Back in January this year I was commissioned to produce a short audio visual ambient inspired piece. This was premièred at the Tate Britain on the 8th of the month. Some of you were lucky enough to come down to the awesome venue and gallery and see what me and my fellow artists had produced. (more details here).
The event Digital City will be screening the complete 12 shorts originally shown at the Late at Tate Quiet Voices event on the 27th March. It sold out really quickly (quicker than I could advertise it lol) but they have 3 tickets to give away, read on:
COMPETITION: We’re chuffed to be sold out, but also gutted that so many who’d like ot be there are unable to, so we are giving away 3 pairs of tickets. All you gotta do is answer this:
Q: Name one of the live acts that played at the first ever Digital City up in an industrial loft, 5 years ago, this march.
Hint: www.digitalcity.org.uk
Please sent your answer to info@digitalcity.org.uk . We will pick the winners a week before the event on 20/3/10.
more info about the event:
It’s taken us over a year to find this absolute beauty of a venue, but Digital City and Names of Nothing return to our secret party roots for a very special night in an utter gem of a warehouse- a secret venue in east London, very close to Hackney Wick.
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….now look what we have in store for you:
Digital City’s 5th Birthday Party (from 7pm):
Digital City will be transforming the venue into a world of screens, where VJ, film and art installation share equal platform with the beats, and will feature:
Active Optics: An interactive video feedback installation. Accompanied by chilled tunes and quality grub
Quiet Voices films: Curated by former Big Chill visuals resident John Rixon. Expect beautiful aural soundscapes and lush cinematic projections to experience, absorb and get lost in.
Echaskech: Live AV set from the purveyours of arguably the best hypnotic technotronica since the demise & resurrection of Orbital
DJ BarryDark (techno-electro set)
Tentonatom Live & DJ set
DJ Remote (warm beats and glitch set)
VJs Mach V, Dr Mo and Parallax
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DC will be followed by Names of Nothing (until 7am):
Names of Nothing is an underground night and DJ duo.
Famous for their huge inner-London wood raves, Names of Nothing specialise in parties in different places- be they legal or illegal, indoors or outdoors. Their events revolve around a love for music and music alone and as such Names of Nothing try to maintain that not many people know who they are. It is not for commercial gain and has just built up via reputation and word of mouth over the years.
12 short films exploring and responding to the theme of Quiet Voices:
RayV: 3 Steps, 3 min 18 sec
Alex Pearl: Lodgings, 4 min 19 sec
Annabel Dover: Imperial, 4 min 8 sec
Bonny John/soundtrack by Input Junkie: A cloudless sky, 7 min
Animat: A promise of snow, 7 min 36 sec
Sounds for the Ground – video by MachV: First Light, 5 min 47 sec
Another Fine Day: Buckets & Spades, 11 min 36 sec
Emily Richardson: Redshift, 4 min 9 sec
Lulu Horsfield – soundtrack by Amy Mallet: one hundred, 5 min 6 sec
Phoebe Rixon – soundtrack by Enrico Coniglio: Mothlight, 2 min 31 sec
makemassair: Sevenzero, 5 min 40 sec
Lucy Wilson: 5:48, 5 min 40 sec
“Echaskech may sound lush and atmospheric but this is ambience with teeth…as a live proposition, Echaskech toughen up into a true armoured dance animal with crunching beats and vicious synth snipes as standard…with the addition of Mach V (visuals) Echaskech become a truely immersive audio-visual experience where melody and groove are prime directives.”
DJ Magazine (Fantastic 4 – Hottest four names in dance music)
Coming up on 25th Feburary 2010 (next Thursday) I’ll be donning my elusive VJ gloves and giving up an evening of video visuals alongside VJ Air and VJ Bridd. Between the 3 of us we’ll be covering rooms 1 and 2 and the actual awards ceremony itself. Some of the sets performed will be broadcast on BBC Radio 1 on Annie Nightingale’s weekly show.
Musically, being the International Breakbeat Awards, you’re looking at an evening of breakbeat based sound. Some of the lineup I know, some is new to me, either way I’m looking forward to a great evening of visuals, bass, beats and catching up with some of the scenes old and new faces. It’s going to be a long day as we’ll be setting up in the afternoon and going through until 6am and beyond (once you factor in taking down the equipment).
In Room 2 we’ll be using a mapped style of presentation which is something I’m keen to try (having always projected my work as 4:3 or 16:9 rectangles). Room 1 will be a more tradintional setup.
if you’re heading down for the evening, be sure to come say hello to the visual crew. I’ll be sure to get some video recordings with my Flip Video HD as well as some stills.
Thursday 25th February Breakspoll – The International Breakbeat Awards
fabric London
Breakspoll assemble a collection of cutting edge artists and breakthrough producers that have delivered exceptional music in 2009 – alongside some of last years Award winners, and of course, the 2010 Breakspoll awards ceremony.
Across 3 Rooms:
The Breakspoll Awards – presented by Janette Slack & Ken Mac
Afghan Headspin vs Pixel Fist ft Stapleton MC
Apply The Breaks
Ben & Lex
Bombstrikes pres. Mooqee & Pimpsoul
BSD
Cut La Roc vs Peo De Pitte
Deekline vs Keith Mackenzie ft Sporty O
Elite Force
Eshericks
Farace
Featurecast
Flore ft Rodney P & MC Chickaboo
Freestylers vs Ctrl-Z
Future Funk Squad
High Rankin vs Gella
Left/Right
Karl Sav
Krafty Kuts vs A-Skillz (4 decks)
NAPT vs Beat Assassins
Quadrat Beat
Shut Up and Dance
Smash Hifi (ft Martin Hoerger & Leeroy Thornhill)
Specimen A vs Pyramid ft Miss Trouble & MC Incyte
Swifty B & LockUp ft C.A.$.H MC
Vent
9B0
Consistent, high quality, simple and effective branding. That easy is it? Well I decided to give it some thought and put pen to paper (I really did). This is where I went:
How digitally branded are you?
Do you have a real world presence. Is a real world presence needed anymore for creative businesses? This is something I’ve been toying with ever since I took the plunge into freelancing about a year ago. Are we seeing a spilt between digital and non digital creativity. Video editors are increasingly being overlooked in favour of graphic/web designers who “dabble” in video. Who’s responsibility is this, the clients or the creative?
How can you assess the success of a digital brand?
Having 10,000 Myspace friends or 25,000 Twitter followers; does this equate to increased value and follow-thru popularity as a creative. Are you seeing increased business or just increased exposure. Indeed, could it be having a negative impact, having crossed the line into noise/spam.
What tools are there that can help us assess this?
Is being an online focused creative working? For me, nearly all my business, clients, and exposure happens online. Occasionally I get to work with print, which these days is the old school. Is being mostly online focused restrictive? Or is the new media strong enough to support purely online creative ventures.
With the Internet (formerly the World Wide Web) you have instant (well as good as pending your ISP) access to a vast ever expanding worldwide network. But is being that big the right path to take. Do you feel swamped like a tadpole in an ocean of tadpoles? Personally I fully embrace the internet and the worldwide communication it offers.
Despite the collective global network I still remain either by choice or necessity (it varies from day to day) in a niche. Your brand, every brand, needs to come out of its niche and own than niche. Be the top of your niche. Why not straddle a few niche’s. You never know, a new avenue of interest, purpose or revenue may well open up.
This is what has been happening to me recently. As makemassair I offer a variety of linked creative disciplines and the digital brand management has seemingly evolved from my freelance work. On reflection, it’s always been there but has generally been focused inversely on personal projects. I’m guess my switch got turned on.
So this is something I’ll be delving into further. Keeping tabs on any new developments. And with the ever brooding death of Myspace hiding around the corner, it’s game time for 2010.
Just stunning really. The blend between real world shots and CGI is smooth as a baby’s behind.
Nuit Blanche explores a fleeting moment between two strangers, revealing their brief connection in a hyper real fantasy.
Directed by: Arev Manoukian
Produced by: Stephanie Swedlove & Arev Manoukian
VFX by: Marc-Andre Gray
Music by: Samuel Bisson
Starring: Michael Coughlan & Megan Lindley
Cinematographer: Arev Manoukian
Casting: Jeff Marshall
Assistant Director: Andrew Cividino
Production Designer: Arev Manoukian & Marc-Andre Gray
Art Director / Costumes – Dan Levy
Camera Operator: Jay Pavao
Camera Assistant: Max Armstrong
Gaffer: Alan Poon
Editor: Arev Manoukian
Compositor / Animator: Marc-Andre Gray
Effects Supervisors: Marc-Andre Gray & Arev Manoukian
Additional Compositing: Arev Manoukian
Matte Painter: Pat Lau
Colourist: Andre Chlebak
A short film by Flat-e. The project began life as a film to accompany a performance by the London Sinfonietta of Edgard Vareses Ionisation. An inspiring 20th century composer who pioneered works that cross over into the electronic scene of today.
Paul Blackford is an electro producer known for his fast bass-driven sound. Heavily inspired by early Rave and Detroit Electro, his first release on Breakin’ Records in 2003 was described as a pioneering UK take on the Detroit Techno Bass sound. Since then, Blackford has released tracks on labels such as WIDE, Deadlock Records and Twilight 76 Records. In 2009 Paul Blackford set up Militant Science as an output for his own and other artists material.
He had been looking for someone to put together a back catalogue mix of his label, Militant Science. He decided on me. So I listened through the really bloody good back catalogue and constructed this 1 hour mix of 49 tracks with samples dotted about the place. I’m really pleased with it. The music provided really got me in the mood and the feedback so far has been fantastic and much more than expected.
You can only get the mix at Junodownload, have a listen to the samples they’ve provided. It’s a fast rolling, electro heavy, breaks smattering mix.
For more info on me as DVNT and my DJing and radio show, head over to darkfloor.co.uk
Ahead of Friday’s Tate Britain screening of the AV project sevenzero (feedback from the screening coming up in a bit), I decided I needed some business cards to promote myself. Despite having been operating as a full time freelancer since February 2009 all my work has been in the digital/online domain and I’d not needed a business card. Having them now makes me feel that little bit more business like. Not that I didn’t feel that way before, but there is something satisfying in saying:
Please, have one of my business cards. I look forward to hearing from you soon…
So these are my business cards. Printed locally on 350gsm card. I think they came out brilliantly. I have been promising on Twitter that I would put them up for people to see. So true to my word here you go:
And the artwork, designed by yours truly of course:
If you would like one of these highly collectible, and limited edition cards (hahaha), get in contact.
I’ve mentioned this before and I can’t quite believe it’s happening this Friday, 8th January 2010, but it is and to say I’m excited is quite the understatement.
I was commissioned by the Big Chill festival’s visual curator John Rixon early in 2009 to produce a short audio visual piece based around the theme of Quiet Voices. John was really interested in my Downbeaten Exploratory series of mixes I produced in late 2008 and early 2009 (of which I will be doing new ones in 2010, grab the first 2 here) and was aware of my editing and video production work. I’ve been to a few Late at Tate events before and the quality of work blows me away, so to be asked to provide a piece for the event is quite an honour.
My piece, sevenzero, is my interpretation of ambient. It’s not really background sound, nor is it stuff that demands your complete attention. In my opinion it nestles somewhere in between. Comprised of footage filmed on location in Scotland with sound produced specifically for this piece.
If you can make it down, feel free to come over and say hi.
Quiet Voices, curated by former Big Chill visuals resident John Rixon, is an ambient audio-visual feast. Featuring Roger Eno and Dom Theobald, Jon Hopkins, Laura B and Graina, John Rixon and Simon Wild, Animat and Alucidnation. Together with a short film programme exploring the nature of ‘quiet’, expect an evening of beautiful aural soundscapes and lush cinematic projections.
Auditorium
19.00 & 20.30 12 short films exploring and responding to the theme of Quiet Voices.
RayV: 3 Steps, 3 min 18 sec
Alex Pearl: Lodgings, 4 min 19 sec
Annabel Dover: Imperial, 4 min 8 sec
Bonny John/soundtrack by Input Junkie: A cloudless sky, 7 min
Animat: A promise of snow, 7 min 36 sec
Sounds for the Ground – video by MachV: First Light, 5 min 47 sec
Another Fine Day: Buckets & Spades, 11 min 36 sec
Emily Richardson: Redshift, 4 min 9 sec
Lulu Horsfield – soundtrack by Amy Mallet: one hundred, 5 min 6 sec
Phoebe Rixon – soundtrack by Enrico Coniglio: Mothlight, 2 min 31 sec makemassair: Sevenzero, 5 min 40 sec
Lucy Wilson: 5:48, 5 min 40 sec
Artificial Paradise, Inc is an experimental film anticipating a future where a major corporation has developed an unique software, based on organic virtual reality, which holds all the lost memories of humankind. A user connects to this database of the forgotten…what is he searching for?
