bravehound – criminal.mp3
(to download, right-click and choose save.  Apple users control-click and choose download.)

- Featuring -
Sophia Somajo / Dragonette / Lady Gaga / Paul Van Dyk / Britney Spears / Chew Fu / Mariah Carey / Jeremy Word / Cassie / Timbaland / SoShy / Nelly Furtado / Johnny McDaid / Jennifer Lopez / Villians

I’m not even sure where to start with this one.

Life has been quite a ride for me this past year. And since Summer, I’ve gone through a separation, moved back to the U.S., and have begun the process of starting my life over. And while good things will come of it, there is quite a bit to wade through, that isn’t so pleasant.

That’s what this mix is about. It’s mourning, it’s angry, it hurts. It’s dark, hard, and sexual. There is a dash of hope here and there, but it quickly escapes.

It’s impossible to outrun the bad things in life, as much as one might like to. So in the true nature of my tunes being a reflection of the here and now for me… here’s me, wading through (and not around) the rough stuff.

Artistically, I’m quite happy with how it turned out. It starts a bit here and there, and really starts cranking. It grows darker and harder towards the end, at doesn’t let up at the finish. It’s still very much pop remixes going on here… but I tried to push it to be darker and harder than my usual. I’m not sure how well it’ll do on a treadmill or at a house party - it’s a bit much - but it is what it is. Hope ya like it.

I’ve had quite a number of people contacting me asking when this mix was coming out. It’s awesome to know people are excited and wanna keep hearing more. I promise my next mix have a little more light shining through :)

Thanks everyone… and see you in the New Year!

- Andy

PS. Thanks to my photographer for making me as dark, dirty, and sleazy as the tunes.

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… and my runway never looked so clear…

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Needed some cheer tonight, got it from this silly video.

Rising to the surface…

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Mark and I have separated.  I have moved back to the US, and am now living in Seattle.

I don’t dive deep, sharing dissections of personal parts of my life on here – that’s never the blog I wanted to have – but I feel compelled to at least share a few words.  Mark has obviously been a big part of my life over the last 7 years, and that’s been reflected on this blog.  I can say very honestly, that I still care deeply for him and wish him nothing but happiness, and that there isn’t any hostility between us… but we’re heading in our own separate ways.

Starting from scratch in a new city / coast / continent has obviously consumed much of my mind and free time.  I’m no longer working remotely, either (after 5 years!)… so I’m actually trekking into an office like a normal chap once again.  Things are beginning to settle, and I’ll soon be working on a mix and going through the massive shit-tons of photos still on my camera.

I appreciate the emails asking about when I’m tossing out another mix… the answer is soon, hopefully.  And I appreciate the loyal readership and interest in my little hobby that I enjoy so much.  I’ll be back at it soon.

- Andy

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Just before heading off on another of my West coast work trips, I picked up a sweet new little compact point-and-shoot – a Canon SD780 IS.  Not only is this little gay red camera just WAY better than my previous little gay red camera, but it records 720p HD video, which totally rocks my face.  So naturally, being on the West coast for a couple weeks, I was able to capture some of the weekend fun in Seattle… and this weekend was Seattle Pride.

I hadn’t been in 5 or so years – I was surprised and how it’s grown.  It’s awesome to have the parade downtown and the festival at the Seattle Center, as opposed to on Broadway and in little Volunteer Park.  The weekend was hot and sunny, and I had a ball seeing old friends and meeting new ones, in my old city.

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Still loving this video.  Maybe it’s because I first fell in love with this album while driving at night.

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bravehound – glory afternoon.mp3
(to download, right-click and choose save.  Apple users control-click and choose download.)

- Featuring -

Robyn / Frankmusik / La Roux / Röyksopp / M.I.A. / Sophie Ellis Bextor / Santogold / Basement Jaxx / Black Eyed Peas / Imogen Heap / Lykke Li / The Killers / U2

The last mix was a ‘beach party at night’… this one is definitely for under the hot Summer sun.  It’s PACKED with some of my favorite artists - across a few genres - remixed.  For your pleasure.

The beat gets going with some current favorites, including the hot Sophie Ellis Bextor anthem and yet ANOTHER awesome Robyn track (with Röyksopp) that was a no-brainer to help kick things off.  It moves into electro-ghetto-funky, and starts getting a little nutty, jumping around before you get too comfy, giving you a little electro-mixshow… and I had to include new favorites Frankmusik and La Roux.  Before long, settles into a fun, sweet Summer groove becomes just all about celebration and sunshine.  Things end with a track I’m really loving right now… be sure not to miss it.

I wanted to produce a mix that was fun a festive enough to rock the Pride season right, and loaded the table with all the chips I had.

Hope you like!  Tips much appreciated.

PS. OH HAI GIANT ANDY FACE

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For those of you that loved Frankmusik… check La Roux.

Hotness.

Love this song, and the video is 80’s eyegasmic.  I love it.  Kylie/Robyn/Tetris attack!

Needless to say… she’s going in the mix.

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As most of you may know, the one thing that kills me about being a big fan of my iPhone, is the weak camera… especially for what I demand in a camera phone.  After all, taking snaps with my camera phone, is what got me so interested in mobiles in the first place.  And with today’s announcement of the iPhone 3GS at the WWDC,  Apple has given my me my much lusted-for camera upgrade.

Almost.

The new iPhone 3GS camera:

- 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus
- Auto exposure, auto white balance, low light and macro mode
- 640×480 @ 30 frames/sec… with auto focus, auto white balance, auto exposure
- On-phone basic video editing, with direct sharing features via MMS, email, YouTube and MobileMe

The bitter part?  They didn’t include a dang photo light or flash.

Sure… the improved camera module is told to be better in low-light conditions.  But come on now.  Seriously.

BUT.  I’m hooked on this damn phone.  So I’ll take what I can get. 

Auto-focus on the cam is lovely. And VGA video @ 30fps with focus is as good as I could expect for video - and a DANG nice good start to adding video to the iPhone.  If only they matched that leap from zero to hero, with the still cam…

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Amazing.

One thing I’ve always loved about Microsoft, is their willingness to spend time and money (they have it…) in developing new technologies, and putting them out there for companies to make what they will. Microsoft’s multi-touch Surface platform is a great example.  Did they put it out there as a monopolizing product platform?  No.  It’s as if they created it, to help push software developers to think outside of conventional software interfaces and hardware form factors.  And while Windows as an OS can never just up and be rewritten – since a world of business relies on backwards compatibility - they at least have some channels where they can really do some nutty-fantastic innovation.

And wow… their Natal Project is something else.

It takes the motion-controlled gaming phenomenon that Nintendo pioneered, to a whole new level.  And while there is no release date yet for games and programs using the technology seen above, it’s well along in development.  Minority Report in 2010, please! :)

And yeah, while this is great for a whole new universe of gaming possibilities, my first thought took me to how this could change interfaces outside of xbox… DVRs and TVs, personal computers, and technology in public spaces.  Software that can be controlled from within the room, using recognized gestures.  It’s like we’re finally treading into the era of UI prioritization that makes technology seem comfortable, familiar, and simple (iPhone?)… rather than complicated and daunting.  In terms of potential, it’s pretty fantastic.

Many will be waiting with baited breath to hear more and see how accurate functional this technology truly turns out to be.  I certainly will be.

PS. – I make work on a star ship after all! :)

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