60bpm :: Newsletter

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

60bpm :: Kaleidoscope Project
Volume 4: Infinity Release Party!

After a marathon weekend, production for Volume 4: Infinity of the Kaleidoscope Project is finished and copies have been placed in the mail. I'll be spending the next week taking care of freelance and update requests that I haven't been able to get around to because of the deadline. I don't usually complain about vacation, but that Memorial Day holiday threw me off my schedule. Watching the Cavaliers games distracted me a little, too. I won't have that distraction anymore! I'm not making any promises on when the next one will come-out. Every time I do that something wierd happens.

DaydreamTV -- 1 Year Anniversary!

This past weekend was the 1 year anniversary of the release of DaydreamTV. This site was originally planned to be a joint production with my friend, Mika Johnson, but it didn't turn-out that way. (See what he's up to at Arcanum Productions.) Regardless, it's been one of the strongest sites I've ever had.

I'm bringing-up this anniversary because I'm considering putting together a DVD that would cover the past year, and making it an annual project. Yeah, I know DaydreamTV is online and the content has already been released, but video suffers in it's delivery via the web... and I like coming-up with new packaging ideas. More on this later. In the meantime, take a look at the pieces I put together last month.

An Evil Train
May 19, 2009

I went to see Thomas the Tank Engine with my nephews and the rest of the family. When he went by, I got seriously creeped-out because his eyes were moving back and forth. I commented on this to Amy, my newphews' mother, and she said something about "the cult of Thomas"... which inspired me. Watch It

Soul Train
May 16, 2009

My brother asked if I could loop this footage of a train that he captured using his cell phone. It sounded like a challenge, so I accepted. The original intent of the project (a web-based prank) wasn't fulfilled, but I still wanted to make use of the footage, so I added a John Carpenter-esque soundtrack. Watch It

60bpm :: Music - Recent Additions

Music production has been at a high level all month. Unfortunately, most of the music I create is for other projects and I'm reluctant to share it before the main project is released, so the site appears neglected. Finally, I'll be able to some of the soundtracks from Volume 4: Infinity over the next week or so.

Infinity Mirror (May 31, 2009) – Here's the uncut, extended soundtrack for the final composition of Volume 4: Infinity. It's one of my favorite new pieces of music I've created.

Copper Mine (May 30, 2009) – Channeling my inner-Wendy-Carlos, here's a Garageband-based interpretation of the opening to Richard Wagner's "Das Rheingold".

Going Downtown (May 23, 2009) – Scat talking improv jam with percussion for fun.

Silvertone (May 21, 2009) – Originally included in my 2005 collection entitled ++2004++, I'm posting this because the song was going through my head on the morning of the 21st.

Infinity Scape Story A (May 10, 2009) – An experimental, soundscape that was supposed to tell a story. The words didn't come through so well, though.

What About 60bpm :: Gallery?

You may or may not know that I also have an art portal at 60bpm :: Gallery. It wasn't mentioned last time because I hadn't updated it (not seriously, anyway) in a long, long time.

I've begun work on a new collection, though. The concept is the traditional stairwell gallery of the family. Everyone has seen one of these. Instead of simply hanging pictures of family members on the wall of the stairwell leading upstairs, I'm going to create my own interpretations, primarily utilizing the Lightbox Technique. The results should be interesting, being that the subjects are my family members. This project will also add some much needed decoration to my house and put to use my large collection of random picture frames, which has been collecting dust since I moved into my house 2 1/2 years ago.