When I saw you, you looked so surprised,
and the oceans flowed through your blue-grey eyes.
And we stood and gazed in hot summer days.
So tell me
Can we go cop a bag?
Friday, September 9, 2022
Monday, January 23, 2017
Jaki Liebezeit, Love Time, and a selection of recordings...
Liebezeit translates roughly to "Love Time" in english. Time, in the musical sense, comes up often when discussing the drumming talents of Jaki Liebezeit. His amazing sense for time, repetition, and groove have made him a legend for record collectors and musicians alike. I like to think that in some cosmic way, as Can was discovering their identity in the early 70's, Jaki was landing on the same post-Miles acid groove as Tony William's. So much is being written on his long life and outstanding career, his contributions to both modern and past music, and his many stellar collaborations. In the ocean of well deserved praise, I thought I would include a little write up on some of my favorite tracks and lesser known musical moments featuring Jaki.
This is when I finally understood! Watching Can's Free Cologne Concert at Nowe Miasto with my good friend Clayton. Years before, the first discussion Clayton and I ever had involved Can, where he gauged whether or not I was into "weird music". By the time we got together to watch this, I knew the Can recordings well. But seeing Jaki's technique in unison with the other member's of Can was illuminating! A master of keeping it together and improvising.
I debated including Brian Eno's "Backwater", a track from Before and After Science that I have long had a love/hate relationship with. However, this is the track that introduced me to Jaki as a session musician, as a player outside of Can. It's a shame he never got to work with BowieThis is when I finally understood! Watching Can's Free Cologne Concert at Nowe Miasto with my good friend Clayton. Years before, the first discussion Clayton and I ever had involved Can, where he gauged whether or not I was into "weird music". By the time we got together to watch this, I knew the Can recordings well. But seeing Jaki's technique in unison with the other member's of Can was illuminating! A master of keeping it together and improvising.
Where Jaki's sidework playing really clicked for me was with Neu's Michael Rother on his late 70's solo albums. The songs are, to me, a great realization of the Neu formula. Repetitive, pretty, consonant, and entrancing. Jaki played drums on Michael's first four solo albums, which featured only two of them with with Michael playing everything non percussive. Here are some of my favorites
Here's an LP from Jaki's early days in one of the many jazz ensembles in which he drummed. The Manfred Schoof Quintet album "Voices" is Jaki's first recording credit.
Here's a weird one! A flop in my opinion. This is Bernd aka Zeus, organist and sometimes frontman of seminal Krautrock band Birth Control. Birth Control is definitely more in the British/American hard rock influenced spectrum of Krautrock, and I definitely know many fans of Can that don't favor them. They were very popular in their time, but the appreciation did not last in the same way it did for Can. I love how overtly political they are! Anyway, this is a cut from Bernd's second solo album as Zeus, "Europium" (clever!). Jaki definitely emulating the rhythmbox on this one.
Im also a fan of Jaki's many collaborations with Holger Czukay of can. Holger's solo work deserves it's own blog post, but many modern ideas about sampling and looping in a pop fashion are displayed way before their time on his albums. He was approaching "My Life In The Bush of Ghosts" years before it was out! I should note that Czukay's album Der Osten ist Rot is essentially a collaborative album between himself and Jaki. Here's some cuts I enjoy!
After Can broke up, Holger and bassist Roscoe Gee (also of late period Traffic) went on to form Phantom Band with members of Dunkelziffer. If you're a fan of late period can, a lot of it fit's in nicely in their continuity.
Did you know Jaki played on this Eurythmics single? Thanks, Conny Plank! Holger also does some of the sound effects for the song. Surprised they weren't in the video.
Jaki is featured on this amazing Gianna Nannini track. Thanks again, Conny!
Klaus Dinger and Jaki on a single track? Too good to be true? I know that Neondian is a polarizing album with an extreme cheese factor, but it has a special place in my krautrock hall. Just learned Jaki plays percussion on lead in track.
Jaki is credited with percussion on this Depeche Mode track from Ultra! I remember Witchbeam turned me onto this and later depeche mode through some postings. I've listened to the track about four times trying to find Jaki's percussion but i'm sure it's in there somewhere. It could also be a sample credit
I'm obsessed with this collab album Jaki made with members of Bel Canto Orchestra the same year as the above track. 20 years after the Can heydey and his drumming is still in amazing form, plus the songs are abstract, weird, and groovy! Very modern sounding.
Jaki was also part of an acid production group called Club Off Chaos that I really enjoy. He never gets credit for this it seems.
Related is Jaki's involvement in the Drums Off Chaos project, which released two amazing albums of percussive layers and ambient textures (courtesy of Jens-Uwe Beyer) I really love this track!
In 2014, Jaki recorded a collaborative album with one of my favorite musicians of the krautrock era, Hans Joachim Irmler, keyboardist and one part of the insanity that was Faust. Here is a nice improv-leaning track.
And special note should go to this downtempo Schiller track which is one of Jaki's final credits. From Schiller's huge and collaborative 2016 release "Zeitreise"
Well that's about all I have! Jaki was just shy of a 50 year recording career with releases, collaborations, and appearances on a huge variety of albums! He performed right up until his passing. A full life that has inspired myself and countless others. Rest in peace, Jaki
Jaki Liebezeit
1938-2017
Monday, December 12, 2016
Monday, November 7, 2016
It's been quiet over here and i havent had a proper music release in some time. Several releases have been in the works and a couple will be out before the years end. Lots of splits with friends on the horizon.
https://openmarriage.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/pockets-mccoy
https://holygallows.bandcamp.com/
Plus a full length cassette release of my electronic/acid side project, Showa No Yume
Still working on mixes for march and trying to find label help, especially one that would allow me to have layout control and use the clamshell cases I procured.
More info soon, friends
Monday, September 5, 2016
Tectorum Tapes Compilation: Midnight Fires Episode 17
Tectorum Tapes of North Carolina were kind enough to ask me to contribute to a compilation cassette this summer. Some really great modern voices of ambient are on this tape and the tracks are really diverse and soothing. Good for long car rides
The tracks were also recently featured on an episode of Midnight Fires which is a true honor.
Several of the tracks from the compilation had accompanying videos produced by video artists from around the country. The talented Christopher Konopka, a master of many video and programming mediums, used live analog video manipulation to go develop a visual accompaniment to my track. This was a total surprise to me and I really dig the end result
-Shining Fields
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Chumbawumba, an interlude: Beginning to Take It Back
Words to describe Nicaragua of old
Cash crops and hunger and US control
Coffee and sugar on company land
Made to supply what the boss would demand
Then one July morning in seventy-nine
Nicaragua decided to leave it behind
And the people are learning to take back their lives
As the country will change, Sandinista survives
Women are winning what they've never known
The power to organize outside the home
Starting to find what is equal and fair
Ensuring that this revolution is shared
Regaining lost chances, demanding much more
Running the factories, fighting the war
Nobody claims that it's over and done
There's too much depends on enlistment and guns
And raising their children and filling their plates
And chasing the Contras to Washington State
The Yankee conspiracy thrown to the ground
That's where the spirit of change can be found
Zalhietzli and Proud/Father split one year on...
On October 15th of 2015, my good friend and an artist I hold in high regards, Jean Baptiste, released a split consisting of material we had recorded the previous summer. His label, Zugzwang Productions, was the first to ever release Proud/Father material way back in 2012, which was Hearu Shi no Proud/Father . We kept in touch through mail and instant messaging and sometime during 2015, we finally committed to a split cassette for our projects (Zalhietzli and Proud/Father)
Antigravity (New Orleans)
It was a long process, but the time allowed for a fantastic release. I was listening to a lot of Heldon at the time and touched on some of the older material I had made for Natsu Tepu. I tried out some of these tracks live e before committing them to tape, and got a response I was pretty excited about. Jean Baptiste not only produced an amazing side of live tape loops and manipulation, but also designed and developed the packaging art from scratch. And by "from scratch" I mean with collage and photocopier, completely by hand from start to finish. He documents many of his ethereal collages and artwork on his blog here if you want to see more.
We also received some reviews from around the world
Antigravity (New Orleans)
Anthem (Website Deleted)
There may have been some more so check for updates.
Listen and decide for yourself.
-Shining Fields
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Monday, October 7, 2013
コンサート と 演奏旅行
I recently moved back to New Orleans after a year in Jacksonville, Florida. I also got to go on a really amazing tour with Lost Trail
Heres some videos of my favorite florida moments.
Last minute addition ( a running trend)
got to play while artists wheat-pasted sculptures
@Inc Tour 2013
My performance as DJ Onlyusessimpsonssamples
I only used Simpson's samples
Got to meet and play with some great people at the International Noise Fest tour.
I did the NOLA date too but my set (Evangbang: A noise celebration of NGE) sucked
I did the NOLA date too but my set (Evangbang: A noise celebration of NGE) sucked
@Display ACTION RESEARCH #110
Action Research is an ongion series of experimental artists in Gainseville, Fl.
Theyre put on by Ironing. It was a goal of mine to play one of these shows.
Theyre put on by Ironing. It was a goal of mine to play one of these shows.
So it was a dream come true. First time I did the tour set (more or less)
Part 2 coming soon with lots of tour goodies
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
I've been away for a while and many posts are in order
This video is from a performance that Proud Father orchestrated for Thursday Night
The Performance was at the Mulark Pubic Theatre
Which is my favorite local spot
It's a theatre/music venue run by my friend Pandora,
who designs sets and the most amazing puppets
She's also an incredible performer in her own right and I suggest you check her website
The heat was intense
The lights were dim
The sounds were loud
My friends WitchBeam and Sister Jillian of the Crow Hill Gnostic Temple
were kind enough to perform their meditative set
Using droning, pulsating synths and meditative cooperation, they brought each audience member into their own personal nirvana.
There were scented vials, lights, and a unique take on just about every aspect of a musical performance.
They requested no photos, videos, or recordings, to which I happily obliged
It's an experience that must be experienced firsthand
My set was a continuation of my current method. Tapes through effects looped.
Instant tape compositions, blended, distorted, multiplied.
Over the top of these I put some effected harmony vocals, and had the MFOS synth supplying an arpeggio/drum synth run combination to give the entire performance and underlaying pulse
Next came my good friend Jonathan from I have two wolves inside of me
A band from Baton Rouge that I cannot recommend enough
Jonathan did a solo set featuring massive walls of processed synths and drums tinged with
shoegazey vocals and textures
The best way to describe the sound would be soaked or drenched.
Dreamy, and clear. He says he intends for his music to have the same qualities
as the video game soundtracks he enjoyed growing up
And to top it all off he finished the set with a Cocteau Twins sample
Afterwards, Jonathan and I were joined by Allyson of IHTWIOM
for a late night all out live ambient collab.
That video is at the top
we packed up
said our goodbyes
and slept soundly
Wish you were here
Thursday, July 28, 2011
chiridijiri Ø nari: Proud Father Radio Recordings
Every week, my friend (Walter) and I have been doing improvised ambient/live looping/experimental sets. We've now gotten to the point where we are comfortable making the event public and releasing the recordings.
Chiridijiri o nari translates roughly into
Seperated by sound
Seperated by sound
We are close friends but we have lived far apart for two years
This radio show serves as a way for us to finally collaborate musically
Something we had both put off doing in person until it was too late
And we had moved to different cities
The performances are all lived, completely improvised,
and featured various instrumentation
From drums and spanish guitars
to computers, synthesizers, and circuit bent devices
Sets will eventually involve
composition themes
chance games
dances
mor
There will be announcements on the ProudFather facebook
as to when these events will occur
Usually Monday or Wednesday nights
Starting at 9pm CT-USA
Our USTREAM site can be found here
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
hibiki no chika
Sometimes the easiest way to find new music
Is to have the person who created it show you
I enjoy the free flow of information,
especially when it's sharing what you have created with others
Part 1 in an ongoing series
New Dark Age
Instrumental HipHop, Beats, Illbient, Break
UK 2011
Orca Life
Dark Ambient, Drone
Virginia, 2011
KT Allo
Dark Ambient, Harsh Noise, Experimental
Sydney, 2011
Ville Wannabe
Chip, Guitar-Electro
Fucking Finland , 2011
Mechabloby
Trip Hop, FLSTUDIO-core, has potential
UK, 2011
Whipfather
Dark, Noisy, Abstract HipHop. Anticon sound
Seattle, 2011
Zalhietzli
Noise, Ambient Soundscapes
France 2011
This Modern Jumper
Ambient Experimental Electronic
UK 2011
Vosysis
Ambient, Downtempo, Idm
Location Unknown, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Theodor Severin Kittelsen
Where the sun shines
Between the trees we are imprisoned
In this God's gladeIt burns it scorches
When the light licks our flesh
Goes toward the sky a smoke
A cloud of our form
Prisoners of the burials
Tormented by God's goodness
No flame no hate
They were right we have come to Hell
Thanks to Kittelsen Effensor dot netThursday, July 21, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)