When it comes to fame, I feel like I’m a stranger
Posted on April 23rd, 2011
Filed under: General,Music News,Videos — Karl Olson @ 3:00 am
…But at last AkiCon, I chilled with Power Rangers*:
Aki Con 2010 artist panel part 1
Aki Con 2010 artist panel part 2
Aki Con 2010 artist panel part 3
Still doesn’t make up for how awkward that weekend was otherwise (con organization is a oxymoron sometimes, and opportunities usually arise at inopportune times.) However, it wasn’t absolutely without fun, and hopefully, the videos generated have something of interest to my dozen fans. 😉
*=only one Power Ranger, but he’s also Vash the Stampede.
In more recent news, I saw Donald Glover live last night. It was fantastic, and a reminder that since I have some spare time, I should get on remixing some more of his acapellas. In general, I think a little “Ultraklystron remixTAPE” might be due during my semester break. If any of you have any suggestion of artists with acapellas I should ruin, comment, tweet, email or whatever. Hit me on Diaspora if you’re on the cutting edge like that.
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Over a decade/Upcoming events
Posted on January 31st, 2011
Filed under: General,Music News — Karl Olson @ 8:00 pm
First, I have to take a moment and be somewhat stunned. In nosing through the music on my portable hard drive, I stumbled across the FLCL and Earth Maiden Arjuna soundtracks. Those shows were key in keeping me into anime in my relative youth, especially Arjuna as it was one of the series that got me into fansubs, and that method of anime acquisition introduced me to whole genres I wouldn’t have dared try left to my own devices. This then precipitates into anime becoming critical to my musical development (both in terms of melodic composition influence and subject matter for lyrics,) and of course it eventually gets me in as a reporter/critic and later a moderator at ToonZone.net. Still, while I can remember watching Arjuna via the old DivX player software like it was yesterday, that’s now over ten years ago. My how the world has changed in those years.
Anyways, I need all my fan(s) to be aware that I have an upcoming song for the first ever Nerdcore Now compilation. If that’s not incentive enough, Beefy, Death*Star and Supercommuter will also be representing with many other good (read: there is quality control on this compilation) artists. It’s a pretty good track, and it’s indicative of what will be on the next Ultraklystron album/mixtape/8-track, whenever that happens. Oddly enough, I don’t think I make even one anime reference during the whole track.
Like I said, change.
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No Thanks For My Support
Posted on December 28th, 2010
Filed under: General — Karl Olson @ 4:00 am
Propellerheads just got their last purchase out of me unless they switch their copy-protection scheme.
I hate dongles, and yet Record 1.5 requires one or you’re stuck with internet verification (a problem if you’re mobile.) Had this been made more explicit when purchasing the software, I probably would have forgone buying it whatsoever. Anyways, I now have a liability stick I have to keep track of lest I have to be tethered to an internet connection to run software I own, legally, which they have the registration and purchase record of anyway. I truly and completely dislike it when the legit user who is trying to support the developer is the one treated like a criminal, while a cracked/hacked copy would give me normal, simple, non-babysat functionality. The software better be excellent, or I’m definitely switching to Reaper the second the copy-protection scheme of Record gets in the way of the process.
Seriously, they had a nice registration system for Reason (which they’ve kept for Reason 5,) so it’s beyond me why they’d get on the universally hated dongle system. Oh, they can call it an ignition key or whatever nonsense name they want, but at the end of the day, if I’d just stolen their software, I wouldn’t have a dongle to keep tabs on. Also, I wouldn’t have had to wait for said dongle to arrive in the mail to install the software. Bad enough to have the keys, and the hassle of registering once, but this? Like I said, I’m no longer a customer. Only thing a USB key should be used for in regards to retailing software is holding your software installs.
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year one: complete
Posted on December 16th, 2010
Filed under: General,Music News — Karl Olson @ 8:06 pm
My first year of university is over. It’s been hard (really shouldn’t have let it slide so long after community college,) but pretty interesting too (don’t think I’d have gotten the mobile development opportunities back in 2006 or 2007.) That said, I look forward to 2011 as the classes are only gonna get more interesting.
Similarly, while I very much doubt I’ll get an Ultraklystron-only album done anytime soon, helping Nursehella drop her debut and Rai Kamishiro on her sophomore album may only be the tip of the iceburg for recording-assistance/co-produced/production projects in 2011 as those should both ship in the first third of the year. If I’ve learned one thing from the past year, while I may not have the time to set aside for doing my own vocal work, I can still be decently productive with production and composition (it’s a great break between subjects.) I intend to ride that I think.
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Woah time flies.
Posted on October 13th, 2010
Filed under: General,Music News — Karl Olson @ 2:16 pm
So, this time last year was the big push to finally wrap up Rai’s debut album in time for AkiCon. My mind is literally blown that said album has almost been out for a year. More stunningly still, this means I’m closing in on a year of school in Canada as well. Somehow, I’m already almost halfway through my 3rd semester up here. Where does the time go?
That said, once Nursehella’s voice recovers from the ATR show we saw, it’s down to brass tacks on her record. Granted, I’m just playing studio engineer and maybe doing some remixes (because everything needs a dubstep and/or drum n’ bass version by yours truly,) but I’m absolutely ecstatic to be helping her out with this. I think it’s going to be a really impressive release (though I am very, very, very biased.) 2011 or bust!
Also, I had some friends up here this weekend, and I have to say, for all the complaining I did early on about Vancouver, I do enjoy all the fun stuff I can do up here. When I finally wrap school a year or so from now, I’m going to really miss all the neat restaurants and stores and malls that are up here.
I just won’t miss the traffic and the freeway system.
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House of AGP Cards / School Gets Interesting
Posted on September 13th, 2010
Filed under: General — Karl Olson @ 4:32 pm
I think the past week has just been one long reminder of how fragile my digital life is, especially while I’m abroad. One little thing goes wrong, and I may be without the ability to take notes, access my music masters, record music, access the data on my desktop, or even use the internet. Given that I don’t even have all my regular back up options with me, let alone my support network of friends, I’m left with the choice of going without, or being extorted for the cost of an emergency replacement.
I think I’ll feel better about this once I grab my spare netbook from home, and probably a few other odds and ends as well, but that doesn’t cover me 100 percent, and the fact is, I will never be as secure be up here as I am in Seattle. Sure, I can ultimately buy my way out of any problems, but the increased extent to which that is a necessity while I’m in Canada (rather one of many options) is something different for me, and something a little extra caustic when already having to pay for tuition and books. It all makes me feel a bit anxious, and that anxiety is probably the result of growing up in Microsoft’s backyard: I have been absolutely saturated with the expectation of having abundant, cheap technology, with plenty of friends with the same goods spare when ever a problem arises. Conversely, being without that safety net is surprisingly worrisome. If something breaks, I’m in it for 100 bucks, when even back home it’d only be only be 65, if not nothing. I mean, I wouldn’t even have a functional desktop right now if not for the pure luck of winning that PSU at PAX (and the hubris of bringing it up with me to Vancouver to sell on craigslist,) and so I’d either be over paying, or waiting to head down to Seattle while stumbling along on my netbook, which itself is prone to failure (already replaced it’s power adapter, and while the old one has been patched up, it’s nothing to rely on.)
I’m not really that stressed about it, but it’s a bit eye-opening. I’m not abusive of my gear, but it’s gotta be completely pampered now.
In other news, I’m really enjoying the coursework so far this semester. I’m finally into upper level stuff, and it brightens my spirits to be past a lot of the lower level filter stuff. I feel like I’m learning stuff I’ll use on a daily basis in the future.
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Nerdcore For Life: (Hopefully) Final Redux
Posted on September 7th, 2010
Filed under: General,Music News,Reviews — Karl Olson @ 11:08 pm
So, my belated trip to Seattle yielded many things (including a very expensive power supply I’d like to get off my hands as I have no use for it,) but perhaps most interestingly it yielded the final DVD version of Nerdcore For Life, the documentary I was in many years ago. Now, I’d seen the film before both at STIFF2008 and PAX2008, but this was my first time seeing the final version, and I have to say, it’s a lot snappier. It’s more of a genre primer and capsule of the scene rather than capsules of the various artists, and result seems much more brisk and lively, or at least it feels that way in the first few minutes.
Alas, I still get to be the first artist to drag the film to a halt with my artist spotlight section, where I look fatter, nerdier and younger than I do now. As always, I don’t belong on TV, though really, either the documentary got a lot of spit and polish on it, or I forgot a lot of little bits that even made my section of the film somewhat faster feeling (this is a very good thing.) The other artists sections also feel a lot faster paced as well. I think some of that is that there is footage shot even after the docs originally did the festival circuit now in the film, allowing for some faster cuts and more visual info to complement the narrative. The narrative also feels, well more complete. It feels like there is a lot more performance footage in it, especially for MC Frontalot, and even without an explicit interview of him in the film, it feels like he is, as is proper, fully depicted as the godfather of the genre now. Maybe the chance to go back and tweak the film after letting that era of nerdcore fall into the background was a good thing. Oddly enough, just as all of us in the film have honed our skills and flows, some how the film has become more sharp yet smooth as well. It’s a much, much better film than what was screened at STIFF and PAX, and I also have to say, I can’t help but smile whenever I see Nursehella and I on the screen at the same time in the documentary. I will show this film to our future children.
Still, watching this film for what I would like to be the last time for a very long while, I can’t help but feel as though I’m looking back on a past life. There was this bizarre time when I was a young otaku rapper/producer, and I had suddenly had many friends and acquaintances who were on a similar track. My recent trip to this year’s PAX reminded me that I clearly still have all those friends (well, at the very least, they don’t mind humoring me,) but yet, the era where I was really on the same path as them might as well be as distant as elementary school. while I’m sure the life I’m leading now (computer science student) will ultimately feel similarly distant to me once I graduate and work for a few years, Nerdcore For Life (and to a lesser extent Nerdcore Rising,) are the only external documentation of my life, and it only feels weirder to look back on the farther away I get from it. Don’t get me wrong, NC4L is a great documentary, and you should atleast NetFlix if you’re the kind of person who reads my blog and you’ve not seen it already. For everyone who still does it and love it, you should watch it and remember your roots. For everyone who wants to do it, you should watch it and know who built the bridge you now stand upon.
For people like me, who can’t even sell an mp3 when it’s half off, well, your time is better spent studying probably. Or producing for other people. I try to do both. Except for rewatching the right bits. 😉
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Hurry Up and Wait
Posted on August 25th, 2010
Filed under: General,Music News — Karl Olson @ 1:35 am
Bad news: Stuck in Vancouver thanks to school. I must make sure the grades are good enough to let me get to take the courses I’m registered for. I need to harass the profs if not as it’s actually their problem for the most part (or their TAs.) Apologies to friends who expected me down sooner; smoke me a kipper, I’ll be back for breakfast.
Good news: Have a rough (probably finished really) rap over a Childish Gambino track from me. Lyrics after the break.
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Welcome to the NHK.
Posted on July 20th, 2010
Filed under: General — Karl Olson @ 1:56 am
For everyone who wanted me to have a forum.
Well, you have one. You don’t even need to register.
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podcasts, performances and other stuff
Posted on June 8th, 2010
Filed under: General,Music News — Karl Olson @ 2:56 am
So, like a manufacture with an early model android phone, I’ve been bad about updating in a timely fashion. Recently, I opened for Death Star at their CD release party at the Blue Moon Tavern. I had a fun time, Death Star put on a great show, and the Seattle Geekly noted that I “effortlessly kicked out a set that I imagine most performers would happily trade a major internal organ to be able to pull off.”
Speaking of the Geekly, they also did a podcast featuring an interview with myself amongst other awesome nerd musicians.
As to the other stuff? Well, I’m taking summer courses, so I’m staying quite busy. The secondary agenda to school will be helping Nursehella do vocals for her debut record. Considering how quickly Rai’s record went once it had a similar foreground priority, I think it’s gonna go well, and go fast.