This Christmas is quite memorable. The one-eyed cat (not pictured above)Lisa and I sort of adopted, died in the afternoon on Christmas eve. Judging from the black mark left on his side, we think he was hit by a car. It’s weird, just a couple hours earlier he sat in our porch looking cute as can be. As we were about to leave for Lisa’s dad’s out in the country, a neighbour knocked on our door and pointed at the street in front of our house. One-Eye, lay there lifeless, frozen to the pavement. We took him to the country and had a small burial ceremony. So long sweetie cat, I’ll miss you.

A couple days before however, I bought myself a Christmas present. It’s not working 100 per cent but it’s still awesome! Holy muther eff, this program is wikkid. It’ll keep me at the decks for hours…it already has.

Lisa gave me the greatest present ever too: NEW HEADPHONES!

DJ Paparazzi – Yummy Knockout [Cirez D vs. Gwen Stefani].mp3
Acid Girls – Bump, Pump & Spank to Switch on Just.mp3
Headland – Dogging Sisters [BLAMMA! BLAMMA! MIX].mp3
Freeform Five – No More Conversations [Nightmoves Remix].mp3
Nelly Furtado – Maneater [Crookers Remix].mp3
DJ Tameil – Robot Club Rock.mp3
The Prodigy – Out of Space [Audio Bullys Remix].mp3
Tiga – 3 Weeks [Booka Shade Vocal Mix].mp3

If you’re in Winnipeg and feel like drinking your face off, or dancing your soles out, or having a good time, check out The Countdown 2007.

[p.s. I'm playing for a bit in the indie room, so come dance!]

BAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
I can’t take it anymore. Well actually I have to. I applied for a dream job last week and was interviewed for the position yesterday. The interview must have went reasonably well because we chatted for an hour. I find out tomorrow if I’ll be an employee of the CBC.

[Iris and Cate, if you're reading this, please call me with good news because the stupid things I said were a direct result of stress. I'm awesome. I swear.]

It’s weird though. Ask anyone who knows me reasonably well and they’ll tell you I have no problems sleeping. Given the right situation I’ll sleep while standing. Normally, and much to the dismay of who I crawl into bed withI’m asleep within minutes of lying down. Last night it took me nearly two hours to enter the nether region of subconsciousness. I woke promptly at 6:29 too, before Lisa’s alarm, only to lay there re-analyzing my responses during the interview yesterday.

As a throwback to the program that started my love affair with the CBC, here’s an all Stereolab post in memory of Brave New Waves.

Stereolab – In Spiral Carpets.mp3
Stereolab – Ping Pong.mp3
Stereolab – Wow And Flutter (Remix).mp3
Stereolab – Heavy Denim.mp3
Stereolab – Orgiastic.mp3
Stereolab – (the groop played) Space Age Bachelor Pad Music (mellow).mp3
Stereolab – The Groop played Chord X.mp3
Stereolab – We’re Not Adult Oriented.mp3
Stereolab – Tone Burst.mp3
Stereolab – Analogue Rock.mp3

Hey, here’s an early mix of a tune I’m working on:

manalogue – untitled3.mp3
(right-click, save as)

This is just the beginning of the track too. For some reason, when I uploaded the file, it was truncated, I didn’t realize until today. My main criticism is that the tune needs a shit-tonne of e.q.-ing to give it more dynamic. Some layering/sequence work is needed too, also so add more substance. Oh, and the drum tracks are boring, definitely need to spice that up.

So…let me know what you think. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. If you get time, please tell me what sux or what you thought was good.

Thanks.
Jack

Written in the early hours before a meeting with my IPP advisor.

In about 24 hours I’m supposed to show my (v)IPP ( very) Important Person Project, or as we say in school, Independent Professional Project, to my advisor. For those reading not familiar with the Creative Communications program at Red River College, its decent but could use some improvement in a few areas. To graduate we have to pass a number of mandatory courses including the IPP. We can do nearly anything for the course, like write a book, shoot and edit a short film, training video, documentary or , hold an event, fund raise, and so on. My proposal was to make a single and press it to a 12″ – it was approved in April.

I have the basis for three tracks, but they’re not anywhere near to what I’d like them to sound like. Hopefully I’ll get on a bit of a roll tonight and produce something a bit more solid tomorrow. Yeesh.

As part of the promotion and marketing behind my project I have to make a video too. For the longest time I was obsessed over the buses in the city. Lisa and I live half a block away from the giant, virtually windowless, concrete bus hanger-parkade thing. I wanted to shoot my entire video about it because it to me, the building represents retro-futuristic Utopian minimalism like Brasilia was supposed to . I realized that this would be so dull to watch and have been scouring for another idea. I’ve had a few more ideas that were even more lame.