The Summer Jam was a Taswell trope.

Therefore, I'll keep on keeping-on with my annual tradition.

This summer was an easy selection. It was no contest.

My Official Summer Jam of 2014:

Lastly, pimpin' a sampling of my cardistry

Freestylin' using Addison Reynoso's "Adobo" as basis. Using the Virt's Spring/Summer 2014 deck.

Hope you all have a good summer!

I was thinking if there were any cardists in the GB community.

After some... significant events in my life, I decided to finally pursue cardistry back in February of this year. I'm still a complete amateur, but it's been a rewarding and humbling experience. Maybe, just maybe, I could also get people interested.

But for those of you who don't know what "cardistry" is, it's the art of flourishing playing cards.

What is Cardistry?

Keep in mind that, Andrei Jikh is left-handed. His deck dealing hand is his right, and his manipulator hand is his left.

Also, Andrei performs a magic trick called "Dress Code". WATCH HIS T-SHIRT!

Some of my favorite performances on the web.

Chris Hestnes performs the entire moveset of Dan&Dave.

The A-Z of Cardistry.

Downtown, featuring Zach Mueller, Dave Buck, Adam Kerchman, Tobias Levin, & Oliver Sogard.

The trailer of Aviv's SEQUENCE.

Finally, a charming video from Zach Mueller called SUPERHERO.

Lastly, how did you ever get started on cardistry?

I started with the Virts's Icarus Sequence.

Thanks for watching!

"Perfection may very well be impossible, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be aiming for it."

-My Dad

This is not a dance album.

This is, arguably, not an entirely dance-able album.

This is a divisive album, and it will, no doubt, alienate those who came with certain expectations.

But Daft Punk isn't a stranger to alienating their fans.

When they unleashed Homework to the world, it had a fresh playfulness, naïveté, and funk. I didn't initially come to Daft Punk through their first album, but I have acquired a taste and appreciation for it. For sometimes it is hard to see the impact in retrospect, and all I can do is retrace the evolution without having witnessed the revolution.

When they released Discovery, they have been quoted in an interview alongside Reiji Matsumoto that: they wanted to capture that sense of magic and wonder of discovering music for the first time. Perhaps this form of naïveté was also seen as a way of "turning into pop-mainstream." But Discovery did have a sense of wide-eyed appeal that won the hearts and minds of many, including yours-truly. Perhaps... it actually did understand that magical moment that much, if not all, of pop music has forgotten but misguidedly strives towards.

When they released Human After All, Daft Punk traded their approachability with a maudlin sense of "robot punk." Thematically different from Discovery, it represented, in my mind, the flip-side of Daft Punk's electronic sound. If Discovery was its soul, then (the ironically named) Human After All was the machine. Together, they formed the myth of Daft Punk's synthetic soul, but still placing them as mainstays of electronic music and dancefloors everywhere. This sound, however, was not for everybody. Human After All, too, suffered from it's own lulls of electronic hallucinations that were stuck-up-its-own-ass at times, a parody of oneself.

When they released Random Access Memories... I was a little disappointed. I was sure I couldn't possibly be the only one.

But first, a question: Why?

Why would a fan be disappointed?

Because it isn't an electronic album? Because this is their "quietest" album? Because they dared to do something different?

Yes, yes, and yes. That it was for me, initially.

Was it possible, for me, to let go of those expectations? Was it possible for me to objectively see the merits of the album by itself?

Was it possible for me to stop asking why, and, instead, discover what it was they were trying to do with Random Access Memories? What was their vision?

Was it possible for me to divorce what I want from what they wanted to create and appreciate it?

Daft Punk wasn't going to do what I wanted them to do. Daft Punk was going to do what they wanted to do. As quoted from their Pete Tong's 2007 interview: "they're just two kids playing."

It would be remiss of me to not acknowledge two things.

First, I profess and preach about loving a very old-school electronic sound. For all of current pop-culture's obsession with EDM, Dubstep, or whatever-the-hell-it-is-kids-listen-to-these-days, I am in my little corner, telling anyone who's willing to listen that: electronic music is more than just Techno.

More than just Dubstep.

More than just Eurotrash.

More than just Trance.

More than just these preconceived genres.

I would tell people that I was a fan of StarDone, Russ Chimes, Cherokee, Hana Yori Kichou Na. That genres like French House, Valerie, and Acid House were real.

Daft Punk's homage to an older sound is not the issue for me. That couldn't be farther from the truth. That couldn't, shouldn't, wouldn't be a reason for me not to, at least, give this a chance.

Second, I consider myself a modest artist. Not with music, but with my pencil. I would draw people, animals, figures, robots, spaceships, etc. Anything with a singular entity as a focus. Looking back at my past work, I realized that I didn't want to be typecast with a singular style. I wanted to expand. I wanted to draw landscapes. I wanted to draw scenes. I wanted to draw spaces that elicited ideas and, perhaps, emotions. I wanted something more; something different. I wanted a varied legacy. A legacy that showed that I could do more...

...and that's when I understood.

Whether or not that is what Daft Punk was directly trying to do, I captured a glimpse of why any artist would dare to do differently from before.

Qui audet adipiscitur

Fans waited 8 years with bated breath to dance again, but that isn't what we got. We came to Random Access Memories hoping for more electronic positivity, but we came away with some emotional pieces. Touch isn't a happy song. It is a morose journey, a dip in the roller coaster ride, before we hit a crescent with Get Lucky. With the possibility of somber tones, a greater range is possible, a better overall experience, but not all of it is for the clubs. I've even acquired a preference to the original Lose Yourself To Dance. The fake teaser is akin to candy. It was sweet and instantly gratifying. The original song is a more controlled build-up, which I now consider the more refined song. Random Access Memories isn't about making dance-hits. It's an actual ride that's not afraid to slow-down to show you something... different. Something that is a little more contemplative. Something that you could... feel. Something... you weren't expecting from Daft Punk.

Daft Punk applied their synthetic soul to something different. Modernizing it enough to make it palatable, imprinting their signature electronics to make it their own, but, ultimately, creating an homage.

This was all done at the expense of being a dance album.

And it sure isn't.

I never expected this album to grow so much on me, so fast in these few short hours.

If you disagree, then walk away now.

But know this:

This is not a defense nor a review. You have just read my personal journey of thought and transformation of my opinion regarding Random Access Memories.

This isn't a a dance album, and I have come to love it.

And Lastly,

I Nominate for Best Summer Album Release for 2012:

Here's one of my personal favorites from the album:

I hope you all had a good summer. Cheers.

Fotonica Original Soundtrack: Out Now!!!

Once upon a time, I left a comment on the trailer for Fotonica on Giantbomb.

In it, I mentioned that I would actually even settle for just the soundtrack.

Long story short: I paid for the game, and donated a little extra to the good developers at Santa Ragione.

I also emailed them, telling them how I loved the ethereal soundtrack, and if it would be available someday.

They got back to me:

Hi [insert]ikabubu[/insert],

Thank you for your kind words, we really appreciated that! It's been a long way since last year, but we finally released it!

Anyhow, I can tell you we will release the OST, yes, I just don't know exactly when! I'd say in the next few months, probably september,

so don't worry, you'll just have to wait a little. We had many requests for an OST so we're definitely going to release it!

Have a nice one,

Nicolò

After a couple months, sure enough, it has finally arrived.

My ears couldn't be happier, and here I am, pimpin' it hard to the rest of the world (and the GB community).

Hey, it's only $4.99. One of the best soundtracks in recent memory. Definitely a keeper in my iPod.

And, Lastly

I stumbled upon this on one of my favorite blogs, Too Many Sebastians.

It made me smile.

I take no credit for this.

I am simply recreating it on this blog.

Visit the original entry, here.

Cheers!

On this day, exactly one year ago, a good man left us.   He single-handedly made me like a genre that I thought I would never like. Not for showing me how music is supposed to be, but how music simply is.   It was creative, it was artistic.   It was liberating.   It made me believe, once again, that music could be something more...   Unfortunately, his blessings were cut short too soon, today, one year ago.   I never thought I'd be as affected as I would be, By the loss of someone I didn't even know.   So, Mr. Seba, thank you.   I hope you found some peace, Watching the sun rise on this silver morning, On the shores of this life, Or in the next.   You left us too soon, But you'll always be there Everytime I press play.

Interpretations: Something More [ link]
*Mixed/Continuous

1) Reflection Eternal - Nujabes
2) Reflection Eternal (Tribute Cover) - Clammbon
3) Beyond - Nujabes
4) Latitude (Tribute Remix) - Five Deez
5) 四季の唄 [Shiki No Uta/"Song Of The Four Seasons" feat. MINMI] (DJNoah Remix) - Nujabes
6) 四季の唄 [Shiki No Uta/"Song Of The Four Seasons" feat. MINMI] - Nujabes
7) Highs 2 Lows [Street Version] (feat. Cise Star) - Nujabes
8) Fly Love Song (feat. Pase Rock) - Uyama Hiroto [Produced & Mixed by Nujabes]
9) Departure - Akira Kosemura
10) Silver Morning - Nujabes

As of writing this, most people here are most likely giddy about the fresh announcements at E3. Granted I'm one of those people, BUT... there's something else I'm looking forward to.
 
Admittedly my love affair with Shinichi Osawa started when I first heard him in Lumines. Specifically, players might remember him as Mondo Grosso for a little number called Shinin'.