Rusko ft. Amber Coffman - "Hold On"

Maybe it’s just me, but Rusko seems like kind of an asshole. Actually, it’s definitely just me since Rusko is a musician who I have never met before and I shouldn’t be casting disparagements upon his character. Or, it’s because he makes not-very-serious music within the context of a genre (dubstep) that, as a general rule, takes itself VERY seriously. Or or, maybe it’s because he executive produced that God-awful M.I.A. album that is basically an insult to complex thought that I kind of feel obligated to defend, if only because Pitchfork hated it (I have very complex feelings!).

I guess my point is that despite all that (and the despite the fact that “It Takes A Muscle” is actually really, really good), I can’t stop listening to Rusko’s song “Hold On.” The song is almost a subversion of dubstep, employing the wonky sub-bass that typifies the genre and throwing it at your face at an alarming rate, layering some gurgly synths up on top of that, and taking Amber Coffman of the Dirty Projectors and employing her as an auxiliary house diva for the win. Feel free just to let the audio play and turn your Internet Attentions elsewhere, because that's what I did.



For the double win, peep the 12th Planet remix, which stretches the song out, giving it a Southern Rap stomp that would make Pimp C proud.



Speaking of which, Free Pimp C TI Gucci Weezy!

WXYC Likes Pie

Read more here.

Weezer vs. Y Fuego Mod

Well how about that... I actually kept a promise (for once) and here I am, following up to my previous post with another installment concerning the (more recent) shenanigans that XYCers get themselves into.

Shall we roll with it? Ok. Ok. Here we go >>>>

I don't get out much. No, I mean, really -- most weekend nights you'll find me cooped up in my beautiful apartment, drinking German beer and reading J.G. Ballard short stories. This past weekend I was doing just that... cool breeze, fresh bowl of fried rice, and a rare Saturday night show from WXYC's longtime (soon retiring) program director Kellen C (who, by the way, runs an excellent basketball-themed [sort of] blog).

Due to a scheduling snafu, there was a blank spot in the schedule following the show. It turns out that there is a cure for the (WXYC) summertime blues. Enter Y Fuego Mod, noise project of Music Director Jonathan W and new DJ Jon O. Fresh from a gig earlier that night in Greensboro, they took control of the airwaves and kept WXYC pumpin' the jams for 6 HOURS. They even treated the listening audience to a live performance right out of the XYC control room.

Banging on what looks to be a scrap A/C vent and not without the implementation of some power tools (those poor microphones!) and a skipping record, our radio heroes brutalized the airwaves with some primitive-industrial noise. Here's a clip to share with mom and pop:

download

But then the night took a strange turn, the duo proceeded to sing along to Weezer's "Surf Wax America." Why Weezer?... why that song?... I don't know... but the end product was charming and totally fucked. What we have here is a true testament to the ever-present influence of Indie Rock on the WXYC DJ, a decomposing manuscript of teenage Summers and high school car ride sing-a-longs before the days of existential angst and heady coming-of-age lyrics.

download

It's OK that they can't remember the lyrics... even the best of us have trouble with this sort of thing. At least they went for it... and doesn't it kind of make you want to give the Blue Album a quick spin, just for old times sake? You know, sing along to Buddy Holly or Say It Ain't So at the top of your lungs? OK, maybe not, but the band does seem to be a karaoke fixture these days...

As the Summer schedule proper quickly comes to a close and WXYC transitions to the dreaded "sign-ups" period, I hope to catch more DJ sing alongs and general in-studio improvisation.... I mean, come on, when else is someone in another state (or country for that matter) going to laugh comfortably from their armchair at your wrecked nostalgia?

-dvd

WXYC Goes Viral

Greetings everyone from the light at the end of the (Holland) tunnel! That's right, beautiful Jersey City is my home away from home for the Summer. Even though I can still pick up great free-form radio on the FM dial, I've found myself tuning into WXYC's webcast quite regularly. There is no better cure for a scorching hot Sunday morning (damn you urban heat-bubble) than a cold beer and a little OCS on the stereo.

As will happen during the Summer months, the WXYC blog seems to be.... well, completely neglected. In an effort to keep it somewhat up to date, I've decided to do a post or two in my own bland and underwhelming style. Bear with me here, as we delve into the WXYC history books...

From turn of the millenium WXYC 'zine Signal to Noise, Barry Summerlin explains the WXYC computer virus and its possible origins as a prank on our darling rivals over in Durham:

If anyone has the goods on the WXYC computer virus, no one's talking. Antivirus software maker McAfee says it was first tipped to the WXYC virus, which only affects PCs running the DOS operating system (i.e. Macs, machines running Unix, Linux et al are in the clear), in October 1992. The WXYC virus -- actually there's a whole gang of them cited in various online virus directories: Stoned.WXYC, WXYC.A, WXYC.A*, WXYC.A-O and WXYC.B, possibly more -- is a fairly common derivative of one of the most common computer viruses, Stoned.

Stoned family viruses corrupt the master boot record of a hard drive (usually by hiding a computer's startup instructions, eating some memory and replicating themselves onto any non write-protected floppy disks accessed) as well as a floppy disk's boot sector (which, when booting a computer from an infected disk, corrupt the master boot record of a hard drive, and the cycle continues).

The original Stoned virus contains the text "LEGALIZE MARIJUANA!" in the viral source code (the behind-the-scenes (screens?) instructions that run the virus, which would not display on a terminal). About once every eight times one reboots a 'Stoned' computer, the text "Your PC is now Stoned!" will be displayed. The WXYC virus is similar, writing "WXYC rules this roost!" on the screen 1 in 7 times that an infected computer is booted. The text "JAM WXYC" is contained in the viral code.

Other Stoned virus derivatives (there's about 100) pay homage to such WXYC-pertinent topics as the Jesus and Mary Chain (Stoned.J&M.C), Frank Zappa (Stoned.Zappa; on Dec. 4th (Frank's death date), it displays "Dedicated to ZAPPA..."), and the Chinese government's student massacre at Tienanmen Square (Stoned.Bloody; on June 4th displays the text "Bloody! Jun. 4, 1989").

The WXYC listing at IBM's antivirus site Inside The Lab notes that "WXYC is the call sign of a university radio station in the Eastern United States; the virus first appeared on the campus of a nearby rival university." This is somewhat corroborated from this virus alert from the February 1996 issue of Connections, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' internal newsletter: "A PC virus was found at NIEHS. The virus came to NIEHS on a diskette from Duke University. The virus is a master boot sector virus that will state 'WXYC rules this roost' upon bootup of your PC."

The odds are pretty long against anyone 'fessing up to the WXYC virus, especially in print. North Carolina considers "introducing, directly or indirectly, a computer program, (including a self-replicating or a self-propagating computer program) into a computer, computer system, or computer network" a Class 1 misdemeanor, the most serious classification of misdemeanor; if actual damage from the virus exceeds $1,000, it's a felony in North Carolina, which could land our geek in the pokey.

Paul Jones, Director of UNC MetaLab, reports the WXYC virus remains "in the wild," which is geekspeak regarding a virus that remains in circulation. WXYC-B and tons of other viruses are available from mint-hpvac.com/virii/virii.html, if you make a good case ("ONLY those who need these files for researching viruses will get a reply."). On the offchance the WXYC virus resurfaces on your PC, current antivirus software from McAfee, Symantec's Norton line et al will detect and make short work of it; a specific fix for the WXYC virus is available at ftp://ftp.edu.tw/PC/simtelnet/msdos/virus/qwxyc.zip

...I hope you all enjoyed this little blast from the WXYC vaults, and who knows, you might have even learned something. As we learned today, those who don't learn from the past are doomed to spend 90 days in jail (but she was helping the kids?!). Till next time...

-dvd

WXYC DJ on UNC Student Television!

An interview with WXYC DJ Brian Heim (left), aka Rhetoric, on UNC STV. DJ Kyle R. is interviewing him. Click here!

Things That Go Bump In The Night

About a month ago I had out my EMF meter and saw some unexpected readings on the display. I pulled out my IR thermometer to take a measurement, but before I could even turn it on I began to hear strange noises. I always have my audio recorder handy, and I immediately pressed the record button. What I heard truly astonished me, and if I hadn't been able to preserve those sounds on tape I wouldn't have believed my own ears. Until now I was afraid to play my recording for anyone. But the world needs to know.

Like a voice from beyond the grave, I captured 45 minutes of the left-for-dead FEEDBACK FARM!

Play


or Download (21MB MP3).

Clara Rockmore, theremin virtuosa

During my radio show last week I noticed that Art of the Theremin by Clara Rockmore is currently in rotation at WXYC.  From Mississippi Records (who reissued the album):

"This LP, originally recorded and released by Delos International in 1977, features the eerily beautiful theremin accompanied by piano (played by Nadia Reisenberg.)  A record of stark simplicity and emotional intensity.  Mississippi is proud to present the first ever vinyl reissue of this material."

Art of the Theremin was produced by Robert Moog and features Rockmore's sister, Nadia Reisenberg, on piano.  It's a beautiful album and I'm really excited to hear it on the radio!  (NOTE:  If you happened to catch the Inside Track on Monday night, we played this album in its entirety!)

March in Thonburi by MPY

"March in Thonburi is an experimental short, created over two years by Michael Paul Young. After relocating from Baltimore to Bangkok, Thailand, in 2007, Young sought to expose how the many sensory influences of his adopted country have affected him. The result, March in Thonburi, embodies a richsensory journey through an urban cultural atmosphere from the perspective of a stranger in a strange land."

Gangstarr's Guru undergoes successful surgery

A nice follow up to some bad news: Gangstarr's Guru had a massive heart attack this past weekend but underwent successful surgery and seems to be recovering well according to a report at AllHipHop. This is good news for fans of Guru, Gangstarr, and hip hop in general. We should figure out some way to celebrate. OH I KNOW HOW:

Old Time Jam

WXYC DJ Emily Hilliard recently started a monthly Old Time Jam at the Nightlight in Chapel Hill.  Last night was the first one and it was a big success!  I saw lots of fiddles, guitars, banjos, a mandolin, an accordion, a baritone ukulele, a washtub bass & MORE!

If you play old time music you should come out next month.  Musicians of all skill levels are welcome to play!  The bar is open and there is also a ping pong table, so even if you don't participate in the jam you can come hang out and listen to the music!

OLD TIME JAM

last Thursday of every month

6:30-9pm

at Nightlight

wxyc got soul

Tonight on WXYC veteran DJ Jason Perlmutter will host his 8th annual Carolina Soul Thursday Night Feature!  

From Jason-

"Tune in for a broad range of soul music made in North and South Carolina in the 1960s through the 1980s.  The first two hours will offer danceable '60s and '70s releases, while 11pm will mean it's time for '70s and '80s slow jams, a few of which may come from the soulful gospel scene."

ALSO...

Tomorrow night (Fri. 2/19) I'm hosting a Soul/Funk/R&B DANCE PARTY at The Station in Carrboro!  It's free and all ages are welcome!  I'll be playing all types of soul- Motown, Northern Soul, Southern Soul, Memphis Soul- pretty much anything goes.  Hope to see you out on the dance floor! 

 

DJ Mark Katz in the news!

Read it here:

http://www.chapelhillnews.com/news/story/55264.html

February

WXYC DJ Kevin Clark takes a dissociative stroll through the local stomping grounds.

wxyc is everywhere

Bathroom @ The Smell in Downtown LA

Time for the music...

If you haven't heard yet - WXYC HAS A NEW FM BROADCAST!  We're VERY excited about the new signal, pumping fresh and clean at 1100 watts! We made the switch a little before 10am this past Friday, November 6th, 2009. Howie H. (our Chief Engineer) has been working on this project since the mid 90s and I know he was overjoyed to finally hit the ON button (look at that wry smile!). Lauren B. (former station manager) was on-air for the switch and got things started off with Queen's "Radio Ga Ga". As for myself, I put the old signal to bed and luckily had a small digital camera with me to record the intense action. Not without its minor hitches, this is a true radio drama. Enjoy!

Girl Talk Live on WXYC!

If you weren't near your radio (or computer) last Wednesday night you missed the live broadcast of Girl Talk on WXYC. Thankfully, this unique event was recorded and has been archived here for your listening enjoyment.

Yes, for some reason none of the boys could make it to the Feedback Farm, and Steph and Julianna were left to woman the ship. Hear them giggle and talk about all things girly (like clothes and make-up and boys).

And now it's even easier:

Play



or Download (24MB MP3).

Party All Night

Ever wonder how our magnificent late night DJs always sound so refreshingly awake at 4am? Recently, our very own Noel C investigated the phenomenon for a piece originally aired on local AM station WCHL 1360. Here's the scoop!

Four on the Floor

What's more exciting than the release of a new Grand Theft Auto game? Well, only the posting of the last IV Feedback Farm episodes!

If you haven't heard the Farm in a while, here's your chance to catch up. While one of these episodes was airing, a friend walked into the room and commented, "Is this the Feedback Farm? I thought they had gone downhill, but this is good!"

From August 26th, we have an episode about Garbage (19MB MP3). Sorry, only 40 minutes of the episode were captured. The other 20 minutes ended up in the trash.

On September 9th, the Farmers got all warm and fuzzy with an episode about Friends (26MB MP3).

Two weeks later, on September 23rd, the airwaves once again crested, this time with a programme dedicated to the Ocean (26MB MP3).

Finally, on October 7th the Farmers were abuzz with Coffee Talk (24MB MP3).

Enjoy at maximum velocity, but be sure to turn on the radio in your stolen car on October 21st at 9pm WXYC time for the next installment of the Feedback Farm!

The Cure For What Ails You

My my my but health care has become quite the divisive issue in the United States, no? Perhaps it was to be expected, but when you really think about it, is there some good reason that we should be able to drive on the highways for free but not be guaranteed medical treatment if we need it? I wonder how many of the people who are against the idea of universal health care would agree that their own mothers should be denied treatment if they couldn't afford it?

Well, I could go on, but I'll let the Feedback Farmers do the talking instead. Click here (60MB MP3) to hear last week's programme on health care.

Be sure to tune in Wednesday, August 26th at 9pm WXYC time to hear the next Feedback Farm episode, which is on a related topic: Garbage.

Blast from the Past

What's old became new again on the most recent episode of the Feedback Farm. How much more retro could the Farmers be than to do a show about dinosaurs? Exploring every facet of our prehistoric brethren with one foot in the past and one foot on the loop station, the programme presented the subject matter in that way only the Feedback Farmers can.

If you'd like to hear the show, have your scrawny dinosaur arm drag the mouse and click here (55MB MP3).

Four-Play

Oh holy isht! It wasn't long ago that I typed the "greatest post in the history of blogging" and expressed my desire that I never fall three Feedback Farm episodes behind on the WXYC blog again. Well, due to some factors within my control and a few beyond it, this time around I've outdone myself and fallen no less than six episodes behind.

Unfortunately, one of the factors beyond my control was the utter implosion of my hard drive. This hardware failure prevents me from presenting to you the April 22nd and May 6th episodes of the Farm, in which Shakespeare and Pirates were respectively (if not respectfully) featured. Those episodes are gone forever. Unless that listener from Paraguay happens to have them on his hard drive. Mr Paraguayan, if you're out there, email us at wxycfeedbackfarm at gmail dot com.

Anyway, I DO have four episodes for you this morning.

1. From May 20th (57MB MP3). In which the Feedback Farmers define "condiment" and rank the world's top 10. Now I see why the Farmers asked me to post that hot dog & mustard tshirt photo.

Do you know the 6 characteristics of a condiment? Do you know the difference between a main dish, a condiment, a flavorful lubricant, and a topping? What's the number 1 condiment of all time? Do you care? Then give it a listen.

2. From June 3rd (57 MB MP3). When condiments are around, meat can't be far away. Take a bite. Hot dogs not discussed this evening because they were discussed at another time. Tasty.

3. From June 17th (63MB MP3). In which the automobile is taken apart piece by piece and completely rebuilt. Poorly attended by the Farmers themselves, and those who bothered to show up don't even regularly drive. Perhaps that tells you what to expect from this car wreck of a show.

4. Lastly, from July 1st (54MB MP3). Following the sudden, tragic death of pop superstar and cultural icon Michael Jackson, the Feedback Farmers paid him their last disrespects. The show progressed much like Jackson's career: strong in the first half and then it fizzled out.

6/25/2009 Thursday Night Feature: Anime Themes!

Full speed through the stingy night!
I'm not interested in treasure anyway
A romance in the pocket, and
You wanna be my friend?
We are, we are on the cruise! We are!

-First opening song to One Piece


It's pop music, eastern philosophy, sci-fi, and lyrics that probably didn't make sense even before they were translated. It's anime theme music--nothing else comes close and WXYC is the station to give it its just moment in the sun! This Thursday at 9pm prepare for 3 hours of the highest energy jams to get fan subbed and leaked all on the internet.

Death Note Opening 2:




One Piece Opening 1:



Fullmetal Alchemist Openings 1-4:



Heart of Sword Ending:


Naruto Ending:



Lupin 3rd (78):


Lupin 3rd (02):

Will post more up to & during the show! See you at 9pm tomorrow (6/25)!
-Luke M

Teamwork

The Feedback Farmers asked me to post this photo to the blog. I'm not sure why.

They also wanted me to tell you to tune in to WXYC on Wednesday, May 20th at 9pm WXYC time. 89.3FM in the Chapel Hill area or wxyc.org!

Digging up Carts Pt. 2

And we're back... this time I've got 2 more gems from "Into the Ground". First off, the :45 second intro bite for the show circa 1992-93. Second, a cart tape that was simply labeled Monster Battle. I'm not sure what it was used for, but it features some great tape work.

-dvd

Into the Ground Intro 92-93.mp3

monsterbattle.mp3

Digging Up Carts Pt. 1

Now that finals are over and I have some time to kill, I'd like to share with you all some old school WXYC audio goodness fresh from the carts.

This first installment comes from an old show (not that old, I'm sure some of you still remember it) called "Into The Ground". I'll be posting a lot more recordings from this classic 'xyc "talk" show, but for now, enjoy these!

-dvd

Into the Ground Sports
itg-sports.wav

And if you thought that was a little too aggravating...
waves.mp3

Feedback Ranch

Last Wednesday there was a showdown at the Double-U (XYC) Corral. The Feedback Ranchers (nee Farmers) took a journey on horseback through the dusty plains, arid deserts, and precipitous mountains of the American West. Exploring the music, films, characters, and tropes of a time gone by, the Ranchers produced a fitting homage to a period that continues to pique our imaginations. Saddle up and join the Ranchers on their tour of the wild west by clicking here (28MB MP3).

All the real cowpokes click here for a bonus track (5MB MP3).

They Sold The Farm

The Feedback Farmers sell out! OK, probably not news to anyone who's been paying attention, but they made it official on the last programme.

Poor Steph traveled all the way to Austin, Texas, to attend the South by Southwest music festival (aka "South By"), and while there she conducted interviews and prepared a special report for WXYC. But when she tried to broadcast her recordings, the boys thwarted her at every opportunity.

Apparently, while Steph was out of town, her testosterone-fueled fellow Farmers were lining up advertisers to pad their pockets, and the show was continually interrupted by commercials. Commercials are annoying in their own right, but beyond that you had to feel bad for Steph whose hard work didn't receive the respect it deserved.

Why she puts up with them is another mystery not to be solved.

If, for some strange reason, you actually want to listen to this advertisement-laden episode (perhaps you're in the market for...everything?), you can download it here (27MB MP3).

Starstruck

I was hoping to get this posted last night, but who could have predicted that the Syracuse vs UConn game would go into SIX overtime periods? And, after that wrapped up, who could have predicted that the building across the street from me would catch on fire, both further distracting me from blogging and keeping me up into the wee hours?

Well, probably a person who's into astrology could have predicted it, that's who! Since I'm not such a person, I defer to the Feedback Farmers to expound on the topic.

Which they did in stellar fashion on Wednesday night. Steph explained what astrology is all about and successfully volleyed the naysaying of Andrew B, PJ, and Kevin. (Andy K and Bryson couldn't be bothered to show up.) Local opinions on the topic were mixed, though most people seemed to think astrology is more fun diversion than science. You can relive the otherworldly programme in all its heavenly glory and decide for yourself about astrology by clicking here (30MB MP3).

Sound Opinions on WXYC

A week or two ago, hosts of rock music talk show Sound Opinions Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot stopped by Chapel Hill and gave a talk on the Future of Music: how the internet is disrupting the entrenched system of Commercial Music, what everyone's going to do about it, what the audience thinks, etc. Attendees were frequently overheard saying how it went well, though there were some accounts of a mysterious heckler bumming people out towards the end. If you weren't there, it's a good thing that Jim and Greg were nice enough to stop by the station for this interview with Andy K and Andrew B earlier that day, which addresses most of the same issues as the talk.

Feast Or Farmin'

It's unprecedented (and hopefully it will never be repeated) that I've fallen so far behind in posting past Feedback Farm episodes, but it's been 4 weeks since a new programme hit this blog. In an effort to catch up on my homework in the most efficient way possible, I present here not 1, not 2, but 3, yes 3 Feedback Farm shows--all in 1 blog post!

From way back on January 28th we have the episode in which the Feedback Farmers gave you the Best of 2008 as they saw it. Being intensely myopic, they saw no further than their own show and thus counted down, sort of, the 10 best Feedback Farm episodes of last year. Imagine the level of chaos present during a normal episode, multiply that by 10, and that's what you've got here. Click this link to hear for yourself (27MB MP3).

Two weeks later the Farmers took to the airwaves and web once more with a show about sports. This was appropriate as the programme took place during the UNC vs Dook men's basketball game (Carolina victory, 101-87, hell yeah), but because of this coincidence the show was heard by absolutely no one. Here's your chance to listen to this "lost episode." Click here to download (30MB MP3).

Hoy Hoy! Finally, last night the Farmers talked on and about Alexander Graham Bell's world-altering invention, the telephone. 6 hours of phone calls in 60 minutes; just about par for the show. Download the programme here (30MB MP3).

Enjoy the shows. They should keep you busy for two weeks when the Feedback Farmers return for another befuddling episode.

WXYC Featured in Blue&White This Month!

Blue & White wrote about WXYC in its February issue. I personally apologize for any stupid things said during this interview. It was 6 in the morning, sorry!

Blue & White: Read it Online!

Walking on a Dream

Quite pleased to see one the members of PNAU out and about spreading the talent. New project of his (with another) called Empire of the Sun is apparently lighting the eastern hemisphere (the English speaking part at least) ablaze. No U.S. release date has been announced, but keep your bananas pealed.

Here is the single Walking on a Dream making it's rounds. Enjoy.

In The Grooves Of This Blog Post Is The Sound Of John Cage

The Feedback Farmers must have thought they were being all intellectual by choosing to put on a John Cage Extravaganza. But it was barely 16 minutes into the hour and PJ was called a moron. This was long before he devilishly advocated for Max's position on the composer, so it's still hard to believe that the caller could have figured out so quickly that PJ is in fact an idiot. Perhaps the caller was a repeat listener. On second thought, that's even harder to believe. I suppose that's another mystery not to be solved.

Anyway, John Cage was an interesting character. His career was long and varied, and the Farmers tried to summarize the man in 60 minutes. Perhaps a bit too ambitious. But it was interesting to hear them perform a few of Cage's more conceptual pieces. Despite the show's shortcomings, which you can determine for yourself, the phone rang off the hook. Apparently, 16+ years after his death, John Cage still piques people's interests and tempers.

Download the programme here (30MB MP3).

To Protect And To Serve

The police are out there, doing their thing. What they do is sometimes controversial, sometimes appreciated. The Feedback Farmers examined the role of the police in their most recent programme, which wasn't all that recent. December 17th, 2008, in fact. Check it out anyway. You can download the show here (28MB MP3).

Be sure to tune in to WXYC at 89.3FM in the Chapel Hill area or at wxyc.org worldwide on the Internet this Wednesday, January 14th from 9pm until 10pm. The Farmers are back from their long vacations and ready to kick off the 2009 radio season! Be there!

Song of the South

It was Civil War on the Feedback Farm last night as the Farmers took on the South. Vast, unique, diverse, full of history and potential, the topic was probably more than anyone could handle in 60 minutes. And even playing 4 hours worth of material in the course of 1 hour they didn't get to everything. I mean, they never even mentioned NASCAR, debutantes, or Cheerwine! (Not to mention Kentucky Nip*!)

Well, they tried. And it was great to once again hear the voice of WXYC-alum Nelson G, even if that voice was just barely audible.

It was surprising that the phone rang so many times during this particular programme. The Farmers themselves tried to come up with an explanation as to why, especially during what was supposed to be a big, close basketball game (final score, #1 UNC 98, #12(?) Michigan St 63), so many people called tonight compared with recent weeks.

Maybe people were listening to the radio instead of studying for finals?

Maybe the callers were boning up for their exam on Southern history and culture?

You can download the programme here (28MB MP3).


*According to the bottle, Kentucky Nip is "Smooth as a Southern gent, and sassy as a Southern belle." Gotta love it.

1-800-MAKE-MUS-ick

Maybe there was once a time and a place you might be able to do a little diddy on your daddy's cell phone-or maybe even the phone on the wall. Those rotary phones were kinda musical too weren't they? In any event, I once remember having the distinct opportunity to play 'Mary had a little lamb' using the very few butttons that were once on phones. Maybe you can try it yourself. here it goes...(dead serious try it)..

6545666 555 6 88

Ok the only part that doesn't work too well is the last two 8s but see for yourself. Also that is only the first part of it. You get the point though

Tekmology as Ali G would say has made a gargantuan leap since. So I am one of those people that got caught with the iPhone virus. I am doing just fine however. With this thingymagicgy I can make my own songs without that 6545666 shit to remember. I can play an octave on a keyboard, a set of drums, or a host of other noises. I can even do a turntable scratch with this application that goes by the name of MixMeister Scratch. The only application I have really used has been the iDrum. iAbhor whenever iShows up before everything iSee, but this program is pretty cool. You can program in what becomes 16th notes at whatever interval you would like and can either make a syncopated beat that would make your grandma shake, or a basic 4/4 banger. Of, course there is no soul inside the 8 gigs of memory.

A lot of issues are raised by the rise of these applications. Will these be the new instruments? What if a performer gets a call while he's playing a drum solo on his blackberry? Might they even supplant some whizz dj/producer's laptop? Nobody knows for now. A few years down the road, I'd sure as hell like to find out.

Tragic Kingdoms

Sam Cooke once famously professed that he didn't know much biology. Well, apparently neither do the Feedback Farmers. That didn't stop them from trying to explain it, though.

Last night's show was a wild ride through the realms of bacteria, other more bad-ass bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, and animals. Give 'er an ear here (27MB).

P.S. A belated welcome to Farmer Andrew Bryson, who journeyed deep into the Amazon with little more than a backpack in search of the fungi segment heard on last night's programme.

F-F-F-Fear the F-F-F-Farm

A few weeks ago, WXYC had a scare when its website disappeared from the face of the Internet. During that time the blog was also down and therefore as you are probably aware, I was unable to share the on-air scare that is the Feedback Fair, er, Farm.

But now you can relive the terror of the November 5, 2008 Feeback Farm as the Farmers explore your deepest fears. Click here to download the show (28MB MP3).

Not for the f-f-f-faint of heart.

Vote Early & Vote Often

The Feedback Farmers said that October 2008 would be a high water mark for their feeble show, and I think they were right. Coming off last week's programme on the Economic Crisis the Farmers put together 60 more mostly listenable minutes in their pre-election extravaganza. If they keep this up I may have to roll up my pants to keep my shins dry in the cresting deluge.

Have you decided who you're going to vote for? Still trying to make up your mind? Hoping that the Feedback Farm will resolve any remaining questions you have about the candidates?

Well, the biggest criticism I have of this episode of the Farm is that, like Sarah Palin, it was weak on the issues. The collages were better than usual, but the listeners expected insight and endorsements to help them make up their minds as Election Day (Tuesday, November 4th!) draws nigh.

Still, to give credit where it's due, I was able to listen to almost the entire show, which has only happened a few times before. See how much you can get through. Download the programme here (28MB MP3). If nothing else, it'll motivate you to VOTE! As the Farmers said, vote for whomever you like, but VOTE!



PS Kevin Clark tie-dyed with a terrorist.

Stock Markets Down, Feedback Farm Up

You can never be sure how the Feedback Farmers will perform, but after last night one might theorize the quality of their programme is inversely related to the Dow.

Taking on the many facets of the financial crisis, the Farmers actually put together a halfway decent show. They even seemed to find a new fan in their first caller of the evening. Or maybe it was just Peter Joseph slyly trying to get free advertising for his film Zeitgeist, the Movie.

If you're worried about your money, frustrated by the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street, concerned about not being able to get a much needed loan, or just want to learn more about economics, there are, of course, better sources for cogent commentary. But if you don't have time to do a lot of research and want to get the most bang for your buck (who doesn't in these times?), click here (28MB MP3) for 5 hours of information in 60 minutes. That's economy.

Live Hip Hop Comes to the Cat's Cradle

It's a Saturday night and a couple of thousand people are cheering as our Tarheels destroy UConn in a game of football. Not so far down the way a handful of people are spread throughout the floor at the Cat's Cradle, listening as opening act Mosadi Music appropriately opens the show with their vocally smooth and instrumentally abrasive hip hop. Poet and lyricist Shirlette Ammons trooped onwards alongside her band mates, giving an amazing performance to a sparse crowd. Guitarist Chris Boerner was especially impressive with his guitar solos, which were reminiscent of Eddie Hazel, guitarist for Parliament-Funkadelic. The rhythm section served as a backbone for Shirlette's machine gun vocal delivery. They closed out the set the same way they started it: strong and with a vibrant intensity. It was a shame that so few people actually got to watch them.

This was an important night for the Urban Sophisticates, since it was their CD Release Show for Classic Material, their third studio release. The floor got more crowded as the football game let out, and Urban kicked into the set with their usual intensity. Urban's live show definitely stands strong to the reputation, delivering a selection of both old and new songs, alongside a few surprise covers. Front-man Benton James eased through each tune as his brother, Aaron, offered soulful crooning intermittently throughout the night. The band, including a trumpet, trombone, bassist, guitarist, and drummer, crowded the stage and served as the perfect vehicle for Benton's smooth, laid back vocal style.

All in all, the show was amazingly fun and the only disappointing aspect was the fact that more people didn't get to see it.

Mosadi Music: http://www.stumphole.com/ ; http://www.myspace.com/mosadilive

Urban Sophisticates: www.urbansophisticates.com/ ; http://www.myspace.com/theurbansophisticates

Vote for WXYC!

Hey! Voting for the mtvU Woodie Awards is going on right now, and voting is open for WXYC in the "Best College Radio Station" category. You can vote an unlimited amount of times, and voting is open for our region until Sunday, so let's get a head start!

Here is the link to vote. No registration is needed, only one simple click and your vote has been gathered! This is the round that will help us move on to finals, so all votes are appreciated.

http://woodies.mtvu.com/nominees/college_radio

There is also a comment area - if you have an anecdote about why you love the station or something particularly interesting pertaining to WXYC, be sure to share it!





P.S. Every time you vote, we smile exactly like this ->

Thanks so much!

Not Quite First Class

As has been heard in the past, the Feedback Farmers love to host a birthday party. So when they heard the US Postal Service was turning 219, they jumped on the opportunity to fête our nation's mail system.

Of course, in typical Feedback Farm fashion, the party was about as exciting as a barrage of junk mail. Things started off slower than Parcel Post, and the first time they turned on the microphones they seemed as nonplussed as a soldier who has just received a Dear John letter. (I realize that using nonplussed in a sentence is nearly as pretentious as using vis-à-vis (which reaches the pinnacle of pretense when the effort is made to include the grave accent diacritic), but, really, how often does one have an opportunity to use the word?)

From there, the show dragged on for the balance of the nine o'clock hour. Although the Feedback Farm only lasts for sixty minutes, trudging through a programme with this crew can sometimes feel like an eternity. It's too bad they can't follow in the footsteps of their guests of honor for the night, the USPS. How wonderful it would be to be able to say that "neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these DJs from the SWIFT completion of their appointed rounds."

Don't believe me? Download the episode here (26MB MP3).

Processing + Audio = Remarkable Visuals

Processing is an open source programming language for people who want to program images, animation, and interactions. I've seen it applied in a bunch of situations, but my favorite iteration (and the iteration most relevant to this blog) is when it is used to program relations to audio.

For example:

A video compiled using Radiohead's "Weird Fishes / Arpeggi"


From the author: "it is Processing from start to finish. There is no post processing (oooh, a literal pun!) or editing after the fact. I import the audio data from the analysis, augment it with the direct FFT data from the Sonia analysis, press play, and after it is done, I have the finished piece."

Next, a video by the same author, flight404, with Helios's "Sons of Light and Darkness" as the audio source

If you're curious, this guy helped develop what would eventually become the new iTunes visualizer (featured in iTunes 8)

Finally, a slightly more impressive application of the software is featured in this video from the Milan Furniture Fair in April of 2007. The floor seen in this video is designed to respond to the audio being emitted by the Kef Muon Speakers (which are purported to have "the best sound quality in the world")


So there you go. Processing at its finest. Did I mention it's free software and apparently easy to use?

WXYC has been nominated for a Woodie Award

WXYC has received a nomination in the category of Best Campus Radio Station from MTVu. More info:

Best Campus Radio Station

For the first time ever, mtvU is honoring 20 pioneering college campus radio stations committed to bringing students the latest indie and emerging music. Lauded for championing artists before they achieve mainstream success, these student-run radio stations represent the new music vanguard long since abandoned by traditional FM radio. The top stations were chosen based off accolades from CMJ College Radio Awards, Princeton Review Nominations, and independent questionnaires completed by a cross-section of record labels. One station will bring home the inaugural Woodie for Best Campus Radio Station, as voted on by their peers.

Radio Woodie - (Best Campus Radio Station)

For the station out there breaking the latest, emerging music, acting as pioneers in the industry.

Nominees:

KALX, University of California, Berkeley

KZSC, University of California, Santa Cruz

KSSU, Sacramento State University

KZSU, Stanford University

KCSU, Colorado State University, Fort Collins

WSOU, Seton Hall University

WERS, Emerson College

WICB Ithaca College

WBSR Brown University

WUSB Stony Brook University

WUTK University of Tennessee

WRAS Georgia State University

WEGL Auburn University

WWVU West Virginia University

WXYC University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

KSLU St. Louis University

KUOM University of Minnesota

WGRE DePauw University

WDBM Michigan State

WITR Rochester Institute of Technology

Copied from http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/whos-getting-a-chunk-of,550523.shtml

The winner is selected by online voting on the MTVu website. Finalists are selected by a week-long regional vote. The blog will be updated with more information once full voting procedure and info is revealed.

Founding Pink Floyd Member, Richard Wright, Dead at 65

Founding member and keyboardist for Pink Floyd, Richard Wright, died today at the age of 65 after a long battle of cancer. Be sure to pull out that old vinyl or play some Pink Floyd on your ipod in memory of a true innovator.

Source:
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hWIGm5l-yoyRo6pTklrXqJB3BnmA

Speaking of Poetry...

People tune in to WXYC and don't necessarily realize that the DJs they hear have talent that goes beyond merely spinning records.

Take DJ Kevin Clark, for example.

Perhaps a lucky few of you heard his live, free-stylin' rap a few weeks ago. If you did, I'm sure you were impressed. He did a dam fine job impromptu and under pressure.

If you missed his performance, no problem. Simply click here (3MB MP3) to hear. Enjoy. WXYC DJs are encouraged to play this on the air. Often.

Iambic Pentameter, etc

The Feedback Farmers tried to get all high-brow last week but instead got in over their heads. They don't know much when it comes to the finer things, and they sure don't know nothin' about POETRY. And anyway, I thought it was a MAN from Nantucket. I don't even know what the next line would be if it was a GIRL from Nantucket.

Hear with your own ear here (29MB MP3).



PS I vaguely remember deleting a file from my hard drive I didn't think I needed. I am coming to the realization that that file was the Feedback Farm Back to School Special. It's never a great loss when a Feedback Farm episode is lost to the aether. This programme was no exception.

Going for Gold

Posting in world record time, here's a recap of the Feedback Farm programme from mere hours ago.

Filling in for Bret D (who recently relocated to Chicago or San Francisco), the Feedback Farmers guest-hosted a special edition of SportsRap by covering the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, live from Beijing. With in-depth, behind-the-scenes looks at the athletes, the events, and all the scuttlebutt from the Olympic Village, the Farmers' insightful commentary made clear the reason they were chosen to take the helm of SportsRap full-time beginning this fall.

Click here (30MB MP3) to hear.

PJ wanted me to add the following: Sorry Bret, somehow the interview with you was completely blank! And sorry Steve, the phones wouldn't work so we couldn't get you on the air to talk about your experience training the US Olympic field hockey team!

Trippy Autechre Vid Delivers

Rabid Autechre fans have always described the venerable duo as composing "architecture for sound," roughly. It sounds pretentious, but the title track video to the group's 2002 EP "Gantz Graf" nailed the synesthetic fix perfectly: Alex Rutterford, the video's director, admitted swallowing a hard dose of hallucinogenics before starting work. If you don't believe me, see for yourself:

And if you're left pining for more delicious sound squiggles, director Lucio Arese gives us possibly Gantz Graf's direct followup, though he has no official ties to the band or their label. A sound production all around:

Happy Hour

This past Wednesday, the Feedback Farmers gave us an intoxicating 60 minutes of radio.

No, actually, this past Wednesday, the Feedback Farmers stumbled and slurred through an hour on the air that would have been best experienced while inebriated. That's more accurate.

The topic was alcohol, and you know what they say about drunks: they flock to inane radio programmes. I hope this is true, at least, because then we'd finally have some explanation for the idiocy that seizes WXYC every other Wednesday at 9pm.

You'd have to be completely wasted to click here (29MB MP3).

Free Club Tix

It's practically a breeze to socially engineer your way into any club by pretending you're the DJ. Observe.

Learn how to hack at 5min.com

We Pledge Allegiance

The Feedback Farmers and John Wayne pledged their allegiance to the U S of A on the last episode of the Farm. Also making cameo appearances were a gazillion residents of the Triangle who chimed in about what they like and, gasp!, what they don't exactly care for about this country.

WXYC was contacted by the Department of Homeland Security following the airing of this program. The nice people wanted to know the names of the people who were interviewed for the show. If you contributed, fear not--the station refused to turn over the names. However, we have decided to comply with Viacom's request to turn over the names and IP addresses of anyone who downloads the archive of this show. Click here (29MB MP3) at your own risk.

Farced in Flight

The Feedback Farmers soared through the last episode with samples, interviews, and songs about flying. Yes, flying. As in airplanes, airports, airlines. All in all it was, according to PJ's mom, "an interesting choice of topics" and, according to Dale, "Pretty good--it didn't blow me away, but it was pretty good."

As an added bonus, Cole drove through town on his way back to DC from Myrtle Beach and paid the Farm an in-studio visit. Cole has never flown in an airplane. Could not have picked a better episode to crash?

Hear it for yourself here (29MB MP3).

Public Service Announcement from WXYC

Just a timely reminder,

FOUCAULT
is
A UFO CULT

Fill 'Er Up

The Feedback Farmers (sans Bryson) explored the rising cost of gasoline on their most recent radio programme. The entire country is in a transportation crisis with the steady increase in the cost of a barrel of oil. At this writing, oil is $130 a barrel and gasoline is nearly $4 per gallon nationwide. By the time you read this it might be $6 or $8 a gallon. Is that a good thing? How will rising fuel prices affect our lives? Listen to the show here to find out all this and more.

Oh, Bryson couldn't make it because he couldn't afford the gas to get to Chapel Hill from Charlotte.

Recipe for Disaster

1 cup samples
1/4 oz. effects pedals
2 cups commentary
5 lbs. (dry) technical difficulties
1 pinch of credibility (optional, to taste)

Pre-heat your favorite audio software to 89.3 FM. Then be sure to get out your deluxe whisk set and pick a monosyllabic spice-throwing mantra in anticipation of this week's Feedback Farm!

Last night, with help from professional and (many more) amateur foodsmiths alike, the Farmers whipped up a batch of audio delights and helpful(?) guidance on the subject of COOKING. Click here (28MB MP3) to begin.

(Thanks for the text, KC.)

XL

Now I suppose one doesn't tune in to the Feedback Farm in hopes of hearing "good radio," but the Farmers took radio to a new nadir with the most recent episode. Personally, I suspect they weren't actually prepared for the promised show about cooking, so they spent 60 minutes yammering about 40 years in the life of Farmer PJ, who apparently had a birthday recently. Well whoop-dee-doo.

And while PJ repudiates accusations that he was behind it all (listen to his feeble exclamation of surprise toward the end of the programme), he sure played along quite happily at his fete, didn't he?

Really, if these folks can't get their act together and responsibly use the invaluable outlet they have at their fingertips, they should be tossed out on their ears. Somebody else would put the airwaves to better use. The Feedback Farm is a Radio SHOW, not a birthday PARTY.

If you missed the nonsense, you were lucky. If you click here (28MB MP3), your luck will shortly run out.

Political Party Hardy

There's nothing like a presidential election to remind you that America is doomed, but last night the Feedback Farmers got mildly political anyway, taking stabs at both sides as well as some innocent Young Democrats, callers, and historic recordings in their typical endearing way. Since the North Carolina Democratic primary arrives May 6, along with a barrage of advertising and mediocre bands, the nomination war between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton was the main topic of discussion, though McCain and his alleged "chipmunk cheeks" cropped up, too.

If you missed the programme, it's available in one whopping nugget of an MP3 file, downloadable here. (26 MB)

DJ Wicky Wick was not in attendance during the show, and thusly I blog-post this episode instead.

Buchla Buchla Boo

If the folks behind My First Sony truly had any interest in holding my attention past age 7, they would have done everything in their power to slap their name on the Buchla Music Easel and maybe I wouldn't be the schlub I am today.



The Music Easel was one of the many brainchildren of Don Buchla. It combines nearly every sound generating element found on a synth: a keyboard, multiple oscillators, cartridges, reverberation, envelope filters, as well as a variety of modular components. In fact, a majority of its charm stems from its interconnectivity. The only way he could have made it more over the top would be to graft on a baboon's heinie.

I stumbled across a great video of Charles Cohen going to town on the music easel. If the video is any indication of the Music Easel in raw form, it's even somehow producing sound in stereo. Here's the blib from the site and then the video:

/ / / / / Viewing with headphones or a stereo source is highly recommended / / / / /


This colorful video features sound artist Charles Cohen improvising on a 1970's Buchla Music Easel. This extremely rare instrument is one of Don Buchla's 200 series. Buchla (a pioneer of audio synthesis) only manufactured 14 of these units. The entire film was edited from an hour-long set of free improvisation, with audio was taken directly from Charles' mixing board.All of the photography and editing was produced by Alex Tyson, a sound and video artist from Pennsylvania. The film was shot in 16:9 720p High Definition format, using a 35mm LensBaby 3GPL




CHARLES COHEN AT THE BUCHLA MUSIC EASEL from Alex on Vimeo.