According to these pictures we see here, Chromeo have made a very interesting video for their tune, "Hot Mess."
Directed by Surface 2 Air, the video looks like it will be focusing on beautiful women, a steam room, and a cop theme. Neat.
"Hot Mess" is the kick-off track on Chromeo's latest release, Business Casual, out now.
Click on the picture below to see more behind the scenes photos.
Make sure you catch these guys during the Risky Business Tour. Dates Below!
Tour Dates:
February
3 - House Of Blues, Boston, MA
4 - Terminal 5, New York, NY
5 - 9:30 Club, Washington DC
10 - Commodore, Vancouver, BC
12 - Roseland Theatre, Portland, OR
17 - The Knitting Factory, Reno, NV
18 - Fox Theatre, Oakland, CA
19 - Fox Theatre, Pomona, CA
Over 25 years later, portions of MIDI introduced early on in the spec remain relevant. And if you want to connect your MIDI-equipped gear to Apple’s iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad mobiles, you will soon have an array of choices.
In iOS 4.2, best known for leveling the playing field between Apple’s handhelds and tablet, you’ll get full-blown MIDI support. It was clear in leaked details from earlier releases that Apple’s Core MIDI framework was finding new life on the mobile OS, but not directly what that would mean for hardware. Now, the hardware picture is clear. The Core MIDI framework appears to support two avenues for MIDI:
1. WiFi MIDI, via Apple’s own (apparently unique) wireless implementation, which should allow communication with other Apple handhelds and Macs, but likely not other devices. (WiFi is a common standard, but the way MIDI is transmitted over it is not necessarily so.)
2. USB MIDI support for class-compliant devices, using the iPad Camera Connection Kit’s USB adapter.
More on the details – and other options and features outside just what Apple is giving you:
There’s one significant caveat to USB connections: the Camera Connection doesn’t carry a lot of current, so devices may require an external power source. So far, with multiple hardware adapters, and Apple’s own support for class-compliant audio, there could be a significant surge of hardware use with the iPad. But I haven’t yet seen indications these possibilities have taken the world by storm, even among Apple hardware devotees, perhaps because of the added bulk of the accessories themselves. (See more below.) That’s not to rule it out – I still think it’s pretty cool – but we’ll have to see how it’s received out there and how it works.
Interestingly, word of MIDI adapters has spread rapidly through the general tech press – outlets not normally excited by the vision of a 5-pin MIDI DIN connector. Developer Mike Keller, writing for PC World, has an especially ironic headline:
So, why isn’t anyone talking about this? Apple’s NDA, which still covers 4.2, is one reason. (If anyone wants to have an existential talk with me about whether I should sign an Apple developer agreement and thus effectively gag myself as a writer, I’m game.) Another is that my sources tell me there aren’t yet code samples for the MIDI features. It could be fun to play with, though – especially with tools like libpd in development, bringing that popular free patching environment to the platform. And the good news is – this is public information – Core MIDI on iOS from the developer perspective should work just as it does on Mac OS. So huge kudos to Apple for high-quality implementation of a de facto standard for musicians.
The big news to me is that power requirements may prevent the use of some of the more compact devices out there — anyone want to test, for instance, the M-Audio Uno? Either way, it appears there may remain some call for specialized devices.
So, aside from what’s coming in iOS 4.2, what are your options for getting MIDI in and out of Apple’s mobiles – or other mobiles, for that matter? Glad you asked.
iConnectMIDI
2 MIDI in (5-pin DIN)
2 MIDI out (5-pin DIN)
Full 2.1A 5V USB power – enough to charge your iPad
Comes with an interface cable
2-4ms iOS app latency
The iConnectMIDI box is the most serious solution out there, especially with dualing ports. And lest you think it’s rendered irrelevant by the coming features in iOS 4.2, think again. Its dedicated connector cable and power specs should make it more useful with iPad than a stock class-compliant device. Buried in the specs document, too, is this gem: “iOS Core MIDI framework support, if and when allowed, is expected to further decrease latency for iOS applications.”
So it may get more useful, not less, with the 4.2 release.
Availability: Not yet. Stay tuned for NAMM.
Cost: Not known. I’m guessing $999/EUR1299. Kidding.
Development: Partner SDK, “as required” by Apple. That means there’s a test and verification process that you have to go through with iConnectMIDI and then you can submit to Apple and go through it again with them. I’m hoping that gets nixed with 4.2, but there’s absolutely no word soon (not even if you break NDA).
Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer
1x in MIDI DIN, 1x out MIDI DIN (via 5-foot breakout cables – they use a 2.5mm connector on their actual box)
Specialized hardware adapter
Includes a free app for recording, exchanging via email and WiFi
iPhone, iPod touch, iPad (a nice handheld option on the former two)
Already supported by a handful of apps, including Line 6′s own MIDI Surface
Developer program open to anyone; see above
Availability: Now Cost: US$70 street
The MIDI Mobilizer has the advantage of being relatively portable, though as some readers have pointed out, it still adds some bulk to Apple’s svelte handhelds. It’s also costly given what computer users are accustomed to paying for similar interfaces. But once you’ve got it, it’s a powerful, handheld tool. The big question mark has been app support, so watch, again, to see if what we get via 4.2 is standard support in place of individually reviewing apps.
See also SonicState’s review:
WiFi MIDI, OSC, etc.
Readers gripe that the big problem with MIDI adapters is that they kill the portability of the device, thus, erm, defeating the purpose. After all, for $200 these days you can get a netbook and add a $30 MIDI adapter with a lot less fuss, if you want a more portable MIDI rig.
That makes wireless Internet look more appealing, not only on iOS, but potentially other mobiles, too – like Android or even game gadgets.
One example:
DSMI, the DS Music Interface, is free software that has been ported to iOS and enables wireless MIDI communication not just with the Mac, but Windows and Linux, too. (I’ll be interested to see if new implementations of the WiFi MIDI used in 4.2 for those platforms can do the same.)
And that’s to say nothing of various wireless OSC implementations, enabling cool apps like the one we saw earlier this week. If you don’t mind a computer as a go-between, that’s another solution for MIDI right now:
Bluetooth? (on Android?)
What about Bluetooth? Recent conversations I’ve had with engineers on the phone suggest that latency and jitter should no longer be a problem with modern chipsets. That could make Bluetooth an ideal way to enable both mobile platforms and hardware wirelessly.
Just one problem — iOS’ restrictions on device pairing appear to rule out the use of this technique on Apple platforms.
Android is another question; I’ve already seen a couple of proof of concept tests that suggest that this would work really well on Android.
Here’s hoping eventually Apple allows something similar, even via Core MIDI. In the meantime, it could be worth trying on Android. That’d open the possibility of cross-platform mobile-friendly apps that used WiFi and cables on iOS and WiFi and Bluetooth on Android.
Who Cares?
So, why bother keeping track of this? I think there are a few scenarios that get interesting with these devices:
Mobile music: Get away from your desktop computer and its distractions and work in any environment. (Hey, even the original Nintendo Game Boy can be adapted to MIDI I/O.)
Alternative sequencers: Since touch control has often been relatively lacking on desktops – and laptop form factors in particular don’t lend themselves to touch in their standard hinged form factor – touch-based software on a system like the iPad (and soon, other tablets) benefits from these approaches.
Mobile interfacing with gear: Imagine you’re in a studio full of vintage synths and want to record something, without finding a place to balance your laptop.
There’s also just the simple fact that an iPhone, an Android phone or tablet, and an iPad are all computers. Part of what we’re seeing really is reinventing the wheel – in a good way. We’re getting the standards for interoperability and actual music making we’d expect on any computing device.
Stay tuned for when the 4.2 NDA is lifted (and we have the 4.2.1 NDA to contend with instead). And for discussing non-NDA platforms, or iOS once its NDA is lifted, I hope you’ll join us in these groups on Noisepages: Next-gen Mobile Music + Visual Dev Hack Group Pd Everywhere
Meanwhile, if you want to see MIDI on traditional computers, a couple of us have found that the good old-fashioned MIDI multi-port hub has some utility, for reasons I’ll explain soon. And yes, you can still buy them – check out the M-Audio MIDISPORT 4×4. So, no, I’m not only about the mobile stuff.
Natacha Atlas is in North America for her current tour in suppport of her new album, Mounqaliba. Tonight, Los Angeles, followed by shows in San Francisco, Arcata, Montreal and New York. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear Natacha live!
An FCC Enforcement Bureau District Office today issued a Notice of Apparent Liability, proposing to fine an AM licensee $25,000 for not having a meaningful staff presence at the station's main studio, and for not being able to produce a public inspection file when the FCC inspectors visited the station. The station was being operated by another party pursuant to a Local Marketing Agreement ("LMA") and, when the FCC inspector showed up, none of the employees at the main studio identified themselves as an employee of the licensee. Not having any employees at the main studio, and the additional inability to locate a public file for the station, resulted in the FCC proposing a $25,000 fine ($7000 for the lack of employees at the main studio, $10,000 for the lack of a public file, and an upward adjustment to reach the $25,000 total as the licensee had a series of prior violations).
The fact that this station, like so many others in this time of economic upheaval, was operating under an LMA highlights what the FCC has said so many times in the past about the staffing of such stations. A station licensee cannot just sign an LMA, and leave the station to the control of the program provider. Instead, the licensee must oversee the operations of the station, and have its own employees physically present at the station on a day to day basis to do so. The decision today cites a 20 year old case for the proposition that the licensee must have both management and staff presence at the station on a full-time basis to be considered meaningful. In other cases, the Commission has said that the there need to be a manager and a staff employee of the licensee who report to the studio as their principal place of business on a daily basis, and at least one of these employees must be physically present at the station's main studio during normal business hours. Here, where there was no one employed by the licensee at the station when the FCC inspected it, the fine was issued. So, if you are operating under an LMA, make sure to observe these staffing requirements, or risk a fine from the FCC.
Tim Exile is a mad, Reaktor-patching genius. What I love about his instruments is the emphasis on performance. THE FINGER put you at the helm of wild, keyboard-based effects. THE MOUTH continues the MIDI keyboard triggering, but focuses, as the name implies, on using your voice and microphone as the main input. See some of the effects in the goofy video below, but know this: a wide range of sonic mayhem is possible with this instrument.
I got to spend some time with Tim in Berlin early in the summer as he was still building The Mouth, and it was great to watch his process. The patching interface in tools like Reaktor encourages experimentation, mashing together sonic bits Frankenstein-style, and he was still discovering new sounds. In its final form, the tool does tonal and rhythmic processing of audio materials, with harmonization, separate “synth,” bass,” and “vocoder” sections, effects, matrices, editing, and performance controls. You can think of it as a way of playing a synth with a mic, as a vocoder, as a mouth-manipulated timbral generator – whatever you like.
I also admire that Tim is merging interactive musical objects and performance tools, that he can build a tool to use himself onstage that also works as a way of delivering his musical ideas to others or could be a serious tool for someone else.
Cost: US$79, and thanks to the new Reaktor platform, you don’t even need a copy of Reaktor to use it. You can run it in the full Reaktor 5.5, or you can run with the free player.
I’m playing more with The Mouth today, and hope to talk to Tim this week. Got some questions you’d like answered? Fire away.
The BBC documentary Requiem for Detroit has helped focus attention on the plight of Detroit, one of America's most dysfunctional cities and a symbol of the risks that the country faces as its infrastructure decays and its politics fragment.
But there's also hope amidst the ruins: the Detroit Urban Farms project serves as an example of community organization and DIY spirit, qualities that inspired Above & Beyond to do something slightly different with the video for OceanLab's "On a Good Day (Metropolis)."
"We all read about the Detroit Urban Farms project and saw the documentaries about it and it really moved us all," says Above & Beyond's Tony McGuinness. "To see a community reclaiming the crumbling city blocks to grow the food they need is an incredible story in so many ways. It was moving, topical and also a beautiful and apt illustration of what the song is actually about - triumph over adversity. As a video concept, it was perfect in so many ways."
As winter nears, a trip to one of the world’s warmer capitals seems likely. And what better way to travel than with a classy city guide from Louis Vuitton? The high-end fashion brand recently released the very stylish series of 2011 city guides.
While the initial 2010 edition revisited Athens, Berlin, Istanbul, London, Moscow and Paris, the 2011 edition now also covers New York, Tokio and even Mumbai. Of course the sleek guides are packed with cool places to go to, stylish shopping locations and everything in between. We thought Möet, Handbags and Accessories were enough, but why not take it a step further? The Louis Vitton guides have been on sale since October 15th.
You can buy them here and now you should watch the lovely Louis Vuitton Berlin architecture trailer, but beware, it’s in French:
There’s really nothing about this video that isn’t brilliant. Be sure to keep watching for the final line; it’s what I think is a transformative quote about the nature of music production. From Pork Magazine‘s Dick Flash – that outlet is of course better known in the UK than here Stateside. I could say more, but — really, just watch. Thanks, Paul Davis, and Wired Magazine.
There’s something about that Flash gentleman, too; he really is able to get inside Eno’s head.
James Bond meets Charlie's Angels (meets Victoria's Secret) in the new, over-the-top video from Hi Tack, otherwise known as the powerhouse Dutch duo Koen Groeneveld and Addy Van Der Zwan.
Their debut single, "Say Say Say (Waiting 4 U)" went all the way to #4 in the UK in early 2006, staying in the Top 10 for four weeks. Now they've brought it back with new remixes for 2010 from Neo-K, The Caramel Club, Arturo Silvestre, and Groeneveld and van der Zwan themselves, out now on Spinnin Records.
In some very exciting hip-hop related news, Beans out of Anti-Pop Consortium will be releasing a new solo LP entitled End It All.
His last LP Thorns in 2008 was Beans sixth album in just over a decade. Coming at us again, the thinking man’s hip-hop producer has teamed up with some, frankly, very surprising and sensational musical guests. They include Four Tet, Clark, In Flagranti, Tobacco, Tortoise, and members of Interpol & TV on the Radio. Yes, quite impressive.
Sounds like Beans has alot to say on this record as well, mentioning End It All is, " Aggressive until the end…13 tracks in 33 minutes, [with Beans] barely stopping to breathe." He also uses "highly stylized braggadocio plus noirish narratives in turn", to complete this distinctive album.
Considering he almost called it quits after his last album, we welcome Beans back to the fold. Get ready for another round of vicious wordy sparring, with some added musical help.
It’s usually the smaller independent labels that kick off careers of many young artists. R&S with James Blake, Hotflush with Mount Kimbie, now it could be the turn of Untold’s very own label Hemlock Recordings who will release a debut 12" from the fresh faced UK group Breton.
Hailing from London, they tinker with that over-pronounced genre of post-post-post dubstep. Yet, elements of electro-pop ala Emika or Shackleton do appear. Definitely more of a ‘bandy’ environment than a producers one, it’s also got that Foals crossover emo thing as well.
As Playground mag suggested, Breton are "closer to modern wonky pop or to other cross-genre proposals like Darkstar’s than it is to traditional Hemlock dubstep"
Their remix CV is already quite impressive and includes artists like Penguin Prison and Local Natives. Keep an eye out for an LP in 2011. As you can see below two more extra tracks are given away digitally than on the vinyl.
Have a listen to some of their tracks off of their EP:
Album number six for The Decemberists, and it's sure to have historical references if, well, history is any guide. Find out more and download a free track from the album.
