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Matmos: <i>The Ganzfeld EP</i> (and Incase headphones)

I will not pretend to understand the concept behind The Ganzfeld EP, electronic duo Matmos’ upcoming release, but I will simply say that I dig it, deeply. From the press release, because I can’t say it any better:

The EP and the album [The Marriage of True Minds, available early 2013] have the same conceptual basis: telepathy.

Telepathy!

For the past four years the band have been conducting parapsychological experiments based upon the classic Ganzfeld (“total field”) experiment, but with a twist: instead of sending and receiving simple graphic patterns, test…

Video: <i>Until the Quiet Comes</i>

My review of Flying Lotus' fourth full-length album, Until the Quiet Comes, is scheduled to appear in our November issue, but this short film, directed by Kahlil Joseph, does a fine job of depicting the record.

The film uses pieces of three Quiet tracks: "See Thru to U" (featuring Erykah Badu), "Hunger" (featuring Niki Randa), and "Getting There" (also featuring Niki Randa).

Until the Quiet Comes will be released by Warp Records on October 2.

The Entry Level #21

When I began my junior year at Fairleigh Dickinson University, in Teaneck, New Jersey, I'd already fulfilled the main requirements for graduation, but still had a number of credits to put toward elective studies. The courses in yoga and bowling were already closed, so I devised an independent course in experimental music. Thinking about it now, it seems a strange miracle that the university allowed me to come up with such a…

The Entry Level #21 Page 2

Learning firsthand about Barton's process was fascinating, but paled in comparison to simply standing quietly in the chamber with my eyes closed. People had told me to be careful—strange things happen in anechoic chambers, I might go crazy or something—but I loved it from the start. As I stepped onto the grate, I felt a tightening in my ears and a pressure above my eyes. The silence was staggering—exquisite, profound. The sound of our voices was absolutely pure. I quickly developed a headache as my mind and ears attempted to latch on to the silence but were confounded by our discussion—a…

The Entry Level #21 Contacts

Sidebar: Contacts

Tannoy Ltd. UK, Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire ML5 4TF, Scotland, UK. Tel: (44) (0)1236-420199. Fax: (44) (0)1236-428230. Web: www.tannoy.com. North American Distributor: TC Group Americas, 335 Gage Avenue, Suite 1, Kitchener, Ontario N2M 5E1, Canada. Tel: (519) 745-1158. Fax: (519) 745-2364

Listening #117

When I was seven years old, my father brought home an air-conditioner: a flimsy, hulking thing that sat in an open window just as a frame of X-ray film sits in an open mouth. It worked by consuming a steady diet of ice cubes and water, then blowing a fan across the slurry and into our grateful living room. It was loud and it stank and it wasn't very cold at all.

Air-conditioners have improved since 1962. So have automobiles and contact lenses and light bulbs and copiers and television sets. So have lots of other consumer goods.

It's reasonable for the average person to assume…

Listening #117 Page 2

The Line Magnetic driver appears perfect: like a time-machine Western Electric 755a in virtually every respect. From its beautifully formed 7.25" pulp-and-fabric cone to the coating that gives the integral surround its characteristically low compliance to the lustrous hammertone finish of its metalwork, every detail looks and feels right. One can't help being impressed with the knowledge, effort, and sheer love that have apparently gone into this product.

The 755 I's aperiodic enclosure is constructed entirely of plywood, the heaviest panel being a central baffle that's rigidly fastened…

Listening #117 List of the Month

Sidebar 1: List of the Month

The 10 most well-deserved Grammys of the past quarter-century, in no particular order:

1) Del McCoury Band, Bluegrass Album of the Year, 2005: The Company We Keep
2) Motörhead, Best Metal Performance, 2004: "Whiplash"
3) Ralph Stanley, Best Male Country Vocal Performance, 2001: "O Death"
4) Rage Against the Machine, Best Hard Rock Performance, 2000: Guerrilla Radio
5) The Beatles, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or a Group, 1996: "Free as a Bird"
6) Tom Petty, Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, 1995: "You Don't Know How It Feels"
…

Listening #117 Contacts

Sidebar 2: Contacts

Line Magnetic Audio Co. Ltd., 4th Floor, Building No.2, Ping Xi Road No.6, Nanping Industry Park, Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China. Tel: (86) 0756-3911927. Fax: (86) 0756-3911933 US distributor: Tone Imports: Web: www.toneimports.com

Oswalds Mill Audio. Web: www.oswaldsmillaudio.com.

Happy Birthday, John Cage

As I mention in last month’s “Entry Level,” September 5th would have been John Cage’s 100th birthday, and celebrations of all shapes and sizes are taking place around the world. Fans of Cage’s music are especially lucky: several exciting new releases are now available.

Here are just a few:

Australian sound artist, Room40 curator, and all-around sweet dude, Lawrence English, has recorded For/Not for John Cage as “an homage to the aspects of his life and work that have inspired me over the past two decades (ironically, those in which he has been physically absent, but…