Bird Step Sequencer (WN0040)

Love this one. In Kathy Hind's words:

By observing the resting of birds on telegraph lines, it was soon obvious how much the lines resembled a music score or piano roll. Thus, a computer-vision program was developed in order to scan a video of the birds behaviour to translate it into music, by triggering audio samples of a music box and a prepared piano in the same fashion as a modern step-sequencer.

Going along to see her talk about sound maps in London next month.

Gil Scott-Heron at the Bottom Line

Gil Scott-Heron - live at the Bottom Line 77 by Ninjamixdump on Mixcloud

A short post here - the music will speak for itself. 

I've been putting together a video tribute to Gil Scott-Heron, but these things can take a little while to get to a point where they're ready to put out. In the meantime here's a New York live show from 1977. 

For those of you that haven't heard the man before, you've just got to dig it. For those of you that have, you'll know what a treat you're in for. Either way, it'll be two hours of your life very well worth spending.

In other news, this blog is about to get its first guest poster!

Remix Libya

  Libya Bloody Libya by dimitristuer

Being an aficionado of the protest song, I was recently wondering whether there had been any tracks produced about the current conflict in Libya, particularly from remix culture. 

I turned to SoundCloud - rapidly becoming my audio search engine of choice - and discovered two such tracks. The one above is by Dimitri Stuer from Belgium and the one below is from the British Dave McKeown (not his first musical comment on conflict, it seems).

  I wouldn't kiss that Camel for all the Oil in LIbya by Dave McKeown 

Have a listen and let me know your thoughts on the two tracks.