Geniuses at work

From Lester Bangs' "Psychotic reaction" Interviewing Kraftwerk

"... the next logical step would be for the machines to play you. He nodded. "Yes we do this. It's likea robot thing, whemn it gets up to a certain stage. IT starts playing... it's no longer you and I., its IT"

I saw Casper and the Cookies open up for The Apples In Stereo a few years ago at the Paradise in Boston.

They where....eh, ok.

'Cause iPods don't make mistakes?

I did this a long time ago.

Then quit playing live, cause hiring practise rooms got too expensive.

this isn't anything new. bands have been replacing keyboard players with laptops. which is okay for some bands that just have some silly gothic shiat going on or some samples / sound affects. but for bands that actually have complex keyboard arrangements like piano and symphonic elements....well, it really kills it when they play live imo.

An iPod? What, are drum machines no longer acceptable?

Glitchwerks: An iPod? What, are drum machines no longer acceptable?

Drum machine, $2000. iPod that'll play the same thing, $200. Cassette tape with the same beat on it, $2.

danduran: Glitchwerks: An iPod? What, are drum machines no longer acceptable?

Drum machine, $2000. iPod that'll play the same thing, $200. Cassette tape with the same beat on it, $2.

There are many drum machines that be bought for $200 or less and are a lot more versatile than clicking a play button on an iPod.

$2000 is a ridiculous figure.

Glitchwerks: danduran: Glitchwerks: An iPod? What, are drum machines no longer acceptable?

Drum machine, $2000. iPod that'll play the same thing, $200. Cassette tape with the same beat on it, $2.

There are many drum machines that be bought for $200 or less and are a lot more versatile than clicking a play button on an iPod.

$2000 is a ridiculous figure.

I imagine dan is one of those types that considers an MPC a "drum machine".

The roland r-8 is my favoritest drum machine ever.

danduran: Glitchwerks: An iPod? What, are drum machines no longer acceptable?

Drum machine, $2000. iPod that'll play the same thing, $200. Cassette tape with the same beat on it, $2.

The tape is certainly more compact than bret.

Zoom MRT-3. ($99.00 with included power supply)

Best drummer I have jammed with yet.

Add a decent reverb and it sounds awesome.

It is surprising how good a song can be with just a simple and repetitive beat.(see NEU!,CAN,FAUST and others for perfect examples of this)

Trying to find a drummer who doesn't keep throwing in pointless fills is hard. My Zoom NEVER fails me.

check these out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYeVvp8sdmg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiMQ5r5y78g&feature=related
(sorry,too dumb for html)

funny,I have found more drummers who can play like Dream Theater or Rush but are totally UNABLE to play like these two NEU! songs.

Sad.

i think i heard you and your zoom on that last tour you did. What was the name of your band again. Nevermind, just tell me your label so i can find out how to book your act b/c everyone i know wants to go watch a drum machine in action. WEVE NEVER SEEN A PIECE OF ELECTRONICS MAKING A REPETITIVE BEEPING SOUND. Holy fark, The idea totally amazes everyone i tell. im gonna have to stop this post short so i can fire my drummer who can change things and make the music actually mean something and have some feeling so i can hook my drum machine up.

What a pic of you might look like

LewDux: 'Cause iPods don't make mistakes?

Yes, but do they hate Depeche Mode?

starmatt85: danduran: Glitchwerks: An iPod? What, are drum machines no longer acceptable?

Drum machine, $2000. iPod that'll play the same thing, $200. Cassette tape with the same beat on it, $2.

The tape is certainly more compact than bret.

do you miss eem?

Doktor Avalanche approves of this.


/nothing is obscure on Fark

Can your biological drummers do this or this?

The Jesus and Mary Chain toured with just two members and a drum tape for years in the 80s. Unlike a lot of bands today however, they actually knew how to rock.

Glitchwerks: danduran: Glitchwerks: An iPod? What, are drum machines no longer acceptable?

Drum machine, $2000. iPod that'll play the same thing, $200. Cassette tape with the same beat on it, $2.

There are many drum machines that be bought for $200 or less and are a lot more versatile than clicking a play button on an iPod.

$2000 is a ridiculous figure.

Maybe in the US. A box that just makes a repetitive thump costs hundreds here. I've no idea who buys them, when you can get freeware software that's more versatile.

danduran:
Maybe in the US. A box that just makes a repetitive thump costs hundreds here. I've no idea who buys them, when you can get freeware software that's more versatile.

Dude, they don't cost any more in New Zealand than they do anywhere else.

There's more than a few very popular New Zealand electronic acts (Pitch Black, Concord Dawn) and they don't use any different kit than anyone else.

$2000 would also buy you a very capable laptop with Ableton Live.

Any band who uses an iPod to play rhythm tracks is just cheap and farking lazy.

The band mentioned in the piece, Casper and the Cookies, is from Athens, Ga. The band is sometimes lumped in with Elephant 6 offshoot bands b/c the main guy, Jason NeSmith, played briefly w/ Of Montreal. Jason's been playing for years, though, and being generally "quirky" is a trademark of his personality. So the iPod gimmick sounds right up his alley, whether as a joke or a real attempt to save money.

That said, their previous drummer is a guy named Joe Rowe, who is actually quite a talented drummer. He's probably best known as the drummer for the late, great The Glands, one of the best bands to come from Athens (although only known in indie circles). He's played with a multitude of bands, though, including Le Guano and Nutria.

So it would make sense if they're playing pre-recorded tracks of Joe playing on the iPod. He's a good drummer who couldn't easily replaced with a drum machine. Jason NeSmith is a former drummer as well IIRC (for the band Orange Hat, I believe), so it's possible it's a recording of his own drumming. Either way, I'm pretty sure Jason could program some quality MIDI drums if needed. But using an iPod has folks talking.

Glitchwerks: danduran:
Any band who uses an iPod to play rhythm tracks is just cheap and farking lazy.

See what I said above about Joe, Jason, etc.

Oh, and screw this odd article being linked to. Just go to the Idolator source they're quoting: Link (new window)

Yeah, yeah, tl;dr. Just wanted to add a little more background to this story.

Glitchwerks: danduran:
Maybe in the US. A box that just makes a repetitive thump costs hundreds here. I've no idea who buys them, when you can get freeware software that's more versatile.

Dude, they don't cost any more in New Zealand than they do anywhere else.

There's more than a few very popular New Zealand electronic acts (Pitch Black, Concord Dawn) and they don't use any different kit than anyone else.

$2000 would also buy you a very capable laptop with Ableton Live.

Any band who uses an iPod to play rhythm tracks is just cheap and farking lazy.

It's been a long time since I looked at hardware drum machines, so it wouldn't surprise me if they're cheaper nowadays. I just remember looking at them years ago thinking, who'd pay that much for something you can get for free on a PC? So I stopped looking at them. I wrongly figured guitars never came down in price, perhaps those didn't either.

what an economic downturn may look like:

We are pork products.....
Kraftwurst!

/still have my Roland R-5 beeotches

"biatch, some of us have been on that tip for years."