Tag Archives: albums

ION USB Turntable

gear, , , ,

Yes, I own one of these. No, it is NOT pro DJ gear or high end audio equipment. The ION USB turntable is basically just a tool to get your vinyl converted to MP3s quickly and without too much fuss. When I do actual DJ work, I prefer to spin the vinyl records themselves in addition to my digital library of sounds, but for travel I enjoy plenty of converted albums thanks to the ION.

They just are NOT going to release those hilariously corny (and quite fun) born-again Christian new wave albums by Steve Taylor, Servant, or The Seventy-Sevens on CD, and if they have, I predict they will sound wretched compared to the vinyl. Why I have an affinity for those particular releases has a lot to do with why I love those old Isaac Hayes disco records and the Mystic Moods Orchestra, but that’s another story for another time.

The ION is under a hundred bucks, gets the job done with software included and keeps me traveling with all the hardcore evangelistic new wave quaalude music I can stand. Why born-again Christians ever thought that futuristic quiffs and syncopated synth fills could disguise the fact that they were trying to save you from THE DEVILLLLLLL is beyond me, but the music is still pretty fun. It’s like listening to a Karen Finley album, except you feel dirty in a completely DIFFERENT way.

How to Make Your Vinyl Album NOT Suck

editorial, , ,

Granted, this article was written back in 1997, but I see no reason why this should be dismissed simply because it’s more than ten years old. Kevin Gray’s technical vinyl album primer for noobs on what needs to be done to make your vinyl album shine is very educational. I’m toying with a vinyl release myself, so I am taking notes and bracing myself for much learning ahead. This is good stuff.

Aquaserge 12-Inch EP “Tahiti Coco”

EP, Featured, , , , ,

Oh YES, dear friends, we’ve got a genuine, unclassifiably cool anomaly on our hands here. Aquaserge starts off with a bit of the old Vampyros Lesbos soundtrack vibe crossed with a dash of Mellow (that Air side project band that did the soundtrack for Roman Coppola’s movie, CQ ) thrown in for good measure. Already I am hooked, but then this veers off into Miles Davis territory circa the Cellar Door sessions in 1970–it’s those gloriously dated keyboard sounds.

Prog, psych, and groovy all mixed together in a glorious melange all the way from the south of France where Aquaserge resides. Chris Joss, Air, Aquaserge…what is it about France that keeps me coming back for more?

I am loving this group and I have only heard the one track, La Femme De Tahiti. This is so utterly required listening that I’m not going to rant and rave about it except to say that this is my favorite accidental find in a long time. I haven’t loved an accidental find of this nature so well since I stumbled across Gang Gang Dance.

The label this is on, Manimal Vinyl is definitely worth exploring, this band is not the lone anomaly of the lot…but I’ll be damned, this is the track I’ll be stuck on for a WHILE. Aquaserge needs to come to Chicago so I can get the full skinny and bring it to you…solid stuff, this. Check out the MP3 of La Femme De Tahiti in the audio player at the Manimal site. RECOMMENDED.

Mastering Audio for Vinyl: The Gospel According to SoundOnSound

editorial, , , ,

Stumbled across an interesting piece written for SoundOnSound about the process of mastering your recordings for vinyl. I am by no means an expert on the subject, but one thing that rings loud and clear in this article–pay strict attention to distortion due to overmodulation in the mix. Never a good thing, anytime you start exceeding the tolerances you are begging for trouble, especially with digital.

I am eagerly collecting a small archive of these kinds of articles so expect more links to relevant writing on mastering for vinyl in the future. Most of the vinyl junkies I know are also musicians of varying degrees of experience, so there’s plenty of relevance there. If you aren’t a musician but have a massive collection of vinyl records, my guess is you are either a frustrated musician or a DJ. I’m BOTH.