brandon.plank[dot]com

This survey was created for a class where I was debating the efficacy of copyright legislation; the survey allowed me to get a current and relevant data source. This is in no way a pier-reviewed journal study, but I think it’s a powerful tool for those who wish to further study the problem of music piracy, copyright infringement and social norms for both issues.

This survey was created through the freeware LimeSurvey and was installed on the domain ‘brandonplank.com/survey’; it ran from September 17 to November 19, 2010.
The survey consisted of threw question groups: DEMOGRAPHICS (3 questions), ATTITUDES (11 questions), DOWNLOADERS (6 questions) and CONCLUSION (1 question); questions for ‘DOWNLOADERS’ were conditional and only presented to survey takers that chose ‘Yes’ to the question “I DOWNLOAD MUSIC OFF THE INTERNET.”.
The survey recorded the taker’s IP address and blocked anyone that attempted to take the survey more than once from the same IP address; other than the IP address, the survey did not request or retain any distinguishing information that can be tracked back to the survey taker.
Invitations for the survey were distributed through posts on Facebook, MySpace, on several music-based message boards and through the Depth Recordings mailing list.

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Dieselboy – A Soldier’s Story – A Drum And Bass DJ Mix
Label: Moonshine Music
Catalog#: MM 80109-2
Format: CD, Mixed, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 29 Jun 1999
Style: Drum n Bass

I remember when I first heard this CD, because I immediately thought: Damian is either a robot or from the future. I met him shortly after I heard this mix because he was in Denver all the time and his sets were as flawless as this CD, but I still wasn’t convinced he wasn’t a robot or a Terminator, sent back in time through some crazy time vortex. Sadly, it’s 10 years later and this isn’t what all Drum N Bass sounds like; we went hard as nails, to deep as the oceans blue, then for some reason we got fucking clown shoes for a year or two… but I digress.
The glory of this CD is not the tracks themselves, but the way in which they are melded together to form this rich, dark tapestry. The crazy thing about the tunes is that they harken to the mid-90s hard step, with the slightly distorted snares and while the songs themselves are dark, they’re not over powered by layers and elements. I’m a percussion whore, so the whole hardstep movement was right up my alley: hard and clear percussion with the occasional ‘amen’ break. The icing on the cake is that all the tracks are pitched up +8-+10, so if/when you ever find some of these tracks, you’ll find they were pressed A LOT slower. I’d have to say the key tunes to try to snag off this CD are: Konflict – The Beckoning, Jonny L – The Bellz and Technical Itch & Dieselboy – Atlantic State.

The mixing is razor-sharp, the tracks are mean as fuck and the speed is just fast enough to make you want to punch something, but not so fast that you get confused of the beat timing; remember kids, bob your head 1/2 time for optimal performance.
The CD is a classic still 10 years later and one of the best DnB CDs ever released, IMO.

10/10

Copyright protected by Digiprove © 2010 Brandon Plank

It’s been a while, but here’s some diamonds in the rough.

-B

Milton Bradley – Psychological Drama – [Do Not Resist The Beat 03]
1- Psychological Drama
B1- Derealization
B2- Hypnagogic
Every now and then, you need to buy an abstract techno record to show you’re hardcore; this should be one that you buy.

Kaliber – Kaliber 21 – [Kaliber 21]
A- 1
B- 2
I’ve had this tune for a while and it restores my faith in the Kaliber series. I’m sick of the ping-pongy shit and this record takes the bleeps to a ‘Detroit’ sound, which I approve of.

M2 – 01.01-00.07.30h – [Shortage 001]
A1- Untitled
A2- Untitled
B1- Untitled
The A side is money, if you want some filler, spaced-out techno, a la Josh Wink style. Good building tracks.

Canson – Risiko – [Grubenstrasse 05]
A- Risiko
B- Hot Sunday
This release is TOUGH! The A side is a clanky, Regis-style number and the B side is more housey.

For those that know me, you know that I’m fed up with this ‘indie electro’ and ‘electro house’ bullshit; none of that crap is programmed, sounds like or is in any way similar to REAL electro, other than they used distortion efx on a synth line.

Well, fuck the trend-riding noobs, my mate Chris (aka 214) recorded his live set @ a gig last weekend in L.A. and it’s fucking ACE.

If you think you’re an ‘electro’ DJ and you tell promoters that’s what you play, give this mix a listen. If you don’t sound anything like this, STOP SAYING YOU PLAY ELECTRO!!!

Now… sit back, relax, download this set, tune in and tune ooouttttt.

Click to Download!!!

Been a while, but here’s some lovelies.

-B

Mutant Clan – Inside – [SCI + TEC Digital Audio]
A- Inside
B- Outside
Lovely release.  It’s a tad tribal, but has little nasty stabs here and there to make it complete

Daniel Mehlhart – Scharade – [Kindisch 22]
A1- Scharade
A2- Distracted Conscience
B- Alura
I love this damn release. It’s house-y, but has some electro elements, which makes it great.

J-Mode – The Trouble EP – [Leftroom 16]
A- The Trouble
B- The Trouble ((Jamie) Lee Curtiss Remix)
Great release. The A side is Detroit-ish and Lee’s remix is on the housier tip.