Has the world gone mad with loathing of gays recently?

Wayne recently had to take the comments down from his site because an anonymous poster was spewing hateful arguments left and right on his discussions of homophobia in dancehall. He bravely held forth, but the fact is there seem to be an army of people out there consider it their righteous calling to tap away furiously into the night with limitless energy on all sorts of attitudes I can’t stand. See, for me, it’s simple. Gay? Fine by Me. Follow the link to an awesome site and campaign. You better believe that people will speak out, as they have for centuries, against homosexuals, tirelessly and without flagging, so it’s not enough to take a passive voice if you support freedom from discrimination for something that’s so blindingly obvious (that people should be allowed to do what they fucking well want in this case) that I have trouble keeping cool while reading the other side’s clamor.

Now, this factors in mighty complicated ways with dancehall and its derivative ragga-jungle, two of the musics I highly love. If you’re not familiar with the debate, there’s a lot of info out there (here, and here), although read Wayne‘s post for a latest development. As he said in one of his comments: I RATE Sizzla, I don’t RATE every likkle thing he sez … So, it’s complex. I won’t be surprised to see a couple hateful comments here on this blog pretty quick for even mentioning it. I stand by Wayne and all his well made points, and when all else fails I will point the haters to this incredible speech made by Representative Senfronia Thompson of the Texas Legislature against the amendment to the Texas Constitution banning gay marriages, which passed 102-29. Consider that! 102 people listened to that speech and said: “No, you’re wrong. We actually SHOULD amend our constitution to institutionalize discrimination.” [Thanks to my continual inspiration Ripley for the link!] So take representative Thompson’s remarks, expand them outwards through dancehall, through marriage issues, through music and entertainment, to the broadest questions of what it means to be homosexual in the world today, and you get my opinion. Gay? Fine by me.

Want other depressing news? Check this, nice tinder for those of who are just sort of hazily anti-Microsoft to the rabbid free-source techies. “Beijing’s Bitch: Microsoft had joined forces with the Chinese government to ban words such as ‘democracy’, ‘human rights’ and ‘freedom’ from its weblog service” What’s even more gleeful is that they do come across sounding pretty wussy (to select a more toned down version of what I was gonna say) about it when they try to defend it. Which, by the way, is a trend with tech companies. If you’ve never seen the stuff about how IBM continued their business relationships with the Nazis well after they knew what they were probably using their technology for, check it out here (Wow, I just had a pang of missing NYC, for the comfort of reading the new Voice on the Tuesday night ride home on the L).

However, the news isn’t all bleak. The Kim’s raid? According to people we’ve talked to in New York, the whole thing is off. “Craig’s fine … all charges were dropped, including arrest records.” sez my inside source. They thought they were a manufacturing operation of sorts. “Oh, sorry, we fucked up.” seems to be the attitude. Happy that things are OK now for those involved now, but spending a night in jail is a big deal! Ripley, Downhill, and Kalefa in his [thanks Wayne] Times article have a more about the duplicity of the whole thing.

Alright, want some fun stuff? I heartily recommend Bleep, Warp’s online record service. I think I checked it out right when it was first launched, but I never ordered anything till today. It’s a totally seamless, commendable interface, and as long as you’re willing to use a CD turntable as a DJ, the savings are incredible. For those of us who tend to consume and play a lot of different stuff, the ability to pay $2.65 for, say, Vex’d latest single, or to buy, say, just Hellfish’s remix of Kung Fu Fighting and nothing else on that album is highly attractive. Plus it’s the only site I’ve ever seen where you get to do exactly what you would do in a record store with a stack of records, which is “Drop” the “Needle” on any part of the song at once, AND they even give you a waveform for each tune which if you’re obsessively nerdy really smart and cool like me you can equate with the density of record grooves to figure out where the interesting parts are (the drops mostly). Check it out.

Um, wait, what? Yup, Iron Hand by Hellfish, on the new album on Planet Mu is definitely a remix of sorts of Kung Fu Fighting. It’s off the chain. I only bought the one track in case I can’t find the whole thing on vinyl before my next gig. I love Hellfish and Producer to Death[Chant]. Their stuff is unbelievably thick and layered, it’s drunken madness party music, it’s really funny, and if you’ve had a day that makes you angry, it sure as well lets you get that aggression out.

Oh, and speaking of Mu, Vex’d's Degenerate? In the Top 10 of 2005. Everything I could have hoped for. Should be the soundtrack to your summer. If you work in a scrap metal yard.

Lots of mixes and live sets to point at online, little run down:

Transplant
We recorded all the sets from the transplant show last month and now they’re online. Due to a freak accident, my computer was acting as a room mic, so we mixed together what we had on DAT with the crowd sound. Thus we preserved the little bits of conversations before and after the sets, and the cries of sadness when the power cut and the cheers when it went back. It’s especially great in Eats Tapes set, and leads to a funny moment in a breakdown in the middle of my set when someone calls out “Eats Tapes!”

Sutekh‘s set is awesome, Tapes are really fun and in general it’s high spirited. I’m not so keen on my set, but I’ve left it up just cause. It was good at the time and they’re are some cool new tunes in there (including back to back M.I.A. boots by Poj and Jools), I just don’t think it comes across in recorded form like it did that night.

Beat Research
Instead, I point you to my Beat Research mix from March. Similar stuff, although a little more fleshed out. It’s kinda of a half and half mix, the first part is really high energy tunes every minute or two, the second half is more laidback, dnb and dancehall, longer mixes. Check it out courtesy of … me! (again, testing the bandwidth thing).

Kid Kameleon – Live at Beat Research 1 Year anniversary 3.21.05

Putting the tracklist below in a separate post, just so I don’t mess up my little ordering system. Check it here.

Eskmo
I know Brendan from Connecticut, and he’s always put out really quality stuff, productions and mixes, really spooky, from his pretty hard skittering dnb to cloak and dagger downtempo that always bespeakes his wrestling with issues of government, power, art, and mysticism. Check out more about him, his compatriots, and a lot of their tunes at The Helix Network. Then grab his superb Winter mix here, lots of Amon Tobin, Aphex, Shadow and similar stuff that reminds me that not all “downtempo” mixes are about relaxing, sometimes they make you look over your shoulder in fear.

Aaron Spectre
Wudnerboy’s at it again. Lots of people now know his Bastard mix, mentioned in Pitchfork and elsewhere. The thing was he had another one from slightly later which was even tighter and more hype, the Overstand mix. He sat on it long enough that he decided never to release it, and instead it turned into Fire We Promote. It’s stunning. Lots of his upcoming material and various other influences, all mixed up live, which Ripley said was like watching a demon perform. Check the mashit tour blog (including pics), and if you’re in London, they’re at the Heatwave show right now. This is the new face of laptop/dj/performance.

Jacky Murda
Jack’s going on tour. Mr. Chopstick put together a great short mix of his new dubs done up for the Revolver Crew tour. BagaMurda is Jack in fine style, lyrical roughness over sweet beats, although the Battyboy tune makes me sigh.

Math Head
Ben’s at it again. Gotta mix up of all his stuff for his Live in Paris mix. Except, to my understanding, the gig never happened. Don’t know how that works, but the mix is online and it’s rambunctious.

Minikomi
Australia’s shining star has started a blog with a little mix of dancehall and grime. Check out the Jungle Farmer mix. Nice stuff! Welcome to the fold.

———-
Other things: Dozer dropped me a line the other day, check out the Dozerblog here. Lots of good bits and tracks from Venetian Snares, Aphex, 8FM, etc. Currently he’s on a tear about chip tunes, stuff close to my heart, so “Yeah, you get props over here” – The Beatnuts

To readers in LA and Chicago/Milwaukee:

July 1st-4th Ripley and I will be in LA. It’s not %1000 confirmed but I think it’s a pretty safe bet to shout out the Dark Matter Sound System, who’s throwing a warehouse gig on the 2nd. More info posted on that when I have it, but we’re still up for playing on either the 1st or the 3rd. Would help cover some costs. If anyone will have us or knows someone for us to get in touch with, drop a line.

Same goes for the Chicago area. Looks like I might be coming out for a show in Milwaukee around the last weekend in September, and I’m hoping to round out the weekend with a show in Chicago. Anyone with leads to someone there is appreciated.

“But then they burried her alive one evening 1945…” – Neutral Milk Hotel

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