Peace & Love to All

Solstice Celebrations, Happy Christmas, Eid ul-Fitr I don't mind what day we do it on, just let's all get together in Peace one day soon folks.

Peace and Love to all.

Quote: Einstein

"Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe - a spirit vastly superior to that of man"

Albert Einstein

Focus - Negative Theology

Focus..

Negative Theology - it is recognized that we can never truly define God in words. All that can be done is to say, it isn't this, but also, it isn't that either. In the end, the student must transcend words to understand the nature of the Divine. In this sense, negative theology is not a denial. Rather, it is an assertion that whatever the Divine may be, when we attempt to capture it in human words, we must inevitably fall short.

Sunlight sparkling on wet stones as far as the eye can see...

Working Class Hero

Working Class Hero
by John Lennon






As soon as you're born they make you feel small
By giving you no time instead of it all
Till the pain is so big you feel nothing at all
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

They hurt you at home and they hit you at school
They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool
Till you're so fucking crazy you can't follow their rules
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

When they've tortured and scared you for twenty odd years
Then they expect you to pick a career
When you can't really function you're so full of fear
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV
And you think you're so clever and class less and free
But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

There's room at the top they are telling you still
But first you must learn how to smile as you kill
If you want to be like the folks on the hill
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
If you want to be a hero well just follow me
If you want to be a hero well just follow me

Can You Imagine

Imagine this & it may well come true. It did for us...



Spent most of today in the sunshine (again), in November! Had lunch at our favourite bar on the beach then took a walk into town. There's something about the sunshine that just makes you feel SO much better. I was just about to blog the Playlist for this week and I thought I'd just check the weather out in the UK (a place we no longer call home) seeing as today was glorious in Ibiza. I thought my legs would never dry! Wet & very windy... mmmmmmm. Let's see, do we miss anything at all about that fear filled little nation with it's shitty weather? Answers on a postcard....

I'll give you a clue....

No :)

Peace & Love
Migz

Quote: Noam Chomsky

"I think, legally speaking, there's a very solid case for impeaching every American president since the
Second World War. They've all been either outright war criminals or involved in serious war crimes."

Noam Chomsky

Soundtrack Heaven?

Ah the joys of the blog. The joys of life! So much music, never enough time to blog it all. With the advent of the Blog Beta I switched over as any self respecting tech lover would. Never one to miss an opportunity to upgrade my technology the man like Ramirez. Just one slight problem, because the "List Wizard / Editor" is so easy to use I found myself constantly updating my Soundtrack list on a daily basis - which was fun, but far too time consuming. If it's a choice between playing music or documenting which music I'm playing it's no choice at all. So to cut to the chase, Soundtrack is now back to once a week. But many thanks to the Blogger team for improving the technology - now all I need is a spell checker - surely there must be one?!@£$??

Quote: Noam Chomsky

"I think the issue, to come back to my original comment, is not simply disinformation and the Gulf crisis. The issue is much broader. It's whether we want to live in a free society or whether we want to live under what amounts to a form of self-imposed totalitarianism, with the bewildered herd marginalized, directed elsewhere, terrified, screaming patriotic slogans, fearing for their lives and admiring with awe the leader who saved them from destruction, while the educated masses goose step on command and repeat the slogans they're supposed to repeat and the society deteriorates at home. We end up serving as a mercenary enforcer state, hoping that others are going to pay us to smash up the world. Those are the choices. That's the choice that you have to face. The answer to those questions is very much in the hands of people like you and me."

Noam Chomsky

Why Work?

"The 40-hour workweek is the bane of civilization. It is a cancer which eats at the human spirit, until the only thing left is an over-weight, underachieving, prime-time addicted android which vaguely resembles a man, yet lacks the exuberance and creativity that is seen so clearly in the eyes of a child. Society takes humans and turns them into workforce-robots. We are the most recent incarnation of the Stepford generation. We've been literally brainwashed into believing that a strong "work ethic" is a virtue, which will somehow magically infuse us with a sense of pride and accomplishment. This is the most pathetic load of dung I've ever heard. Has anyone ever stopped to consider the possibility that if humans had more time to devote to ourselves, we might not need to artificially instill ourselves with false pride, based on the magnitude of our bank books, but rather on our intellectual and spiritual accomplishments. I can not count the times I have met some so-called "successful person", only to find that he or she possessed the I.Q. of sewer rat, with values to match. These types can usually be found congregating in and around government offices and state capitals.

Material wealth is not an indicator of one's success on this earth; happiness is, at least for me. Don't get me wrong, I love money. I adore it and all the things it can attain, but not at the expense of my soul. I believe true fulfillment can only come by being brutally honest with yourself, and staying true to oneself. Being forced to wake up each morning at an un-godly hour and mindlessly conform to a society which is suffering from acute brain atrophy is certainly not the path to self-fulfillment. There has to be a better way. Do I have the answer? No, but at least I have recognized the problem, and surely that is the first step towards rectification."

Craig Mannelli

Click here for more

Being Gay Carlisle

"Where would we put it?" Look frantically around the balcony, painfully blank expression etched across your painfully stupid face as your tiny intellect tries to work out:
(a) What is the Internet?
(b) Is it small enough to fit on your balcony?

All the gear no idea.

"A Big Yellow Banana..." Indeed

"It took us twenty five years to do up our last property..." Mmmmm. Cities are constructed quicker, are you plain lazy or just stupid? Don't answer that.

"Pop down to Sydneys for breakfast..." Only if I can take my Glock with me (or a BFG)

To be continued.

Pacha: Copyright Shovell

Well Well :)

Another superb weekend..

First off a masssive thank you to Copyright Shovell for providing the weekend soundtrack. The guys played Pacha on Saturday and even though the "Winter" crowds are not as numerous as the Summer throng they ripped the roof off. Set highlights for the Ramirez' were the live rendition of the guys own "One Drum" with of course SUPERB live percussion from the drum warrior himself & BucketHeadz - "The Bomb (These Sounds)" - as expected a fair few Defected tunes graced the Decks (an all CDJ affair from what I noticed with lashings of Pioneer EFX for good measure). The joy of living in Talamanca - Pacha only 10 minutes walk away! Love it!

For Spencer

Sitting on the beach in November. Surely this can't be right. A deserted beach at that, yet the temperature is still 70º and the sea is like a beautiful turquoise mirror. The sunlight dances across the tips of the slowly breaking waves and the only link to my previous life is the voice in my ear. I'm drawing spirals in the fine golden sand as we talk, the smell of the sea - the enticing aroma I now class as the scent of home - washing over me. I laugh as he, in his inimitable style recounts the tale of a recent meeting between himself and the person who "introduced" us. Spencer always makes me laugh, he's always had that ability and I guess he always will have. I told him recently - and it's a fact that had only occured to me a couple of days beforehand - that he'd managed to stick with me through two of my life's most stressful events. Events that sent people I'd assumed were friends running for the hills. As I feel the soft sand move easily between my toes I realise that all that is so far away now, it really is a previous life. I still have moments of doubt - who doesn't? But now, here on my dream Island with the sun sat way above me in a perfect blue sky and the sound of the sea gently adding it's rhythmic soundtrack I feel happier than I've ever felt. I look to my right and the gorgeous soul I call Juanita is smiling back at me. It doen't get any better than this...

Here's to you Spence..
Love & Miss Ya

Migz

November 6th Soundtrack

• Miguel Ramirez - "No More Working For The Man (Ibiza Mix)"
• Miguel Ramirez - "Vurt"
• Trentemøller - "Snowflake"
• Hot Chip - "Just Like We (Breakdown) (DFA Remix)"
• Trevor Loveys - "Turn It Up"
• Switch - "Get On Downs"
• Trevor Loveys - "Say What"
• Jesse Rose & Trevor Loveys - "Heavy What"
• Stereo MC's - "Two Horse Town"
• Faithless - "Mass Destruction (Tom Middleton Mix)"
• Isolee - "Madchen mit Hase"
• Layo & Bushwacka - "Life 2 Live (Loco Dice Remix)"
• Loco Dice - "Cellar Door"

Tits & Acid

Tits & Acid Two of my favourite things :)

But seriously, probably one of the most In Yer Face tracks I've heard this year. Simian Mobile Disco have unleashed an absolute monster with this. From the get go it takes no prisoners then just layers electro mayhem on top of old school beats & stabs until it climaxes in a most over the top fashion with a break that'll leave the floor wondering what the f*ck just hit them. After finding this gem in the pile of whites & promos I sift through on a weekly basis I was moved to dig out my other SMD stuff I've not played for a while. Genius! Grab one if you see it :)

Quote: Noam Chomsky

"If the US is unquestionably authorized to bomb another country to compel its leaders to turn over someone it suspects of involvement in a terrorist act, then, a fortiori, Cuba, Nicaragua, and a host of others are entitled to bomb the US because there is no doubt of its involvement in very serious terrorist attacks against them: in the case of Cuba going back 45 years, extensively documented in impeccable sources, and not questioned; in the case of Nicaragua, even condemned by the World Court and the Security Council (in vetoed resolutions), after which the US escalated the attack. This conclusion surely follows if we accept the principle of universality."

Noam Chomsky

November 4th Soundtrack

In Reverse Order:

Trentemøller - "The Last Resort" LP
Amorphous Androgynous - "Swab"
Massive Attack - "Sly (7 Stones Mix)"
Prince Far I / Singers & Players - "Quante Jubila"
Solid Groove - "Won't Stop"
Brainticket - "Adventure (Part 1)"
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Are You Experienced" LP
Gene Farris - "This Is My Religion" LP
Art Of Noise - "Moments In Love"
Hoodlum Priest - "Caucasian"
Roy Harper - "McGoohan's Blues"
John Lennon - "Working Class Hero"
Ludwig Van Beethoven - "Symphony No 7 A Major: Soco Sostenuto - Vivace"
Sebastien Tellier - "Beyond All Strategies"

November 3rd Soundtrack

Pretty much a self indulgent affair yesterday. I finished "Vurt" which is the second track on the album, so I played tracks 1, 2 & 3 to see how they "sit together".


• Miguel Ramirez - "What Is The Question?"
• Miguel Ramirez - "Vurt"
• Miguel Ramirez - "No More Working For The Man"

All tracks will be available for download soon :)

Peace
Migz

New Album: Track Complete - "Vurt"

"Knowledge Vurt is for the few, not the herd..."

"Vurt" a special promo only for the enlightened.

"I felt the opening credits roll and then the pad went morphic and my last thought was: this is beautiful and I want more of it, I want it for ever. Then the Yellow kicked in..." Jeff Noon

"The Buddhists had it right all along, the World is an illusion..."

Probably my best production to date. Something about living where I'm supposed to be no doubt. It'll be posted to the "Hub" tomorrow along with a remastered Track 3 "No More Working For The Man".

For now - Hasta Luego....

Peace
Migz

Game Cat

"Awake, you know that dreams exist. Inside a dream you think the dream is reality. Inside a dream you have no knowledge of the waking world.
It is the same with Vurt. In the real world we know that Vurt exists. Inside the Vurt we think that Vurt is reality. You have no knowledge of the real world."

©Jeff Noon 1993 "Vurt"

November 2nd Soundtrack

• Kerri Chandler & Monique Bingham - "In The Morning"
• A Certain Ratio - "Good Together"
• Gary Clail / ON U Sound System - "2 Thieves & A Liar"
• Bill Hicks - "Gifts Of Forgiveness"
• Jazztronik - "Samurai (12" Mix)"
• Stranger & Shortbus - "Rush On"
• Underworld - "A Hundred Days Off" LP
• Marcus Worgul - "Flying Hi"
• Orbital - "Are We Here?"
• Stone Roses - "Sally Cinnamon"
• The Popular People's Front - "Back 2 Back" EP
• Martin Landsky - "1000 Miles" (Loco Dice Remix)
• Miguel Ramirez - "Vurt"

"Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous" -A. Einstein

One of my favourite words / subjects / rants / illusions / events / acausal principles. I seriously believe and have done for many years (it all started one Thursday night which is one of the reasons Thursday playlists are SO very important) that there is no such thing as coincidence. It's a word we've all heard, all used and more than likely all experienced. Many great philosophers and thinkers have devoted a huge amount of time to the subject and hopefully you will also. The official version or OV as I like to call it goes like this..

"Coincidence literally describes two or more events or entities occupying the same point in space or time, but colloquially means two or more events or entities possessing unexpected parallels, such as thinking about someone and then receiving an unexpected phone call from that person, when it is clear that there is no ordinary causal connection.

The index of coincidence can be used to analyse whether two events are related. A coincidence does not prove a relationship, but related events may be expected to have a higher index of coincidence. From a statistical perspective, coincidences are inevitable and often less remarkable than they may appear intuitively. The odds that two people share a birthday, for example, reaches 50% with a group of just 22 [1] (see the Birthday paradox)."

We (the Jinster & I) watched a film a couple of months ago (we'll be repeating the viewing on November 5th) that we'd been looking forward to seeing for quite a while. The Wachowski Brothers are responsible for probably my favourite film(s) of all time - the (IMHO) breathtakingly brilliant Matrix trilogy. So when I saw their names on the cover of the DVD for a film I'd heard of, but with all the excitement of emigrating to our favourite place in the world, hadn't had time to catch, we rented it for that evening's visual entertainment - no questions asked.

We were not disappointed. The reviews of this film have varied considerably. In fact some would say they have polarised quite dramatically - all depends on your point of view (as with anything). We loved it. Having seen quite a few documentaries recently on the "War on Terror" the film really resonated. As the old saying goes "One man's Terrorist is another man's Freedom Fighter."

But it was the script that got me, the "obsession" with coincidences and the fact that when I "wiki'd" the word "coincidence" the film was one of the two external references that was listed - this has now changed unfortunately (you've gotta love wiki updates) but it still blew me away, especially as we'd been discussing the amazing string of coincidences that has led us to our current position. It really is quite simple I suppose - when you spell it out in black & white - is there a point to life? A purpose?

Or is it just chance?

A purpose to your / my existence?

Or just a bunch of atoms and chemicals that after billions of years of randomly mutating finally manage to come together in a structure that can actually contemplate their own existence?

Again it's one of the things that really fascinates me. A lot of people (and quite a lot of people I know) don't give this question a seconds thought. Literally - not one second is even allocated to this most pertinent of questions. It's the reason I titled track one of my forthcoming album "What is The Question?" To me - and obviously this is only my point of view - it's the most important question we could possibly ask. I mean after all, if just for arguments sake the Big Bang and life suddenly starting for no apparent reason is not an accident. The Universe is fine tuned for our existence ( "That is not a reasonable idea, that something is tuned to 120 decimal places just by accident" - Professor Leonard Susskind)

Richard "Dick" Dawkins recently appeared on Newsnight and was interviewed by Paxman - Dick ended the interview with the classic slip up of all slip ups "I don't believe we are put here to be comfortable.." He's got a new book out and was basically whoring it and misrepresenting Einstein to justify his own narrow minded beliefs. I love scientists that will basically ignore any facts that do not support their own point of view - defiantly defending the paradigm against an overwhelming weight of evidence to the contrary. That's not Science Dick - that's "belief" - "faith" if you like - a word you have problems with. Makes you realise what Copernicus was up against when he valiantly tried to tell the "scientists" of many a year ago they were wrong.

If something has odds of 120 decimal places to 1 against - would you bet on it? Is it "Science" to believe it is the most probable outcome. The Buddhists had it right all along - "The World is an Illusion"

Much, much, much more on this later - for now Hasta Luego

Cue Track 2 "Vurt"

Peace & Love
Migz

Quote: Miguel Ramirez

"Live life like it's a movie - who knows it just might be..."

November 1st Soundtrack

Thanks to the Blogger team for the Beta Blogger :)

Enables me to do this far easier....

Soundtrack will now be updated Daily - "Old One" Permitting :)

• Marvin Gaye - "What's Going On" LP
• Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - "Impulse" LP
• The Rhythm Slaves - "The Rhythm Slaves" EP
• No Assembly Required - "Build Your Own" EP
• Aroma Allstars - "Jazz Chronicles (No Assembly Required Remix)
• Electric Kids - "Live To Dance (After Mix)"
• Thomas Barfod - "1995" EP
• Pete Namlook & Richie Hawtin - "From Within Our Minds...to Yours" LP
• Will Saul - "Jen / Maximal" EP
• Loco Dice - "Orchidee"
• Loco Dice - "Phat Dope Shit (Timo Mass Remix)"
• Matrin Buttrich - "Full Clip"
• Titus K -"Infiltrate"
• Greenskeepers - "Very Warm" EP
• Miguel Ramirez - "No More Working For The Man (Ibiza Mix)"

List in order tracks / LP / EP's were played

Home For A Month

Well a month in - and now it really feels like home. A few things have cemented the feeling I suppose, my first gig (full track listing available soon), my painfully slow (but progressing & I'm loving it) attempt to learn the language, new friends, a far healthier diet, a beautiful climate, mind blowing scenery, amazingly friendly locals, a creative vibe like I've never felt before, a really tanned ridiculously chilled happy fella looking back at me in the mirror, cuatro gatos (4 cats) mellowed out in the garden basking in the sun on a daily basis, the sound of the sea, the beach only a minutes walk away, breathtaking sunrises, awe inspiring sunsets; and I get to share all this with my "Heart Amplifier", my beautiful wife - the Jinster - or Juanita as she is now known.

I'm not sure exactly what happened to really drive the fact "home" that this beautiful Island, is now my "home", but I feel different, and I love it. Sitting on the roof terrace watching the sun set behind the D'Alt Villa gave me goosebumps earlier this evening. When I got up early a couple of days ago to watch my first Ibicencan sunrise I felt tears behind my eyes as the sun slowly rose up "out" of the sea I was that happy. When the days first rays of sunlight hit my skin it was like a drug rush, truly beautiful. I said my thanks to "The Old One" and watched in wonder.

We have a new connection to "The Hub" so postings will revert to their previous frequency (almost daily!) - this one's for all my friends in the UK....

Peace & Love
Migz

No More Working For The Man - Available For Download

Civilization 2012: The Album

Track 3 - "No More Working For The Man"

Now Available for Download.

Quote: Dawkins

"I don't believe we are put here to be comfortable".

Richard Dawkins appearing on Newsnight Friday 22nd September.

Anyone else spot the glaring error in that statement from the worlds leading atheist? It's ok Dick.. honest, no one noticed ;)

Quote: V

Quote of the Day

"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."

V in V for Vendetta

New Album: Track Complete - "No More Working For The Man"

If the Jinster says "That's the best track I've heard all night.." and you've been playing all the usual suspects (Jesse Rose, Swag, Riton, etc etc) you know you've got a winner on your hands. That was the enviable position I found myself in on Wednesday. Now I know the girls' biased, but she knows her shit - no doubt.

I must admit I was that wasted after a beautiful night at the man like Spencer's place, and it just hadn't occurred to me to play it. I'd finished it 2 days previous (18th) but with all the excitement (and stress) of the move - this is my last Monday in the UK by the way - it didn't occur to me to cue it up. I'd been caning it to death over the past few days while performing the final edits, but hadn't heard it as a listener does. Aphex's "Window Licker" was currently gracing the system and as you may or may not know that is a very well produced slice of Electronica - not an easy act to follow.....

Cue No More Working For The Man

Ah. Whoa... F*ck me that kick drum punches a hole in your stomach! And it builds, and it builds... the little percussive noises wildly over produced to shake your senses. The drops, the timing seeming to catch you unaware, the wide encompassing fullness of the sounds... synths that sound like no other instrument, generating noises and tones that could only possibly be electronic in nature - but not sounding like other synths. It's always a pleasure, a real pleasure to hear your own music "fresh". You listen with virgin ears..... it's a bizarre feeling because you know you wrote the tune, but you really can hear it like it's the first time. It was like that for me on Wednesday - or should I say early Thursday morning.

Love it.

I really think I'm doing the best work I've ever done right now. That's a beautiful place to be for any artist, and I thank God / Allah / The Old One / My Spirit Guides / Gaia / Thor / Zeus and the Flying Spaghetti Monster (thanks Mr Dawkins) / The Tao / The Undefinable Absolute / The list goes on / for making it possible. "No More Working For The Man" has something to say... I'm proud to say it's my work.

The story of how the track came to be is a coincidental tour de force. As is the entire album so far, but much much more on that later. First of all I must thank the amazing Alex Jones about whom Greg Palast states:

"This guy is a national treasure, a light breaking through the electronic Berlin Wall of the US media establishment."

True enough. Alex is also passionate & committed to what he believes. Fox News do not like him very much, they like John Connor even less. If I worked for Fox and I was screening calls for Hannity & Colmes and a call from San Diego came in from a bloke called John - I'd be worried. Not that I'd ever work for Fox and IMHO Hannity & Colmes are indeed Gatekeepers of the highest order. Which is exactly what John Connor calls them. One of the many tracks currently in progress for the new album was this one, already titled "No More Working For The Man" and started the same day as this post. I needed a vocal for the track and had toyed with some Bush samples and some gems of wisdom from Chomsky on Corporations, but after hearing Hannity admit again and again that "I'm working for the man" it really was a coincidence too far. So I fired him into the EXS24 and before you could say "Pawn & Puppet of the Illuminati" the track was complete....

Currently this will be track 3 on the album. I'll post to the hub asap.

For now and for reference and because you need to see it, check

Alex Jones and
John Connor

Peace & Love

Migz

Science At The Crossroads

Quantum Mechanics. Western Science or Eastern Religion?

"The last few decades have witnessed tremendous advances in the scientific understanding of the human brain and the human body as a whole. Furthermore, with the advent of the new genetics, neuroscience's knowledge of the workings of biological organisms is now brought to the subtlest level of individual genes. This has resulted in unforeseen technological possibilities of even manipulating the very codes of life, thereby giving rise to the likelihood of creating entirely new realities for humanity as a whole..." Tenzin Gyatso, the Dalai Lama.


"How come it is, that the further in you go, the bigger it gets?" Terence McKenna


One of the things I find really fascinating about current Western Scientific theory is how much it sounds like Eastern Religious thinking. Quantum Mechanics is a case in point. As Niels Bohr so famously noted:

"If quantum mechanics hasn't profoundly shocked you, you haven't understood it yet."

"And anyone who thinks they can talk about quantum theory without feeling dizzy hasn't yet understood the first thing about it."

The implications of Quantum Theory are reality changing. Nothing will ever be quite the same again. The phrase "Everything you know is wrong" just about sums it up. Best not to think about it then. Put the grey matter on hold and watch retards on reality shows, interspaced with high intensity mass media sales pitches.

As Bill Hicks used to say:

"The world is like a ride at an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it, you think it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it's very brightly coloured and it's very loud and it's fun, for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time, and they begin to question: Is this real, or is this just a ride?....."

I'm going for a lie down. I'm feeling very dizzy.

Peace
Migz

Get Zapped: Born with Music

Get Zapped: Born with Music Great quote. Great Blog. Some really thought provoking images and quotes here. Check It.......

Mac Freak: Distributed Audio

Oh dear. I really need to get out more :) What exactly is it about these bits of kit that make me happy? I suppose one of the reasons is that I can link them together so I can have even more SoftSynth madness going on. Something those programming wizards at  call Distributed Audio. A simple ethernet cable and hey presto, how many Space Designer Reverbs would you like? Just link your Macs together and let the lazy machine in the corner do some work. Let me tell you - I love this technology.

There comes a point when making music using softsynths, that the CPU (no matter how powerful) says "STOP!" It varies from system to system, but generally the faster the CPU, the more memory you have available (bigger is better) etc etc the more plug-ins, softsynths and virtual devices you can have. Now, as in all things teamwork is the way forward! Link your Macs, sit back, watch in amazement as they share the load. I've been using the Jinster's Mac Mini as a Logic Node but today ordered my new iMac especially for the job. Well one of the jobs I have in mind for it anyway. Who knows, if the album does well I may treat myself to a Mac Pro to act as a Super Node :)

For those that are interested here's how it works:

"A distributed audio network requires at least two Apple computers running Mac OS X version 10.3 or later, with one acting as a master system (1GHz G4 or faster recommended) and additional computers serving as “nodes” (G5 recommended). Logic node software uses each networked computer as an additional processor for your Logic Pro 7 system. You may install Logic Node on an unlimited number of Macs. Gigabit Ethernet provides the best performance. If you use more than one node, the switch that manages them must be Gigabit to avoid data transfer bottlenecks."

Ahhhh. Tasty.

Quote: Noam Chomsky

"Many indigenous people apparently do not see any reason why their lives, societies and cultures should be disrupted or destroyed so that New Yorkers can sit in their SUVs in traffic gridlock."

The man is a genius. More Chomsky at Official Chomsky Website.

Trentemøller: The Last Resort Oct 6th Release

From Pokerflat Trentemøller album coming soon! 22.08.2006

We are very happy & proud to announce the debut album of Anders Trentemøller, The Last Resort to be released on Poker Flat October, 6th!
It's been a great year for the young Dane, with many great releases and furious live-shows. In between his busy schedule Anders managed to record a beautiful album. "Making these tracks was like having time-off.“, says Trentemøller, „Moments to totally space out and let the music flow", and so the album is personal and emotional, 100% Trentemøller.
Other than the dancefloor bombs he released on Poker Flat and some other labels, the album includes 13 beautiful capturing rather downtempo songs - mixed in one flow by Trentemøller.
Watch for a new milestone. more info soon!

artists: Trentemøller
release: The Last Resort

Blog: sousys

sousys: The love for music

A fellow music lover. Found this post and excellent blog after searching Blogger to see who else listed the amazing Trentemøller in their profiles. I couldn't agree more with the posts so I had to link it. Check the Digital Hippie Culture Collective You won't regret it..

Peace
Migz

It's ALL F**Ked: Passwords!

"What's my password? What is it?" The cries of a fairy who struggles with all things password related always bring a smile to my face. Love ya Jin xx

Flickr Toys & Slideshows

More new goodness. Found this cool slide show code at Slide It's what I used to generate the Slideshow on this page.

New Album: "Civilization 2012"

Hot on the heels of "What is The Question" featuring the late great Terence McKenna, another two tracks should complete this weekend. A few final tweaks and arrangement edits are all that remain for "Berlin" - but "No More Working for The Man" is also only approx half an hours work from completion. Ah the imbeciles that are Hannity & Colmes. The genius that is John Connor! Stay Tuned....!

Mac Freak: Jinster's Mac Book

Not to be outdone by her parents - who recently ordered a Mac Book, the Jinster has taken the decision to go mobile also. Ladies & Gentlemen we proudly present the Jinster Mac Book. Ah yes, the Jinster who switched to Mac from PC about a year ago with her lovely Mac mini feels the need to go mobile. Wireless connection to the "Hub" is what we all need - I speak as an avid fan of Wireless.

So after placing the order at 4.15pm on the 8th it arrived today (10th). Less than 48 hours. Great service, the Jinster was so giddy this morning. I awoke to the sight of her jumping up & down with uncontrolled glee and a package in her hands that was undoubtedly some serious kit ;)

Having watched my parents in law equally gidddy yesterday with the arrival of their Mac it was a weird sense of I deja-vu I experienced as The Jinster squeeled with delight. So being the Mac Freak that I am I decided to record the experience. Here's the timespan of delight for another satisfied convert.....











As you can see, quite chuffed. I've been unable to pry her away from it. All good then.....

So that's my In Laws and my lovely Wife fixed up with new Intel Macs....

Errrrr about that new Quad Xeon with 16GB I fancied..

Peace

Migz

New Album: "Civilization 2012" Track Title: "What Is The Question?"

What is The Question?

Dub Electronica for the 21st Century. The first track to be completed from my new album Civilization 2012 featuring a sample of the late, great and sadly missed Terence McKenna. Posted today to archive.org.

It's good to have the creative drive well & truly back in place. Logic Pro has helped me more than a clever little piece of code has any right to (If little pieces of code have any rights that is: discuss), not only has it managed to draw me back into making music on a pretty much daily basis; it's also helped me to make the music I'd always wanted to make.

The sonic possibilities seem endless - as I suppose the advertising blub for any sequencing software will always state. But in Logic's case I can say {IMHO} that statement seems to be true.

"The sonic possibilities are endless..."

My productions have taken a massive leap forward from a production point of view. The Jinster has even commented on such with the beautiful phrase "Everything just sounds fatter.."

True enough. The sounds are "fatter" "dirtier" "funkier" and all the other qualities you (well certainly I) want from a track. I think more than any other program I've used it inspires me to create. The quality of the plug-ins are just breathtaking. For the new album one of the guiding precepts was the "Totally Soft" approach. One of the many coincidences recently (a full list to be published here) was my good friend Ben bringing this months copy of a well known Techy music making magazine featuring an article on going "Totally Soft" ie not using outboard gear (Synths, Drum Machines, Reverbs, Mixers etc) instead use software versions. The argument "real vs soft"(whatever real is) has raged for years and will continue to do so until the end of time I'm sure. The tag line read

"The totally software studio, with sound quality at least as good as that offered by studio hardware, is now more feasible than ever before. But what are the factors to consider if you're going to go completely 'soft'?"

I sold my last remaining real synth recently. My Access Virus C was a much loved but unfortunately much neglected synth module. When Logic Pro came along everything changed. I couldn't justify keeping the Virus when I wasn't even using it - especially since we were in the process of moving to our beautiful new home in Ibiza. And amazing synth that the Virus was, why keep something you don't even turn on?

Yes I could've kept it for "old times sake" but seeing as I could sell it for the same price I paid for it, over 18 months ago, and if I paid for shipping it over to Ibiza then never used it.... it was a no brainer. Well it was a no brainer when Logic sounded like it sounded (and continues to sound). Bye bye Virus. Hello world of the totally soft. Just Code baby that's all we got...

Well apart from my input device (I like to call it a Keyboard) the funky little Remote 25 and my Amp & Monitors etc my Studio is "Soft". This would have been science fiction not too many years ago. But now thanks to our mastery of technology and the invention and subsequent mass production of the CPU we have a fully functional Pro Audio Studio in a gorgeous little (well seventeen inches if you want to be pedantic) laptop.

So armed to the teeth with kick ass software I began. What Is The Question is the first track to be completed. In the fortnight that I've owned Logic I think I've started 9 tracks. A couple were vying for the "first completed track in Logic Pro" title, but in the end "What is The Question" just sneaked ahead of "Berlin".

It's a dubby electronic production number, that will always remind me of the lovely little house in Baildon that we rented for 12 weeks while we were sorting out our future Ibiza life. If you're a fan of Terence McKenna (and if you're not, you should check him) you'll recognize his dulcet tones immediately. It weighs in at just under 5 minutes and it's quite a trip. The idea was to build a groove on his distinctive voice then layer dubbed out synth lines and tightly focused rhythms. The Jinster called it "trippy". That'll do for me....

Enjoy.

Peace

Migz

Music - Todays Playlist

Well it's Thursday and here on the Terrace that usually means me hitting the decks and spinning some of my favourites. I'm lucky enough to get music sent to me by Labels / Distributors so I'm never short of new stuff to listen to, but Thursdays are kinda special (full details why on Civilization 2012 shortly) so I tend to play stuff I love on Thursdays rather than just hitting the fresh stuff. If a Tune makes the cut for today's playlist it's special.

• Issst (Nathan Fake Remix) - Tiefschwarz
  
• Original Ft Smallboy - Tiefschwarz
  
• Strangest Things (M.A.N.D.Y Remix) - Freeform Five
  
• Strange Fruit - Nina Simone
  
• Dream Machine feat. Sean Hayes - Mark Farina
  
• Galvanize (Abe Duque Remix) - The Chemical Brothers
  
• My Love Is Systematic (John Dahlback Remix) - Marc Romboy
  
• Live in Copenhagen - Trentemoller
  
• Never See More - Cagedbaby
  
• I Get Lifted - Frankie Knuckles vs Barbara Tucker
  
• Big Day (Booka Shade Remix) - Tahiti
  
• Timmy's Turn - Motion 040
  
• Fly (Miguel Ramirez Mix) - Tiefschwarz
  
• Dust (Miguel Ramirez Mix) - Recloose
  
• Electromagnetic (Freeform Reform) - Freeform Five
  
• Freakin (Robert Babicz Remix) - Marc Romboy Vs Blake Baxter
  
• Blood (Tiefschwarz Remix) - Lopazz
  
• Shake It (Original) - Jason Hodges
  
• Erotic Discourse (Miguel Ramirez Mix) - Paul Woolford
  
• Berlin - Caged Baby
  
• Get There Tonight - Recloose
  
• My Personal Jesus - Zoo Brazil
  
• Yamore (Luciano Remix) - Salif Keita
  
• Byte the frog - Steve Bug & Tanzmann
  
• Miranda - Marc Romboy Vs Stephan Bodzin
  
• Mana's Bounce - Recloose
  
• Friend for a Night - Booka Shade
  
• Say What - Trevor Loveys
  
• Pleasure seeker - Elektrochemie
  
• Melopia Funk (Nu Edit) - Altz
  
• Easy - Freeform Five
  
• Red Hot - Solid Groove & Sinden
  
• That Shit Was... (Original Mix) - Mike Monday
  
• I Can Feel It - Lawnchair Generals
  
• Big One (Original Mix) - Elektrochemie
  
• Lose Body Control (In Tha Club) - Missy Elliot And M.A.N.D.Y.
  
• Nam Nam - Trentemoller
  
• Samba - Tomboy
  
• Get On Downz - Switch (Dave Taylor/Trevor Loveys)
  
• New Disease - Riton
  
• Homeless - Riton
  

Riton still doing it for me, Trentemoller (but that almost goes without saying) and Recloose all baking my noodles. If you haven't heard these tunes you really should try to make time to. Unless of course you think that today's electronic music is and I quote "Just Squeeks, Blips and Farts" in which case I'd suggest listening really carefully to Riton's "New Disease".

Yes Reg. We mean You.

Windoze Vista

Windoze Vista - the excitement never starts. Unfortunately as you are all no doubt aware it keeps getting delayed, and delayed, and delayed. Ah well, good things come to those who wait right? Yawn.

Here's what the Vista users have to look forward to when it finally arrives {LMAO}

Microsoft Vista Demo

Peace

Flickr Toys & Slideshows

Studio Pieces,
originally uploaded by Miguel Ramirez.

A nice little effect I found on Flickr Toys. My creative hub in Hockney style. Found a couple of excellent Flickr Toys in the last few days. The Hockneyizer and the Slideshow.

Check 'em - you won't be disapointed.

While I'm in slideshow mood here's my favourites from Flickr. There are some lovely people posting on there, shouts go out to Jilicious and Lady Kubricka.

We Love Space Sunday 23rd July

Space Sunday,
originally uploaded by Miguel Ramirez.

Ah - Space. A night club that opens during the day. A place full of happy, ridiculously friendly, mind blowingly gorgeous clubbers: all on the same vibe, all up for a great time, all TOTALLY into the MUSIC. Does it get any better? Well no actually it doesn't.


We'd arrived back home after a brief visit to the UK sorting sh*t out. After arriving 6 hours late thanks to Jet2 (or is that Shat2?) we'd missed lunch, our evening meal and our favourite part of Space Sundays (the day!). My head was thumping since all I'd had to eat all day was a packet of crisps & a danish. Not to be deterred we quickly showered, changed and headed for sustenance. One of our favourite places to eat in Talamanca is the Andalucia - it's a bar / cafe just down the road from the Lux Isla that's very popular with the locals (the photo's from last year and it's out of season - it's busier than this normally!) The owners are truly Ibicencan - warm & friendly and the food is just amazing. After a stunning meal that really hit the spot (food always tastes even better when you're really hungry don't you think?) we walked into town, grabbed a taxi and headed to Space.

Coincidently - mmmm how does this work? Wooly (Paul Woolford aka Bobby Peru) was on the same Shat2 flight we were on. I'd met Paul briefly in my previous life when I worked in Leeds, he'd just finished a 6 hour back to back set with Ralph (Lawson) at Basics and had gone straight from there to the airport. He wasn't playing 'till 11pm and we thought we'd catch his set easily. Unfortunately due to the delays by the time we got there we'd missed him. Having said that we spent most of the night in / on the Terrace (Wooly was playing in the Main Room with Jeff Mills).

"Shit here isn't it?" said a lovely friendly fella to me with a huge grin on his face. Beautiful Baleric people were rhythmically bouncing and shaking to dirty, chunky house music. Everywhere you looked your eye caught another's. Smiles beamed back and forth, stunningly dressed clubbers were getting hot & sweaty wherever you looked. Space is COSMOPOLITAN - no question. You dance, mingle & socialise with people from every conceivable corner of the world. The phrase Global Underground was coined to describe this feeling. There are millions of like minded people getting together every weekend and having a great time. Language is no barrier, sexuality is no barrier, colour & creed is no barrier. I believe Music truly is the Global Language.

Space always works it's magic, every time we go we feel reborn. Our favourite club - definately.

Peace & Love to everyone there that night. Wooly - we'll catch you next week :)

Mac Freak: Links

Great week. Before I get into this weeks stuff here's a couple of links for all you Mac freaks out there....

An amazing Apple 30th Aniversary Video I picked up from here Tauquil

Props out to Aaron for putting the video together - great work fella :)

And I couldn't resist this Mac Light Saber Now my 17" Powerbook doubles as a Jedi weapon when it's not making music or blogging ;)

Logic Pro: ES2 Soft Synth

ES2 - The best synth I've ever used.

Logic Pro has totally blown me away. I've only had it 3 days and I can honestly say I'm gob smacked. I've been using computer sequencing packages since Steinberg made Pro 16 for the Commodore 64 way way back in pre history. I think it was during the late Pleistocene Era that early copies of this software were released - or it may have been 1985 but whenever it was it came on a floppy disc considerably larger than a dinner plate.



Impressive eh?

Anyway in it's day Pro 16 was a masterpiece of software, in 2006 the same can be said of Logic Pro. I've just spent the last 5 hours or so in the company of the ES2 SoftSynth and it has pushed all MY creative buttons. Ridiculously expressive sounds, and fat as f**k. I know synths are subjective (what isn't?) but since this is my blog I'm allowed my opinion ;)

Just for the sake of balance though here's a few of the synths I've been lucky enough to own (or have borrowed on extended loan) so you get an idea of the competition....
These are "Real" synths not Soft:

• Korg - MS10
  
• Korg - MS20
  
• Roland - Jupiter 6
  
• Roland - Jupiter 8
  
• Roland - Juno 6
  
• Roland - TB303
  
• Sequential Circuits - Pro One
  
• Sequential Circuits - Pro Five
  
• Yamaha - DX7
  
• Yamaha - DX9
  
• Korg - Poly 800
  
• Korg - PolySix
  
• Casio - CZ101
  
• Korg - M1
  
• Korg - Wavestation
  
• Korg - Trinity V3
  
• Novation - BassStation
  
• Roland - MC202
  
• Roland - SH101 x2
  
• Access - Virus C
  

And more soft synths than you can shake a stick at including recently Albino 2, Absynth 3, Reaktor, Halion, Moog Modular - you get the picture. It was fun thinking about all the bits of kit I've had tho' :)

And I can honestly say, that easily the ES2 blows 'em all away. There are quite a few SoftSynths bundled with Logic Pro all of them pretty damn cool but the ES2...... well...... so good I needed to rant!

For me the whole point of any bit of Pro Audio gear - be it Hardware or Software is "Does it help me create?" Because let's remember boys and girls - that's the whole point. Creating. The creative process. Writing a kick ass tune. I don't want to spend days (or years) with a bit of kit that doesn't make me want to play it.

It's like when I moved from Windoze to OSX last year, suddenly I wanted to create again. I didn't spend hours (days, weeks, months - let's face it - Years, "fixing" things on my PC. I used my computer for what I bought it for - creating. Logic was the next logical (pun intended) step. Cubase is great, Ableton & Reason cool as..... but seriously folks as they now say in Talamanca:

"Once you go Mac - you never go back" :)

Peace & Love

Miguel (Mac Freak) Ramirez

The Weekend

Ah - The Weekend!

Scorchio as Channel 9 would say.

Well, they don't come much better. My beautiful Soul Mate (The Jinster), good friends, great weather, amazing sounds and a brand new sequencer for me to get to grips with.

The Jinster (above) was in full effect this weekend. Favourite quote "It's F**cked" pertaining to amongst other things: the shower in the bathroom, the can opener etc, etc... Since we stopped working for The Man life has really started all over again. We're both so chilled and feel like a whole new chapter has begun - which I suppose it has. The Book has been nagging me again (lots more on this to follow) and ideas are coming thick & fast. It really makes me wonder just how much we could all achieve if we weren't - as my brother so affectionately calls it "Wage Slaves"....

We were lucky enough to entertain one half of the Space Turkeys and I:Nerve this weekend. It got messy (it was always going to if we're honest). I:Nerve dropped a copy of his latest EP "Mystery Bags & Budgie Smugglers" - amazing dark and twisted Breaks. Hope to get audio clips up for you soon....

Anyway, Space is calling. We're viewing a property in Talamanca (Ibiza) shortly and if all goes well we'll be living by the sea on the most amazing of Islands. While we're there our favourite Club puts on it's weekend special - so it'd be rude not to drop by :) Tiefschwarz are playing as well as Jeff Mills and quite a few of my homies from Basics.... all things considered it should be a blinder. There will of course be a full review on this very blog (and subsequently posted to the Hub).

Music - Todays Playlist

Todays Playlist:

• Amplified Heart - Caged Baby


• Square Eyes (Miguel Ramirez Mix) - Riton


• Mouth (Pepe Bradock Remix) - Iz & Diz


• Complete Life ( Jazzanova Remix) - Liquid Lounge


• Damaged Goods - Riton


• Drum 'N Boogaloo (Mo Horizons Remix) - Fort Knox Five


• Say What - Trevor Loveys


• Beautiful Day (Banzai Republic Vs Trentemoller Mix) - Laid Back


• One Design - Mooli

It's a beautiful day :)

Terrace Favourite at the moment - Riton. Also as I type this, Caged Baby's "Evolution" is playing which really makes me smile, Big Thanks to my friend Frenchy for getting me hooked up with "Will See You Now". He turned me onto Tom (Caged Baby) last year and the album blows me away everytime I play it. Check my links for more info.

Also on the Music side of things I've just bought Logic Pro (much more on that later) it should arrive in the next couple of days - can't wait.

As Iain M Banks would say "Connected to the Hub" - very addictive. I'm new to the whole blogging thing and my rants will no doubt come thick & fast. But I thought "what the hell". So here it is..... Music, Nature & Philosophy will be the main topics. Oh and living in Ibiza! Much much more on that later.

Peace & Love

Miguel

The Truth

"The Truth went a stage further, holding that this was a difference that could be made to make a difference. What was necessary was for people truly to believe in their hearts, in their souls, in their minds, that they really were in a vast simulation. They had to reflect on upon this, to keep it at the forefront of their thoughts at all times and they had to gather together on occasion, with all due ceremony and solemnity, to express this belief. And they must evangelise, they must convert everybody they possibly could to this view, because - and this was the whole point - once a sufficient proportion of the people within the simulation came to acknowledge that it was a simulation, the value of the simulation to those who had set it up would disapear and the whole thing would collapse."

Iain M. Banks - "The Algebraist"