Otto Matta

Interesting. I didn't know there was a Brave New World movie.

I have mixed feelings about it. Loved the action and the enormous amount of detail, but was not a fan of all the melodramatic fluff that comprised a large portion of the series. The story was compelling, but long-winded. I think it catered too much to pop culture. Would've been great if it were darker and harder. As it is, I was entertained much of the time, but kept feeling like the bottom was dropping out of it every other episode, or that it was wandering purposefully away just to fill the time. Still, as far as TV sci-fi is concerned, it was pretty damn good.

Yah, definitely a quality, original sci-fi movie, I agree.

Almost every significant Western genre was born in America.

Awesome.

Fake.

I'm not a big fan of Aphex Twin at all, but I really like . It's got that sweet, simple nostalgia I need in music. And then Rhubarb is nice. If anyone can point out similar tracks by the guy to help me get over the allergy I get when I see the name...

Read the first one last summer. Great stuff.

I found a reasonably priced copy of the translation today. I look forward to reading it. Even though it's almost always the other way around, sometimes with really, really good movies the books don't quite compare. Blade Runner and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was that way for me. Two VERY different stories, but even so, Dick's book was surprisingly lightweight in comparison.

Pre-ordered my copy, as well as a couple of his others, and the Legiac album. I didn't like Through Friendly Waters that much (although I absolutely love the first track, "Pinch of Peer"), but I've heard other Kettel stuff that is absolutely stunning, so I figured it was time to catch up.

Are you guys talking about Roadside Picnic (Машина желаний) by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky?

Hmm. That picture was my desktop for a couple months in the early winter, shortly after the conjunction of planets and moon made a smiley face in the sky. Weird to see it on an album cover.

Then maybe you're listening to it more than you're adding to it, so the excitement wears off. Very common, and hard to avoid. I think this is okay if it makes you happy in and of itself. But if you are genuinely upset that you don't finish anything, maybe try to find more equilibrium between listening and making.

Maybe you're being too careful. I often find that taking a risk - even though it can be very scary - can move a track along. Open up a new empty 16-bar section, set up some instruments - some you're already using, or even better, some new ones - jam a little and see if something new happens. Then find a way to tie that to the first section. A truism about life in general: The greatest rewards involve the greatest risks. I find that most of the time, if I'm brave enough to take a risk in the writing process, it ends up being a good thing. It could also be that you're just too limited by your equipment - or maybe you have too much equipment, giving you too many choices.

I'm not a fan of Apple products of any kind. Last year I did my research and ended up with a Creative Zen media player. I wanted something solid and user friendly onto which I could just drag and drop my files without having to go through some company's interface. Anyway, it's great. Even the standard headphones are decent for earbuds. It also takes an SD card for expandability. I recommend it.

Yeah, great music. Original and mesmerizing. I think I like Pop the most.

Have you seen his more serious stuff like The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? If not, it might sway your opinion. They did for me, after I thought he was only about absurdist stuff like Ace Ventura and The Mask.

I haven't been able to get past the vocals.

Great movie. Totally enchanting.

La Mort du Loup from L'Apocalypse des Animaux is probably my favorite Vangelis. (Don't watch the video. It's cheesy.)

Cycling '74 has a similar hands-on interface, with a whole ton of free (?) software to make synths as well as music. Might be worth looking into if you like that sort of thing. Also for a more abstract but more industry-friendly way to make music that might be a little easier, although I hear it's a brain fryer for most, is Native Instruments' Reaktor.

Cool! I'll have to check it out.

I liked the third Alien movie the best. I liked the dirty, dystopian nature of it.

Speaking of the army and retro synth classics, Art of Noise's was huge for me as a kid.