The Conduit Review :: Hail Yeah!

Well ladies and gentlemen, the long-awaited IGN review of our latest game title, The Conduit, has finally hit... and hit it big! IGN reviews can mean the death knell for otherwise well-crafted games. They can also sometimes generate lots of excitement and interest in largely forgettable games. With their review of The Conduit, IGN not only offers one of the most honest and accurate reviews I've read in some time, they said my sound effects have "genuine umph"! And take a look at that Wii splash page, will you? There's Conduit imagery in the rolling pennant, a Conduit banner across the top and down the righthand side, and the kicker is the Conduit background image they're using behind the entire page. Dare I say we've outdone ourselves with this Nintendo title?! Congratulations to the entire HVS team, who poured nearly 2 years of heart and soul into what was, at the time of inception, merely a small window of opportunity to make an innovative FPS on Nintendo's often exclusively family-oriented gaming hardware. The Conduit pushes the boundaries of what's possible on today's most popular console, not only in terms of what can be done with the Wii's graphics and sound, but it also promises lasting appeal and raises the bar, most likely permanently, on control customization for the entire FPS genre. The Conduit is set to stand the test of time in terms of replayability with it's sweet multiplayer options and narrative creativity which provides the overall storyline. It also has the distinguished position of being the first game on Nintendo's Wii in North America with two sets of cover art, one for the standard edition, and an alternate cover (featuring the All Seeing Eye) on the metallic Special Edition. Check out the full review on IGN and especially the video review which was posted shortly after.

Mutek 2009 report

Having just attended the North American debut presentation of Wolfgang Voight's GAS show this past Tuesday at the Chicago Cultural Center (GAS also launched Mutek'09 here in Montreal yesterday night) we started off at Mutek with a live set from Burnt Friedman, Nonplace label head, and Jaki Leibezeit, drummer from the Krautrock phenomenon Can. I don't know how Jaki's kick drum was mic'd, but the punchy and robust bass eminating from it was straight out of numerous Nonplace releases. I noticed he doesn't use his feet to work the kick drum, preferring to play all drums with the sticks he held in his hands. Burnt was controlling a Korg synth, mixer, laptop, and who knows what else, while resorting a handful of times during the set to a wind-propelled keyboard driven by a tube hanging from Friedman's mouth. A fine set to start out the festival, culminating in a surprisingly effective four-on-the-floor rendition of Obscured By Five from the original Secret Rhythms LP. Somewhere along the way Jaki laid down some tough dubstep-like beats, handmade with surgical precision. Having followed Friedman's music since the mid-90s, and not seen him perform live since his late 90s tour date in Chicago with Pole mastermind Stephan Betke, this was a refreshing show to see. Immediately after, we headed over to Metropolis to see Appleblim's North American DJ debut, with the British dubstep connoisseur laying down a healthy dose of solid off-kilter rhythms and shadowy atmospheres. Dubstep really is an entirely different beast on a big sound system with serious bass. This was really the first time in such circumstances for me, leading to a renewed appreciation for this still emerging and developing form of electronic music. And what better chef to serve it up than Appleblim himself? We momentarily crossed to the other side of the building to take in some of Ezekiel Honig's more ambient set, supplimented by enhanced visuals from Chika projected on dual screens in the background. Following this, Deadbeat took the stage, delivering a staggering live set of polished dub techno inflected tunes, including one prominently featured female vocalist singing Under the Radar in a darkly melodic fashion which perfectly coelesced with Deadbeat's clean and technical sounds.

On Friday we attended one of the events I flew up here to see: a panel discussion made up of Uwe Schmidt (Atom, Senor Coconut, Lassigue Bendthaus), Thomas Fehlmann (the Orb, Palais Shaumberg) and Tobias Freund (Pink Elln, NSI. Sieg Uber Die Sonne). The moderator was Philip Sherburne, techno journalist extraordinaire. The topic was loosely based around trends and scenes in the music industry, and the marketplace, but all 3 artists talked about general electronic music history as well as their own personal progressions through the years, both as solo artists and in collaborations. This was followed by a lengthy question and answer period which put the panel discussion into overtime and grazed such topics as MIDI technology, analog vs digital approaches to composition, and the end of history. All 3 artists were very articulate during the procedings, and presented stimulating discourse between each other as well as some audience member questions. Tobias left a little before the end, having to go to his soundcheck in preparation for tonight's live show. Following this we headed over to Place des Arts to see Robert Henke's installation called Atom. I find it amusing that Montreal has a record store called Atom Heart, hosted the musician Atom, and at the same time this Atom installation happening. The installation was very cool, held in a pitch-black room... until the balloons lit up. They blinked, weaved into patterns, faded in and out, and simulated all kinds shapes, from staircases to waves and other surfaces, all accompanied by the kind of sound design that only comes from Robert Henke. Following this, it was back to Monument National to see SND live. Being a big fan of nearly all of SND's past work, this a was another fine display of their explorations into the basic building blocks that make up much of techno music. They seemed at times to circle around certain patterns, magnifying their rhythmic effects. Accompanied with their sonic-sliced visuals behind them, this was probably the most focused of all the sets we saw at Mutek. After SND came NSI, or Non Standard Institut, normally consisting of Tobias Freund and Max Loderbauer, but this time with Jimmy Lakatos filling in for Max. The set was dark, beatless, and spacey. With all manner of detuned drones and textured sounds blending and contrasting with each other, behind them were a series of hidden disco ball surfaces illuminated with various moving colored lights which projected throughout the theater.

Saturday night was by far the best, although I'm running out of steam here so I'll keep my descriptions brief. Brenden Moeller followed by Thomas Fehlmann on an outdoor stage, with Montreal's skyline providing an unforgettable backdrop to the grooves they dished out. It's been a long time since I've been to a nice picnic like that! Then it's over to the Raster-Noton showcase with Ryuchi Ikeda & Carsten Nicolai laying out some seriously aggressive nerdtech beats and noise. Think of the most complex techno you've ever heard, except the snares, rimshots and highhats are here replaced with various pulses, glitches and raw waveforms for the future museums of dance. Then a live set from Atom, similar to the one in Germany earlier this year, except he also played some material from his recently released Liedgut album, as well as a killer improvised version of Prazision from the Stereonerds album. Unbelievably great to finally see him perform live, as Atom, and then to actually meet the guy in person shortly afterwards! Byetone continued the jams following Atom, and I'm tired of typing now, and this is probably my longest blog post ever, so I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story.

The Conduit is complete

Development of the Conduit is wrapping up and we're only a few more weeks from the June 23rd release date. As I was lead sound designer on this project for over a year, it has been the largest and most ambitious project I have ever had the honor of working on. The dev team has done a fantastic job making this the best Wii FPS title yet. The graphics, sound, gameplay and controls of this game are sure to make it a big hit this summer. A soundtrack remix contest has also been launched, which will definitely be interesting. We'll be showing off the game at E3 next month, along with another as-yet unannounced title for which I am also designing sounds. Various websites are up, check them out:
The Conduit Official Site
The Conduit Sega
The Conduit Remix Contest
The Conduit Fansite
The Conduit Developer Blog
The Conduit @ wikipedia

Back from a long hiatus

Ok, so it seems like it's been an eternity since my last update. I've been remiss, negligent, and foolhardy. Incidentally I've also taken a shine to the occassional glass of absynth, digging around in dubstep crates looking for uncommonly polished gems, developing mixing strategies, and hard at work designing sound effects for multiple video games. So, in efforts to rekindle your affections I am providing a couple new mixes for your listening pleasure. Start it all off with the Cosmic Undertow, an all-terrain mix of goodies I've come across over the last 6 months or so. A serious melange of diverse styles brought together in seamless fashion for minimal disruptive effect. Follow this up with a straight ahead techno set, more focused and preoccupied with the 4 on the floor rhythms:
Cosmic Undertow
Sir Server Styles

Friday Sept 5th :: The Elf Machine LIVE

The summer radio series continues tomorrow night! Tune in tomorrow evening for a truly monumental episode of forward thinking ambientechno. Joining us will be longtime Chicago area producer Vir Unis. He's done many live radio performances for us over the years, often in conjunction with longtime collaborator James Johnson, but this Friday's set promises to be a first since he will be performing as the Elf Machine this time around. As the first public performance of EM material, it will surely be something spacial, and the perfect introduction to the EM sound. The Elf Machine provides improvisational space, morphing through various rhythmic configurations and down hidden beatless passages. Following The Elf Machine's set will be DJ Phonaut, swooping in to finish off the evening with an eclectic set of new and classic downtempo and ambient platinum hits.
The Elf Machine (Atmoworks) LIVE with dj phonaut
Friday September 5th, 2008 @ 11:30pm
89.3 FM in the Chicago area
Live stream @ wnur.org
Atmoworks :: Phonaut :: WNUR

Summer Radio, Round IV

On Friday July 11th, we aired a fantastic show on WNUR featuring Josh Deep of Deeper Soul Recordings throwing down a delicious set jam packed with all manner of disco and house-inflected tracks. Then we heard from the DJ Wormgear, who took us through an eclectic mix of old and new beat-driven material. Finally, Phonaut finished out the night with a heavily atmospheric downtempo set coming off the CD mixers, rounding out the evening. If you missed this show, worry not for I have posted a few excerpts up on the downloadable mixes page, and there are more to come. Podcast subscribers should note that I will no longer make further posts using podomatic, as they changed the rules of the game and now charge $100/year for service they previously provided for free. Instead, I have moved my entire website to a new server that will accomodate, and all mixes will be posted directly to the mixes page.

Join me again this coming Friday night (July 27th), doing a shorter 90-minute set this time, starting at 10pm and going until 11:30. My plan is to start off heavy on the beats and mellow out as we progress. As always, you can tune in via 89.3 FM WNUR here in the Chicago area, or listen to one of the many streaming options provided in the upper righthand corner of wnur.org

Summer Radio, Round II

Following hot on the heels of our show from a couple weeks ago, we're back in the studio for another broadcast tonight, so tune in! Same bat-time, same bat-channel: 11:30pm on 89.3FM or listen on the web at www.wnur.org

As always, expect another transmission filled with ambient techno, downtempo and chilled grooves. That's all for now, but keep your ears peeled, we'll be back again next month!

Phonaut on the air Friday June 6th

It's been a while since we last graced Chicago's airwaves, going all the way back to the '07 holiday season. This marks the longest gap between radio shows since I started doing them way back during the holidays of 1996. Hopefully the podcast page has provided you with satisfactory mixes during our absence. On June 6th at 11:30pm (Central Standard) we return for a 3-hour first rate journey into deep techno and chill-out territory. Tune in via wnur.org or by tuning your FM dial to 89.3

Phonaut @ Butterfly Social Club Weds May 21

Re:vivify is an ongoing weekly event organized by local video artists/promoters Psymbolic and happens every wednesday over at the Butterfly Social Club. Tomorrow night I'll be mixing quantum ambient, clock-drone, and perhaps also some more upbeat material toward the end of the evening. Check the links for full event details, we are loosely calling this a collaboration between myself and Jason Finkelman aka Caxixikid. Jason is a Philadelphia-born percussionist who specializes in improvisation with a handcrafted Afro-Brazilian bow instrument called the berimbau and performs on a wide variety of other African and Brazilian instruments. Stop in and treat yourself to one of BSC's fantastic coctails and take in some stimulating sounds.