In a more connected world, we begin to understand more profoundly the life we share on a planet that is both fragile and potentially destructive. I remember the sobering feeling of listening to radio reports from Haiti during NAMM last year. There are countless calls for support for Japan, and I hope that, as in any disaster, people do learn more about disaster response worldwide, since any one of us can wind up as its recipient. But without covering every single one of those calls for aid, CDM contributor Primus Luta brings one wonderful musical compilation you may want to enjoy for some time to come. -Ed.

A week ago today a 9.0-magnitude earthquake shook northern Japan, leaving much of the area in utter devastation.  For the past week, all eyes have been on the island nation, most prominently due to the affects the quake has had on nuclear reactors in the area.  Only one day before the quake, Laurent Fintoni made his annual trip to the place he calls his spiritual home.  Laurent is the man behind the Rhythm Incursions site, Original Cultures project and a host of other things in and around the world of modern electronic music.  In the immediate aftermath of the quake, he housed up with Rhythm Incursions co-presenters Raid System and started work on a compilation to be released to support the relief efforts.  Today, exactly one week after the quake, that compilation Nihon Kizuna has been released with a stellar lineup of over 40 artists including Kode 9, Kuedo, Rudi Zygadlo, Daisuke Tanabe, Paul White, Mux Mool, Ernest Gonzales, Onra and many more.

You can listen to a short mix of the music included in the compilation below or just go straight to the Nihon Kizuna site and purchase the compilation.

V.A. – Nihon Kizuna (日本絆) by laurentfintoni

Updated: TRUE CHIP TILL DEATH has a chip music compilation going, too. I know there are many others, so feel free to add them in comments.
http://truechiptilldeath.com/japan/

Ready to make your Ableton Live pattern programming a bit more polyrhythmic with the power of math?

In Monday’s reflections and round-up of cycles and circles, I mentioned Euclidean evenness and Godfried Toussaint’s research. The basic idea is that a mathematical algorithm for spacing pulses has a lot in common with traditional preferences for polyrhythms spanning everything from rock hits to conga patterns and musical cultures around the world.

Reader Tony Wheeler has turned those patterns into MIDI clips so you can drop patterns into Ableton Live. Drum patterns and dance music are obvious applications, but this could be an idea starter for melodic patterns or music in a variety of idioms.

Each individual pattern will sound like an isolated cycle; it’s often when you put them together that they’re most compelling. Here’s an example; Tony added a regular bass drum just to make things more grounded (it actually calls attention to the asymmetry of the other patterns).

ScaledKit by wheelmaker

Tony has another terrific tool for Ableton Live that generates the AMS files used by Operator to tune oscillators to alternative pitches, as we covered previously:
Free Utility Makes Endless Oscillators for Ableton Live Simpler, Sampler
Direct link: AMS File Utility for Ableton Live

And for harmonic experimentation, see the Circle of Fifths Chord Resource:
Circle of Fifths Chord Resource in Ableton Live

This is all fairly academic stuff, but the funny thing about it is there’s nothing stopping you from making either a dance music hit or some experimental new kind of music that doesn’t sound like it came from Ableton.

Alternative tunings for Operator oscillators and Euclidean polyrhythms? There are many tools aside from Ableton that will work, too, but whatever your tool, this could be a great way to jump-start a musical idea. Airport layover, meet musical productivity.

Updated: Another great way to go is the Eckel VST plug-in, also donationware. It works on Mac (Universal) and Windows, and since you can dial up parameters, may be easier to use than the MIDI clips, depending on your workflow – especially since you can still choose pitch. (Or, hey, grab both!) Thanks to John Larsby for the reminder:
Shuriken.se: VST – Eckel

For Dr. Toussaint’s part, you can glance over his syllabus on Discrete Mathematics — and find a reference to Tony’s Ableton experiments.

Grab the download and read more on this topic (free, donations welcome):
Euclidean Rhythm MIDI File Resource in Ableton Live [Age of the Wheel]

Are you going to Miami for the up-and-coming Music Week? We are!
Our good friend Jillionaire is throwing a super nice daytime/early evening party with a slew of great DJs. How about Sheffield’s finest Toddla T, Sound Pellegrino label DJs, Swede party people Savage Skulls, the awesome Jess Jubilee… surprise guests.. Chicken, beer. Free party!

Chicken n Beer 1+1 from Jillionaire at Letsmix.com.

Peep the event here!

UPDATE:  On March 23rd, the FCC granted a ten-day extension of the filing deadline.  Comments are now due April 28th, and Reply Comments are due by May 27th.

The FCC's recent item proposing the adoption of video description rules was published in the Federal Register today setting the deadline for Comments in the proceeding. The FCC subsequently extended the deadline, and Comments are now due by April 28th, with Reply Comments due by May 27th.  As we wrote about recently (here), the FCC has initiated a rule making proceeding to reinstate its prior video description rules with certain modifications, as required by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (Act). The proposed rules would require large market broadcast affiliates of the top four national networks and most cable operators and DBS providers to provide programming with audio narrated descriptions of a television program’s key visual elements beginning as soon as first quarter 2012.  Davis Wright Tremaine previously summarized the Act in our earlier advisory available here.

Now, with today's publication of the Notice of Proposed Rule Making in the Federal Register, the date for comments has been set, and the FCC is moving quickly to implement the rules.  In addition to proposing to reinstate the rules previously adopted by the FCC, the item asks many practical implementation questions about refreshing market rankings, applicability of the rules to low power television, and what constitutes the “technical capability” to pass through video descriptions. In particular, the FCC seeks to refresh the list of the top 25 DMAs, as well as update the top five national nonbroadcast networks subject to the rule.  Interested parties may file comments with the FCC either in paper or electronically through the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System on or before April 28, 2011.  

In an attempt to reveal some true insight into German contemporary society American filmmakers Austin Lynch and Jason S teamed up with red onion producer Stephan Balzer and documentary filmmaker Judith Keil for the Interview Project Germany.

For 27 days the team travelled throughout Germany and interviewed 50 different individuals trying to collect their personal, intimate stories, by simply asking random people for an interview. The first ten episodes feature people from Lübeck, Teschow and Neubukov and are available for viewing on IPG. Each episode has a short introduction by David Lynch.

Both, Austin Lynch and Jason S. stated similar quotes:

"I can't tell you aside from people are people and they taught me again that it doesn't matter where the people come from, we should all get along,“ said Jason S. "This project really showed me the similarities in people rather than exposing the differences."

"Interview Project isn't about countries, it's about people and their stories," said Austin Lynch, "No matter what country they come from, no matter what their background is, what we're setting out to do is to meet people and hear their stories."

Interview Project Germany is a follow up to the Award-winning American version, a 70-day road trip across the United States produced and presented by Hollywood film director David Lynch.

There has also been a brilliant Australian TV version that has been running as a for 18 years, called FrontUp, check it out.

As medical marijuana has become legalized or decriminalized in many states, broadcasters have looked at advertising for the services of clinics and dispensaries as a potential new revenue source. As some community newspapers and other local media have begun to advertise dispensaries in states where medical marijuana is legal, we’ve been asked many times whether broadcasters can start to run such ads as well. Many radio and TV stations have even been approached by the operators of these clinics, seeking to run advertising schedules. Should broadcasters accept such ads? We urge caution.

Even though many states have decriminalized medical marijuana, possession and distribution of marijuana is still a Federal crime.  And broadcasters, unlike most other local media outlets, operate with Federal licenses. While the current US Attorney General has said that he will not criminally prosecute medical marijuana cases, the prohibition against marijuana remains on the books.  A careful reading of the Attorney General's directive on medical marijuana shows that the Department of Justice has not said that medical marijuana is a legal substance, but only that, as a matter of prosecutorial priorities, the DOJ will not use its resources to target dispensaries and clinics operating under the color of state laws.  So, while this Attorney General may not direct his Department to prosecute medical marijuana users or distributors, the possession of marijuana remains a Federal crime, and the Attorney General's memo makes clear that state laws cannot change this conclusion.  Thus, there may be some zealous local Federal prosecutor who decides to enforce the law on his or her own. Or, perhaps of more concern to the broadcaster, is the fact that there may be some local citizen in an area served by a radio or television station that runs such an ad who complains about the content of the ad to the FCC. In fact, we understand that there are already such complaints pending at the FCC. 

As we all know, complaints at the FCC are not processed immediately, so any complaint filed now may end up being resolved under a future administration that might take a very different position than does the current one on the application of Federal law in this area.  With some old FCC cases on the books that penalized stations for even running songs with what were perceived to be pro-drug lyrics, any new administration could decide to make an example out of a broadcaster who decides to indulge.  Adding to our discomfort is the fact that we are now entering a license renewal cycle, and these ads may provide certain elements in your community one more reason to object to your license renewal – creating the uncertainty and delay that such objections can cause. 

State laws on medical marijuana are themselves in a state of flux. Some states, which have had these laws in place for some time, still see situations where, from time to time, local officials in some part of the state decide to crack down on providers for not having lived up to all aspects of the local ordinances. And some states, while they may have adopted laws allowing for medical marijuana use, may not have licensed dispensaries or otherwise completed all rules necessary for the operation of clinics featuring medical marijuana, yet the dispensaries have opened for business even without final approvals. The uncertainty about the legal status of various clinics adds to the caution broadcasters need to exercise with respect to this topic.

We understand that a representative from the FCC said at that Radio Show in September that the FCC had not yet formulated a final policy on this topic. In an uncertain political climate, with a Federal law on the books banning the activity that you are thinking of advertising, there is risk for broadcasters running the ads.  Until the FCC or other law enforcement authorities have issued clearer guidelines on medical marijuana advertising, broadcasters should approach such ads with extreme caution – and discuss with their own station attorneys the risks that they are running if they bow to the temptation to accept the ads. 

The crisis that has engulfed Japan has totally shaken the world over, which is why Ninja Tune has taken the charitable step of organiszing a compilation to aid in the recovery process.

Artists like Kode9, Illum Sphere, Om Unit, The Electric, Throwing Snow, Rudi Zygaldo, Fink and Emika are just some of the artists contributing to the charity compilation for the humanitarian crisis in Japan.

This is a no-brainer for the label and artists out there, if they can use their music to help the chaos ensuing over there, it totally makes sense. Over 40 artists have contributed to the Nihon Kizuna compilation which roughly translates to “a bond of friendship with Japan”

Alot of the tracks are previously unreleased and the whole thing has been put together in just five days by London-based writer and radio presenter Laurent Fintoni who had the unfortunate occurrence of being of in Japan just before the earthquake hit.

Fintoni said of the compilation:

"On Monday, we started to talk about various music-related ways to generate money and interest, and that’s when this idea came up. Four days later we have the most heartening tracklist we could have ever hoped for to try to raise awareness and money for those who need it most – the nearly half a million displaced Japanese who live in the northern prefectures hit by the tsunami/earthquake combo. Let’s hope we can raise a memorable amount of money for those who need it. I mean when was the last time you could buy this much good music for so little, right?"

You can buy a copy of the compilation here for around €12 and all proceeds will go to the Japan Red Cross.

Tracklisting:

Kode 9 (UK) – 9 Samurai (Hyperdub Records) **
Don Leisure (UK) – Trio of Desserts *
Kuedo (UK) – Zap (Planet Mu) *
Himuro Yoshiteru (JP) – Missing Links *
Onra (FR) – High Hopes (All City Records) **
Tatsuki (JP) – Mirror In Bologna (Original Cultures) *
Om Unit (UK) – Lavender (All City Records) **
Danny Drive Thru (UK) – Prescience (Fat City Records) *
Paul White (UK) – Grimy Light (One Handed Music) **
Darkhouse Family (UK) – Lemon Drizzle (Fat City Records) *
Illum Sphere (UK) – Sweat The Descent (Hoya:Hoya / Tectonic) **
A Taut Line (UK/JP) – Azul (Dyskotopia) *
Fink (UK) – See It All (Ninja Tune) *
Mus.sck (US) – Happiness Is The Best Face Lift (Car Crash Set/Daly City) *
Rudi Zygadlo (UK) – Perdu (Planet Mu) *
Broken Haze (JP) – Move Forward (Raid System) *
BD1982 (US/JP) – Aluminium Riddim (Seclusiasis/Diskotopia) *
Nightwave (UK) – Hokusai Dream *
The Electric ft. Yarah Bravo (UK) – Beautiful (Memory9 remix) (Organically Grown Sounds) **
Ernest Gonzales (US) – Beneath The Surface (FoF/Exponential) *
Jono McLeery (UK) – Garden (Ninja Tune) **
Ido Tavori (UK) – Haunted Top Hats *
Jay Scarlett – The Rising Sun (Ampsoul) *
Paper Tiger (UK) – Lunar Notes (Jus Like Music) *
Kid Kanevil (UK) – One For Tokyo (One World Records / Ninja Tune) *
Takuma Kanaiwa (US) – Senpo World (Concrete Sound System) *
B-Ju (GE) – Philly Run (Mux Mool remix) (Error Broadcast) **
Primus Luta & Lonesome D (US) – Lockdown (Concrete Sound System) *
2phast (IT) – JapaN *
Doshy (DE) – Space Attack (Robox Neotech) **
Sesped (VE) – Too High To Drive (Jus Like Music) *
Yosi Horikawa (JP) – Passion (Eklektik Records) *
Audace (FR/JP) – Indestructible Soul (Inductive) *
Scrimshire ft. Inga Lill Aker (UK) – Warm Sound (Wah Wah 45s) **
Kan Sano (JP) – Bless (Circulations) *
Elliott Yorke (UK) – Wormhole Squirm (Five Easy Pieces) *
Daisuke Tanabe (JP) – Artificial Sweetener (Circulations) **
Super Smoky Soul ft. Guilty Simpson (JP/US) – Knockout Kings (Circulations) **
Emika (UK) – Count Backwards (Ninja Tune) *
Eccy (JP) – EFH (Slye/Milk) *
Throwing Snow (UK) – The Luck Without (A Future Without) *
XLII (UA/JP) – Standuptall Nippon (Raid System) *
Pete Sasqwax (UK) – Aggro A Go Go *
Virtual Boy (US/FR) – Thrust (Turnsteak remix) *
F.A.M.E (US) – Real Surreal (F.A.M.E/4OneFunk) *
Kper (IT/FR) – Chotto *

*exclusive to compilation
** previously released

Listen to a taster mix right here:

Under FCC policies, stations licensed as noncommercial educational (NCE) stations cannot conduct fundraising for parties other than the station licensee if such fundraising will disrupt the normal program schedule of the station.  So the Jerry Lewis Telethon and similar charitable programming efforts cannot be conducted by noncommercial stations without a waiver from the FCC.  In recent years, when there have been major disasters, like Hurricane Katrina and the Haitian earthquake, the FCC has adopted a liberal waiver policy to allow noncommercial stations to join the rest of the world in aiding the victims of such tragedies.  This week, the FCC adopted a similar policy for noncommercial stations wanting to conduct fundraisers for Japanese relief efforts, issuing a Public Notice setting out that policy.  Waiver requests can be filed by an email to the head of the Audio or Video Division of the FCC (depending on whether the request is coming from a radio or TV station), setting out the following information:

a. the nature of the fundraising effort;

b. the proposed duration of the fundraising effort;

c. the organization(s) to which funds will be donated; and

d. whether the fundraiser will be part of the licensee's regularly scheduled pledge drive or fundraising effort. 

As we wrote when the Haitian Notice was issued, there does not seem to be a need, under FCC precedent, for stations to have to request permission from the FCC if these fundraising appeals will not interrupt regular station programming.  Yet it might be safest to ask for that permission if the requests will be regularly run during the course of programming on the station - to avoid any question about such activities.  Of course, the question could be raised as to whether the FCC really needs to have this rule any longer - or if it might not be more appropriate for noncommercial stations to use their own discretion to make programming decisions about the fundraising that they want to do in the public interest.  But that is a question for another day - as stations have a good cause to which they can contribute now, and the FCC has given them the ability to do so on an expedited basis.