The stale chips are up and the hope stakes are down.

It's way past my bedtime as I write this. Precisely, it is 0507h. I've just walked home from visiting some very close friends. To-day has been the perfect temperature for snow and ice, and my HB Spezial are meant for handball courts -- not snowy winter days. Thus, it took longer to get home than I expected.

A nice amount of Wild Turkey and two 24oz beers took the edge off, though. Plus, I had the presence of mind to put on some base layer (thank you, Falke). I wish I would have grabbed a scarf, because the wind blowing through the vent holes in the back of my hood was a bit cold. All in all, though, not a bad day this one.

What did we decide during our visit? Simple. We decided that the world has passed us by. One simply had to be there to get the entire scope of it, but boiled down, that statement encompasses all of our thoughts and feelings.

This has been an interesting period since the last posting. I have finally scraped up enough money to buy a Dave Smith Instruments Desktop Evolver. I've had it for about two weeks and I'm still learning to program the sequencers, but my initial experience tells me that for old school industrial and power electronics you aren't going to find anything better for the price. Amazing. Review of sorts to come. Sound familiar?

Roy Keane left Sunderland AFC. Sunderland AFC are very important in my life. I would like to say thank you to Roy and the fantastic job he did bringing us out of the Champions League and basically inspiring the club to be the best they have been since 1974. You will be sorely missed. With this horrible losing streak going on, I now fear relegation again. Buck up, lads, and don't let the bastards grind you down!

On the other side of the coin, Columbus Crew captured the MLS cup this year by edging out Chicago Fire. I have never been happier and I'm proud of the boys on the pitch and the lads on the streets. Come on then, who wants it?

And for my good mate Burek so far away in distant Croatia I would like to say that all the material is together and I have started the final mastering. I still need to build the packaging and we are many months behind what I considered to be the release schedule, but this split will happen if it is the last thing that I do. :)

For all the great lads over at Terror Noise Audio, please rest assured that I am not gone. The drive that holds my iTunes library is full and I need to get a bigger one. After that, I have about 250 albums to process. I will resume posting soon.

Other than a snag or two at work and the usual other problems, I got nothin' for you.

Be seeing you.

September Update

It has been a while since I've posted anything. Typically, nothing is worth posting.

This is a simple update, more or less a reminder for myself.

New Signal soon. I'm working on an EP of covers that should be fun. This is in the formative stage and I haven't even started on the sounds for it.

As soon as I fix my iBook there will be a collaboration with Lonely/Ghost/Transmissions. Dirty Fuck Machine coming soon to an orifice near you.

The Smetnja/Ikteka/Signal split has now achieved mythological status. Morgan?

I purchased an Audible Disease Dementia and I have to say that it is quite the value for the money. A review of sorts is forthcoming.

On the homefront, I must say that I am happy that I did manage to find my old friend Andy, but that I have been more than a month in replying to his email. I wonder what causes me to do that? I've been over and over it in my head a thousand times and still can't figure it out. Several other personal snags have slowed me down and made life more complicated. None are worth mentioning, except to note that they cause me to lose motivation. Hence: no posts; no uploads; no material. Things have a way of working themselves out.

That's it for now.

Be seeing you.

Signal - Klangwerke 2007 - 2008

Here's everything so far, plus some unfinished tracks that will eventually find their way back here in finished form.

Beyond The Falling Silence

Cold void drone from frozen space.

The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing

Power electronics.

Various Work Tracks

Power electronics and noise. Includes the anthem "Part Of The Solution".

Inspired By Low Space Drone

Two unfinished tracks veering back into minimal space.

Unfinished Business

Hissing, granulated and unpleasant noises for your emotional well-being. Also unfinished.

I haven't been able to get much work done lately because of my real job and various mental states in which I find myself. I'm beginning to feel more productive and will be back in form soon. I'm hoping to hammer out a collaboration with Lonely/Ghost/Transmissions and finish up the S/I/S split (Ikteka? Where are you?).

Any comments are welcome.

Be seeing you.

Old Friends

I've shifted my life around a few times. Sometimes purposefully, and other times seemingly via an uncontrollable sequence of events that may or may not have originated with sommat that I'd instigated. One thing that for certain has happened is that I've made new friends, alienated some others and mis-placed more than a few that I'd like to see.

In this big world getting smaller, the fucking internet is generally the way to find them. And I have located a few. Unfortunately, some of them participate in MySpace or some other "social networking" cult schema that I refuse to accomodate. Just send me a goddamn email, OK?

I still see most of my college buddies every now and again. We get together when my schedule doesn't interfere. One guy I do miss is Andy Bailey. Add Tom, Stephen and myself to the mix and you get the nightmare of any CS professor at Marshall University. Frontier software design at your service. Now, a couple of those guys just kept getting smarter while I veered away from systems and software engineering. My own choice, I assure you. I'm just tired of IT.

I'd like to arrange some kind of big reunion, but some of the away people have families and real lives. It's hard to plan something of that nature out. Ah, I can just remember, I suppose.

Be seeing you.

Fouled That Up

I was supposed to meet the girl so we could "hang out". I ran into a mate of mine and began drinking. I kept on drinking until she went to bed and was no longer interested in seeing me. I love to drink. If you've heard Gang Green's "Alcohol", then you know my weakness. I wish I wouldn't have messed this up, but it's what I've been doing to my life for as long as I can remember. Got to play with the hand I've been dealt.

"It's a fair cop, but society's to blame."

Be seeing you.

The Girl

Talked to the girl briefly last night via SMS. I'm supposed to call her tonight after work. I suppose I will.

New Signal very soon. As soon as I can motivate Ikteka to actually get his material to me work will begin on mixing the Smetnja/Ikteka/Signal split. I think our Ikteka postpones like I do, so I might have to travel to Cleveland and knock on his door!

Off to work with me.

I talked to the girl for 20 minutes on the phone tonight. That is a painfully long time to spend on the phone for me. I really start to get fidgety at about 4 minutes. Things seem OK. I'm supposed to call her after she gets finished with work to-morrow.

Be seeing you.

Unusual Beginning

Today I woke up very early because I went to bed very early. All of these things are unusual to me. I emailed some friends and played some old videogames via MAME. Now I notice the slight odour of old comic books in the air. I do love that smell, even though I don't read comics anymore. It has been a long while since I last posted and I'm coming off another overly-exciting weekend. I am definitely going to cut down on the exciting weekends.

Be seeing you.

Right Before Work

I usually do my posting after my day is over, but I just wanted to state that it is good to remember old music and how great it was. I must be on some kind of nostalgic kick, but I really like Leatherface and Mission Of Burma. It had been years since I'd listened to either and I'm glad I came back to them.

Sunny day here and I'm off to work in the building with no windows.

Be seeing you.

Another Drunken Weekend

I've been drinking heavily lately. I had cut down quite a bit because I do have ulcers and that sort of thing really gets 'em oozing, but I guess I just snapped. Friday night I don't even really remember that well. Just me and my mate Matthew swilling scotch and bullshitting. Saturday a bunch of the lads were around and I bought a bottle of rye. Watched Juno, which was better than I thought it was going to be. Sunday was my getting up on time, loading up the iPod with old Skrewdriver and going to eat lunch at my favourite Mexican place (irony?). On the way out I could not get past the bar without sitting for a few and a few turned into many and I spent all my money (and then some) on a hangover. I was two hours late for work today, but "You're So Dumb" and "Better Off Crazy" were a great soundtrack for it. Blackpool and White Noise era Skrewdriver always seems to make things feel OK to me, like when I was young and nothing meant shit to me. I never learn.

Most of today I was just tired and worn-down, but picked up a little later on. Ate terribly and drank some beers when I got home. I never learn.

Be seeing you.

New Gear!

Having lost the girl, I decided to sink some money into some new gear. Everything has finally arrived and here are some of my initial impressions.

First we have the original Ibanez Tube Screamer. Just one of the best boost/overdrives ever made. Given to me by a close friend who bought some kind of modelling multi-effect. I don't really have much to say about this that most everyone doesn't already know. Simple and great.

Next we have the passive feedback loop controller built by Daryl Groetsch of Pulse Emitter fame. Good to have one with both volume and feedback controls. Bypass and kill switches are nice additions, too. The plans are on the synthnoise.com website, but I was too lazy to build one. Otherwise, you know what this does. Build quality is great, too.

A Monotonic Labs Type U73 synthbox. I bought this barely used off eBay. It's in great shape and is a lot of fun, especially if the input jack is utilised. Build quality is stupendous and one can get quite a range of sounds out of it. I'm still experimenting.

A Trogotronic 655. This thing is just amazing. My one-word review is "DAMN". It makes the most gut-churning array of sickening sounds that I think I've ever heard. I bought this direct from Trogotronic. Build quality is amazing and the unit is even serialised to me (my name is on a little sticker on the inside of the box). I'm definitely going to be a repeat customer. The only other thing I own that can compare is Sirkut's Synth Noise Box. Really, get one of these.

Be seeing you.

Morbidly Depressed

Another day of this? I can't seem to shake it. The problem is that it is ruining my ability to come up with suitable streams of bilous invective for my current project. All my thoughts are muddled and come out introspective, which ruins my favoured perspective as simple observer. Bullshit is what. I've been gobbling a gramme of GABA at night to help offset, but it is only really dulling the shine off it. The most frustrating part is the fact that the depression is keeping me from becoming angry and it is quite sobering. Much like Ren Höek, I love being angry.

And, pulling these two subject matters together, I'd like to put down a few words about Slow Horse's second album. I've had it for a while and never really given it a proper listen. Then, as if by some sort of unseen hand's influence, I have become obsessed with it for the last five days. I've listened to it perhaps fifteen times in that span. I have to say that it is one of the best of the genre, whether you call it "doom", "stoner rock" or just "metal". Nice and slow, but still riff-based. Crushingly heavy because of the combined effect of musical atmosphere and lyrical content. Not heavy like funeral doom or drone or sludge, but a good solid Black Sabbath or Sleep kind of heavy -- at times it reminds me a lot of Buffalo's Volcanic Rock too. The lyrical content is suitably depressed, but in an angry and bitter style -- not at all weepy like My Dying Bride or shit like that. I'll probably be listening to it today as well. I've been looking for the first Slow Horse album and can only find ridiculously-priced used copies of it. If anyone out there would care to toss me a link, I would be eternally grateful.

It is bright and sunny today here in wonderful Huntington, WV USA. I'm going to carry my camera to work.

Be seeing you.

Sutcliffe Jügend - Pigdaddy

It arrived yesterday. I've listened to it twice and put it on my iPod for today. Sounds like business as usual to me and I think that I prefer The Fall Of Nature. Some good news is that it looks like the entire We Spit On Their Graves is going to be re-mastered for inclusion in the box set. I'm eagerly awaiting that. Thus, the mighty SJ trudge ever on... I'll update once I've listened to Pigdaddy a few more times.

In my opinion, Pigdaddy is not as good as The Fall Of Nature. The lyrical content is as mindbending as SJ promised, but the delivery lacks in some places and at times it just feels as if they're going through the motions. I would recommend the excellent This Is The Truth over Pigdaddy. It is not, however, without some very good moments. The tracks "Filth" and "Nonce" are definitely standouts, followed closely by the low-end rumble of "Insult". Worst moment on the album for me was certainly the disjointed "Dirty".

Today was not a total loss: a good friend gifted me with an original Ibanez Tube Screamer in very nice shape. 

Be seeing you.

Another day of sanity marches on...

As I sit here on my bed in front of my computer, I realise some things. I'm going to be late to work. I'm still queasy from drinking too much last night. I have some of the best friends for which one could wish. It's just that I thought life would be better. I'm not complaining so much as I'm just curious. There are still things that I want. Furniture. A house. A nice girl to keep me sane and reasonable. A new pet spider. The list can go on. I feel a hollow loneliness that has increased an order of magnitude now that I'm in my forties. I've buried myself in my hobbies to try and ignore it, but it just isn't working. So, now's the time to write about this? Where just anyone can see it? Cathartic, I suppose.

Welcome to Neotic Research Unit. Bonus points for identifying the source. Here will be music, movies and such.

Neotic Research Unit is home to Signal. Nightmare power electronics. Cold void sound.

I guess I should shower and head to work.

Be seeing you.