got back from LA LA land... 80 and sunny, while nyc was frozen in single digits..,
first stop was Boy Genius' office. yes, he has a real job! and it's a pretty good one... he designs interfaces and new media for high profile clients. this is his office building which is a great example of the lo-tech on the outside, super-modern on the inside design that defines the back areas of Culver City.
like i said, his office is super-minimal on the inside (CTU-esque), but BG rocks tons of flare, including this full-sized american flag draped on top of his computer.
on saturday, we headed to the NAMM show... if you haven't heard about, it's basically like the auto show for the music store industry...
the show boasts guest appearances from everyone from Mick Mars of Motley Crue (hot girlfriend) and Lonnie Smith, sporting the full turban.
this was one of the highlights of the show. Moog always keeps it real at their booth. this theremin master was so odd, but fascinating. he reminded me of that goth kid from the new American Idol. me and BG were mezmirized...
of course BG had to challenge him to a theremin duel
my best of show:
you've already seen it on the blog, but the new akai is pretty cool. they're also coming out with a smaller version of the popular MPK49.
native instruments new maschine.... laid out like an MPC, comes with its own software. i like the idea of custom controllers...
microkorg XL merges Korg's 2 most popular retro synths, the microkorg and the R3.... awesome vintage design too...
also look out for
- new Rane TTM56
- folding Odyssey L-Stands (no more taking it apart)
- korg nano pads in black (these will be on the site tonight)
and on an interesting note, i got to check out the possible next big DJ thing. also developed somewhere in europe where everyone is blonde, Pacemaker is a PSP sized device that allows you to mix music wirelessly. this guy was basically mixing the entire time on this device, beatmatching etc... we'll see how this progresses... not avail in the US yet, but coming soon...
the future of club music?
after a punishing day of non-stop meetings, it was cool to stop by the LA store and install new signage. as most lab customers know, i'm not big on signs on the stores... people still complain that you can't find the manhattan shop... but i kinda like it like that even tho that sounds stupid. but in la, it's a different game. things like signs are essential... it's a constant bombardment...
i caught the inauguration on the plane flight back. everyone was in their obama cocoons, but once he was sworn in, the plane erupted in applause... that was a cool moment.
