Like everyone, I imagine, my life’s soundtrack is meticulously edited, intensely personal, and ruthlessly guarded. There are several themes that run the course of my current tastes, and over time we’ll dive further into them. One, though, is the central theme, and as such, must be addressed first. This is convoluted, so hang close…
Finding and buying (my) music is almost as much of a thrill as hearing it for the first time. Two reasons, as best I can tell. First, I gotta thing for the new. Always liked the idea of Nietzsche’s “new ears for new music.” Second, I gotta thing for the purchase, the transaction. No shame here, I’m a consumer.
Warp Records, as you’ll see over time, is a constant, and Bleep is quickly becoming an addiction. I was skeptical at first, I honestly wanted/expected them on the ITMS, but I couldn’t be happier (and shouldn’t be at all surprised) that they chose a different path.
Bleep is an incredible achievement. Clearly very thoughtful work here. The app? website? store? behaves well, is beautifully rendered, and is stocked to the gills with goodness. More on this topic soon enough…
Always felt that Warp’s dominance of it’s domain had legs, but never thought that another could rise to prominence so quickly. Morr Music has arrived. The new Styrofoam release is simply stunning.
“Nothing’s Lost” was released in the EU last Monday, but will not be released in the States until the end of November, so I was scrambling to find it. Then, out of the blue, Bleep adds Morr Music on Friday. Saved!
I’m on my 15th listen, give or take, and I’m stuck by how graceful, how eloquent, how perfect this release is. I’m literally floored. Think of “Every Man and Woman is a Star” — what’s your favorite song? Even your least favorite, even the one that sounds like something you wouldn’t allow in your collection, catches you. Stella!
The new Styrofoam is that good. But I couldn’t just come out and say only that. And the search for it was almost as satisfying, and kinda reaffirming. It’s been a beautiful and productive weekend, and this release is icing on the cake.
It never occured to me, prior to attending last week’s event, that all of our concentration (here, our loosely joined world of experience/interaction designers) is on the finished product. We (almost) never talk about the process, the path to greatness. To be sure, we have shared tastes and objective traits, but we as a profession we have little discussion in the process of it all…
Jeff Veen and Doug Bowman danced in and out of both worlds, and gave us an incredible glimpse into one of the most stunning redesigns in recent years.
I have a ton of notes, plenty of insight to share, but for now I think it’s best to just say thanks.
Loose, lax, free, slack.
Texture, tone. Craft, hone.
Spring stream,
bathe breathe.
Rinse clean.View new. Much too much to do.
(My first resume. I didn’t get the job. Come to think of it, I didn’t get many things back then.)
“The philospher’s mind, the poet’s heart, and the peasant’s back.”
Roughly translated: the thirst for the quest, the passion to artfully express, and the tenacity to do no less. Can’t take credit for the initial thought, only what it means to me. Lucky enough to be there when it happened…
So here it is, after many fits and starts (at best half-assed attempts, to be sure), I’m finally getting serious. I have owned this domain for many years, and have had just as many schemes to bring it to life, none of which felt quite right. Yet for some reason, this does. We’ll see where it all leads.
For now, expect this to be an imperfect reflection of the world as I see it, edited and condensed for mass consumption. Humbled by many more talented and more ambitious, and fearful that I’ll rob ‘em blind, I neverthless give you my heart, my soul…
