[Full disclosure: I lost the enthusiasm to do this about halfway through. Skrillex doesn't warrant attention; good or bad. As far as I can tell he is a fortunate individual that stumbled into this success. I didn't put a lot of effort into this. If it seems unpolished, it is.]
I'm a music fan. Can't help it. I unashamedly admit that I will investigate most any music that garners a lot of buzz, if for nothing else than to keep my crass jokes current. Some music from a dude known as Skrillex has gotten People On The Internet worked into a fervor. I've read both vitriol and adoration declared regarding the music. I figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a listen.
Youtube comments left on his songs weren't a great help towards understanding much of anything. According to youtube user @penguinzomixes, "This is fucking garbage for little kids that don't know anything about Dubstep in general." @lantsarote writes "it sounds like optimus prime raping an elephant." Much like Bon Jovi, Skrillex is incorrectly declared dead quite often. @masterchiefsasuke writes a poorly timed, yet heartfelt eulogy: "HE IS DED HIS PLANE CRASHED INTO BOLDING AND EXPLAWDED IT SUCKS HE MAD SUCH GOD POP MOOSIC."
Wikipedia tells me that Mr. Skrillex was previously in a screamo band and I'm relatively certain this is the reason for the man's garnered attention. Having connections and name recognition in "The Biz" will help catapult any act. Need proof? Darius Rucker. Corey Taylor. The list goes on. If thats not the reason, maybe the proof of his success is in that haircut.
Skrillex has released a handful of EPs and various other remixes and songs appearing on compilations. In addition, he most recently had a part in making the latest Korn album. Not a large body of work, this. I have heard his fans argue that his music represents the evolution of electronic music, while detractors argue that he is sacrilege to the dubstep community. Time to sort this out for myself.
Here goes! I fired up mah' Spotify machine and typed in "Skrillex".
From the start of the Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites EP, I heard a merging of multiple genres. That said, my initial impression is that Skrillex is ripping off Daft Punk quite shamelessly. Reference "rock n' roll" and "kill everybody" for examples. To be fair, these songs include a smattering of bass drops and glitch-core to differentiate the music from other electronic acts. But thats not evolution so much as it is mashing. I don't hear any advancement.
The songs "all I ask of you" and "with you, friends" are pedestrian electro/dance songs. Generic. Interchangeable. Neither evolutionary or revolutionary.
The eponymous track from the album delves into some dub influence. The listener is treated to the signature "womp womp scratch scratch scratch queef womp squish!" that is prevalent in all of Skrillex's dubstep meanderings.
By this point, I was confused; with the exception of "scary monsters..." there hadn't been much of any dub-influenced sound at all. The dubstep song "scatta" got back into that womp womp queef sound. The track gives a head-nod towards the british rap and dubstep fans with some guests, Foreign Beggars and Bare Noize. The problem with the track is that both the music and the raps aren't compelling, and also repetitive to the point of annoyance.
By this point I had noticed some annoying constants in the music. Primarily, the songs that have dubstep breaks all use the same "sounds." A discerning ear can pick up a Skrillex track without knowing who it was beforehand. Another Skrillex gimmick using modified vocal samples turned into chipmunk stutter step versions of their former selves. Lastly, the music is a mix of so many genres (8-bit, electro, dubstep, glitch) that it detracts from the overall product; the musical equivalent of a cluttered bedroom.
This last issue is a fault I also find outside of electronica. I've heard several bands who include so many sounds, riffs, and patterns in an attempt to amaze people with their virtuoso that the finished product ends up coming off as noise. A band that isn't great (or sometimes even just good) at one style ends up being bad at all of them when they combine it all into one. Heres a great example:
To his credit, I will concede that Skrillex is getting better on his second EP, More Monsters and Sprites. The track "first of the year - uequinox" isn't a bad tune. The tempo increase at the 2:26 mark is an effective touch. That track is certainly the most tolerable song of the bunch. "Ruffneck - flex" starts out as yet another generic electro-dub song but the piano integration redeems the song. This is proof that his sound is evolving but only within the body of his own work, not pushing the evolution of an entire musical segment.
I don't hear the evolution and I also don't think he's solely dubstep. The music is electronica with a smattering of other sounds. He certainly took some influence from the dub community but thats not his only influence. I don't know a great deal about dub so I won't speak to whether or not he is sacrilege, but I don't hear what is so noteworthy. With the exception of a few moments, the music is largely dismissible because it is treading water.
Final judgment: Skrillex is a good example of the "right place, right time" method of success. He will probably continue to make music. Because he can. It will probably continue to be digested by adolescents. Because that is what kids do. He doesn't deserve the success but unless someone can actually turn electronic music on its head, this is what we're stuck with.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Kindle Fire: The First 48.
Whoa! People that tolerate my existance enough to consider giving me gifts provided me with a Kindle Fire! While I've only had it for 48 hours I'm pleased with it's performance as an e-reader but skeptical towards it's other capabilities.
I had been flirting with the idea of getting an e-reader for the last few months for several reasons; the primary being that all of my books take up too much damn space. I had not done any real research on the available e-readers and tablets but the Fire appears to be near the higher end of the spectrum but definitely not on the same level as the iPad.
I set it up as soon as I could and immediately bought my first e-book, Cuyahoga by Carl King. I was very excited to finally read the book, which is only available on e-readers. Hopefully I will find some time to do a book review in the near future, because it is a very enjoyable read.
When used as an e-reader, the Fire presents quite the attractive interface and has so far presented no problems. There are a number of font options as well as text spacing, margin, and size options in addition to having the option to change the background color of the "page".
The size of the device is comparable to a paperback. Here it is next to other small things that people use everyday:
The Fire is also quite thin:
Here it is laid next to an iPod for comparison:
I have been an iPod Touch user for the last several years so I am accustomed to the performance of that device. The Fire uses the Android OS, which I have had no experience with. Amazon has been touting their proprietary web browser, Silk, as an alternative to Chrome and Firefox. My initial impression regarding Silk is that the program is not as polished as the alternatives. Sometimes it is downright clunky. There is often a delay between selecting a link and the the page loading. I haven't been impressed as of yet; I have not experienced any of the lightning-fast speeds that it has been touted for. Don't worry, trusty Firefox-equipped computer, I will not be replacing you with a tablet anytime soon.
Regarding the touchscreen, the Fire also falls short when compared to my iPod Touch. Selecting an icon often requires touching the screen more than once to successfully select the symbol. This is especially true for the very small icons in the upper right corner that select the wireless connection and setting options. Swiping through books and applications on the main menu is easy, but sometimes when touching the screen the select a book or app, the gesture is mistaken for another swipe, and the line of apps will continue to move. Obviously when I get more time with the Fire, I may be able to adapt to these initial touchscreen issues.
There is no camera, so if thats a necessity, keep looking. I have no intention of using it as a tablet-type computer very often so thats not particularly a concern of mine. There seems to be a light sensor on the upper-left corner of the screen. This is apparently an artifact from the Fire's original existence as a Blackberry PlayBook. There is speculation that an eventual firmware update will allow the Fire to detect ambient lighting and adjust screen brightness automatically.
Battery life is very good, although running apps and wi-fi use will obviously deplete the charge faster. I would bet that a charge would last several weeks if a person were to limit their wi-fi and internet connectivity and only use the Fire as an e-reader.
I wish there was a way to change the lock-screen wallpaper. Although the supplied images are perfectly fine, it would be nice to have the option to change the pictures. There are ways around this, but I am not willing to root the device just yet in order to have a few pics of my own on a lock-screen.
The Fire has approximately 6.5gigs of internal storage, which is sufficient for storing e-books. Amazon is urging their users towards streaming cloud services for music, movies and other media, which I'll venture is the reason the Fire doesn't have more internal space.
Perhaps an extra incentive for the Fire is that it comes with a month of Amazon Prime included for free. I'm not going to elaborate here; you can read about what Prime is elsewhere. If you intend on using the Fire as a tablet device, the month of Prime may be a “first hit is free” inhale that gets you hooked to the drug.
So, I'll conclude with my final grade.
As an e-reader: A
An a tablet: B-
I'll post another update as soon as I start to use it more, get acquainted with all the intricacies and accidentally knock it off a few tables.
I had been flirting with the idea of getting an e-reader for the last few months for several reasons; the primary being that all of my books take up too much damn space. I had not done any real research on the available e-readers and tablets but the Fire appears to be near the higher end of the spectrum but definitely not on the same level as the iPad.
I set it up as soon as I could and immediately bought my first e-book, Cuyahoga by Carl King. I was very excited to finally read the book, which is only available on e-readers. Hopefully I will find some time to do a book review in the near future, because it is a very enjoyable read.
When used as an e-reader, the Fire presents quite the attractive interface and has so far presented no problems. There are a number of font options as well as text spacing, margin, and size options in addition to having the option to change the background color of the "page".
The size of the device is comparable to a paperback. Here it is next to other small things that people use everyday:
The Fire is also quite thin:
Here it is laid next to an iPod for comparison:
I have been an iPod Touch user for the last several years so I am accustomed to the performance of that device. The Fire uses the Android OS, which I have had no experience with. Amazon has been touting their proprietary web browser, Silk, as an alternative to Chrome and Firefox. My initial impression regarding Silk is that the program is not as polished as the alternatives. Sometimes it is downright clunky. There is often a delay between selecting a link and the the page loading. I haven't been impressed as of yet; I have not experienced any of the lightning-fast speeds that it has been touted for. Don't worry, trusty Firefox-equipped computer, I will not be replacing you with a tablet anytime soon.
Regarding the touchscreen, the Fire also falls short when compared to my iPod Touch. Selecting an icon often requires touching the screen more than once to successfully select the symbol. This is especially true for the very small icons in the upper right corner that select the wireless connection and setting options. Swiping through books and applications on the main menu is easy, but sometimes when touching the screen the select a book or app, the gesture is mistaken for another swipe, and the line of apps will continue to move. Obviously when I get more time with the Fire, I may be able to adapt to these initial touchscreen issues.
There is no camera, so if thats a necessity, keep looking. I have no intention of using it as a tablet-type computer very often so thats not particularly a concern of mine. There seems to be a light sensor on the upper-left corner of the screen. This is apparently an artifact from the Fire's original existence as a Blackberry PlayBook. There is speculation that an eventual firmware update will allow the Fire to detect ambient lighting and adjust screen brightness automatically.
Battery life is very good, although running apps and wi-fi use will obviously deplete the charge faster. I would bet that a charge would last several weeks if a person were to limit their wi-fi and internet connectivity and only use the Fire as an e-reader.
I wish there was a way to change the lock-screen wallpaper. Although the supplied images are perfectly fine, it would be nice to have the option to change the pictures. There are ways around this, but I am not willing to root the device just yet in order to have a few pics of my own on a lock-screen.
The Fire has approximately 6.5gigs of internal storage, which is sufficient for storing e-books. Amazon is urging their users towards streaming cloud services for music, movies and other media, which I'll venture is the reason the Fire doesn't have more internal space.
Perhaps an extra incentive for the Fire is that it comes with a month of Amazon Prime included for free. I'm not going to elaborate here; you can read about what Prime is elsewhere. If you intend on using the Fire as a tablet device, the month of Prime may be a “first hit is free” inhale that gets you hooked to the drug.
So, I'll conclude with my final grade.
As an e-reader: A
An a tablet: B-
I'll post another update as soon as I start to use it more, get acquainted with all the intricacies and accidentally knock it off a few tables.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Closer To The Edge: TT3D review.
The Isle Of Man TT is arguably the last real road race left in the world for motorcyclists. Since 1907 the TT has been held on the Isle and responsible for attracting racers and fans every year. With stunningly beautiful landscapes and an irresistible race loop that takes years of hard work to conquer, it is little wonder the island is on the top of every motorcycle racer's List Of Things To Accomplish. Attending the race is certainly on my list.
While a series of films have been made regarding the yearly race results, the movie Closer To The Edge: TT3D set out to shoot the 2010 season in 3D. The movie has not yet been officially released in the States, and only recently came out in the UK after a series of frustrating delays. Thanks to a bloke on the local bike forum I was able to get my grubby hands on the film. Obviously this version is not viewable in 3D. But the good news is that copies are...ahem...circulating. Thanks, internet!
Without the motorcycle races, the Isle Of Man (also known as Manx) would still be an alluring place. Geographically, it is an island situated between the coasts of Ireland and Britain. The Isle is self-governing; not directly under the United Kingdom but in deference to it. The island has its own language, unique cultural attributes, and even animals specific to the island; the Manx Cat and the Manx Loaghtan.
While a series of films have been made regarding the yearly race results, the movie Closer To The Edge: TT3D set out to shoot the 2010 season in 3D. The movie has not yet been officially released in the States, and only recently came out in the UK after a series of frustrating delays. Thanks to a bloke on the local bike forum I was able to get my grubby hands on the film. Obviously this version is not viewable in 3D. But the good news is that copies are...ahem...circulating. Thanks, internet!
Without the motorcycle races, the Isle Of Man (also known as Manx) would still be an alluring place. Geographically, it is an island situated between the coasts of Ireland and Britain. The Isle is self-governing; not directly under the United Kingdom but in deference to it. The island has its own language, unique cultural attributes, and even animals specific to the island; the Manx Cat and the Manx Loaghtan.
Beginning in the late 1800s, Motorcycle racers from England made the trek to the Isle to test their machines since there were no speed limits on the island. By 1907, the Tourist Trophy (TT) was created to accommodate the racers flocking to the island. For two weeks in the summer, motorcycle enthusiasts world over make the pilgrimage to the Isle.
The race course is a 37-mile loop of public roads with over 200 corners. By comparison, the more well known Nurburgring Nordschleife public-road racetrack is only 14 miles long. The current Isle Of Man lap-time records hover around the 17 minute mark, which equates to speeds of over 130 miles per hour! With the exception of a few slow corners, the entire course can be run as fast as memory and bravery allow. Joey Dunlop is the current record holder for overall wins, with a massive 26 wins. As with most extremely fast race courses, the TT has over 200 fatalities and myriad brutal crashes accompanying it's fame. It is a testament to the allure of the track that so many of the injured simply return the next year to race again.
The film focuses primarily on Guy Martin, a homegrown racer whose reputation as a wild card has garnered equal admiration among fans and annoyance among race officials. His accent is so thick that I often had to rewind a scene to understand him. Plagued with inconsistent sponsorship woes and no Manx wins to his name, Martin is the underdog favorite of the film. While other riders travel to the island with RV's and sponsor accommodations, Martin lives out of the back of a work van.
The film also gives camera time to riders Michael Dunlop (Joey's son), John McGuinness, Conor Cummins and Iain Hutchinson along with a handful of others. Most of these riders have entered the race for multiple years and hold one or more track records. As expected, each of these racers have endured injury and breakdown in their quest to be “king of the mountain” but still return every year; so strong is the allure of the island. As further testament to the magnetic pull of the island: almost every one of the competitor's fathers were also TT entrants during their own moto-racing career.
The filmmakers make a half-hearted attempt to convey a rivalry between the top riders but the reality is that the only fight is between man, machine, and track; not a man-to-man dispute. Any rider attempting to race the TT will invariably encounter a series of obstacles during the event. Blown engines, mechanical failures of all sorts and physical injury are all commonplace, to say nothing of the competition regulations. This is the norm for the Manx race.
It is no surprise that Martin butts heads with race officials at multiple points during the film. A rebellious individual with a distinctive, unruly mop of hair that reflects his attitude, Martin insists on doing things his way. During bike inspection, Guy is absent from the proceedings. To the exasperation of the staff, he shows up at the last minute possible. During one of the first races of the event, Guy exits pit lane over the speed limit. This violation nets him a 30-second addition to his lap time, costing him a podium finish. It is later revealed that he went over the speed limit by only a mere fraction; not even a half of one mile per hour. While it is certainly true that pit lane rules are designed for the safety of everyone involved and should be adhered-to, it does appear that race officials derive a certain joy in giving Martin a penalty for what amounts to a pittance (and appears to be an honest mistake, not a flagrant disregard for the rules).
There are numerous races held over the two week period; sidecar-rig races, classes sorted by engine size, and more recently, electric-bike races to name a few. The film's featured riders are each in several of the races. I will not spoil the race results for those of you who have not yet seen the movie or do not follow moto-news but suffice it to say that there are yet again injuries and heartbreak in 2010.
The film devotes time to Manx racing history, the race teams preparing during the weeks leading up to the race, the race itself, and how each of the racers fare. Adding to the tension is the somber reality that the race is quite possibly the last thing a racer ever does. Relatives of deceased riders are interviewed, in addition to the relatives of current competitors. Each has come to terms with the fact that the pull of the race is so strong that there is no denying attendance to those obsessed with it.
The footage is addicting. Watching the race bikes coming over a crest, gaining air, and landing into a near-tankslapper is mesmerizing. The cinematography left me awestruck. The film utilizes everything from on-board cameras to helicopter views capturing a stunning view of the island along with the race. Notably absent from the feature film is an on-board view of the entire race loop. This is something I certainly want to watch and I doubt I am alone in that desire. To be fair, the loop footage would take up 17+ minutes of the film that could be devoted to other issues. I can understand why it is not included in the film. It appears that the special-features section includes more race footage in addition to more attention given to the sidecar and electric bike races. There are also a plethora of clips available for viewing on youtube and other streaming sites.
Given that my copy is a burned disc of mediocre quality, I find myself still looking forward to the official American release. I consider this copy yet another teaser for the actual product. The money will be flying out of my wallet as soon as it is released. As stated above, the film has been released in the UK and is available on AmazonUK. If you have a DVD Player that supports the region format, order away!
The footage is addicting. Watching the race bikes coming over a crest, gaining air, and landing into a near-tankslapper is mesmerizing. The cinematography left me awestruck. The film utilizes everything from on-board cameras to helicopter views capturing a stunning view of the island along with the race. Notably absent from the feature film is an on-board view of the entire race loop. This is something I certainly want to watch and I doubt I am alone in that desire. To be fair, the loop footage would take up 17+ minutes of the film that could be devoted to other issues. I can understand why it is not included in the film. It appears that the special-features section includes more race footage in addition to more attention given to the sidecar and electric bike races. There are also a plethora of clips available for viewing on youtube and other streaming sites.
Given that my copy is a burned disc of mediocre quality, I find myself still looking forward to the official American release. I consider this copy yet another teaser for the actual product. The money will be flying out of my wallet as soon as it is released. As stated above, the film has been released in the UK and is available on AmazonUK. If you have a DVD Player that supports the region format, order away!
The official preview can be viewed here:
Friday, December 16, 2011
An introduction.
This blog was created for several reasons. Firstly, it is an attempt to abandon facebook yet still have a way to share things. Second, I will eventually be posting reviews, musings, short stories and sharing the occasional article; a blog is a good place to do that. Lastly, it is a placeholder. It may not be an active, flourishing blog for the first few months but having a place in the blogosphere will force me to do something with it.
About me: I am currently a senior at Western Michigan University. I will be graduating with a bachelors in criminal justice in the spring of 2012. In addition to taking a full credit load, I work full time. This is the primary reason this blog will be sparse for the time being; I simply am too busy to release a lot of quality stuff that isn't school related.
I am a DJ at WMU's student-run radio station, WIDR. I serve as the host of the specialty show called The LAN Party. The show focuses on video game and soundtrack music with a hearty dose of prog/metal/post-rock thrown in as well. You can find the show's blog with all of the podcasts here.
Motorcycles are one of my passions. Though relatively new to the hobby (3 years in the saddle), I am firmly trapped in the grasp of two-wheeled transport. My current bike is a first-gen Yamaha FZ1. I intend to take a lot of motorcycle trips in the future and this blog will serve as a place to post ride reports.
About the blog's name: Open-classification is a variation on the phrase "open-class" (a name which was already taken). Open-class can mean a lot of things. It also describes the category of motorcycles in the 1000cc-and-up range. This blog will represent the spirit of the phrase. Hopefully no one theme will be central. That said, expect the majority of postings to be about motorcycles, music and media content.
I look forward to sharing. Thanks in advance for reading and contributing.
About me: I am currently a senior at Western Michigan University. I will be graduating with a bachelors in criminal justice in the spring of 2012. In addition to taking a full credit load, I work full time. This is the primary reason this blog will be sparse for the time being; I simply am too busy to release a lot of quality stuff that isn't school related.
I am a DJ at WMU's student-run radio station, WIDR. I serve as the host of the specialty show called The LAN Party. The show focuses on video game and soundtrack music with a hearty dose of prog/metal/post-rock thrown in as well. You can find the show's blog with all of the podcasts here.
Motorcycles are one of my passions. Though relatively new to the hobby (3 years in the saddle), I am firmly trapped in the grasp of two-wheeled transport. My current bike is a first-gen Yamaha FZ1. I intend to take a lot of motorcycle trips in the future and this blog will serve as a place to post ride reports.
About the blog's name: Open-classification is a variation on the phrase "open-class" (a name which was already taken). Open-class can mean a lot of things. It also describes the category of motorcycles in the 1000cc-and-up range. This blog will represent the spirit of the phrase. Hopefully no one theme will be central. That said, expect the majority of postings to be about motorcycles, music and media content.
I look forward to sharing. Thanks in advance for reading and contributing.
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