Big Ears Festival, 2020

Knoxville, TN March 24-27

As opposed to most of the drawings below, the sketches from this event were made live, in pencil, rather than in ink and after-the-fact from photographs I took.

Kronos Quartet; So Percussion˚; Tomeka Reid & Nikky Finney; Black Monument Ensemble; Fennesz; MSSV˚; Low˚; Kris Davis & Julian Lage (talk); Craig Taborn Trio; Claire Rousay; Kris Davis Diatom Ribbons; Sons of Kemet˚; Ensemble dal Niente with Ken Vandermark; Kim Gordon˚; Ben Lamar Gay, Damon Locks & Angel Bat Dawid (talk); Brian Marsella Trio; Ches Smith / We All Break; Yasmin Williams; Sarah Davachi; Ben Lamar Gay; Circuit des Yeux; Annette Peacock; Dead Rider˚; Sarah Davachi; Hanif Abdurraqib (talk); Bill Frisell Trio; Sudan Archives˚; John Zorn New Masada

˚-not pictured.

Big Ears Festival, 2019

Knoxville, TN

Rachel Grimes; Joan la Barbara; YoshimiO / Ibarra / Lowe; Mercury Rev; Lonnie Holley with Messthetics; Larry Grenadier; Harold Budd + Nief Norf; Evan Parker Trance Map; The Comet Is Coming; Absînt (Berne + Frisell); Spiritualized; Jlin; Fire!; Nate Wooley; Amirtha Kidambi and the Elder Ones; Kayhan Kalhor; This Is Not This Heat; Jon Mueller; Abstract Black; Bill Frisell (livescore to Bill Morrisson); Sons of Kemet; Alvin Lucier & Ever Present Orchestra; Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin; Arvo Pärt’s Passio performed by the St. John’s Episcopal Choir; Sun of Goldfinger; Art Ensemble of Chicago + guests

Joan al Barbara

Comet Is Coming

Amirtha Kidambi and Elder Ones

Alvin Lucier

biscuits for… neck bracers

This mix of new-release electronica is meant to shift wildly between half-and-double-time.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Low End Activist: Engineer’s Origins
Farron: T9CE
Varuna: Autotrophic Biomass
M-Zine: The Dread
DJ Andy: Take It Back
Fumio Itabashi / Henrik Schwarz / Kuniyuki: Watarase (Henrik Schwarz version)
Asquith: Sofa Living
Acado: Hera
Iron Curtis featuring Lisa Toh & Johannes Albert: Nektar Leftie (Erdbeerschnitzel remix)
Agents of Time: Jimmy the Jester
Eleonora featuring UnderHer: All Together (version)
Saive & Kleiber: Out of Silence (ZUma Dionys remix)
Estella Boersma: Final Lap
Nicolas Duque: Bristol Love
De-Tu & Congi: Shallow Waters
Arkham Sound: Mercy (Gnisschrew mix)
Sentinel 793: a Stranger Rings
Sharp Veins: Glue Forest
D-Operation Drop: Liberation (Babe Roots & Don Fe remix)
Pleasure Jail: No Justice, No Peace
Amy Dabbs: Take It
8Ball: Only Time Will Tell
Superabundance: Fuzzy Math
Kamus: Wallce (Nikki Nair remix)
Halber Ball: Rift 3
Brain Rays & Quiet: Tigress Canisha
Sun People: Spirits
Sorrow: Paramount
Switch Back Smith: Room 2
Nicola Cruz: Aima (Auntie Flo mix)
Velmondo & Ironize Aka: Kyushu
Valentino Mora: Membrane

biscuits for… stutter strutters

This mix of new-release techno highlights stammering and stuttering sample usage.

Biscuits for Stutter Strutters

DJ Sports: The Sourcecode (mix 2)
Pearson & Clara!: Mi Cuerpo (DJ Python mix)
Studio Barnhus: Sverige
Mmyylo: Venamy
Samaran: London Madness
Hypho: Why You Here?
Corporeal Face: Just the Way to Be
Nick Anthony Simoncino: Survive
Chicks Luv Us: You Can’t Tell Me Nothin’
Lekind: Sample Madness
Diego Lima: Downtown
Carlo Gambino: Trust Me
Gruuve: Loko
Sqnc.d: Perspective
Luca M / Just2: Late Show
East End Dubs: London Thing
Anz: Stepper
Daniel Sanchez: Dutch Sniper (Fer Br remix)
Deborah de Luca: Kick It
Enzo Leep: Ro (Marwan Sabb Vision remix)
T.Raum: Breath Control
Stefan Ringer: Shakyabody
Radial Gaze: Authentic Patterns
Martin Herrs featuring Clemente: Manifesto
RE:You: Sunlight (Alican remix)
AMEME: Gaou (Beat Dub)
Joyce Muniz: Crystalline
Mitte Housing Authority: Natural High
Denial of Service: Disaster Protocol
Rabu Mazda: Mago Mazda
Folded Voices: 2 TV Talking
Bored Lord: Never Felt this Way

2020 recap

My annual yearbook of my favorite albums.

2020 Recap

The Rentals: Conspiracy
Guided by Voices: Steely Dodger
Shopping: Expert Advice
Deerhoof: O, Ye Saddle Babes
OOIOO: Bulun
Horse Lords: Against Gravity
Peter Evans: Double Drone
Ashley Paul: Light Inside My Skin
Kristo Rodzevski: Gauze
Throwing Muses: Bo Diddley Bridge
Good Sad Happy Bad: Shades
Hen Ogledd: Trouble
Sonic Boom: I Feel a Change Coming On
Thomas Köner: Substance (Suicide)
Junk Magic: Sargasso
More Eaze / Claire Rousay: Pre-Op
Offthesky & the Humble Bee: Fallen Fruit to Navigate by
Bill Callahan: The MacKenzies
Eiko Ishibashi: Hyakki Yagyō, part 1
Papillon: Aqueducts
Matmos: On the Team
Sun Araw: 78 Sutra
Decolonize Your Mind Society: Through the Prism
Richard Youngs & Daniel O’Sullivan: Oblivion Riviera
Autechre: TH Red A

biscuits for… rump roasters

A mix of fresh techno, this time focusing on straight floor fillers.

Biscuits for Rump Roasters

Slow Glass: Release (Thunder Tillman remix)
Luca Dell'Orso: Dub Occurrence (Cosmo Vitelli remix)
Steve Marie: Romanée Conti
KG: 808 (BSNYEA edit)
Mark Pritchard: LFO Special
Russell EL Butler: Blah Blah
Mytron & Ofofo: Miteinander
Zakmina: Church of Madness (Gnork's Ezoteric Breakdance remix)
Too Smooth Christ: Uhuueeii
Dro Carey: Hush Biome
DJ Slyngshot: B2
Brigade: Lost Your Number :'(
Bufiman: Blow Your Head (Rhythm Trax)
Volcan la Pete featuring Quentin Rollet: Ipnosi Ventilatore
Yu Su: Watermelon Woman
Tom Jarmey: Shimmer
Sound Support: Stab by Stab
Krust: Antigravity Dub (Masters at Work remix)
Elphino: One Day
Kenny Glasgow: Something Special
Lamont: I Won't Ask
Pearson Sound x Clara!: Mi Cuerpo (instrumental)
Damian Lazarus x Jem Cooke: Into the Sun (Mano le Tough P20 remix)
Studio Mule: Carnaval (Superpitcher Dub)
Pangaea: Like This
Matt Tolfrey featuring Lil' Mark: Under the Skin
DJ Plead: Espresso
Bitstream: Glycon

Lament 3

A long-nursed mix of sad-sack indie tunes.

Lament 3

The Wake: Something Outisde
Pet Shop Boys: Miserablism
Jonathan Richman: True Love Is Not Nice
St. Vincent: Severed Crossed Fingers
Suzanne Vega: Last Year’s Troubles
The Walker Brothers: No Regrets
Tracey Thorn: Swimming
Cowboy Junkies: Square Room
Nyam Nyam: Mining Different Seams
The Psychedelic Furs: Torch
Robyn Hitchcock: I Used to Say I Love You (live)
PJ Harvey: The Desperate Kingdom of Love
Our Arthur: Clinging to the Records
Galaxie 500: When Will You Come Home?
Embrace: Building
Godflesh: Voidhead
The Futureheads: Hard to Bear
The And: Around the Corner
A Mote of Dust: A Fundamental Problem
Hood: The HIdden Ambience of a Lost Art
REM: Sad Profressor
Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions
Jozef van Wisemm: Detachmentt
Orchestre National de Jazz featuring Arno & Yael Naïm: Just as You Are
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: I Need You
Antony and the Johnsons: Hope There's Someone
David Sylvian: Small Metal Gods

Biscuits for… Whiffs

A mix of recently released dance tracks that really on alternate methods of propulsion.

Biscuits for Whiffs

James Shinra: Gyorgy
Alessandro Adriani: Mutate, pt.3
Mezey & Nosho: Zeus Dub
Pink Gloves: Dancing on My Own (instrumental)
Tableau Vivant: End Orb
Dance: Murmur
Akasha System: Rain Theme
Ramzi: La Nuit l'Ete 1996
Overland: Rain
Peter Dundov / Marc Romboy: Ex Machina
Das Ding: Alien Insane
KӣR: Negentropia
James Ruskin: KN AM3
Interstellar Funk & Robert Varlera: Klangin
Ido Plumes: Which Way Is Up
Metrist: KJ Receder
Levon Vincent: Reverse Stockholm Syndrome
Christian Engh: Blakong (Prins Thomas Bonusmiks)
Rainbow Island: Simmia
The Fear Ratio: Small World
Anton Klint: Eld
Joy Overmono: Still Moving
Bochum Welt: More Light (James Zabliela mix)
MinaeMinae: Vorwegnahme
Nocow: Oasis
Lorelle meets the Obsolete: Unificado (Pye Corner Audio mix)
Girl Unit: Stuck
Tamburi Neri: Religion Rebel
Metronomy & Oscar Crash: Glide Trumpet (the Light)

the book of thirty years

A mix chronicling 30 years of musical obsessions, collecting the album I picked at the end of each year as my favorite for that year.

the Book of 30 Years

1998: Archers of Loaf, Slick Tricks and Bright Lights
2008: Zach Hill, Dark Arts
2000: The Fall, Sons of Temperance
1990: Fugazi, Reprovisional
2010: The Ex, Bicycle Illusion
1993: Edsel, Penaluna
2005: Jesu, Tired of Me˚
2014: United Waters, Out of Flight
2009: Cold Cave, Life Magazine
1996: DJ Shadow, the Number Song
1997: the Sea and Cake, the Argument
1991: Saint Etienne, Kiss and Make Up
2012: Matthew Dear, Temptation
1992: The Orb, Assassin˚˚
2001: Vladislav Delay, Anima
2003: David Sylvian with Fennesz, a Fire in the Forest
2013: Attenuated, Slackened Threads
2015: Ricardo Dias Gomes, Pèta-a-Ride
2002: Lambchop, Flick
2019: Mega Bog, Diary of a Rose
2017: Mary Halvorson Quartet, Chaskiel˚˚˚
2018: Eric Chenaux, Slowly Paradise
1999: Autechre, Dropp
2006: Nightmares on Wax, Damn
1995: Spiritualized, Lay Back in the Sun
2007: Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid, the Sun Never Sets
2011: Humcrush with Sidsel Endresen, Ha! 9
2004: Clouddead, Rifle Eyes
1994: Laika, If You Miss
2016: Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Rare Things Grow

˚ this technically came out in the last weeks of 2004, but I don’t remember being able to find it until well into ‘05. Either way it defined my year.

˚˚ this track was on the bonus cd originally sold with the UFOrb album.

˚˚˚ written by John Zorn and released as a part of his Masada book II, the Book of Angels series

2019 Recap

Here is my annual musical yearbook mix.

2019 Recap

Major Stars: Echo
Lower Slaughter: Some Things Take Work
Kim Gordon: Air B ‘n B
Kukangendai: Hi-Vision
Nate Wooley: With Condolences
The Telescopes: Don't Place Your Happiness in the Hands of Another
Bill Callahan: Ballad of the Hulk
Alexander Tucker: Precog
Paco Sala: Minories
Maayan Nidam: Acid Kiss*
Stepehn Mallinder: Satellite
rRoxymore: Hectadrums
Gonzo: Estorvo
Lambchop: The Lasting Last of You
United Waters: Arrowheads
Andy Stott: Promises
Tunes of Negation: Rückschlag
Rupert Clervaux: Make Nature Speak
Amirtha Kidambi / Elder Ones: Dance of the Subaltern
Fire! Orchestra: Weekends (the Soil is Calling)
Mega Bog: Truth in the Wild
Tomeka Reid Quartet: RN
You Tell Me: Springburn
Robert Forster: I’m Gonna Tell It
Sacred Paws: What’s So Wrong?

* the internet claims this album was officially released mid-December 2018, but I am fairly certain, at least where I live, it was not available until the new year (and have seen it on at least two other best-of-2019 lists).