Leaderboard

I had some leftover pork chop and a small amount of new potatoes (1.5 small potatoes to be exact) and I wanted to make pizza with it. I caramelized onions, made an olive oil, garlic and shallot spread for the sauce and added mozzarella and Hungarian goatherd peppers. Came out great.

The Hitachi DA-1000 (and associated clones) is one of the earliest and most prized CD players. It's method of loading the CD can't accurately be described as unusual (at the time there was no defined normal) but it's certainly a striking one. Working examples change hands for a tidy sum. Even nonfunctional units are near to look at. European market clone of the Hitatchi. The fragile but very interesting looking CD loading mechanism. When was the last time you saw a CDP with an output meter?

Modern tech with vintage looks, Ruark R710 all in one system, basically, hook up a pair of speakers and you have everything. Heard it at an audio show a couple weeks ago and was surprised that an under $10k setup was one of the top 5 rooms at the show, it embarrassed the shit out of many mega-buck systems. Yes, it also plays CDs. If I had room for speakers, I'd be totally happy with this setup.

Last lowrider show of the season, this time Día de los Muertos themed. Went with one camera, one lens/focal length, one aperture - Leica SL2-S, Zeiss Otus APO 28mm, f/1.4.

So, I came across a program that was talking about the album releases in October 1969. And it was a monster month. So I started listening to them for fun. I had not heard Free's second Album Free - So: Free by Free (October 1969) https://open.qobuz.com/album/0060254705385 Example: It was very good. - Like Zeppelin good. So: Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin (October 1969) https://open.qobuz.com/album/0603497920099 Example: So - do I think Free is a better band than Zep? No. But I do actually prefer the Free Album to Zep II. Zep has huge highlights, like example, but the Free album is very nice to listen to. Anyway King Crimson trumps the entire month regardless.

SACD Been listening to mostly plastic lately.

Go sports ball.

😔

I wasn't aware of Yu-Mex* (Yugoslav-Mexican) until today. *In the immediate post-war period, Yugoslavia did not have much of a film industry and the majority of films were imported from the Soviet Union. Following the Tito–Stalin split of 1948, Soviet films were no longer shown in the country. At the same time, due to ideological differences, Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito did not want his country to import American films. As a result, he turned to importing Mexican films. The fact that many Mexican films of the "Golden Age" glorified the Mexican Revolution and depicted ordinary Mexicans rising up against the oppressive Mexican state made Mexican films "revolutionary" enough to be shown in Yugoslavia. It was common for many young Yugoslavs to imitate the styles of Mexican film stars, who were seen as embodying everything that was "cool". Because many of the films shown in Yugoslavia in the 1950s–1960s were Mexican, everything Mexican became very popular in Yugoslavia and many musicians started to don sombreros to perform Mexican music, either singing in Serbo-Croatian or in the original Spanish. Doc on it...

Not to many of these being built anymore, I built this from Mjorin kit, parts are getting difficult to find. Works and sounds great . Bill

Rodrigo y Gabriela, OurHome -- just beautiful music Probably next I will listen to 11:11 -- I didn't realize the concept behind it, so I will probably "follow along" with this. I am especially interested in the Piazzolla and Pink Floyd tracks. But LOL, it hallucinated, this is wrong, there's no "Master & Margarita", and they omitted "Triveni", which is a tribute to Le Trio Joubran: On 11:11, Rodrigo y Gabriela crafted each track as a direct sonic thank-you note to an artist who deeply shaped their musical DNA. Instead of standard cover songs, they composed original pieces designed to mirror the rhythms, scales, and spirits of their influences. Here is the breakdown of the 11 artists paid tribute to on the album, along with the musical style and background context of each track: 1. "Hanuman" — Tributed to Carlos Santana The Vibe: High-energy, joyful, and heavily rhythmic. The Tribute: This track captures Santana's signature Latin-rock fusion. Gabriela uses rapid-fire percussive slaps to mimic a driving conga beat, while Rodrigo plays melodic, biting lead lines that mirror Santana’s fluid, sustained electric guitar phrasing. 2. "Buster Voodoo" — Tributed to Jimi Hendrix The Vibe: Psychedelic, funk-driven acoustic rock. The Tribute: An intentional nod to Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)." Rodrigo mimics iconic wah-wah pedal effects, string bends, and aggressive blues-rock double-stops entirely on a nylon-string acoustic guitar, showcasing Hendrix's raw, improvisational energy. 3. "Savitri" — Tributed to John McLaughlin The Vibe: Complex Indo-jazz fusion and blistering speed. The Tribute: McLaughlin is a pioneer of jazz fusion (Mahavishnu Orchestra) and acoustic world music (Shakti). The track uses intricate, lightning-fast alternate picking patterns and syncopated time signatures that pay homage to McLaughlin’s technical virtuosity and Eastern spiritual influences. 4. "Hora Zero" — Tributed to Ástor Piazzolla The Vibe: Dark, dramatic, and intensely rhythmic. The Tribute: Named after a concept frequent in Piazzolla's work (Nuevo Tango), this track captures the tension, sudden dynamic shifts, and brooding romanticism of traditional Argentine tango mixed with modern classical structures. 5. "Chac Mool" — Tributed to Jorge Reyes The Vibe: Ambient, atmospheric, and deeply tribal. The Tribute: Reyes was a Mexican progressive rock and ambient musician famous for blending pre-Hispanic indigenous instruments (like clay flutes and rainsticks) with modern electronics. The duo creates an eerie, echoing soundscape using acoustic guitar resonance and harmonics to capture this indigenous, ancient Mexican spirit. 6. "Atman" — Tributed to Dimebag Darrell (Pantera) The Vibe: Pure acoustic thrash metal. The Tribute: Darrell Abbott's heavy groove-metal riffs were a massive influence on the duo's early metal days. The track features a relentless, heavy acoustic rhythm track and features a blistering, shred-heavy guest guitar solo by Alex Skolnick of the thrash metal band Testament. 7. "Master Maqui" — Tributed to Paco de Lucía The Vibe: Pure flamenco virtuosity and emotional depth. The Tribute: As the absolute master of modern flamenco guitar, de Lucía is the foundation of Rodrigo y Gabriela’s playing style. This track emphasizes highly traditional, blindingly fast picado (index and middle finger picking) and complex compás (flamenco rhythmic cycles). 8. "Logos" — Tributed to Al Di Meola The Vibe: Precision jazz-rock fusion with Latin flair. The Tribute: Known for his ultra-precise, rapid alternate picking on both acoustic and electric guitars (famously heard on Friday Night in San Francisco), Di Meola's influence is clear in the track's tight unison lines and complex, shifting harmonic progressions. 9. "Santo Domingo" — Tributed to Michel Camilo The Vibe: Bright, syncopated Caribbean jazz piano rhythms. The Tribute: Camilo is a brilliant Dominican jazz pianist. To capture a piano's percussive nature on strings, Gabriela uses incredibly complex, syncopated strumming techniques to simulate a montuno piano rhythm, driving the bright, upbeat melody forward. 10. "Master & Margarita" — Tributed to Mikhail Bulgakov The Vibe: Narrative, dramatic, and theatrical. The Tribute: The only non-musician on the album, Bulgakov was the Soviet author of the magical realist masterpiece The Master and Margarita. The song mimics a literary narrative structure, transitioning through dark, oppressive sections into soaring, fantastical movements that match the book's satirical and mystical themes. 11. "11:11" — Tributed to Pink Floyd The Vibe: Expansive, progressive, and psychedelic space-rock. The Tribute: The title track closes the album by channeling the grand scale of Pink Floyd. It features a guest appearance by the alternative rock duo Strunz & Farah and uses layered acoustic textures, ambient slides, and epic arrangements to mirror the sonic journeys found on albums like Wish You Were Here.

So back when I built the Colossus I thought it sounded pretty good. But amazingly it wasn't all the Pete Riggle add ons, or even the SUT or preamp (DIY Pass Pearl) that made the largest improvement. The largest improvement was not long after I moved to Fairfax and built a heavy duty TT stand. Beefy Maple 4x4 legs, thick shelves and deep dato joinery really made a huge difference, especially in the bottom end. And I know bottom end!

I somehow missed that Hiromi did a collaboration with Rodrigo y Gabriela

^ Thanks much. I've probably heard half of them, but so far preferred the earlier round than the later. This morning, election day, starting with Sun Ra Arkestra's Living Sky Full playlist

Strewth!

I have a soft spot for Jungle and their stubborn commitment to being funky white boys.;

Currently listening to Fun Boy Three Was listening to The Colourfield Music on TIDALThe Colourfield - Sound of The ColourfieldListen to Sound of The Colourfield on TIDAL in exceptional sound quality, or on your choice of serviceYes, all 5+ hours

Coincidentally, I was just listening to Aja. I even had a bit of a conversation with Google AI about it. Me: Art Pop is one of my favourite genres, especially jazz-tinged art pop. There's something about those chord voicings that just "hits me where I live". I also really dig Voivod's Piggy Chords, and I just want to learn how they compose and incorporate those elements. A lot of my music (that I write) is audibly "melodic minor" to me, and I'd like to expand my palette. It: (Too long, don't read.) After which the conversation shifted to The Colourfield's "Castles in the Air" ("the perfect bridge between Steely Dan and melodic minor"). ...Where art pop differs from traditional straight-ahead jazz is the voicing architecture. Art pop often avoids standard, textbook jazz "shell voicings" (Root-3rd-7th) in favor of highly colorful, open-sounding structures where the melody line can sing out over a flurry of inner voice movement. Add9 and Mu Major Chords: Popularized by Steely Dan, a "mu major" chord is a major triad with an added 2nd (or 9th) voiced directly adjacent to the 3rd. Example: Instead of spelling C major 9 as C - E - G - B - D, voice a C(add9) as C - D - E - G. The second interval between D and E creates a beautiful, shimmering harmonic "blur" that anchors the art pop sound. Slash Chords (Poly-harmony): Art pop relies heavily on playing a clean triad in the upper register over a completely foreign bass note. This gives you jazz extensions without the clutter. Bb / C: A Bb major triad (Bb - D - F) over a C bass note. This instantly yields a C7sus4(9,13) sound—sleek, modern, and deeply reminiscent of late '70s art pop. G / C: A G major triad over a C bass note, creating a pure Cmaj9 feel with a wide, cinematic gap between the bass line and the upper melody...

The October Suite by Steve Kuhn (1967) https://open.qobuz.com/album/0060246544132 Example: On the edge of avant-garde from time to time, and rarely gets into a groove. But it is rewarding with absolutely lovely melodies and variations like the example. Gary known for his compositions and arrangements died 1971 (aged 38).

New Order's turn.

If you guys remember the Back to Mine series (artists compile the music they listen to at home after a night out), Everything But The Girl’s one now…

RIP Mr. Stewart, you seemed entirely like a decent human.

Well now he's seen everything the GuardianPatrick Stewart, Star Trek actor and acclaimed thespian,...Star Trek: the Next Generation and X-Men actor died at his home after ‘a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia’

New vs. old. vs. miau.

30yo

RIP, Juan Atkins - Detroit techno pioneer Cybotron - Enter (1983)

Orbital's Back To Mine

Terry Hall was just great.....

Going out to Mr. and Mrs. Bedecarre. Some AI BS but that's just where we are?

There are long standing threads for speaker and amplifier porn on HC. Thus far, sources have been neglected. It's true, speakers and amps are in general better looking units than most sources but there are certainly some good looking ones out there. Let's start with a mid 80s Revox CDP that is a bit of a legend amongst collectors: The Revox B225. It's overbuilt like a MFer, which is good as it's also prone to failure and in need of extensive servicing. I just watched a really good YouTube video on repairing one while I was editing a whole stack of photos. TL;DW: A whole pile of Swiss engineering, dirty electrical contacts and a new motor. There were some variants with balanced out and at least one meant for professional use: Love those green lights.

Aged 86 with Alzheimers and Lewy body dementia. RIP Patrick Stewart. What a rotten way to go. Was lucky to see him several times on stage, three times in Chichester. Malvolio in Twelfth Night, MacBeth in the landmark production as Macbeth in the tiny Minerva (so close I could have touched him), and as the aged Shakespeare, and his death in Bingo. That particular production of MacBeth transferred to the West End, and then two theatres on Broadway, and was made into a movie. And on the London stage with McKellen in Waiting for Godot and both of them in No Man's Land, a rather bleak play by Harold Pinter. A really superb actor of stage and screen. I'm really gutted he's gone.

Everything But The Girl - Young and Dumb (single from their new album coming in February)

I’m team performance then recording first. Without those the rest is irrelevant.

I don't remember which volumes I liked so much, but you should definitely check out the ones curated by Pet Shop Boys, Lamb, Röyksopp, The Orb, Tricky, Morcheeba, Underworld, and Faithless, IIRC. Maybe ask Knucks.

That's quite an endorsement. I've never heard that Free album but will have to listen. Agreed, the Crimson album being the most epic of that bunch.

^ It wins for best manicured eyebrows.

Thanks to both for the worthy dialogue, keep going!

Let's talk about Steely Dan. The boomer jazz rock duo who took their name from a steam powered dildo described in William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch, best known for their super slick studio production. They were hugely popular with boomers housewives in the 70s and gained a significant following amongst aging boomers classic rock aficionados in the 80s and 90s. Their 1977 album Aja is considered a studio masterpiece by some, and the most wretched, excessive piece of wank imaginable by others. The late, great Steve Albini, a legendary punk rocker and and god tier record producer, absolutely loathed Steely Dan and Aja in particular. In the 21st century, Steely Dan is the source of ironic zoomer memes. Their albums have a following with audio snobs to tend to listen to equipment and not, you know, actual music. This can lead to some obsessive behavior (top comment: "jfc"). All of this is to say, I don't really like SD, at all. I had to endure them on the radio throughout my youth. I was in a hardware store a few years ago and they had their in ceiling speaker system up louder than usual. I got serenaded by "Do It Again" while I furtively looked for ant cups. That experience threw me in a depression for the rest of the day. I actually love 1970s music production. It's all analogue, full of optically compressed bass and often loaded with horn sections that are really well recorded. Obvious examples are Rev. Al Green's "Can't Get Next To You" and the 800 lb gorilla that is Stevie Wonder's "Superstition." Bonus points to Bobby Bland's Dreamer album. To their, uh, credit, Steely Dan managed to wankify 70s studio tech to the point that I find it physically uncomfortable to be around. A while ago, I was browsing the official YouTube channel of 70s music television show, The Midnight Special. It's a treasure. It has live segments, obvious lip syncing, and entire shows (one hosted by George Carlin!) They have a rare live performance by Steely Dan, featuring their original frontman David Palmer. This rendition removes more or less everything I loathe about the band. The slick studio sheen is gone. In my very jaded opinion, Palmer is both a better and more emotive singer than Donald Fagan. It's kind of hilarious what an absolute statue Walter Becker is on stage, especially as the rest of the band is making a considerable effort to be really into things. The guitar solo is still kind of wank, but that's the 2FA for knowing it's really Steely Dan. Not long after this performance, Fagan and Becker fired the rest of the band and became a masturbatory studio duo. It would be interesting to see what kind of band they would have become if they'd done the opposite.

IOT all the way, it is a much better OS

A Song for You by Søren Bebe Trio (2012) https://open.qobuz.com/album/5707471025819 Example: An older set from Søren, clean

Meanwhile, making compact casssettes in Japan:

Nice! I haven't been loving Tracey's "changed" voice on some of their newer stuff, but this song is pretty good!

Avedon

Alec is a huge APP fan. Regularly sends me tracks.