Touch

Touch by Robert Rich and Steve Roach from "Soma".

New Byrne & Eno

Händel: Wassermusik HWV 348

Blow Alaska

This is Kondo Toshinori playing at foot of Mt McKinley, and then at Denali National Park, Alaska, as part of his "Blow the Earth" project. Additional Blow the Earth videos - Kumano1, Kumano2, Israel1, Israel2, Peru1, Peru2, and Bali. For more on Kondo, see "Kondomaniacs" (in Japanese).

Steel Cathedrals

A short film from 1985 by David Sylvian, Yasayuki Yamaguchi, and others. Shot in and around Tokyo. Two parts, each just over 9 minutes. Enjoy!





Music:
Electronics [Dictaphone] - Holger Czukay
Flugelhorn - Kenny Wheeler
Guitar [Abstractions] - Masami Tsuchiya
Guitar, Electronics [Frippertronics] - Robert Fripp
Keyboards, Tape, Percussion [Digital] - David Sylvian
Percussion - Steve Jansen
Piano, Strings - Ryuichi Sakamoto

Hide your love away

Not a Beatles fan at all, but here it is. Time just 2:11




The song was covered by Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell and Noel Gallagher. All three seem to find the "Hey!" part somewhat flummoxing. See which one you like best.

Swimming In Qualia

Music by Steve Jansen, visuals by Shoko Ise. Extract from a video installation (original length - 24:11) presented at Contemporary Art and Photography in Japan - 'STILL/ALIVE', Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, December 22.2007 - February 20.2008. Time 8 minutes.



More from Steve Jansen: "I don't worry about the demands of the music industry. In the 80's I made a record with Richard Barbieri under the name of The Dolphin Brothers, for Virgin Records. I sung all the songs and wrote all the lyrics and yet it was a far less rewarding experience than making 'slope', primarily because I wasn't being true to myself with the work. It wasn't the sort of music I wanted to be making (even though at the time I thought it was), but it's where the industry led me. I learnt my lesson. Now, I'm pleased to say, with the advancement of technology, that element of the industry is dying somewhat as new artists can find the means to record and release material without the bank-rolling of record labels whose only real concerns are making as much money as possible whilst leaving the artist with as little as possible. Such are the demands made by, what is essentially, a loan company."

Memoria by Murcof

"Memoria" performed by Murcof from his album "Martes" (2002). Video done from fragments of the live visual set. Time 6 min.

Geir Jenssen Live

Geir Jenssen aka Biosphere is one of my favorite electronic musicians. See website for bio, discography, and some mp3 downloads. His masterpiece is Substrata2, the 2CD edition of 2001, plus there are excellent collaborations with Pete Namlook ("Fires of Ork" 1 & 2) and Deathprod ("Nordheim Transformed"), as well as his own Shenzhou and Dropsonde etc. This video is from a live performance. Time 07:30 Enjoy!

Heima by Sigur Ros

Heima documentary by Sigur Ros. Time 97 minutes. *Too bad, this video is gone. So, here's the trailer to the film. And, if you ever wish to download videos before they dissapear, here's a useful tool to do just that.

Ghost in the Shell

Intro themes from GITS and GITS 2: Innocence. Enjoy!

New R.E.M.

REM "Accelerate", coming out on April 1. First song "Supernatural Superserious" available on youtube, but also on its own website in twelve different versions for a remix by you. Enjoy!

Eno & Czukay on Can

First Brian Eno on Can, and then Holger Czukay on Can, one of truly greatest bands. Enjoy!

Giver of All Good Gifts

Brother David Steindl-Rast's Thanksgiving prayer. Share this video with others, and link to Brother David's Gratefulness.org.



Also, check out the mini-course in grateful living, and refer it to others. Enjoy!

Weird Fishes

Superior performance by Radiohead, from Scotch Mist: first "Weird Fishes", then "15 step" (if you want more, here's the whole thing, time 52:31). Enjoy the music!

Happy 2008

Wonderful World

David Sylvian in Zagreb, Croatia, concert part of "The World is Everything" tour, October 14th, 2007. Quality of recording far from perfect, but still great for a handheld (Thanks to Iva & Jadran!). Time 07:28 Enjoy!

...and the Banshees

Siouxsie and the Banshees with "Forever" from the album "Rapture". Time 04:09 Siouxsie Sioux is back, of course, with Mantaray. Enjoy!

Retro: Cabaret Voltaire

Three at once by this experimental band founded in early '70s that later became quite popular with alternative pop crowd. These pieces are quite easy on the ears in comparison with their early work. First is Yashar (06:35) from 1983, then Sensoria (07:50) from 1984, and finally Slow boat to Tassos (06:17), an ambient masterpiece. Enjoy!

I'm Too Can

Can performing "I'm Too Leise" in 1974. Time 05:04

Suspiros

Diego El Cigala interpreting "Suspiros de Espana". Time 02:43

Molvær & Landgren

Nils Petter Molvær, Song of Sand from "Khmer". Time 04:07

And then something from Jazz Baltica 2007: Wolfgang Haffner - Drums, Jan Bang - Samples, Lars Danielsson - Bass, Nils Landgren - Trombone, Nils Petter Molvær - Trumpet, Wolfgang Muthspiel - Guitar, & NDR Bigband (dir. by Magnus Lindgren) Time 09:17 Enjoy!

Trioon I

Music by Alva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Karl Kliem. Time 03:28 Enjoy!

Contemporary Minimalists

Part One, time 08:15

Part Two, time 08:28

September

Noto Sakamoto

Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto. Time 04:15 Enjoy!

Form is emptiness indeed

Several unorthodox videos bringing the Almighty Hannyashingyo, i.e. Heart Sutra in Japanese. Enjoy?

No Good

"It's no good" by Depeche Mode, a response to WH's "I feel you". Time 04:17 Enjoy!

IBM1401

A performance by the dancer Erna Omarsdottir and the composer Johann Johannsson captured by filmmaker Thorgeir Gudmundsson. Time 08:24

Raven Magic

"odin's raven magic" by sigur ros and hilmar ùrn hilmarsson, also featuring l'orchestre des lauréats du conservatoire national de paris, schola cantorum, rhyme chanter steindor andersen and pàll guðmundsson of húsafell. conductor is àrni harðarson. (2002 review here) time 07:45

At the heart of it all

Title: "At the heart of it all", sometimes known as "Montecute". Music: Coil; camera: Derek Jarman; voice: Dame Judie Dench; lyrics: William Shakespeare. Time: 05:03

To me, fair Friend, you never can be old,
For as you were when first your eye I eyed
Such seems your beauty still. Three winters' cold
Have from the forests shook three summers' pride;

Three beauteous springs to yellow autumn turn'd
In process of the seasons have I seen,
Three April perfumes in three hot Junes burn'd,
Since first I saw you fresh, which yet are green.

Ah! yet doth beauty, like a dial-hand,
Steal from his figure, and no pace perceived;
So your sweet hue, which methinks still doth stand,
Hath motion, and mine eye may be deceived:

For fear of which, hear this, thou age unbred,—
Ere you were born, was beauty's summer dead.

Linoleum

Tweaker featuring David Sylvian. Time 04:41

Sigur Ros

Music and Magic

Video of Paco de Lucia and Group from 1996, live in Germany. I'm not particularly fond of flamenco in any form, but this performance goes beyond any personal fondness.


UPDATE (MAY 2008): this video is no longer available, so I've embedded another one.

Kashf

by one and only Anouar Brahem.

Whirling and Turning

A beautiful recording of Dervish ceremony - music, singing and dance as meditation.

Once upon a time...

And now something utterly serious, and just a little bit bizzare. I found this charming Japanese TV broadcast of Dancing Queen on YouTube, quite by chance, and was surprised to recall the lyrics - I was only 8 years old when I first heard it in 1976 and probably quite a few times in years after that. It's probably one of best pop songs ever writen. The video is low quality, but they still sound and look great. The Japanese subtitles are simply too much fun...

Mani chant on Youtube

Pics of lotus flowers set to a chant of "Om Mani Padme Hum" by Lama Surya Das and music by Steven Halpern.