A novel concept and beautiful exterior make Martin Skelly’s Playlist Player vinyl emulation system a certified object of desire. The device — which plays back digital files in an apparently Serrato-like manner — attempts to simulate the classic ritual of the vinyl LP.
“There are two parts to the design: the player, and the record box containing five different coloured covers. Once the playlists are chosen and synced to the player with a memory stick, the user customises the outside of the sleeve with artwork of their choice. It could be photos of a memorable night or person or typed and hand drawn tracklists. Once the record is placed on the player, the music begins and the outer ring of lights illuminates. As the playlists plays rings of light visible through the translucent record move towards the centre of the disc, like a needle tracking on a record. These lights represent time and not the number of tracks, meaning your music must be enjoyed from start to finish with no distractions like the temptation to skip tracks, fast forward or rewind.”
Seeing people designing experiences like this is always nice, but it does illuminate the rather unsettling fact that the album format is dying. People are consuming media in ever smaller chunks and the LP experience is no longer the norm. I think this is a huge loss and an unfortunate consequence of the on-demand nature of the internet.
Although I grew up listening to 8-track, vinyl, cassette tapes, and then CDs — all of which tended to be enjoyed in album format more often than not — I must admit that I jump around a lot when consuming MP3s. I have recently begun rebuilding my music collection in lossless FLAC though and this has encouraged me to listen to more music as whole albums. If Skelly’s Playlist Player supports FLAC or WAV it might make the experience that much more enjoyable.
A couple weeks ago, we participated in the SATO48 film competition. Over 90 teams participated and it was a blast. For those of you who aren’t familiar with SATO48 here is a run-down of how it works.
First, the teams meet for the release of the “Inspiration Package”, which consists of a list of objects, words or themes that must be represented in each teams 5-minute film. After the package is handed out, the teams are sent out to create a 5-minute or less film in 48 hours. This includes, but is not limited to, Writing, Storyboarding, Casting, Filming & Editing.
We used my Canon 7D and various lenses including the 50mm 1.8, 10-24mm, and a 17-55mm.
Needless to say, it was a crazy 48 hours… with very little sleep. But I’m proud of the final result. Let me know what you think!
Look no further. The music, the stop motion effect, the black and white, the film grain. They all add up to make for one incredible creative thriller.
From the new Clutchy Hopkins album “The Story Teller” on Ubiquity Records. This track already awarded among the year’s best on Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide show on BBC Radio 1.
Directed by: Christian Borstlap.
Christian Borstlap is an Amsterdam based art director and sometimes film director. christianborstlap.com
I caught this video a couple weeks ago and I meant to post it sooner. This is a compilation by a Swiss artist named Zimoun who creates sound sculptures, these tiny devices that when multiplied make these almost zen like sounds. To me there’s something so calming about these random, incessant sounds. They’re almost like listening to the rain or a dryer or a waterfall, but you know, these are sounds made out of motors and fans and other mechanical items.
All in all the video is about 10 and half minutes long, so be sure to hang in there and keep watching the whole thing. I’d also suggest listening to everything in headphones, some of these pieces are barely audible. Also be sure to check out the woodworms eating a piece of wood at 4:52.
