Tape Archives - Chess Music (2007)

This was originally recorded around 2007, when my friends were playing chess at my apartment in Montreal on Parc Ave. Originally created as a drone instrumental soundtrack for some imaginary film noir picture that doesn't exist. At the time, I was obsessed with the idea of trying to make my guitar sound like a trumpet, warping it into different instruments sonically. Chess music was born in our minds that night like some black jet bombing a nameless landscape into hell as their game of chess carried on.

The recording is from a tape transfer to my computer in 2007, from this piece of shit shoebox recorder I bought at a Jewish camera store on Parc Ave for $20. The project was then abandoned after I started working on "HORROR" for Fixture Records. I've tried to clean it up as much as I can digitally, after rediscovering it on my hard drive today.

It is now exorcised into digital format from the grave.

Happy holidays mang~

FREE DOWNLOAD LINK:

Chess Music EP

(Instrumental, 2007)

Instruments:

Electric Guitar
RC-2 Loop station
Holy grail reverb pedal
Ace tone solid state amplifier
Thriftstore Sanyo Alarm clock/radio

Tracklisting:

1) Midnight Express
2) Criminal On The Run
3) Night Walker
4) Aurevoir Quebec

Rose Mansion Analog on SOUNDCLOUD

The Beijing crew is up on Soundcloud now for streaming!! if your curious about underground bands in Beijing, give them tracks a listen:

Offset Spectacles, Hot & Cold, and Soviet Pop

ROSE MANSION ANALOG

Dirty Beaches - N Train

New Dirty Beaches Music video, from Hobo Cult Records Compilation, 2010:
http://hobocult.blogspot.com/2010/12/...

Original Video Footage Shot By: cat2525jp, thank you for your amazing train videos!!!

Jacno - Rectangle

Television du 09/04/1980

HAUSU - 1977

Really want to find a copy of this horror flick from Japan in the late 70's, its so weird that I feel like my psyche was somewhat violated after watching this clip.

Eargasm Lodge - Dirty Beaches Mix

Here's a guest mix Eargasm asked to me to make for their listeners, taken from some of my favorite artists and tunes, it also features 2 of my friends who are incredibly talented : "Lantern", and "Hot & Cold" Also, check out fellow Night People comrade "Rene Hell"

1. Blue train - Johnny Cash
2. I'll be on my Way - Bob & Fred
3. Roll Roll Train - Hasil Adkins
4. I Want to be Wanted - Brenda Lee
5. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - Nat King Cole Trio
6. The Others in Their Worlds - Sun Ra
7. Tears for Dolphy - Ted Curson
8. The Shadow Knows - Link Wray & the Raymen
9. Catman - The Birthday Party
10. Uighur Pop - Hot & Cold
11. Desert Trip - Gil Melle
12. Untitled - Lantern
13. Bordes of Heaven - Rene Hell
14. Ghost of Love - David Lynch
15. Don't Let the Devil Ride - Ike Gordon
16. Dark Night of the Soul - Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse feat. David Lynch
17. March Theme - Sensational Happy Travelers
18. Diane, its 8am, Seattle, WA - Agent Cooper


Dirty Beaches - Eargasm Lodge Mix 2.0 by eargasmlodge

Last 25 copies of Golden Desert Sun 7" for sale

Conan from Italian Beach Babes just found a box of the last 25 copies of Golden Desert Sun 7" that we thought was sold out already, you can grab them here:

Italianbeachbabes.bigcaretel.com

Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan

Go SEE THIS FILM. THAT'S ALL I'MA SAY. GO SEE THIS FILM.

Andrew Bush - Vector Portraits

Andrewbush.net

Jim Jarmusch

My friend Conor just sent me a quote from Jim Jarmusch, and it kind of embodies the ethics and attitude behind my work and beyond. There are no rules and no right way to do things, you do your best and hustle your shit out there. Listen to some golden words of wisdom right here, mang:

"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery – celebrate it if you feel like it."

- Jim Jarmusch

West Coast Bird by Dirty Beaches

Lantern (Untitled) Music Video

Lantern from Jacqueline Lachance on Vimeo.

Its here!! Check out this music video Jacqueline Lachance and I made for our dear friend Zach (Omon Ra II, Lantern) we shot it over this summer in Montreal before Zach moved to Philadelphia. Link Wray meets desert FUZZ Alejandro Jodorowsky. I love this track.

Enjoy~

Grinderman

The myth of aging has been dispelled by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. I am looking forward to the next 20 years. I swear for a brief glimpse from the light and the shadow, I saw a young Nick Cave singing on stage, with his silhouette burned into my mind.

As Warren Ellis swung and kicked and hammered away with his maracas and bowed his violin onto his fuzz wahed toy bass, the gods have thundered and conquered.

I wanna be in a band. I want to sweat blood.

Go see them if you can. You won't be disappointed.

One night in Los Angeles

San Diego

San Diego Love

Raising Arizona - 1987

GAWD I love this movie. Just rewatched this tonight, its been over 10 years since I last saw it, and I love it even more now.

Birthday Party - Junkyard

This is probably one of the best LIVE videos I've ever seen. Check out the bass player (Tracy Pew) towards the 2nd half of the video. It gets intense. Rowland S. Howard is my guitar hero.

Photo by Mike Lau, taken in NYC, 2010.

Hua Ji Fried Chicken / Baohaus in NYC

Hua Ji took up 25% of my diet during my stay in NYC, Taiwanese fried chicken and pork chop on a bed of rice with tea leaf eggs (marinated in tea leaves and spices) thanks to Josh Frank for the Taiwanese connection tips. Baohaus' Gua bao also feature cilantro with red cooked pork belly with pork fat that melted in your mouth. God bless New York. Shame on you, Montreal.

Almodovar - Broken Embraces

Just watched this tonight, Penelope Cruz is amazing in this, fuck hollywood for trying to typecast her as just another sultry latino lady in romcoms, Cruz is an amazing actress that has crazy range and charisma, and it shows in her recent collaborations with Almodovar. The story is tight and well woven together and is probably one of my favorites of Almodovar's stellar back catalog of films. Been really into films that have a plain look without any of that fancy cinematography LOOK lately. Been mostly intrigued by the process of storytelling and its execution, and I find aesthetics get in the way a lot of the times. Good storytelling well always make a great film.

I'm a hard worker when it comes to music, but film is a whole other beast altogether. Thanks to a crazy busy summer of music releases, I've successfully managed to procrastinate all this summer and fall, and had not touched or shot any additional scenes with Bernardino for my short film, and its still sitting in my hard drive like a duck that's being slowly burnt on roast. I felt my script was weak, and depended solely on the aesthetics hoping to make it abstract. But its just all bullshit if you look at yourself in the mirror. Perhaps this is a good opportunity to regroup after this self inflicted defeat and come back stronger. Like the last line of Broken Embraces said, "Films have to be finished, even if you do it blindly."

YESSIR

Juke Magazine Article

Recently guest penned an article in the UK based music magazine JUKE, about traveling, along with some travel photos I took while on the road. Pick up a free copy of Juke Magazine if you live in the UK, yo.

If your interested in reading the article, You can download the words here:http://www.mediafire.com/?okmbzcyclecyk65 in its ass whopping file size of 3 kb. Which takes less than 0.01 sec to download, I think.

J A V I E R . . P I Ñ Ó N

Check this guy's collage out, he's got a really mean style full of movements. Javierpinon.com

New York - California in 45hrs

Info on Badlands LP

Currently in portland now at a roadside motel called The Palms, on N interstate. It has a giant flashing neon palm tree as their sign. Like something out of a movie, $50/night with Wi-fi. I'm in a smoking room and it doesn't smell like ass. Highly recommend it to those on the road passing thru portland.

In terms of the up and coming full length "Badlands" LP, I have already submitted all 8 tracks to Zoo music last month, the cover art is almost finished, and we will need to get it mastered and the whole 9 yards but we are shooting for march 2011 as the current release date. I'm very excited and can't wait until it comes out because I worked my fuckin ass off for this LP. I have enough b-sides from this album to make another album. (Some, which you will hear in the upcoming split 12" with Ela Orleans)

A brief background on the LP:
The concept behind Badlands, is about a man who is possessed by the road. My mother used to say to me, "you walk at night often enough, sooner or later you'll run into a ghost." I think its very true, as the devil comes in all forms. Just here to fuck your shit up.

Side A will be all bangers, with songs about leaving, and being chased on the road, and driving a burning car into oblivion. Side B will be ballads, and dirges laced with murder and lament. Expect similar fidelity as golden desert sun and night city recordings. I am looking into upgrading my recording gear as soon as them paychecks come in, so to deliver a better quality product to the listeners. But as of now, its budget home recordings.

In the meantime, I'll be making my way north, up to vancouver after this weekend. It has been a long journey since I left montreal last month. Highlight being driving from NY to san diego in 45 hrs with 3/5 of the crocodiles. we drove non stop other than gas/peepee/shit and food. 4 drivers on shifts. Everyone was amazing, no one bitched or complained. We just drove that motherfuckin van all the way across the USA. I was the only night owl of the group so I had the 3am to 9am shift. Driving across the desert at night until the sun came up is a memory I will always cherish and remember forever.

to good health, and safe driving.

love
alex

El Guincho - Bombay

EL GUINCHO | Bombay from MGdM | Marc Gómez del Moral on Vimeo.

My brain almost exploded while watching this.

Gil Scott-Heron - New York Is Killing Me (Chris Cunningham Remix)

Watch it here:
Chris Cunnigham.com

Split tape w/Hobo cubes/Street Gnar/Generic Shit

The tape is out now on Campaign for infinity, thanks to brett wagg for putting it out in such short period of time, we don't waste no time here around this city. Time is always burning away, so we gotta counter that shit with productivity. Also check out the tape's wicked design by our friend Francesco De Gallo.

The tape is available for order here:

Campaign for infinity

Friendship Cove

Gonna miss the crew here.