In liu of an actual update…
Posted on July 31st, 2006
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 7:32 pm
A Crunk Beat I made for a couple other nerdcore rappers who will rapping about Poke Balls IIRC. Should be amusing.
Oh yeah, if you didn’t know, I’m back in Seattle, atleast until Anime Evolution. However, that won’t really stop me from being busy, but atleast I don’t have to be on my feet to review the 4 DVDs (more like 5) in my backlog, the three advance screenings I caught and the interview I have to transcribe. Oh, at the dating sim and related TV series I need to review as well. At least all of my awesome reporting at Comic Con resulted in my reports getting linked by Anime News Network, Anime on DVD, ICv2, some Japanese site I’ve never even heard of and probably more. I’m pretty darn happy about all that, even if SDCC was a bit of fiasco otherwise (I won’t go into details here.)
Oh yeah, I’m also putting together a website with Misu for a friend of mine in LA that if it works will be awesome, and if it doesn’t will still have atleast shown me how to use cart software, so I can set up a more professional interface to the business side of this website. Speaking of which, I have a CD I should send out to tomarrow.
Anyway, if you want to hear more about my LA/San Diego adventures, you’ll probably just have to talk to me. Any writing I do in the next month is probably going to be about DVDs, shows and movies coming to DVD, games or manga related to shows on DVD, interviews in relations to movies coming to DVD and contact info that I need to transcribe so that in the long term I get more DVDs to review, so it’ll be similar to last month, but a different side of the press thing.
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“Probably the coolest guy we met through the whole Expo” – chibi-tokyo.net
Posted on July 14th, 2006
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 3:11 pm
So, Slashdot finally talked about the RhymeTorrents compilation. I guess that’s +1 to my nerd HP or something like that. Hopefully, I’m one of the few that ended up in CmdrTaco’s ultimate playlist. On the opposite end of the exposure scale, I was interviewed by these cool dudes from chibi-tokyo.net for their podcast. If you just want to hear me, check in around the hour and 47 minute mark of their AX podcast. I guess they saved me for last. They put together a very good show though, and you should check out their other podcasts – they’re great.
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Z O M G Torrents.
Posted on June 7th, 2006
Filed under: Music News,Reviews — Karl Olson @ 10:02 am
Rhyme Torrents that is, as in the first disc of that compilation is now up online as a torrent. And it’s fairly awesome. It’s by no means perfect, but pretty much everyone raises their game when they aren’t in fact delivering for the first time, though the debut tracks on this CD are fantastic. Particular favorites are as follows:
Nursehella – Nursehellamentary – Absolutely off the hook. With lines like “I’m super evil dead / so won’t you hail to the queen,” combined with her ODB meets Mia delivery and Baddd Spellah’s intensionally raw but excellent production, and it’s got indie radio classic written all over it. It just explodes with personality, and it’s one heck of a track to step on the scene with.
Beefy – Tub of Tabasco – Easily the best rapper in all of Pasco. On a more serious note, he leveled up his game yet again, and the result is just awesome. Funny, energetic and generally great in a party rap way, though there is certainly plenty of wit in their as well.
Monzy – Kill Dash Nine – If you get the reference in the title, you’re already pretty darn nerdy, and after the smart alek 50 cent reference at the very opening of the song (“G STUDENT”,) from there it’s a non-stop barrage of computer references, all in the context of furthering the CS geeksta feud between Monzy and MC Plus+, and with lines like “You thought the seven-layer model /referred to a burrito,” I think there will continue to be “drama in the Ph.D.”
Lil Nix – Off the Markov – Speaking of Comp Sci feuds, Lil Nix swoops in and makes her own claim to be the best Comp Sci mc. The production is a bit plain, but her delightfully jazzy and ambient flow combined with lines like “Homeboy couldn’t program a TI-82,” and “I dream in assembly” result in pretty cool little track.
MC Frontalot vs. Baddd Spellah – Nerdcore Hip Hop 2006 – Absolutely sick. The word “crunk” even applies here – I’m almost expecting Lil Jon to pop out at any minute and be like “NEEEEEEERDCOOOOOOOOORE.” Baddd Spellah just recontextualizes the song excellently, and the additional elements recorded for this new mix are awesome (“In the dos double O six! Uhhh, that’s what year it is, currently.”)
Shael Riley feat Beefy – Miss Information – Filthy, smart alek and insane, but the flows are excellent and the misinformation on various nerdcore mcs is witty and sharp (their jab at me “What’s the problem my son? It seems that you met my friend Ultraklystron! He’s a werewolf, by gum / and he can’t stand Japanese Animation.” The production is pretty pretty solid too.
Oh yeah, my contribution and Rai’s track are the best. Totally 😉
/yes, I will be doing this for each disc as they are released.
//or not.
Comments (7)
Original Content.
Posted on June 1st, 2006
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 12:58 am
This is the beginning of revolution, maybe. 😉
At the very least, I’d like to make it an EP’s worth of content – 5-8 songs. If only because it gives me the excuse to do something other than wait for things to get to a point where releasing OpenSource Lyricist is viable/sensible. Besides, Rai’s fun to work with.
PS: The Nerdcore compilation is apparently looking like it’s going to be out 6/06/2006, so instead of seeing The Omen, check out all 4 discs that’ll be hitting for free on the internet that day. It’ll rock your socks with some 40+ artists IIRC.
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Open-Mic Canceled
Posted on May 30th, 2006
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 11:49 pm
But atleast I have my data in for the Wired thing and I have my tracks in for the compilation. Rai’s stuff is pretty much squared way too on those points too.
For those interested, the nerdcore article in Wired will be out in August IIRC. Yay!
Comments (1)
Now you can insult me on “the internets.”
Posted on May 25th, 2006
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 6:49 am
Or rather you can do it much easier now because I have my own forum courtesy of RhymeTorrents.com
Meanwhile, why am I up at 6:48am? Homework! Isn’t stats class just delicious?
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Open Mics are Gigs Too, right?
Posted on May 24th, 2006
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 11:19 pm
And certainly ones at Bellevue Community College are valid gigs, right? No? Really? Well, I signed up for their Open Mic show anyway, and it’s happening on the 30th of May from 11:30am-1:30pm. I’ll probably only get to do a couple songs (maybe more if not many other acts show,) and I’m sure that no matter what it’ll be insanely lame either way, but hey, if you want some delicious, otakutastic nerdcore in a vaguely live scenario, that’s the place to be. I encourage everyone who can turn out to turn out with the usual gear – pitchforks, flaming torches and 18th century colonial slander. 😉
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Progress And Regress Towards Success
Posted on May 18th, 2006
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 3:10 am
Boy, I’ve been music-centric lately! I’m sure this might be annoying to people who’d rather hear about other minutiae about from my day to day life, but I’m pretty sure “Statistical Analysis is Boring” would get to be pretty old very quick, so really I assure you, this is more interesting (ok, I’ll put in some “General” stuff in here too.) Anyway, Rai came over (rather, I picked her up at her place on the way to me dropping some old stuff of my little bro’s at Value Village where Rai picked up a couple pair of inline-skates for cosplay, and we picked up my little bro from school after that, and oh yeah, at Value Village I received a call from my friend Ben in Korea about AX stuff — there you go, some general boring blog stuff) to work on the first what will hopefully eventually maybe be an EP or an album’s worth of collaboration, and we got a lot of work done, and really, it’s wonderful stuff so far. In fact, she’s probably a more natural vocalist than myself in someways, or atleast I get that vibe listening to some of my work after listening to the preliminary stuff she’s layed down.
Which brings me to a side point, which is I think I may radically overhaul parts of OpenSource Lyricist. It’ll be slow going because I’m not necessarily a natural vocalist, but I really want it to sound good. Especially since there are collaborations pending for this CD (Tycho almost definitely, Rai probably, Nurse Hella maybe,) I really need to hold my own as much as I can. However, it’s only certain parts that need it, so it’s not like I need to retake everything, just certain glaring omissions in my performances. So, there is title of this post explain: there is progress in my nerdcore work towards success, but sometimes I need to edit undo. Yay non-linear editing.
Anyway, while Rai and I managed to get quite a bit of work done on the song (only need to record one more verse, which might, maybe be recorded by the nerdcore documentary crew,) it was insanely hot and humid in my bedroom/studio because of the record temperatures and because the only way to get a clean enough recording was to shut the window, turn off the ceiling and shut the door, keeping in the heat of two people, one desktop and one laptop – not the most comfortable situation, but yet it was still a lot of fun. The heat left me pretty out of it at points, but really I think it was one of the most rewarding musical experiences I’ve had in a while – maybe even since my live gig. I never thought I’d really be into collaboration to this degree, but some how it’s just satisfying. I can’t wait to do more work like this, and in general I think I want to try to work like this more. When the energy is right, it’s fantastic.
So, after about 6-7 hours of recording work, we had dinner (thanks mom and thanks McDonalds – hmm Salad and Powerade,) and then I took Rai home (with detours to Bellevue Square Mall, the park across from that mall for some inline-skate action and Jamba Juice.) Alas, more general noise. This post delivers. 😉
Comments (2)
Delicious 320kbps mp3s!
Posted on May 12th, 2006
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 1:39 am
These will be on the nerdcore compilation, but here they are here in advance for those too impatient:
five to nine
so long kids (alt version)
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J-Nerdcore? In my production cue? It’s more likely than you think.
Posted on May 12th, 2006
Filed under: Music News — Karl Olson @ 12:07 am
This week has been weird. I mean, I kicked it off with a geek party at a friend’s abode (read: fansubs, youtube and video games,) then I get an email mentioning how a Nerdcore compilation I’m going to be on is going to be featured in Wired and on Slashdot (and oh by the way, legardary rapper Kool Keith under his moniker Dr. Octogon will be on this compilation, so this is no small fry stuff) and to cap that all off, I’m now producing my friend Rai’s first Nerdcore effort, which would be cool enough except that her lyrics are mostly in Japanese with splashes of English, or in otherwords, J-Nerdcore. That’s probably a first in someways, and in general I can’t wait to work on it. Also, I just recieved another e-mail about a Nerdcore update news show that’ll be on YouTube. I guess the Nerdcore is rising up and getting elevated as Frontalot might say.
Oh and not only did 3 people buy CDs from me this week, I ran into one of the people later, and she liked it so much she insisted on giving me 10 more bucks. Talk about shocked – someone thought my music was worth CD-store MSRP. Anyway, that 10 bucks probably promptly be put into my “promotional budget,” I.E.: who do think would be more likely to review a Nerdcore CD that’s just sent to them out of the blue – the Seattle Weekly or the Stranger?