJ sets these days, I’m not being inspired but a set of music. Considering all the hardware, controllers, software around these days for DJs to use, you would think there would be a lot of cool and interesting stuff happening. Perhaps all this future DJing technology just isn’t being used within the genres of music I like. Techno isn’t technology music anymore? I don’t believe that. What’s Richie Hawtin up to? Perhaps it’s because the music isn’t as good/interesting to me anymore…

Music is still a big passion. Listening to it is a big part of my life. I’m always seeking new stuff out, collecting music, buying stuff on Beatport, downloading podcasts and DJ mixes. Or having musical trips down memory lane via YouTube clips. It’s always nice to have new stuff to listen to on my iPod on my public transport travels during the working week. I love my iPod I use it every single day.

A lot of the time at home I feel like I spend more time organising my digital music collection, than actually using it to mix with. Every weekend I think about recording some DJ mixes, but it never seems to happen, I never find the time. I can’t believe I managed to record a 2 hour mix/DJ set for my Internet radio show, every single week in years gone by. I really would love to do some more DJ mixes.

The sounds? To be honest, I’m not really hearing much unique, inspirational, special, memorable new music within the techno, tech-house, minimal, and deep-house genres I like. I had a brief love affair with nu-disco, but it’s not exciting me as much anymore. Perhaps I’ve been into it all for too long. There’s just too much stuff sounding all the same/heard it all before, too much music trying to fit in, not enough stuff pushing forward into new directions. Is it because anyone with a computer and some music software can churn out tracks now?

But it’s not all bad, it’s the rare gems I come across that keep me interested in seeking out more music, but you don’t come across them us much anymore. I’m hard to please. I’ll post up a list of music I’ve been enjoying recently, shortly.

So, like I said, I think I’ll post up shorter things more often from now on… He says after posting this essay… /me rolls eyes.

Anyway, enough dribble, hello, I’m still here, more soon.

September 10, 2009

HBO True Blood Season 2 Finale Teaser Video feat. Depeche Mode – Corrupt

Filed under: Music,TV — decoded_ @ 6:06 pm

October 10, 2008

Stuck in front of the TV

Filed under: TV — decoded_ @ 1:25 am

Retro TV

There’s been a lot of TV watching going on the last couple of weeks.

Dexter
Breaking Bad
Entourage
The Office (US)
The Riches
In Treatment
House MD
Little Britain USA
30 Rock
Pushing Daisies

Some really great television IMHO. Fantastic shows, much thanks to FOXTEL’s Showcase channel for introducing us to many of these. So many US shows, so many HBO shows! What’s going on?

It’s really disappointing that The Riches looks like it’s not going to be continued, with everything being left completely up in the air at the end of a very short season 2, writers strike and all that. Breaking Bad has been awesome, looking forward to more in 2009. I’m quite impressed with In Treatment so far, which has just started, great intensity.

Very happy that Dexter is back in action. Entourage is rocking again, Ari owns! He was on fire in the first episode of season 5. Little Britain USA has got a few laughs, more of the same, but with a US focus and accents. I think it’s been dumbed down a lot for America, the obvious ‘you should laugh here/this is the funny bit’ canned laughter is a bit much.

More 30 Rock coming in late October, woo Liz Lemon! I’ve decided I actually like the US version of The Office better than the original UK one now, more laughs, less cringe. I hope Wilson hasn’t left House MD. The P.I. looks like he’s going to become a regular new character.

Pushing Daisies is creepy and cute, and feels/looks like a Tim Burton movie. The narration reminds me a bit of the original TV series of The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy.

I’ve never had this many interesting/entertaining TV shows to watch all at the same time, ever in my life before! I’m loving that technology allows me to watch them when I choose to.

Couch potato!

September 22, 2008

My mouth tastes like purple…

Filed under: TV — decoded_ @ 5:03 pm

Jack Donaghy - 30 Rock

“My mouth tastes like purple” – Jack Donaghy (30 Rock)

That cracked me up! I’m surprised I enjoy this TV show 30 Rock. I get many laughs each episode. I was never much of a fan of SNL, but I really like Tina Fey in this show, and Alec Baldwin’s Jack Donaghy character is very funny.

http://www.nbc.com/30_Rock/

Speaking of TV shows, they’re all back! I’ve been tuned to channel BT a lot! Time to upgrade the broadband limit.

June 25, 2008

TV

Filed under: TV — decoded_ @ 5:16 pm

Retro TV

Hooray! Finally! We can now buy TV show episodes for our iPods on the iTunes Australian site… Not much to chose from though, and it all looks like stuff that has already been aired on Australian TV, no surprises there. Could be fun to get some South Park episodes though.

More on the story…

http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/tv-shows-debut-on-aussie-itunes-store/2008/06/25/1214073317412.html

May 21, 2008

TV

Filed under: TV — decoded_ @ 11:33 pm

Retro TV

Argggh, *me shakes fists* ;P damn you technology for allowing me to download all the latest episodes and season finales of my fave TV shows, and being able to stream via the PS3, watching them on the big LCD TV.

Now I have to wait until September/October for new seasons/episodes of… Dexter, House M.D, The Office (US), and Flight Of The Conchords. And when’s Entourage coming back?

A bit more on this…

Yes, I know it’s ‘not the right thing’ to do, to download stuff for free. I don’t do it with music, I buy lots of it. It all started when we missed a couple of TV show episodes, and were desperate to find out what happened.

We will buy all these TV show’s seasons on DVD as soon as they are released as well, we have all the previous seasons on DVD. I guess you could say we collect DVDs of seasons of TV shows we like. Although we don’t tend to re-watch them very often, apart from The Young Ones, which we never get tired of.

I have to say, it’s so much more enjoyable to be able to watch TV shows without advertisments interrupting them. Does TV advertising work? Nothing advertised on TV interests me, or influences me to buy products, or use services. I know it’s what pays for TV shows to be shown, but it just seems really useless to me. I guess I’m outside the target demographic. It’s also annoying what Network Ten (which has most of the shows mentioned here) does with its TV programming, moving shows around the schedule with no notice, not airing an episode one week, repeating an old episode the next week etc.

And… how come we can’t buy and download TV shows here in Australia, like you can with iTunes in the US? I would happily pay for them if I could.

May 12, 2008

The Chaser’s Age Of Terror Variety Hour : Enmore Theatre : 10.05.2008

Filed under: Live Comedy,TV — decoded_ @ 6:25 pm

The Chaser’s Age Of Terror Variety Hour

http://www.chaser.com.au
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chaser’s_War_on_Everything

Some good laughs, basically a live theatrical version of what could easily be just an episode of their TV show. It had a very low-budget feel. Was fun to see them live though. I was hoping for some cracked pepper, where was Chris Taylor?

Certainly not as impressive, exciting and entertaining live show as the Spicks and Speck-tacular was, the live show of ABC TV show Spicks And Specks.

May 10, 2008

Flight Of The Conchords

Filed under: TV — decoded_ @ 2:08 pm

Flight of The Concordes

UPDATE : Just noticed this starts on Channel 10 (Sydney/Australia) Sunday night (11th May) 10:10PM – 10:45PM

Who likes to rock the party? We like to rock the party.

Thanks to Arj Barker making mention of during his show, and a couple of friends recommendations I’ve recently discovered Flight Of The Conchords a very dry/funny TV show about a New Zealand duo/band “Flight Of The Conchords” with members Jemaine, and Bret, and their NZ manager Murray all living in New York. Arj Barker has a small role as Dave the guy who works at a pawn broker.

They break into song a couple of times in each episode, taking off many music/video styles/bands, very funny!

Unless you know where to look *wink*, or buy a DVD from OS you’ll have to wait until channel 10 decides to air the series. I highly recommend checking it out.

Some links…

http://www.myspace.com/conchords
http://www.hbo.com/conchords/
http://www.conchords.co.nz/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_of_the_Conchords_%28TV_series%29

September 1, 2006

Watching live TV in the sky…

Filed under: General,TV — decoded_ @ 12:54 pm

Virgin Blue Boeing 737-700

Late last week, I spent a couple of full days working in the sky… Flying between Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, and Perth in a Virgin Blue Boeing 737-700 doing private test flights. I was testing out the new “Lve 2 Air” service, which puts 24 channels of live FOXTEL (pay TV) on seat-backs on Virgin Blue planes, using a special satellite tracking antenna attached to the top of the plane. It works great, a few issues, but they should be sorted out quickly, it’s a very enjoyable way to pass the time, it’s a $6 credit card swipe.

It was a fun couple of days work, watching live TV in the sky, with friendly flight crew laying on the food/drink, and a nice stop-over hotel/dinner/breakfast in Melbourne. On the flights we got an entire row of seats across the aircraft to ourselves (you never see that these days!), and we were asked to monitor channels for any issues. I also got to spend 30 minutes in the cockpit chatting to one of the pilots during our track across to Perth, learning what all the control panel’s buttons, switches, and screens are used for, not something you have the chance to do at all these days, a great experience. If I had been quicker off the mark I might have been able to secure the jump-seat for a take off or landing. The aborted landings in Brisbane and Adelaide were quite exciting, coming in to land, then rapidly ascending into the sky seconds before touch down. I got to spend a whole 8 minutes in Perth at the airport terminal, while the plane refueled, so I didn’t really get to ‘visit’ anywhere, apart from a night in Melbourne at an airport hotel.

Powered by WordPress