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October 27, 2004

MP3 Violator

I've been meaning to write about those albums you see to the right -->

It's an especially exciting time for my iPod, between the perfectly executed Grandaddy mix and the expanded Crooked Rain reissue (a must for any Pavement fan). But those reviews have to wait until later because it's time for Depeche Mode.

I'm only a casual fan of The DM. When I think about Depeche Mode, I'm reminded of some girl in my high school who chose as her yearbook quote, "DEPECHE MODE DEPECHE MODE DEPECHE MODE." My friends and I thought that was hilarious, especially because it was many years after the band could possibly be considered cool or relevant.

There's a massive new collection Remixes 81-04 that's worth checking out despite the fact that Depeche Mode remixes are a dizzime a dizzozen. You can sample all the mixes and download wallpaper and whatnot at remixes8104.depechemode.com. The following remix is not my favorite, but it was done by Air, and I'll listen to anything they do. It wouldn't sound out of place on Moon Safari.

Depeche Mode - "Home (Air Remix)"

Fred from Best Week Ever sent me a great Depeche Mode/Romantics mash-up. It was done by Daniel Barassi from BRAT Productions, who apparently works for the band. He writes...

I usually shy away from using any Depeche Mode elements in my mashups, simply because - well - I work for the band. I even did an official, released remix of "Dream On" (the other song in this mashup), so I would definitely (normally) shy away from using "Dream On" in a mashup. I figured there would be a conflict of interest. But - there was a workaround for this. "Dream On" was used in a remix contest on AcidPlanet. There are hundreds of fan mixes of this song floating around the net, and some sites are even illegally hosting all the remix elements (AcidPlanet took the parts off of their web site years ago). So, all I did was download the AcidPlanet acapella loops, and use those (instead of the proper parts the label supplied me when I did the remix). There ya go. Dilemma solved!
He requests that we not deeplink to his site, so if you wanna hear The Romantics vs Depeche Mode - "Dreaming In Your Sleep" (BRAT Mix), then go here to download the MP3. (Also download his The Beatles vs Paul McCartney "Say Lady Say" bootleg).

I'll probably be DJing one of the Depeche remixes at this:

iParty w/ DJ AndrewAndrew Presents Fluxblog vs. Stereogum
The MP3 Blogger Battle
Tuesday, Nov. 23rd 10pm
NO COVER
APT 419 West 13th (9th/Washington) NYC
I'll have more info on that in the coming weeks. Of course Matthew will kick my ass, but maybe I'll learn some DJ tips from him. Which reminds me, I never wrote about that CMJ panel about MP3 bloggers. Now is as good a time as any...

Press Play: Rediscovering Music Journalism Online
Is Pitchfork the Rolling Stone of its generation? How did the small community of music blogs suddenly emerge as the hot place to discover new sounds? Has the print media dropped the ball, and if so, is music journalism's future to be found online?
Moderator: Will Hermes (Spin, Tracks)
Panelists: Scott Plagenhoef (Pitchforkmedia), Matthew Perpetua: (Fluxblog), Mark Willett (Music For Robots), Steve Manning (Publicity Director, Sub Pop), Felice Ecker (Founder, Girlie Action)

I arrived late because I went to the wrong building first. Here's what I remember:

  • Will Hermes seems really cool. He was funny, and a good moderator. He's a frequent visitor of Fluxblog.
  • Matthew and Mark did a great job. They said exactly what I would've said about MP3 blogs. We all seem to follow the same tacit rules about MP3 blogging. Matt and Mark also did most of the talking.
  • Everyone agreed on the awesomeness that is Anniemal.
  • The kids in the audience wanted to know how to get traffic to their MP3 blogs. Some girl even stood up and bitched about Ultragrrrl and the Killers ... even though Sarah wasn't even there! I called her after to see if her ears were burning.
  • Apparently Travis Morrison's review was controversial. For the record, Scott was against giving it a 0.0.
  • Sub Pop is MP3blog-friendly and is revving up its New Media Department.

    It was fun to be in a room full of people who listen to Dungen. I conclude MP3 blogs have not jumped the shark quite yet. Start yours now. I'll totally link to it if it doesn't suck.

    Posted at 8:18 AM




    14 Comments

    Geez, Daniel "The Brat" Barassi...blast from the past for this DM fan. I remember that name from internet stuff pre-WWW, when people routinely subscribed to mailing lists about bands and such.

    You should play the Beatmasters' remix of "Route 66", that's fun.

    Posted by: Justin at 10/27/04 12:50 PM | Reply
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    not only did the kids want to direct traffic to their blogs, but even NPR wanted to know how. I thought that was silly. National Public Radio asking us for advice.

    Posted by: robot mark at 10/27/04 1:42 PM | Reply
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    i went to see autolux at the fader rec room for the cmj festival, and after a few friends of mine and i were discussing pitchfork and them giving morrison's CD a 0.0. i was a little drunk off the free beer and, to be an asshole, started spouting off on how much i hated pitchfork for that and how they were just a bunch of chicago people that wished they were living in williamsburg or something. of course, one of the pitchfork writers happened be friends and were listening in. point of the matter: i am a drunken asshole most of the time. and no, travis morrison did not deserve a 0.0.

    Posted by: holmes at 10/27/04 1:42 PM | Reply
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    as a girl who graduated from h.s. in 1993 (this would probably render me into the "old fart" category), depeche mode was always painfully relevant to my adolescent angst. well, at least in 1990 when they had the violator tour. by the time 1993 rolled around and the "songs of faith and devotion" album dropped, i was far too into bad hardcore/punk to be bothered with those eyeliner-sporting, leather-chap wearing prissies.

    yeah right!

    i will always love DM. it's the law for us asians.

    Posted by: selena at 10/27/04 1:50 PM | Reply
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    > i will always love DM. it's the law for us
    > asians.

    Weird?! The DM-quoting yearbook girl was Asian too. What's the connection Selena?

    Posted by: stereogum at 10/27/04 2:02 PM | Reply
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    I'm not Asian, but I know from a lot of Asian friends who grew up in SoCal that liking British 80s alternative bands -- in particular DM and New Order -- was a way of life. I'm sure KROQ in its former incarnation had something to do with that.

    Posted by: Justin at 10/27/04 2:27 PM | Reply
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    scott, i think it's just genetic or something for all asians to appreciate the musical stylings of such notable new wave bands as depeche mode, erasure, new order, the pet shop boys, and most odiously, anything box (a painful amalgam of all the preceeding bands). okay, i own an AB cassette but i was also 13 at the time. get off my back!

    Posted by: selena at 10/27/04 2:57 PM | Reply
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    Just to clarify, that girl was an NPR intern who is working on All Songs Considered. She interviewed me after the panel. She was mostly frustrated in making younger people aware of their programming, Open Mic in particular.

    Posted by: Matthew at 10/27/04 4:23 PM | Reply
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    While Selena claims she is more Jew than I most of the time, it seems I might be more Asian than she because of my musical tastes. Remember Arty & Artie calling the mass of asians "Gothic Gooks"?

    Posted by: Jennifer at 10/27/04 5:34 PM | Reply
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    Sorry to sound cheesy but someone finally got it right. When are music mags such as Rolling Stone and Spin (anyone catch the new issue with Green Day on the cover, with article on Devendra and friends? Really bad report no mention of Vertiver or Golden Apples of the Sun, Devendra's Comp.) I feel like kids in the midwest are reading this crap believe it as what's really cool. Plus does RS really need to do an interview with Bruce Springstien every couple of months? I know the man is ledgend but do we really need to know every time he farts? Cheers to the online blog community for actually getting it right or close to it. Print is dead, but if you are reading this then you already know that.

    Posted by: glob at 10/27/04 8:17 PM | Reply
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    Hey, print hasn't died yet! For some many reasons that I'm too lazy to state right now.

    Posted by: AlexisT at 10/27/04 9:30 PM | Reply
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    Damn, my Mp3 blog totally sucks!

    Posted by: Jim H at 10/27/04 10:37 PM | Reply
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    I was at that conference too. It was deadly dull. The guy from Fluxblog did all the talking. The pitchfork guy spoke more at the other conference. I met the guy from Fluxblof again on Halloween. He gave me a free ticket to Fiery Furnaces.

    Posted by: Alexander Laurence at 11/18/04 2:08 AM | Reply
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    I was wondering where the extra bandwidth charge was coming for.

    Thanks for the traffic. :)

    BRAT

    Posted by: Daniel Barassi at 12/13/04 5:27 PM | Reply
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