Manhattan Bender: Circuit benders descended on the Tank in Manhattan this past week for four days of Bent 2005 (wired.com has the story). The Tank site features a brief video documentary of Bent 2004, including footage of proto-bender Reed Ghazala. … Speaking of which, if anyone has tips on any sound-art events this coming week and weekend in Manhattan, please drop me an email (marc [at] disquiet.com).
… Upcoming Streams: The BBC’s Late Junction show on Radio 3 will feature classic musique-concrete from the GRM archive (that’s France’s Groupe Recherches Musicales) throughout the coming week (link). … Domino Records now hosts, at dominorecordco.com, the video for Four Tet‘s “Smile Around the Face” single, a thunky drummer of a track. It was directed by Dan Wilde (Alpha Male, Bookcruncher) and features actor Mark Heap.
… Quick Links: Discogs.com, the open-source discography project, has divided into four distinct sites. What was once purely electronic now makes room for hip-hop, jazz and rock sections. Go straight to e.discogs.com for the electronic section, by far the largest of the discographies, at (as of this moment) 338,356 releases by 182,913 artists on 28,944 labels. … The website of the Kranky label, kranky.net, has added a video section, featuring bits by and on Greg Davis, Ben Vida/Bird Show, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Pan*American and others.
… New Releases: Out this week are Fog‘s 10th Avenue Freakout (Lex), a future single from which will reportedly feature a Yo La Tengo remix; Nine Inch Nails‘ With Teeth (Interscope); and Bjork‘s Medulla DVD and Army of Me CD of remixes/covers (click here for soundclips and bios of the 20 tracks’ contributors: Interzone, Grisbi, 50 Hertz, Haxor & Porr, Slagsmalsklubben, Messengers of God, Dr Syntax’N’CB Turbo v Rivethead, Dr. Gunni, Martin White, HEMP, Lunamoth, Beats Beyond, Peter Baker, Random, Atoi, R. Luvbeats, Alfredo Lietor, Patrick Wolf, Neetoo, Liliom, Mikhail Karikis, Tor Bruce). More new release info at brainwashed.com/releases.
… Keeping Score: A search for “Brian Eno” on IMDB.com newly brings up a short, Blanco y Negro, credited to Martin Mainoli. … Angelo Badalementi scored the forthcoming horror flick Dead Water. … Kent Sparling is credited with music for Seven Fallen Objects, also due out this year.
… Quote of the Week: “I didn’t try to be primitive. … I just had bad microphones.” That’s outsider-country maverick Hasil Adkins, quoted in his New York Times obituary on Saturday (link). R.I.P.