XLR8R TV Presents: Carl Craig, Asphodel Studios, Pole, Digitalism

[Guest michael^heaven]

Carl Craig

We set Detroit techno legend Carl Craig loose in San Francisco's favorite weird music destination, Aquarius Records. Known less for their techno and more for their collections of Scandinavian death metal, Bhangra Black Sabbath, and recordings of glaciers cracking, Aquarius is a playground for the musically refined. Watch as Carl listens to, and waxes poetic on, everything from 8- bit metal core to pygmy chanting to Bloc Party.

Asphodel/ Recombinant Media Labs

In part one of a series, XLR8R Technology editor Ken Taylor takes you on a tour of one of electronic art's finest facilities, Asphodel and Recombinant Media Labs. Comprised of an unprecedented 16.8.2 -channel, 10-screen surround-cinema performance environment with an external control room, a suite full of new and old synthesizers (all in mint condition), a DVD- and CD-mastering studio and a recording studio with top-of-the-line equipment spanning nearly every era of electronic music, Asphodel and RML is a sound artist's dream come to life. While the technology is impressive, it's only one aspect of what makes these studios special.

Pole

In part two of our series on Recombinant Media Labs, XLR8R Technology Editor Ken Taylor looks at the facility through the eyes of Berlin-based musician Stefan Betke, aka Pole. To a soundboard master like Pole, Asphodel is not only "a dreamland" but fertile ground for his dub-heavy explorations. Watch as he experiences Asphodel Studios for the first time.

Digitalism

Digitalism played one of the bangin'-est sets in recent memory at San Francisco's Mezzanine in April. Lucky for you, we filmed it. Jens Moelle and Isi Tuefekci, two young Turks [one of them quite literally] from Hamburg, have been thumping eardrums with knob-twiddling remixes over the past year and are evolving into a dancefloor-friendly indie rock force to be reckoned with. We caught up with them as they prepared for non-stop touring for the release of their debut album, Idealism.

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