The astrology of legendary jazz records

On December 9th 1964, John Coltrane recorded his masterpiece A Love Supreme in Rudy van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs. Astrologically speaking, that session took place in the eye of a musical storm. So let's take a closer look at the astrological 'weather' during legendary sessions led by Coltrane, Mingus and Miles Davis.

Modular Microtones #1

Why would anybody want to make microtonal music with a modular synth? Somehow, using a computer seems more logical. Especially if you want perfection, which is a common syndrome among microtonalists. But if you’re ok with an oscillator drift of about +/- 1 cent, making microtonal music on a modular system can be big fun. 

Revenge of the Modular Monsters

Let's take it to the stage. Modular maddness with the mighty Mono-Poly featuring Aminah Raysor, and the funky beats of OSC 1899. The Vrijplaats Leiden is perfect for this, it was a great night..

Star Wars ~ Hannibal vs. Rome

Cicero, the Roman philosopher/politician, didn't believe in astrology. In his book De Divinatione he wrote "Did all the Romans who fell at Cannae have the same horoscope? Yet all had one and the same end." The Battle of Cannae was the bloodiest battle in the Second Punic War. It’s even one of the bloodiest battles in all the history of war. An estimated 70.000 Roman soldiers died in a matter of hours.

Is Deep Learning the new 42?

Microphone technique vs. a debate about the future of high tech. Hilarious. If you're interested in the musical side of Deep Learning, try Sirajology on DopeLearning. If you're a dubb scientist, read Wavenet: a generative model for raw audio, a new paper from the Go-champions of Deepmind. Eurorack lovers could try The Oracle.

Out Now: AstroBear ~ Return to Dubb

AstroBear comes from a little planet in the neighborhood of Dubb, which is a bright star on the back of the Great Bear. His love of Space Honey has taken him all over the Milky Way. Recently, he even visited Earth, and left us this little EP with his favorite space travel music.

Download: dubbhism320-024-astrobear-return-to-dubb.rar

Astrology and music: how planets and musicians interact

In this post we present the first results of a new Dubbhism research program: astrology. We're looking at the combinations of the planets in the birth charts of musicians. For this project, we don't use regular astrology (zodiac signs, houses etc.). Instead, we look at a remarkable theory based on the Golden Ratio.

Victim of the Brain

80ties docudrama starring Douglas R. Hofstadter and Daniel Dennett.

Out now on Split-Notes: Next Xen

Next Xen is a new compilation out on Split-Notes, our favorite xenharmonic label. The album features ~ among many others ~ Jacky Ligon (killer track) and Sevish (another scorcher), who have also collaborated with us on several Dubbhism releases. Also fine tracks by Brendan Byrnes, Steve Mueske, Carlo Serafini and Elaine Walker.  

Out Now: Sterk Water ~ Zonder te Voelen

Download: dubbhism320-023-sterk-water-zonder-te-voelen.rar

The Music House in Utrecht

The Music House in Utrecht is the place to be for Dutch A-100 users. You don't just go there to buy stuff. You get coffee, lots of bla bla, photoshoots with random female shoppers posing with vintage gear, more coffee and more bla. When this is done, you get your new gear. Martijn doesn't mind selling the odd ukelele, but Doepfer is still #1.

Out now: Binkieman ~ Strictly Binkie

Download: dubbhism-netlabel-022-binkieman-strictly-binkie.rar

Surviving the Modular Hype #3 ~ Infinity

Retro synth ads are a goldmine for students of the history of gearlust. Carefully worded vintage ads praise the quality, playability, versatility, desirability and sexuality of music gear. Some ads even sell dreams of total control, like this Casio CZ-3000 brochure, which also has a weird take on the famous infinite possibilities cliché.  

The Limbourgh Brothers ~ Kind of Blue

Ultramarine is a deep blue color, made by grinding Lapis Lazuli into a powder. During the 14th and 15th centuries, it was worth more than gold and yet it and symbolized humility and holiness. The Limbourgh Brothers, three famous painters from Nijmegen, really loved the stuff. International Klein Blue also relies heavily on ultramarine.