Tim Burton’s ‘The Nighmare Before Christmas’ re-cut with Marilyn Manson’s version of ‘This Is Halloween’ for the re-release of the film in Disney Digital 3-D and 2-Disc Special Edition Soundtrack.
This video is the cat’s meow. Link stolen from fark.
Author Archives: Jacob Joaquin
Nintendo Selling out the Nose in Japan
“How high can you get?”
Thumbuki was originally conceived as a video game blog. The name itself is derived from Thumb, the primary gaming appendage, and Kabuki, a form of traditional Japanese theater. With that in mind…
Nintendo is kicking some serious ass in Japan right now (they must be all out of bubblegum.) I had not fully realized this until a few days ago while reading the console charts at The-MagicBox.
If you compare Nintendo hardware sales (DS Lite, GBASP, GBM, GC, DS, GBA) to the other consoles in the top 10 (PS2, PSP, 360, Xbox), you’ll see that Nintendo has sold 2.5x more units this year, most of which can be attributed to the insanely popular DS. The fact that Nintendo holds 6 of those top 10 slots is in itself an indicator of their enormous success. And the year is far from over.
Both Nintendo and Sony are releasing their new consoles in about a month. Though it is unclear which system will be more popular in the long run, Nintendo will have the edge coming out of the gate. The initial availability of the PS3 is going to be extremely limited, giving the Wii a distinct short-term advantage.
Discovering Electronic Music
This is an educational film from 1983 describing a little bit of the history and tools of electronic music. The best thing about it is that it is behind the times for 1983, and seems more like a 1970s film. Frequently featured is a Moog modular! Also featured is a Fairlight, but as an analog obsessive, I’m less interested in that.
This reminds me of the old Encyclopedia Britannica films we watched back in high school. Despite being quite vintage, the content of the film is still relevant today.
Build Your Own Alien Instruments
“We send probes into deep space to listen to alien worlds. But alien world’s aren’t always that far away.” – Reed Ghazala
I recently finished reading Circuit-Bending: Build Your Own Alien Instruments. This is probably the easiest, and quickest way to get you up to speed in the field of Circuit-Bending. Reed Ghazala, the internationally recognized “Father of Circuit-Bending,” provides a concise compendium of most issues that will arise during your alien spelunking adventures.
Is this book for you?
Depends. For myself, the book was absolutely worth it. My background is mostly digital. The text introduced me to very rudimentary skills required to build these instruments. Skills such as: soldering, quasi-electronics, drilling, painting, etc… If you can already do these things, even on a basic level, you might not get much from these chapters.
Where this book truly excels is Ghazala’s personal insight and experience. His writing is candid, humorous at times, and allows the reader to get a glimpse of how his thought process works. In many ways, this book is more than just a DIY guide. It is also about composing through the process of electronic experimentation.
In other words, good stuff.
Part of Get Bent.
Rabbit
When a boy and girl find an idol in the stomach of a rabbit, great riches follow, but for how long?
Once again, thanks to PAgent of PAgent’s Progress for the great find.
art by cornp0ne
flickr photo by cornp0ne. Visit lemon pepper hot wing.
The Sultans Elephant
The little girl giant woke up one morning, got a shower from the Sultans Elephant, and wandered off to play in the park…
Thanks to Liz of LizLysinger.com for the link.
James Tenney Remembered 1934-2006
I just learned this morning that my CalArts Professor, James Tenney, passed away in August of this year.
I remember the first day of class with him. James mentioned that when people asked what kind of music he wrote, he would sometimes respond with, “I write unpopular music.” I have since used that line many times myself.
One of my favorite works of his is For Ann (rising), a process music composition featuring an endless rising glissando. This glissando is similar to Jean-Claude Risset’s. In my opinion, Tenney’s is more musically interesting, and the illusion of the glissando is much more transparent.
James is also one of the performers in Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Kontakte, which is featured on Ohm: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music.
James, you will be missed.
Whitney Music Box
The Whitney Music Box is a wonderful example of Process Music. The audio generated is musical in nature, and the process itself is obvious thanks to the simplicity of the animation. Each of the 18 variations have their own distinct qualities, showing the versatility of the instrument and of the sound spaces it creates.
Whitney Music Box is based on John Whitney’s motion graphics, realized by Jim Bumgardner, aka KrazyDad.
From the description:
in three minutes, the largest dot will travel around the circle once, the next largest dot will travel around the circle twice, the next largest dot three times, and so on. the dots are arranged to trigger notes on a chromatic scale when they pass the line
Thanks to PAgent of PAgen’ts Progress for the link.
Time Lapse Circuit Bend
Part of Get BentCircuit Bending: The Spin Brother
time lapse video of real life circuit bending, edited to sounds made by the real circuit bent toy.