Michael Mayer, owner of Kompakt records, will be spinning in Toronto Sunday night at Mod Club. If you want a tech-house bonanza weekend, you could also go to Montreal to hear Herbert on Friday night and Ricardo Villalobos on Saturday.  ¶ 3:37 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  The flash-based Baby Name Wizard is very cool. It explains graphically why when I went to Queen's all the boys were named Dave, Rob and Chris, and the girls were Jennifer, Michelle and Heather. Thanks to Preposterous Universe for the link.  ¶ 11:49 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Swoon was not aired this week. CFBU was taking part in the homelessness marathon broadcast hosted by ckut.  ¶ 8:11 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

 
I saw a lot of these signs when I was visiting my cottage yesterday. They are protesting Wainfleet's idea to run water and sewer pipes all the way from Port Colborne. It's a tremendously expensive proposition that many people are against.    ¶ 4:44 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  I don't really care about the Grammys. Any show that features exhumed corpses singing "Sweet Home Alabama" can go to hell. Still, they do have some dance music awards. Here are the winners:

Best Electronic/Dance Album: Basement Jaxx: Kish Kash

Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: It's My Life (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Mix), Jacques Lu Cont, remixer (No Doubt)

Also, it was interesting to note the Grammys' competition. Usually, the other networks lie down and play dead for the night of major awards shows, not this year: there were new episodes of Desperate Housewives, the Simpsons, Arrested Development, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, featuring guest star Chris Noth, of the original Law & Order and Sex and the City.  ¶ 9:25 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  This girl has really done Brock University proud. So NSFW.  ¶ 1:53 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Swoon 082 - February 7, 2005

LCD Soundsystem - Beat Connection (DFA)
Medicine8 - Oxygen Seeds (Regal)
Royskopp - Remind Me (Ernest St. Laurent mix) (Astralwerks)
BJ Cole - Beautiful (Cooking Vinyl)
Amon Tobin - Yasawas (Ninja Tune)
Aphex Twin - Windowlicker (Warp)
Mylo - In Your Arms (King Unique edit) (Breastfed)
Desyn Masiello - Ghosttrack (It Rocks)
NAW - Penny Fishing North of Bay (Noise Factory)
Rechenzentrum - Absent Minded (Kitty Yo)
Slam - This World (Wighnomy Bros. mix) (Soma)
Repeat - G-thing (A13)
The MFA - The Difference It Makes (Superpitcher mix) (Kompakt)
Orbital - Halcyon+on+on (Internal)
Markus Guentner - Chrom (Kompakt)
Bola - Sirasancerre (Skam)
Ulrich Schnauss - Monday - Paracetamol (City Centre Offices)
  ¶ 9:29 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  From a Gmail ad in my inbox:

NameA Star -YourStar.com
Name A Star for a loved one and get Free Shipping in the
USA.

If they can deliver a star to me, that's truly amazing, and I would pay to see that.
  ¶ 4:19 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Not much I can add, he's said it all: From LaurentGarnier.com:

I am very sorry to have to cancel my forthcoming tour in the United States.
I have decided to cancel further to what I consider to be completely
unreasonable demands from the US Embassy in France in order to renew my working visa.

In order to obtain this new visa, the rules have once again changed
since November 2004 and I would now have to not only fill in an exceedingly probing application form, but also be interviewed by a member of the Embassy staff, and provide proof of ownership of my house, details of my bank account, my mobile phone records, personal information on all my family members and more.

I consider these demands to be a complete violation of my privacy and my civil liberties and I refuse to comply.

I am horrified by these new regulations and feel really sad that this
is what some call freedom and democracy.

It has now become almost impossible for an artist to come and perform in the United States. And until this new legislation changes I will unfortunately refuse to comply with this nonsense.

Thank you for your understanding.

Laurent Garnier

  ¶ 10:21 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Swoon 081 - January 31, 2005 - Return to the Dancefloor

The Juan Maclean - I Robot (DFA)
Esoterik - Pursuit (Rephlex)
NAW - Campfire Cricket Melodies (Noise Factory)
AFX - Stepping Filter 101 (Rephlex)
Plump DJs - The Funk Hits the Fan (Finger Lickin')
Anthony Rother - Red Light District (BLIM remix) (psi49net)
Lady B - Swany (Vitalic remix)
Pixeltan - Get Up/Say What (DFA)
Faithless - Mass Destruction (Paul Jackson's Big Weapon mix) (Cheeky)
OCB - Synchronicity (Spincycle mix)
Eddie Richards - Medown
Peace Division - Beatz in Piecez (Low Pressings)
Randall Jones - Cultural Assertion
Cassius - The Sound of Violence (Narcotic Thrust mix)
Plaid - Coat (Warp)
Manual & Syntaks - Sal Paradise (Darla)
BJ Cole - Are You Ready For Some Country (Cooking Vinyl)
Akumu - Quietly Disruptive (Spider)
Tim Hecker - Counter Attack (Alien8)
Junior Boys - Three Words (Domino)
Depeche Mode - Halo (Goldfrapp mix) (Mute)
  ¶ 9:25 AM 0 Comments Links to this post