Sexy, soulful, dubby and luscious....my fave dubstep at this moment!

Can't Sleep........

I've really neglected this for awhile.....well a lot of changes. Isaac and I are now living in Albuquerque, NM now. Santa Fe is a dying town, I'm sorry to say, when I moved there in 2000 it had a vibrancy and creative energy that was palatable, now its taken the fatal kool aid of believing its own hype and become this clique - infested closed circuit where nothing can grow and evolve. I was hoping its a temporary phase but I think the condition is pretty terminal at this moment. I hope to be proven wrong, there is still a side of me that loves Santa Fe.....

Albuquerque is quite a change for me....my partner Isaac is much more of an urbanite than I am and he is adjusting quite well to being in the "big city". I'm still adjusting, there is definitely more opportunity for me here than in Santa Fe. The pace is a bit faster - and a lot less pretensions in peoples attitudes (which I like) and I'm now working full time again (which for this economy is a blessing).

Still looking for my musical niche - I guess I'm cursed in being someone who can't settle with one "style" I love music so much that I have to explore multiple possibilities of styles, forms, sounds etc... Life is too short to be "specialized" I've always believed that over-specialization leads to death on multiple levels. I guess I'll always be one of those "eclectic" types - so get used to it folks......

Slowly getting back into my creative flow - the move took a lot out of me and I'm slowly getting back into my creative center again. I'm feeling a bit vulnerable about keeping a job, paying off my debts, and keeping the wolves of life at bay. I know that life will "happen" and I cannot let the insecurities of this current age get in the way of my creativity.

A lot of signs are telling me I'm on the right path though....I just got signed and partnered to a new record label, Other World Records, so the goal of representation has been achieved. I'm so looking forward to my first release with the label (which is looking like sometime in the winter/early spring of 2011) and having the backing of getting my music out to a wider audience.



Many thanks and blessings to Sean for having the faith in me to be a part of this! Here is the link to the labels Facebook page:

Other World Records


Going to have a Tumbler and BandCamp page up when I have more of my new material ready. I'll keep you folks posted........

Blessings........

The re-inauguration of AudioBuddha's monthly showcase Monsoon was a great success! Thanks for all who supported!
Location: Cafe Phenix, Santa Fe, NM

New Sounds.......

I'm a bit of a stubborn old goat - I'm very well aware of that. Its basis is skepticism and a curmudgeonly cynicism of the "latest fad". Being of the original punk rock generation it been instilled in me to treat the latest "thing" with disdain until it can prove itself as a visceral experience as well as an artistic experience. And also in becoming a DJ you are constantly being subjected to the latest fads in dance music and a lot of those times if you are not "hip" and follow the fellow lemmings to the dance floor you are often left on the sides.

Some of these initial fads do become legitimate for me though, like dubstep is a good example of this. At first my initial reaction was "meh" - it needed to prove its worth to me musically and in the last couple of years it has. Its become an interesting fusion - reggatron, dub, ambient, a bit of DnB, free jazz elements, tribal, noise and glitch. I find good dubstep a great way to spice up a downtempo set, you've got the "musical space" of chill with the deep bass and beats that keep a body moving. As in all genres, 95% of it is crap (I get so tired of that "wah-wah-wah" triplet bass line that you hear in too much of dubstep - argh, stop!!!!!).

What do I consider interesting in Dubstep? Its best to listen:

Pangaea - Memories.....a masterpiece in musical simplicity - a sound greater than the sum of its parts. And also a throbbing bass line that doesn't beat you over the head and yet gets that booty to shake:



Pinch - Get Up (feat. Yolanda).......again where subtlety wins out over beating your audience over the head, poly-rhythmic textures, great diva vocals and again a full luscious bass that caresses you on the dance floor:



The Xx - Heart Skips a Beat......Yes, its Brit pop with Dub beats, so sue me....its still a wonderful example of substance over style:

Death and Horror is OK, but not Love and Sex? Insane....

Suicide bombers, death, murder, hate crimes and hate speech are OK for full consumption on You Tube but not the loving union of two consenting adults? Insane......

Thanks Davey Wavey, check out his website:

http://www.breaktheillusion.com/

Time to really get out there.......

I thought with this extra time on my hands (the new realities of under-employment) It would be a great time to start an online blog about my music, thoughts, life events, etc...etc.... Well here it goes.....

I'll start by saying that I don't miss 2009..it was a challenging year to say the least. Losing my job at the beginning of the year and thus starting my 6 month journey into the American limbo of unemployment was its auspicious start. Then I land another job and get laid off two months later!!!! For someone who was continuously employed for nearly 27 years - this "new reality" is quite an adjustment.

I now have a temp job working at home - I actually like it. Not worrying about dress codes, co-workers and just getting up, grabbing that cup of coffee and going to my computer, plus get paid for it , is quite nice. I'm hoping this will become a full-time job - we'll see......

But the main reason for starting this blog is to document my creative journey that I have set for myself in the new year of 2010. I want to get much done this year and I feel that if start writing down my journey and the process of it becoming it will facilitate in its creation. I've noticed that writing gives me focus and "focus" is going to be one of my main key words this year. There are several things that I wish to get done this year:

1. The new AudioBuddha CD (AudioBuddha is my ongoing musical project - feel free to check out AudioBuddha's Myspace ) I really want to make a declarative statement with this - break free from others expectations and my own artistic limitations.

2. perform (as a DJ or solo electronic as AudioBuddha) out of state

3. Make music more of my livelihood - either by supporting myself with DJ'ing, music production, soundtracks and getting the brand recognition that I feel AudioBuddha deserves.

4. Further do my part in supporting the amazing musical community that we have here in Northern New Mexico - this is not an understatement, but the potential is here that Northern New Mexico could be right up there with other music centers like Seattle, Los Angeles, NYC and Austin, TX. There are "issues" here that are currently preventing it from fully happening - those I will comment on in future posts.

5. Get out of debt, again.....unfortunately unemployment did not help with this, but I'll pull myself out again!

6. Making sure that I am living with the integrity of my ideals - living more in my community, supporting the economics of community (farmers markets, co-ops, local business, local arts and music) and making sure that my money is supporting that (check out http://moveyourmoney.info/ ) .

Laters.............