Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Six Degrees of Sauerkraut--Part XXXIV: Harold Budd Day























Today was always a special day in the Glimmerlight. Indeed, 4/20 was a national holiday, a time when all the replicants would gather in the White Arcades to celebrate Harold Budd - the kindest android to ever grace our crystal shores.

While Harold wasn't constructed under the streets of Düsseldorf, we accepted him as a brother upon his arrival. With the coming of the yellow crystals we had all gotten to feeling a bit uptight. But Budd's synths created soothing melodies, and he built the White Arcades, where all the droids would go to have a mellow good time.

When Budd departed for his off-world colony we all thought it was a bad trip, but he left the White Arcades behind, where we could all gather to chill out and remember him.

So spark up that blue crystal in your inner core, click on the title of this post, and check out some of those sweet sounds we listened to in that white haze.

Monday, April 19, 2010

The Adventures of Moebius -- Part III: Trading Places II



















Long ago, I promised you I would complete this tale.

Let me refresh your memory - In 1983, Moebius and Roedelius, inspired by the American comedy Trading Places, exchanged subroutines, so they could make music like the other. Moebius took Roedelius' melodic subroutines and created his masterpiece Tonspuren. Roedelius, on the other hand, took Moebius' skronky subroutines and created his album of off-beat skronk - Offene Türen.

Finally, you can now experience Roedlius as Moebius by clicking on the title of this post. This is one of the highlights from Offene Türen - "Husche" - a true slice of skronk madness. Indeed, the skronk almost drove Roedelius insane - he longed for the sweet beat-less melodies of his youth on the blue crystal shores of Horst.

However, he left Offene Türen in homage to skronk - he left it for all androids of the future to ponder over, and enjoy.

Immer wieder!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Six Degrees of Sauerkraut--Part XXXIII: Free-Birds


















As I've mentioned before, we always loved it when Frédéric Mercier joined us in the Glimmerlight. He would play to adoring crowds of replicants, bathed in the cooling blue hues of the Glimmerlight's Hinterhoff Stadium, deep beneath the streets of Düsseldorf.

As Mercier's epic shows drew to a close, the crowd would chant "Free-Birds!" in all of our mechanized glory, imploring Frédéric to play his signature tune. At the end of the tune, as the grand climax to his show, Frédéric would transform into his other form, a majestic robotic Pigeon. He would fly from the stage back to France, leaving the androids open-mouthed with awe and appreciation.

We always left Mercier's shows tremendously pleased, but also perplexed that such a fine specimen of technology originated in France.

Check out "Free-Birds" by clicking on the title of this post.

Rauf und runter!